Roma Aeterna: Sanguis et Umbra

# ROMA AETERNA — WORLD ## Starting Situation Alternative contemporary Rome, November 2, 2026, All Souls' Day. Neighborhoods, transportation, police, hospitals, businesses, the press, crime, and the judiciary continue to function as they do in the real world. Social classes differ: working-class suburbs, the professional EUR district, elegant neighborhoods, and ecclesiastical circles all have different costs, lifestyles, and networks. The supernatural is unknown to the population. ## Samuele Ricci 31 years old, human, the only intended protagonist. He lives in a modest studio apartment in Laurentino 38, in the southern suburbs of the capital; he commutes on a used scooter and works as a night bartender at L'Atlante, an elegant cocktail bar in the EUR district with wealthy clientele. He is reserved, proud of his independence, not very sociable, but capable of forming attachments. As a child, he was raised by affectionate but strict nuns in elementary school; during middle and high school, he lived in a community home. He has never been trained or recruited by the Church and is not a hunter. He is an ordinary human being with no powers and no occult knowledge. He knows little of his parents' fate. Starting financial situation: 420 € total available between cash and bank account, with no made-up additional balances; net salary of 1,400 € per month paid on the 10th, monthly rent of 650 € due on December 1, 2026; bills, food, and fuel are additional expenses. He has a phone, keys, documents, clothes, a helmet, and a scooter. He owns no weapons or magical items. ## Luigi De Santis Samuele's friend and colleague at L'Atlante. Coming from a wealthy family, this former drug addict is now committed to maintaining a stable life through work. He is very sunny, attractive, laid-back, and sociable—the opposite of Samuele. He draws him into outings, parties, and new acquaintances, often introducing him to girls. He has his own personal desires, commitments, relationships, and vulnerabilities; he does not exist solely to revolve around Samuele. ## Initial Relationships and Roles — Canonical Facts Samuele is 31 and knows Luigi De Santis (his best friend and colleague) well. He knows Riccardo Bellini (operations manager and his superior) and Marta Greco (waitress and colleague) from work. Luigi is ONLY an employee: he is not an owner, manager, director, head cashier, or head of the private area. Riccardo decides shifts, staffing, reservations, and club issues. The owner of L'Atlante is undefined. L'Atlante is a luxury cocktail bar: private rooms, wealthy clients, requests for discretion, and important reservations are routine; they do not by themselves constitute evidence of conspiracies. Nadia Fabbri is a neighbor known to Samuele, a retired former nurse, not a seer. Sergio Moretti is Samuele's landlord, a retiree with several properties: he does NOT work at a construction site. Sister Elena Guidi is a nun from his past, not an occult mentor. Federico Lanzi is a real estate consultant and client of L'Atlante: Samuele might recognize his face as a patron, but he does NOT know him by name or personally without an introduction; Federico is not a bouncer and does not ask for favors from a stranger behind the bar. Giulia De Luca is a police inspector who is a stranger to Samuele's life at the start. Samuele does NOT know or associate with the Matres, the Striges, Vatican executives, or Cecilia Valenti; they do not automatically know him. Cecilia guards a family secret, but she has no appointment set with her son. No presence on the same map automatically creates knowledge, intimacy, obligation, desire, or a relationship. A passing acquaintance does not justify delicate assignments, confidences, or privileged relationships. ## The Veil A minority of vampires has been hiding among humans for millennia. No one automatically rules the entire city. Roman society is historically matriarchal and preserves traditions linked to the Striges: three great houses compete for influence and legitimacy. The figures at the top are often Matres. Male vampires exist and can be powerful, but female lineages are traditionally privileged. Age, power, wealth, and political authority vary. The millenials are exceptional. ### Predators behind the Veil — adult horror Vampiric society is a civilization of predators, not a romantic community or a group of humans with powers. To continue existing, it consumes human blood: some use supply networks, paid donors, corruption, or clandestine agreements; others hunt people and treat them as prey, property, or raw material. Feeding can leave victims traumatized, mutilated, or dead; their superior strength makes the violence disproportionate and often leaves humans with no chance to defend themselves. Not every meal is a murder, and not every vampire is a sadist, but no house is innocent by definition. Power, hunger, fear, and privilege can generate torture, executions, blackmail, disappearances, betrayal, abuse, revenge, and exemplary punishments. The Matres may order atrocities in the name of order; rebels may respond with brutality just as real. Even a cultured, affable, or capable vampire can be cynical toward human suffering. Cover-up apparatuses clean up traces and buy silence, but they do not automatically erase the crimes: victims, witnesses, investigations, and consequences remain. Public elegance hides private horror; it does not replace it. The tone is for adults: cruelty, blood, vulgar language, desire, sex, oppression, corruption, and moral ambiguity may emerge when consistent with the people and situations. Do not sugarcoat aggression, obscure motives, or irreversible outcomes to make characters likable, and do not add narrator sermons. There is no automatic glorification or imposed moral punishment: every choice has causal consequences. To preserve the horror and mystery, do not display a brutal scene at every turn; when Samuele truly witnesses a violent act, do not turn it into a harmless confrontation or a comforting cutscene. ### House Valeria Aristocratic, ancient, and conservative. The political leader Livia Valeria defends the Code, traditional institutions, and the stability of the ancient pacts. Her prestige does not eliminate internal conflicts. ### House Vesperi Influential in finance, healthcare, real estate, assets, and political relationships. Vittoria Vesperi wants to modernize the vampiric structure and break the monopoly of certain ancient families. She can negotiate with economic circles in the Vatican, but she does not own them. ### House Ceneri A dissident and less aristocratic network present in marginal and clandestine circles. Isotta Ferrante contests the discrimination with which the Code is applied. Her supporters may be idealistic, opportunistic, or violent; they are not automatically the "good guys". ## The Council of Matres Historical body of arbitration and governance. It intervenes in transformations, feeding territories, violations of the Veil, and disputes between houses. Justice and sanctions can be influenced by wealth, alliances, and blackmail. The Council does not have unlimited power, nor does it see everything that happens. ## Open issues outside of Samuele's life Valeria verifies possible infractions of the Code through Viola; Vesperi, with Dario and Emilio, evaluates a healthcare investment; Ceneri, led by Isotta, attempts to revise a sentence; Gregory XVII monitors budgets and foundations through his officials. These are DISTINCT and slowly developing issues, with negotiations, delays, opposition, and possible failures. They do not converge on the EUR, L'Atlante, or Samuele by narrative necessity. They do not generate events every turn: many days are ordinary, some dossiers remain stalled. Secret actions have causal effects on the world, but this information is not available to Samuele. Cecilia searches for documents related to Saint Judith without hunting the protagonist; Rachele protects manuscripts without looking for him. ## The alternative Vatican: institutions, power, and faith In this timeline, Pope Francis never existed. After the resignation of Benedict XVI, on March 13, 2013, the Italian cardinal Lorenzo Bellandi, born in Perugia in 1952, was elected and took the name Pope Gregory XVII. The pontiff is sincerely religious, austere, and centralizing: he protects the sovereignty of the Holy See with diplomatic skill and, when he deems it necessary, with very burdensome moral compromises. He knows of the existence of the Ancient Pact with the Matres, but not every detail of the vampiric world; he is not a vampire and is not subordinate to the houses. The Curia is divided between supporters, opponents, and aspiring successors, without a predetermined succession crisis. The Vatican is a religious, political, financial, and diplomatic center. Its structures operate with autonomy and different interests: central government, diplomacy, finances, foundations, archives, dioceses, and religious orders. It can influence Italy through alliances, wealth, charity, schools, hospitals, and institutional relations, but it does not automatically control the State. ### Internal factions There are cliques that compete for positions, assets, information, and influence over the succession of the pontiff. Some executives pursue wealth and personal ambition; others defend political balances through difficult compromises. Sincerely believing religious and laypeople instead dedicate their lives to faith, service, and the search for truth. No sector is morally uniform. ### Secret Pact with the Matres Only a small number of clergy members are aware of the existence of vampires. The Pact establishes confidentiality, limits on violence, diplomatic channels, and mutual obligations for crisis management. The Vatican does not command the Matres; the Matres do not rule the Church. Relations with the Valeria, Vesperi, and Ceneri houses differ and can shift based on interests, alliances, and disagreements. The Pact is fragile: political conflicts, economic rivalries, and violations threaten to gradually bring it to a breaking point. There is no automatic collapse; it depends on the characters' actions and the information that emerges. Some initiates support the compromise; others contest it for reasons of faith or ambition. ### Main Figures Saverio Monti is a diplomat who knows relevant parts of the Pact and favors institutional stability. Emilio Riva manages financial interests and is close to Vittoria Vesperi out of convenience. Agnese Bardi is a devout archivist who may find inconsistencies without initially knowing the vampiric secret. Sister Elena Guidi is a religious figure linked to Samuele's childhood, not a guide to the occult world. ### The Sacred and Daily Life Authentic faith does not in itself grant powers. Truly supernatural relics are extremely rare; a common religious symbol is not automatically effective against vampires. Offices, pilgrimages, charitable activities, and celebrations continue as normal, independent of high-level intrigue. The Vatican continues to act even when Samuele is elsewhere, but his life is not required to be involved in the intrigue. Any potential connection to the Santa Giuditta Foundation must emerge from plausible facts, documents, and decisions. ## The Striges Human, mortal women who are keepers of occult rituals and traditions. They are neither an immortal race nor omnipotent. The rituals require knowledge, tools, preparation, and suitable circumstances. Rachele Severi guards some of them and fears the Matres' dominion. ## Santa Giuditta Foundation — Secret Past Alessandro Ricci, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, worked in good faith with the legitimate, charitable side of the Foundation, which included lawful hematological research. His wife, Claudia Bellori, however, participated in illicit experiments on human blood, vampiric physiology, and a sacred relic. Alessandro discovered the clandestine side, attempted to take young Samuele away, and threatened to expose the abuse. Claudia organized his murder, abandoned Samuele, inherited the resources, and built her own economic dynasty. In 2003, a fire struck the Foundation, and Claudia became a vampire in that context; full details remain uncertain. Claudia's previous vampire lover was eliminated. Today, she uses the identity of Cecilia Valenti. Samuele does not know she is his mother, is unaware of the crime, and did not inherit any vampiric powers. ## Code of the Matres I VEIL — Vampiric secrecy. II BLOOD — Feeding territories, supply, and agreements. III PROGENY — Transformations subject to political authorization. IV LINEAGE — Responsibility of the Progenitress or Progenitor. V ANCIENT PACT — Binding agreements with the Vatican. VI JUDGMENT — Authority of the Council to judge infractions. Possible penalties: confiscation, exile, final death. Decisions are influenced by evidence, influence, and convenience. ## Physiology and Society Vampires require blood and are stronger, faster, more sensitive, and more regenerative than humans. Direct sunlight is lethal; fire, decapitation, and destruction of the heart can kill them permanently. Authentic relics and certain rituals of the Striges are dangerous in specific circumstances, not just any religious symbol. Transformation requires a specific, intentional act by a capable vampire, not just a simple bite or sexual contact; the Matres' permission is political, not biological. Vampires are sterile, but they can love and have sexual relationships. Biological-occult descent and political patronage are different relationships. ## Opening November 2, 2026, 8:00 AM: Samuele is in his studio apartment in Laurentino 38. He works evening/night shifts: he can rest after work, run errands, or meet familiar people. No urgent call, enigmatic warning, vampiric appearance, prescribed destiny, or family discovery is anticipated. Life can remain normal for days or weeks.