Author: Chris Handley Editing: Sam Kapral, Bryce Perry, Katherine (www.thereadingpanda.com) Cover Art: Malacar Thanks to: Mike, Stephen, Adrian, Mark, James, and to my rpg group Steve, Heather, Chris, and Emily. The World of Darkness, Changeling: the Lost, Vampire: the Requiem, Werewolf: the Forsaken, Mage: the Awakening and White Wolf are all trademarks of CCP North America. This book is a fan-written project that makes no claim to the intellectual property of the trademarks above. All work within this ebook are the work and views of the writer, inspired by the trademarks above, and in no way should be thought of as accurate, credible or real. All art used in this work are either my own or are used under the creative commons license. The supernatural elements of this book are fictional and intended for the purpose of entertainment. Within the book are mature themes. Reader discretion is advised. Broken Masks, Splintered Dreams Venice - La Serenissima - a city of lust, greed, mystery, magic and dreams. It is the fairy city of man sat upon ever rising waters. Venice sits at the gateway of the classical and medieval worlds, an ancient nexus now nothing more than a city-sized, water-logged, museum of the Renaissance. Venice may no longer be a centre of the mortal world, but it has remained the centre of the world for those that live within its shadows. Venice has a dynamic, colorful, and sordid history since the fall of the Roman Empire, and has always been influenced by those other beings that take an interest in human affairs. One particular group is the Lost. Just as the original founders of the city fled the invading Huns, so the Lost fled from the captivity of Keepers. And Venice is the place even not the Lost escape to. The Carnival is integral to Venice. In the Christian calendar, it marked the lead up to Lent. Because the six weeks of Lent would be spent fasting and being pious, and no wine or rich food was to be consumed in honor of Jesus’ 40 days in the desert, all of this food and wine had to be used up. For this reason, there was a long party to do just that. The Carnival. Carnival, like many Christian rites and festivals, has many traditions that predate the church. In many ways Carnival is similar to the festivals of Saturnalia and Bacchanalia held by the Romans. There are also a number of pagan rites involving masked figures. Due to the pagan rites traditionally related to Carnival, the clergy adopted the celebration rather than prevent it, but introduced more Christian elements. Though the tradition of Carnival takes place all around the Christian world, the Carnival of Venice was one of the most grand and extravagant. Carnival is often referred to as the Fifth Season, and traditionally starts on the 11th of November. But the main celebrations and events would only begin after Christmas, and end the week before Lent on Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday). The term Carnival has a disputed origin but possibly has its origin in the Greek for meat, carn, or the Latin carne levare, or “to remove meat”. It may also mean “farewell to meat”, carne vale. This of course is a double meaning. Not only do they say goodbye to meat, but also they let go of their everyday self and succumb to the celebrations. The Carnival of Venice was first recorded in 1268, and masks have always been a central feature of the Carnival. However masks were also a part of the celebrations during Ascension and from October the 5th. For this reason people were able to spend a lengthy period of time in masks. There were many attempts to ban the wearing of masks in Italy for the subversive nature they allowed. The mask makers, or ‘Mascherari’, were able to take advantage of this and formed guilds and their own laws and had an important position in Venetian society. The Carnival has always had a sordid history, with tales of men dressing as women and entering convents, others wore masks so they could hide from their creditors, or some wore masks to commit acts of murder. The people of Venice loved masks, but their rulers and the church came to loathe them, with laws being created to ban the wearing of masks, cloaks and indecent attire. For the Changelings of Venice, the Carnival is life, death, revelry, and survival. The Carnival is all seasons and none, a Court of its own. A Changeling game set in Venice revolves around the theme of ‘Carnival’. Changelings wear masks in many ways; to hide from their Keepers, to hide from other things that would hunt them, to hide their motives in Court, to hide in the shadows and strike out at others. The mask allows a dual life for the Changelings. On the one hand, they may cavort in their Grand Balls, weaving their Glamour, indulging in the emotions of others. But also masks allow for Changelings to hide, to conspire, and to lurk in the dark. The Carnival really does mean “farewell to the flesh”, for it represents their freedom from the Gentry. But the Carnival also represents that last celebration before giving it all up in order to brave the desert. It is the last deadly dance, and at the end all have a price to pay when the masks come off. “The Fairy City of the Heart”, so Lord Byron named Venice. But was does that mean? Venice is both beauty and decay, a dying flower. The modern Venice is not very different from how it was at the height of its power. However, the average tourist misses the breath-taking vistas that can simply be seen if they took the time to look up from the windows of gaudy Murano glass jewelry or took a route off the beaten path. Behind each corner, above each shop, down each canal, Venice, the ‘Fairy City’, awaits to capture the love of another traveler. The city is bittersweet to its roots and is not unlike many of the Gentry. Palazzos and apartments twist and lean over the small waterways, and during the acqua alta the city meets its dark reflection in the high waters. The mood of Venice is simple, a city that is a true embodiment of all that is Fae. And so for all its beauty, creeping dark things are not far away. For every precious thing that lies in Venice, it sits nestled with its darker twin, the price of sin that must be paid. Venice is thus a city that does not forget consequences. For every great work there is a fall, a sin. This is Fortuna, the life blood of Venice. http://www.freefoto.com/preview/1551-12-23/Night-Time--Venice--Italy--Venezia-- Italia The Fairy City “ ” Venice has stood since the end of the Franks, led by Charlemagne, who assumed the Roman Empire founded by refugees who fled title of emperor of the Western Holy Roman the invading Huns. The people from the north Empire. Venetians were caught in the middle. east of Italy fled their lands and took boats out On the one hand, they had their loyalty to into the lagoon and settled on the marshy Byzantium, and on the other they had a new islands. These survivors of the Western Emperor on the border to their duchy. Roman Empire were ruled over by the The current Doge, Obelario, courted Byzantine Emperor of the Eastern Empire, and both parties, and together with the Duke of in the 8th century the first Doge of the lagoon Dalmatia traveled to the Frankish capital and was elected, Orso, who was recognized by the claimed to ignore Byzantine authority while Byzantine Empire. Orso’s successor and son, asking for their lands to be seen as Diodato, moved the seat of power of the independent. However, this was seen as an region to the isle of Malamocco. This move to affront to Byzantium and in return a fleet was Malamocco was a sign of Venetians wanting sent from Constantinople to the Venetian to become unimpeded traders while being able lagoon. The Doge surrendered claiming it was to defend themselves from pirates and all the fault of the patriarch of Grado. With invaders. Venetians were looking for Venice between two rival powers, the isles and autonomy. Not too much, but enough so that their people were split by internal bickering they were masters of their own trade. and conspiracy. In an attempt to once more Venetian control of the lagoon and the dominate the region, Charlemagne sent his Adriatic continued easily for the next few son, Pepin, King of Italy, to the Adriatic at the decades, undisturbed by the fall of Ravenna, head of a large fleet. Ravenna and Dalmatia the seat of Byzantine rule over the ports of the fell, but the march of Pepin’s forces was halted Adriatic. However, the Lombards, the new at Malamocco where the Venetian forces were rulers of Ravenna, were then ousted by the focused. The refugees from the conflict fled to Castle Olivolo, in the centre of the lagoon, that was grand enough. which stood in the Rivoalto - ‘high ground’ - Venice grew and soon was more than a (later contracted to Rialto) Islands. From these simple province. It was now an imperial isles the city of Venice would be born. duchy. It still acknowledged the power of the Of course the Frankish fleet was intent Western Empire but retained its autonomy. on finding and destroying the Venetians.