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[durden]

Cause it makes sense you would at least stop here on your way to The Town and The Abbey. The Venice represents the height of Western commerce in this age. With over 120,000 inhabitants, it is also the most populous city. The Republic of Venice covers a neatly carved out section of what was once the Holy Roman Empire. Cappadocians are powerful here, though the Giovanni family is quickly moving in the ranks, becoming a true power in both human and Cainite politics.

Venice is an amalgamation of 117 small islands joined by 378 bridges, mostly of stone. Some of these islands are natural, while others are artificial, constructed by means of piles driven into the bottom of the shallow sea. All the houses of the city are built thus upon a network of piles. The islands are separated by a number of canals, three of which are larger than others. There are the Grand Canal, which traverses the city in the shape of the letter S, the Giudecca and the san Marco, which is the widest. Gondolas provide transport along the canals.
The lagoon of Venice is divided into the “dead” and the “living.” The former (Laguna Morta) is a system of small salt lakes and marshes formed by the sedimentary deposits of the streams flowing from the Alpes. The latter (Laguna Viva) is a shallow body of salt water out of which rise a few small islands, among them the group forming the city itself. The Laguna Viva is separated from the Adriatic Sea by a narrow strip of land (the Lido) that extends from Chioggia to Cortellazzo at the mouth of the River Piave. The strip of land is reinforced at many points with marble, and it has numerous openings for the passage of ships. Therefore, there are several Lidi. The tide in the “live” lagoon sometimes rises to a height of between nine and 10 feet, when it floods the streets. Six forts distributed about the Laguna Viva girdle the city.
It has an odd smell to it...

Guilelmo Aliprando, an elder Lasombra, is the Prince of the city. Former Prince of the crusader state of Negroponte, Tommaso Brexiano, serves as the Rpince's lieutenant and scourge. Be sure to introude yourself before settling in.

[durden]

Venetian Court: recently weakened by infighting and the last wave of Crusaders, the court madly dashes to reacquire power in the region, mostly through the ghouling of rich merchant families. Issues of territory and hunting ground become central to the problem, as the streets of Venice are simply too crowded by Cainites. If something doesn’t happen soon, drastic measures must be taken.



Guilelmo Aliprando – 6th gen Lasombra, Prince of Venice. Still in conflict with Alfonzo of Venice, Prince of Constantinople (or more recent Prince), the two most powerful cities battle for more than Crusader colonies in the Mediterranean. Having diablerized his sire, Narses (Prince of Venice and Archbishop of Nod) ,Guilelmo is as powerful as ever. Due to past concerns of Greek incursion, Guilelmo will not accommodate Greek Cainites in his court. Suffering from increasingly dehabilitating paranoia, the Prince looks to solidify his powerbase in this region by forcing all Cainites in his realm to make a simple decision – join him or die. A sincere adherent to the Cainite Heresy for a century, Guilelmo is still an active promoter, though he must be more secretive due to its recent condemnation by many.
Nature: Survivor/Demeanor: Loner/ Embrace: AD 1049/ Apparent Age: mid 30’s/ Road of Heaven
Background: Narses embraced Guilelmo, the scion of a noble Venetian family, for his obvious skills as a diplomat and negotiator. Guilelmo loyally served as Narses’ majordomo and “public face” for nearly a century and a half. He is a true believer in the Cainite Heresy and a strong defender of that faith. In the aftermath of the 4th Crusade, Guilelmo began to suspect that Narses’ dedication to the Heresy was not sincere. He allied with the Tzimisce Nikita of Sredtz, who turned the Crimson Curia, the order’s ruling body, against Narses in 1212. Narses fled Venice when he was divested of his mantle as archbishop. Guilelmo called a Court of Blood, and the Amici Noctis gave him the right to diablerize Narses. In 1215, he tracked down his sire, committed Amaranth, and became Prince of Venice. Guilelmo has smoothly taken the reigns of Narses’ power and alliances. As his master’s trusted aide, he was privy to many of Narses’ secrets and bargains. Guilelmo’s primary concern is maintaining his territories in the eastern Mediterranean against threats (Byzantine, Muslims, etc). He dispatched the Cainities he most trusted to safeguard those colonies. He is currently searching for a replacement to Tommaso of Negroponte.

[rydi]

*Mario makes his way down the street, stumbling drunkenly as the strong spirits distelled in his latest victim's blood take their toll. The man was "important," or so he kept saying, but either he was a liar or he enjoyed visiting the slums for the strong drink and cheap whores. Either way, he wasn't important to anybody now...*

[durden]

:: As you stumble down a particularly swamped ally, you make some futile attempts to stay dry, hoping over puddles only to land in deeper pools of collected water (likely teeming with all sorts of nasty things). As you pick yourself up from your most recent fall, you find it more difficult to see the end of the alleyway. Panic sets in, as you become increasingly sure you are going blind. What the hell was in that priest? Why was he dressed so funny? That stupid big hat. Should have taken it...

Suddenly, you spot an object in your way. Shoving at the darkness to clear your path, you find yourself falling backwards into another deep pool of water. The darkness shoved back! It seems as though you are falling for some time, as though time stands still. Flinging your head to the side to clear your hair and muck from your eyes, you see a man, an unhappy looking man, holding you up by your shirt. He pulls you closer, as though he can see more than what is on the surface, as though he is looking through you. He smiles, unable to help himself. He sets you down and pulls forth a cloth from his jacket to wipe your filth from his hands.

He is a handsome man. Looks almost good enough to... You shack your head, clearing your thoughts. He is dressed well. Perhaps he's a merchant or noble of the city. Wait! That smile. Those teeth! He's one of us, you think to yourself. Or did you say it out loud? Crap.

He tosses the cloth at you and addresses you in a stern voice ::

"So you are the damned fool that just drank the poor old Bishop of Ravenna to death. We have enough troubles with them as it is. I've been sent to dispose of his assassain, though I can see you are no more the assassain than I am the country idiot. Tell me boy, who on this earth would sire such a wretch?"

[rydi]

"I... Wha? Sire was... Adamo... but he doesn't matter now... Why you want to know my father? Who... what do you... Assassin?! Dispose?! that means get rid of... are you going to get rid of... of me? but, you can't! I'm special now! NO!"

*Mario begins to squirm feebly in the arms of the powerful man*

[durden]

:: The gentleman sneers at the worthless Cainite before him ::

"Adamo? Who ... in the hells? Am...Ambrogio? The damned Ventrue fop?? Why would he sire such a fool? His is a powerful name to invoke."

:: The darkness surrounding the two recedes a bit as man's options are considered ::

"My name is Tomasso Brexiano. For now, you owe me your unlife. I am taking you to our Prince, so that he may decide your fate. If your sire is who I believe...then it is a matter for someone of...the older generation to decide. Come."

:: The darkness filling the alleyway coalesces around the two, swirling around Tomasso as it takes shape into a surprisingly corporeal tendril. The strand of supernatural darkness shoots forth, coiling around the frightened neonate, constricting poor Mario in a steel embrace. The two rise from the street toward the roofs of the clay tiled merchant shops. Mario manages a peek down to see the strands of darkness, which are emanating from the elder himself, to carry the two across the distance toward a palatial four-storied building overlooking a canal with many gondolas anchored to the shore. You pass over a couple of Venetian soldiers, but you find yourself unable (or unwilling) to shout for help. What on earth could they do against such power? Darkness descends upon you as you near the roof. The coldness of the abyss penetrates your normally sturdy shell and time is lost. You wonder, "Am I dead."

Finally, you spot several pinpoints of light. These lights grow, filling your field of vision as a large banquet room opens before you. You hear several harsh, yet soft tones of conversation nearby. You soon adjust to your surroundings, finding yourself still bound yet able to see a the man introduced as Tomasso and another noble-looking gentleman now shouting at each other. They turn simultaneously to look upon you, the small and undeserving peasant. The name clearly in charge addresses you ::

"So, you are one of the... of them. Tomasso was right to bring you, though his timing, as usual, was poor. You hold the rare privilege of a personal audience with the Prince of Venice. If only it were under better circumstances. There have been a string of dead priests scattered about our fair city, all drained of blood. You must be more careful. It matters not to me whose childe you are, should you continue to draw unwanted attention to our kind here. Tomasso here will remind you of our traditions as he sees you out of the city. Remember this well, young Ventrue. Few get the chance you have before you to walk away. Regardless, it will not be offered again."

"Lord Guilelmo!" shouts Tomasso. "You dare release this abomination into the world??"

:: Prince Guilelmo turns to the scary man that has been so so mean to you ::

"What I dare is not for you to dictate. You yourself have been given a second chance. Or should I make an example of you here?"

:: Tomasso turns to you with a look of hatred on his face ::

[rydi]

(Actually, Adamo is his real father's name. He was confused by the terminology. Though he probably could have gotten the name Ambrogio, if not from his mind, then from some article or possession through spirits touch)

[rydi]

*Mario, confused (but he isn't the prince of venice... who are all these people... what just happened to me), frightened (such power... but I was supposed to be the most powerful monster...), angry (what right have they to treat me so?!), and happy (I'm not going to die! And shadow man is being yelled at! And I'm not going to die!!!) simply smiles a stupid, idiot grin, as he nods aquiessance to the prince's demands, and then follows his escort out.

[durden]

(OOC: Yeah, it occured to me what you meant, but I stuck with it for reasons you said. You reek of your sire.)

:: Tomasso regards you for a moment, then burst out in laughter ::

"To think, I feared this imbecile! Better to point you towards my enemies abroad. Go tear down the walls of Ravenna or expose all your kind in Constantinople, those damnable Janus-faced Byzantines... :: Trembles his fist in anger ::

"But you poor little whelp. Where will you go? (Heavy condescending tone) Perhaps old Malachi will take you in. Eh, Guilelmo?"

:: The Prince turns abruptly ::
"That name shall not be spoken here! He is a traitor to the Heresy and a dangerous dissident we should have taken care of when we had the chance, all those years ago. He still holds up in that abbey, spreading his idiocy like a cancer. He would have you believe that the children of Caine...ah, but why am I telling you? Tomasso is right. Perhaps sending you to him would...enlighten you. Let his damned fool ideas be the death of you. To all that hear his blasphemy. Tomasso, show the boy out and point him toward our dear old friend."

:: Happy to oblige, Tomasso takes you by the arm and leads you through the city. It is odd, as he walks freely through the streets while you are very sure there is still a 9pm curfew. Only city elite have such freedom. Guards either ignore him or obsequiously follow his commands. To think you have been hiding from these people when you could be ruling them!

With only several hours until dawn, Tomasso rows you out of town on a gondola regally adorned with a brass plating and a satin interior. You shift your weight during the trip, spilling water into the boat. You receive an annoyed look from the elder as you suspect he might have killed any mortal for such a thing. Finally, you arrive on the shore. Tomasso provides you a crude map and promises it is near. As he departs, we comments that you could not possibly arrive there before sunrise... ::

[rydi]

::panicked by the the shadow-man's threat, Mario frantically looks around and attempts to read the map, upside down. Then starts running. Only the fact that he knows the area from his travels with the now dead priest will save him from the sun...::

[durden]

*Make a Wits+Survival Roll*

[rydi]

(you do it. you have my stats. i can't find the char sheet, but it should be in your pm box.)

[durden]

(Weird. the following post wouldn't show while I had the url code in to link to the two rolls I made. What's up with that?)

[durden]

Survival

:: Holding the map correctly, you head East, away from the coast. You estimate the distance to be a few miles North, taking you toward the X marked in blood. Maintaining a good pace, you travel a good distance in two or three hour's time.

Time passes quickly and the first signs of dawn appear. It occurs to you that you might have miscalculated, as the sky in the wrong direction begins to glow. Desperate to escape the sun's wicked rays, you seek shelter wherever possible. Unfortunately, this area has been heavily deforested and time is running out out.

As panic fully sets in, you hear soemthing in the distance. There is a horse-drawn wagon traveling down a nearby paved road. There appears to be three monks, clothed in their typical brown habits, leading an old horse as it labors to drag a large wooden cart. Time is running out...::

[rydi]

"please help me brothers! where is the abby?! i was... attacked in venice, and am trying to get to safety before they can find me again... oh, please help... or, perhaps if i could hide in your cart, under some of your packages, until nightfall..."