Tremere Pyramid

Tremere Pyramid
The Pyramid of House and Bloodline Tremere encompasses all Camarilla Tremere in a strict hierarchy from Tremere himself down to the newest Neonate. Each tier of the Pyramid is divided in to Seven Circles of Mystery, each of which represents a higher rank within each tier. Thus, a Regent of the Fifth Circle of Mystery ranks above a Regent of the Second Circle, but below a Regent of the Seventh Circle. All are Regents by title, but their Circle represents their place in the pecking order. This may change according to accomplishments or failures, or simply the fickleness of politics within the Pyramid. High rank is generally a good indicator of great magical prowess, as high rank is never achieved without Thaumaturical acumen, but the inverse is not always true. An Apprentice might well outstrip her Regent in Thaumaturgical power, but if she is hopeless at politics or otherwise unsuited to a leadership role, she will never rise above Apprentice, unless she takes steps to change that fact (or if it becomes politically convenient for her Lord to promote her for reasons of his own.)

Organization
Ranks are the main tiers within the Pyramid. Apprentice, Regent, Lord, Pontifex, Councillor, and Tremere. The Circles are basically indicators of seniority, responsibility, and the favor of a Tremere's superiors with a given rank. An older Tremere might be lower in Circle than a younger one of the same rank if the younger has gained more favor with their direct superior, or if the older Tremere has failed in some way, or been passed over for some other reason. Ranking in the clan is based on the needs of the Pyramid, accomplishment and politicking rather than age. There are many cases where younger Tremere outrank older ones. This willingness to recognize merit internally regardless of age or Camarilla station grants Clan Tremere a degree of flexibility and perspective that many other clans lack.

Ranks

 * Tremere Himself, Primus of House and Clan Tremere. The original Tremere slipped into Torpor sometime before the 17th century. To maintain the unified unwavering face of the Tremere, the name Tremere was turned into a title. This title is passed off to a designated Councilor when the current Tremere slips into Torpor or is otherwise unable to rule.
 * Councilor - Tremere's Council of Seven, his most trusted lieutenants, are in night-to-night command of the Pyramid, serving Tremere's will in their assigned portion of the world, and meeting periodically to ensure the unity and strength of the clan as a whole. Each Councilor is served by Seven Pontifices.
 * Pontifex - Each Pontifex is responsible for the direction of Tremere in vast regions or even small nations.
 * Lord - Ideally, there are seven Lords serving each Pontifex, though there are not always enough Tremere to fill these ranks. Lords direct up to seven Regents, and are responsible for Tremere activities in multiple cities.
 * Regent - Regents are in charge of Tremere of an individual city and lead a Chantry, a central location where Tremere magi live and study their bloody magical arts. A particularly high-ranking Regent might supervise one or two lower-ranked Regents (Regent Secundus) in very large cities or ones with a large Tremere presence, where warranted, though this is less a master-student relationship than it is a matter of first among equals. The Regent is the highest ranking Magus most Tremere encounter on a night-to-night basis. The Regent sets the direction of the local Tremere according to orders from their Lord. The Regent is responsible for the Chantry, education of the Apprentices under their sway in matters both mundane and magical, judgment of disputes among Apprentices, and can sit on Tribunals at formal trials for those of equal or lesser station. In short, they are in charge of the local Tremere, regardless of who they choose to sit in the Primogen seat at court. As long as they act within the bounds of the Oath of Tremere and the orders of their own superiors, their word is law for the Apprentices who report to them.
 * Apprentice - An Apprentice is a Tremere Magus who has not risen to a position of authority over other Tremere. This does not mean that they are weak or lesser in personal power than their superiors in the Pyramid, merely that the Pyramid has chosen to place them where they are for a reason. Sometimes that reason is youth and inexperience, but sometimes it is where that Magus can best serve in the capacity in which they are most skilled. A Magus who is excellent with cataloging supplies, dealing with mortals, or with acquisition of rare magical components, but whose skills do not lie in leadership or politics is a valued member of House and Clan, but does not need to be a Regent or Lord.
 * Ghouls, Servants, Acolytes, and others - These are the servants of House and Clan Tremere. Some aspire to one day be Embraced, others are pawns, servants, or even slaves, in certain places. Gargoyles were once accounted part of this group.

Circles
Apprentice of... Regent of...
 * The First Circle of Mystery (A1) You're the baby. Learn to feed, learn the Traditions, learn your clan disciplines and what it means to be a Vampire of Clan Tremere. This is a good rank for In-Game embrace concepts, or very new players. Likely still under the Accounting in Camarilla circles.
 * The Second Circle of Mystery (A2) You've mastered the basics, but still bear watching to make sure you don't do anything problematic. You won't be taught any secrets here, since you've not yet gained the full confidence of your Regent. If you're a first time Tremere player who is fairly new to the game, this is a good place to start.
 * The Third Circle of Mystery (A3) Trusted member of the Chantry. At this point, you're considered generally competent and can function largely on your own recognizance, but deeper matters will still be out of your reach. Most players start about here if they are familiar with Tremere.
 * The Fourth Circle of Mystery (A4) Accomplished and trusted to get things done and pursue their own projects. This is where politics heat up and currying favor with the Regent becomes key to future advancement.
 * The Fifth Circle of Mystery (A5) You've proven your competence, loyalty, and effectiveness. Here you get some responsibility for training the A1 and A2s and may begin recruiting the A3s and A4s to aid in your projects, as long as they don't interfere with existing orders or goals of the Regent
 * The Sixth Circle of Mystery (A6) At A6 you are likely to be delegated the busywork of running the Chantry, or of maintaining a satellite or special project chantry. Grooming for promotion to Regent often begins here.
 * The Seventh Circle of Mystery (A7) At A7, your Regent is pretty much comfortable recommending you to his Lord for promotion to Regent yourself. You are your Regent's right hand and anything you tell your juniors is assumed to be from the Regent himself, or at least approved by the Regent. Alternately, your Lord might have hand-picked you for this rank as a warning to your Regent. In this case, expect all hands to be turned against you, and the Regent to seek reasons to take you down...or out.
 * The First Circle of Mystery (R1) You are newly promoted to Regent. Most Tremere never get close to this level. Most R1s are Regents of a small city's chantry or serve as Secundus under a higher ranking Regent
 * The Second Circle of Mystery (R2) You have proven yourself useful to your Lord, and you have developed skilled Apprentices. Or you've failed badly and been demoted from higher rank.
 * The Third Circle of Mystery (R3) Here the waters get murky as the middle Regent ranks are often more a sign of favor and political acumen than Thaumaturgical study. What makes for an impressive Apprentice is expected at this level, and being competent and politically savvy is no longer worth notice.
 * The Fourth Circle of Mystery (R4) At R4, most Regents tend to stall in their advancement. They have respectable positions, and some see no need to climb higher, finding the effort of advancement negatively impacts their Thaumaturgical studies. For those who seek to climb higher, the competition is fierce and ruthless.
 * The Fifth Circle of Mystery (R5) An R5 has gained favor with his Lord and has been praised in public for it on several occasions. He is either being fast tracked, or set up to fall spectacularly.
 * The Sixth Circle of Mystery (R6) At R6, a Lord is either grooming an ally for promotion to Lord, or letting a Regent whose acumen is a little threatening have enough rope to hang himself. Only your Lord knows for sure.
 * The Seventh Circle of Mystery (R7) At R7 you are essentially the voice of your Lord among your peers, and your station brings a bit of clout to your chantry and Apprentices. You have either been craftier and more insidious than your Lord and been raised by his Pontifex as a message, or you have gained your Lord's respect as a strong ally.

Culture
Externally the Pyramid is a homogenized unwavering organization where each and every Tremere knows their place within the pecking order. Internally however the Pyramid is rife with internal politicking. It's overt secrete nature is belied by its petty internal squabbling, backstabbing, and favor currying. If all the worst parts of the Camarilla were distilled down to their base components, the Pyramid would be it. However this does not mean there aren't chances to rise. Promotion within the Circles is handled by the direct superior in rank. Meaning a Regent can promote an Apprentice within the the Seven Circles of Apprenticeship but not to that of Regent; Regent requires a Lord or higher to make the call for promotion.

Life within the Pyramid is a constant uphill battle. There is always pressure to rise and outdo your peers in all fields, whether scientific, medicinal, physical, or otherwise. Despite their constant vying for promotion or the eye of their superiors,  Tremere treat one another with respect - especially those of accomplished fields. Superiors treat their subordinates well and reward accomplishment. Punishment for failure is about as varied as any other Covenant, but generally does not go as far as Final Death. The common motto to life by within the Pyramid is "Show respect, trust no one". This applies to every station within the Tremere.

Status
Those without status dots but otherwise either of Tremere Bloodline or Tremere Covenant start at the rank of Apprentice.

• (Apprentice - A2) Upon gaining the first dot of Tremere Status, the vampire gains an automatic two-dot Mentor. The Tremere teach and guide their Apprentices, watchful of any promising members.

•• (Apprentice  - A3) The character is given access to Chantry libraries; gain one free Area of Expertise.

••• (Apprentice  - A4) The Tremere is given the authority to develop new Paths. Go here for more information.

•••• (Apprentice  - A5) The character may call upon either Allies, Contacts, Staff, or Resources at 1 - Covenant Status once per story. Additionally, the two-dot Mentor from the first dot is lost and converted into a two-dot Retainer.

••••• (Apprentice - A6) The creation of new Paths takes one less week per roll, as long as it is done within a Chantry. Additionally, the Tremere gains a free three-dot Haven where they are allowed to operate a small-scale Chantry.

Circle Researcher (• to •••••)
When researching or developing a new Path, add dots equal to Circle Researcher as a dice bonus.