Just as an Elder manipulates a Neonate, so do all Kindred manipulate their ghouls. Pawns, knights, bishops, they're all just pawns in the Jyhad. That does not mean that ghouls entirely lack influence over us, however.
The nature of ghouls is to be with us as long as we care to have them. So long as the Regnant values the ghoul's presence, the ghoul will continue to receive the blood, and through that value, the ghoul has his influence.
Annalyn, never give a ghoul influence over you because of the care that he gives you. More importantly, never mistake that care for "love". That emotion is lost to us, and only simulated by the Bond between you and your ghoul. Ignore those feelings in your estimations of the worth of your ghoul. I have seen Kindred destroyed by mistakes in this matter. I value Hassan for what he does for me, not for what he thinks of me.
The Bond does have its uses, however - you and your ghoul may have disagreements, but there is little chance that the arguments would cause even temporary damange to the relationship between you and your ghoul. Knowing that you can say or do almost anything gives you a great freedom to act as you will, while the ghoul acts upon your will.
The successful ghoul knows his place, that he exists to serve. These ghouls subsume whatever desires they have of their own to those of their masters. In this way, they can always be of value to their masters. Some few ghouls succeed in this process (and are allowed to succeed) to such a degree that they act in their masters' names in almost every way. These rare creatures are known as "Atlas" ghouls.
This practice is not without its dangers, however, and is one of the reasons why most ghouls never progress beyond journeyman status and a moderate age. The ghoul loses his independence over time and with that will lose some of the capabilities that led the Regnant to Bond the ghoul in the first place, that loss naturally leading to the ghoul's eventual dismissal and death.
And if the ghoul's master happens to suffer the Final Death, the ghoul who has followed this path will often not be able to perform the actions necessary to find a new master. I know of only a few ghouls who have made this switch successfully.
If a ghoul does not follow the submissive path, however, she is very likely to die at the hands of her master. A master will not tolerate a rebellious ghoul, or even a ghoul whose actions hint at rebellion. Your bishops are closer to you than any other being - they know your Havens, arrange transportation for you during the day, help arrange your affairs - would you tolerate someone who meant you ill to be that close to you? Better to kill them now and suffer a temporary loss of a ghoul than to wake up some day with a stake in your chest!
That is thankfully a very rare situation, for what Kindred would tolerate having a ghoul who had betrayed a previous master? Almost inevitably, the successfully rebellious ghoul is destroyed in the end.
But enough talk of the darker aspects of the relationship. I have written earlier about the number of tasks ghouls can perform for us, how they can provide us with a trusted ear that will never have a mouth to reveal our secrets. We all need a confessor at one time or another, dearest.
Ghouls can also shield us from others of our kind. It is quite common for a Prince or Elder to require any supplicants to present themselves before a trusted bishop prior to actually meeting with the Kindred. If one wishes not to meet with the supplicant, it is much easier to have the ghoul make the excuses.
In older days, and even in these modern times, among the older Kindred a ghoul will present a card of introduction to another ghoul before their Regnants ever meet. Even when the two Kindred are the bitterest enemies, the ghouls will be received courteously. This practice has faded, sadly.
Outside of these introductory interactions, however, the vast majority of a ghoul's interactions with Kindred will be with his Regnant. You should be concerned if your ghouls start spending more than the minimum amount of time with another Kindred, for that Kindred may be trying to turn your ghouls against you, even if you have fully Bound them.
I did nearly forget one possibility, and that is of the Coterie. It has been so long since I was close with any other Kindred that it had left my mind. As a Coterie shares its own interests and desires, so it may share ghouls as well. I don't know that any of these arrangements have been truly successful, however, since inevitably the ghoul becomes a bone of contention among the Coterie's members, a trophy to be taken for the one and not for the group.
Only a bit more, and we are done this letter, my Childe.
Back to the Ghoul Page
Back to Of the Use of Ghouls by Our Kind
On to the next section, To Bond or Not to Bond.