-Narrated by Francis Aupvolme, chronicler and philosopher of Clan Brujah, executed by Sabbat troops in early 1999.

Cainite society is fractured, yet also strictly hierarchical, reshaping and remaking itself in service of its volatile desires. Even so, since ancient nights, Cainites have feared replacement, theft of power, and trespass upon their domains by younger whelps hungry for elder power and, above all, elder blood.

As in mortal society, envy and fear mingle, and from these two dreaded feelings rise defenses that, in this case, take the form of offices, hierarchies, laws, rules, and codes.

Unlike mortal society, however, Kindred possess one thing that has always shaped, transformed, and will continue to drive their world: it is unique in kind, and all debts are paid in blood.

But vampires are, above all, solitary predators. A Kindred can spend years or even decades without seeing another, preferring to hunt alone rather than walk among a chosen circle of mortals. Even so, many choose (or are forced) to mingle with their peers at some point in unlife; few movements of the Jyhad fail to affect even the most isolated vampire in some way.

The society of the Damned is structured like any mortal institution, perhaps more so. Numerous offices, titles, and responsibilities move through the upper ranks of a city's Blood, and those positions grant great power, but with implicit danger: those who seek to shake the system's foundations usually target those who hold office.

Vampires may embrace these structures or choose to break away from them entirely, but they cannot simply ignore them; they are always there, circling above their graves.