introduction

introduction

introduction hen you became one of us, you may have thought of other words. "Vampire" is a favorite of mortal mythmakers. "Lick" shows the vital vulgarity of the Anarchs.

Such words are no longer adequate. You are Kindred.

Your first change was physical. You tasted the Blood of the Embrace and became a vampire. What you must understand is that this is merely the first step. The first Embrace.

The second Embrace is when you truly become Kindred, when you are initiated into the Camarilla, the greatest society of immortals the world has ever known.

It was not always like this. When I became one of us, a long time ago, the Camarilla still labored under the frankly ridiculous notion it could gather all those of the Blood under its loving care.

This was never the reality and I'm glad the lie has finally been abolished. The protection of the Camarilla is now reserved for those deserving it, and thus a singular Embrace has been separated into two.

Turn or Die The first Embrace is physical, the second social, but they share one thing in common. Neither can be refused. Once invited to join the Camarilla, you accept or die for good.

You made the wise choice, my childe. The only choice. As I knew you would.

My Dear Childe, Kindred.

What a beautiful word.

W I N T R O D U C T I O N I know you have many questions. Why did I bring you into the night? Why did I leave you to fend for yourself for a decade before coming to get you? Why did I choose this moment to induct you into the Camarilla? This letter and the documents within are meant to help you make sense of it all.

I will answer the simple questions first. I Embraced you and abandoned you to see if you could make it. The Camarilla is full of the wastrel childer of the powerful, the scions of Justicars, Princes, Inner Circle members, and other luminaries. I would never presume to question their judgement in choosing who they Embrace, but I decided to follow a different path.

There is a reason we speak of the first and the second Embrace. I am sure you have cursed me during the many confused, lonely nights of the last decade, but you will thank me when you go to your first Elysium fortified with at least some independent understanding of what it means to subsist on blood and exist outside the human herd.

Why did I come to you now, only to disappear? Well, I have a wedding to attend. You will understand in time. Consider this another test: If you survive your first week in the Camarilla with only these notes to help you, you will have proven yourself yet again.

I suppose you also want to know why I chose you specifically. The truth is, I didn't. I got permission to bring a new childe to the Camarilla, so I instructed my servants to find good candidates. They found five. I Embraced all of them. I know the Prince would probably not have accepted this, but she owes me too much to complain even if she finds out. One of the five ended himself after a week. Another joined a depressing little Anarch gang where she is still scraping by, as far as I know. Two were destroyed in Second Inquisition raids.

You were the one who succeeded in taking control of your new existence. I am sentimental in many things, but when I give my Blood to someone, I want them to be worth it.

Welcome I have opened the door for you, but you must enter on your own. I have made you a member of the Camarilla, but you must seize upon the opportunity and make it mean something.

The Camarilla is power, connections, protection. This is one of the great lessons learned by the powerful among kine and Kindred alike: Secrecy must always trump vanity. Human billionaires live in seclusion, their estates protected by armies of security guards. They travel by plane and helicopter, invisible to humanity at large, except for a few extravagant individuals who become targets of hate.

Most of the very rich keep a low profile, preferring to stay anonymous. In this and many other ways, there is not much difference between us and them. The Camarilla merely represents another layer of power at the very top. We too live in secrecy, hidden from the general population in our havens and Elysiums. Indeed, often the land of wealth is our land, the privileges society grants to its richest members protecting us too.

The Camarilla can be many things. Different cities organize in their own ways, their Kindred shaping their existence according to necessity and desire. Yet, so often wealth and influence are the two constants.

We disappear into the human elite, so it is not only the world of the Camarilla you must adjust to. It is also the world of cocktail parties, gala openings, and fundraisers. Pretty much the only avenue blocked to us is going golfing during daytime. And anyway, golf bores me.

The Camarilla protects you from many things, but do not be naive about the environment you are about to enter. Despite its profession of peace, the Elysium can be lethal, and frankly we like it like that. Playing the political game is what makes life worth living, and it is only fitting that the price of failure is death.

After you have learned everything in these papers, destroy them. It is a good habit to learn. Every document can betray you in the wrong hands. My servants have been instructed to provide you with access to my havens, including the ones in the city, the mansion, as well as my island cabin. There are also a few C A M A R I L L A