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On the surface, the Invictus is a covenant of people-who-are-better-than-you. They’re women in silks and men in Ferrari's. It’s the glitz that draws the young and greedy to the covenant. Many of the young or mediocre members never get passed this stage. Those who do, however, see the real purpose of the Invictus. The Invictus is a covenant that caters to the desires of elders by creating a pyramid-like feudal scheme to enhance the power base of those elders. Like most pyramid schemes, it’s designed to convince new members that they too can win, if they just follow these easy steps...

Five Philosophies

1. The Purpose Of Power Is Power

Members of the Invictus further their own pursuit of power not towards any ultimate goal, but towards simply the collection of more power. Kindred in this covenant realize there will always be someone nipping at your heels and the only way to kick them back down is to always be in pursuit of even more retainers, influence, favors, or any other form of power.

2. The Elite Lead, The Masses Follow

One of the core philosophies of the Invictus is centered around the idea that they are, in fact, better than every one else. They believe that most Kindred lack the ability to truly lead. Maybe they’re lazy, maybe they’re stupid, maybe they’re just interested in other things. Whatever the case, they’re not leaders. But that’s okay, because the Invictus is ready to step in and lead for them. No need for thanks, it’s just what they do.

3. Rank Has Its Privileges

Following in the better-than-you theme, the Invictus makes no qualms about disbelieving in myth of equality. They know that some people are better than others. They know that a rich man does not deserve the same treatment as a poor man. They understand that some bloodlines are distinctly superior to others. In the Invictus, there’s no false belief that you have the same privileges as your superiors. They’re your superior, they deserve those privileges. And you’re Invictus, which makes you better than every one not-Invictus and you deserve those privileges as well.

4. Order Above All

The members of the Invictus believe that there’s an order to the world. It’s this order that determines where each person belongs. They also believe that the order is unchanging. By believing in this, the Invictus can give every one a place (after all, who else would determine such an important thing?) in society and endeavor to enforce it. The Invictus Prince is Prince because that is his place in the world - and the Invictus will see to it that it remains. It’s this way that Invictus harpies can easily justify knocking down any social climbers that they do not believe deserve to climb. In the end, the Invictus has a vested interest in keeping every one in their places, because the Invictus’ place is on top.

5. Tradition

It’s likely that any one dealing with the Invictus hears “Tradition” as the justification for any number of things they do. The Invictus clings to the idea of Tradition like a drowning man to a life preserver. After all, going around changing things implies you have a disrespect for those who are older, are more powerful - and well, that’s not smart. They have a point though, humanity does not change and Kindred even less. Emotions, motivations, and goals rarely change over the span of human existence. Kindred who understand this can always be prepared, providing they have an understanding of human (and Kindred) nature. Naturally, Kindred use this understanding that nothing truly changes in their night to night pursuit of power.

Invictus in the Hold

The Invictus in the Tomesha Valley all, in one way or another, owe fealty to the King. Even if the covenant itself didn’t have a vested interest in seeing that the order does not change, they would still be bound by a Byzantine collection of oaths. It’s well known that the King requires an Oath of Fealty from each of his (Invictus) Overlords and it’s well known that the Overlord requires Fealty from each of the territory’s cities. From there it’s a rare Prince that doesn’t insist on Fealty from the members of his covenant as well. And that’s not even counting the cris-crossing oaths from Sire to Childe, Mentor to Student, or the more insidious oaths from the Councilors of one city to the Invictus of another.

In general, the Invictus of the Tomesha Valley do not bother themselves with the war with the Carthian Movement that has for years enveloped the Heartland Territory. They’ve seen that war decimate both Carthian and Invictus power, leaving the way open for the Sanctified to take almost complete control of the Heartland. The Overlord has made it clear that such a thing will not be tolerated in the Tomesha Valley so the Invictus have had to resign themselves to the idea that Carthians are a fact of life: they exist. The Invictus simply believe that they exist below the Invictus and have every intention to see it remains that way. So the Invictus tolerates the Carthians while doing all they can to make sure the other covenant never gains real power in the territory.

Likewise, the Invictus doesn’t bother themselves with the underlying tensions that often develop between the Lancea Sanctum and the Circle of the Crone. Most of the Invictus give lip-service to the Sanctified, although some true believers exist among the covenant as well (the Overlord well known to be one of them). Despite this, at heart the Invictus are far too practical to refuse dealings with one or the other of the religious covenants and the best way to see that this situation remains is to be strictly neutral as a covenant. Naturally individuals within that covenant are allowed to do as they wish... so long as they don’t upset their lords or overstep their place.

Invictus Titles of Tribute

(This has been modified from the book in order to suit our game)

King

King is the title for a Kindred who holds a vast territory, often subdivided several times into Holds and Cities. It is both a Kindred title and an Invictus title, although the Invictus insist that it’s really just an Invictus title because all Kings are Invictus. If this is true, no one really knows. The title of King is not granted, it is taken.

Full Title: His Majesty, Alder Cornelius P. Turner, King of the Americas

Formal Address: Alder King

High Prince

The High Prince is the Invictus title for what most know as Overlord, but is given the function of “Seignior” in the Invictus. This title is granted by the King to an Overlord who has sworn an Oath of Fealty to him. This sometimes gives legitimacy (at least in Invictus eyes) to one Overlord over another when conflicts arise such as the case in the Viceroyalty of the Frozen North where a Sanctified Archbishop is consistently trying to usurp the High Prince’s position.

Full Title: His Most Honorable Grace, Alder Joachim Diaz, High Prince of the Tomesha Valley

Formal Address: Alder Seignior

Duke

The Duke often synonymous with Prince for the Invictus. This is the title belonging to a Kindred who has conquered (or reconquered) a city for the Invictus. This title is granted by either the High Prince or the King most often, however a council of Invictus elders have been known to grant this title in cities where it’s unlikely that a High Prince or King would visit (this is rarely the case in the Tomesha Valley, as Joachim Diaz is not likely to pass up an opportunity to insist on fealty from a new Invictus Prince).

Full Title: His Grace, Mister Maurice Felton, Duke of Reno

Formal Address: Mister Prince (or other function in rare cases)

Marquis

A Marquis is a title that spans cities. Marquis are Kindred who have been given the honor of serving on an Inner Circle that oversees Invictus affairs in cities that exist without Invictus Dukes. Often cities only possess a handful of Invictus and often all these Invictus are young, so the Marquis are given the honor of shaping these young Kindred and directing them towards the Invictus’ over-arching goals. Most of the time, this materializes in oaths sworn to the Marquis. No one knows when the Inner Circle meets, but it’s known that there are Three Marquis in the Southwest Hold. The Title of Marquis is granted by the High Prince. In Holds that lack such, Marquis is often self-awarded when a trio of very powerful elders form a coterie to bring Invictus rule to a Hold.

Full Title: The Right Honorable, Alder Reginald Montgomery, Marquis of the Tomesha Valley

Formal Address: Alder Councilor

Earl

Earl is a title given to Kindred of the Invictus who manage to claim a little more territory for their domains. This is a rare title in cities that are too far apart to steal land (and wheat) from nearby cities, however it’s said in war-torn cities like Tijuana that half a dozen Earls exist (although the true number is closer to like 2). These are the Kindred who have, by sheer might, carved out a place for themselves and claimed it for the Invictus. Because it’s often earned in this way, the Earl of title is often self-awarded or bestowed as a verbal tribute by the younger Invictus in an area (who often flock to Earls for protection in these war-torn cities).

Full Title: The Honorable Mister Andy Blau, Earl of the Tijuana Hills

Formal Address: Mister Soldier

Viscount

Viscount is the most common Title of Tribute in a city. This title is given to Kindred of the Invictus who claim a domain in an Invictus city. It’s always awarded by the Duke and it can be removed when the domain in question is forfeited. The removal of such a title is almost always a cause for shame in the covenant and accompanied by loss of standing as well.

Full Title: The Good Madam Brigid Highwater, Viscountess of Pasadena

Formal Address: Madam Speaker

Baron

The Title of Baron is given to Kindred in a city who have distinguished themselves in the Invictus, but have not claimed any domain within that city for their own. This Title is often used as a reward by Dukes to those Kindred who serve well and loyally. It’s this title that childer are told they could easily aspire to, so while one of the lowest Titles in the Invictus it seems to be the most coveted - probably because it’s the one most reasonably within grasp. This title is most often awarded by Dukes, but in cities where there is no Duke it’s often awarded by a traveling Marquis (often to their oath-sworn vassals).

Full Title: Mister, Baron Dominic Hildago

Formal Address: Mister Senator

Lord

Lord is often a title given to the exalted lineage of a Kindred of stature in the Invictus. Upon manumission the childe of a Duke may become Lady for the smallest of actions (swearing an oath or performing a small task) while the childe of an Unaligned may have to work for years to gain enough notice to deserve the title of Lord. The Invictus allows this inequality to exist for a purpose - it reinforces their core principle that with rank, even the rank of your sire, comes privilege. Lord is often seen as a stepping-stone to the title of Baron. This title is most often granted by a Duke, however in cities without a Duke it can be granted by the highest titled Invictus.

Full Title: Madam, Lady Margaret Helman

Formal Address: Madam Player

Titles of Function

Several of the Titles of Function in the Invictus book aren't in use in the Tomesha Valley Hold. There are several more than only exist on a "Hold level", this means that they're Titles granted by the Inner Circle and that they serve the Hold as a whole. Invictus with Hold-level Functions often travel on request to perform them if necessary to do so in person, otherwise they conduct most of their business by letter. For obvious reasons, Hold-level Functions are considered Special Approval by the Storytellers. Below is a list of Functions recognized in Tomesha Valley, Hold-Level Functions are bolded.

Advocate, Almoner, Archon, Au Pair, Commissioner, Councilor, Groom, Interpreter, Judex, Knight, Librettist, Meister, Notary, Player, Prince (Function), Priscus, Reeve, Secretary, Senator, Soldier, Speaker, Steward, Technologist, Whip

In addition to the titles listed above, there are these kingdom or hold level titles unique to the Kingdom:

King

The title of function for a King.

Seignor

The title of function for an Overlord.

Ambassador

The title of function for a Diplomat.

Proctor

The most well-known (and perhaps most resented) Enforcers are the proctors, the regulators who publicly carry out the decrees and execute the orders of the Invictus leaders and elders. Other proctors are roaming operatives, sweeping into a strange city to arrest traitors or investigate violations of the Masquerade. It’s the difference between the local FBI forces and the special agents that arrive to take charge of the crime scene.

Amicus Curiae

The Amicus Curiae are those Kindred charged with witnessing the workings of vampiric society and the complex interactions of Invictus members. To a hidebound and formal group like the Invictus, the validation of an oath, ritual or formal presentation can be more important than the act itself. The attention of a curate makes an action legitimate. That matters far more in the rigid structure of the Invictus than whether the action is worthwhile or justified.

Important Invictus

• Cornelius P. Turner
• Dustin Hill
• Caleb Hunter
• Calvin Dawson
• Reginald Montgomery
• Delores Smith
• Maurice Felton
• Jessica Hernandez
• Emily Taylor
• Zack Baker