Editing Lineage:House Lineages (section)

=House of Medici=

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Positive Stereotype:  Stylish businessperson.

Negative Stereotype:  Brutal gangster.

Symbol:  Crossed keys.

Signature Spell:  Mind-Reading.  “Bare the Soul”.	

Magical Style:  Medieval Italian, with Ancient Roman influences.

Bankers, financiers and traders, the House of Medici know that nothing is more powerful than money itself.  They have learned to administrate, control and manipulate markets with a skill that no other House can match and have made themselves such a part of the functioning of the world economy that nobody can afford to refuse to do business with them.  Medici possessions include Bank of America, Citigroup, and Vivendi Universal.

Rising to power in Florence in the 13th century, the Medici were and are wealthy bankers and traders.  Though they were eventually to force the Julii and Flavii to share governing power in Italy, Medici ambitions were generally focused on indirect control rather than direct political authority.  To this end, they took control of the Papacy and dominated the Mediterranean markets to the best of their ability, eventually spreading their mercantile empire all over Europe and North Africa.

Though patrons of Renaissance culture, the Medici love of stability and security has lead them to be conservative politically, fearing the disruption that change might bring.  They opposed the spread of the printing press, democratic revolutions, the abolition of slavery and female emancipation.  They have never been financially conservative, however, and have always been quick to find new ways of making money, whether by banking, trade, mercenary work or organized crime.  They sided with the monarchy during the English Civil War and sided with England during the American Revolution, currying much favor with the House of Stuart.  They supplied both sides during the American Civil War, simply following the money.  Most Medici sympathized with the Confederacy but remained neutral out of a desire not to alienate either side.  In the U.S., as in Italy, they opposed anarchism, communism and fascism.  They refused to do business with the Nazis, helped push the United States into the Second World War and worked hard to ensure Mussolini’s downfall.  Generally, though, the Medici have opposed the outbreak of wars due to their destabilizing effect.  The Medici have always been patrons of the arts and remain so to this day, sponsoring art and architecture not just in America and Europe, but around the world.  

Mortal Politics:  The United States needs to bring its troops home from foreign countries because they are only making things worse.  The US needs to find allies among the natives instead and support them into power.  Above all, the oil supply must not be endangered.  The US should reduce regulations on business, which only hurt the economy.  Taxes for businesses should be cut to help them compete.  However, not all government spending is bad.  For instance, the US needs to do a lot more to fund the arts.  We are a nation of philistines.

Cost:  23 points.

Perk:  Medici Understanding.  Well known for their medical abilities, any attempt by a Medici to cause or cure poison or disease is at +2 to skill.

Quirk:  Medici’s Heart.  A Medici is psychologically incapable of falling in love.  This does not prevent them from loving their own family or even loving as a friend, although they tend towards being cold and distant.

Skills:  Accounting, Alchemy, Chemistry,  Economics, Diplomacy, Occultism, Poisons, Savoir-Faire, Symbol Drawing (Western Hermetic), Thaumatology, Theology (Christian).

Spells:
Communication and Empathy:  Control Person, Mind-Reading, Possession, Sense Emotion, Sense Foes, Soul-Rider, Truthsayer. 
Mind Control:  Foolishness, Forgetfulness, Mindlessness.
Necromantic:  Death Vision, Summon Spirit.


Relations

The Houses

House of Anjou:  They can make deadly mercenaries.  What they lack in subtlety, they make up for in rage.

House of Cain:  Professional to the core, their services are often useful.

House of Capet:  They have bad credit and few assets left to mortgage.

House of Carolus:  They are much richer than most mages think, with diversified assets around the world.

House of Flavii:  The Flavii have long had their eyes on the banks and international financial institutions.  That makes them our rivals and enemies.

House of Hapsburg:  They are rivals, but we cannot afford not to do business with them.

House of Julii:  Our presence in Italy has been a burr in their side for centuries and they have never forgiven us for taking the Catholic Church from them.

House of Lancaster:  They need us and we want their money.

Order of Lilith:  Their detachment can be impressive, but without family, they are weak and alone.

House of Romanov:  A resource that has barely been tapped.  They would do anything to rise to power once again.  Anything.

House of Stuart:  Revolution is bad for business and so, for as long as they do not interfere with the conduct of business, they will have our full support.

House of Trastámara:  They are surprisingly good at business.  They have little empathy, but they are never too squeamish to do what needs to be done.

House of Ummayad:  Even they must do business, but they have a great apprecaition for discretion.

House of Warwick:  They are natural friends of ours and we enjoy a good working relationship.

House of York:  They are always looking for a fight and will eventually destroy themselves in the process.

The Rebellion

Order of Boudicca:  They just hate anyone who has done better in life than they have.

Order of Copernicus:  Annoying, but who else will develop the satellite system properly?

Order of Darwin:  Full of ideas but without the sense to profit from them.  They are worth investing in.

Order of Eve:  Their devotion to private charity is to be encouraged.  It distracts them from taking effective political action.

Order of Jesus:  There is only room for one church.  Our church.

Order of Judas:  They are too idealistic for us to put their talents to good use.

Order of Siddhartha:  They have no idea how to sell their religion, so they are of little consequence.

Order of Solon:  An “egalitarian leader” is a contradiction in terms.  They are just politicians like any other.

Order of Spartacus:  They are too unsophisticated to even see our hand at work, much less to strike at us.

Order of Thales:  They sometimes need to be silenced if people start to pay them attention, but that very rarely happens.

Order of Utnapishtim:  Their political neutrality makes them a good role model for others in the Rebellion.