VtR.PortlandCourt

The Court of Portland, OR

In a city that has been rife with protest and pushing back against the gentrification and progress that has infected every other major city in the US… is it any surprise that Portland would be where Carthian Law is the rule of the land? Portland is friendly to all covenants to some degree, but the Carthian-controlled court strongly keeps out Invictus from any major positions scheming to keep the other covenants owing them too manor favors or debts to be paid to manage to usurp them. Instead, the quid-pro-quo of this court welcomes all newcomers to the city freely and treats the newly embraced as equal voices which has kept the Carthians in control since the late 1960s. The prince of the city has held his position since then, being the constant in the region since their ascension. Rumor has it, that part of the reason Portland started using “Keep Portland Weird” is because of how off-the-cuff and in-your-face the city’s kindred are. Weird things happening in Portland somehow became the norm after that.

The Covenants

The Carthians

Nikolas Shaw triumphant and having held power as a Carthian Prince of Portland, the Carthian purges and executions remain as if their power was recently won. Vampires who surrendered and recant their former allegiances should expect to be closely watched by Carthian thought police, lest they end up mind-controlled or bound by blood bonds. Nonetheless, they’re allowed in — a successful Carthian state grows by bringing vampires outside the covenant into the fold.

The Carthians are a split and suspicious group in Portland. While they are in power, Firebrands are well aware that power corrupts, and many are as willing to remove their own governments as those of the Invictus. Suppression of all Invictus remains Shaw’s name of the game, yet, he does not eradicate them. Simply put, the Carthians want to maintain the balance of politics and the general facade that the Primogen Council holds more power and is a true democracy when really Portland is a tightly held princedom all the same.

The Circle of the Crone

The Circle of the Crone of Portland are a Gaia cult that worships the Earth and its spirit. They strongly believe that they are sacred predators and cultivators of humanity. They believe that an End Time is approaching and most of its connections to mortals were towards this end such as building bunkers. They typically sacrificed the worst offenders humanity had to offer on their altars. Hierophant Athena Wallace is on good terms with Shaw, and he seems to let them have more autonomy than the other covenants.

The Invictus

Suppressed by The Carthian Movements, The Invictus are an unwelcome covenant in Portland but not forbidden. Marquise Charlotte Von Lise is of the old guard, and her silver spoon would not typically be welcomed in Portland regardless of the movement. She has little power over the court of Portland, so instead she focuses her fight to gain city influence among the mortals using money with attempts at gentrification. She is better equipped to get the less fortunate of Portland on her side, and rumors have it she uses the less fortunate in her massive network of information she controls right under Shaw’s nose. She plays the long game and encourages all of the new members of the covenant to do the same. Patience is a virtue, after all.

The Ordo Dracul

Their standing in Portland is much the same as their standing in Vancouver. The Ordo Dracul covered the Pacific Northwest Region as a Trifecta power center, sharing information and working together within the three cities. Of course, before The Vanishing of Seattle’s Court Portland’s Dragons often hosted the highest-ranking members of the Ordo Dracul from Seattle. There was much harmony and control within the Covenant, and while Maria de Córdoba sat at the top of the power chain in Seattle, she is rumored to have met with the “Belle of the Dragons” Emma Bell several times in the year leading up to the downfall of the court. The mutual respect between the two women of the order seemed to only help bolster The Ordo Dracul’s standing in Portland as well.

The Lancea et Sanctum

While Portland is a city rooted in the blue-collar workers and labor movement, it’s also a city in a vacuum of the areas around it. The Lancea et Sanctum makes a home in Portland, claiming large swaths of land directly outside the city and holding large mass gatherings at midnight in some of the most iconic locations of the city. One of the most regular locations is First Presbyterian Church, where the stained glass windows have a hue that hosts views of moonlight within it. Ultimately, The Lancea et Sanctum is most focused on its own mission and not trying to root power away from The Carthians. On the contrary, they are quite comfortable with a Carthian Prince who attends mass himself regularly.

Supporting Cast

Photo	Name	Clan	Covenant	Public Effects
	Magistrate Nikolas Shaw, Prince of Portland.			City Status ••••• Clan Status ••• Covenant Status •••••
	Alek, Sheriff of Portland.			City Status •••• Clan Status • Covenant Status •••
	Amy Baxter, Shaw's Hound.			City Status ••• Clan Status • Covenant Status ••
	Caleb Warwick, Primogen of Portland.			City Status •••• Clan Status •• Covenant Status ••••
	Hierophant Athena Wallace, Primogen of Portland			City Status ••• Clan Status • Covenant Status •••••
	Wei Daiyu, Primogen of Portland.			City Status ••• Covenant Status •••
	Kogaion Emma Bell, Primogen of Portland.			City Status ••• Clan Status • Covenant Status •••••
	Councilor Charlotte Von Lise, Marquise, Primogen of Portland.			City Status • Covenant Status •••
	Clemence Levesque, The Crone of Portland.			City Status • Covenant Status •••••