The Night Council
The Night Council is the ruling and governing body of all Vampires. It is a five-member council composed of one of each member from each of the Bloodlines. The Council controls every aspect of organized Vampire society. They are the final voice for selecting a new King or Queen of a region, and they often have a hand in settling disputes and forming and/or re-writing law.
Very little is known about the The Night Council, excepting that their arrival, or the arrival of one of their Chancellors is an event received with both honor and trepidation.
King or Queen
The Vampire King or Queen is the vampire who rules over an entire state within the United States, which serves as their Kingdom. (In other countries, it may be a region, a district, or a handful of counties. The division of Kingdoms is an old tradition, said to have originated with the Night Council.) The King has authority over all of the Vampires within his domain. If, upon death, the Queen has not chosen a successor, then the Night Council will select one.
The King or Queen appoint a Prince to rule over smaller districts within their domain. The Prince, and his subjects, are considered to be a part of the King or Queen's Royal Court.
Prince
The Prince (often called the Prince of the City or Master of the City) is the undisputed master of his domain. He answers only to the King/Queen and Night Council. All Vampires within the given domain must obey and report to the Prince, and she does have the final voice in law and governorship. Yes, there are females that hold this position.
The Prince is served by several officials whom make her job much easier.
Hound
The Hound serves as the Prince's bodyguard. The Hound does as he or she is told when it comes to carrying out orders, and the Hound can be employed to mete out punishment. The Prince may have more than one Hound.
The Hound answers only to the Prince.
Sheriff
The Sheriff is responsible for enforcing the laws of the Prince over a given domain. The Sheriff's duties include, but are not limited to, investigating, interrogating, and concluding the laws which have been broken and deciding whether or not to bring the criminal before the Prince. The Sheriff carries out punishments handed down by the Prince, and sometimes works with The Hound in doing so.
Seneschal
The Seneschal is the Prince's right hand. She is responsible for looking after the night-to-night operations of the domain, keeping track of the Prince's interest, schedule and appointments. In many places, she is the most trusted confidante of the Prince.
Herald
The Herald is considered the Voice of the Prince. The Herald is tasked with making certain that all Vampires within the Domain hear the decrees of their Prince. When the Herald speaks, it is considered to be equivalent to the Prince speaking.
Primogen
A Primogen is an advisor to the Prince. Primogen sit on the advisory council and help direct the Prince as much is allowed with regards to policy, decrees, and concerns within the domain.
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