THE CAMARILLA
Further Information:
Kindred society has been faced with a multitude of potential cataclysms throughout its history, but none worse than the Inquisition. Under the guise of speading Catholicism throughout the world, high-ranking members of the Catholic Church set out to erradicate the very existence of all supernatural beings which, in their narrow perspective, contradicted the very nature of their religious beliefs. Their primary target became Vampires, beings spawned from Cain, the man whom their God cursed with undeath as punishment for murdering his brother.
The Church trained, and soon unleashed, Hunters upon Kindred Society. These Hunters were given the necessary tools by which Vampires could be destroyed, and since Kindred at that time roamed the lands to feed, kill, and breed without fear of reprisal by the Kine(mortals), they made themselves easy targets. Kindred numbers began to diminish rapidly, and many began to fear outright Genocide. In response to this threat, rules of conduct were adopted by the greater majority of Kindred still in existence. These rules, known as the Traditions, were to be universally adhered to by Kindred in order to ensure their safety through anonimity and order.
Though the actual facts surrounding the creation of the Traditions are sketchy at best, ultimately credit was given to Clan Ventrue(though the Tremere believe themselves to have created the Traditions, but due to their relative newness and increasing mistrust in Kindred society, the Ventrue were able to use their own relatively flawless reputation to take the Tremere concept and run with it). Nevertheless, the adoption of these Traditions led to the formation of the Camarilla, a form of localized governmental leadership designed to uphold the Traditions. The individual clans in a city which became a part of the Camarilla(originally these Clans were Ventrue, Tremere, Malkavian, Brujah, Gangrel, Nosferatu, and Toreador, and after a time the Followers of Set were reluctantly welcomed in) would choose their representative, or Primogen, to sit upon the Primogen Council. The Primogen Council then had the task of choosing the ultimate voice of rulership amongst the members of the Camarilla, the Prince. Once a Prince was voted in, he would select his "cabinet," comprising of the Seneschal, the Sheriff, and the Keeper of the Elysium. After having all the stations filled, the Prince was then responsible for seeing that all the Traditions were maintained and adhered to, ensuring the safety of the Kindred under his rule.
Today, the Camarilla concept thrives throughout the world. A prosperous Camarilla within a city will have learned to exist in harmony with the Mortals of the region, secretly seizing control of most aspects of local businesses, governments, and the like.