Carnevale - Vatican
Pope Clement XV has had much to contend with since his recent elevation to Bishop of Avignon and leadership of the Holy Roman Catholic Church, but foremost in his plans has been re-establishing the influence of the Papacy in Venice. There are a number of reasons for this, some mundane but most due to the city’s unique position to exploit the Rent in the Sky and the magic it brings.
The Vatican in Rome is destroyed, Italy all but wiped from the map. When the Rent opened it seemed as if God himself smote Italy from the sky. Few escaped, including Cardinal Gerdil. Gerdil went to Geneva, where most of the survivors had assembled. Preaching of the corruption of Rome and of how he had emerged from the flaming wreckage of the Vatican as God's chosen one, he gained support from many of the church and of the local population. In time, he was appointed as Pope Clement XV.
Pope Clement XV wanted to know of the teachings of the Harbinger, whose execution had seemingly created the Rent. He wanted to make sure only he himself could cast these 'miracles', so that people would believe they were acts of God only, rather than some natural magic. he hunted down the last few survivors who knew of the Harbinger and his teachings. As he learned of others using magic, a gift he wanted only for himself, he sent out agents to capture or kill those who could use magic.
Learning of the Gifted in Venice was a great worry to Pope Clement XV and he knew that they must be destroyed else his powers would be made to seem common, rather than God given. He sent an expedition force to negotiate with Venice, aiming to have the City execute these Gifted themselves, however after being unsuccessful, it is now a mission of violent compliance. Entire districts of Venice are attacked by Vatican forces, the population interrogated by the reformed Inquisition with executions common as is torture.
The Pope spends his time reading the texts of the Harbinger, writing them into parables and stories so that they might be more compatible with other teachings of Christianity. He preached, denouncing the wickedness of the past, gaining himself more and more support. As his followers learned of these miracles, they were given parts of the Pope's new teachings, some given just the words but not the context to decipher them, some given the meaning but not the tale. This caused divisions within Christianity, though there was one thing in common, their total and complete belief in their new Pope.
A crowd had gathered, ushered into Piazza San Marco by armoured knights and men wearing the garb of the infamous French Guard. A large wooden podium had been positioned in front of the Basilica of Saint Mark and more guards surrounded the structure, standing rigid but alert. Beside the podium four wooden crosses had been erected with brushwood placed beneath them. Nailed to the crosses were four men, dressed in torn rags which had once been fine clothes. An Inquisitor stood proudly atop the podium, book in hand as he read prayers to the Lord. The crowd was growing restless, the inquisitor's rhetoric falling upon deaf ears. “Hear me, citizens of Venice and rejoice! Your redemption is at hand. The most holy Pope Clement has sanctioned me full authority to hand out judgement to you all. You could say that I am your judge, jury and executioner!”
The crowd looked on utterly baffled at the words of the inquisitor, fearful for the fate of the men nailed to the wooden crosses. Some began to leave the square, not wishing to hear the old man’s ramblings anymore; however, the guards had other ideas and moved to bar the exits out of the square, trapping the still confused civilians. To stop any from coming too close, the guards lowered their halberds as one to create a wall of pointed steel which had the desired effect, as the crowd retreated back towards the inquisitor.
“You have let yourselves fall from the Lord's grace, my children. Your sins have created the monsters which have crawled up from the canals, your acts of sadism fuelling the very fires to which you shall now burn!” The inquisitor spat through clenched teeth. “Guards, light the fires. This city shall be purged of its sins.”
A guard holding a torch moved towards the row of crosses, ashes fluttering off it into the wind. Lowering the torch, the crowd gasped as the first man was set alight, his screams of agony filling the air. The first man was still crying out by the time the last was set aflame, creating a chorus of shrieks and setting those watching aghast in terror.
Whilst the gathered crowd watched on in horror, the inquisitor laughed in triumph. “See how the flames of the righteous consumes you? For your sins you shall burn in hell for all eternity!” Turning to face the crowd the inquisitor flung his arms outwards, his eyes widening in what could have been madness. “Hear me now citizens of this most accursed city, for your amoral ways have led to a necessary intervention. You have but yourselves to blame for what you have witnessed here and unless you see the light which Clement promises, you shall suffer the same fate.”
With that the guards moved aside to allow the terrified citizens to pass. Many ran, some cried but all would remember the inquisitor's warning, and only time would tell if the city would listen to the cruel words which the new Vatican spoke.
The Vatican are very tough to beat, with a very defensive style with great defensive buffs they can hold their own against any assault from the other factions. They have strong magical abilities and a few aces up their sleeves when they absolutely need to kill someone. A Prelate of the Flaming Sword gives a fantastic bonus to allies to get through tough armour, and the Exorcist can make sure opposing mages stay hidden. lest they be purified by his holy righteousness. Where the Vatican thrive is in its ability to play with a multitude of command points, meaning that abilities can be used more often. The Vatican forces are generally very high in protection and are very good at preventing damage and magic being thrown against them.
