Characters: Gino, Vico, Adriana, Isabella, Emilio
Locations: Portovino, Pillartown, Ny’al
The Tartuffo Family mafia. L’ombra Profonda (The Tartuffo Family) maintain a strategic hold on Portovino’s residents through a combination of fear and so-called “protection.” Known for their brutal efficiency, the family has long manipulated the town’s safety, carefully cultivating an environment of instability and then offering costly protection from the very dangers they incite. Their influence extends across the region, pulling strings in everything from trade to politics. For the people of Portovino, L’ombra Profonda (The Tartuffo Family) are an unavoidable force—both a shield and a threat.
The Role of Vessels in the Mafia’s Dealings
Much like in the rest of the continent, vessels are a constant threat to life and stability. The Tartuffo family has found a dark utility in these abominations, using them as both a source of income and a tool of terror.
-
Insurance Fraud and Asset Seizures – L’ombra Profonda (The Tartuffo Family) have perfected a scheme of using vessels as a means to destroy property, only to swoop in afterward to claim insurance payouts or offer “protection” services. Buildings or businesses targeted by vessels are often left in shambles, and L’ombra Profonda (The Tartuffo Family) then approach the devastated owners, offering to buy the properties at a fraction of their value. Once owned by the mafia, these properties serve as fronts for laundering money and funneling eldritch artifacts, expanding the family’s power and wealth.
-
Bidding on Vessels’ Remains – The remains of powerful vessels are coveted on the black market, prized for their occult properties. L’ombra Profonda (The Tartuffo Family) have contacts across the continent who buy pieces of these creatures as relics or ritual ingredients. This practice generates substantial income while reinforcing their reputation as masters of the city’s horrors.
-
A Plan for the Future – Vico, in particular, is rumored to be seeking a way to harness the power of these eldritch entities directly, considering even becoming a vessel himself to secure the family’s dominance. The family’s spiritual advisor, Sister Fiamma, has convinced him that by binding a vessel’s essence to his own, he might achieve immortality or gain powers beyond mortal reach. Gino, aware of his father’s ambitions, fears what lengths Vico might go to in order to attain this goal.
The crest of L’ombra Profonda (The Tartuffo Family)