The History of the Ventrue in Paris
Like the Brujah in the begining of our era, the Ventrue once ruled France. The true beginings of the Ventrue rulership started after 150 years after Charlemagne's rule, with the coming of Alexandre and his court.
An obscure bloodline of Ventrues dating from Rome had tried to rule Lutecia, but they had somehow failed after the eviction of Eudes, and Alexandre had no difficulty into uniting the Clan behind him. But the Anarch Wars ended this. The Kindred King of France, whose mind was failing, was destroyed in 1481, with his wife and Childe, Saviarre. The Toreador then took the power, and the Ventrue Royalists lost their grounds.
In the 1789 Revolution, th obscure bloodline of Republican Ventrue succeeded in taking over the Clan's power, opposing themselves to the ultra-Royalist Toreador, with the help of the Brujah. While they never liked the Toreador Hegemony, they never succeeded in taking back the power.
In the 1871 Commune, the Ventrue ally themselves with the Toreador, and by doing such, are given the Palace of Versailles (Beatrix's palace, Villon's one being the Louvres.) and its surroundings.
Since then, the Ventrue never succeeded in taking back the power. No matter how hard they try, the Toreador BADLY WANT the control of France, and nothing will take it from them.
The Ventrue are divided in numerous sub-clans, each having its own philosophy.
Organization
In addition to every tiny (and not so tiny) customs of the Clan, the Ventrue meet every first tuesday of the month in a reunion called Senátus to discuss politics of the Clan. The Legitimists and the Bourgeois have sometimes found other words more attuned (to their own vision) to this reunion: Forum (public place -- as other, less worthy Clan members were accepted, that is members not from the subdivision of the speaker) and even Agora (market place -- as sometimes, there is no real interest to come here as everyone will discuss tiny details to have everyone else agreement). The reunion usually takes place in the Palais de Versailles.
The Legitimists
The Legitimists, also called the Royalists, and the Toreador Elders are like-minded when it comes to see what kind of mortal gouvernment is needed for the Kine. But when it comes to decide who should be the Kindred Prince...
The Legitimists have such faith in trivial things like Bloodline, etc. that they search desesperately for lost children of the Bourbon mortal bloodline, or even for lost Childer of Alexandre. Their numbers are low, but they are Elders with a lot of personnal power, even if their influence is really limited. Their hatred of the Anarchs and the Bâtards is well known. The presence of a non-Camarilla Clan in the Primogen (i.e.: The Setite), as well as a simple Bloodline (The Daughters of Cacophony) is a crime against Caine in their eyes. Still, they see the Setite as cultivated and entertaining, and the Daughters of Cacophony as a good way to distract the Toreador from important things.
What do the Legitimists think about the:
Republicans: Those betrayed our Blood. We believe they helped destroy Alexandre and Saviarre to reach their personnal agenda. We need them,
but soon, we will take back what is personnaly ours (i.e.: The lead of the Clan) and soon after the control of France and the end of the Hegemony.
Bourgeois: The Ventrue were to lead like nobles, not to play with money like those Giovanni bastards. Still we need them for the power they accumulated. But they should know who should be in charge.
Alexandre; 4th Generation, Missing, presumed dead.
Joachim von Neumann -- Master of Elysium.
D'Arezzo; 7th Generation.
Eudes; 9th Generation.
François Hubert; ?th Generation.
Katarzyna Bogdanov; 8th Generation.
Léandre; 8th Generation.
[[Mélisande; 7th Generation.
[[Olivier; 9th Generation.
Saviarre; 5th Generation.
The Republicans
This Bloodline, apparently led by the Ventrue Labienus, have a very particular aim. Like the Brujah Idealists, they are searching for an ideal type of government for the mortals. Greatly influenced by the Roman Republic, they want nothing more than reform the french republic into their utopia. Their power is great, and they have the support of most of the Ventrue.
They are, in truth, from the same Bloodline, spawned from the Vitae of the mysterious Marius, also known as Marduk, Childe of Tiamat. But since that time, the Bloodline suffered multiple destructions. Originally, Labienus, Childe of Remus, and Grand-Childe of Marius, was in charge, and his Childer, Cassius and Tilius, were to take up the charge when the roman general was in Torpor. Tilius was killed by Cassius in 496. Cassius was destroyed in the Anarch Revolt. Since then, another branch of the Bloodline was secretly created by the mysterious Quentin le Nerf, Childe of Remus and Grand-Childe of Marius.
What do the Republicans think about the:
Legitimists: Those close-minded Kindred from the dark ages are as much as intelligent and cultivated as the centuries that spawned them.
Their claim is about some obscure divine right created by tyrans to legitimate absolute power over others. Our vision of Republic is a creation of an Utopia where order will reign supreme.
Bourgeois: While we are the soul of the Clan, they are the arms and legs. We need them for the money they have, but they need us to know how to use it properly.
Georges de la Tour; 8th Generation. Labienus; 7th Generation. Marduk; 5th Generation (missing). ?; ?th Generation.
The Bourgeois
These Ventrue are not the leaders, but those with money and influence. Well adapted to the modern days (at least, better than the others), the Bourgeois claim control over industry, media, underworld, etc. The only thing that always escaped them is the political grounds, as well as the police and other Order or Intelligence services, where the Toreador seem to be better implanted. They don't care, as they let these areas to the Royalists or the Republicans.
Their fields of battle are the underworld where they fight against the Brujah Vanessa and the Giovanni for the control of the Maffia. Vanessa has, still, the upper hand.
What do the Bourgeois think about the:
Legitimists: We are building Europe, and they are still wondering at who should be King of France? Now I know from where comes the rumour our Clan can't adapt to the modern times!
Republicans: Yeah, less hurt than the Legitimists, but I wonder why they absolutely want to place their Rome Republic... If Rome failed in the past, then their Republic wasn't
good enough... They need us, but they don't want to accept the truth. Somenight they will understand who really has the power. The same night, the Republicans will join the
Legitimists in the old (i.e.: outdated) side of the Clan.
Abdslam; 7th Generation. Cedrique; 8th Generation. Charles; 6th Generation. Léonard; 8th Generation.
