No other clan is more intent on maintaining a front of respectability than
the Giovanni, and none is more repulsive at heart. Giovanni vampires are
rich merchants, speculators and investors who spend most of their nights
manipulating their vast assets from skyscraper offices. They spend the
rest of their nights in crypts and mausoleums carrying out their dark and
morbid rites.
Legend has it the clan founder hoped to bolster his own power by Embracing
a coven of Venetian necromancers. This coven was actually a tightly knit
family of Giovanni who had strong trade interests in the Mediterranean
region. The Giovanni repaid their sire for his gift by slaying him and all
his other descendants. Vampires from around the world reacted with fear
and horror, and many joined together to hunt these Devil Kindred. After
almost a century of intermittent warfare the clan made peace with its foes
by promising to maintain a low profile and keep out of Kindred politics.
The Giovanni clan has apparently maintained its pledge to this day.
Still, suspicion of this clan has continued to the present day. By staying
neutral in Cainite battles, the Giovanni has had free rein to build its
merchant empire. Now the clan's wealth is undeniable, but no one knows the
exact purpose for which it employs this wealth. Few outsiders have ever
taken part in the clan's necromantic rituals, so the purpose of these is
likewise a mystery. Instead, suspicions and innuendoes have taken the
places of facts and truths.
Every member of this clan is also a member of the Giovanni family. By
longstanding tradition Giovanni only Embrace those of their own family,
and most of their Retainers and ghouls are also of the
family. Three members of each generation are chosen as children to be
Embraced when they are ready, and are carefully raised to prepare them for
it. Others in the family may be Embraced later in their lives, as a reward
for extraordinary service.
Because all Giovanni are related by blood (in both senses), they are
extremely loyal to one another, and betrayal by one of them is
unthinkable. Certainly the Giovanni possesses the most reliable Retainers
of any clan.
Clan Giovanni is one of the more rigidly controlled clans, and contact is
constantly maintained between members of the clan. It is still ruled with
an iron hand by its patriarch, Augustus Giovanni, the original leader of
the coven when it was first Embraced. Augustus sees his control over the
line as similar to that of a prince's control over a city, and requires
those below him to adhere to the Rule Of Creation: his permission must be
obtained before the Giovanni Embrace can be gifted to anyone. However,
some younger members of the clan are given significant leeway and freedom
to pursue new control over corporations. Because the clan's influence in
America is still limited, many of its members have been sent to the New
World in recent years.
If asked, most Giovanni would say they do what they do in order to gain a
complete understanding and appreciation of the form they will have for all
eternity. These Giovanni believe this form to be of one use - gaining
power. Other Giovanni refer to the god-like feeling they get from having
power over death. Nickname: Necromancers
Appearance: Despite (or perhaps because of) their horrid
underground practices, Giovanni always try to maintain a front of
respectability. They dress well, in conservative styles; the women
frequently look matronly, while male Giovanni are often white-haired,
bearded and look like favorite uncles.
Haven: Giovanni generally dwell in mansions and condominiums in
the finer parts of town; most also maintain at least one hideaway in a
sewer or graveyard.
Background: Giovanni Embrace only those from their own mortal
family. Thus, all those in this clan are of Italian descent.
Character Creation: Giovanni almost always have professional
concepts. Their most common Natures are Deviant and Architect, though they
may assume any Demeanor. Mental Attributes and Knowledge Abilities are
almost always primary. They always have at least some Resources, but can
have any other Backgrounds they desire. Most will also have Retainers, who
are always siblings or cousins in the Giovanni family.
Clan Disciplines: Dominate, Necromancy, Potence
Weaknesses:
Organization: The Giovanni clan is based out of Venice, where
the clan headquarters is located. Its members work together to advance the
study of death, and can always call on their brethren should they be in
trouble. This is a small clan, however, and physical assistance is usually
hundreds of miles away.
Gaining Clan Prestige: The easiest way to gain Prestige among
the Giovanni is by accumulating vast amounts of wealth. A more difficult
way is by discovering new understandings of death, either through art or
magic.
Quote: "No other beings have as great an understanding of
Death as we do. There is no great mystery, no facet of existence that
affects every moment more than the fact that existence always ends. To
understand this fully would render one omniscient."