VtM: The Justicariate

[Storyteller]

The Justicars are the supreme judges, generals, and peacekeepers of the Camarilla. Only six exist at any given time, one for each of the Camarilla's primary clans. They are appointed for 13 year terms by the Inner Circle to be their eyes, ears, and hands. Appointment of a Justicar is a long, drawn-out (and occasionally drown-out) process as each clan fights to place a strong member in perhaps the most powerful position any Kindred can hold. Too often compromise candidates win out, but occasionally the process achieves its state goal and a truly deserving, powerful, and dedicated vampire ascends to the position of Justicar.

Justicars enjoy immense power over Kindred society and the Camarilla across the board, excepting of course the Inner Circle. They alone have the ultimate power to adjudicate matters involving the Traditions, and so on a grand level. A justicar may call a Conclave at any time, either to make a ruling or with a peer to make joint decisions on sect policy. When one of these powerful vampires makes even a polite request, very few Kindred dare refuse. They are the only outside Kindred who is capable (formally if not always personally) of setting foot in a prince's domain and giving orders. The elders of the Camarilla often harbor an intense love/hate relationship with these supreme magistrates. They know that the justicars keep the Kindred in line and keep the Camarilla functioning but each certainly has her own schemes and dealings that are threatened by the Justicars' keen and hidden eyes.

Justicars, however, do not only serve as grim judges and agents of the Inner Circle. They encourage the social aspects of Conclaves, going so far as to host conclaves so that Camarilla Kindred may meet others of their kind, meetings that might otherwise never occur without the opportunities of the Conclave. With their power, Justicars can ensure that a insane or despotic prince is removed before he does too much damage to the populace, or turn the tide of a battle against the enemies of the Camarilla. A right or wrong word at the proper moment from a Justicar can be better coin than gold or status for desperate Kindred.

In the end, though, Justicars are regarded with awe and fear. Their wrath is terrible, and their power is immense. No Kindred dares to refuse them, even if it aids in that vampire's own destruction. They stride the Camarilla like colossi, and the shadow they cast is long indeed.





The Justicars

As of the Inner Council meeting of 1998, the justicars were:

* Toreador: Madame Guil
* Nosferatu: Cock Robin
* Brujah: Usama ibn Jabar
* Malkavian: Aunt Bedelia
* Tremere: Maxwell Ldescu
* Ventrue: Alim Nadal (Former Prince of Rhode Island)
* Assamite (and other unrepresented minorities): Husayn al-Fatin

The Inner Circle is set to meet again in 2024.




The Justicar's Oath of Station

I [name], (childe of [sire], childe of [grandsire]) do swear:

The Camarilla is all, and all are Camarilla. In service and in faith to the Camarilla do I submerge the greatest part of me. Let none, enemy from without or Beast from within, challenge my loyalty. Let none, enemy from without or Beast from within, shatter my faith.

I have no interests that are not the interests of the Camarilla. I have no goals that are not the goals of the Camarilla. I suffer no threat to the Camarilla, from within or from without, Kindred or Kine. Any who place their own cause above the Camarilla shall be struck down, and I beg of the Camarilla to strike me down should I advance my cause above its own.

Though I am childe of [clan], and I represent the interests of the [clan] to the Camarilla, yet I place the good of the Camarilla above even the needs of the [clan]. For without one, the Camarilla survives; but without the Camarilla, none survive.

The friend of the Camarilla is my friend. The ally of the Camarilla is my ally. The Kindred of the Camarilla are my Kindred, unto the end of nights.

The enemy of my Kindred is my enemy. I am relentless in discovering him, implacable in hunting him, merciless in destroying him. Yet I welcome all who confess their malfeasance and seek to mend their ways, for they grant strength to me, and to the Camarilla.

If I shed blood, it is for the Camarilla. If I take life or unlife, it is for the Camarilla. If I die, it is for the Camarilla. Let the Camarilla raise up its mighty fist and strike me down should I violate this sacred trust.

This I swear, by my blood, by my sire's blood, by my unlife and by the unlives of my childer, for as long as the Camarilla honors me to serve.


Sources:
http://silenteve.wikidot.com/justicar
WW2300 Vampire the Masquerade
WW2302 Guide to the Camarilla
WW2425 Archons and Templars