HARPY REPORT

August 26th 2022

Reiteration of Decrees Delivered at Recent Court

Kindred of Orlando. It is with a heavy heart that we must formally break the news of the fall of our beloved Elysium. In regards to the new Censure that is now applicable for all Acknowledged Kindred in the Praxis, I will not insult your intelligence by further repeating the basic understandings of our Disgrace, but I will expand upon certain minutiae that are certain to arise in the three months to come. 

According to the Censure the definition of an Officer of the Praxis includes The Prince, Seneschal, all Primogen, all Whips, the Harpy, all Talons, the Sheriff, all Hounds, and the Scourge. To further explain- Talons, Whips and Hounds may only act as Officers if their corresponding better is not present for any infraction against the Censure. In addition all officers present in any room must give explicit approval for a weapon to be wielded or a power used. If that approval is not granted by all officers present, that power/weapon may not be used. This censure also applies to the officers themselves. Any officer must request the permission of all other officers in attendance. They may not grant themselves permission on their own. Similarly to how all Officers must give permission, if a power or weapon is used then all officers present must also be offered a boon in order to prevent being Forsaken. The boon does not have to be accepted, but the refusal to accept the boon is irrelevant as the apology and offering of the boon appeases the censure and would not be grounds for being Forsaken.

Any cases that require more deliberation are decided on a case by case basis by the Harpy, and escalated to the Murder if there is disagreement. However, contacting the Murder of your own accord is incredibly unadvised. If I, as Harpy, hear of any attempts to circumvent my authority to speak to the Murder,it will not be pleasant. 

To further breakdown the Censure- the rules of disgrace state ‘actively using disciplines’, so passive abilities are never an issue unless focused in some way. Similarly physical alterations that are performed in private do not cause disgrace if the user then approaches an officer.

Outside those, any active ability that is used to surpass human ability should be counted as a Discipline usage and will be seen as a breach of the Censure. 

In regards to the Boon Economy, any boons given and received will still be valid after the disgrace is over, and may be called in then. However, no Kindred is required to repay a Boon until after the three month period is over. A Kindred of the Praxis could choose to voluntarily repay a boon in spite of the Disgrace, if they judge the method of repayment to be lesser than they would get after the Disgrace is over. But due to the disgrace, they never have an obligation to do so.

Now that the specific terms of the Censure are defined, the Praxis has decreed certain actions to be taken in order to restore Orlando in the eyes of the Camarilla. The Murder has seen time and time again that Orlando has not managed to hold itself to the high standards set by the Camarilla. Anarch’s and Caitiff have been welcomed into our gatherings with open arms and given positions and respect. This is not true to the vision of the Camarilla. Therefore our borders are to be enforced in the Camarilla Praxis for Anarchs. They are only allowed in Gangrel territory for business purposes exclusively. Any Anarchs who defy this or any Camarilla who aid in the defiance of this edict are to be punished at the discretion of the Prince. 

In addition all Camarilla members in the Orlando Praxis are to submit to Blood testing to confirm their identities. The Murder has witnessed all too many instances of Kindred pretending to be of Pillar Clans or impersonating other officers. This is unacceptable and will no longer be tolerated. Any Camarilla individual who does not submit themselves to Blood testing will be dealt with at the discretion of the Prince. Let it be known that the Prince has no inclination toward mercy at this time. 

War has also been declared on the Sabbat of Brevard county. Clan Brujah will be leading the charge against them. Any Kindred who wishes to cleanse the area of the Sabbat incursion would be advised to speak with the Brujah Primogen. 

There are also changes to the Officers of the city. Former Keeper Lukas Gadow has been stripped of his position and has reported to the Prince for judgment. He will henceforth be serving as the city’s Scourge. There will be no new Elysium for a year and a day. Primogen Timber of clan Gangrel has also stepped down in light of the Primogen council’s desire to stay true to the vision of the Camarilla. Danuwoa Sequoyah has also been replaced by Erik Kingston as Sheriff as of the August gathering.

Lastly, but not lacking in importance, Elaine has been seen as forsaken by The Anarch Movement. Any support for this Kindred will result in severe punishment. She is not to be trusted. Do not interact with her in any way shape or form. She will send retainers and ghouls to do her bidding or try to trick you into aiding her. Do not fall prey to her subterfuge. The Prince’s wrath will be upon any Kindred who turns a blind eye to her anarchy and complete disregard for the laws that make up the Tower. 

Additional Decrees from the Primogen Council

The Primogen Council convened further on other matters of import to the restoration of the Praxis. In regards to the multiple examples of showing respect to Caitiff and less savory bloodlines in the city- the Primogen council declared that any Kindred of non-pillar, non-Gangrel arriving into the city must prove that they are greatly loyal to the Ivory Tower and that they are ready to make great sacrifices to protect the traditions of the Camarilla. If they have not shown this loyalty and sacrifice before coming to Orlando, they must accept the following conditions upon entering the city:

First they must contact a well respected member of a pillar clan in the Praxis, before entering the city. And convince that member of the city to take  accounting for them. The Prince reserves the right to demand a boon from both Kindred in this arrangement. The strength of the boon required shall be at least a blood boon from a caitiff, at least a major boon from any other Clan or Bloodline.

Second, the loyalty of the newly arrived Kindred will be continuously tested. Specifically, soon after their arrival in Orlando, the arriving Kindred will be given a task of great difficulty. It should be a task requiring a sacrifice, great risk and a demonstration of ability, while still taking full advantage of the individual’s skill set. It is up to the member of the Praxis taking on the accounting to determine the task.  Any task that takes the Kindred into significant danger would be fitting. Joining an offensive action against another sect would be a fitting task. But tasks may also involve providing influence or leadership to development projects of importance to the city. The length of task completion will depend on the task, but if the new arrival is caught procrastinating, consequences shall befall them. Any Kindred that distinguishes themselves during this assigned task and shows great loyalty to the Tower, may be released immediately upon its completion. This would require that the sitting Harpy and the Prince both agree that sufficient loyalty was shown. This shall be a rare occurrence.

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If the Kindred did not show exceptional capability for sacrifice, but still completed their task satisfactorily, they shall be granted the same rights in the domain as an unreleased Kindred of their clan would merit in any other city of the Tower. At some point after their first year of service to the city, they will be provided another chance to prove themselves through a task of the same nature as the initial one.

Orlando Praxis at War

These past months Orlando has been at war on multiple fronts. The Sabbat of Brevard County have been emboldened as of late and have seen fit to invade our dear city on multiple occasions, the Werewolves have shamelessly ignored the border agreement, and Infernal spies have infiltrated into our midst. Our brave Brujah have taken up the cause against the Sabbat and are organizing war parties to go and defeat the incursion. The former Sheriff along with  Sheriff Erik have been patrolling the borders to keep out wayward Werewolves and most impressively  Sheriff Erik has taken down an Infernalist spy nigh single handedly. Sheriff Erik Kingston of Clan Toreador valiantly took down the worst kind of neerdowell, a Salubri warrior. She had infiltrated the Tower and was forming a pack of Kindred to, unwittingly, further her nefarious deeds. The noble Sheriff sniffed out the interloper and deduced her true lineage. He then laid her low and brought her torpored body before the Prince to receive the final death. It is Kindred such as these that give hope to the restoration of the Ivory Tower’s ideals in our city. It is due to his actions that Erik Kingston has been awarded the position of Sheriff, so that he can continue his good work and clean up the streets of Orlando, so that they can once again be above reproach. 

The Ones Leading Kindred Astray 

I consider it my duty as Harpy to shed light on the actions of Orlando Kindred that do not meet the standards set by the Murder. The Traditions of the Tower are sacred commandments that must be upheld for there to be order in the Praxis. The first and most important thereof would be the Masquerade. However, before we dive into the unfortunate soul who has tarnished the Orlando Praxis in its’ time of rebirth, allow me to set the scene.

Our Prince Tsavo, in his intense desire to restore Orlando in the eyes of the Camarilla, decreed that all Kindred must submit to a blood test in order to drive out any Kindred who are not who they claim to be. A task force was appointed by the Prince himself to go into the Praxis and test each individual Kindred. However, while doing their sacred duty for the betterment of the Praxis, they were obstructed by Kindred under the Instruction of Primogen Kellor, who were well aware of the Prince’s orders and had previously refused to allow their blood to be taken by the Prince’s appointed messengers. The Assamite Primogen resisted  Sheriff Danny and Erik Kingston’s  ordinances and when asked directly for the blood samples, still refused to submit. This isn’t even the most egregious offense I am afraid. Upon hearing that the Sheriff was coming to collect the required blood samples, he sent Kine security guards to intercept the Prince’s appointed officials. The Assamite Primogen, Jacob Kellor, was all too happy to put the first tradition at risk by allowing kine security officers to police his known Camarilla Isolated Refuge. An isolated refuge as we all are well aware is a location that is known across the Praxis to be Masquerade safe, yet he purposefully misrepresented his clan and the values of the Tower to involve Kine in Kindred business. I wish I could say it ended there, my dear reader, but unfortunately it gets worse. The Primogen recorded the entire encounter on video, which is but another breach of the Masquerade. The well respected Elder Marcus of Clan Nosferatu had been heard to speak against such things in the past that such, “footage needs to be destroyed, influence spent to ensure the Masquerade is protected, and any Kindred found culpable in creating the footage should have their arms and legs removed before torporing them so a few Elder Ventrue can perform some serious mental re-education”. Wise words from our noble Prior. It has also been reported to the office of the Harpy that Primogen Kellor has been giving shelter to Caitiff. I hope a lesson will be learned and he will mend his erroneous ways. The Orlando Praxis will no longer tolerate such blatant disregard for the foundations that our society is built upon. 

In addition to the actions of the Assamite Primogen, another Primogen has earned a reputation in Orlando: Primogen Mezzanote of Clan Ventrue. There is a saying that for every rule there is a wild story behind its creation. The Ventrue Primogen is the epitome of this notion. Primogen Diamante’s brazen usage of alternative identities has caused quite the scandal in the Orlando Praxis and has encouraged other Kindred to follow in her footsteps due to the lack of consequences to her actions. Primogen Diamante has donned the identities that obtained staus of both  Senechal and a Harpy. She even crossed over Clan lines and impersonated a child of Malkav. It is no wonder that wayward kindred feel emboldened to lie about their lineage and station. In times past such trespasses have only garnered a light slap on the wrist. Surely now that the competency of the Praxis has been called into question, more drastic punishments will be doled out to those that lie to the Tower. 

A Continuation of a Piece from a Former Harpy

In a previous Harpy Report, a Former Harpy implied that certain information would be brought to light after a short period of time. Here are the pre-existing notes found on the topic. Do with this information what you will. 

  • Diamante Mezzanotte was utilizing alternative identities due to her being specifically targeted by an Infernalist. She maintains that she chose to serve the Tower despite this. 
  • Diamante Mezzanotte was also hiding from accusations of violating the 6th tradition. She has stated that these allegations are false and were perpetuated by Primogen Jacob Kellor in regards to a Talon of Clan Assamite that went missing. 
  • Diamante Mezzanotte also holds that Primogen Kellor fed this information to, previous Keeper, now Scourge, Lukas Gadow. She clarified that she does not believe Sir Lukas was aware that this information was potentially falsified. 

Message from the Praxis 

In light of recent confusion regarding the proper procedures for the blood tests by Prince Tsavo, it has become necessary for the Praxis to lay out plainly exactly what is expected of all Acknowledged Kindred. Everyone in the city has till the gathering in September to have their blood and hair taken by Sheriff Erik Kingston and Primogen Devlin Archer for testing.These are the only two Kindred authorized to collect blood and hair samples. If you have given your blood or hair to a Kindred other than these two individuals, you will be required to resubmit your samples to ensure the proper chain of evidence is being upheld. If a Kindred’s blood and hair samples are not given to either the Sheriff Erik Kingston or Primogen Devlin Archer, they will be held in contempt of the Praxis and seen as traitors to the tower. Any Kindred that has not submitted their samples to the proper authorities listed above by the deadline will be dealt with by the Prince. It must also be noted that any Kindred who attempts to leave the city without first giving their blood and hair samples to the Sheriff or Tremere Primogen will be reported to the Murder so that their heresy is known tower wide. 

Office and Status Updates

The Orlando Praxis is seen as Disgraced until November

Erik Kingston has been appointed to the position of Sheriff

Lukas Gadow has been appointed to the position of Scourge

Sam Moore has been appointed to the position of Whip