Val Argus Triumvirate

Name: Val Argus Triumvirate

General Information: The Val Argus live in strongholds around the globe, though there are only three of them, each stronghold holds roughly 8000 inhabitants, 3500 of which are vampires. The Val Argus strongholds are each in secluded locations. Each of their cities are locating on large reserves of the extremely rare Etoile Silver ore, which they trade with the Crimson Court for various other resources.

Goals: The Val Argus's goal is quite frankly, to be left alone by most groups. In addition their secondary goal, which varies in priority between strongholds, is to gain the strength of the vampires of old, so that they no longer need to interact with the outside world.

Methods: The Val Argus operate on the principle that no one leaves their strongholds without expressed permission from the stronghold's Triumvirate council or someone representing them. In addition, any Val Argus who encounter defectors are instructed to exterminate them with extreme prejudice.

Hierarchy: The Val Argus work on a very basic level of government with the Foundation council making all decisions regarding the mundane affairs of the city, while the Triumvirate council makes decisions that could affect more then one stronghold or affect their stronghold in such a way that they are forced to relocate.

History: The Val Argus started out as a loose collection of tribal vampires sired by (at least according to them) an ancient and powerful pair of vampires known as the Patriarch and the Matriarch, who they regard as deities in their religion. At some point they relocated to the Russian tundra and found, hidden partially underground, the stronghold which would later be known as Val Domus. The Val Argus lived here for several centuries before briefly encountering the (then) fledgling Crimson Court. While the Crimson Court wanted to unite themselves under one banner, the Val Argus refused, on the grounds that the Court was primarily Cainite (followers of Cain) who they believe was one of the Patriarch's childer. This led to initial tension between the groups which lasted until The Crescent Moon Crusades where a large battle was fought between a group of werewolves and the Crimson Court, who were being pushed back by the werewolves' overwhelming numerical superiority. The battle (rather fortunately) encroached too deeply into Val Argus territory. The Val Argus, enraged at this "invasion" sent out nearly their entire vampire population to fight the Crescent Moon clan. This ended with nearly the entire Val Argus vampire population dead, shortly after which there was a mass siring within Val Domus and the two vampire clans formed an uneasy alliance.

Religion: The Val Argus are followers of a religion exceedingly different from the Cainites. They believe that two extremely powerful vampires sired the entire race in the beginning and that their "children" would continue to do the same. They believe that the legendary "Cain" was in fact simply one of the first children that these two sired, and that while he was extremely powerful; he paled in comparison to the originals who they believe were called "The Patriarch" and "The Matriarch" respectively. The Patriarch is considered to be the ultimate expression of both physical might and combat prowess, able to defeat hundreds of thousands of elder or legendary vampires with ease, and able to easily regenerate from anything, -including decapitation- in a matter of moments. The Matriarch on the other hand is considered the ultimate expression of control and restraint. It was said that only she had ever bested The Patriarch, but that -instead of killing and devouring him- she spared him, and that they fell in love. She was said to have reached a state of such absolute control over her vampiric traits, that she was able to not only walk in sunlight, but remain at full strength and yet abstain from drinking even a drop of blood. The Matriarch is said to have died in bed with Patriarch at her side, who upon her death extracted her blood and placed it in a vial. It was said that after The Matriarch died, a massive vampire and werewolf army, led by Cain, attacked The Patriarch. It is said that this struggle ended with Patriarch's death, but it is also said that he died with his hands around Cain's throat. Surprisingly, Cain is not regarded as a traitor among the Val Argus, because it is said that The Patriarch requested that one day the mightiest of his children slay him, and assume the mantle of the world's strongest vampire.

Spread: The Val Argus have spread very little over their 1000 year existence. About 200 years after their initial formation they found the Stronghold Val Domus and since then have periodically performed mass migrations to other locations, (all of which are built directly on top of Etoile silver deposits). There are currently only three strongholds. The first city: Val Domus, located in Russia-Siberia. The second: Val Tirnoch, located in South America. The third: Val Recanto, established in Australia and is the youngest of the three, but also the one with the largest deposit of Etoile silver.

Basic Laws: The story of the Patriarch and The Matriarch is appropriately called "The Sires" and is regarded as a holy text by most all of the Val Argus. It is this tale, its chapters adapted into doctrine, that shapes the everyday lives of most Val Argus, even some of the human members have taken to worshiping the two. Some of the tenants of Sireism -its followers called "Sireists"- include:
The sins of a father are not passed to his children
Restraint in peace, Indulgence in war
The Sires' names must not be taken in vain
A Cainite is simply a lost sheep requiring guidance back to the light. [added upon first contact with the Crimson Court]
In addition, the main Sireism has several minor tenants that apply only to specific jobs or government positions.
A foreign ambassador, no matter his sire or clan, is an honored guest
An ambassador to other clans is expected to show only the best qualities of the Val Argus
If the Triumvirate council vetoes any decision made by the Foundation council, they must immediately resign and vice-versa. Any decision vetoed by either may not be reintroduced for a period of time equal to or less than 180 days
The blood collection of all humans living in the stronghold shall amount to 1 liter for residents between the ages of 16 and 24, 1.5 liters for those 25 to 60, and .5 liters for those between the ages of 8 to 15 or above the age of 60
Those who miss their collection date must report in to the blood collection office in their district with 3 days or face charges of truancy unless given special permission
the collection of blood from humans shall go by district with roughly 1000 participants donating the appropriate amount each week. this should result in roughly 5252 liters collected a month with each collection (per 1000) occurring once every four weeks
All humans who donate blood are family and must be protected as if they were your own kin


Pros: Being a Val Argus means always having a loving home to come back to, a place where you can openly be a vampire and never have to hide your true self, it means never going hungry and pleasure abound, be a Val Argus, and enjoy eternity in peace.

Cons: Unless given permission by the Triumvirate council or one representing them, you can never leave the Stronghold.

Associated Feats: Solar Survivor.