Baroness Ravanelli (Triumph)

Baroness Lucia Ravanelli

Affiliations

Baroness Lucia Ravanelli is known among the world's noble families as the head of House Ravanelli, a noble family with lands and holdings dating back through the Italian Renaissance and well into the earliest days of the Holy Roman Empire. She is an active member of the Midnighters Club and frequently consults with mystics within that orders walls. In the thirteenth century she was affiliated with an ancient Italian order of mystics known as L'Ordine Antico e Magico di Hermes, the Ancient and Mystical Order of Hermes or OAMH. After the order was crushed by the Vatican's inquisitors in 1434 on charges of witchcraft, devil worship, and blasphemy, Baroness Ravanelli took the OAMH underground where it survived and publicly resurfaced in the 19th century. The OAMH also goes by another name, a name more indicative of its true purpose. For those knowledgable in arcane lore, this name is L'Ordine Antico e Malevolo di Hadeans, or the Ancient and Malevolent Order of Hadeans.

Backstory

To understand who Baroness Ravanelli is requires one to know the family she married into. The Ravanelli family was once a noble bloodline that flourished in the Italian Renaissance, but whose origins may date back to the days of the Ancient Egyptians. After the fall of the Mu mystics almost 14,000 years ago many of the Mu spread across the Earth, one such branch of survivors calling themselves the Hadeans. The Hadeans were always few in number but managed to spread across the known world, securing positions of security and power for themselves by remaining in the shadows behind the thrones of kings and emperors. As the Roman Empire was rising to power in 27 BC the Hadeans were there, quietly lending their arcane support to Ceasar and those who followed. During Rome's reign the Ravenellis were less subtle about their nature, and they were quietly approached by Senators and officials who desired to utilize the power of the Ravanellis in pursuit of their ambitions. According to legend the Ravanellis were powerful necromancers, and they would frequently lend their dark powers to others in exchange for tribute. Although these tributes included lands, titles, gold, and slaves, the Ravanellis preferred one commodity more than any other - human souls. For centuries countless slaves, prisoners, and unfortunate rivals were quietly handed over to the Ravanellis, and although the Ravanellis grew tremendously in power they were unable to halt the decline of Rome in the 5th Century.

As Rome collapsed around them the Ravanellis managed to relocate to the Eastern Roman Empire, where they continued to survive and grow in power as they did in Rome. The Ravanellis returned to the West in 962, just as the Holy Roman Empire was consolidating its power across Europe. Due to the presence of the Catholic Church and their harsh positions against magic and science, the Ravanellis were no longer as open as they were during the time of Rome. Instead, in 965 they formed a secret society known as L'Ordine Antico e Magico di Hermes or OAMH, and only offered their services to those whose ambitions would find their work appealing. They presented their face to the world as a body of scholars, alchemists, scientists, and philosophers, but behind these interests lay their true power; necromancy. To the world's discredit, the OAMH was able to corrupt hundreds of nobles, royal, and even Church officials into utilizing the powers of the Ravanellis in exchange for temporal power, wealth, and human souls.

The OAMH grew immensely in power for several centuries, and it was during this time Baroness Ravanelli married into the family. Originally from a noble merchant family Venice, Lucia Vetrano married Baron Lorenzo Ravenelli in 1234, and almost immediately was she indoctrinated into the family business.

Contact Information

Baroness Ravanelli may be contacted on Triumph by e-mail using her name, Baroness Ravanelli. Her global channel that is valid across all servers is @Major Paragon.