“Regere sanguine regere in veritatem est.”
(“To rule in blood is to rule in truth.”)
Ventrue clan motto

As the products of five millennia of noble upbringing, class and culture, the Ventrue place great importance on gentility. Ventrue etiquette can become quite complex, especially in Europe where deathless standards persist unto the modern nights. Things are often less formal in the New World, but only by comparison. Even the most casual of Old World cities usually seems stodgy and overly polite by modern standards.

For the Ventrue, politeness means more than just carrying on with traditional ways and means. It serves some important functions, especially when it comes to making sure that individual clan members can overcome their petty personal differences and respect the social structure. By nature, Kindred are excitable creatures, prone to holding grudges and overreacting to insults. Add in the average Ventrue’s regard for their dignitas, and politeness becomes not only a matter of manners but a matter of survival. Interacting with one another in a sophisticated, polite and admittedly distant manner helps alleviate the threat of flaring tempers.

As a clan devoted to proud detail and tradition, the Ventrue have managed to accumulate a code of conduct large enough to fill several weighty tomes (not that they have ever collected them thus). “Suggestions” can be found that govern everything from what color clothing to wear at Board meetings to what kinds of presents to give at deathnight celebrations.