Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Terms of Exchange
Some of the most important traditional (and thus common) terms used for negotiating, recording, adjudicating
and discussing transactions of boons and prestation are presented here. While precise use of these legal terms
is not required for a transaction to be valid, the concepts behind them are sacrosanct in Cainite society.
Debtor:
The Cainite who receives the boon that begins a transaction is the Debtor. Debtors are expected to repay the
debt by providing the Grantor with services or goods at some point in the future (prestation).
Grantor:
The Cainite who grants the boon that begins a transaction is the Grantor. The Grantor is entitled to call the debt
of prestation due at some point in the future. When a debt of prestation is traded to another individual, they
then become the Grantor, and the original Grantor loses any claim to that particular debt of prestation by the
Debtor.
Boon:
The boon is what the Debtor asks of the Grantor (or what the Grantor offers). It may be a service, item or even
the lack of an action. Asking a Cainite *not* to do something can be a boon, even though there is no physical
service or good being provided. Cainite Society strictly forbids any grant of permission to violate the Tradition of
Masquerade as a boon. No Harpy will honour a boon made under such terms if he has sense enough to fear
repercussions.
Prestation:
This is what the Grantor of a boon requires of the Debtor to consider the boon fulfilled. Just about anything
under the sun can be considered prestation based on the Denomination of the boon. But remember should
someone refuse to comply which they can and you go to the Harpy about such dishonor the nature of the
request will be asked and there may be repercussions should it come to light that you asked someone to
commit a crime such as breaking the Masquerade or committing Diablerie. Any Grantor who demands such a
thing under the auspices of a prestation may see his prestation nullified by the Harpy, his own Status
diminished, and possibly further actions undertaken by the Prince.
Denomination:
The Denomination of a boon and prestation pair is considered its face value. There are five Denominations:
Trivial, Minor, Major, Blood and Life. The Denomination of the prestation must be proportionate to the
Denomination of the boon given.
Below are guidelines about the degree of service that is appropriate for boons and prestation:
Trivial
A one-time favour, e.g., acting as a security escort for an evening to dissuade would be attackers, aiding
someones effort by use of a Discipline, or supporting someones political move at little political risk to oneself
Minor
A longer favour that can last more than a single evening and probably entail some kind of real inconvenience,
e.g., safe passage through and/or short term safe lodging in a hostile city, revealing crucial information,
disposing of a threat with little risk to oneself
Major
A great expenditure of time or resources, usually lasting for many game sessions, e.g., purchasing a
nightclub to serve as a haven for the recipient
Blood
A dangerous favour with high likelihood of mild or moderate injury, and a chance of serious injury or personal
disaster, i.e., willingness to shed ones own blood on behalf of the recipient (figuratively or concrete), e.g.,
helping the recipient to escape or avoid an impending attack by a pack of Lupines as quickly as possible
Life
A favour so dangerous that the bestower actively risks his or her own life (figuratively or concretely) so that
the recipient can live, even if the bestower doesnt, e.g., charging into a fight against a clearly superior force of
Lupines, a Prince sparing a newly released Neonates life after the Neonate has breached the Masquerade.
Trading of Prestation:
The Grantor who is owed prestation has the power to hold or sell/trade the prestation.
For example: a Prince provides a feeding territory to an Ancilla a Major Boon. Both parties gained
something (see Reciprocity above). The Ancilla gained the boon of a feeding territory right away, and the Prince
gained the future prestation in like value a future repayment of services or goods equivalent in value to the
feeding territory.
According to the precedent governing trading of prestation, the Prince can later choose to call it due himself or
to trade the prestation to another Cainite. All that be required to the Granter is that they be informed their boon
has been transferred to another.
A final note on Princes and boons as tribute: Some Princes might choose to demand boons from other Cainite
in their domain for so called services, such as granting that Cainite Acknowledgement or Hospitality in the city.
While this is perfectly legal its still a choice whether to accept the debt of prestation for the Princes
acknowledgement a Prince who does this routinely, or without cause based on who is seeking
acknowledgement, might expect other repercussions. Demanding prestation (especially in larger
Denominations) should not be necessary for such banal matters, and the habit of doing so might be interpreted
as a lack of faith in the Princes ability to enforce their own right of Domain, making the Prince look weak.
Capital Punishment:
There is one exception to the general disposition of boons and prestation upon a Cainites death. All the
prestation a Cainite owes as a Debtor are nullified when killed under the authority of a Prince. Likewise, the
Cainite who successfully killed the condemned Kindred become the Grantor for any prestation that the
deceased Cainite were owed.
This serves as an additional bounty to encourage the lawful pursuit of outlaws and criminals. It also serves as a
check Elders heavily invested in a Cainite will go to great lengths, including staking them to cool off for a
decade or two, if they feel their actions might precipitate a Blood Hunt and nullify their investment in that Cainite
.