(1410) Ventrue Dread Lords and Ladies

[Hildegarde Bingen]

The Prince spoke and set out his scenario. Hildegarde had to admit it was a good choice: the situation bought together so many themes and so many subtleties. The answer was simple, of course. Deceptively so. And hence the danger. The question itself was a piece of political maneuvering...

This time, Hildegarde chose her pose. Astute watchers may have noticed a slight frown crease her forehead before she reclined into a reflective pose, head bowed in contemplation. She was turning the question over in her mind; she was playing for time, listening to what the others suggested. Most especially, she waited for Josephine to make her pitch. It was the Sanctified she needed to outplay.

"Let me see..." she drew the words out.

Her eyes locked on Josephine from under her mask.

  

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-10-24 19:11:18		Hildegarde knows to be discreet rolls 9 to Manipulation + Subterfuge (10 Again, WillPower)		3, 8, 2, 4, 2, 8, 3, 8, 9		4 successes

[Josephine Sterling]

"Penitence is important for our kind, but as we are creatures who have been damned for our sins, it is not surprising that we continue to sin. Thus I," Josephine said, impregnating the silence of her competition with her words, "would ensure that the criminal would be willing to pay their penance to those that they had wronged, and assuming the punishment was not banishment, I would house the criminal so that they might be allowed to find proper shelter which would not offend or trespass against any in the domain. For, an important part of sin is acknowledging that we have sinned, and that we must overcome such behavior and turn, instead, to that which is proper. Such a pursuit is one that a Priscus should aid their cousins in. Thus, rather, than doing as Mr. Levine proposed, I would insert myself, and the sinner, into the process of announcing the sinner and their punishment to the Domain. Thus knowledge would be given to every subjects of this Domain, whatever their clan, that to flaunt the law is to court punishment, and that the Lords do not fear accepting the burden of their mistakes, just as they do not fear meting out that punishment. For, in addition to whatever punishment might rightly be meted out by the Authority of the domain, I would speak with our Whip so that we might persuade the sinner to accept a greater burden of punishment in order to express the depth of their penitence to the Domain, and to their Family, who they have wronged by association."

[Hildegarde Bingen]

"Oh how charitable of you." Hildegarde replied at the end, raising her head and resting her chin on hand. "You would not be a priest; you would be Priscus. There is a difference you know. And what if some of us disagree on your penitence and your Sin?"

Hildegarde paused and appeared to be consulting the shadowy door frame yet again. Then she straightened herself into something approaching a regal pose.

"Of course, on a number of points, my dear friend Josephine is correct. So is Mister Levine." She acknowledged them both with nods. "There is a role for the Priscus in the judicial workings of Court. How that role manifests and the range of options available to the Priscus depends on how far a given infraction is known. As Mister Levine points out, if too many Court officials know of a given transgression then the time to act has past: justice must be done and that lies in the hands of the Prince and the officers of his Court. If however, the transgression is caught in time then there is much wider scope for negotiation. By all means, bring in the wrong doer for they must pay for their crimes and we cannot show favouritism. Let the wrong doer, the priscus and court officer sit and... talk. A punishment must be laid but the wrong doer needs to be aware that the priscus is there in their corner, arguing on their behalf. Such a method is discrete and ensures that lessons are learned and digested, yes. If a piece of theatre is required it is better that all the players know their parts beforehand - after all I doubt we are discussing situations of high crime, such as Diablerie or open sedition."

She paused.

"We do not need to make ourselves martyrs. Such display only weakens us in front of the other Clans and I assure you, they certainly won't martyr themselves on our account. I would also expect that the other Clans would also hold their prisci support individual members in their relations with the Court and work through the give-and-take of prestation. The Priscus is less an overbearing parent and more a lawyer... or a counsellor. Yes?"

The last was said at a higher pitch as her head jerked to one side in a curiously bird like gesture. Her eyes slid over Josephine.

[Asa]

Wonderful. One of them's crazy on the outside, the other one's crazy on the inside.

Although the sheer volume of words would have tempted him to boredom normally, there were enough interesting bits to hold his attention, and his eyes moved between speakers. He was surprised that Hildegarde hadn't folded; after all, she'd ceded the position before to the neonate Galloway.

The newcomer, Levine, was a slippery bastard, which he respected.

His eyes drifted back towards Ashley, a small smile sliding out. Clever girl. He was no stranger to the Carthian's Devotions -- it would be an admirable way to demonstrate their effectiveness and dangle the knowledge before potential recruits... or allies. His eyes remained locked on her piercing blue ones for several long moments in silent acknowledgment and perhaps challenge.

"Thank you for the offer, Miss Cohen. If it comes to that, such a demonstration would be enlightening." He paused and looked around the table.

"Let me be a bit more clear. The Prisci will be responsible for their Clans. In the past, I, or one of my Court officials, have judged --and if necessary, meted out punishment. Moving forward, I'd rather see the Prisci handle their families' affairs. If they prove to be ill-suited to the task, then I'll... intervene," Asa explained.

It was simple math. They would judge their own, and he would judge them.

"Despite my having made light of Father Galilei's support, does anyone here besides Josephine have someone willing to follow them?"

[Ashley Cohen]

Ashley motioned to the other Carthian, Mr. Campbell. "Drawing support through political or religious affiliation is no hard feat, but when it is a minority view...it is less than optimal and lacking any real intrigue."

"Intrigue..." Ashley glanced between Josephine and Hildegarde. "Each of the other Prici has been established within Sacramento for some time and currently has or has had other titles within the Domain outside of their current role as Priscus."

Ashley looked between Hildegarde and Josephine, as she spoke with rare sincerity. "I genuinely do not mean to hurt your feelings by saying this, but you do not currently have the capacity to go shoulder to shoulder in politics with the likes of the Succubus or Shadows. I doubt that will always be the case, but it is a current reality."

Ashley couldn't help but look down the table to Asa. "Who holds a candle to the likes of Madame Maskelyne or Madame Donovan?" She shook her head softly, knowing the answer...

[Edwin Bridges]

Edwin sat back and listened, taking stock of those involved. He had already stepped himself out of the equation, despite his poor efforts at putting his point across. He knew what he was good at, politics not being one of them. Still, Hel willing, he would have quite a few years ahead of him to learn.

And so, he listened, a small smile on his youthful features. The way he saw it, it was between Josephine the Sanctified Fashionista and Hildegard the...Crazy Lady. Edwin wasn't exactly sure who she was. He'd heard some things but why the fuck did she keep glancing to the doorway?

An eyebrow raised when the Bitch spoke, and perhaps Edwin should give her more credit than he previously had. The situation at the mall all those months ago had come and gone. The way he saw it, she certainly had a point. With the exception of the Prince, just how viable were any of them?

Speaking of His Majesty...Who to back? Does Edwin throw his hat in too early or miss the opportunity to support a cousin altogether.

Biting his tongue, the usual chatty Lord kept quiet for now.

[Josephine Sterling]

"Ms. Cohen," Josephine said, trying to jog the blondes attention to her. "I do not demand or expect you to believe what I do, far from it, but you would be a fool to discount just how potent Faith can be in the political arena. Any student of history would know that. And before you again declare that the Faithful, of either religion, are in the minority, that does not preclude their usefulness. And, as for political authority, that is precisely what the mantle of Priscus can grant, particularly with the amendments the fair, Alder Prince will be putting in place. Further authority would be useful, it is true, but are there any here who can claim that, aside from the aforementioned?"

[Thomas Galilei]

Having been chastised already for his overcompensating Pride, Thomas had sat silent, gotten a grip on his insecurity. When the subject of Faith arises, he suspects and hopes that he can be of some constructive use. "Ms. Cohen." Thomas' voice is timid now, cowed in respect and apology for his earlier rudeness. "Yours is an invaluable skepticism, one of due diligence certain to ensure the high standards any Lord should be measured by, let alone one who presumes to lead us." He folds his hands before him. "As to your earlier statement, about her not having the current capacity to go shoulder-to-shoulder with other Clan Prisci. Let's say you are right. It seems to me that the capacity of other Prisci is not a detriment to Josephine, but a credit to our Domain. Velma Star can't have always been Velma Star as you know her now. At some point, one of her own might have said the same about her as you have said of Josephine. But she has borne the weight of her duty well, and, by bearing it, has won the strength to bear it. So it would be, I say in all Faith, with Josephine."

He turns about the room as he continues. "From an outside perspective, I can see how casual scrutiny might lead one to believe that support gained via common faith comes more easily and from less intrigue than that of secular ideologies. I, however, find the distinction between secular and religious politics to be semantic. The Lancea Sanctum is a Clan, like any other. And Sanctified remain Kindred. In some cases, intrigue becomes more subtle and delicate, disguised beneath layers of piety. I'll claim this expertise: it is no easy feat to sell the invisible, to convince Kindred to nurture their virtue, to tithe, to bend the knee--all this without tangible leverage: no monetary incentive, no legally binding punishments. In some ways, Ms. Cohen, spiritual leadership, like Josephine's, is of preeminent difficulty: managing unsalaried volunteers on the authority of ancient--some say irrelevant--texts towards the completion God-sized mandates."

He pauses. "As a man who knows shit when he smells it, being the source of so much himself, I say in truth: Josephine can meet and exceed any fair standard set. No shit. The Lancea Sanctum hold themselves accountable to God, remember? In short time, she's won my respect and support, I who was most inclined to resist her advancement, in the ways that it would hinder my own." He bows his head in respect to Ms. Cohen and then the Prince as he finishes.

[Hildegarde Bingen]

Hildegarde turned her head to gaze upon Ashley Cohen. "You are correct in your view," she admitted calmly. "However, as you might be aware, the former Priscus, Galloway, also lacked that strength - as you put it. It did not stop him ascending to be Priscus. I believe he had the makings of a good one in him but we will never know now. He has gone. One of us must be raised - and when they are, by default of their title and the role they must play at Court, a certain Power shall come to them. They will be equal of Star and the others by dint of that alone: how effectively they wield that Power, is what shall prove their mettle. Indeed it will prove the mettle of any raised to Priscus."

She turned to gaze over the table to where the Sanctified sat.

"I still believe that our Sanctified cousins are forgetting that Clan Ventrue is not the Lancea Sanctum and they should keep their beliefs for their brethren. How would you like it if I bought the pre-eminence of the Dragon to this table and demanded you submit to the tests and the ordinances? No. We are a family bound by the Blood. And the Blood is above, and flows through, the Covenants."

[Ashley Cohen]

"Very well stated counterpoint to a point that was not made." Ashley said to Josephine, giving her full regard. "While it is potentially a valid tactic it runs the risk of someone turning it around like you do not understand what is being said."

"For instance..." Ashley cleared her throat for a brief moment, holding up a finger. "No one doubts your piety or the strength of belief when it comes to politics. That was never arguable. It seems as if you missed the obvious reason as to why getting backed by the minority is less than optimal..."

Ashley held her hand up signaling a time-out, as she glanced to members of the First Estate. "Hate to go off tangent from a lesson, but why didn't anyone rally votes? Let's just put a pin in that for the time being..."

Ashley's eyes shifted to Hildegarde. "Now to put your words more eloquently..." With that said, her eyes moved back to Josephine. "Which comes first; Family or Faith?"

Ashley shook her head as she glanced back down to Hildegarde, as it was her turn. "You first used Mr. Calloway's background for a seeming con and now you are using his background for a seeming pro. I do not believe I have to go any farther as to why this can be a pitfall..."

Ashley looked between Josephine and Hildegarde with a soft shrug of her shoulders.