Venice

Venice in the early 15th century is a marvel—an improbable city of stone and splendor built on water. Her glory is unmatched in trade, politics, and art, but beneath her surface, the rot of corruption festers. The city is a perfect haven for the undead: secretive, decadent, and masked in every sense of the word.

By day, merchants haggle in the Rialto, bells ring from San Marco, and nobles parade their wealth across marble bridges. But by night, fog crawls over the canals, gondolas slip like silent knives through the waters, and masks hide more than faces. In the shadows of Venice, the Kindred rule unseen.

Venice at night is a haunting spectacle. The lantern-lit canals reflect a thousand flickering stars, while thick fog smothers the call of the bells and shrouds the alleyways. Sounds echo strangely across water and stone, and the ever-present scent of salt and rot mixes with incense and perfume.

Masks are worn at all hours—not just for Carnival. For the Kindred, this is both metaphor and method. Venice by night is a theatre of illusions, where identity, truth, and even death are always negotiable.

Major Locations of Venice

San Marco Basilica

A holy place warded against most Kindred, yet a symbol of mortal power that even the undead cannot ignore. The Tremere covet its relics.

The Arsenal

Venice’s war machine and shipyard. The Brujah maintain a grip here, using it to control the city’s military assets and dock workers. It is a source of mortal might and blood.

The Jewish Ghetto (Cannaregio)

Strictly regulated, yet a source of rare bloodlines, alchemy, and ancient lore. Kindred from multiple clans walk its alleys in disguise.

The Bridge of Sighs

Many who cross it never return. The Nosferatu claim the dungeons beneath as their haven and trade secrets through the tunnels and sewers nearby.

The Rialto Market

Mercato di Rialto by day, a market of spices, silk, and coin. By night, a neutral ground for Kindred commerce, blood trade, and diplomacy.

Elysiums

La Pietra del Silenzio

Location: Deep in the catacombs beneath San Giovanni e Paolo.

Atmosphere: Carved from ancient stone and echoing with whispers, this Cappadocian-controlled Elysium is a place of philosophy, necromantic rites, and reflection.

Rules: Absolute silence is enforced during certain hours. Those who speak out of turn may lose their tongues—symbolically or otherwise.

The Masked Salon

Location: A converted palazzo near the Grand Canal, hosted by a Toreador elder.

Atmosphere: Ornate, perfumed, and filled with music and performance. All who enter must don a mask and assume an alias for the evening.

Rules: Violence is forbidden. Every guest must contribute art, a performance, or a secret.

The Flooded Library

Location: Beneath a ruined abbey on the edge of the city, partially submerged.

Atmosphere: Damp and candlelit, this Malkavian-curated Elysium contains records both mundane and prophetic.

Rules: All information must be shared freely, though no one is obliged to believe what they hear.

The Prince’s Palace – Ca’ Serpente

Overview

The Ca’ Serpente (House of the Serpent) is a brooding gothic palazzo on the northern edge of the Grand Canal. Hidden from mortal eyes by obfuscation and myth, it is said to be cursed and avoided by gondoliers after dark.