Milan by Night: 1490
Milan. The great city, rich and powerful, the crowning gem of the Lombard plain. Set within its mighty wall and moat, a network of canals linking it to the contada, the towers of dozens of churches and great fortress of the Sforza overlooking it all. City of teeming thousands, of swordsmiths and artisans, of musicians and architects, of rich merchants and poor laborers, of proud clergy and penitent friars. City of incredible luxury and basest poverty.
City of strife.
The Sicily-born Ventrue Ercole de Hauteville has become – through the support of the Ventrue Princess of Florence, the cunning of the mortal condottiere Francesco Sforza, and the invitation of certain Elders of Milan (among whom the Lasombra Contessa Alianora dell' Aquila and her Tzimisce consort, Jovan Ruthven, figure prominently) – the Prince of one of the richest and mightiest Domains in all the world. He has taken to wife a daughter of the Florentine Ventrue; he has sired and caused to be sired others of his clan to support his rule.
And he watches warily the remnants of the old regime: Alianora and her sons by Blood, which includes the bold and charismatic young nobleman Marius Della Torre, and the scholarly priest Monsignor Francesco Dantini. In order to counterbalance the dormant threat posed by the House dell' Aquila, Ercole has granted sanctuary to a rival Lasombra, Bishop Leone Colonna, childe of the late Milanese prince Silvio da Valente, and to the Bishop's allies, the exiled elder Don Alfonso de Castile and his ward Teresa de Leon.
The Anarch Rebellion is still going strong in some parts of Europe, even though the new alliance that calls itself the Camarilla has already made significant progress in restoring order. To the south, and in Spain, Clan Lasombra tears itself apart in Gratiano's fratricidal rebellion; to the east, the devasting losses in the Tremere bloodwar and the vicious internal conflicts between anarch and elder, as well as the usual clan infighting have cut Clan Tzimisce down to a mere shadow of its former strength. Though recovering from similar internal conflicts themselves, the other clans smile in secret to see the mighty laid so low by their own treasonous blood. Rumors of anarch activity, of diablerie and blood-oaths broken by demonic sorcery still haunt the sleep of many a Prince and Elder. Prince Ercole, known to have close ties to Ventrue in France, wholeheartedly supports the Camarilla – although his feelings will eventually change..
The year is 1490. Two years before the pivotal voyage of Columbus; two years before the death of the great Lorenzo d'Medici (though already his sun is near to setting); four years before the signing of the Convention of Thorns, and four years before King Charles of France invades Italy at the invitation of the not-really-thinking-clearly Ludovico 'Il Moro' Sforza, acting (but not yet titular) Duke of Milan. Milan will fall to the French in 1499, along with most of Italy. With the French will come the Camarilla and its Justicars, eager to revenge themselves on the last of the "anarch" rebels and the shattered remnants of Clan Lasombra – thus beginning a fight that will last for nearly a century and end in stalemate when the growing power of the Sabbat unites the rebels in a mystical bond of blood, as well as a fanatical hatred of any Elder who dares impose their tyranny on them.
Clan Tremere and Lord Gilbert's Invitation
It has become the custom in these troubled times for those of rank within House and Clan Tremere to gather together periodically, so that they may discuss important matters in perfect secrecy, and enact rituals to strengthen their growing Pyramid. Gilbert, Lord of Italy for House and Clan Tremere and Regent of Florence, travels to the High Chantry in Vienna every three years to meet with the Councilor Etrius. Every year on the Eve of All Souls, all the chantries of House and Clan Tremere enact the Great Ritual that binds them ever closer together. And on each Spring Equinox, the chantry Regents of Italy assemble in Florence at the request of their Lord to report, discuss secret things, and perform the required rituals.
At the beginning of Lent in this year of Our Lord 1490, Gilbert once again sent out formal Conclave invitations to all the Regents of Italy, and as they had done for decades, the Regents made their plans to travel to Florence via the speediest and most effective means at their disposal.
The Regents being the oldest and most powerful members of the clan in Italy, traveling to a Conclave rarely means the tedious and dangerous journey by freight, sealed in a hidden compartment or box on a wagon; nor does it mean riding on horseback for nights on end, seeking an appropriate resting place towards dawn and trusting to mortal retainers to shield their vulnerable and valuable unlives until darkness falls upon the earth once again. That mode of travel is for mortals and lesser Tremere, not Masters of the Circles of Mystery.
Exact methods of enacting the Rite of the High Road (a 4th level Ritual available to Regents rank and above; also requires Auspex 4) vary from magus to magus: some fit a ghouled and enchanted steed with silver shoes; some prefer to use a flying carpet or horseless carriage, or even the equivalent of seven-league boots, to travel through the astral landscape at speeds that won't be available to mortal men until the early 20th century. Others enact a ritual that transforms them into some flying creature. Whatever the particulars, once the ritual is cast, any journey between two designated points (both of which must be both specially prepared for this purpose and located near a strong ley-line; a prudent wizard will have them secured and guarded as well) takes but three nights, no matter what the distance traveled.
The journey itself takes place on the Astral Plane, where all magic has its origin, and appears much like what a mortal might see when traveling the same way on a particularly foggy morning. When dawn approaches, the traveller must, of course, stop and prepare a resting place for the day, usually by erecting a shelter that lies half within the Astral Realm and half on the mortal plane, well out of sight, guarded by wards and strong enchantments (such as Wake with Evening's Freshness and Defense of the Sacred Haven). The ritual is also costs the magus 5 blood points to complete, and he may not feed during those three nights (feeding is a "grounding" activity, and breaks the spell), thus bringing the total cost to 8. Needless to say, the magus is very hungry when he arrives at his destination.
The magus travels alone save perhaps for his steed; no mortal may ride the High Road, and it is one of the High Mysteries – lesser Tremere may well guess their Regent has sorcerous means of travel but know nothing further of it (even though their help is used to construct and maintain the anchor point, and they may well be responsible for taking care of the enchanted carriage or the horse between journeys. Things of high magic do require upkeep, such as polishing the brass fittings in a certain way, or caring for the horse and its tack...tedious duties that are certainly not fully explained to apprentices, but are also not chores the master sees any need to bother with himself.)
Of course, the High Road is not without its own dangers. Mortal mages may also travel along it, as may magical beasts and the legendary Fair Folk; some rumors claim that even the shape-shifters have witches among them who can walk its paths. While all but invulnerable to mortal attack, at least at night, a wise magus of the Tremere rides the High Road with all his senses alert. It is never a journey to take lightly. But for most, cutting a hazardous and tedious trip of a fortnight or more down to three relatively safe nights of comfortable travel seems adequate compensation for the risks involved.
Some four or five nights before the opening rituals of the Conclave (most magi prefer to arrive early rather than late, to allow time for hobnobbing and the like), it is presumed that Steffan Taliesin, Regent of the small but prestigious Milan Chantry, set out on his own journey to Florence.
He never arrived.
Attempts to contact him, even using the combined power of the Conclave, were unsuccessful; no trace of him could be seen on High Road or Low, at least as far as their power could scry (which, admittedly, was not as far as they would have liked). Attempts to contact Taliesin's apprentice, Alexander, were likewise unsuccessful, although given Alexander's relative youth and level of mastery, the only way he could have easily perceived such a summons was to have been ready and expecting it; that he was not was annoying, but understandable. Not until the close of the Conclave's business, when Taliesin might have been expected to contact his Apprentice before his departure, was Gilbert able to reach Alexander and demand to know where his master was, and why he had not fulfilled the requirements of his office by attending the annual Conclave.
Alexander seemed taken aback, both by the fact that it was Gilbert (whom he'd only met once before) and not his master contacting him, and by Gilbert's news. He protested that Master Taliesin had indeed travelled to the Conclave; that he had left the Chantry fourteen nights before he was expected in Florence, and left the usual instructions for Alexander to follow. However, the apprentice agreed (although he seemed curiously reluctant to do so) to ride out from the city, at least as far as the Tremere-owned country estate where Taliesin might have spent the first day of his journey, and see if perhaps his horse had been injured or lamed. When pressed concerning his reluctance, he admitted he was afraid; for the road to the Tremere villa passed within a few miles of the country estate of Signor Jovan Ruthven, Milan's single resident Tzimisce, who was said to be very old and easily irritated, and a sorcerer and warrior of great power besides.
Gilbert, having some knowledge of this Tzimisce sorcerer already and no patience with apprehensive apprentices, instructed Alexander that he was to investigate this matter immediately, and report back in three nights as to his progress. It was not required that he disturb Signor Ruthven at this time; if he stayed off the Tzimisce's land he should be safe enough.
Three nights passed. Alexander never responded again.
Gilbert then sent a trusted ghoul courier to Milan, with instructions to check the Tremere country house, and if none were there who could give him the appropriate countersign, to ride on to Milan. He was to go first to the chantry, seeking Master Taliesin or Alexander; if they were not there, he was to find out from their servants (again, once passwords and countersigns were exchanged) where they were, or when they had last been seen. Finally, if they could not be found, he was to deliver two letters;: the first to the most senior of the chantry servants, and the next to a certain nobleman's house (whence it would then go to the Ventrue Prince of Milan, Ercole de Hauteville). The ghoul courier, long accustomed to "remembering" the steps of his mission as he went about it, did as was required of him.
Gilbert also – with some reluctance – contacted Vienna. As expected, Etrius was not pleased by the news that first a Regent, and now an apprentice as well, seemed to have disappeared from Milan. After making it quite clear that this matter was Gilbert's responsibility to clear up, the Councilor instructed him to report back in a month as to his progress.
"Master Taliesin is one of our most trusted servants," Etrius told him. "Yet he serves in a volatile and dangerous post, particularly with one of our known enemies, this Tzimisce magus, ensconced so securely nearby. The Chantry in Milan may be small, and its resources limited, but it serves a most valuable strategic function in the Pyramid. I know you will not fail to solve this little mystery with your usual diligence. Then we can decide what steps should be taken to ensure no such mysterious disappearances occur in the future..."
It was clear from his tone that if those steps required the elimination of a
certain Tzimisce Elder, that was not entirely out of the question.
Gilbert eventually received a response from Prince Ercole, expressing his concern at the disappearances and granting his permission to send two Tremere investigators.
The investigators Gilbert chose were the best and brightest
the Florentine chantry had to offer. First, Gilbert's protegè
Antonio Morelli, newly graduated to Master rank, but lacking
in sufficient 'field experience' to hold a Regency of his own.
To assist him, Gilbert chose Etienne de Vaillant, an Apprentice
of the Third Circle, whose experience and abilities were far
greater than his rank indicated. Etienne was also unquestionably
the Chantry's best chance for navigating the morass of Ventrue
and Lasombra politics of Milan – and keeping Antonio from
offending anyone important. Unfortunately, since neither Antonio
nor Etienne possessed the secret of the Rite of the High Road,
they would have to travel the two hundred miles to Milan the
long and hard way...
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