Seats of Power
These are the Kindred who hold (and have held) authority in the eyes of the community. Though Kindred may well live forever, power is all too often transitory. Since Chicago's political situation deviates significantly from the "default" court structure presented in the Requiem corebook, each section includes a little bit about how these positions function in the chronicle, rules-wise.
The Prince
For many years, Arthur Farragut was the only Prince that any of Chicago's Kindred have known. He was the only Kindred to have survived the Great Fire, and even prior to his declaration of Praxis, was seen as a local authority figure by the entire community of newcomer Kindred. When he took the title of Prince in 1888, it was already seen as a given. In time, though the Kindred on the throne remained the same, the nature of his rule changed significantly. In early nights, the Prince took a very active role in his subjects' activities, being fair but ever-present. Later, his rule became, if not weak, aloof; the city had matured and required a less firm hand to guide it. "Aloof" became "nonexistent" for over ten years as the Prince seemingly disappeared in the early 1990s. He returned in 2006, having been woken from a torpid slumber, and resumed leadership as if nothing had changed; notwithstanding the fact that very much had indeed changed.
Rumor has it that Farragut ascended during a ceremony at Buckingham Fountain in 2007, although others would suggest that something quite darker happened to him at that time. Rulership was briefly contested between Ed X. Edison and Alex Crane. The Praxis became briefly heated - with riots breaking out and violence briefly rolling through the Kindred community. In the end, the majority of citizens backed Edison as Prince. Edison's first test of authority loomed as he was accused of violating the Third Tradition in the spring of 2008.
Game Mechanics: The Prince has all the powers mentioned in the Requiem corebook.
The Regents
Five Kindred, all heads of their respective covenants, were entrusted by the Prince to manage the city in his stead. At first, the Prince still intervened in some issues, but withdrew as he grew older, leaving more and more authority in the hands of his appointed surrogates. The Regents officially declared themselves the caretakers of the throne in 1994 with the Goose Island Compact, written in the wake of the Prince's own disappearance. Since the time of the Compact, a number of Regents have fallen or left the city. As of the Prince's resumption of duties, the Regents were relegated back to their original standing, and a number have been replaced with new Kindred.
Game Mechanics: The Regents get away with what the Prince and their subjects allow them to. Regents have no formal game-mechanical powers.
Regents:
Ed Edison, Invictus, Regent of the North
Professor Anton East, Order of Dracul, Regent of the South
Bishop Jesse Stein, Lancia Sanctum, Regent of the Southwest
Rebecca Cole, Circle of the Crone, Regent of the West
James Milligan, Carthian, Regent of the Northwest
Harpy
According to Princely decree, the city's Harpy serves to arbitrate social debts and credits; in short, to keep track of boons. Unofficially, the Harpy's position at the center of the prestation system puts them in position to know the best gossip, and they generally know who's doing right or wrong by the city. Alexander Crane served as Chicago's Harpy since the reawakening of Prince Farragut, having replaced Angélique Alaina de Gyuz, who in turn replaced the seemingly-vanished Madison Moore, who had replaced the decapitated Charles Guiteau. These nights, the position falls on Rob Barris.
Game Mechanics: The Harpy functions just like the corebook describes it; interestingly enough, because the Harpy wields his own pool of temporary City Status while the Regents have to share, in many ways, the Harpy is more powerful in this area than any one of the creme of Chicago's leadership.
Reeve
The position of Reeve has been contentious for as long as one has existed. In the early portion of his reign, Prince Farragut had no Reeve. During the period of direct Regency rule over the city, Silatious Ciarro served for a short time, until he was found guilty of murdering Harpy Charles Guiteau over a matter of covenant politics. The Prisci Council stepped in to appoint Tommy Partipillo as his replacement. A few months after the Prince's reawakening, the title has been awarded to Josephine Honore.
Prince Ed X. Edison has appointed Jonathan Brinkley (a.k.a. Dragon Jon) as his first sheriff. Jon's tenure has been quiet.
Game Mechanics: The Sheriff doesn't have much in the way of objective political authority according to the ''Requiem book.
Master of Elysium
Chicago does not have a single Master of Elysium; rather, any Kindred who takes it upon himself to oversee one of the declared Elysia can earn the title. Chicago tradition holds that no Kindred allowed in the city may be refused the right of Elysium, so claiming the title may be more trouble than it's worth. Nonetheless, Chicago has always respected a competent Master of Elysium, so there is always someone seeking the position. The Kindred currently holding title are listed with their respective Elysium
Game Mechanics: This position functions pretty much the same as presented in the book, save that the existence of multiple Masters of Elysium means that any one individual can only excercise that power over a violator in their own Elysium (or coming to or going from the same).
Hound/Scourge
All the same, before Prince Farragut disappeared, it was not uncommon to hear Stagger Lee referred to (in hushed tones, well out of earshot) as the Prince's Hound. In those nights, it was a well-known fact that if you were considered a danger to the well-being of the city and you left your haven to find two dice on the doorstep, one showing a three and the other a four, that you would be visited by the Stagger Man before the next sunrise, and none of Chicago's Kindred would see you again. After Prince Farragut's return, he made the controversial appointment of Ursos Arctos to the position, though he used the slightly more prestigious title of Scourge for the same position. Arctos had previously been known for his involvement in the murder of Harpy Charles Guiteau, among other violent outbursts. However, Arctos's involvement in the murder of Jobe Webster has ended with his encasement in cement somewhere in Lake Michigan - for at least the near future.
With the position up for grabs, Angélique Alaina De Guyz stepped up to claim the title, before vanishing herself.
Most recently, Balthazar Smythos was referred to as such.
Tonight, rumors abound that the Regents (and just about anyone else of note) each have their own Hounds, used to eliminate political enemies...but certainly no one has stepped up to confirm these suspicions.
Game Mechanics: There are no mechanics involving the Hound, except possibly the combat rules. It is a position for those who hunt and kill at the whim of their master.
Unofficial City Positions
Priscus
A Priscus (Prisci in plural) is the informal 'head' of a specific clan in a domain. This position is not an official in the local governmental structure. Rather it evolves organically as a single powerful Kindred take responsibility for his clanmates. This can be a choice he himself makes, to seek power, or it might result from others in his clan coming to him with problems. As an informal position, the Prisci have no institutional power or rank. That said, the position does convey a substantial amount of status, and because it's usually powerful and well-respected Kindred who attain the position, the Prince and other elders are wise tp at least consider their opinions. Many Prisci also sit on the Primogen, but the two bodies are not synonomous; not all Prisci are Promogen, and not all Primogen are Prisci. Many cities have no Prisci, and many more have Prisci for some clans and not others.
No Kindred without appropriate Clan Status can serve as a Priscus, and if there is a dispute over who a clan's Priscus is, the contender with the highest combined amount of Clan Status and City Status is the victor for the purposes of all Prisci votes. If only a single member of a given clan has been visible or active in a domain over the previous three months, the other Prisci do not have to accept a Priscus from that clan. The Prisci have no impetus to agree or cooperate, other that they can empower a Harpy of their own. For a domain to have a second Harpy, there must be at least two prisci that do not also hold the position of Primogen. Without that number,the city is simply too weak to support a second Harpy. The candidate must gain the support of the majority of the Prisci who are not also Primogen to be named their Harpy. If the majority of the Prisci cannot agree, they cannot name a Harpy. No Prisci can serve as a Harpy.
In Chicago, the Prisci have struggled to try and counter-balance the authority of the Regents in recent nights- securing rights (not fully enumerated) to appoint the city's reeve to investigate city-wide matters as needed (leaving the matters of the individual regencies to the Regents).
Current Prisci are:
Jesse Stein - Daeva
Mercurio Mendoza- Ventrue
Richard Espirantez - Gangrel
Michael Anderson - Mekhet
Private Scott - Nosferatu
Game Mechanics: This position functions pretty much the same as presented in the book. Any additons or exceptions are at the determination of the ST and/or staff.
Prisci Harpy
Once selected by the Prisci, their Harpy retains her own status dots and gains status points equal to the highest City Status among the Prisci supporting her (even if that means having more points than dots). She can spend them to grant and remove City Status dots to and from others in the domain and can also serve as an arbiter of prestation. A Prisci Harpy cannot serve as a Prince, Primogen or a Priscus. The position is currently being filled by Cariad DeMorgan.
Game Mechanics: The Prisci Harpy operates in the same capacity as the Harpy of Chicago.''
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