Prestation

=Status=

5 Status
Currently, no one holds this status level

4 Status

 * Annalia Tate (Megan) (Ventrue, Sanctified)(Effectively 5 with +1 Ventrue Eminence) Priscus
 * Christian Michaels (Greg) (Ventrue, Circle) (Effectively 5 with +1 Ventrue Eminence)
 * Henrich Von Rothdam (Chas) (Nosferatu, Carthian) Priscus
 * Nero Talis (Little Jeff) (Daeva, Invictus) Herald
 * Jarl Ragnar Thrice-born (Geoff) (Daeva, Circle) Prince

The City
A list of all characters and their status can be located at Known Vampires

=Boons=

Michael Law's Boons
All boons owed to Michael Law are sealed with blood contracts.

Life Boons
Any given character may owe only a single life boon at a time, having only a single life to give.

Appearance
Each contract is unique. They are very possibly made by hand, though few know where Law gets these objects from. Each appears to be a small metallic scroll case. However, the scroll itself is not removed through the end, but is unrolled from the side of the case. The structure functions something like a window blind with a hard outer shell.

There is a small vial which fits into the end of the case. The vial's stopper, which doubles as handle for removal, masquerades as a decorative flourish when stored. When removed this vial has a small chain attaching it to the inside of the casing.

The entire object is no more than 6-9 inches in length and 3 inches in diameter.

History
In the early 1880s San Andreas experienced a sudden influx of Unaligned kindred. While these newcomers initially were made as welcome as any new predator, a rift soon began to develop between the prior inhabitants and the new "immigrants." As many Unaligned do, these individuals quickly made apparent that they had no use for the Prestation system in any form they could not simply abuse out of hand. Several attempts at integration ended with boons reneged upon or Priscus declared blood-hunts against hellions stripped of their acknowledged status.

The City began to lose faith in the system of prestation and violence welled up as previously "well behaved" neonates began adopting the Unaligned stance and provoking several elders nearly to frenzy. One casualty of that lost faith was the standing and, ultimately, position of the Priscus Harpy at the time. A kindred whose peaceful and unobtrusive methods of relying on Honor, Respect, and Disgrace, managed by simply manipulating status in response to the flow of boons and social standing, proved inadequate to the new paradigm.

After some debate, a relatively unknown Invictus Ventrue was put forward as a replacement. Michael Law was viewed as a generally neutral individual who, most importantly, had made known he could bring teeth to the prestation system and help restore order through the Prestation of the City.

Law was officially named Priscus Harpy in the fall of 1895. He immediately offered for use a Contract to all holders of boons, and refused to bear witness to any contract not sealed so. Most Invictus and a few others immediately adopted the practice, leading to a rash of injured, torpored, and destroyed Unaligned who presumed that these new contracts would be as easily evaded as the previous honor system had been.

By the summer of 1903 the Unaligned had learned that such contracts were not simply formal documents issued by the "stuck up and disconnected" Invictus. Further, the force of actual consequences had lead to many being formally absorbed into covenants or otherwise found a place as an honorable member of society as they learned to deal with Vampiric society on its existing terms. Some simply moved on to less jaded cities, while a few Unaligned simply learned not to deal through contracts so as to prey on the honor of those remaining few who would not compel performance.

Michael Law retained the practice of only enforcing Contract-sealed boons, though it has become less popular as the earlier ideal of honor and self discipline have unseated the hard lessons learned. For some time Carter Weiss has protested the "forced" use of contracts vocally, counterpoint to the general disdain the Carthians hold for the practice. Recently, however, he has fallen publically silent on the issue.

Text
The blood contract for the enforcement of boons overseen by the Priscus Harpy follows. The current text is a draft, and should be treated as such.

It is divided into three parts, not including the signature of the Debtor.

The Boon Itself
By signing I do formally recognize that I have received favors, services, or considerations which leave me indebted to another. This debt has been incurred by actions which have been to me a Boon of no less than a Trivial weight. In recognition of this, I provide this writ which affirms that any Boon asked of me by the proper owner which is clearly of equal or lesser weight than all boons I owe them will be provided without question. For each Boon asked I will be relieved of a portion of my debt in appropriate measure, but will remain responsible for whatever balance remains. In all cases where there is doubt as to the proper value of a deed, service, or item I will abide by the judgments of those arbiters our society has appointed to oversee debts within our society, so long as I believe them to be reasonably impartial.

Good Faith
As guarantee of my honor and intent to redeem this debt, I swear that I shall not act against the owner of this writ, who is my benefactor, cause others to act against them, or otherwise seek harm to come to them or that which they hold dear so long as they remain in good standing among our society and hold my debt. I will not seek to possess this writ for myself, except through proper means of payment, it being provided my benefactor as guarantee against my word. Further, should I discover it has left the possession of its owner improperly I will seek to return it if I have any reasonable opportunity. If I have no means to remove this writ from the possession of its thief I shall inform the proper owner of its location and possessor to the best of my knowledge. Should I be unable to contact or yield this document to the proper owner I will provide such service to an arbiter of debt which I believe will act in the interest of the benefactor to which this debt is owed.

In swearing this oath, I recognize that neither destroying this writ nor having it destroyed relieves this debt, and will thus seek neither of these things. I admit that failing to act in good faith to prevent the loss of this writ or its destruction by any but its proper owner is a breach of the guarantee it represents. If, failing to return or preserve the proper possession of this writ, the proper owner allows and desires I should sign another writ to replace this one, and I do so in good faith, this writ shall hold no further power.

Recognizing that the word of each individual is the only bond which allows us to remain a Society as opposed to simply being raging Beasts. Recognizing that all I have among our kind which I might trade upon is my own good word, I swear that should I fail to uphold our society by retaining my place as an Acknowledged member of the City, so that our Society provides a guarantee of the worth of my word, this contract may be deemed breached by its proper owner at a simple word. However, even as I recognize that violation of the guarantees lain forth here besmirches my word, my oath, and my bond, such failings do not release the debt. Further, as each act of Prestation supports the City at large, I will seek to maintain the value of the word of the City. Only one part of this guarantee will be demonstrated by seeking to maintain the proper possession of all such writs as this one and by refusing to countenance the theft or destruction of another’s writ.

Transmission
Recognizing that my debts must be paid, and that it is the tradition of our Society that such debts be assumed by one’s slayer, this contract shall impress and enforce upon such an individual my debts. Should my slayer be compelled to surrender his free will in the matter of my destruction, the individual who has enforced such bondage shall be held responsible for my death and debt.

Signed this day,

Signing the Contract
Each contract represents a Trivial boon. Signing a contract requires the debtor pour a point of blood into the vial, then use some object (generally the Harpy provides a quill, though sticks and even fingers have been used- much to Law's disgust.) to sign the actual contract with that blood. Upon signature, Law quickly stoppers the vial, placing it in the end of the scroll case, rolls the contract up and gives it to the holder of the boon. The blood within the vial immediately dries and solidifies, leaving only faint traceries liquid along the edges, while the signature refuses to dry properly.
 * What happens then.

Ongoing Effects
So long as the indivudal owing the boon intends to fulfill their debt it will retain traceries of liquid blood. If they ever determine they will not do so, those traceries disappear as the blood completely dries. If the boon is fulfilled the contents of the vial completely liquify. So long as the individual owing the boon does not break the tenants of the contract the blood remains semi-liquid. Should they violate the tenants of the contract the blood on the page dries as they suffer lethal damage. If they fulfill the boon, this blood will remain forever damp. If an individual succumbs to final death by accident (actual accident, not an attack that looks like an accident) or suicide the blood in the vial immediately turns to dust.
 * The Vial
 * The Signature
 * In case of Death

If someone wishes to slay the subject of one of these boons, they must recieve warning from their target that they will assume this debt when they announce an action that will cause death. Thus, after a coup de grace is announced or an attack that will cause final death is drawn the target informs their attacker. The attacker may then choose to forfiet their action, and does not complete the attack. If the attacker chooses to complete their action they have willingly subjected themselves to the contract (both the signature and the vial) and assume all effects from it. No change occurs in the contract itself. (this effect is called the Oath Unbroken).

Because of the terms of this contract, supernaturally compelling an individual to slay or attack another also risks assuming the burden of the debt- and for this reason a narrator should be consulted when this action is taken. If the clauses instating this were not present, the compelled individual would recieve a resistance to avoid the terms of the contract. Note that compulsion does not include effects that allow choice- if the character could choose to torpor their target they remain culpable for choosing to commit their target final death.

Breaking the Oath
An individual who commits any of the following actions must immediately get a narrator and may be subject to one or more points of lethal damage. This is not a case of what your character can justify to others, the oath is mystically tied to your knowledge and intent. If you are in doubt, which includes any time you are trying to justify an action to yourself or others, you need to talk to a narrator. (this is not a complete list, the contract is still under revision OOC. This is simply a list of what is specifically included already and not going to change.)


 * (short version; acting in bad faith.)
 * Failing to immediately perform any action demanded that is clearly within the debt owed.
 * Failing to abide by the decision of any arbiter of prestation (the harpy or prince) regarding what actions fall within the debt owed.
 * Attacking the holder of the boon.
 * Willfully and knowingly acting against the holder of the boon beyond the requirements of one's position and station. (A Harpy stripping status for an obvious breach of Status is fine, a Harpy abusing position is not. The Sheriff or Keeper restraining an offender is fine, causing unnecessary damage or attacking when they know or suspect they have neither basis nor orders is not.)
 * Willfully and knowingly attacking the holder's property, posessions, or (backgrounds). (Throwing something and happening to hit someone's car or haven is fine, throwing something then asking if it can hit someone's car or haven is not.)
 * Aiding, abbetting, or requesting others attacking the holder of the boon, their station or position, or property posessions, or otherwise. (Don't send goons, either PC or NPC, after someone you owe. Don't help said goons. Suggestion; if someone tells you they're going after someone you owe cover your ears and HUM. Better; warning the person you owe might well help pay off your debt- hint; bring details.)
 * Attempting to obtain the contract itself from the holder of the debt except by having paid the debt. (You can steal it from someone who's stolen it though.)
 * Attempting to have another obtain the contract except through fair trade.
 * Allowing the contract to be destroyed at the choice of anyone other than the holder of the debt prior to the debt being paid, if there is any way the individual can prevent it. (the contract triggers immediately when its imminent distruction becomes apparent to the debtor.)
 * Not returning the contract to the holder of the debt or a Harpy if it has left the posession of its owner. (Actually, if you don't try to steal it from someone who's stolen it, or at least tell the Harpy or rightful owner, you're in breach of contract.)
 * If the subject of the contract is subject to a Blood Hunt (or otherwise removed of their Acknowledged status) the holder of the contract has the discretion to determine the Hunt to be a breach of the Contract.