Badacelli
From London Requiem
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As per the Camarilla Addendum - 2.1.11.3 Camarilla Settings Bloodlines, playing a Badacelli requires Mid Approval in Italy, High elsewhere; Bishops are Master for Player Characters, with King/Queen NPCs also requiring that Approval level.
Written by:
Matthew Sanderson UK0307-1730
sidestorm@hotmail.com
Contents |
[edit] Baddacelli
Timothy 6:10 said that the love of money was the root of all evil, yet society has dictated
that it is that small collection of coins that makes the world go round. The Baddacelli
decided long ago that there was one sure way to avoid the evils of currency: by controlling
the way it passed to and from them. To this end, they established themselves as a merchant
family long before they ever felt the cold touch of the Requiem.
The Baddacelli hail from Northern Italy in the early Renaissance and they have extended their influence across the world, following trade routes and setting themselves up amongst many of the international commercial companies of today. Small in numbers they may be, but their aptitude for business manipulation is rivaled only by the likes of the Ventrue in its scale and magnitude. It is maybe for this reason that they have become diametrically opposed to the Licinii family of the Ventrue in a covert war that has been fought for the best part of five hundred years.
Not long after the family entered into Kindred society, they soon realized that eternity was an asset not to be cast aside by any means. With it they could plan extensive expansion into Europe and across the world, controlling mortal monetary affairs in the market places of the 1500s through to the stock markets of the modern nights. However, as they set about their expansion into Northern Europe they ran into problems. The noble houses of the courts they set their eyes upon to become their primary clients in the area, since they were the largest centers of wealth in the Old World, were being gradually taken over by the Licinii.
Co-incidence or direct rivalry from the start, none but the oldest of the Baddacelli know, but it quickly developed into an underground war when it was clear that the two families were in direct opposition over the same goal. Whilst they don�t share their enemies hatred of their opponents, they are not inclined to liking them very much either. They don�t miss the opportunity to score a hit on their adversaries and when they set themselves up in a city, they first set about making a vast contact network to learn of any Licinii presence, which they then begin to tear apart a small bit at a time through digging up their nastiest secrets and turning them against them.
Resourceful and the keepers of everyone else�s secrets, they are information brokers without par with extensive financial backing to call upon. But just how far has their business empire extended around the globe in the last five hundred years?
[edit] Information
Parent Clan: Nosferatu
Nickname: Brokers
Covenant: Given their monetary fixation, the Baddacelli favor the Invictus but have found homes in nearly all the covenants. The Carthian Movement is their secondary choice, believing that democracy and freedom promote enterprise by opening doors to all
and allowing more customers access to their goods.
Whilst several members have been accepted membership amongst the Lancea Sanctum, it is mainly to further their information networks in a given city amongst their parishioners, Kindred and otherwise. On a similar note, the Ordo Dracul are an interesting ground for cultivation since their thirst for ancient knowledge often means they are willing to pay the high price asked by the Baddacelli for such tomes.
However, The Circle of the Crone is the least populated of the covenants to date since their beliefs and ethics do not combine well to form a flourishing business environment. Whilst a scattering of the bloodline has taken up residence in their society, they have not had much success in cultivating any worthwhile results.
Appearance: Different companies have different dress codes, but in general, they
all have the same running theme: smart and professional. The Baddacelli are by no means
any exception. It�s rare to find a member of the family out of a designer suit (usually of
Italian origin) and more than three feet away from a top of the range mobile phone and
electronic organizer. Keeping up with the bleeding edge of business technology takes a great
deal of resources, but the Baddacelli have this in abundance.
Haven: Always in the heart of a city, close to the business districts, Baddacelli
have a tendency towards office penthouses � often above the company�s they control.
Security is their primary concern rather than practicality or size. When not in high-rise
buildings, they tend to commission their own houses in the city, adorning them with the
latest technology at their disposal � not to mention planning various varied escape routes at
the same time.
Background: The Baddacelli family has extended their influence all over the
world. They went across the Atlantic with the Conquistadors to reap the profits of the New
World. They followed the spice roads to India and into the silk lands of China and the Far
East. There is not one corner of the globe their empire has not touched and exploited to their own ends. They embrace only from their mortal descendants, and even then, only
those who meet their cutthroat business expectations. Only those with the highest degree of
business competency, the ruthlessness to make the deal no-one else would dare to, the
ingenuity to find out the secrets others have striven so hard to hide and turn it against
them: those are the people that the Baddacelli desire in their numbers. To date there has
only ever been a maximum of sixteen members of this bloodline active in the world at any
one time.
Character Creation: Mental and social attributes come vastly head of physical prowess for
the Baddacelli. A mighty fist might well be able to hit the table so it�s heard in the next
room, but a more cunning tongue and a sharp mind can get the deal they wish. Likewise,
associated skills such as Academics, Computers, Finance, Intimidation, Persuasion, Socialise
and Subterfuge are commonplace in their tools of their trade. Expensive Havens, Resources,
extensive mortal Contacts and Status in the business arena are also standard aspects of their
lives.
Bloodline Disciplines: Majesty, Nightmare, Obfuscate & Vigor
Weakness: As members of the Nosferatu clan, Baddacelli demonstrate their forebears�
weakness. With regard to dice pools based on Presence or Manipulation Attributes in social
situations, the 10 Again rule does not apply. This weakness does not apply to dice pools that
involve the Intimidation Skill, or to the Composure Attribute.
Additionally, all members of this bloodline are convinced as to the superiority of their lineage. Upon joining the bloodline, all members receive the derangement Narcissism, or if they already had that derangement, then it upgrades to Megalomania.
Organization: Just as they have divided up the landscape around them into a chessboard,
the members of the bloodline have taken upon the roles of the pieces upon the board. The
head of the family himself has never given a definitive answer as to whether or not he is the
King upon the board or a player, since very few Baddacelli ever know very much about those
who stand above them, other than the fact it is from the very top that they receive their
orders to take another �square� and any dealings they may have had over the years with
their direct superiors.
The bloodline is limited to sixteen members, worldwide.
�Pawns� form half the ranks, scattered throughout the world and embedding themselves into various positions of political power. They are the typical members of the family to be found anywhere, if anyone is lucky enough to find them in the first place. They receive their orders from the head of the family but are otherwise kept in the dark and, some consider in a somewhat paranoid fashion, that they are expendable resources to the furthering of their goal. Like in a game of chess, only one piece may occupy any one square at a given time, so where you find one Baddacelli, that will be the only one that can be found there, unless they are grooming a replacement piece that has been �taken� by the other side. Pawns are ordered to obey and co-operate with the requests of any other Pawn that may need their aid in activities outside their square.
�Rooks� are members of the bloodline who have risen to the rank of Prince in their �squares� and have held the position for a lengthy period of time. There are only ever two Rooks in play at a time and they are both sworn to aid each other in times of crisis by any means possible. Likewise, their status above the Pawns means they may order them to help, but never use them as a sacrifice to protect themselves. That final call comes down to the head of the family.
�Knights� are the internal enforcers of the family. Allowed to roam the battlefield, they ensure communications run smoothly and efficiently, passing out the orders from the head. If anyone is found to be out of line and not playing within the confines of their role, they are given the solemn right to �take� one of their own pieces and see about its replacement. There are only ever two in play at a time and are usually the more ruthless of the family, with hands drenched in decades of bloodshed of their own kind. They are very rarely used to take an enemy square, but will do so when the opportunity presents itself, and soon clear the way for another piece to occupy it. Both �Rooks� and �Pawns� are obliged to take orders from them when handed out.
�Bishops� are the advisors to the Executive Board (the �King� and �Queen�). Almost always from the Lancea Sanctum there are, once again, only ever two in play, and help arbitrate disputes between pieces if any arise for a legitimate reason. They also act in a role similar to that of the Knights, in that they watch over the board and report back to the head, keeping him updated on the progress of the game. They are very rarely seen by the other pieces and take a very minimal role in the night-to-night running of the game, as they are only called upon when needed.
The Executive Board is unseen by all except the Bishops, and they�re not saying who these individuals are, if they even exist in the modern nights. No one knows where they reside, since they have no direct contact with the rest of the pieces and co-ordinate the game from the shadows. When the light finally comes and reveals their identities, the end game will have begun � but will many pieces be left to witness this momentous occasion...?
Concepts: Cut-throat businessman, computer nerd, private investigator, financier, bank
manager, entrepreneur, shadow partner, etc.
[edit] History
With eternity in the hands of the Kindred, many of those who resist the pull of torpor for centuries find themselves in a dire need of something to occupy their time, for their entertainment as well as their sanity�s sake. Some Kindred sire childe, others play games of various natures...
The game they play has a simple goal, although no one outside them and their counterparts in the game, the Licinii of the Ventrue, have any idea as to what it could be � or even that their game exists in the first place. The members of the bloodline have been led to believe that this is simply domination of everything. In reality, it means nothing at all. The Baddacelli were a merchant family from Florence. Their business empire stretched all around the Mediterranean and they claim to have been instrumental in the economic growth of Northern Italy in the early Renaissance, though few mortal records show this.
However, the Requiem fell upon a member of the mortal family, one Niccolò Baddacelli, and the family was to be forever changed. He quickly built the vampiric side of the family, and it grew to overshadow, and eventually all but eliminate the mortal branch. Immortality soon descended into boredom and when Niccolò went out in search of others of his kind to find a way to pass away the centuries rather than give in and accept a more lasting state of death, he found Antonio Licinii.
The two families, the Baddacelli and the Licinii had had dealings whilst mortal, but becoming Kindred brought them together like never before. The two of them met in the court of Rome and would spend hours in philosophical debate over a chessboard. Sometimes games would last for a whole night, and then as time passed, they turned into nights, then weeks, then months. The result was the same in every case: stalemate. Two opponents so equally matched there was seemingly no way to tell the two of them apart.
Finally, the two began to grow tired as they yearned for a game larger in scale, where the risks were higher and the payoff greater, something that would test their intellects to their limits and allow them to understand more about who they were as people and vampires. They settled upon a test of their skills and tactics that would also allow them to understand how the minds of vampires worked around them, to make them social and political superiors of everyone around them. They formed their bloodlines from their families and gave them their orders. The Baddacelli based their playing field upon their own strengths and instructions were to buy their influences in the worlds financial markets. The Licinii did likewise and set about interbreeding with the ruling houses of Europe and gain power through marriage. The two would be under strict orders to kill any member of the opposing family if they came in contact, and they would, because the founders of both bloodlines would play the board to make sure that both sides would clash in certain areas.
This perverse game is, and always has been, just like leading mice around a maze in a laboratory for the two elders. They watch the game with avid interest, setting one side against the other, watching how their underlings deal with the situations they are thrust into and then modifying their strategies as a result. When the pull of torpor finally takes one side away, the other will also retire for a time. In this period, somewhat unsurprisingly, the pieces are left to carry out their standing orders, and no confrontations generally arise in this time.
The pieces on board, on both sides, know nothing about their situation. They honestly believe that they are working towards a definite goal for the furthering of their own families. How wrong they are and blind they will continue to be since they will never know the truth.
Whereas the Licinii stayed bound by the families they assimilated within the Old World, the Baddacelli went wherever expansion took them, and wherever they took their currency � the Americas with the plundering of the Aztec lands and North America, the Far East with the silk roads, Africa with the gold rush. The Americas (in particular, three in North America � Boston, Atlanta and Chicago � one in Mexico � Mexico City � and one in Brazil � Rio de Janeiro) are a fertile land to sow their seeds in and have not missed the opportunity to do so. China (Hong Kong) and Japan (Tokyo) only boast one member in each of the capitals, and South Africa (Johannesburg) is home to another singular member. The rest are scattered throughout the old world.
The major battleground for the two families has always been Switzerland. Ever since the times of the city states when the country was far from the pleasant, peaceful and neutral country it is today, the bloodlines have been engaged in conflict to gain control of the country. The Baddacelli found themselves financing war efforts of the mortal populous whilst the Licinii would command the mortal armies by proxy through their mortal family connections. An army fails to work without weapons or without a head. Thus the two families came to see that they were in fact in a symbiotic relationship with each other in their efforts to take over this square. They have been trying to find a way out of this stalemate for the last five hundred years.
[edit] Society and Culture
Money and materialistic gain is everything to the Baddacelli pieces. They have built an empire upon the glittering beauty of gold and they aren�t about to let a winning formula fall by the wayside when they consider themselves so close to victory in their contest. Whether they are right in their assumption or not, only time will tell. Thus, the thing forefront in their mind when they set about creating a new childe is the evaluation of their mortal relatives both in terms of resources at their disposal and their ability to use it to gain more. However, they only do so at the express permission of the head of the family to replace another piece having fallen in battle.
A new member of the bloodline is family, taken from the mortal stock into which the mortal Baddacelli wherever they have expanded out into the world. The process for selecting the childe various from sire to sire, but a key fact for them to consider is whether or not their target in question has what it takes to become a pieces in their grand battlefield.
The sire will either confront the potential childe with problems from varying distances to gauge their reactions to situations, or they might simply observe them. However, regardless of the route they take, there is always one common end: a game of chess. This is the deciding moment in the decision process. Only those who can best their sire�s in a game will be granted entrance into the bloodline, and in the vast majority of cases this is done so without a choice on the part of the childe. They are forcefully embraced and the game is then thrust upon them.
For a varying degree of years depending on the sire, the childe will be instructed in a very cutthroat approach to the world of business. The ends completely justify the means in the eyes of the Baddacelli as long as it secures the deals they are after, the takeover of the companies they desire, etc. Likewise, this extends into how to play the field in the world of kindred politics in that they learn how to judge a vampires price, and they how to buy them for more at half the price. Eventually, when the sire thinks they are truly ready, or word comes down from the head of the family ordering the new piece out into play, the childe is sent out to take another square by forcing their way subtly into a cities power structure and financial institutions. One key practice of the bloodline over the centuries has been to ally with the Mekhet, for secrets have power and value. Finding out the secrets of others and then selling them back to their originators gives them a lot of income and pulling strings in kindred society.
Very rarely do members of the bloodline hold a position above Primogen, and only two are ever permitted to hold the positions of Prince at any one time (the Rooks). Thus, they remain the movers and shakers behind the scenes in the court, often making Princes their puppets � meaning that they have quite literally brought a Prince into submission on many occasions.
The Brokers driving hatred for the Ventrue often puts them at odds with the clan in general and dealing between the two almost never go smoothly. If they do, one side knows that the others is always up to something and acts accordingly. At the end of the night though, this is only of a limited concern for them as making friends with the brethren of the enemy is not the most sturdy of steppingstones to be building on the way to ultimate victory. The Baddacelli have better things to concentrate on, dreaming of that one night when they shall stand supreme on the playing fields of the world.
