Overview

The Carthian Movement (or simply the Movement) is comprised mostly of neonates and ancillae bound together by the desire for political reform, the search for a Kindred Utopia. Refusing to simply accept the status quo as inherently right or that medieval feudalism is the best system for governing Kindred, Carthians advocate any number of more recent -or more ancient- systems of governance. Communism, democracy, ethnocracy, kratocracy, logocracy, totalitarianism; there are almost as many ideologies as there are Carthians. The Carthian ideal often espouses every member having a voice, and everyone contributing to the betterment of all. As such, internally, Carthians are generally far more supportive of each other than other Covenants.

Carthians tend to cleave more closely to the mortal world than other vampires. This tendency, along with their willingness to work together against the oppression of those established gives them a unique advantage and allows them to interact more effectively in mortal society which can provide them vast networks of mortal contacts and allies.

• Members of the Carthian Movement receive reduced XP cost on Merits: Allies, Contacts, and Haven.

Titles

Prefect

The Kindred in charge of much of the night-to-night running of Carthian operations in a given city is known as the Prefect. In most every case, the Prefect is elected (in whatever form that takes) by a majority of other Carthians, with the exception of any active Myrmidon, who traditionally abstains from such voting. The Prefect is at once the spokesperson for the Movement in his domain, the “chair” and organizer of Carthian events, and the one responsible for making sure that no single faction member’s actions jeopardize the others. The Prefect must therefore have some public relations savvy, as it is to him tha the Prince inevitably turns when a Carthian is suspected of some wrongdoing. While the Prefect carries considerable sway among his confederates, he is not their leader in either name or truth, and most prefer the relationship that way.

• Current Prefect:

• Former Prefect(s): Arnoud Giessen, Ashley Cohen, Ciara Maskelyne, Gabriel Marcus, Konrad Roth

Myrmidon

The majority of incarnations of the Carthian experiment involve Kindred getting together and democratically parceling out both feeding rights and potential dispute resolutions. As such, the need quickly arises for an entirely “neutral party” to help maintain order and restore peaceable negotiations to the table, when necessary. A Carthian known as a Myrmidon fills this role. Although the Myrmidon works very closely with the Prefect, he is not the Prefect’s “right-hand man,” despite appearances to the contrary. Rather, he is the one who often acts as intermediary between two quarreling Carthians or between a Carthian and a non-Carthian of no political importance. Given the Prefect’s duties to the cause, the Myrmidon can and often does end up acting as the one enforcing the Prefect’s duties, simply by virtue of the fact that nobody else could do it without cry of foul.

• Current Myrmidon:

• Former Myrmidon(s): Lenny Pope

Observances

The Chain

At almost every Carthian gathering, at some point in the evening, some Kindred (usually the Prefect) steps forward and requests that everyone present take part in a long-standing custom that Carthians call the Chain. The entire rite (such as it is) is over in a matter of moments, so even the most turbulent of Kindred usually acquiesce to their involvement. The idea is simple. All the Carthians present gather in a circle, and following a few inspirational words from the Prefect, each passes a single artifact that is esteemed by the local Carthians to the Kindred beside him, thus forming a symbolic chain representing that what one Kindred does affects all others. The symbolism is blunt but effective. Each vampire in the circle is beholden to the next and responsible for another, but not directly. In this way do the Carthians remind themselves of their outlook, common goals and objectives. Artifacts can be anything, such as a relic of a fallen Carthian leader, an effigy of an enemy or a personal possession of someone soon to be drawn into the Carthian ranks.

Independence Day

The Carthians, being fans of democracy in all its forms, hold a special fondness for Independence Day. The term can be misleading, however, seeing how the celebration day itself is not always on the American holiday, the fourth of July. In countries other than the United States, such as Mexico and France, Carthian vampires typically celebrate on the same date mortals do, so the fifth of May is nearly as common a date of observance, for example. In actual Carthian-dominated domains, the Kindred celebrate the night their dream of a new world came to pass. The victory of an alternate political model is both rare and wondrous in the world of the Damned, and the Carthians revel in remembering the night of its advent. When free to do so, Carthians can get quite rowdy, and their parties are truly legendary.

Factions

Carthians are not unorganized: they are diversified. The Carthian Movement, as a covenant, includes many different political activists and philosophers, but these disparate factions are not necessarily incapable of working together or organizing. The central belief of the Carthian Movement, the idea that is common to the majority of Carthian factions, domains and members (even though this is not an idea that unifies them) is this: Kindred social systems should modernize to include broader bases of power.

Individualists

Individualists, sometimes referred to as "solos", hold individual agendas sacred above all else. For them, the covenant represents an organisation that will shelter them and allow them to pursue their own goals. They may or may not become actively involved in assisting in covenant affairs, depending on whether or not it seems convenient, profitable or just plain unavoidable. This is due to the fact that, according to most Individualists, no member should be forced into a duty which might undermine their right to choose. A smart Individualist knows that routinely refusing to assist other members is not a good way to make friends, and will apply just enough effort to avoid being ostracized. A good portion of Carthians consider themselves Individualists, though they generally exist on the fringes of the Movement.

Collectivists

All Carthians enjoy the freedom to explore new ideas; change is at the core of the Movement's creed. Individualists certainly capitalize on this freedom, clinging to it as their instrument for reform. Collectivists, however, see the blueprints for change in a different light. For a Collectivist, great change comes with a price tag: cooperation. Realizing one's goals, particularly the more lofty ones, often requires assistance. A Collectivist values an individual's ideas but prioritizes advancement of the covenant as a whole. The Movement is what gives them their sense of comfort and security. It is more than just a refuge for the neonate and unaligned; it is an engine for change to benefit all of Kindred society. This is a Collectivist's sacred duty.

Moderates

People conform to political ideals in varying degrees and Carthians are no exception. For many of them, Individualists and Collectivists are the extremes. There is an entire spectrum of values between the two ideologies. A Kindred may be sympathetic towards one school of thought over another, but is unwilling to commit themselves entirely to their way of thinking. Unity and communion are the core of a Collectivist's values; realizing one's personal goals is the highest calling for an Individualist. A Moderate is a realist. Moderates like the idea of pursuing their own ideas. They like freedom from the imposition of being bound to serve the covenant. They also know that, realistically, nothing will get accomplished if they all live like hermits. A Moderate is willing to sacrifice a little of their personal freedom for the sake of the collective. Compromise and assistance is looked at on case-by-case basis as they weigh out "what's in it for me" with "what are the consequences if I don't".

Other Factions

Not all Carthians can be easily categorized as Individualists, Collectivists or something in between. Sometimes this is because they feel that the most important argument is not in whether to value individual or collective values. An individual might feel the pull of a cult of personality within the covenant's ranks or perhaps align themselves with those of a very specific mindset. These Carthians fall into sub-factions of the Movement that have their own variations of identity, agendas and methods of pursuing those agendas.