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The upstart Giovanni clan maintains a genteel exterior, dealing in matters of finance and internal family business. Of course, as with all vampires, their outward facade merely hides much worse. Rumored to have wrested their position from some clan now lost to antiquity, the Giovanni keep their small and secretive ties within their own family. Where there's money to be made, it's said, there's probably a Giovanni. However, the business dealings of the Necromancers hide their debauched dealings in the magics of the dead. The Giovanni traffic in mortal crime and politics more as a way to fulfill expected stereotypes. Underneath, they study hideous Necromancy, indulge in debauched rituals and wallow in the wealth of an incestuous immortal family. Elders whisper that the Giovanni were nothing more than an Italian merchant family of great ambition and perversity in the early Renaissance. Boredom with earthly treasures led them to delve into necromancy. This study attracted the interest of an obscure branch of Cainites, who watched and guided the family's dabbling. In a surprising turnover, though, the head of the family managed to secure the Embrace from a now-forgotten Methuselah, and he finally stole the power of that ancient's blood. The foundling Necromancers banded together, Embracing only the most loyal members of their own family in order to protect themselves against the newly forming Camarilla and Sabbat, either of which looked kindly on their usurpation. At length, they signed extensive treaties forbidding Giovanni involvement in Cainite politics, leaving them to their own devices in the practice of necromancy and the financial markets that they influenced. Because of their ostensible neutrality, the Giovanni are sometimes called on to engage in business dealings that cut across sect lines. However, they are never trusted, and they are always watched carefully. After all, they have had centuries to perfect the art of the deal, and their ghostly spies are said to be everywhere. The Necromancers' patricidal origins hardly endear them to the other clans, so for the most part, they are left alone, treated as one might treat a dangerous and unpredictable beast. This wariness on the part of the other clans suits them just fine - the Giovanni have great plans, and the involvement of the other clans isn't among them. Like the brokers that they are, the Giovanni are willing to play either side, but ultimately their loyalty always lies within the family. Who'd betray a family that has as much use for you dead as undead? Since their inception as a clan, the Giovanni have always been particular to Embrace from within their own family. Most commonly, this nepotism involves the Giovanni of Italian descent, but intermarriages over the years have brought different families into the fold. Only very rarely is someone of a minor family or side marriage ever inducted into the undead ranks. Undeath is a reward; the best businessmen and most studious scholars are granted eternity to work their skills on behalf of the family. Others may remain ghouls for eternity, or they may even stay mortals. The Giovanni are no strangers to power-brokering, infighting and influence-mongering - but, ultimately, it's one's value to the family and clan as a whole that determines suitability for eternity.
Roleplaying Hints: You're twice-related to a family of murderous, incestuous, nihilistic undead. What more could anyone want? You have the opportunity to earn massive wealth, exercise your will over the very souls of the dead and to exist forever. All you have to do is follow instructions when someone older in the family talks and avoid causing a political scene with those dumb-ass "Kindred" of the various sects. You're smooth, you're urbane, you're educated and you're in charge.
Advantage: The insular Giovanni family lends its experience and financial control to all of its members. Those who manage the family's assets well are rewarded; those who fail serve in a more "spiritual" capacity. Giovanni characters start with an automatic Influence level in Finance or Health., and they can either take a further additional level in one of those Influences or else gain an automatic one Trait Retainer - a wraith. A ghostly Retainer cannot help with Influence or perform other functions in the physical world, but it is capable of spying and exerting some ghostly powers on behalf of its master (see Oblivion).
Disadvantage: The bite of a Giovanni holds no Kiss, only pain and terror. When a Giovanni uses the bite to feed, mortal victims are rendered insensible with pain (instead of ecstasy). Furthermore, blood drained with a bite inflicts an extra level of damage for each Blood Trait stolen. Note that this extra damage applies only to mortal victims, and only if the Giovanni bites to feed - a tearing, mauling attack bite used for battle inflicts no additional damage.
Bloodlines: Several prominent financial and occult families have found their way into the Giovanni fold. The sorcerous Pisanob hold sway over South and Central America, the "respectable" Milliners work in New England, the cannibalistic Dunsirn maintain banks in Scotland and England and the della Passaglia trade in the Far East. These families do not have different powers, but they indicate that the Giovanni family is more widespread than many Cainites believe. All Giovanni are loyal to the family alone - there are no antitribu, and those who attempt to rebel or flee are hunted down in short order.
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