Invictus (Vampire: The Requiem)
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The Invictus is one of the five covenants in the World of Darkness role-playing game Vampire: the Requiem published by White Wolf.
The name of the covenant is, as all things in the World of Darkness, highly symbolic. In Latin, Invictus means 'unconquered,' and was attached often to the late Caesars. It is also the name of a poem, which personifies the ultimate "stiff upper lip" mentality, creating such phrases as "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul."
The so-called First Estate is a semi-feudal institution of vampires who practice chains of lineage and fealty in order to enforce a stringent degree of rank. Borrowing directly from the traditions of feudalism in the middle ages, the Invictus relies strongly on a wide range of oaths, titles, degrees of servitude, and subinfeudation. While one might expect that few young Kindred would willingly subject themselves to the vagaries of such a system, the Invictus also claim that their feudal obligations require them to protect their vassals; left with few other associates, some Kindred choose to join the Invictus for the promise of having reliable allies, albeit at a cost.
Members of the Invictus are taught that their institution is a meritocracy - that, given time and experience, any Kindred could rise to a position of prominence - but because openings at the top are few and far between, the reality is that many Kindred find themselves locked into feudal vassalage for decades or even centuries with little gain. Still, even low-ranking members of the hierarchy can often count on support from other Invictus. Experienced members recognize the value of supporting subordinates with potential, so Invictus members can often count on an ancient network of favors, influence over mortal society, and well-established resources. Some Invictus Kindred, of course, abuse their authority over their vassals, but these abuses are curbed by the fact that their own lieges may well take exception to misuse of "estate property." Nevertheless, the very nature of Byzantine Kindred politics means that Invictus dealings are hotbeds of intrigue, secret alliances, family agendas, betrayals, and hidden oaths.
While the Invictus does not broadly practice magic in the sense of the Lancea Sanctum or the Circle of the Crone, it does have its own peculiar sort of Kindred sorcery - blood oaths. Invictus members use the power inherent in Kindred vitae to seal their compacts. This can make violation of certain oaths a chancy business at best, and helps to reinforce some degree of orthodoxy (or at least compliance) in the system.
To those familiar with the setting, the Invictus might seem suspiciously convenient for elder Kindred about to succumb to a power-draining Torpor that might otherwise leave them socially and physically vulnerable to younger vampires upon their awakening, were the younger ones not pre-conditioned to defer to their elders. So far, no commentary has been made on this observation in official sourcebooks.
The Invictus has a special relationship with the Lancea Sanctum. Just as the Invictus calls itself the "First Estate," it considers the Sanctified to be the "Second Estate" - priests to the Invictus' nobility. Many old Invictus Kindred accept the Testament of Longinus as a reasonable account of the Kindred condition, even if they do not always consider it revealed doctrine in the Sanctified sense. Relations with other covenants are more strained; the Invictus consider the Ordo Dracul to be a dangerously meddlesome secret society. The Circle of the Crone is commonly seen as a group of degenerate pagans, while the Carthians and their revolutionary ideas are diametrically opposed to the Invictus dogma of servitude and chattel, leading to no end of strife.
