5. Social and Political Hierarchy

[Zeo DiPaulo]

• Intro (See Below)
• Clans
• Districts
• Kaisers and the High Council
• Royals and Nobility
• Modern Determination of Individual Hierarchy

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Intro

Social and political hierarchy among vampires tends to be one of the more rigid societal standards. While there are some difference, mostly noted by the division of the old and new world, and special environments the societal order is fairly standard in the modern world.

Noted significant deviations occur mostly in native vampiric clans of rain forest climates, which still tend to remain very strict as to the admittance or surrendering of clan members, and refuse to take part in the global cooperative efforts of vampiric politics.

[Zeo DiPaulo]

Clans

• Historically:
  
  Traditionally clans were once comprised of tightly knit family units that typically expanded as descendants found partners, turned new vampires, or took in those that had a some reason to swear loyalty to the clan. Admittance was a serious matter, and those within the clan tended to be skeptical of outsiders with varying degrees depending on nation of origin of the respective clans. Clans who were under the reign of ruling clans would maintain relative peace among one another, strictly governed by ruling clans (usually those clans directly tied to a royal family) with assigned territory and social rank determined by the ruling force.
  
  In Native vampires of the Americas, Africa, Australia, and parts of Southern Asia bands between clans and ruling clans were far less common to unheard of.
• Modern Clans- America
  
  While clans have grown in size, and now often contain vampires without direct blood ties, there can still be a sense of comradery. Regardless of the closeness, or lack there of, every member of the clan is bonded to the clanmaster. In America clans within the district are governed by the Kaiser(s)/Kaiserine(s), and are theoretically to be equal in rank, influence, and resource differing only to the Kaiser(s)/Kaiserine(s)' clan. All clan members live on clan grounds and any rituals used to strengthen inter clan bonding is up to the discretion of the clanmaster and Kaiser.
• Modern Clans - Off Clanhouse permissive countries
  
  In many European,and a few Southeast Asian clan members are allowed to live off clan sovereign territory. As such, the country in question has territories broken up politically in which vampires living off of clan territory are assigned to respective clan masters. Due to this more distant living style, rituals are regularly held to maintain the bonds between clanmasters and clan members. Groups of clans within the same region are then represented by a high ranking vampire under the direct command of the Kaiser of the country.
• Modern Clans - Vampire hostile countries
  
  In some countries vampires are still very much considered unholy monsters by the humans that live there. Since America (one of the most influential countries in the UN) is behind in seeing to the rights of its own vampires, and China and Russia (two more of the five countries that enjoy permanent seats in the UN ) are behind in seeing to the rights and/or freedoms of their citizens in general, countries with more progressive views towards vampires are unable to offer aid to those in such countries. As such, these clans tend to keep their locations from the countries in which they reside and tend to demonstrate the isolative tenancies of clans of old. Such countries include most in the Middle East, Northern Africa, Korea, and other nations of extreme political social unrest and/or heavy influence from folklore in a high percentage of the population.

[Zeo DiPaulo]

Districts

Districts are only present in off Clanhouse permissive countries, and in the United States.

• Historically:
  
  The precursor to modern districts, or the concepts of them in vampiric society stem back to old empires and nations run by royals. The lands, vampires, and humans that were considered the property of any one emperor or royal (respectively) were divided up among royals (in the case of a reigning emperor) or lesser royals and nobles for management. Clans within these lands were represented by those commanding the territories within a kingdom/empire/nation to the reigning power, much as is the case with modern districts. The extents of loyalties and devotions between the reigning figures, those charged with the territories, and the clans under them were usually dependant upon the culture in question.
• America:
  
  In America the significance of Districts is far more profound than any other country in which districts are present. Much as in historical accounts, the districts are portions of America which fall under the control of a reigning figure(s) titled "Kaisers/Kaiserens" who run the clan considered to rule over other clans within their territory. Officially, however, there are no vampires within the district who are not found within one of the clanhouses, nor are there allowances for the emergence of new or strictly familial clans within the district.
  
  Districts tend to be resented in America (unlike in other countries), as vampires are restricted to these areas by penalty of law. Moving between the districts officially is wrought with red tape, restrictions, heavy fees, paperwork and permission is often denied purely based on a low numeric allowance for vampires to pass between the districts. Moving between districts illegally is punishable by death without trial, and so is only undertaken by vampries of considerable skill, and/or means (to bribe or otherwise pay their way around the system.
• In off Clanhouse permissive countries:
  
  In countries where vampires are allowed to live off clan sovereign lands, the country is divided into districts. These districts determine to which clanhouse a vampire living off clan territory belongs to. Appropriate clanleader to clanmember bonds are maintained, and the clanleader in this case if often seen as a mix between a political figure and a sort of head of the extended family. Neighboring clans will often elect a member among them or alternate responsibilities in serving as 'Representatives" and fulfilling tasks such as reporting to their 'Kasier' (the representative of a country) and/or High Councilman
  
  In areas with larger vampiric concentration this sometimes results in pseudo micro clans forming within the district that function in a minor political way, such that community leaders may take initiative in contacting the clanleader in regards to concerns of the vampires living off clan lands as a whole (making communication more efficient).
  
  Moving between districts is far more freely undertaken than in America. Each country will have it's own rules as to how long vampires may remain in a district before changing bonds to the clanleader that oversees where they are staying, and whether there is any paperwork required in such a move (usually such paperwork is more census related then anything)

[Zeo DiPaulo]

Kaiser/Kaiserin

• America:
  
  Kaiser/Kaiseren are in charge over a district. They rank above the clan leaders in their district and rule with varying degrees of power. For example, District 1 was ruled by Vesperes Van Hasselt, before he was made to move to District 3, who appointed three of his four clan leaders as well as his co-Kaiser Ayberk. In District 3, the clanleaders acquired their position through different self earned methods. Similarly the closeness and loyalty that exists between clan leaders and kaiser(in) varies by district. They are meant to answer too their High Council member, who until recently was Gunnar Helgison. Klaus Brauer (Kaiser of Germany and High Councilmen representing Germany and all Germanic/Prussian nationality vampires in former Prussian territory) has stepped in to fill this position with Helgison's demotion.
• Elsewhere:
  
  Kaiser(in)s typically represent and rule over a country (as determined by current human society). He/she is responsible for working with (and in some countries advising) the leading human political figure of the country, as well as maintaining order and cooperation with human government among the vampiric (and in some cases dhampiric) citizens he/she represents. Kaisers of particular influence (especially those of influential nations) often also serve as High Councilmen (or women) to their country, smaller neighboring countries, and in some cases vampire who's citizenship under vampiric nationality is under special circumstance that falls within their rein. An example of the last being Klaus Brauer, the Kaiser of Germany, is also the High Councilmen of Germany, he also represents certain neighboring countries, and vampires who fall under the former nationality of Prussian that remain within former Prussian territory prior too the first World War.
  
  Note: In the deep jungles of Africa and rainforest of South America there are some clans that have no direct relation with Kaiser(in)s or the High Council due to isolation via environment, similarly political unrest and human persecution has cut off clans in the Middle East, however there is a Kaiser that exists over these areas (though they obviously are not working with the government in place in these countries)
  

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High Council

• Nature of the High Council
  
  Similar in some ways to the UN, the High Council dictate the code and laws by which vampires are upheld in various countries, coordinate relations with various human government, and work to keep peace and cooperation among the vampiric nations. Due to human nation dissention in the World Wars era coinciding with the decline of royal rule in Europe vampiric nations are more loosely established than the countries vampires officially claim citizenship in. Some hints of where the variations lay can be seen in the break up of high council members, and the Kaiser(in)s approved of.
• History:
  
  The High Council began in Europe under the efforts of non-royal vampires around the time of German unification. It is believed that the move of the disjointed Germanic states (the vampiric nations therein already having long been united under the rule of the Brauer line when Germania was only occupied by human tribes) into a single state had the effect of revitalizing the appreciation of vampiric royals throughout Europe. This likely was what seriously thwarted the High Council's attempt to establish itself as a serious political force initially.
  
  Germany, Prussia, Austria, and Hungary continued to be a point of contention for the political inadvertently, as it's human's engaging in both World Wars and the depression during the interim had further spiked concerns over the stability of some vampiric nations, and the potential for rapid overinflation of others served to either bolster faltering ties to old political powers, or to continue to justify those that had remained fairly consistent. So it was that even after World War II the High Council was considered a joke, with no real power over nations nor the royals that continued to hold them.
  
  It wasn't until the late 1950s to 1960s that the Council actually rose in power. German royal Klaus Brauer saw the need for the vampiric nations to stop following the political uprisings of their humans (a practice that seemed to take place sometime around the Napoleonic wars) and needed to focus their efforts on cooperating beyond ancient grudges, and combating the changes brought about by human conflicts. The Council, still floundering was loathed to take Brauer into their fold as he was a royal, something they wished to replace the political power of.
  
  At the time vampires of the USSR were finally coming to terms with the new lands claimed by the human nation and were trying to rein in their own new rulings after the vicious practices 'Soviet' vampires imparted on their new Prussian and German subjects. This much needed order was difficult to conceive and impossible to implement with the surviving Prussian royal Vesperes Van Hasselt hunting their dignitaries, and really any Soviet he came across, or that dared to come across him. So it was Klaus struck up a deal with the Soviets and the council. He would get Vesperes out of Europe in exchange for the Soviets agreeing to defer to and participate with the Council, and he would get the USSR vampires to get on board with the Council in exchange for being allowed to step into a leadership role on it. It was then under Klaus' leadership that the Council succeeded in altering the role royals and nobles played i and elevated the Council as the highest political standing n vampiric society.
• Structure of the High Council:
  
  While the UN was originally formed by the Allies of WWII as is reflected by the permanent seats of the UN consisting of those five countries (America, England, France, China, and Russia), the High Council was brought into power by the cooperation of the vampiric nations of Germany, Russia, France, and England (which likely accounts for the Council's nearly exclusively Euro-centered concerns).
  
  Some member of the High Council serve as Kaiser to their country as well, and may represent other closely related countries (often reflected by former discrepencies between vampiric nations and human nations), and portions of vampiric populations within a country (such as the Prussians in former Prussian territories).

[Zeo DiPaulo]

Royals and Nobility

While royalty is not officially a matter of concern in the States, it can become a matter that older and higher ranking vampires are wise to keep mindful of. How royalty and empirical rule was determined and passed on varied somewhat by vampiric culture, and how they are currently viewed also varies from nation to nation.

In Europe

In most European vampiric nations, roles that would fall under empirical rule were nearly always filled by dominant royal families within a territory. These positions were usually established by vampiric wars, or treaties. Imperial roles are no longer observed among the European vampires, except in a historical capacity, and sometimes as a matter of pride.

Royal lines:

• Royal and noble lines in European vampires were typically determined by ability. Royal lines will usually have exceptionally rare, and powerful abilities that pass exclusively to descendants (or unofficially may be passed through the draining of one with the ability). Examples of these include the Van Hasselt line which yields the Vampiric Glamor and Aura of Intrigue abilities, and the Brauer line with it's Mortalis ability. Each of these abilities have been carefully documented as far as success of passing on the ability, and the observed probability/possibility of the ability reemerging later on down the line when it has gone dormant. These likelihoods vary by the ability in question.
• Within royals there are titles that distinguish ruling royals (the one in the line that is seated in the throne, active royals (all royals that either exhibit the bloodline specific ability or are within two born or one turned generations of the ability having gone dormant), and passive royals (those more than two born or one turned generations removed from the bloodline ability being realized, but still have a marked possibility of producing offspring with the ability). Those who fall outside of the significant possibility of creating an active royal will sequentially lose standing each generation a viable royal is not produced, the rate of this loss of standing varies greatly by region.
• Royal lines are still very much in favor among many vampiric nations in Europe. In most cases they serve as figure heads, and may or may not be given additional responsibilities by the Kaiser, and/or Head Councilmen in charge over them. Typically royals do -not- serve on the High Council, the one exception to this is Klaus Brauer.
• While not obligated to acknowledge royals in the US; it is usually a good idea for the savvy vampire in America to remember that active royals from Europe are likely quite dangerous depending on their age, or have the potential to either become significantly dangerous, and/or have connections to a vampire that is.

South East Asia

Initially many of the royal and Imperial lines that arose came from military and/or political conquest, which unlike the European method, didn't revolve around a particular ability. More often Imperial guards were carefully bred to exhibit 'special' abilities, though these weren't so much rare as they were especially useful in defending their charges. Without having concern over the passing of bloodline abilities, royals of Southeast Asia were free to pass on ruling positions solely by birth order, passing of trials, favoritism, and/or showing a gift for ruling, according to the specific nation in question. Much as with their European equivalents, the positions have become those of figure heads over that of an actual political body.

[Zeo DiPaulo]

Modern Determination of Individual Social Hierarchy

There are a number of determining factors that determine a vampires social standing. Some our naturally occurring, while others are socially imposed or the result of ones personal circumstances. The order of importance has tended to vary over time, and will vary in the eyes of any particular value. However the following list of determining factors generally falls within the basic order from biggest determining factor to least important. This hierarchy, while intertwined with rank is somewhat independent of this as it is more a determination of respect shown among vampires on the level of individual value.

• Age:
  
  The older a vampire is, the more inherent respect he/she is due. Typically age comes with other factors assumed as historically living a long time required a vampire to be powerful, skilled, and wise enough to keep from being killed. It is suggested that with the tamer nature of modern life the importance of age may decline for vampires born after a certain date, but for now modern living hasn't been around long enough to impact the significance of getting on in years.
• Special Bloodline Prestige:
  
  This concept is losing popularity, and tends to be culture specific. The idea is that prestigious bloodlines are established in many cultures specifically by superior abilities. In some cultures, however, it's more a matter of politics, which has proven in the past to be a cause of many vampiric international conflicts as cultures with ability driven prestige, historically did not grant purely politically prestigious lines the same respect they did one another, and visa versa.
• Ability:
  
  Traditionally this only referred to a vampire's powers; however it has come to include the development of skills that are especially useful to either a vampire's individual survival, or the prosperity of the clan. In this way a vampire of less than inspiring genetics and opportunities to supplement abilities born with can earn higher status through dedication and hard work. Still, powers tend to trump skills in the minds of most vampires, especially in the mind of older vampires.
• Personality and Intellect:
  
  Vampires respect power, this comes not just in the form of physical power but also in that of personality and intellect. The more charismatic and/or dominant a vampire can be in the midst of strife the higher value he/she holds in vampiric eyes. Similarly the wiser and/or more clever or tactically strategic a vampire is the higher his/her value.
• Political Ranking:
  
  This concerns ranking that goes beyond interclan politics. For example, the position of Kaiser or High Councilman exists outside of the generic clan hierarchy, as would titles of royalty or nobility.
• Ranking by Association:
  
  There is a certain amount of respect given to those who know others in high places. This can account for vampires that are otherwise seemingly equal differing to the vampire that comes from a clan or association that ranks higher than another's. For example an Initiate of the Kaiser's clan would hold marginally more prestige than an Initiate of another clan.
• Clan Ranking
  
  Even outside of the clan a vampire belongs to, there is room to recognize a vampire's value by the rank he/she has obtained within his clan. After all, it likely isn't wise for an Initiate of one clan to disrespect the Second in Command of another.

Note:

The system isn't as cut and dry as the simple list. Remember that these factors are expected to be interconnected. For example, a vampire of great age would be expected to have achieved a high clan rank (if he/she belongs to a clan). If this is not the case, one would ask why and if by some manner a vampire were to be found in such deficit he/she could not prove worthy of moving up ranks in a clan (or strong enough to leave a clan that was oppressing him/her) the deficit in clan ranking would undo the respect age should earn a vampire. This is why things such as political ranking are lower in the hierarchy as well, because while one should be able to assume that a high rank in the clan (for example) is a reflection of a vampire's skills and usefulness this might not be the case. As such, higher value is put on that which should earn a title of honor, rather than the title which can be given without having earned it. This attitude, while good practice, had often been at the heart of discord between European vampires, and the Southeast Asian/ Northern African/ Ancient Greecian/ Ancient Roman Vampires. The former of which considered royal bloodline abilities to be a higher form of earning prestige, while the latter considered political advancement (won by either heritage, charism and/or strategical prowess) to be more indicative of a vampires worth. So in short, while these guidelines are good to use, younger or inexperienced vampires would do well to either observe or ask their more politically experienced allies before trying to navigate this socio/political hierarchy or simply should be content to behave politely and with respect to any they meet.