Dance me to the End of Love

The following are some pointers to portray the social aspects of Kindred society at the event. Some characters may break these rules on purpose because of who they are, but the vast majority of Kindred live by these standards.

In order to portray the breakdown of society during the game, we must first show how it works, when at its most well-ordered.

Don't worry, we'll workshop all of this. And always remember our calibration rules do apply to social violence, scenes of humiliation, insult or oppression.

Etiquette(s)

Labels
Historically, the French Royal Court used labels stuck to objects or people to remind everyone of the courtesies required of them in an overcrowded and complex environment. We inherit our word for the rules of polite society from these helpful info tags.

To make matters easier off-game, in-game it is the domain's custom to follow this ancient practice at its Kindred-only social gatherings, such as Elysium.

Therefore, attendees will have name-tags indicating their name, their status, their clan and coterie, that can be attached to one's clothing on the sleeve or near the waist, making it possible to show off great costumes and be properly informed at all times.

Forms of Address
The Prince should only ever be addressed as "Your Majesty" or “Prince [Name]” in public but may choose to allow other forms in a private conversation and may be called many things behind their back.

Similarly, any Elder should be addressed as "Your Grace" or “Elder [Name]” in public.

The terms "My Lord" and "My Lady" are reserved exclusively for those who bear these titles instead of actual names, the two Methuselahs.

Anyone else just uses their first name to refer to each other.

Kindred universally use the/them pronouns for all members of society whose specific preferences they do not know, and use the correct pronouns once the preferences are known.

Personal Details
All Kindred are Embraced into and usually socialised within a clan and then join a coterie at some point in their unlife. These are two important groups to belong to and one is never solely identified as an individual, but also as a member of these social constructs.

An Elder of a clan or a coterie leader may demand respect, assistance and sometimes even obedience from Kindred that fall under their purview. This may lead to conflicts of interest if the two groups one belongs too are misaligned in purpose.

In return, if a Kindred is in trouble or require support, they may call upon members of their coterie or their clan to assist them or at least not directly oppose them. Perhaps they might use one connection to gain insight or influence over the other.

These complex relationships are always taken into consideration in polite society, so an individual may introduce themselves or may be spoken of as something like "[Name], a Ventrue Ancilla of the Young Bright Things" and there is a lot of information contained therein for Kindred in the know.

Displays of Respect

The Prince
The Prince is the ruler of the domain and the judge of all its affairs. Their power is only limited by the consensus of the entirety of the Primogen or the words of the Methuselahs, though none of the above would ever make such a move in public.

Whenever the Prince enters a room

Elders will stand.
Ancillae will stand and bow.
All others will kneel. (If you cannot get up or kneel for off-game reasons, remain in place and bow your head.)

Everyone will remain in position until the Prince is seated or indicates that everyone can continue.

Whenever the Prince raises their voice

All conversations will cease immediately.
Anyone will speak respectfully and only when spoken to.
Everyone except the Methuselahs is expected to obey on pain of punishment.

The Seneschal, Harley, or the Sheriff, Endymion, may speak in the name of the Prince, when carrying out an order or when the Prince is not present.

The Host
Whereas the Prince is the ruler of the domain, the host of the salon has sole purview over the activities therein, except for breaches of Tradition.

Otherwise the same points of etiquette apply to the host as they do to the Prince.

When having issues with anything at the salon, Kindred will not approach the the host directly, especially not with any small matters, but speak to their herald, who is doing all the actual moment-to-moment work, while the host represents the big picture side of things.

High-status Kindred
This applies regardless of their status, as long as they are of higher rank than you it is common courtesy to

Ask them for permission to enter into a conversation or leave one.
Not speak over them.
Offer them a chair, hold open doors, pour them a drink or otherwise accommodate them.
Be polite and respectful even in disagreement.

It is safe to say, the higher the difference in rank, the greater the show of deference should be. To see where you fall in relation to others, the levels of status from highest to lowest are

Methuselah
The Prince
Elders of Primogen Status
Elders holding office or leading coteries
Elders
Ancillae coterie leaders
Ancillae
Neonate coterie leaders
Neonates
Ghouls

The ghoul officers of the court, the Seneschal Harley and the Herald Britt, are respected for their service, their great age (rivaling Elders) and their backing by the Prince, and should be treated as if they were high-ranking Kindred, approximately of level 4 but below Kindred on that level.

Whips
Elders (or ranking Elders in a clan that has several) may choose a Whip to represent them to others of their blood or to carry out duties for them. While this may put additional burdens on the chosen Kindred, it is also a boost in status and authority.

A Whip should be an Ancilla in good standing of the same clan. Choosing a Whip for the salon will be one of the talking points during the clan meeting preludes.

Harpies
In a dispute between two Kinded, the one of higher status will usually be the one whose testimony is believed or who is favoured by people in power. For example, an Elder will reflexively take the word of an Ancilla over that of a Neonate, no matter the facts, unless there are other extremely important circumstances.

While this seems simple, it becomes more complex, when people of similar status are concerned. No Kindred is ever equal to another. There's always a hierarchy.

For example, two neonates or even two elders are equal in rank but not alike in dignity. Their behaviour, their allies, their protection by those in power, all that comes into play. These factors must be carefully weighed in a dispute, so a pronouncement can be made.

That's were the Harpies come in. They are the arbiters of all social matters. While they have no legal authority in Kindred society, it is common to seek the counsel of harpies on matters of proper behaviour. In the City, the Sound and Fury coterie fulfil this function. While not everyone may like that fact, everyone who wants to be someone uses their services.

The Harpies will usually resolve the dispute through some form of sanction. It's a judgement call and they have great leeway, though they should be careful not to overstep their bounds. Normally it all comes down to prestation (see below).

For example, a higher-ranking Kindred may have taken offence at insolence by a subordinate. The Harpies might decree they should be paid a Major Boon in recompense to let the matter slide, otherwise they may punish the offending party publicly.

Another issue they may be called to weigh in on would be appraisal of debts, deciding if something constituted a Major Boon or a Blood Boon for example, or if a form of repayment offered was sufficient to satisfy an outstanding debt.

Prestation

Accruing Debts
Everything in Kindred society is transactional. Nothing is ever freely given nor received.

Boons are the only way to advance in the rigid social hierarchy of the Kindred because they provide leverage. They supersede even status.

An Elder Prince could have a life debt to a Caitiff Fledgling. While this doesn't reverse positions, it does mean that until that debt is repaid, the Prince would have to treat the Caitiff well and accede to their demands within reason.

A single Boon does not a fortune make, but a network of debtors at several places in society is very useful indeed.

In our game, there are three types of formalised Boons.

A Major Boon is granted for significant services rendered, to mitigate an offense or demur politely, as a sign of personal favour or as a casual bribe.

A Blood Boon is a debt that is incurred, when one party spills their blood, gets injured or uses their powers to come to the other party's aid.

A Life Boon only ever comes up, when one person literally saves or spares a other person's life, or has something on them that would cost their life.

Once a favour is done, the other party is honour-bound to acknowledge the Boon. Both parties will proceed to the Herald and have the Boon officially recorded (or stricken, if repaid) in their ledger. Only the nature of the Boon is recorded, not the reason for it.

At the start of the game, every character begins with several Boons from and to other Kindred, already recorded in the Herald's ledger. New Boons will be added as the game progresses.

Trading Boons
Boons can be traded between Kindred. For example, a creditor may offer the debt of another Kindred to a third party as payment instead of using a Boon of their own.

Again, to seal the deal, the original creditor and the person the Boon is being transferred to must appear before the Herald. The debtor has absolutely no say in this and is usually informed after the fact. Their obligation is now to that other Kindred.

Paying the Piper
There are three ways to repay a debt.

You can wait until your creditor tells you what to do, and then you must absolutely do it.
You can use a Boon of equal value from a third party to pay for your debt.
You can create a situation where your debtor needs your help and you will have repaid them by lending it.

Reneging on a Boon is the worst possible thing next to Final Death Kindred can think of. If you became known as an oath breaker, the Herald will remove your name from their ledger.

You will not be able to use your outstanding Boons, nor will you be able to gain new ones. The Harpies will publicly strip you of status and declare to everyone that you are not to be trusted or traded with.