From SuspireWiki
"Don’t be petty; of course people are talking about you. If you didn't want them to, you shouldn't have acted so scandalously. You need to learn the difference between good attention and bad attention, childe."
The Kindred have always been social creatures, convening when the sun sets to plot intrigues that may span generations. Whether in the hallowed halls of Elysium or in the back-alley behind a seedy bar, the Kindred meet to do business, eliminate their rivals, and cut out swaths of power and domain to make themselves comfortable and lax. Social skills are a must in the world of the Kindred – being cheap muscle will only get you so far, as any good Harpy will tell you. Still, some Kindred are obvious haves while others are clear have-nots. Of all the Kindred, the Daeva are considered the most social, and their discipline of Majesty makes them manipulators without peer (the Ventrue and their arguments otherwise be damned).
Every Daeva aspires to be the social king of the hill, the influential Kindred that all others must turn to. The feeling of having a whole crowd gaping in awe at one’s social acumen is better than sex for some Succubi, but some are better than others. There are some Daeva, however, that are a cut above the rest; the Courtiers are those Daeva. Where the lineage first cropped up is a mystery, but the first reliable records of the bloodline places their origin somewhere in the 18th century in France. It was there, as if mirroring the mortal courtiers that swarmed around the Sun King, that the Courtiers first began to appear in the courts of the Kindred world, first in France and then in neighboring England. From their home near the English Channel they spread out, and though the lineage remained small the fact that they were so overtly social attracted a great deal of attention to them wherever they went.
Wherever these trend-setting Kindred traveled, they set the tongues of Kindred gossips, alright...and then, usually, they replaced those Kindred as the pre-eminent gossips of the domain. The Courtiers were unmatched in the social field. There was no secret they could not uncover, no individual they could not manipulate, no court in which they were not welcome. Of course, this is not to say that the Courtiers did not make enemies – far from it in fact, for the wounds that a razor-sharp tongue leaves do not easily heal. The Courtiers kept in touch as they spread, trading stories of the social life that could be found in different domains with each other and telling their brethren about the buffoons and notables of their home domains. In this way, they formed a large network that ensured the bloodline was well informed and well prepared wherever they went... which likely contributed another small advantage to the bloodline in the social area.
Tonight, the bloodline has spread throughout the world, and many cities have at least one Courtier. These Kindred work to integrate themselves into the social scene with prodigious speed, doing their absolute best to make themselves iconic figures within Kindred society. Most often, the Courtiers can be found serving as Harpies or fulfilling one of the other important roles at court, the more indispensable, the better.
Parent Clan: Daeva
Nickname: Prom Kings / Queens
Covenant: The Courtiers can be find in a variety of covenants. Many Courtiers join the Invictus, appreciating the covenant’s emphasis on social and political power and its “polite” society. Courtiers are also often found in the Carthian Movement, where they use their ability to sway the group dynamic to their advantage. Typically, such Courtiers are populist leaders, using their social acumen to sway the masses their way. Courtiers who join the Lancea Sanctum are usually some of its most impassioned members, and wise Bishops treasure the ease with which the Courtiers can recruit others. Some Courtiers, but not many, join the Ordo Dracul. Most are fair-weather members who briefly become interested in the 'secret society' but quickly lose interest, but some stay on and become excellent researchers who learn much from the social dynamic between a domain's Kindred. Finally, some Courtiers choose to be Unaligned, and often work to network with the other Unbound, forming elaborate “courts” of their own that are typically little more than ego-boosting coteries. Finally a rare-few Courtiers may join the Circle of the Crone, but this covenant is most often overlooked by the bloodline, as their bloody rites have little to offer the overtly social lineage; as such Crone Courtiers are the rarest of them all.
Appearance: Most Courtiers, as befits a social bloodline like theirs, dress in the height of style. The average Courtier would gladly live in a flophouse if it allowed them to spend all their money on expensive clothing and accessories. Courtiers are often also physically beautiful, since their Daeva blood causes them to choose 'prime specimens' from among the mortal herd to bring into undeath. Courtiers, in spite of their physical beauty, are often physically frail looking. While the most athletic of their number could be begrudgingly described as “toned” the rest typically appear to be slender and poorly muscled. Courtiers always keep up with current trends in style, and some even do their best to innovate new and imaginative styles to debut at the latest Kindred social event.
Haven: A Courtier's haven is typically defined by its purpose. A haven used for entertaining will be full of creature comforts, plush furniture, avant-garde accessories, and tasteful displays of wealth. A haven used for shelter or storage will be utilitarian and sparse, since the average Courtier sees no need to waste money on something that is designed solely to be functional. It is far better to save that money and spend it on their 'receiving' haven.
Background: Courtiers are typically chosen by their Daeva sires for having 'it' – whatever 'it' may be – though a rare few are ambitious Daeva who have demonstrated enough social acumen to be deserving of being welcomed to the 'next level' of the social game. Some Courtiers were born into privilege and groomed for society, while others worked hard at it or discovered a natural gift for social situations. Some are ineffectual, but managed to fool their sires into thinking otherwise – however, even the most ineffectual Courtier is still a social dynamo compared to some Kindred, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.
Bloodline Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Majesty, and Savoir-Faire.
Weakness: Like every Daeva, all Courtiers feel the tug of their potent Vice. When a Courtier opts not to indulge in their Vice, they must spend two Willpower points. In addition, any time the Courtier is forced to check for anger frenzy because of insults stemming from a lost, or losing, social battle, a number of Bashing damage is inflicted to their bodies equal to number of successes that must be gained to overcome the frenzy in question. Lastly, upon failing a degeneration roll, all Courtiers gain Narcissism as their first derangement.
Organization: The Courtiers are surprisingly well connected compared to most vampires. Childer typically communicate with the broodmates and peers in the bloodline as well as their sires, who in turn communicate with their broodmates, peers, and so on. As a result, the Courtiers have a frighteningly efficient gossip network (by vampire standards, anyway), and this degree of organization serves as something of a safety net for Courtiers who do not learn the terribly important skill of knowing when to keep their mouths shut. Courtiers look out for their own, if only because they love hearing all the gossip that is to be found in neighboring cities. If there is more than one member of the lineage in a city, the most respected Courtier (as determined by their combined standing in their clan, covenant, and the city) typically becomes the 'first among equals' and often takes responsibility for the others. It should be noted that, during their existence, the Courtiers have run afoul of the Toreador and a rivalry has come about between the two bloodlines. While outright hatred is rare, both consider the other to be nothing more than a 'bunch of worthless posers'.
Character Creation: Courtiers almost always emphasize Social attributes, and almost universally neglect their Physical attributes. The Courtiers are a relentlessly social bloodline, and they excel at it. Social skills are also of great importance to the Courtiers, and Mental skills – especially Politics – are typically their secondary area of focus, with Physical skills falling to the wayside. Most Courtiers possess the Striking Looks merit at some level, as well as the Barfly merit. Other social merits usually receive priority as well, especially Fame, and Mentor. Many Courtiers also make it a point to pick up Language: French, since the bloodline originated there. It should be noted that, due to a rivalry with the Toreador bloodline, no Courtier will ever act as an Avus to a Daeva that was sired by a Toreador.
Sample Concepts: Harpy, Elysium Regular, Party Organizer, Malicious Gossip, Trendsetter, Social Predator, Public Speaker, After-Hours King, Diplomat, Power-Behind-The-Throne