Verona By Night Verona By Night ction Chapter One: History Chapter Two: Geography 17 Chapter Three: Verona’s Disticts 2 Chapter Four: Other Characters 81 x 95 Credits Special Thanks Written By: Marco Calesella Developed By: Marco Calesella Edited By: Aurora Torchia © 2018 White Wolf Entertainment AB. All rights reserved. Vampire: The Masquerade®, World of Darkness®, Storytelling System™, and Storytellers Vault™ are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of White Wolf Entertainment AB. All rights reserved. For additional information on White Wolf and the World of Darkness, please, visit: www.white-wolf.com, www.worldofdarkness.com and www.storytellersvault.com. 2 CREDITS ction Su ‘l castello di Verona | batte il sole a mezzogiorno | da la Chiusa al pian rintrona | solitario un suon di corno. Giosuè Carducci n the borders between the Tolerated and sometimes encouraged by the city's domains under continuous siege true masters, these clashes are consummated within in Milan's shadow on one side, a few years, unlike the decades or centuries that are and the lands wrapped the norm in the surrounding domains. For this in the draining embrace reason Verona has acquired a particular reputation. of Venetian Necromancers' On the one hand, the City of Hatred is avoided, if influence on the other, the not ignored, by the plots of the Elders of the Italian socalledo city of Love could not be further from its domains because of the mortally toxic environment: reputation. While Verona finds itself divided both Camarilla's Archons and Giovanni between extremely jealous and paranoid lords, ambassadors feel a certain disquiet walking Scaliger devoted to the most unbridled competition and streets. On the other hand, due to the fast turnover, incited by the burning eyes of the city's two Barons, both for expatriation or for Final Death, of the relations between Cainites could not be more Cainites who govern the various districts, this is the venomous. Although a façade of courtesy and ideal terrain for a young enterprising Neonate who civility is maintained inside Madama Lucrezia's wants to quickly acquire influences, knowledge or Elysium or in the salons of the noble Capuleti, power. The trap, in which these arrogant upstarts unfortunate incidents incessantly take place in the inevitably fall, quickly closes around them, and soon city's illuminated streets, leading to the defeat and they find themselves devoured by the vortex of even the destruction of the Cainites perched in their destruction and resentment that surrounds the feuds, amongst ephemeral alliances imbued with domain. double and triple plays. RONA 5 Finally they find themselves unable to escape from the city and to keep what they have earned, dragged into the deadly embrace of Verona. Themes The existence in the venetian city is full of possibilities for a Cainite, be him a Neonate ready to get ahead into the unlife or an Ancilla fed up with the immobility of the Camarilla courts. Since the Della Scala regency Verona has achieved great wealth, both economic and cultural. In this latter area, it's generally considered a second Florence, and both the numerous artists who worked here in the past and its artistic and craft traditions have created fertile ground for flourishing businesses – in the right hands. At the same time the continuous infighting and the rapid disappearanceof inadequate Cainites leave the field free for an enterprising Neonate, without these necessarily having to collect the crumbs from the tables ofthe Whenever a threat, both internal and external, Elders. occurs for one of the two, the other runs to his Some of the main themes of a chronicle set in the rescue with a timeliness unique even for a City of Love and Hatred are ambition and the risk Cainite. This fact has kept the diarchy that it entails, as well as the limits that one is willing undisputed over the centuries. There are rumors to overcome in the name of hatred and of the that the baronial enmity is just a mask to hide a will to conquer all. There are two scourges that can hidden alliance, if not alov e bond. Those who crush the imprudent and the careless. So much know the Barons better and have greater opportunity, as had already happened in the past in familiarity with them, however, suggest their the human colonies ofev ery corner of the earth, hostility has become so ingrained toborder leads to a fierce competition among allth e Cainites jealousy; only one of them has the right and duty who are accepted within the Scaliger borders: these to annihilate the other. An ironic twist of fate in Kindred have few qualms about doing everything the city of Love and Hatred. necessary to achieve supremacy. Those who emerge victorious from the fights way too often end up quickly becoming victim of other Mood competitors, and alliances break like glass in front of Neonates and Ancillae who receive investiture the temptation offered by excessive trust. The same of vassal are full of enthusiasm when they arrive dynamism recurs, in increasingly refined and elegant in their new domains.Th ey settle on their forms, the more you climb Verona's social ladder, thrones, smug for the freedom they canfinally with the most important vassals who struggle to enjoy after the submission and the bonds which wrest privileges and possessions from their they had to withstand under their Sires and their neighbors. The city does not fall intothe chaos of rotting courts becauseof court gamesand reciprocal cannibalism thanks to two factors of customs. Of course, they must still obeythe extreme importance: first of all, the city Elders are Traditions, but for the most partTrad itions are authentic masters of divide-et-impera tactics, and principles that have been inculcated in them since nip in the bud every possible alliance to oust them their Embrace: having to follow these rules for a with a subtle advise or a vague promise in the right practical reason rather than because they've been ear; but above all, despite the mutualh atred they forced on them has a different flavor.Shortly, display, the two Barons have always demonstrated however, they realize that even the most fragrant their will to maintain their rule at all costs. flower has thorns. RONA 6 The first thing that the new vassals realize is that a system of thought in which the Cainites could they are truly alone in Verona: certainly, inevery see in their neighbor not only competition, but Cainite court nothing is done out ofgood heart or also a possible collaborator, if not a blood brother. generosity, but even so bonds of collaboration given At the end of the blood orgy of those years, in by a commonality of intent, Clan orMentor-Pupil fact, on one hand the old structure remained, relationship exist. In Verona none of thisapplies. although reformed in the Camarilla; on the Each Cainite is fiercely tied tohis fief, anda other, the rebels gathered in the Sabbat, request for help is interpreted only as aweakness continuing the fight against the Antediluvians, or ready to be exploited for material, diplomatic or remained on the margins, where the law of the political advantages. Since there is no fittest and the iron fist of the Inquisition was in institutionalized figure such as the Harpies to take force. Finally, the more idealistic ones gave life, into account the pactsand the favors granted, where possible, to their Anarch utopias: in a short alternative methods are necessary to make sure one time, however, those regressed to ugly copies of keeps his word: the intercession of a Lord, Blood medieval feudalism or to shaky communes held Bonds, hostages and so on. Therefore, in the together only by the efforts of their leaders. Verona Veronese Cainites the predominant emotion is represents the most obscure side of the Anarch paranoia. Even duringsocial events held in the ideal, a society where individual freedom is the salons of the Barons, the atmosphere appears tense: first precept. The most unrestrained every word is weighed and measured. Behind every individualism and the pursuit of power at any agreement and every promise are hidden double cost are simply the natural consequence of this plays and betrayals, planned beforehand: for this chimera. In a society born with these values, there reason, the wise Cainite prepares countermeasures are no constraints in one's personal growth that of every kind, both of mundane and supernatural cannot be overridden by will and determination, but nature. A visitor from the outside feels perpetually neither trust nor brotherhood exist as concepts. Just threatened: the attitude of Veronese Kindred a basic infrastructure is kept in order to prevent appears to him particularly treacherous and Scaliger Cainites from self-destructing, but aggressive. Because of this, Verona'scourts receive everything is free outside of it. The Beast reigns visits only when necessary. supreme within Verona and every night that The only instances in which there is a true form of passes is more and more satiated. collaboration is when a Lord requires an Investiture A chronicle set in Verona is focused on the to be celebrated or when arediscovered threats extreme limits of Anarch values, but it can easily from the outside. In this case, allthe hostility that intertwine with other themes expressed outside the Veronese normally reserve for their kindred is the city borders. For example, a Cainite who begins poured against the enemy, annihilating the threat to have doubts about the validity of the customs of without any pity or qualm.Once the danger is the Camarilla courts can look at Verona as an thwarted, however, the atmosphere returns to example of what happens outside of them; on the normality, and only hatred flows between contrary, an Anarch coterie could see its ideals the Cainites.