Carnevale - Session Ten: The Revolution
Very early the next day, before the sun had even risen, there was a council of war at a private house rented by Silvia Franco. The courtesan and her bodyguard Ornella Donati were there, along with Santa Maria, Antonio, Fra Lucio, Aksil of Sahel, the di Benicio family, and other supporters. Even though it was expected, Paolo's absence at the table was upsetting.
Silvia laid out the plan that she'd formulated with Aksil. The time for revolution was almost here. Thanks to Giovanna Buoncastello and her printing press, revolutionary material was circulating throughout the city. Today at dawn, the humanists would launch two attacks to begin the revolution. Aksil would lead his followers to attack the main garrison of the Pennacchi Rossi mercenaries, aiming to kill their leader Capitano Lorenzo Brandi in revenge for the attack on the Grande Convente, and to cut off the head of the mercenaries. Meanwhile, Fra Lucio and his followers would storm the prison at the Ponte de Lacrime and free the clerics imprisoned there! With these two symbols of oppression toppled, the people would surely rally to the humanist cause, overthrowing the remaining Pennacchi Rossi and reclaiming Vanzenia. And when Morignus emerged, Santa Maria would be waiting for him, with the help of a holy relic... Antonio unveiled a shining lance that he had just retrieved through great peril: Ascalon, the holy dragon-slaying spear of San Teodoro!
Chiara and the others felt nervous about this part of the plan, but they agreed on the necessity of the first part. They decided to help Fra Lucio's attack on the Bridge of Tears. As they set off together, Fra Lucio told them surreptitiously that Madre Angela, who had aided them in the attack on the Isola della Mortanera, had died. As she died, however, she regained sudden clarity and said, "We have all been deceived. Everyone wears a mask during Carnevale. Seven take the silver road... follow your nose!" He thought, since there were seven of them, that perhaps they were the seven mentioned, but grew worried when he learned that Stefano had died the previous day. Privately, the six remaining di Benicios wondered if 'follow your nose' was a reference to their dog Naso!
The Ponte di Lacrime prison was a squat, square fortress, consisting of a central courtyard surrounded by cells, connected across a canal to the Dragon's Palace by the Bridge of Tears itself. It was very heavily defended by veteran soldiers. These veteran soldiers had never fought the di Benicios before, however! The siblings had three of the alchemical explosives that Angelo il Turchino's tritones had used to sink their house. Matilde's familiar spirit Enzo, shrouded by magic conjured up by Fra Lucio and Greta, snuck up to the two main gates without anyone noticing and attached two of the explosives to them, before scurrying off. Then Via used her magic to activate them at range. With a deafening noise, the two doors were blasted open, and the attackers surged into the prison, catching the defenders by surprise. The prison guards soon rallied and signalled for reinforcements from the Dragon's Palace - but these reinforcements would not come, for Adrianna rushed up to the bridge with the final explosive and destroyed it! Meanwhile Fra Lucio, Via and Greta (in the form of a giant hippopotamus) charged the guards in the courtyard, Deltorro climbed up to engage the crossbowmen who lined the balconies, and Matilde and Chiara used their magic to open the cell doors and let out the prisoners, who joined in the battle. It was a rout: soon the prisoners were freed, and the dungeon ablaze behind them.
The small army made their way from the prison to the rendezvous point, only to be intercepted by a breathless runner from Gianetta the red dragon. Aksil's assault on the Pennacchi Rossi had failed, and Capitano Lorenzo Brandi was marching his forces to attack them. Already they were between Fra Lucio's forces and the rendezvous point, and with the prisoners here, they were moving much faster than the humanist force. Either the leaders abandoned the prisoners here to be massacred and fled - or they stood and fought against a superior force, a battle that they could not win!
It was now that Chiara stepped up. The time had come for the revolution. Perhaps this small, rag-tag force could not defeat the Red Plumes, but the people of Vanzenia could! If they could hold them off for long enough, their resistance would give the Vanzenians something to rally around. The time for the revolution was now! She used her magic to create great letters in the sky, summoning the Vanzenians to her, and gave an impassioned speech calling upon the people to join them and resist the oppressors! And the people of Vanzenia answered! Arming themselves with whatever improvised weapons they could find, they dragged tables, carts, chests, beds, and whatever else they could find into the street, throwing up barricades to hold off the enemy advance. And not with a moment to lose, either: the assembled ranks of the Red Plumes arrived, commanded by a cavalier with a boar's-head helmet: Lorenzo himself!
Marching forward in formation, soldiers with shields sheltering their crossbow-armed comrades, the mercenaries advanced up the street, sending a deadly barrage at the defenders. But sheltered behind the barricade, and bolstered by the prayers of the rescued clerics, the rebels absorbed the worst of the damage. Meanwhile, the di Benicios used their magic to counterattack. Via made the road itself explode, slaying many of the soldiers and tearing a great hole in their ranks. Greta transformed once more into a hippopotamus, and she, Deltorro, Lucio and Adrianna, alongside the assembled people, stood atop the barricade and held back the attackers. Lorenzo himself joined the attack, only to get Adrianna's knife in his neck.
Disheartened by how utterly they had been repulsed, and the death of their captain, the Red Plumes turned to flee. As they did, however, an army of women came surging out of nowhere, attacking them from the rear. It was the nuns of the Grande Convente, seeking revenge for the wrongs done to them! Turning to flee down another street, the mercenaries found it blocked by grim-faced dwarves. Only a few of the Red Plumes escaped the ensuing massacre, fleeing back to the palace. The revolution had begun! Greta met the leader of the Grande Convente nuns, the passionate Bellina Fuoco, who seemed highly interested in what else she could turn into! Meanwhile, Adrianna spotted Valeria, a gondolier who worked for Paolo. Valeria told her that Paolo had seen the sign in the sky and asked her to go to bring reinforcements.
Exhausted, the di Benicios returned home for a well-deserved sleep. The revolution, now started, would continue without them. And as she slept, Via had another dream of the moons, and of Stefano, who was this time joined by an unfamiliar woman. But the next day, when she described the dream to the others, Chiara instantly recognised the description. She pulled out her necklace, and showed the picture within. It was their mother Fausta...
Silvia laid out the plan that she'd formulated with Aksil. The time for revolution was almost here. Thanks to Giovanna Buoncastello and her printing press, revolutionary material was circulating throughout the city. Today at dawn, the humanists would launch two attacks to begin the revolution. Aksil would lead his followers to attack the main garrison of the Pennacchi Rossi mercenaries, aiming to kill their leader Capitano Lorenzo Brandi in revenge for the attack on the Grande Convente, and to cut off the head of the mercenaries. Meanwhile, Fra Lucio and his followers would storm the prison at the Ponte de Lacrime and free the clerics imprisoned there! With these two symbols of oppression toppled, the people would surely rally to the humanist cause, overthrowing the remaining Pennacchi Rossi and reclaiming Vanzenia. And when Morignus emerged, Santa Maria would be waiting for him, with the help of a holy relic... Antonio unveiled a shining lance that he had just retrieved through great peril: Ascalon, the holy dragon-slaying spear of San Teodoro!
Chiara and the others felt nervous about this part of the plan, but they agreed on the necessity of the first part. They decided to help Fra Lucio's attack on the Bridge of Tears. As they set off together, Fra Lucio told them surreptitiously that Madre Angela, who had aided them in the attack on the Isola della Mortanera, had died. As she died, however, she regained sudden clarity and said, "We have all been deceived. Everyone wears a mask during Carnevale. Seven take the silver road... follow your nose!" He thought, since there were seven of them, that perhaps they were the seven mentioned, but grew worried when he learned that Stefano had died the previous day. Privately, the six remaining di Benicios wondered if 'follow your nose' was a reference to their dog Naso!
The Ponte di Lacrime prison was a squat, square fortress, consisting of a central courtyard surrounded by cells, connected across a canal to the Dragon's Palace by the Bridge of Tears itself. It was very heavily defended by veteran soldiers. These veteran soldiers had never fought the di Benicios before, however! The siblings had three of the alchemical explosives that Angelo il Turchino's tritones had used to sink their house. Matilde's familiar spirit Enzo, shrouded by magic conjured up by Fra Lucio and Greta, snuck up to the two main gates without anyone noticing and attached two of the explosives to them, before scurrying off. Then Via used her magic to activate them at range. With a deafening noise, the two doors were blasted open, and the attackers surged into the prison, catching the defenders by surprise. The prison guards soon rallied and signalled for reinforcements from the Dragon's Palace - but these reinforcements would not come, for Adrianna rushed up to the bridge with the final explosive and destroyed it! Meanwhile Fra Lucio, Via and Greta (in the form of a giant hippopotamus) charged the guards in the courtyard, Deltorro climbed up to engage the crossbowmen who lined the balconies, and Matilde and Chiara used their magic to open the cell doors and let out the prisoners, who joined in the battle. It was a rout: soon the prisoners were freed, and the dungeon ablaze behind them.
The small army made their way from the prison to the rendezvous point, only to be intercepted by a breathless runner from Gianetta the red dragon. Aksil's assault on the Pennacchi Rossi had failed, and Capitano Lorenzo Brandi was marching his forces to attack them. Already they were between Fra Lucio's forces and the rendezvous point, and with the prisoners here, they were moving much faster than the humanist force. Either the leaders abandoned the prisoners here to be massacred and fled - or they stood and fought against a superior force, a battle that they could not win!
It was now that Chiara stepped up. The time had come for the revolution. Perhaps this small, rag-tag force could not defeat the Red Plumes, but the people of Vanzenia could! If they could hold them off for long enough, their resistance would give the Vanzenians something to rally around. The time for the revolution was now! She used her magic to create great letters in the sky, summoning the Vanzenians to her, and gave an impassioned speech calling upon the people to join them and resist the oppressors! And the people of Vanzenia answered! Arming themselves with whatever improvised weapons they could find, they dragged tables, carts, chests, beds, and whatever else they could find into the street, throwing up barricades to hold off the enemy advance. And not with a moment to lose, either: the assembled ranks of the Red Plumes arrived, commanded by a cavalier with a boar's-head helmet: Lorenzo himself!
Marching forward in formation, soldiers with shields sheltering their crossbow-armed comrades, the mercenaries advanced up the street, sending a deadly barrage at the defenders. But sheltered behind the barricade, and bolstered by the prayers of the rescued clerics, the rebels absorbed the worst of the damage. Meanwhile, the di Benicios used their magic to counterattack. Via made the road itself explode, slaying many of the soldiers and tearing a great hole in their ranks. Greta transformed once more into a hippopotamus, and she, Deltorro, Lucio and Adrianna, alongside the assembled people, stood atop the barricade and held back the attackers. Lorenzo himself joined the attack, only to get Adrianna's knife in his neck.
Disheartened by how utterly they had been repulsed, and the death of their captain, the Red Plumes turned to flee. As they did, however, an army of women came surging out of nowhere, attacking them from the rear. It was the nuns of the Grande Convente, seeking revenge for the wrongs done to them! Turning to flee down another street, the mercenaries found it blocked by grim-faced dwarves. Only a few of the Red Plumes escaped the ensuing massacre, fleeing back to the palace. The revolution had begun! Greta met the leader of the Grande Convente nuns, the passionate Bellina Fuoco, who seemed highly interested in what else she could turn into! Meanwhile, Adrianna spotted Valeria, a gondolier who worked for Paolo. Valeria told her that Paolo had seen the sign in the sky and asked her to go to bring reinforcements.
Exhausted, the di Benicios returned home for a well-deserved sleep. The revolution, now started, would continue without them. And as she slept, Via had another dream of the moons, and of Stefano, who was this time joined by an unfamiliar woman. But the next day, when she described the dream to the others, Chiara instantly recognised the description. She pulled out her necklace, and showed the picture within. It was their mother Fausta...
Art: 'Venice, the Bridge of Sighs.' Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1840.
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