Additional Information
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History
Newborns
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Volturi
The Volturi are a group of extremely powerful, arrogant Italian vampires lead by three of the oldest vampires on Earth: Aro, Marcus, and Caius. Many centuries ago, the Volturi seized the opportunity to implement a set of rules over the vampire community at large, and by collecting an army (called the Volturi guard) of highly talented vampires, they have been able to remain in power since then. In a sense, the Volturi are considered royalty, even though they hold no official charters or rights to be such.
Before the three Volturi leaders gained power, the Romanian Coven, Stefan and Vladimir, had considerable amount of power over the vampires. The Volturi were able to seize control, and ever since, the Romanians have been seizing every opportunity possible to weaken the Volturi, although they are not known to come out in direct defiance against the other coven.
Law Enforcement
The Volturi's rule over the world's vampire community is rarely contested, mostly because their actions usually do benefit the vampire community at large. Although it may well be that the head Volturi members have a private agenda, for the most part, the coven acts extremely strategically, and only acts on another vampire's actions when those actions break the rules. The most important rule is secrecy: that a vampire never acts in such a way that would make it possible for the human population to know about the existence of vampires. For example, if a vampire is killing too often and too messily, the Volturi will interfere. They might also interfere if there is a war going on between vampires that's causing noticeable casualties for humans, or if they find out of a human (besides their own) that knows about the existence of vampires. In such cases, the offender is usually killed - there are no trials. Surely, the only thing that might save one for punishment from the Volturi is offering the coven something in return.
Hierarchy
Aro, Marcus, and Caius along with Sulpicia, Aro's mate, and Athenodora, Caius's mate, share the "royalty" status. Among the five, Aro makes most of the final decisions. The wives rarely travel outside of their home, Volterra, and do not make many decisions by themselves concerning law and power.
The Volturi Guard are a large group of vampires from all around the world that act on behalf of the Volturi's orders. Most of them offer a special talent or skill to the Volturi, and many were actively sought out. They all live in Volterra alongside the others, but travel often when directed by the head Volturi members. Some guard members are not as dedicated as others are to the cause because the Volturi have been known to trick people into allegiance with their coven by using the various gifts the other members of the guard have.
