I Am Just a Pazzi an adventure for Rapiers of the Renaissance Introduction: this scenario is based closely on an actual event, the Pazzi Conspiracy – an attempted coup d’état Easter Sunday 1478 against Medici rule. Several hours of insurrection ensue but the city rallies behind Lorenzo – then as darkness falls something unclean is brought to bear…
PCs: this scenario is for 4-6 PCs, ideally with connections to the household of Lorenzo de Medici. At least one of the PCs should be a young Daughter of Circe under the tutelage of Olympia, who is currently the mistress of Lorenzo de Medici. Otherwise he or she could have some other way of telling fortunes. There is a considerable amount of violence in this scenario and at least half the PCs should be combat capable. But there is also a supernatural climax featuring an extremely nasty demon, so ensure at least one of the PCs has a weapon capable of harming such creatures. At least one PC should be near to Lorenzo de Medici in the Duomo. At least one should remain in the Palazzo Medici. The Daughters of Circe do not frequent churches and will be at home in Olympia’s rooms on the Casa Sasseti. Otherwise PCs can choose where to be, within reason. None of the PCs can be Pazzi adherents.
Plotters: Objective Background Stefano da Bagnone kill Lorenzo in the Duomo ave townsman – student Antonio Maffei kill Lorenzo in the Duomo Patrician – priest Francesco de Pazzi kill Giuliano in the Duomo Patrician – banker Bernardo Bandini Baroncelli kill Giuliano in the Duomo Patrician – black sheep Jacopo de Pazzi raise the people of Florence Patrician – banker Jacopo de Poggio Bracciolini take the Palazzo della Signoria Patrician – philosopher Francesco Salviati, Archbishop of Pisa take the Palazzo della Signoria Patrician – career prelate Fr Varanus summons a demonic assassin seminary – demonist Giovanni Battista de Montesecco brings in troops stationed outside poor noble – condottiere
Background: Pope Sixtus IV is picking a fight with Florence and the Medici over the city of Imola, which he is using to create a principality for his nephew, Girolamo Riario and his new wife, Caterina (née Sforza). Sixtus has transferred the Papal accounts to the Pazzi bank.
Florence: population 42,000 – the powerhouse of the Renaissance is in dispute with the Pope who has condemned the city as a den of sodomites. Approaching visitors spy from afar the majestic dome of the Duomo (see picture). Coming closer they see the bell tower of the Palazzo della Signoria, the seat of Florence’s government, a republic, like Venice. The inner streets are paved and boys are paid by the city to clean up horse manure from the streets.
Date: Easter Sunday April 26th 1478 5,000 people pack into the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, known to all as the Duomo, for the Easter service – everyone wants to see Cardinal Riario and Il Magnifico in their finery – at least as many again throng the streets outside, making movement difficult for hundreds of yards in all directions.
Weapons & Armour: It is quite acceptable for men to wear swords about the city but no one should openly wear armour or a shield. Technically no weapon should be carried in the Duomo but VIPs sometimes wear a small sword or shortsword as a fashion statement. However no one pretending to be devout should carry anything more offensive than a dagger. Shields and armour are definitely banned – even for knightly orders.
VIPs attending: First Citizen Lorenzo de Medici, painter Sandro Botticelli, astronomer and mathematician Paolo Toscanelli. Rumour has it that Cardinal Raffaele Riario, the young nephew of Pope Sixtus IV, will be attending on his way to Rome.
Persons not attending: Leonardo de Vinci, who has no use for religion; Michelangelo is only three years old; Machiavelli is nine but later writes a graphic eye-witness description of the state of the streets after. Sunday Morning – Signs & Portents Olympia, a Daughter of Circe and Lorenzo’s mistress, rises late in her lodgings at Casa Sasseti. On observing the extraordinary blood-red sky she shudders and remarks that blood will be spilt today. After a couple of hours of brooding she chooses to consult the Tarot… ‘How and why will blood be spilt today?’ Significator, where you are now King of Cups (reversed): skilled in the ways of the World, he is a deft manipulator, masterful at conducting negotiations and arriving at a position of power and authority by means of the agility of his mind rather than the strength of his body. He is a man of ideas, a patron of the arts and sciences, an expert in law and a leader in business. Olympia is sure this must be Lorenzo – the reversal indicates adverse circumstances or possibly someone else like Lorenzo – possibly both Aspirator, where you are aiming 3 of Swords: necessary strife & conflict; destruction of what is obsolete in order to clear the ground for what is to come; disruption, upheaval, separation & discord, but with a positive end in view – the establishment of something better. This isn’t the intent of the Daughters of Circe so Olympia assumes it must be the mistaken intent of someone else – the malefactor Instigator, what brought you here The Pope (reversed): aside from the regular meaning, Olympia reckons this may be the Pope himself and/or the Church hierarchy – everyone knows the Pope hates Lorenzo and Florence but would the Pope himself stoop to spilling blood just to be rid of a political thorn? Cryptic, hidden influences The Devil (reversed): lust for power; the temptation to abuse one’s position for personal ends; a warning regarding a bid for control by your instincts or a dangerous repression of instincts by the intellect; dark magics, evil occult happenings; the evil within you or directed at you; a devilish person or an actual devil Olympia doesn’t like this – she has a nasty feeling it’s being literal Culminator, where this is heading 10 of Swords: desolation, disruption & ruin but there is cause for hope since this card represents the nadir in a cycle of fortune and from now on things should improve. The worst card in the deck – it’s going to be bad unless fate can be averted Pivot, the focus Justice: the act of judgement – a measured and considered decision; a lawyer, judge or arbitrator; (reversed): injustice, lack of fair dealing, bias, prejudice, legal tangles and complex and expensive law-suits. An inability to decide or a failure to employ rational thought. False accusers and fence-sitters. Or perhaps it’s a person or place of justice – the Palazzo della Signoria? Someone must warn Gonfaloniere Petrucci but Olympia doesn’t like the idea of not also warning Lorenzo since he seems to be at the heart of the matter
11.45: Olympia fears for Lorenzo but the cards seem to point her at the Palazzo della Signoria – she asks her protégé (a PC) to go the Palazzo Medici to warn Lorenzo while Olympia warns Gonfaloniere Petrucci.
She finds the streets thronging toward the Duomo and she’s forced to take a circuitous route to the west and approach down the Via San Lorenzo. Nonetheless it takes twice as long to push her way through.
[Should no PC be a Daughter of Circe, anyone with divinatory abilities may do, ideally using Tarot (it’s more colourful – especially if you have a tarot deck to hand) but divination by any other method produces similar conclusions to those above. Alternatively, Olympia can warn Lorenzo herself and send the PC to the Palazzo della Signoria, who experiences the events there but remains out of the action until the Pazzis flee.] Sunday Morning – gathering at the Duomo 11.00: The young (17 years old) Cardinal Riario arrives at the Palazzo Medici from the Pazzi villa outside the city where he spent the night – he is taken up to the rooms provided for him and changes into his red cardinal’s vestments. Lorenzo volunteers to escort Cardinal Riario to the Duomo for Easter Mass. The thronging crowd have to be kept back by Lorenzo’s henchmen (including PCs) but he won’t tolerate even the hint of unpleasantness. Il Magnifico and the Cardinal stroll the two hundred yards to the Duomo arm-in-arm. Also in attendance is Archbishop Salviati. Francesco de Pazzi and Bernardo Bandini Baroncelli stay behind, saying they’d like to persuade Lorenzo’s brother, Giuliano, to come along too.
[It cannot be stressed hard enough that no one, not Lorenzo nor any of the player characters, have any conception of what is about to happen – Lorenzo and everyone in his circle view the Pazzis as friendly rivals. On no account should the GM let a PC try to dissuade any of the VIPs concerned from going to the Duomo.]
11.30: Lorenzo arrives at the Duomo with Cardinal Riario and their retainers and servants, entering by the Porta dell Mandoria. At this point Archbishop Salviati takes his leave in order to visit his mother, who is ill.
Inside, the Cardinal kneels before the altar with other clergy (including several priests and any PCs who are also clergy) where Archbishop Orsini (Lorenzo’s brother-in-law) prepares to say mass. [See picture of altar]
[Most 15th Century people do not actually partake of mass. VIPs such as Lorenzo can do so in private chapels but usually only clergy take communion so at the altar Cardinal Riario is flanked by a line of 4-6 clergy – no one notices two priests on the southernmost end of the line, Stefano da Bagnone and Antonio Maffei.]
Meanwhile, Lorenzo (having already taken mass) joins his friends on the south side of the altar: Francesco Nori (manager of the Florence branch of the Medici Bank), Guglielmo de Pazzi (married to Lorenzo’s sister, Bianca), Antonio Ridolfi (a boy of 15), Sigismondo della Stufa, Filippo Strozzi and Lorenzo Cavalcanti.
[Save perhaps for Cavalcanti (see his details in dramatis personae), all these are bankers or merchants with minimal combat skills. Neither Guglielmo de Pazzi nor Cardinal Riario have any idea what is about to go down – play them as dumfounded and horrified as anyone else.]
11.50: Among the last to arrive is Lorenzo’s brother, Giuliano, with Francesco de Pazzi and Bernardo Bandini Baroncelli. Giuliano is looking a little pale; he’s not been well in the last few days. It is hard to move through the throng so they remain just inside the Porta dell Mandoria.
Inside the Duomo: The GM should emphasise the thronging crowds – the Duomo is packed and the two brothers cannot see each other. There is a constant hubbub of hundreds of people gossiping avidly. The altar is raised above the floor by 15 inches so a PC who is a priest assisting Archbishop Orsini may be able to see over heads as far as the Porta dell Mandoria, however the focus should be on the Cardinal, who is the guest of honour. Lorenzo hopes this ceremony may possible begin to mend relations with the Pope.
Usually very dark, today the eastern end of the Duomo is lit by huge banks of candles mounted on racks against the walls. The day outside is very fine but the bright sunshine streaming through the small windows of stained glass just makes the interior seem darker. On the north side of the altar an altar boy swings a censer and the air is heady with the smell of incense.
15th Century churches do not have pews and the Duomo is no exception – everyone stands. Typically everyone takes the opportunity to gossip, paying little attention to the actual ceremony, which is entirely in Latin, of course. The reading, also in Latin, is by Angelo Poliziano, a close friend and protégé of Lorenzo’s. A lesser priest will first administer the host to Archbishop Rinaldo Orsini, followed by a few other priests, before Archbishop Orsini takes over for Cardinal Riario and any other VIP clergy.
Gossip: everyone in the Duomo exchanges gossip throughout the ceremony and Lorenzo is no exception. If anyone cares to mention a subject he is willing to express a personal opinion. Lorenzo encourages informality and will talk to anyone – but he expects a little discretion from his household and will take a dim view of anyone repeating his words outside his circle of influence. The following current affairs may be discussed both in Lorenzo’s immediate circle and possibly in the crowd… a) a bitter rivalry is developing in Milan over the regency for the young duke Gian Galleazzo between his mother, Dowager Duchess Bona, and his uncle, Lodovico ‘Il Moro’ Sforza, Count of Mortara. Bona has exiled Lodovico and his brother. (Lorenzo can reveal that Lodovico has declined a condotta offered by the Florentine ambassador to Milan, Tommaso Soderini.) b) The Venetians are fighting desperately against Turkish aggression. Having lost the Morea, the Venetians are now on the verge of facing Ottomans on the Adriatic coast. It seems the Turks have built a navy out of nothing. c) Lorenzo has a low opinion of the Archbishop of Pisa, “You know he arrived with the Cardinal but cried off joining us in the Duomo to visit his mother – it is typical of the man to put personal concerns ahead of his cure of souls. You would think a prelate of his standing should set an example.” d) There are problems with outlying branches of the Medici bank – since the Pope shut down the branch in Rome, other branches have run into trouble. Lorenzo has news from Bruges, “Angelo Tani has returned – he has done his best but the mess Portinari made in London has thrown Bruges into crisis.”
The Assassins Strike 12.00: The elevation of the host at the moment the cathedral bell tolls 12 is the signal for the strike. Francesco de Pazzi and Baroncelli attack Giuliano, repeatedly stabbing him in a frenzy. A howl goes up from the crowd but the mass of bodies prevents any view of the situation. Francesco manages to stab himself in the thigh by accident, preventing him taking further part. He retires to the Palazzo Pazzi when he leaves the Duomo.
The priests, Maffei and Bagnone, rise from the south end of the altar rail to attack Lorenzo with daggers but the cries of the crowd around Giuliano alert his brother. Lorenzo draws his blade as the first stroke pricks his neck (unless PCs prevent this) and wraps his cloak around his left arm as an impromptu shield. Guglielmo de Pazzi backs away screaming in fear, “I know nothing of this – I am innocent!” Cardinal Riario stands, stunned, by the Altar, flanked by Archbishop Orsini and other clergy. Lorenzo and his friends pass behind the altar, away from Maffei and Bagnone, who are afraid to face his blade until reinforced by Pazzi servants.
But now the panicked crowd is ebbing away to reveal Baroncelli with another two Pazzi servants. The latter are not at all brave but anyone seeking to mix it with the assassins will be outnumbered and Bandini at least looks as if he knows how to use his blade.
[PCs near Lorenzo may be very capable in a fight but should have nothing more than daggers to fight with. The GM must judge things carefully – if extremely capable then quickly reinforce the assassins with Pazzi servants, creating odds of 2, 3 or 4 to 1 with some of the opposition having longer blades. If not so capable then hold off the reinforcements for a round or so. The priests will back off from facing a genuine combatant and Francesco de Pazzi has stabbed his own thigh, but Baroncelli is a genuine threat, skilful with a blade and lightning quick. He appears north of the altar a round or two after the priests attack but by then Lorenzo should be retreating northward, behind the altar, with his friends screening him.]
Poliziano ushers Lorenzo and his friends toward the New Sacristy (21 on the map) for safety. As the people flee the scene, Baroncelli leaves Giuliano’s body and leaps toward Lorenzo. Francesco Nori gets in the way and Baroncelli strikes him down with a single thrust to the belly, a second blow wounds Lorenzo Cavalcanti in the arm (the latter is an adventurer and may be used to bolster defence by PCs, if needed). Cardinal Riario, Archbishop Orsini and the other clergy at the altar also try to retreat from the violence, in their case they move toward the Old Sacristy (26 on the map) because there’s no room in the New Sacristy.
[In the playtest two separate PCs, both condottieri armed with daggers, held off the assassins to north and south while a PC clergyman serving as archdeacon to Archbishop Orsini seized the initiative and herded the clergy to the New Sacristy, leaving Lorenzo and his friends with no option but to take refuge in the Old Sacristy. The GM should on no account force the issue either way save to mention that either or both sacristies are places of security. However, if the PCs don’t suggest it, Poliziano will. Once locked in they will not emerge until they know they are secure – when reinforcements arrive from the Palazzo Medici.]
Lorenzo Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Bold 13 9 14 14 16 14 10 4 3 3 5 4 4 4 Melee: 2 + small sword & ruffled cloak +2 + Qck/Grc 2 = +6; damage is d6+d2 -2 vs cavalry
Cavalcanti Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Bold 12 12 12 12 12 12 13 5 4 4 6 5 5 5 Melee: 4 + dagger -1 + Phs +1 = +4; damage is d4+2+1 -1 vs cavalry
Assassins Bernardo Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Baroncelli 12 12 18 12 14 12 13 5 4 4 6 5 5 5 Brawl: 3 + dagger -1 + Phs 1 = +3; damage is d4+2+1 Melee: 4 + shortsword +1 + Qck/Grc 3 = +8; damage is d6+1+1 -2 vs cavalry
Francesco Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL de Pazzi 9 13 14 12 12 12 12 4 3 3 5 4 4 4 Brawl: 3 + dagger -1 + Phs 0 = +2; damage is d4+2-1 Melee: 1 + dagger -1 + Phs 0 = +0; damage is d4+2-1 -2 vs cavalry
Antonio Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Maffei 11 9 9 10 12 12 9 3 2 2 4 5 5 5 Brawl: 3 + dagger -1 + Phs 0 = +2; damage is d4+2 Melee: 1 + dagger -1 + Phs 0 = +0; damage is d4+2 -2 vs cavalry
Stefano Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL da Bagnone 12 10 12 10 11 12 11 4 3 3 5 4 4 4 Brawl: 2 + dagger -1 + Phs 1 = +2; damage is d4+2+1 Melee: 1 + dagger -1 + Phs 1 = +1; damage is d4+2+1 -2 vs cavalry
Pazzi Servants Donatello Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Bold 11 10 14 12 10 10 10 4 3 3 5 4 4 4 Melee: 2 + dagger -1 + Qck/Grc 1 = +2; damage is d4+2 -2 vs cavalry
Gentile Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Bold 14 12 12 10 11 12 14 5 4 4 6 5 5 5 Melee: 2 + dagger -1 + Phs +2 = +3; damage is d4+2+d3 -2 vs cavalry
Simón Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Bold 11 10 12 12 12 10 10 4 3 3 5 4 4 4 Melee: 2 + shortsword & buckler +2 + Qck/Grc 1 = +5; damage is d6+1 -2 vs cavalry
Lauro Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Bold 13 12 12 10 12 12 13 5 4 4 6 5 5 5 Melee: 3 + shortsword & buckler +2 + Phs +1 = +6; damage is d6+1+d2 -2 vs cavalry In the Sacristy With Nori’s sacrifice, Lorenzo and his friends find refuge in the sacristy. In case Lorenzo’s wound is poisoned Antonio Ridolfi sucks the wound – the lad idolises Il Magnifico.
Guglielmo de Pazzi continues to deny any knowledge of the plot – he is married to Lorenzo’s sister, Bianca, and regards Lorenzo as close family. Lorenzo assures him that he does not regard him as culpable.
Lorenzo is shaken and it takes effort for him to regain his composure but, once his wound is bound, his thoughts turn to his brother and he asks everyone if they know if Giuliano is hurt – in the sacristy no one knows.
In both sacristies, everyone sits tight and no one emerges until reinforcements arrive.
The Palazzo Medici 12.10: everyone is busy in the Palazzo Medici where all is being made ready for the banquet this evening in honour of Cardinal Riario, under the supervision of Lorenzo’s wife and mother, Clarice and Lucrezia (if Clarice is unhappy with the intrusion of her mother-in-law she does not show it).
But all is thrown into turmoil when refugees arrive from the Duomo, screaming and crying that ‘everyone’s dead’ – there’s been some sort of disaster at the Duomo. Has the dome collapsed? Dread fills the household – something has happened, but what? Out in the streets there’s a sort of generalised mass wailing coming from the south. No one knows anything but too many people are speaking of blood…
It is Lucrezia who takes the initiative – she has lived through this before. She orders the male servants armed – the Palazzo Medici has an armoury stocked with back and breast and weapons – and guards placed at the four entrances to the palazzo, while the womenfolk tear up linen for bandages and start boiling water.
The Streets 12.15: Hundreds of refugees flee the Duomo, screaming and crying that ‘everyone’s dead’ – and that there’s been some sort of disaster at the Duomo. Some even claim the dome has collapsed. Most flee to their homes.
The Palazzo della Signoria 12.00: Meanwhile, on hearing the bell, Archbishop Salviati and Jacopo de Poggio Bracciolini enter the Palazzo della Signoria with a dozen Perugian ruffians disguised as priests and servants. Their ruse is that Salviati has an urgent message from the Pope for the Gonfaloniere, Cesare Petrucci, who is at dinner with the eight Priors of Justice. Also in the building are three dozen minor officials (all Patrician Florentines) and a dozen servants. Petrucci also has half-a-dozen guards under captain Gilberto Franzetti.
Warned by Olympia (or a PC), Petrucci orders them admitted: Archbishop Salviati is shown into a reception room with every courtesy while the Perugians are dispersed to nearby offices, where they are locked in. Bracciolini is left in a corridor. Unbeknown to them Petrucci orders the main doors barred.
12.30: Petrucci finishes dinner and joins Salviati to find the Archbishop trembling and almost incoherent. Suspicious, Petrucci calls for his guards. Salviati rushes out of the room shouting for his own men but they find the doors to their rooms locked.
Bracciolini charges at Petrucci who catches him by the hair and throws him to the ground. Petrucci calls for the Priori to follow him and orders the Vacca (the bell of the Palazzo della Signoria – singularly loud and graceless) to be tolled as he seizes a cooking spit and rushes at Salviati. The Archbishop and all his men are overwhelmed piecemeal within 10 minutes. The rebels are all tied up and placed in various rooms under guard.
[If player characters are involved then let them have one fight in some detail but the Perugians, in groups of 2-4, and separated from their leaders (Bracciolini and Archbishop Salviati) do not put up much of a fight and there are few casualties on either side.]
The Palazzo Medici 12.30: if they don’t think of it for themselves, Angelo Tani asks any PCs present to take half-a-dozen Medici bravos to scout out toward the Duomo, to find out what happened and, if possible, to rescue the Medici brothers. He advises them to arm themselves thoroughly – there’s helmets, back & breast and weapons in the armoury if they don’t have their own (1-H swords of every type, short spears, etc, but nothing too heavy).
The Streets 12.30: As the Vacca tolls the alarm, members of the Pazzi family, led by Jacopo de Pazzi with another 30 mercenaries, all on horseback, enter the Piazza della Signoria, exhorting the people to rise up against Medici rule, “Liberta! Liberta! Popolo e Liberta! Abasso I Medici! Abasso le palle! Liberta! Liberta!”
Pazzi adherents flock to his banner and within minutes they control the city between the river and the Duomo from the old and new markets east to the Alla Croce gate.
Anyone venturing south of the Piazza del Duomo will find themselves facing either a mob of a dozen looters or 4-6 Perugian mercenaries on horseback – looters will break and scatter if charged by horsemen but the Perugians will fight. Looters will fight back against Medici supporters on foot unless outnumbered but they will break as soon as more than two are injured. However the Piazza del Duomo itself is reasonably safe.
The Pazzi control is actually fairly limited. Jacopo has three dozen Perugian mounted mercenaries another two dozen Pazzi adherents on horseback (native Florentine Patrician stock and not particularly handy with a sword). Perhaps two hundred common citizens respond to his call but half of them break up into looting parties and vanish into the side streets.
Jacopo himself is arrayed in full plate armour with a shield bearing the Pazzi arms of two gold dolphins on a blue field, portraying himself as a knight befitting the noble origins of his house. He looks impressive but he’s a banker, not a soldier.
Recognising that Salviati’s attempt on the Palazzo della Signoria has failed, he directs his men to assault the building but they have no siege weapons and get nowhere – this may not be obvious to a casual observer but to a military eye (anyone with Strategy & Tactics or Military Engineering) it becomes obvious quite quickly.
Not knowing what’s going on and in mortal terror, most other Florentines lock themselves inside their homes.
Friends at the Duomo? 12.50: the relief force have to take care because they don’t know the limits of Pazzi control but if they do not stray south of the Duomo they reach it without incident to find the cathedral deserted. They find several dead bodies, an old man lying in the nave and a young girl near the Portale Maggiore, apparently bystanders caught in the crush. [If the PCs have been busy one or more of the assassins may also lie dead or injured.]
Giuliano de Medici lies just inside the Porta dell Mandoria in a pool of blood nearly two yards across. Even a casual examination reveals a dozen stab wounds in face, head, chest, back abdomen and groin – he’s very obviously dead. Someone should throw a cloak over him – Lorenzo doesn’t need to see this.
In the Sacristy 12.50: Suddenly there’s ominous knocking on the doors and voices claiming to be friends – Sigismondo della Stufa (or a PC) ascends the stairs to the organ loft (there are twin organs to either side – see the picture of the altar – so it doesn’t matter which sacristy they are in). He sees Giuliano’s body but recognises the reinforcements as friends from the Palazzo Medici.
Lorenzo taken to safety Lorenzo is happy for Cardinal Riario and the other clergy to come with them to the Palazzo Medici (wait for a PC to suggest but if no one does have Lorenzo remember at the last minute) – he is especially concerned about Cardinal Riario. However, if anyone suggests taking Giuliano’s body Lorenzo says, “Not now! First we must look to the living, we can return for the dead later, when all is well.”
Lorenzo is smuggled out of the Duomo via the Porta dei Canonici on the south side so he doesn’t have to see his brother’s body. From there the Palazzo Medici is a 200 yard walk so Lorenzo is soon home.
The Palazzo Medici 13.10: If hurt, Lorenzo’s wound is cleaned and bound freshly but he will insist on others with him being seen to first. He’s clearly been badly shaken but already he is taking back control.
Lorenzo asks for news regarding family and servants in the Palazzo and of what’s happening in the streets and the Palazzo della Signoria most of all.
All seems well in the Palazzo Medici with Lorenzo’s wife and mother, Clarice and Lucrezia, already moving from supervising preparations for the banquet to placing the palazzo on a war footing. However, aside from the general hubbub from the south and rumours from the throng gathering in the street, there is no hard information.
Lorenzo calls a council of war – any PCs who are a) of military background or b) established members of the Medici household are expected to attend. Lorenzo feels that Florence is in the middle of a coup d’état (or colpo de stato in Italian). Medici adherents are gathering outside but he does not wish to order them into a battle with the Pazzis when he does not know the odds involved. Essentially he must know enough about the situation to decide whether to order a counter-attack, or alternatively he tell his supporters to return to their homes while he and his family seek exile.
He asks for volunteers to make a reconnaissance – obviously this will include any PCs who are combat- capable. There are eight horses in the stables at the back of the palazzo (some may belong to the PCs if they are of at least knightly stock – lesser persons will pay to have their horses kept in stables elsewhere in the city, but not too far away). Alternatively they may choose to reconnoitre on foot – the distances are not large and on foot they can hide in doorways and behind cover.
Any PCs with Strategy & Tactics will know that horses are undoubtedly best – their mere presence will overawe undisciplined mobs on foot and their speed can help get you out of trouble quickly. Lorenzo says he needs to know the status of the Palazzo della Signoria – whether the Vacca is tolling for the Medici or for the Pazzis – and the number and nature of the Pazzi forces in the city.
13.30: As the reconnaissance party leaves from the rear, Lorenzo appears on the balcony of the Palazzo Medici – his mere presence raises a cheer from the crowd in the streets below, which grows visibly while he’s talking as more people leave their homes and join the throng.
Lorenzo exhorts the people to remain calm and not exact vengeance but the mood of his supporters is very dark indeed – news has got round that Giuliano is dead and he was Florence’s sweetheart.
Reconnaissance in Force 13.30: together with NPCs, the reconnaissance party should number 6-8 if mounted, 10-12 if on foot [make up the extra using Medici bravos]. As they leave the rear of the Palazzo Medici they can hear shouting from the Pazzi controlled areas to the south. The amount of noise should suggest to anyone with Strategy & Tactics to swing wide to the west, avoiding the city centre between the Duomo and the Palazzo della Signoria (turning east would take them into the Pazzi enclave of the city, where Pazzi support is strongest). If on foot, at least half the party should have spears.
[In the play test, the mounted reconnaissance party took a route through the old and new markets before turning east toward the Piazza della Signoria along the Via Vacchereccia – it’s as good a route as any. Incidentally, I can find no reference in any historical sources of missiles being used – Florence is a very non- martial town so the only crossbows or arquebuses will be those owned by the PCs.]
Whatever the route, they should first of all meet a mob of a dozen looters. These will welcome a fight with at least equal numbers if the party is on foot but their morale is very brittle and they will break as soon as two or more are injured – if the party is horseback, when charged, looters break before contact and scatter.
If a more direct route is chosen south from the Duomo then have the party meet several mobs, or perhaps even two together. If they take a route much further west, beyond the Palazzo Rucellai, for example, then they probably won’t meet any looters at all until they are much closer to the Piazza della Signoria.
If on horseback by all means have them encounter more looting parties but subsequent to the first they all break at first sight. However, a reconnaissance party on foot may have several fights before it reaches its objective.
Once close to the Palazzo della Signoria, have the reconnaissance party encounter 4-6 mounted Perugian mercenaries. These men are professional soldiers. They will engage the PCs unless the odds are worse than 2- 1 (4-1 if the PCs are on foot). They are much tougher than the looters and will continue to fight until at least half their number are wounded.
Unlike the looters, any mercenaries who escape take word back to the Piazza della Signoria – it will take a few minutes for Jacopo de Pazzi to direct more of his mercenaries toward the party but it will happen quite quickly – after the encounter with the Perugians the reconnaissance party is on borrowed time.
Hopefully the reconnaissance party eventually gets eyes on the Piazza della Signoria – there they get a head count of 20-30 Perugian mercenaries, 15-20 other mounted men (mainly wealthy Pazzi adherents, not true soldiers) and 80-100 foot troops – all Florentine commoners armed with sword and buckler by Jacopo. They appear to be besieging the Palazzo della Signoria but they have no equipment capable of breaching the doors. Defenders in the tower of the Palazzo della Signoria throw occasional nondescript items at the rioters below.
A Spot Hidden (8) spies the figure of Jacopo de Pazzi resplendent in full plate armour with a shield bearing the Pazzi arms of two gold dolphins on a blue field, portraying himself as a knight befitting the noble origins of his house. While very impressive any soldier can tell his horsemanship and general presence indicates someone with little or no experience of war.
OK – the reconnaissance party now knows the situation. Their task now is to get this intelligence back to Lorenzo. They should ride back to the Palazzo Medici. Jacopo may order his Perugians to chase them, which may make for a very hairy situation indeed even if the reconnaissance party are all horsed. However, even the Perugians are unwilling to chase them further than the Piazza del Duomo.
The Medici Fight Back 14.00: Once Lorenzo gets the news of the situation in the Piazza della Signoria he smiles grimly. “Jacopo likes to see himself as a knight but his leadership is failing.
“His coup is based on three pillars: the deaths of Giuliano and myself; the taking of the Palazzo della Signoria and raising the people against Medici governance – the Signoria is still free and he will not take it without cannon or siege weaponry; Florence is a city of forty-thousands yet just one or two hundred have risen to his call. Finally, Giuliano may be dead yet I live and I have many more people and they are more loyal to me than Jacopo’s are to the Pazzis, so his three pillars do not stand.
“Gentlemen, it is time to fight back!”
Lorenzo returns to the balcony. He urges the crowd outside to begin the fight to retake their city from the Pazzis. But he tells them to show restraint and not take summary vengeance, “Let Justice follow its course!”
They roar approval but do not obey his last command! The Medici party begins the fightback with armed Medici supporters surging south shouting, “Vivano le Palle!”
There are brutal clashes in the streets. Initially there is some fighting but the Pazzi mobs suffer brittle morale and won’t fight with the odds against them – to be honest, the Medici mobs have no better morale but Lorenzo proves correct as many living in the city centre between the Duomo and the Palazzo della Signoria emerge from their homes to join the Medici mobs shouting, “Palle! Palle! Palle!” So the Pazzi face superior numbers and the odds keep getting longer.
The mounted Pazzi supporters and Jacopo’s Perugians put up more of a fight, maintaining Pazzi control of the Piazza della Signoria for a short while. But within half an hour it is clear that there are many, many more Medici supporters than Pazzis and all is lost.
[During playtesting I saw no reason to actually portray any of the fightback – there had been more than enough thud and blunder already – but if your players are up for it then by all means throw in a couple of skirmishes. Have them lead small teams of slightly more disciplined and capable forces – but understand that these are not soldiers and few will have any experience of war. Perhaps the most worthwhile fighting will be against mounted troops close to the Piazza della Signoria. Remember the Perugians are mercenaries, they do not fight to death.]
The Rebels Flee 15.00 Renato de Pazzi advises his brother, Jacopo, that all is lost and they need to leave. With the Perugians fighting a rear-guard action, Baroncelli, Jacopo and Renato de Pazzi all flee the town by the La Croce gate.
As resistance collapses the Palazzo Pazzi is looted. There, Francesco de Pazzi, wounded in the thigh by his own dagger as he stabbed Giuliano (which I think is a metaphor for the whole Pazzi Conspiracy), is discovered and dragged naked through the streets to the Palazzo della Signoria.
The Lynchings 15.30: Giuliano’s murder becomes common knowledge. He was greatly loved by the people. When this news reaches the Palazzo della Signoria, Salviati, Bracciolini and Francesco de Pazzi are lynched from the upper floor windows – as they dangle on their nooses, Salviati bites Francesco de Pazzi in the chest. Other captives, including any Perugians, are similarly lynched from the Signoria and the Bargello. Once dead, the bodies are cut down and the braying crowd tear them to pieces.
Over the next few hours, over fifty people are lynched by the mobs. Many are dismembered; body parts litter the town centre and there are reports of people eating hearts and other viscera – horrible but true.
Although only nine, Machiavelli is an eye-witness to the horrors and later writes that there were “so many deaths that the streets were filled with the parts of men”. Revisiting the Duomo 17.00: Order is restored and to prevent further bloodshed the Bargello, Nazzareno Dragonetti, patrols the streets with his two dozen watchmen.
Lorenzo calls the PCs to him in the Palazzo Medici. Now that order is restored and the Pazzi threat has passed, he asks for them to recover his brother’s body from the Duomo. He would do it himself but there are too many calls on him at this time.
[A perceptive PC might also think Lorenzo does not want to see Giuliano’s body in its current state – once he’s been cleaned up and laid out formally it will be easier for Lorenzo to bear the sight of his corpse.]
Taking a winding sheet and a stretcher or cart, the PCs find the way to the Duomo pretty clear. People are retiring to their homes now that dusk is approaching – there are a few angry shouts from a nearby alley followed by the calm, no nonsense response from a watchman, telling them to be quiet and get home. They pass a drunken lout barely able to walk with bloodstains down his doublet.
The Duomo remains deserted, the canons are still cowering in their dormitory adjacent. The two bodies noted earlier remain in the aisle (as will any victims of the PCs swordplay earlier today) – if the canons cannot act someone must tell the Battuta Neri to collect these bodies. (The Battuta Neri are a confraternity whose members dedicate themselves to collecting and burying the dead not claimed by their own families – the order will be busy tonight.)
It is now very dark in the Duomo. Dusk is gathering outside and the banks of candles have burned themselves out. The smell of incense is still present but gone stale, mingling with the sweet, metallic smell of blood.
[The following is entirely optional, depending on whether the GM is running a campaign including magic or not. If rejected then the PCs reclaim the body of Giuliano and take it back to the Palazzo Medici.]
But there’s also another smell on the air – sort of like incense but sort of not – with a more bitter tang.
And then they find Giuliano’s body has gone! Who has stolen him? Is this more Pazzi treachery? From the trail of blood on the marble floor, it looks like he crawled or was dragged to the altar. A Tracking (7) or a Spot Hidden (10) reveals he was dragged by 2-3 pairs of feet – one of the people concerned was barefoot!
But here’s the strangest thing, no one was dragged from the altar – either Giuliano was carried out or he walked! A Tracking (10) confirms that Giuliano walked out with the others via the Porta dei Canonici but his trail is lost once outside the Duomo.
The altar itself is missing the silverware placed for the ceremony so rudely interrupted this morning. No one really thought much of that, presuming it looted during the rioting this afternoon but if someone stops to look, it can all be found behind the altar – it looks as if it were swept off the altar but nothing was stolen!
But then a Spot Hidden (9) spies black marks on the altar cloth – closer examination reveals black wax – and the bitter stench of polluted incense is stronger here. A Magic Sense (10) reveals that some mystical working has happened here recently, within the last few hours – everyone present is stricken with a sense of horror – someone has committed sacrilege at the altar of the Duomo using Lorenzo’s brother!
Someone has to break the news to Lorenzo – he is devastated! That someone should have stolen his brother’s body is bad enough, but to use poor Giuliano in a black mass is too horrible to be imagined. Lorenzo sends the PCs to take word of this latest outrage to the Bargello Dragonetti but not to mention the supernatural elements – “Things in Florence are bad enough – the people are not ready to hear what has happened to Giuliano. I will send people to search the buildings of the Pazzi enclave more thoroughly.” [By all means have him send the PCs but the Palazzo Pazzi has already been thoroughly looted and they find nothing.]
18.00: Darkness falls – Lorenzo orders the PCs and a dozen other Medici adherents he can trust to show restraint to support the Bargello in keeping order overnight – for those on patrol, there seems an air of watchful menace in the city.
The Last Roll of the Dice 23.00: The PCs are on a returning leg of their patrol when they see a man stumbling northward toward the Palazzo Medici less than a hundred yards away. There is a curfew in place until dawn and no one should be abroad this late at night so he needs to be challenged, but with sensitivity as he walks as if injured.
Approaching closer, the figure seems familiar and at some point, when within ten yards (requiring someone to dismount as the horses will come no closer), someone should recognise Giuliano – aside from walking and talking he seems much as he did last time they saw him – he is covered in multiple stab wounds and his clothing is drenched in blood, particularly down his right side, where he spent several hours lying in it. He leans against a nearby wall, clearly weak, looking very pale – as well he might.
If challenged, he says, “Please! Bring me to my brother! It is vital I see him. There is such danger…!”
First instincts might induce the PCs to take him to the Palazzo Medici and send for a doctor. But anyone who says they pay special attention may make a Spot Hidden (10) – success reveals flames flickering behind his eyes! Also anyone making Magic Sense (7) can sense a powerful dweomer coming from him, if that test reaches 10 it feels like a foul, unclean magic!
If forcefully challenged, physically apprehended or when he sees his brother, Giuliano’s flesh peals as the demonic form of Adelfoktonos (Greek meaning ‘Fratricide’) emerges. It has a wolf’s head with insect eyes, a lizard body, dark green at the back fading to yellow on the belly. His arms and legs are black, in the shape of a mantis with wicked claws, armoured in chitin, and he lashes a tiger’s tail. 19-20 16-18 13-15 12 9-11 6-8 3-5 1-2 Adelfoktonos Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Tail Bold 20 20 20 10 10 10 25 9 8 8 10 9 9 9 8 armour 2 6 6 2 2 6 6 2 Brawl: 6 + teeth & claws 4 + Phs 5 = +15; dmg d10+2d4 Melee: 0 + teeth & claws 0 + Phs 5 = +5; dmg d10+2d4 +2 vs cavalry
Note: Adelfoktonos is immune to normal weapons, only magic or a mystical heirloom blade can hurt him seriously. And he does not suffer penalties from being outnumbered as he can follow several opponents simultaneously and move his limbs independently.
He is truly fearsome in a brawl but if he’s kept at sword point in melee then he can be beaten fairly easily – provided the protagonists have a weapon that can hurt him. Otherwise, sooner or later he will win a round of combat and change it to a brawl, at which point he will use his teeth and claws, coupled with his immense strength, to literally tear his victim(s) limb-from-limb.
If Adelfoktonos wins against the PCs, or if they foolishly convey him to see Lorenzo at the Palazzo Medici, then the demon murders Lorenzo most horribly and the course of history is turned forever. Its task complete, the demon departs for Hell and Giuliano’s body falls to the floor amid his brother’s shredded remains.
If Adelfoktonos’ head, torso or total hit points fall to zero he staggers back and Giuliano’s body collapses to the floor bearing new wounds. Magic Sense reveals whatever was animating him has gone. The PCs can wrap Giuliano up in a winding sheet and carry him to the Palazzo Medici.
[All should be aware that cleaning and laying out a dead body is regarded as a task for the women of the household and Lucrezia will want to this herself – only when ready will she allow Lorenzo to see the body.]
[The whole demon incident is entirely optional. If magic is not a force in your game then don’t use it. Even if magic is a force, you don’t have to include it.
If you do want to use it but Giuliano’s body is reclaimed earlier then another body can substitute but the demon has stats 4pts lower across the board and has only Brawl 4. Alternatively the GM can rule that the demon cannot be summoned without using a close blood relative of Lorenzo. Obviously, an armed guard placed in the Duomo will prevent this but genuine combatants are at a premium and none should be available to guard the empty cathedral.
Incidentally, if anyone wonders where Giuliano has been since he walked out of the Duomo – he’s been hiding in the Campanile – if by chance any PCs specifically say they are searching there between 14.00 and around 22.30 then let him be discovered and have the fight there and then.
The reason Adelfoktonos waits until 11pm is that his powers wax and wane with the hours – for every complete hour before 11pm, reduce Adelfoktonos’ attributes and Brawl skill by 1.
Adelfoktonos is summoned by Fr Varanus, a renegade from the Order of Montalbano whom Sixtus IV sent to support the Pazzis. Essentially Adelfoktonos’ task is to kill either of Lorenzo or Giuliano if either survive the assassination in the Duomo – the idea being that with the Medici leadership removed, the Pazzis may return in a few days to complete their abortive coup.
Certainly if Adelfoktonos kills Lorenzo it will create a power vacuum in Florence and the single biggest patron of the Florentine Renaissance will be removed. But that does not mean that Sixtus and the Pazzis will get their own way.
Firstly there are Medici of the junior line – the line that later produced Grand Duke Cosimo – in 1478 this line is headed by the 15 year old Lorenzo de Pierfrancesco de Medici, who has been educated with his brother in Il Magnifico’s household since their father’s death two years earlier. The Medici party will most probably coalesce behind him. In reality, a crisis of the Medici Bank in the subsequent war with the Pope leads to Lorenzo plundering his wards’ inheritance, causing a souring of relations and they turn against Lorenzo’s son, Piero ‘the Unfortunate’ after Il Magnifico’s death – but nonetheless are exiled with him in 1494. But that has not yet happened and at the time of the Pazzi Conspiracy they see themselves as loyal members of the Medici faction.
Furthermore, the wielding of such unclean forces to a political end is not without consequences. If the GM’s game goes this route then there should some sort of spiritual backlash against Sixtus and any other surviving members of the Pazzi Conspiracy – this should prevent any Pazzi hegemony in Florence and may even dethrone Sixtus himself – instead of being remembered for the Sistine Chapel, he goes down in history as the demoniacal Pope.]
Aftermath Jacopo and Renato de Pazzi are arrested the next day, Jacopo in Castagno and Renato in the Mugello, north of Florence. They are brought back to Florence, condemned by the Signoria and hanged April 28th before being buried in the family plot in the church of Santa Croce.
But Jacopo is not allowed to rest in peace. Four days of unseasonably heavy rains cause people within and without the city to blame Jacopo’s impiety – they say God is enraged that such a man be allowed to rest in hallowed ground. The Eight Lords Priors order his body to be exhumed and reburied in unhallowed ground outside the walls between the gates (Porta) of Santa Croce and the Gate of Giustizia.
The Sun shines again but now rumour speaks of strange, eerie noises coming from the new burial ground – is Jacopo’s new resting place haunted?
The second afternoon after his reburial, a large number of young men – apprentices – dig up the corpse again and drag it by the rope still round his neck through the town, making it a mock procession with boys playing the part of guards demanding the crowds part for ‘the great and distinguished knight, Jacopo de Pazzi’.
They beat the cadaver with sticks and the diarist Luca Landucci remarks that they do not seem to mind the stink. The Eight forbid them to enter the Piazza della Signoria but they gleefully knock the corpse’s head on the doors of the deserted Palazzo Pazzi, calling ‘What, is there no one within to receive their master?’
Eventually they dump the body in the Arno from the Ponte Rubaconte. It has a few further adventures but is eventually washed out to sea.
May 3rd: Maffei and Bagnone are discovered in hiding in the convent of Badia Fiorentina, near the Duomo. Their discoverers hand them over to the authorities minus their ears, noses and genitals and they are hanged from the Bargello.
May 4th: the Count of Montesecco is captured April 28th in the Tuscan hinterland and makes a full confession before being beheaded in the Piazza della Signoria – the only conspirator not to be hanged thanks to the personal intervention of Lorenzo de Medici, who accepts at face value the mercenary’s claim to have refused to kill Lorenzo in the Duomo ‘in the sight of God’.
Aside from the executions, the Pazzi Bank is liquidated and its assets transferred to the city, as are the personal holdings of everyone involved. Anyone with the surname Pazzi has to change their name or be exiled. Their children are forbidden to marry and the men are barred from holding any political office within the city. The name is removed from all the streets and buildings and deleted from all official documents and records.
It may be apocryphal but some claim that this hounding of people based entirely on their name causes the Pazzi name to enter the lexicon as a synonym for scapegoat, the spelling eventually becoming anglicised to ‘patsy’ to give us the modern day word as infamously used by Lee Harvey Oswald.
The remaining fugitives from justice are hunted throughout Italy and even beyond. Baroncelli eventually flees all the way to Constantinople where a year later he is arrested by Sultan Mehmed II and returned in chains to be tried and hanged in the Bargello December 29th 1479. Leonardo da Vinci’s sketch of him dangling from the rope becomes famous.
Meanwhile the Pope excommunicates Lorenzo and places Florence under interdict before declaring a holy war. Things look bad… Dramatis Personae: the assassins Antonio Maffei: assassin priest Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP DB Native Language: Italian 11 9 9 10 12 12 9 - Bonuses - -1 -1 - +1 +1 Virtues: University Education: MA (3); +3 skill points (1) Flaws: hatred of Medici (3); driven by revenge (1) Skills: Bargain 1, Brawl 3, Carouse 2, Etiquette 3, Latin 5, Liturgy 2, Melee 1, Oratory 2, Persuade 1, Politics 2, Quadrivium 2, Read/Write 5, Ride 2, Trivium 3 Chattels: nondescript clerical robes Brawl: 3 + dagger -1 + Phs 0 = +2; damage is d4+2+1 Melee: 1 + dagger -1 + Phs 0 = +0; damage is d4+2+1 Story: Antonio harbours a bitter hatred for Lorenzo de Medici because he ordered the sacking of his home town when Volterra revolted against Florentine rule.
Stefano da Bagnone: assassin priest Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP DB Native Language: Italian 12 10 12 10 11 12 11 +1 Bonuses +1 - +1 - - +1 Virtues: University Education: BA (2); +4 attributes (1) Flaws: loyalty to Pazzi family (2); hothead (1) Skills: Bargain 1, Brawl 2, Carouse 2, Etiquette 2, Fast Talk 1, Gossip 1, Latin 6, Liturgy 1, Melee 1, Oratory 1, Persuade 2, Quadrivium 1, Read/Write 6, Trivium 2 Chattels: nondescript clerical robes Brawl: 2 + dagger -1 + Phs 1 = +2; damage is d4+2+1 Melee: 1 + dagger -1 + Phs 1 = +1; damage is d4+2+1 Story: Stefano is tutor to the Pazzi children.
Bernardo Bandini Baroncelli: assassin adventurer Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP DB Native Language: Italian 12 12 18 12 14 12 14 +1 Bonuses +1 +1 +4 +1 +2 +1 Virtues: strong willed (2); +8 attributes (2) Flaws: poor (2); compulsive gambler (2) Skills: Appraise 1, Bargain 1, Brawl 3, Carouse 3, Etiquette2, Fast Talk 3, Gambling 3, Intimidate 1, Listen 1, Melee 4, Oratory 2, Politics 3, Read/Write 3, Ride 4, Seduction 2, Spot Hidden 2 Chattels: nondescript clerical robes Brawl: 3 + dagger -1 + Phs 2 = +4; damage is d4+2+1 Melee: 4 + shortsword +1 + Qck/Grc 3 = +8; damage is d6+1 Story: Bernardo is an adventurer who has gambled away his inheritance. He entered into business with the Pazzi and owes them a lot of money. He is involved in the conspiracy to write off his debts but also the affair appeals to his sense of adventure. He is skilled with the blade and ‘of great quickness in mind and body’.
Francesco de Pazzi: assassin banker Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP DB Native Language: Italian 9 13 14 12 12 12 12 -1 Bonuses - +1 +2 +1 +1 +1 Virtues: University Education: MA (3); Wealthy Florentine family (2) Flaws: hatred of Medici (3); ? (2) Skills: Accounting 4, Bargain 4, Brawl 2, Carouse 2, Etiquette 3, Intimidate 2, Latin 4, Melee 1, Oratory 3, Persuade 3, Philosophy 2, Politics 2, Quadrivium 2, Read/Write 6, Ride 3, Trivium 3 Chattels: rich clothes befitting a wealthy banker Brawl: 3 + dagger -1 + Phs 0 = +2; damage is d4+2-1 Melee: 1 + dagger -1 + Qck/Grc 1 = +1; damage is d4+2-1 Story: Francesco hates the Medici for dominating Florentine politics. Other Conspirators in Florence Messer Jacopo de Pazzi: statesman banker Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP DB Native Language: Italian 12 14 10 14 14 12 15 +1 Bonuses +1 +2 - +2 +2 +1 Virtues: Wealthy Florentine family (3); +4 Attributes (1) Flaws: frustrated ambition (3); generous to poor (1) Skills: Accounting 4, Appraise (coin) 3, Bargain 4, Etiquette 3, French 2, Latin 4, Melee 3, Oratory 3, Persuade 3, Politics 4, Read/Write 5, Ride 4 Chattels: rich clothes befitting a knight Brawl: 0 + unarmed 0 + Phs 1 = +1; damage is d3-1+1 Melee: 3 + longsword 0 + Phs 1 = +4; damage is d8+1+1 Story: Jacopo hates the Medici for dominating Florentine politics and especially for Lorenzo’s legislation disinheriting his niece-in-law’s portion of the Boromei legacy. He likes to portray himself as a knight.
Jacopo di Poggio Bracciolini: scholar Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP DB Native Language: Italian 11 10 11 14 14 12 10 - Bonuses - - - +2 +2 +1 Virtues: University Education: Doctor of Philosophy (4); Wealth (1) Flaws: fanatical republican (4); detached from reality (1) Skills: Appraise (manuscript) 2, Bargain 3, Brawl 3, Carouse 3, Etiquette 2, Greek 4, History 4, Latin 6, Oratory 2, Persuade 2, Philosophy 4, Politics 4, Quadrivium 3, Read/Write 6, Ride 4, Trivium 4 Chattels: scholarly robes Brawl: 3 + unarmed 0 + Phs 0 = +3; damage is d3-1 Story: Jacopo does not hate the Medici and even dedicates a book to Lorenzo shortly before Easter 1478, but he is a fanatical republican and when he becomes Archbishop Salviati’s secretary he is drawn into the plot.
Francesco Salviati: archbishop of Pisa Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP DB Native Language: Italian 11 11 12 14 14 10 11 - Bonuses - - +1 +2 +2 - Virtues: University Education: Doctor of Philosophy (4); Pope’s Nephew (6); Wealth (2) Flaws: Medici antipathy (4); duty to Pope Sixtus IV (6); ambitious (2) Skills: Appraise (Art) 2, Bargain 2, Carouse 2, Charm 2, Etiquette 3, Gossip 2, History 2, Intimidate 2, Latin 6, Law (canon) 2, Listen 2, Liturgy 3, Oratory 3, Philosophy 2, Politics 3, Quadrivium 3, Read/Write 6, Ride 2, Sneak 2, Theology 2, Trivium 4 Chattels: archbishop’s trappings Story: Salviati attached himself to his uncle, Francesco della Rovere who became Pope Sixtus IV. Salviati was rewarded with the archbishopric of Pisa but Lorenzo de Medici blocked his appointment, barring him from the city. Salviati is very resentful of this, especially for the loss of income and chance of advancement.
Father Varanus: monastic demonist Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP DB Native Language: Italian 10 12 10 14 14 18 12 - Bonuses - +1 - +2 +2 +4 Virtues: Demonist – 6 spells (5); University Education: Doctor of Divinity (4); +8 attributes (2) Flaws: Dark Secret – Demonist (5); (4); duty to Pope Sixtus IV (2) Skills: Arcane Lore 3, Bargain 3, Demon Lore 4, Etiquette 1, Fast Talk 1, Glassblowing 2, Greek 5, Herb Lore 3, Latin 6, Listen 2, Liturgy 3, Magic Sense 3, Persuade 2, Quadrivium 3, Read/Write 6, Ride 2, Sneak 2, Theology 2, Trivium 4 Chattels: black monastic habit, tonsure, sandals, mule, laboratory and demonological paraphernalia Spells: Binding of Solomon, Blood Sacrifice, Draft Horoscope, Pentagram, Shrive the Place of Working, Summon Adelfoktonos Story: Father Varanus has been sent by the Pope as insurance against one of Lorenzo or Giuliano surviving the assassination. He will summon a demon to possess a corpse and direct it against surviving Medici. Perugian Mercenaries disguised as priests (twelve men all pretty much the same) Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Bold 13 13 14 9 10 12 14 5 4 4 6 5 5 5 Virtues: +8 Attributes (2) Flaws: villainous looking (2) 6 3 3 5 5 1 1 Armour Brawl: 3 + Unarmed 0 + Phs 1 = +4; damage is d3-1+d3 Brawl: 3 + dagger -1 + Phs 1 = +3; damage is d4+2+d3 Melee: 4 + shortsword +1 + Phs 1 = +6; damage is d6+1+d3 -2 vs cavalry
Perugian Horsemen: all have Ride 4 Marco Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Bold 14 12 14 9 10 12 14 5 4 4 6 5 5 5 Virtues: +8 Attributes (2) Flaws: villainous looking (2) 6 3 3 7 7 1 1 Armour Melee: 4 + broadsword 0 + Phs 2 = +6; damage is d8+1+d3
Luigi Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Bold 13 13 14 9 10 12 14 5 4 4 6 5 5 5 Virtues: +8 Attributes (2) Flaws: villainous looking (2) 6 3 3 7 7 1 1 Armour Melee: 4 + broadsword 0 + Phs 1 = +5; damage is d8+1+d2
Petrone Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Bold 12 14 14 9 10 12 15 5 4 4 6 5 5 5 Virtues: +8 Attributes (2) Flaws: villainous looking (2) 6 3 3 7 7 1 1 Armour Melee: 4 + broadsword 0 + Phs 1 = +5; damage is d8+1+1
Federico Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Bold 12 12 16 9 10 12 13 5 4 4 6 5 5 5 Virtues: +8 Attributes (2) Flaws: villainous looking (2) 6 3 3 7 7 1 1 Armour Melee: 4 + broadsword 0 + Phs 1 = +5; damage is d8+1+1
Battista Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Bold 14 12 14 9 10 12 14 5 4 4 6 5 5 5 Virtues: +8 Attributes (2) Flaws: villainous looking (2) 6 3 3 7 7 1 1 Armour Melee: 4 + broadsword 0 + Phs 2 = +6; damage is d8+1+d3
Giuseppe Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Bold 12 16 12 9 10 12 17 6 5 5 7 6 6 6 Virtues: +8 Attributes (2) Flaws: villainous looking (2) 6 3 3 7 7 1 1 Armour Melee: 4 + broadsword 0 + Phs 1 = +5; damage is d8+1+1
The Mob Giovanni Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL 11 10 12 12 12 10 10 4 3 3 5 4 4 4 Melee: 2 + shortsword & buckler +2 + Phs 0 = +4; damage is d6+1 -2 vs cavalry
Tommaso Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL 13 12 12 10 12 12 14 5 4 4 6 5 5 5 Melee: 3 + shortsword & buckler +2 + Phs +1 = +6; damage is d6+1+d2 -2 vs cavalry
Rodrigo Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL 13 10 10 10 10 10 11 4 3 3 5 4 4 4 Melee: 4 + shortsword & buckler +2 + Phs +1 = +7; damage is d6+1+d2 -2 vs cavalry
Clemente Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL 11 12 10 10 11 10 12 4 3 3 5 4 4 4 Melee: 4 + longsword 0 + Phs 0 = +4; damage is d8+1 -1 vs cavalry
Giulio Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL 12 10 12 12 12 10 11 4 3 3 5 4 4 4 Melee: 2 + rapier & dagger +2 + Phs +1 = +5; damage is d6+1+1 -1 vs cavalry
Dino Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL 12 10 11 9 11 10 11 4 3 3 5 4 4 4 Melee: 1 + wood axe 0 + Phs +1 = +2; damage is d6+1+1 -2 vs cavalry
Martino Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL 11 10 11 10 11 10 10 4 3 3 5 4 4 4 Melee: 1 + falchion 0 + Phs 0 = +1; damage is d6+1 -2 vs cavalry
Paulo Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL 10 10 12 10 11 10 10 4 3 3 5 4 4 4 Melee: 1 + shortsword & buckler +2 + Phs 0 = +3; damage is d6+1 -2 vs cavalry
Stefano Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL 13 13 9 7 11 10 14 5 4 4 6 5 5 5 Melee: 1 + heavy club -1 + Phs +1 = +1; damage is d8+2+d2 -2 vs cavalry
Guillermo Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL 14 10 10 9 10 10 12 4 3 3 5 4 4 4 Melee: 1 + 2H short spear +1 + Phs +2 = +4; damage is d8+1+d3 +2 vs cavalry
Ottaviano Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL 10 10 12 10 11 10 10 4 3 3 5 4 4 4 Melee: 1 + shortsword & buckler +2 + Phs 0 = +3; damage is d6+1 -2 vs cavalry
Luca Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL 13 13 9 7 11 10 14 5 4 4 6 5 5 5 Melee: 1 + heavy club -1 + Phs +1 = +1; damage is d8+2+d2 -2 vs cavalry
Costa Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL 14 10 10 9 10 10 12 4 3 3 5 4 4 4 Melee: 1 + 2H short spear +1 + Phs +2 = +4; damage is d8+1+d3 +2 vs cavalry Medici Adherents
Olympia: Daughter of Circe Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP DB Native Language: Italian 8 12 14 16 16 14 10 -d2 Bonuses -2 +1 +2 +3 +3 +2 Virtues: Witch – 6 spells (3); +8 Attributes (2); noble birth (1) Flaws: Dark Secret – witch (3); Code of Honour: champion women (2); black sheep (1) Skills: Arcane Lore 2, Brewing 1, Carouse 2, Dance 2, Disguise 2, Embroidery 1, Etiquette 3, Fast Talk 2, Gossip 2, Heraldry 1, Herb Lore 3, Hide 2, Magic Sense 3, Persuade 3, Play Harp 1, Poison Lore 3, Politics 3, Read/Write 4, Ride 3, Seduction 3, Sing 1, Sneak 2 Chattels: Spells: Call Obscuring Mists, Cleanse Wound, Divination by Tarot, Open the Way, Staunch Bleeding, Ward Against Conception Story: Olympia was born into a noble family in Rome. Thanks to her father’s early death, her family fell on hard times and Olympia was forced to turn to the only profession available to someone of her station. Luckily she was spotted by a member of the coven of witches known as the Daughters of Circe. Olympia chose herself a new name to avoid any dishonour to her family. Olympia has recently taken a new recruit under her wing, whom she located using divination.
Lorenzo Cavalcanti: Patrician, black sheep b.1458 Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP DB Native Language: Italian 12 12 12 12 12 12 13 +1 Bonuses +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 Virtues: Wealthy Florentine family (2); University Education: MA (3) Flaws: black sheep (3); reckless (3) Skills: Accounting 2, Animal Care 2, Appraise 2, Bargain 2, Brawl 3, Carouse 3, Charm 2, Etiquette 2, Fast Talk 4, Gambling 2, Latin 4, Melee 4, Oratory 2, Politics 2, Quadrivium 2, Read/Write 4, Ride 4, Seduction 2, Trivium 3 Chattels: good quality clothes Brawl: 3 + unarmed 0 + Phs +1 = +4; damage is d3-1+1 Brawl: 3 + dagger -1 + Phs +1 = +3; damage is d4+2+1 Melee: 4 + dagger -1 + Phs +1 = +4; damage is d4+2+1 -2 vs cavalry Melee: 4 + rapier +1 + Phs +1 = +6; damage is d6+1+1 -1 vs cavalry Story: Cavalcanti was a ne’er-do-well youth but he’s found a refuge in Lorenzo’s household and his family have high hopes that Il Magnifico’s influence will turn the lad around. [He might make an attractive PC – if so, allow the player to customise the attributes and skills and add a third virtue and flaw if desired.]
Palazzo della Signoria Cesare Petrucci: Gonfalonier of Justice Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP DB Native Language: Italian 13 12 14 14 14 13 13 +d2 Bonuses +1 +1 +2 +2 +2 +1 Virtues: University Education: doctorate (4); +8 Attributes (2); wealth (1) Flaws: duty to Florence (4); loyal to Lorenzo de Medici (2); violent temper (1) Skills: Accounting 1, Appraise 2, Bargain 3, Brawl 4, Etiquette 2, Fast Talk 3, History 1, Intimidate 4, Latin 6, Melee 2, Oratory 3, Persuade 3, Philosophy 2, Politics 4, Quadrivium 3, Read/Write 6, Ride 3, Trivium 4 Chattels: rich robes befitting his role as Gonfalonier of Justice Brawl: 4 + unarmed 0 + Phs 1 = +5; damage is d3-1+d2 Melee: 2 + cooking spit -1 + Phs 1 = +2; damage is d6+1+d2 Story: a vigorous and physical man in early middle age, Cesare was a bit of a tavern brawler in his youth.
Gilberto Franzetti: Signoria guard captain Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP DB Native Language: Italian 14 12 12 10 12 12 14 +d3 Bonuses +2 +1 +1 - +1 +1 Skills: Brawl 4, Carouse 3, Charm 2, Etiquette 1, Intimidate 3, Latch Crossbow 3, Law 1, Leatherworking 3, Listen 3, Melee 4, Politics 2, Read/Write 2, Ride 4, Sneak 3, Spot Hidden 3, Strategy & Tactics 1 Brawl: 4 + unarmed 0 + Phs 2 = +6; damage is d3-1+d3 Melee: 4 + longsword 0 + Phs 2 = +6; damage is d8+1+d3 Story: an experienced infantryman from Milan, Gilberto commands Petrucci’s guardsmen.
Signoria Guards: Petrone Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Bold 12 12 12 10 11 10 14 5 3 3 5 5 3 3 Virtues: +4 Attributes (1) Flaws: not very bright (1) 6 3 3 5 5 3 3 Armour Melee: 4 + broadsword 0 + Phs 1 = +5; damage is d8+1+1
Albizzi Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Bold 12 12 12 10 11 10 14 5 4 4 6 5 5 5 Virtues: +4 Attributes (1) Flaws: not very bright (1) 6 3 3 5 5 3 3 Armour Melee: 4 + broadsword 0 + Phs 1 = +5; damage is d8+1+1
Franco Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Bold 12 12 12 10 11 10 15 5 4 4 6 5 5 5 Virtues: +4 Attributes (1) Flaws: not very bright (1) 6 3 3 5 5 3 3 Armour Melee: 4 + broadsword 0 + Phs 1 = +5; damage is d8+1+1
Gian-Maria Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Bold 12 12 12 10 11 10 13 5 4 4 6 5 5 5 Virtues: +4 Attributes (1) Flaws: not very bright (1) 6 3 3 5 5 3 3 Armour Melee: 4 + broadsword 0 + Phs 1 = +5; damage is d8+1+1
Mercutio Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Bold 12 12 12 10 11 10 14 5 4 4 6 5 5 5 Virtues: +4 Attributes (1) Flaws: not very bright (1) 6 3 3 5 5 3 3 Armour Melee: 4 + broadsword 0 + Phs 1 = +5; damage is d8+1+1
Ottone Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Bold 12 12 12 10 11 10 17 6 5 5 7 6 6 6 Virtues: +4 Attributes (1) Flaws: not very bright (1) 6 3 3 5 5 3 3 Armour Melee: 4 + broadsword 0 + Phs 1 = +5; damage is d8+1+1 Medici Bravos
Giacomo Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL bold 12 10 12 12 14 12 11 4 3 3 5 4 4 4 Brawl: 3 + unarmed 0 + Phs +1 = +4; damage is d3-1+1 Melee: 5 + longsword 0 + Phs +1 = +6; damage is d8+1+1 -1 vs cavalry
Ricardo Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL bold 12 10 16 16 14 12 11 4 3 3 5 4 4 4 Brawl: 6 + unarmed 0 + Phs +1 = +7; damage is d3-1+1 Brawl: 6 + dagger -1 + Phs +1 = +6; damage is d4+2+1 Melee: 2 + shortsword 1 + Qck/Grc +3 = +6; damage is d6+1+1 -2 vs cavalry Thrown Knife: 3 + Grc +3 = +6; damage is d6+d2-1
Giancarlo Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Uncertain 10 10 12 10 11 10 10 4 3 3 5 4 4 4 Melee: 3 + shortsword & buckler +2 + Phs 0 = +5; damage is d6+1 -2 vs cavalry
Pietro Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Uncertain 12 13 9 7 12 10 14 5 4 4 6 5 5 5 Melee: 2 + broadsword & buckler 1 + Phs 1 = +4; damage is d8+2+1 -1 vs cavalry
Salvatore Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Uncertain 14 10 10 9 10 10 12 4 3 3 5 4 4 4 Melee: 1 + 2H short spear +1 + Phs 2 = +4; damage is d8+1+d3 +2 vs cavalry
Nico Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Uncertain 10 10 12 10 11 10 10 4 3 3 5 4 4 4 Melee: 3 + shortsword & buckler +2 + Phs 0 = +5; damage is d6+1 -2 vs cavalry
Christoforo Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Uncertain 13 13 9 7 11 10 14 5 4 4 6 5 5 5 Melee: 2 + wood axe 0 + Phs 1 = +3; damage is d8+2+d2 -2 vs cavalry
Vettore Phs Con Qck Grc Int Psy HP Hd LA RA Ch Ab RL LL Uncertain 14 10 10 9 10 10 12 4 3 3 5 4 4 4 Melee: 1 + 2H short spear +1 + Phs 2 = +4; damage is d8+1+d3 +2 vs cavalry
Florence from the south-east
The high altar in the Duomo from the west
Florence City Centre