Vampire Authority
[[:Category:{{{Images}}}|Images]]
- "Are you serious? Who are the Authority? What gave them the authority? Nothing. No one. They took it, as I am taking it today. I no longer recognize the.. Authority."
- ―Russell Edgington[src]
The Vampire Authority, or simply the Authority, was a semi-religious, clandestine council on the HBO original series True Blood. Originally composed of eight of the most politically powerful vampires in the known world, the Authority has since lost all original members to the True Death and is now technically defunct.
True to its namesake, this council was the ultimate authority over all vampires across the globe, overseeing matters of both religious and political purview in relation to the vampire population. It was worshiped by many and feared by even more. The Authority acted as the main antagonists of the fifth season, led by Salome and manipulated by Lilith.
History[]
- "I swear fealty now, and always to the one true Vampire Authority, whose wisdom and justice I..."
- ―Jorge Alonso de San Diego[src]
Nan interviewing Eric at Fangtasia.
The Authority was originally created to protect the blood of Lilith, the original vampire. Lilith was estimated to be over eight thousand years old and created by God Himself, allegedly in His own image - a vampire. The Vampire Bible says that after she met the Sun, her progeny collected her remains the following night. Later transferred to a flask containing only her blood, the Authority was said to have guarded it ever since. It is from this lineage and the blood of Lilith that the Authority derives its power and religious stature.
The Authority itself was said to be thousands of years old. The halls of its latest sanctum were supposed to date back to the Byzantine era. However, Eric Northman spoke of the Authority's existence of only five hundred years as a commonly known fact, casting doubt on its antiquity.
Salome and Roman.
It was led by Guardian (of the Blood) Roman Zimojic for over four hundred years, working in secret to acquire absolute power over the vampire population. Using state-of-the-art technology and a secret police composed of mercenaries and assassins (both human and vampire), the Authority controls every aspect of institutionalized vampire society, from the monarchs to the agenda of the American Vampire League, by setting law, administering punishment, and settling disputes.
Defying the Authority was considered treason, even blasphemy.
The Authority sanctions all vampire monarchs known to hold crowns and will forcibly remove, by way of the True Death, any king or queen who loses its favor. Some degree of the Authority's oversight of the monarchs was exercised by the Magister, the highest adjudicating official in the New World. The Magister was sworn to serve the Authority. It was known that many vampires fear it, though Russell Edgington mocked the idea.
Composition[]
Roman overseeing a meeting.
The Authority consisted of a chief of state and the Guardian, who was assisted and advised by six Chancellors. Nominally, each Chancellor was assigned to oversee a specific continent, but in practice, the Chancellors shared their duties when necessary.
Nothing is known about how Guardians or Chancellors were selected, though Chancellor Agrippa mentions that she sponsored Nora's appointment, suggesting that incoming Chancellors require the recommendation of a sitting one to be considered.
Agenda[]
Due to the Authority's secret nature, not much was known about its official policies. Since at least the 20th Century, mainstreaming was the focal point of the body's agenda. It was the brainchild of and masterminded by the Authority under the leadership of the late Roman Zimojic. The idea of mainstreaming was also part of an agreement between the Authority and the United States government. The Authority, at the height of the Authority's support for mainstreaming, feeding in public was punishable by the True Death. However, several of its members were never true supporters of the policy and continued to feed and kill in private.
Following the coups which culminated in the True Deaths of Guardian Roman and Chancellor Braun, Sanguinistism was supported by the Authority for a time.
All of the Authority Chancellors have now either met the True Death or resigned, as have many of the Authority's employees and guards. It is likely that the U.S. Military launched an assault, or at least an investigation, on what was left of the Authority due to the death of General Cavanaugh.
Shortly after the downfall of the Authority, its headquarters was destroyed; removing all traces of its origins.
Opposition[]
Under its mainstreaming agenda, Sanguinistas were opposed to the Authority. However, the Authority then became Sanguinista controlled. Thus mainstreamers then became the ones opposed to the Authority.
Russell Edgington was also opposed to the Authority for a time due to their being an obstacle for his ambitions and later for the threat he posed to mainstreaming. After he was freed by Salome Agrippa and played his part in her coup, he joined the Authority for a short time, but eventually dissented from them, finding the Sanguinistas just as irritating as the mainstreamers.
The United States Government made it quite clear that a Sanguinista-controlled Authority would not be acceptable, as per their original agreement with Roman, suggesting that the U.S. Government was officially allied with Roman's mainstreaming.
Membership[]
|
Roman's Guardianship[]
The Guardian[]
- Roman Zimojic (Destroyed: Staked by Russell Edgington)
Chancellors[]
- Nan Flanagan (Destroyed: Staked by Bill Compton)
- Alexander Drew (Revealed to be Sanguinista; Destroyed: Staked by Roman Zimojic)
- Dieter Braun (Destroyed: Decapitated by Russell Edgington)
- Kibwe Akinjide (Revealed to be Sanguinista)
- Nora Gainesborough (Revealed to be Sanguinista)
- Salome Agrippa (Revealed to be Sanguinista)
- Rosalyn Harris (Converted to Sanguinista)
Sanguinista's Guardianship[]
The Guardian[]
- Salome Agrippa (Destroyed: Staked by Bill Compton)
Chancellors[]
- Kibwe Akinjide (Destroyed: Decapitated by Bill Compton)
- Russell Edgington (Resigned; Destroyed: Staked by Eric Northman)
- Rosalyn Harris (Destroyed: Exploded/Decapitated by Sam Merlotte)
- Eric Northman (Resigned)
- Nora Gainesborough (Resigned; Destroyed: Succumbed to Hepatitis V)
- Steve Newlin (Resigned; Destroyed: Met the sun by Eric Northman)
- Bill Compton (Resigned; Destroyed: Staked by Sookie Stackhouse)
After Coup d'Etat[]
Ex-Chancellors[]
- Eric Northman
- Nora Gainesborough (Destroyed: Succumbed to Hepatitis V)
- Bill Compton (Destroyed: Staked by Sookie Stackhouse)
- Steve Newlin (Destroyed: Met the sun by Eric Northman)
Minions[]
- Molly (Technology Expert; Destroyed: staked via iStake by Bill Compton)
- Chelsea (Receptionist; Destroyed: Shot by Jason Stackhouse)
- Hayes (Executioner/Assassin; Destroyed: Staked by Nora Gainsborough)
- Jorge Alonso de San Diego (The Magister of North America, i.e. The Highest Adjudicator and Legal Inquisitor; Destroyed: Decapitated by Russell Edgington)
- Louis Pasteur (Researcher; Status unknown)
- Gondry (V-Fed; Destroyed: Shot by Jason Stackhouse)
- Lambert (V-Fed; Destroyed: Shot by Jason Stackhouse)
- The Gatekeeper (Status Unknown)
- V-Feds/Soldiers of the Vampire Authority (Destroyed: Shot by Jason Stackhouse, Eric Northman, Nora Gainsborough and Tara Thornton)
- Authority Guard Captain (Destroyed: Staked by Eric Northman or Nora Gainesborough)
- Authority Gate Guard (Status unknown)
- Authority Guard 1 (Destroyed: Decapitated by Bill Compton)
- AHQ Guard 1 (Destroyed: Staked by Eric Northman or Nora Gainesborough)
- AHQ Guard 2 (Destroyed: Staked by Eric Northman or Nora Gainesborough)
- AHQ Escort 1 (Destroyed: Staked by Eric Northman)
- AHQ Escort 2 (Destroyed: Staked by Eric Northman)
Victims[]
Roman's Guardianship[]
- Mary Stuart (Vampire Queen of England; Destroyed for being Sanguinista)
- Remus (Destroyed for being Sanguinista)
- Sophie-Anne Leclerq (Vampire Queen of Louisiana; destroyed for political reasons by V-Feds under the command of Bill Compton)
- YouTube Vampire (Destroyed for feeding on humans by Bucky from the command of Bill Compton)
- Blackburn (Vampire Sheriff of LA: Area 4; destroyed by Nan Flanagan while he was under Antonia Gavilán de Logroño's curse)
- Cat Ingerslev and her clan (Destroyed for being Sanguinistas by V-Feds)
- Alexander Drew (Chancellor of Vampire Authority; Destroyed for being Sanguinista by Roman Zimojic)
Sanguinista's Guardianship[]
- Dieter Braun (Chancellor of Vampire Authority; Destroyed for being in opposition to Sanguinista by Russell Edgington)
- Molly - (Destroyed for being in opposition to Sanguinista by Bill Compton)
Behind the Scenes[]
Authority first scene in Season 3.
The Authority is mentioned in the Season 3 episode Everything Is Broken, as well as "Post-Mortem: Sunday Morning with McCafferty" and other after-hours specials on HBO. The Authority was actually shown in Everything Is Broken when Nan Flanagan questions Eric at Fangtasia about the Magister's death. ("Everything Is Broken")
- They are ostensibly inspired by the Camarilla from Vampire: The Masquerade.