Sometimes a vampire sire wishes to keep his children close to him, perhaps to groom them as loyal agents, but sometimes out of a warped sense of kinship, protectiveness, or exceptionalism. Other times a less malign, but still goal-oriented, benefactor raises others in a certain mold to meet a high standard.

Characters of the sponsored heritage have been cultivated and shaped by a controlling patron. They are well educated, although their inexperience with the greater world often leaves them with odd gaps in their knowledge. Sponsored characters have been taught not merely to appreciate the finer things in life, but to demand them. In a household, sponsored members hold places of prominence. Characters of this heritage know they are the true scions of their patrons, and they expect to be treated as such.

In households that boast many sponsored members, a hierarchy quickly emerges with the most ruthless member at the top. Weak members are bullied and scorned, but never cast out, which would put them beyond the patron’s control. Sometimes, however, a misfit escapes. They invariably decide on one of two directions: either they seek to become powerful enough to rejoin their former household at the top of the hierarchy, or they seek allies to topple the structure completely and remove the patron that created it.

Members of a sponsored heritage are often haughty and decisive. Even those who have been exiled from their patron’s home have a high opinion of themselves and expect those they consort with will show them their due deference. They rarely have close friends; a friend is merely an enemy who hasn’t shown their true face yet.