Vinculum

Each time a character drinks another Kindred’s blood, the character’s emotional bond to her grows stronger.

Part of the Kindred's ill regard for tasting the blood of other vampires is the Vinculum, sometimes known as the blood bond. Those Kindred who consume the blood of another single vampire three times become subjected to a unique state of emotional control. This Vinculum creates a powerful but artificial love for the vampire from whom three draughts are taken.

He who is bound in such a way is known as the thrall, while the vampire to whom a thrall is bound is called the regnant, or domitor.

A thrall is not a complete slave of his master, but he is close. He constantly feels the artificial love, affection and loyalty imposed by the bond, even if he simultaneously hate his domitor for demeaning or enslaving him. Among those who are weak-willed, naive, mentally unstable or even willing, the blood bond creates a feeling of singular devotion.

Though difficult, there are ways to break a Vinculum. Sometimes the simple passage of time can weaken a regnant's hold, while in other cases, only the death of the domitor can break the bond^[1].

A full point of Vitae must be consumed.

A character may have several partial Vinculums to any number of Kindred.

Once an actual third-stage Vinculum forms, however, all other partial Vinculums vanish.

Mechanics

Regardless of flavor text, a vampire must consume a full point of Vitae for Vinculum mechanics to come into effect. There are no single drop of blood Vinculums.

Resistance

A character whose Blood Potency is higher than that of the blood donor has a chance to resist the formation of that blood bond. Once at each stage of the Vinculum, the player may spend a Willpower point for the opportunity to make a Stamina + Composure roll (the Willpower point does not add three dice to this roll). If the roll succeeds, the Vinculum doesn’t take root at that stage. This does not, however, cancel any previous partial Vinculums.

• Vampires who have the same Blood Potency still threaten Vinculums as normal. No Stamina + Composure rolls are allowed to resist the steps toward a blood bond.

Breaking Vinculum

The Kindred know of a few ways to break a Vinculum. The most certain consists of the regnant’s Final Death. Torpor does not suffice. Some Kindred tell how they felt their blood oath break like a chain snapping and knew their regnant was no more. In other cases, Kindred have continued to work their regnant’s will for years after their thralldom should have ended.

• A mortal loses her blood oath if she goes for a full year without tasting her regnant’s Vitae. One taste a year can preserve a mortal’s thralldom indefinitely.
• A Vampire requires a successful Resolve + Composure roll to free a character who goes 50 years without tasting her regnant’s Vitae, and every 50 years thereafter.
• Mistreatment can also weaken a Vinculum. If a regnant gives his thrall reason to hate him, that hatred can prove stronger than forced devotion. When love, hate and terror roil within a thrall’s heart, the conflict might resolve itself with a murderous assault on the regnant. Succeed or fail, the thrall probably goes mad as well.

First Stage

It's Just A Crush

A single sip of Vitae is usually not enough to create anything more than a pleasant, lasting impression of the experience that will color the character’s attitude toward the donor for a time. The character will never again look at that other the same, though this will not actually dictate how the two interact in the future. Still, all things being equal, the drinker may dwell often on that taste of Vitae and often flirt with the idea of what it might be like to revisit the experience again, likely with the same Kindred. Even if the character is fully bound to a regnant already and, therefore, unable to ever share that kind of real bond with this new donor, she will still discover these kinds of thoughts and fantasies after a single taste and wonder about what could be.^[2]

• The regnant gains no particular hold over the thrall.

Second Stage

Infatuation

The second sip, or, more precisely, the sip that triggers that second degree of the Vinculum, creates a far greater and longer-lasting impression than the first. The character is no longer able to easily dismiss the donor from her thoughts, but is instead regularly plagued by an infatuation with the individual that can last years, decades and even longer. No artificial sense of love accompanies this stronger bond, but the character nonetheless finds herself drawn to the donor. If the two are in proximity to one another, even if protocol requires them to maintain a physical or social distance, the character will fi nd her attention continually returning to the other. Only a real effort of will can enable her to fully focus her attention elsewhere. Even when the two are apart, she will replay their intimate encounters over and over and entertain detailed fantasies about similar possible future trysts. She does not feel a sense of obedience to her supplier, but she will willingly desire to please him and likely wish to explore greater intimacy.^[3]

• The 'thrall may be subject to a Resolve + Composure roll if the character tries to attack the nascent regnant, or seriously harm her interests.
• The regnant receives a +1 dice bonus to all Social rolls directed at the nascent thrall.

Third Stage

Co-Dependence

The third sip of Vitae, or the one that pushes the character over the edge, firmly condemns her to true thralldom. Although the feelings she now experiences toward her regnant are wholly artificial and perverse in nature, they are as strong or stronger than the bonds of true mortal love. Her will is thoroughly dominated by her regnant’s, though she rarely is able to see it this way. From her perspective, she loves her blood donor, and any submission on her part is entirely voluntary and founded on that love. This is the kind of love experienced by a prostitute for the pimp who supplies her all the drugs she needs to feed her addictions. Even though he may beat her and treat her like trash, she will defend him with all her will no matter the risk, so warped is her understanding of the reality of their relationship. Anything that threatens to come between thrall and regnant will cause the thrall to experience powerful feelings of anger, jealousy, hatred and vengeance, as well as desperation, helplessness, shame and self-loathing. These latter emotions are usually conveniently buried beneath the others, as the thrall rarely imagines any way to actually get out of her state of enslavement. In fact, she is usually quite convinced that this is exactly what she wants in the first place. Her regnant is hers, and this at least gives her something to hold onto as her increasingly bleak Requiem plays on.^[4]

The regnant:

• Gains use of certain applications of Dominate on a thrall without the need for eye contact.
• Gains a +2 dice bonus on all Social rolls affecting her thrall.

The thrall:

• Subject to a Resolve + Composure roll at a -3 penalty if indirectly trying to act against her regnant (by action or inaction).
• Subject to the Resolve + Composure roll at a -5 penalty if directly trying to act against her regnant.

Failing either of these rolls means the thrall cannot act against the regnant (or allow engage in the dangerous inaction). Dramatically failing either of these rolls means that the thrall isn’t even allowed to make such a roll again for the next month, meaning she’s unable to even consider allowing harm to befall her master.

Social Considerations

Most Kindred feel a healthy fear of the Vinculum. They know how their kind treats its slaves, and they shudder at the thought of becoming the pawns of one of their fellow monsters.

• The Carthian Movement see Vinculums as the acme of antidemocratic elder tyranny.
• The Circle of the Crone merely notes that while Kindred should accept the Vinculum as one more aspect of their existence, forcing a Kindred into a blood oath serves no spiritual purpose.
• The Lancea Sanctum holds that Kindred should serve only God and Longinus.
• The Ordo Dracul sees Vinculums as distractions, emotional baggage that diverts attention best focused elsewhere.
• The Invictus tolerates the Vinculum more than any other covenant does. Its elders see the blood oath as another tool by which they can rule over their juniors.

Vampire Glossary

warning.pngThe part "|Vinculum" of the query was not understood. Results might not be as expected.