Hear, childe, and remember,
Dark is the world in which we live.  Dark is the way in which we live.  
Often we are apart, and come together only to rend at the neck of our 
rivals.  In our domain there is a time and a place, however, where we may 
gather as a group.  Where we have brought civilization to the kine, we 
have brought forth a tradition among our own Kindred.  The Elysium.

Wherever you may travel, remember always to approach the Prince of that 
City, and announce yourself to him.  Ask others of your kin where the 
Elysiums are of that City, and seek to find the Prince there.  It is in 
these places, be they sublime museums, grand opera houses, or mortal 
buildings of power, that you may find the Prince.  Then you may fulfill 
your obligation to the Fifth Tradition.

When you come to the Elysium, purge from your mind thoughts of violence.  
If you come to blows with another within an Elysium, you are at the mercy 
of the Prince.  If you are repentant, and others speak for your good 
honor, he may let you depart after taking a draught of his blood.  If you 
are unrepentant and hostile, and are ill-disposed towards the Elders of 
that place, you will likely die the Final Death that night.

Likewise, you should divest yourself of any weapons that you carry upon 
the threshold of the Elysium.  Or better yet, not bring them at all that 
night.  Nothing will draw the ire of the Prince like the unsubtle violence 
inherent in weapons.  I see your curious glance, thinking of the multitude 
of variations of weaponry of the body and the mind.  What then constitutes 
a weapon?  Quite simply, my childe, whatever the Prince says is a weapon.

Bring no mortal attention to the site of the Elysium.  Sometimes an 
Elysium will be coincident with a mortal gathering place, perhaps 
occurring during a performance of the Prince's favored opera.  Here the 
Masquerade is of the utmost importance.  If mortals are present, let 
caution be your guide as you discuss our business.  Oft there will be an 
Elysium that is intended only for the eyes of the Kindred and their 
servants.  In this place you may enjoy bacchanals that only we might 
enjoy, the Masquerade suspended in these halls of free flowing vitae.

Destroy nothing of the Elysium that is not yours to take.  For many of 
your Elders may think much more highly of a prized piece of art or a 
favored ghoul than your own existence.  Remember to command your own 
servants to follow strictly the customs of the Elysium.  Many a Prince 
will hold that the Fourth Tradition will hold you responsible for your 
ghouls as well as fledgling childer.  If they displease the Prince, he may 
well end their existence and still summon you to accounting for their rash 
actions.

The Elysium is a time when you might bargain with your rivals without fear 
of violence.  It also is mayhaps the only time that you might freely move 
among your own kind, displaying your gifts and tastes that must be hidden 
from mortal eyes.  Use these places well, and you will find allies to 
court, information to gain, and a place that your own words might be 
heard.  Here the Prince is likely to be most at ease, most likely to be 
well-disposed towards your requests for domain, hunting-privileges, and 
address of your complaints.

Hear, childe, and remember,

				Marcelle Florentine