Carthian Movement
The Carthians are the youngest of the major covenants and the most overtly political in a mortal sense. Where other covenants draw from theology, tradition, or ancient mysticism, the Carthians draw from the political thought of the modern world: democracy, socialism, republicanism, and the many experiments humans have run with self-governance. They believe vampire society can be better, and they intend to make it so.
Reform Above All
The Carthian critique of Kindred society is simple: the structures that govern it — Prince, Primogen, feudal fealty — exist to concentrate power in old hands and keep the young compliant. The Invictus in particular are the natural antagonist of any meaningful reform, though the Carthians reserve criticism for any structure that treats age and accumulated power as the only legitimate basis for authority.
What the Carthians want in its place varies by member. Some are committed democrats who want a genuine vote. Some are more radical. The covenant is intentionally broad on specifics, united more by the belief that the current system is wrong than by a shared vision of what should replace it. This breadth is both a strength and a persistent source of internal friction.
Carthian Law
The Carthians have developed a form of collective supernatural binding called Carthian Law: oaths sworn not to a lord but to a principle or a community. Where Invictus oaths bind vertically — lord to vassal — Carthian Law binds horizontally, creating protective and binding effects across a group of peers. Though young compared to Theban Sorcery or Cruac, many domains have quickly adopted it as a practical tool for ensuring order and stability among peers who would not bow to a lord.
History
The Carthian Movement emerged in earnest during the Enlightenment and the age of political revolution, when mortal society was reconsidering the basis of authority from first principles. Kindred who encountered these ideas found in them a mirror of their own resentments. The covenant has been in a state of productive internal argument ever since. They have no ancient lineage to appeal to and do not particularly want one — their legitimacy, they argue, comes not from age but from being right.