Boons

Prestation, the true currency of the undead. For in a world of treachery and deceit when all is smoke and mirrors, how can these immortals exist comfortably, knowing that another might betray their word at any moment? 

The answer is boons. By social convention these boons are what keep vampires honest. Their value, and the importance of honouring or breaking them, is held to account by the consensus and oversight of one’s peers and betters. Elders know that should the sanctity of the boon fail, chaos and lawlessness will lead to dark days of war and conflict the likes of which kindred society has not seen in many, many years. And so prestation remains the cornerstone of vampiric society.

A boon is an agreement between two kindred, normally agreed consensually. Sometimes it is possible that the boon may be entered unwillingly. The individual owing the debt is known as the debtor.

Subtopics:

• Types of Boon

• Boon Breaking

• Boons and Death

The Boon Keepers

We have chosen to avoid requiring someone sit and play out the role of the Boon Keeper out each session, in favour of using boon slips to record the relevant details, which are then dropped into a box representing the NPC. These slips are an OC representation of an IC conversation, so characters do not need to be literate to register a boon.

Anyone who wishes to interact with the NPC will need to do so through an ST.

Recording of Non-Trivial Boons

Boons are recorded by the Boon Keepers and are considered private information, but that is not to say that a character cannot learn what boons may exist if they are clever or socially adept. However this means that there is no publicly available log of the boons which exist, so while your character will know about their own boons (these will be denoted on the character sheet), if they wish to purchase or trade boons then they will need to find a way to learn about these from the Boon Keepers or others in the room. 

The Boon Keepers are likely to be formidable kindred in their own right, but they are also prone to respecting the status of other kindred, and so those with a higher standing in the court may find it easier to learn more about what debts are owed between others in the domain.

Registering a Non-Trivial Boon

Establishing a debt of prestation is simple enough. The two individuals involved agree on the nature of that debt; perhaps the offer of assistance, a favour, or the loan of a person or item. Once agreed, the expectation is that this debt will then be repaid at some point in the future when requested, and the nature or timing of that repayment may or may not be up for discussion often depending on the size of the debt. It may be possible to delay repayment of a minor boon briefly, or negotiate what is being asked, but a life boon is another matter entirely.

For registering Boons agreed in session, it is necessary for the two parties to complete a boon slip and drop this into the boon box. Boons agreed during downtime should be clearly noted in the action that they have been agreed for, and by the person offering the boon in their general section.

Trading Non-Trivial Boons

It is entirely possible for characters to trade boons, giving away a boon over a debtor they do not care about to instead gain power over a rival or someone of use. In order to trade a boon, they will need to make an agreement with whomever owns that debt and then complete a boon slip which should also be dropped into the Boon Box in order to formalise the trade. Once the trade slip enters the Boon Box, it is done. 

Repaying a Non-Trivial Boon

Similarly, if a boon is repaid, then this repayment will need to be recognised formally by the Boon Keeper in session through the use of a slip. This confirms the repayment of the debt and dissolves it. It is possible that a boon is both agreed and repaid in the session, if this is the case then we still require both slips to know that the boon was exchanged - unless the players are unlikely to have involved the Boon Keeper in which case they can avoid having to formally register or repay the debt.

That being said, it is possible for characters to agree a boon between themselves but choose NOT to register it in the books of the boon keeper, relying solely on themselves to remember the boon exists, the details of the boon and for the debtor to hold to their word when it comes to repaying the debt. However the owner of the debt will in this instance have no recourse to claim that their debtor is a boon breaker, which is why most kindred will normally lean towards registering the boon with the Boon Keepers.