The Ventrue are one of the 13 Clans in Vampire: the Masquerade, set in White Wolf's World of Darkness. They are one of the seven Clans that make up the Camarilla, the Vampire organization that seeks to hide the existence of Vampires from humans. The Ventrue, in fact, are what makes the Camarilla what it is. The Clan is the Clan of kings and lords, holding with noble tradition and the rule of law above all else. For this reason, they are nicknamed the Blue Bloods.
Ventrue support The Masquerade wholeheartedly because the Clan as a whole feels that only under the cover of this illusion can the best existence for the Kindred be obtained. It was Clan Ventrue that founded the idea of both Camarilla and The Masquerade. The Masquerade is the international illusion that Vampires, or Kindred as they call themselves, hide behind to keep their existence to mortals in general. Ventrue of the modern nights take this to mean that upholding the laws and guidelines of The Masquerade falls purely on their shoulders. Other Clans often mistake this for arrogance on the part of the Ventrue, but the Ventrue themselves feel that it is a noble burden that they alone can carry. And, of course, they as such they deserve certain considerations. Most Princes, or city rulers, are of Clan Ventrue. Though other Clans might grumble about the Ventrue's way of doing things and their general way of looking down their nose at other Kindred, none of the other Camarilla Clans are making any movements towards taking the Ventrue's job.
The six other Clans within the Camarilla, the Brujah, the Gangrel, the Malkavians, the Nosferatu, the Toreador, and the Tremere, all stand behind the Ventrue because they know, somewhere deep down, that Clan Ventrue is the best one for the job of leading.
In the old days Clan Ventrue drew its members from the lines of royalty, of dukes and princes. Things have not much changed since then. Now the Clan gathers forces from the worlds of business and politics. Many high powered businessmen are either Kindred or under their control.
All Kindred have supernatural abilities and Clan Ventrue's focus around manipulation. A Ventrue can lock eyes with a person and erase or edit that person's memories. They put out an aura of mystery that makes the human mind open to suggestion. People who are around a Ventrue find themselves doing whatever the Vampire asks would out even thinking about it. Not only are they mentally threatening, but Ventrue are also able to absorb damage. Normal attacks against them do little against their supernatural fortitude. Even weapons that normally kill Vampires with ease, such as fire, sunlight, or the claws of werewolves, can be rendered ineffective against one of the Blue Bloods.
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