Rossellini

For centuries, the Giovanni Clan successfully portrayed the Rossellini as a minor family of blood relatives that had run afoul of Claudius Giovanni, a vampire rumored to be the son of the Clan’s founder Augustus, sometime in the 16th century. According to Clan archives, the Giovanni forced the Rossellini to swear fealty to them as punishment for their transgressions.

Most vampires, especially those who were focused on more pressing matters, thought very little of what had actually transpired. They were more concerned with the Ventrue Hardestadt’s bold proclamation that the Conspiracy of Isaac, a group Claudius had founded to target the Cappadocian Clan, should be investigated and its members brought to justice for exterminating one of the original thirteen Clan founders. However, Claudius was a suspected diablerist, capable necromancer, and cunning conspirator, as well as a high-ranking member of Clan Giovanni. Thus, despite rumors that the Rossellini family may have, in fact, been attempting to overthrow Claudius or thwart his plans, the Camarilla did not get involved and left the Giovanni to their own devices.

To the Rossellini, however, the Giovanni took advantage of their ancestors to supplant the Cappadocian Clan. Since the days of the Roman Empire, the Rossellini were students of the occult and, according to them, many of them became skilled necromancers who had managed to commune and control ghosts without the use of vampiric blood. According to some, it was the Rossellini family who had first attracted the attention of the Cappadocian Clan and the Giovanni, like spoiled children, grew jealous and cursed them into servitude. The Giovanni, on the other hand, claim that they were forced to punish the Rossellini after their great founder, Augustus, discovered they had been attempting to summon an ancient being from the lands of the dead.

The story as to how a family of human necromancers became revenants has been lost to time. The Rossellini believe that their forbearers had been suffering from an incurable, supernatural illness that eventually drove several of their ancestors mad with guilt for communing with the dead. In this weakened state, or so they proclaim, the Rossellini approached Claudius for help, and were initially rebuked for fornicating with corpses and damaging the family’s reputation. In fact, Claudius threatened his relatives, telling them that if they ever spoke of their suffering, he would pay hunters to put an end to their misery. Then, after many months of silence, Augustus himself approached the Rossellini family declaring that he took pity on them, and that he had discovered a sacred ritual that would restore their health.

Though younger members of the Rossellini family are right to be skeptical about the past, they are painfully aware that they are unique. For, not only is the Rossellini one of the youngest revenant families, the so-called Piccolo Fratellini are unlike any other. Their pallid skin, haunted eyes, and cold touch cannot hide what the Giovanni Clan has sought to cover up for over three centuries; Rossellini revenants were created through an unknown application of necromancy.

Most vampires, ghouls, and revenants mistakenly assume that the Rossellini family is perverse because they suffer from an addiction to their art. However, all members — even children — share the same set of unsettling characteristics, the same horrifying tendencies. In truth, this common misconception is to the family’s benefit, for most Clans assume that the secrets to creating revenants lie with the Tzimisce Clan and no other. Should other Clans become aware of this fact, the Giovanni fear the Piccolo Fratellini would be kidnapped and dissected for further study.

In modern nights, Clan Giovanni members are tight-lipped on the subject of revenants. Clan allies believe that the Giovanni are unreasonably paranoid, and have witnessed regnants overfeeding their thralls for fear of reprisal. Still, this does not prevent some vampires from whispering that the Rossellini will one day overthrow their masters, just as the Giovanni did centuries ago. Perhaps, it is for this reason the Clan seeks to experiment on the other branches of its family, such as the Pisanob in Central America or the Li Weng in San Francisco.

For now, the Rossellini dedicate their long nights to their occult studies and practices. They crave solitude, and often react poorly when forced into a crowded room. It has long been suspected that the family has a library of books that rivals the tomes found in any Tremere chantry, and that they constantly seek new additions to their growing collection. Those who do not share a passion for commanding ghosts, however, tend to pursue other branches of occult knowledge such as alchemy or thaumaturgy.

Most, if not all, Rossellini revenants are also treated as vassals, and are often tasked with carrying out orders for their domitors. Thus, it is not uncommon to find a Piccolo Fratellino cowering in a corner during Clan meetings, spying on enemies, or delivering messages.

**Appearance:** Members of the Rossellini family are, like the Giovanni Clan, primarily of Italian descent. Due to select intermarriages with other Giovanni minor families, however, the Rossellini do not share uniform traits such as skin, hair, or eye color. In general, their appearance reflects the toll their family’s weakness has on them. Their skin tends to be sallow, their hands shake, and their eyes are red. Despite the family’s reputation for lurking in dusty catacombs and sleeping in occupied coffins, Rossellini revenants are usually dressed impeccably, which only makes them more unsettling.

**Character Creation:** Though they tend to be more intellectual than social, the Rossellini tend to be loners trapped by their family’s weakness. As such, many members follow a Path of Enlightenment and tend to avoid contact with others. Enigma, Conformist, Child, Trickster, and Masochist are all appropriate Archetypes to choose from. The Rossellini does have some Contacts among the members of the occult community, and may have a mentor within the Giovanni or any of its lesser families. Lastly, all revenants who serve the Giovanni benefit from additional Resources.

**Disciplines:** Dominate, Fortitude, Necromancy

**Weakness:** All Rossellini revenants, regardless of age, suffer from the Deathsight Flaw found on p. 494 in V20. They are at a -2 difficulty to resist all rolls based on Appearance, but are at a +2 difficulty on any Perception roll. Social interactions are a challenge, and members suffer a +1 difficult on Social rolls. Due to the belief that they are living in a nightmarish landscape filled with death and decay, some revenants may develop further Flaws at the Storyteller’s discretion.

**Quote:** “It does not matter what you devise, you cannot escape death.”