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I looked upon the scene before me - upon the mere house, and the simple landscape features of the domain - upon the bleak walls upon the vacant eye-like windows - upon a few rank sedges - and upon a few white trunks of decayed trees - with an utter depression of the soul, which I can compare to no earthly sensation… - Edgar Allan Poe * There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy - William Shakespeare * No Man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks. - Mary Wollstonecraft * Tell me the news, again, whatever it is... sorrow and I are hardly strangers. I can bear the worst. ― Sophocles






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The Setting
Topic Started: Apr 29 2016, 10:49 PM (817 Views)
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The City
Turin - or Torino - is one of the largest cities in Italy, with a population just shy of 900,000 in the city proper with another 1.7 million in the surrounding urban areas. It is located in the North-West, along the Western border of the Po Valley, between the Alps which crown it and the hills to the East. The city is but an hours drive from the French border, and slightly more than that from the Mediterranean sea.

Its city center is remarkable for the geometrical order of its streets (which still follows the grid patterns of the Romans), for the aristocratic elegance of its squares and palaces, and for the intersection of the Po river. Out of the center, a vast expanse of suburbs, both industrial and residential, hosts a most varied population.

Turin is a lively business and cultural center: home to the FIAT, the (in)famous Italian automaker, and to a myriad of other companies big and small. It is also the base of some well-reputed educational institutions, such as the University of Turin and the Politecnico, which attract students from across the country and occasionally even abroad.

Whilst not a destination as sought after as Venice or Rome, in recent years it has become an increasingly popular tourist hotspot. Thus, you can expect people working in customer service to understand some English, at least in fashionable areas. The younger generations would typically understand it, too. However, most older and/or less educated residents won't understand anything but Italian (and their regional dialect).

However, Turin is renowned for being the Italian capital of occultism and magic. Supposedly, it lies at the conjunction of two esoteric triangles of good and evil: Piazza Castello is rumoured to be part of the triangle of White Magic whilst Piazza Statuto has a darker reputation for the triangle of Black. Masonic and other abstruse symbols can be found across several monuments, whilst legends claim that the underground tunnels of the Old Fort are actually only a small part of a wider unknown network. Caves of Alchemy are supposedly hidden within the cities subterranean depths too, offering a possible passageway to other dimensions.

The Kindred
Your character may be more or less informed on the history of Turin and on the legends that surround it. The city is quite notorious for those who are into lore, mysteries and secrets... but then not everyone is an occultist, nor do they all pay attention to hearsay.

There is, however, at least one thing you've most definitely been told, if you even bothered asking for some information before packing up and shipping off: Turin is not claimed by any sect; there is no Prince, Bishop, or Baron nor any other established authority; there are a sparse few Kindred - and you are going to join their number!. Oh, and there isn't an Elysium either, if the Kindred in Turin want one, they need to make it themselves!

According to your affiliation, you might have someone's contact, or know about this or that location... but there isn't any single place where you must go to introduce yourself, or a mandatory meeting spot for Kindred. The city has been in such a way for more than 150 years. The Camarilla's lack of interest in ruling Turin is remarkable and even surprising, for the Elders call it cursed, dangerous, worthless, but rarely explain what's so wrong about the place. Then the Sabbat, on the other hand, would love to take dominion, but their packs have unerringly met more unpropitious fates than any other Kindred.

Other Domains
Now, this doesn't mean that Turin is entirely ignored by the powers that be. There are other Domains, nearby; Domains that may be ostensibly uninterested in the destiny of the city, but that keep an eye on it; study its strangeness; send their - more or less expendable - envoys.

Genoa, the closest Camarilla Domain, is ruled by Vittorio degli Alberici, a self-centered and self-pleased Toreador Prince, who appointed his Childe and lover as Seneschal. The two are unarguably more interested in each other and in their lavish celebrations, than into anything resembling foreign politics. Their position is fairly stable, as everyone is happy with a ruler who is too self-absorbed to intrude on anyone else. Genoa is the place where a dutiful Cam newcomer would first be directed, if they wanted to move to Turin. The domain also has an unofficial but notorious bureau that keeps an eye on major cases of Masquerade breaches that could happen in Turin - even if you don't want to rule the Cursed Domain, it doesn't mean you want to get attention that close to home...

Milan, another major Cam city not too far from Turin, has a special history on its own: what with Prince Giangaleazzo betraying the Sabbat and joining the Ivory Tower. The city has an ongoing feud with the Sword, who considers taking it back a point of honour. Therefore, the Court has very little interest in foreign affairs - and has little patience for bullshit. The Prince is a ruthless despot with no veneer of humanity. He adopted the Traditions because of pride and convenience, but refuses to cater to the delusions of youngsters.

Alternatively, the Sabbat has a small but stable presence in the lakeside town of Viverone, where a regular pack and a Black Hand kamut are in residence. They serve both as a coordination for the packs that are sent to Milan, and as a strategic observation point on Turin. Any new arrivals who serve the Sword, may first pass through their territory; picking up the local whispers and warnings of the looming Cursed domain they dream to claim.

Then, the closest Anarch Domain worth its salt is the city of Bologna, long since under the rule of the Baron Andreina Stanzani. A visionary Malkavian Ancilla, who sees Bologna as her own utopic ideal; oblivious of the many practical deficiencies of her Barony. She is a charismatic leader who garners both the cult-like devotion of her closest followers and skeptical support of many others (who still recognize her role in conquering Bologna for the Anarch cause). Bologna is a typically European Anarch reality, in opposition with the strict traditionalism of the Camarilla - only work with them in the event of a Sabbat rising threat.
Edited by Roofie, May 11 2016, 07:37 PM.
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My characters: Lavinia Alberti - Dina Marangon - Jessica Marra
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