Everything

Many Giovanni have wanted for a long time to uncover the origins of the Samedi and their terrifying gift of Thanatosis. To that end, they have attempted to learn what they can about the enigmatic Stiffs from the Serpents of the Light. While these endeavors have yet to harvest any significant results, experiments conducted behind the scenes are showing the first signs of success.

The effects of Thanatosis that the Giovanni have been able to record are those that are inflicted upon others rather than via the Stiff itself. In each case, decay, disease, and death (as the natural extension of these) characterize each effect. Therefore, experimentation has sought to find a way to replicate these effects. This experimentation has subsequently confirmed that Thanatosis is not Necromancy at its core, as some first suspected. Thanatosis certainly resembles Necromancy in its effect, but the Giovanni are certain that they would have been able to replicate its effects faster if it had been true Necromancy.

It has only been in the last few years that successes have been made, in which two of the documented

The first recorded success recreating the effects of Thanatosis with Necromancy was this ritual. First, the Necromancer obtains a rotting corpse. He then proceeds to bathe, symbolizing his ritual purification. Then, he lies down upon the corpse, not necessarily to indulge in necrophilia (although the act will not interfere with the ritual), but to cause the corpse to break open and fall apart. Finally, once the Necromancer is covered in rotting, decaying flesh, he consumes the heart of the corpse (or what remains of it) and the ritual is complete.

System

Until the next sunrise, the Necromancer may perform a single use of “Putrefaction” upon a target (V20, p. 471), using the same systems as outlined for the original power.

effects of Thanatosis have been recreated. It is hoped by these pioneers of Necromancy that the Giovanni might eventually be able to do with Thanatosis as their Elders once did with the Cappadocian powers of Mortis. Given that they are examining the phenomena from a distance, without the aid of its practitioners, it might be a long time in the making. However, they are confident they will eventually find a way.

From their position outside of the Jyhad, the Giovanni have been able to focus their efforts without significant interference. There are moments, however, when they skirt close to the interests of the Sects and other Independents. The unsavory truth that they have come to realize is that the Giovanni are not the only Necromancers of the modern nights.

When Clan Giovanni replaced Clan Cappadocian, they were known as “Devil Kindred” because of their unsavory pastimes. The Promise of 1528 helped to alleviate some concerns about how this transition occurred (indeed, the

This ritual was discovered by Voudoun Necromancers that were already adept at being able to create Baleful Dolls (V20, p. 181). By taking a needle that has been previously stabbed into a Baleful Doll, the Necromancer immerses the needle completely in blood under the light of the moon for a whole night. Upon successful completion of the ritual, the blood turns to ash and the needle develops a red tint.

System

Until the next sunrise, the Necromancer may perform a single use of “Withering” upon a target (V20, p. 472), using the same systems as outlined for the original power, but with a prick from the needle replacing a touch attack.

Promise itself was viewed by some as nothing less than the Camarilla’s tacit approval of the genocide of the Cappadocians), but it did not eradicate the rumors and slander. It was widely believed that the Giovanni were meddling with forces they couldn’t hope to understand. The same is still said by many even now.

The Camarilla believes that while the Giovanni clearly have their own agenda, they do not present enough of a threat to tip the balance of power in the Jyhad one way or the other. Although their financial exploits can sometimes bring them to the attention of certain Ventrue with claws in the arena of big business, it is the Tremere that show the most interest in the Giovanni. Just as many Necromancers reach a point where they seek to learn Thaumaturgy, many thaumaturges come to seek Necromancy. The Giovanni don’t want to give away enough of their secrets to compromise their monopoly on power over the dead, but they know that they won’t learn Thaumaturgy without giving something up in return. Given that wraiths are the Giovanni’s most valuable asset, they rarely (if ever) teach Paths that would give the Tremere control of the unquiet dead. Instead, they use the first few levels of the Bone Path as their currency

to obtain Thaumaturgy. A precedent was set in Cuba some years ago when a Pisanob taught the first couple of levels of the Bone Path on three separate occasions to different Tremere and learnt the basics of three different Thaumaturgy Paths in exchange. They recognize that this tactic will only get them so far, though. To get access to the higher levels of Thaumaturgy, they will have to part with something big. The idea of a Tremere being able to perform Soul Stealing still makes Giovanni Elders shudder.

The Sabbat is a different story. A few years back, an entire branch of the family got wiped out in northern Mexico by the Harbingers of Skulls, who suddenly became a clear and present threat to the Family. The Pisanob have been fighting the Skulls and their Sabbat brethren ever since, in a battle across Latin America that has ground to a stalemate. Of paramount concern to the Giovanni is that the Harbingers are an enemy that also possesses Necromancy. If a Giovanni is collecting souls in an area to send back to Venice, the likelihood is that if a Harbinger is nearby, they will hear about it as word spreads among the wraith community. Therefore, extreme caution is recommended for those members of the family acting in Sabbat-held territories, especially as reports of Giovanni Necromancers being kidnapped continue to surface. The same warning applies to those who employ a large number of wraith servants, because

spotting their presence and having information ripped out of them by a Harbinger will invariably bring about the same result.

Beyond the Camarilla and the Sabbat, a fair number of relationships with other Kindred factions have also been underpinned by Necromancy. Whereas the Giovanni have an active interest in the Samedi due to their practice of Thanatosis, the Nagaraja are also firmly in the Clan’s cross-hairs because of their deathly arts. Thankfully, the bloodline is relatively small, but it is proving itself to be a thorn in the side of Clan Giovanni, especially in Camarilla cities where a Nagaraja is present. The Nagaraja are not above selling their services for payment in flesh (alive or dead) to remove ghostly problems from given areas, which can be counterproductive to Giovanni operations. In an effort to find out more about the bloodline and to see if they can be bargained with to not interfere with the Clan, the Giovanni have discovered a connection that some of these Necromancers have with the Tal’Mahe’Ra. The Giovanni have known of the existence of the Tal’Mahe’Ra for some time, but only know a little about the mysterious Sect. They have heard rumors of a base of operations in the Underworld, and some Giovanni Elders are of the opinion that something should definitely be done about this problem.