The upper class of vampires is the smallest social class a vampire can be in. The only way to reach this elite status is to not only be in a brood but be in the highest ranks of that brood. It is the highest level of power a vampire can achieve and is the ultimate gratification of their predatory ego.
Broods an be a large and complicated organization. Every member is a powerful and dangerous vampire that needs a steady supply of blood and adequate protection for them to feel that being part of a brood is in their best interest. It’s important to maintain this sated state to prevent vampires from going rogue, sowing insurrection, and causing problems. It’s also important for a vampire to ruled by individuals so powerful and so terrifying not even the boldest of vampires would dare challenge their authority.
But even then there are still going to be rebellions, displays of control from the upper class is going to be necessary, and someone needs to oversee and manage things.
Generals are the top managers of the brood. There are Generals tasked with overseeing the operations of the Workers, directing Hunters in battle, weeding out traitors, and acting as the eyes and ears of the ruler.
These individuals serve to keep the brood in line and staying productive. Smart Generals will use both the carrot and the stick to keep the middle class in line. It’s very common for Generals to surround themselves with underlings they can trust to carry out their orders, warn them of threats, and serve as bodyguards.
The coveted position of any General is acting as the Lord/Matriarch’s right hand man. They can act on their behalf when they’re away, serve as their representatives, and other important tasks. Serving in this position also grants a host of luxurious benefits to incentivize the General to remain loyal and on task.
Typically, the Generals tasked with combat and defense are older and have experience in such matters, though exceptions exist if the General served in the military, private defense, or similar positions. Logistical Generals tend to be younger as they are often more in tune with the requirements and functions of modern life.
Without a team of trusted Generals a Lord/Matriarch cannot control or maintain a brood for very long.
The Lord/Matriarch is the ultimate ruler of the brood. In the majority of cases broods are founded and lead by male vampires known as Lords. The reason is that males as a generality are capable of greater strength and durability than females and as such are perceived to be more capable leaders of a predatory brood by the vampires under them.
That being said there have been female leaders known as Matriarchs that rule over broods. In many cases Matriarchs obtained their power by overthrowing the former Lord and taking his place, but there have been instances where a Matriarch formed a brood of her own, though this is less common.
In the modern age it’s becoming more and more common to see all-female broods forming or Matriarchs weeding out male vampires and replacing them with female. This might be a result of political and ideological beliefs carried over from their human days that motivate them to do this. It could also be that ruling over male subjects is often more challenging for a Matriarch as they males are more confident challenging her in one-on-one combat. It could also be that older male vampires have political and ideological beliefs that have carried over from older time periods that make them less inclined to bow to a woman, though exceptions do exist as long as the blood and luxury is in sufficient supply.
What’s really interesting is that Matriarch-led broods tend to be more effective in the modern age. Lords are notorious warmongers, preferring to fight in the open and achieve goals by force. Matriarchs tend to be more subtle, preferring to fight in the shadows and using manipulation to achieve their goals.
A way to look at this is to think that if a Lord is being threatened by a human faction he’ll dispatch troops or launch a raid against the threat. If a Matriarch is threatened she’ll dispatch assassins or lure her opponents to a trap. The former tends to draw more attention, the latter will draw less. That being said a Lord is more likely to have a larger standing army and can overwhelm a Matriarch’s brood in a straight-forward engagement.
Both have their advantages and disadvantages to rulership. The distinction between leadership and military tactics of Lords and Matriarchs is seen across the species and rarely has exceptions which suggests that vampirism has some effect on their behavior, though what that may be is unknown.
There are only a handful of Lords/Matriarchs in the world as many broods have been culled by humans over the years and those that exist are either newer or have managed to remain in the shadows through very clever and crafty means. These older broods are often considered more dangerous, though newer broods can be surprisingly ambitious.
If you want to see some examples of the upper class of vampires then follow my book series Emerging In Darkness. As the main character embraces her newfound reality as a vampire she’ll come to interact with local broods and their leaders.
If you want to check it out you can buy the first book in the series Emerging In Darkness: Prologue at many major online retailers. If you’re looking for direct links here’s some that will take you to my favorite platforms:
Thanks for all of your support both on the blog and as I continue to add entries to what’s proving to be a fun series to write.