| abstract | - The whip is the direct servant to a member of the primogen. The whip acts as the primogen's messenger and liaison to members of their clan, with the dual purpose of gathering support for the primogen's agenda as well as gauging the prevailing mood and needs of their clanmates within the city. The whip is an unofficial position, and is rarely found beyond the cities of modern democracies (notably the United States and United Kingdom). Nevertheless, the whip holds no small amount of prestige, especially since the office is often seen as a stepping stone towards gaining an office in the primogen itself, as the whip can use their office to prove their competence and trustworthiness to their clanmates. Additionally, in some cities, the whip is considered the primogen's second, and can sit in on meetings of the primogen council when their patron is unable or unwilling to attend. In some cases, this relationship may go so far as to effectively guarantee the whip their patron's position in the primogen, should the patron prove unable to meet their duties. Not all primogen will employ the services of a whip, especially if the city's Kindred population is relatively small, or if the primogen in question is exceptionally paranoid or reclusive even by the standards of elders. A whip may also serve as their patron's scribe, taking notes not only for the meetings of the primogen but also for whatever other pertinent meetings the whip and the primogen attend to. In some cities, the scribe (or "stenographer") is an office separate from the whip, and directly serves the primogen council as a whole. Other offices under the primogen include the myrmidon (a bodyguard and legbreaker, not unlike the sheriff) and the steward (who maintains the meeting-places of the primogen, splitting the difference between the offices of the seneschal and the Keeper of Elysium).
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