This is a beginner’s guide to the workings of the Venetian Estates, which spans the regions now known as Trentino-Alto Adige, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and the Veneto, and is led directly by the Northern-Italian head, Benedetto Vanieri.

The other two estates of Northern Italy are the Genoese estates, which consists of the regions that are now known as Liguria, Piedmont, and the Aosta Valley.

And the Milanese estates which consists of the modern-day regions of Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, and the northern parts of Tuscany.

The Venetian Estates trace their origins to a powerful magician once known as Rhaetia, later known as Selene. As Rhaetia, Selene's brilliance in both strategy and magic led the ancient Veneti to worship her as a living goddess.

Through her marriage to the former Earth King, Silvanus, she established the foundation of what would become the Venetian Estates; an institution that first began to take shape between 900 and 200 BC.

In the centuries that followed, the Estates expanded in power and prestige. By 200 AD, they had grown into a formidable force, one capable of rivaling the only other known society of fantastical beings: the nymphs, now known as the Western Elves of the Eastern Region.

These beings were famed for their mastery of earth elemental magic and their all-seeing golden eyes, which are capable of discerning the inner-workings of biology itself. And eventually. through intermarriage and bloodline convergence, the Venetians inherited both the elemental abilities and the golden vision of the Western elves.

By the 6th century AD, the Estates had fully consolidated their internal systems; formalizing their ranking hierarchy, fighting styles, elemental traditions, and estate governance structure into the form we recognize today.

All Northern Italian estates possess the ability to perceive biology, and the Venetian Estates are anything but the exception. At the core of this tradition lies what Venetians call the Sight.

More than mere perception, the Sight is a biological and magical phenomenon that originates from the inheritance of their Western Elf ancestry.

When these elves interbred with early Venetians, they passed on both the gift and the curse: the ability to perceive Earth in its purest form.

In formal terms, the Sight refers to the neurological internalization of earth elementalism. Though the Sight can take on many different forms depending on the person.

Users with the Sight can perceive and interpret any material that mostly consists of elements that fall under Earth in the periodic table: i.e. anything that is not gaseous. These include

• Biological matter: such as bones, muscles, tissue, and—to a limited extent—blood
• Earth materials: such as metals, gemstones, and naturally occurring solids
• Inorganic substances: such as pigments, toxins, and embedded trace elements

The Sight extends far beyond surface-level anatomy. Advanced users can perceive:

• Cellular structures and organ function
• Genetic markers and chromosomal anomalies
• Mental or personality traits reflected in the genome

While all Northern estates—Venice, Genoa, and Milan—possess variations of the Sight, only the Venetians have systematized it into daily life. Within the Venetian estate system, the Sight plays a critical role in:

• Everyday social interactions with friends and family
• Determining rank, power, career path, and social value
• Combat and athletics (e.g., targeting internal weak points)
• Art, fashion and ornamentation using biologically-reactive or non-reactive materials

To the Venetians, the Sight is not merely a skill. Those who master it are not only considered to be powerful, but also bear the weight of judgment, secrecy, and knowledge beyond the reach of any ordinary science.

All Northern Italian estates possess both earth elemental abilities and the ability to perceive biology, but only the Venetian estates have refined these powers into a formal, codified system.

This system has long since developed into an art form that is deeply interwoven with Venetian aesthetics, combat, and culture. This art form is what is called Venetian Elementalism.

Venetian Elementalism refers to the use of earth elementalism to control all Earth-based materials—not just soil and stone, but microscopic particulate matter and internal structures, including bone, pigment, and toxin. Its precision lies in subtlety, not brute force.

Where other traditions might displace boulders or raise walls, Venetian elementalist techniques operate on a molecular or cellular scale. The focus is always on maximum efficiency, targeting smaller structures to produce disproportionately large outcomes.

Venetian Elementalism is applied across three main domains:

Combat

• Manipulating poisons—both environmental and internal
• Paralyzing opponents by destabilizing terrain or balance.
• Targeted resonance to rupture bone or inflame nerves, especially when guided by biological Sight.
• Advanced users may apply these techniques directly to a person’s internal structure, such as weakening ligaments, stiffening veins, or interrupting neural signals—though such tactics are often forbidden in public duels due to ethical taboos.

Art

• Etching lifelike portraits into limestone or marble.
• Manipulating pigment flow at the molecular level to achieve impossible textures.
• Breathing movement into sculpture through dynamic mineral compression or porous grain control.

Medicine

• Extracting impurities or toxins from organs.
• Rehardening soft bones or reversing ossification.
• Rerouting blood flow or nerve pathways with gesture alone—especially during surgery or after injury.

Because Venetian Elementalism uses as little energy as possible by amplifying tiny molecular interactions, Sight becomes the main determinant of power—not elemental strength, not physical strength, not training.

Even among the disabled or bedridden, Sight determines efficacy:

• Example 1: Rico Zanetti (Weak)

  
  Member: Rico Zanetti  
  Elemental Affinity: Medium  
  Physical Ability: Paraplegic  
  Sight: Low – Can see organ outlines but not inner biological detail  
  Power: Weak  
  Use limited to gross movement of terrain or stones; little medical application.
                          

• Example 2: Cecilia di Franco (Average)

  
  Member: Cecilia di Franco 
  Elemental Affinity: Medium
  Physical Ability: Paraplegic
  Sight: Moderate – Sees inner organ systems and basic biological signals
  Power: Average
  Can assist in surgeries or stabilize internal bleeding in emergencies. 
                          

• Example 2: Lorenzo Caravello (High)

  
  Member: Lorenzo Caravello 
  Elemental Affinity: Medium
  Physical Ability: Paraplegic
  Sight: High – Interprets organ microstructures, vascular flow, even cellular deterioration
  Power: High 
  Capable of performing solo surgeries, isolating cancers, restoring bone matrix structure from a distance.
                          

When it comes to combat, the Venetian Estates are known for one thing and one thing only: maximizing efficiency through grace, silence, and precision. Every movement is designed to eliminate waste — of strength, time, or noise. For a Venetian, even the act of killing must retain elegance.

Most Venetians are trained to fulfill two fundamental principles:

1. Maximizing force in each attack
2. Integrating Venetian elementalism for both offense and defense

Within estate institutions, all formal attacks are built upon a single philosophy: each strike must deliver the greatest possible impact with the least possible expenditure. This is taught in two distinct stages, and always in the following order:

1. Natural Methods
   • Grapples, throws, and flips are never performed for spectacle. Each is a calculated engine of momentum, designed to magnify impact and disorient the enemy.
   • Leg strength is drilled relentlessly from childhood, ensuring that every vault, sweep, or lift channels the full weight of the body into the attack.
2. Artificial Methods
   • Earth elementalism supplements the body, releasing controlled bursts of force from the ground itself.
   • A single strike, when properly channeled, may carry the weight of stone — enough to shatter bone or rupture armor with minimal outward effort.

For Venetians, elementalism and Sight are inseparable from combat. These skills are applied across offense, defense, and manipulation of the battlefield itself.

1. Targeting Weaknesses: Fighters use the Sight to perceive the opponent’s vulnerabilities — joints, microfractures, or even underlying illness in order to strike precisely where the body will yield.
2. Terrain Manipulation: Venetian elementalism allows subtle control of the ground. Shifting stone beneath an opponent’s feet can unbalance them instantly, turning a stumble into a fatal opening.
3. Reinforcement & Augmentation: Earth can be drawn into the body to reinforce bones, stabilize weak points, or “tighten” the ground beneath one’s stance. Skilled fighters may temporarily heighten attributes such as speed, strength, and durability through this channeling.
4. Advanced Applications: Among high-ranking practitioners, elementalism extends beyond pure earth:
   • Water Control: Non-distilled water can be manipulated through its impurities — dirt, salt, or minerals.
   • Electric Conduction: Earth elemental resonance may be harnessed through Tesla coils or natural fields to generate currents in battle.
   • Weaponization of Environment: Stones, shards, and nearby objects may be lifted, sharpened, or repurposed as silent projectiles.

Venetian defense is not about endurance but about preserving elegance while denying the enemy advantage. A Venetian must never appear desperate or disordered, even when wounded.

Elemental Reinforcement

• Sight allows fighters to recognize incoming impact at the level of bone or tendon. Earth elementalism is then used to brace the body against rupture.
• Fighters may reinforce fractures or close bleeding vessels temporarily in combat, allowing them to continue without revealing weakness.

Efficiency of Motion

• Dodges are minimal, conserving strength. All dodges must immediately connect to a counterattack.
• A Venetian never defends twice; the first defense must neutralize the threat.

Composure Under Pain

• To groan or cry out is dishonorable. Pain is mastered in silence.
• Fighters are drilled to bow even when collapsing, ensuring that dignity is never surrendered.

Mask Discipline

• Masks conceal expression and deny the opponent the ability to read intent.
• A slip of the mask — whether literal or figurative — is considered dishonorable.

The single inborn marker of Venetian heritage lies in their eyes: the golden irises inherited from the Western Elves.

The Western Elves are so called because their last settlements endure only in the northwestern valleys of Italy. Yet before they were driven west and massacred by the Eastern Elves, their dominion had stretched across the whole Po Valley, including the northeastern lands that later birthed the Venetian Estates.

This northeastern branch carried a trait their western kin never developed: eyes of brilliant gold, capable of seeing through all things.

When combined with the blessing of Selene, this Sight became more than perception— it became the measure of rank itself. The brighter and truer the gold, the higher the person's power is, and the higher the bearer is placed in Venetian hierarchy. Eyes of dim hue or muddied color consign their owners to the lower stations of estate life.

Using the same examples from the section on Venetian elementalism, here are some examples of how the ranking system would work with Eyes:

• Example 1: Rico Zanetti (Low)

  Member: Rico Zanetti 
  
  // Continued from above
  
  Sight: Low – Can see organ outlines but not inner biological detail  
  Power: Weak  
  Use limited to gross movement of terrain or stones; little medical application.
  Eye color: Light Brown
  Rank: Low 
  Unable to do complex estate tasks beyond manual labour and low-level service to a branch family.
                          

• Example 2: Cecilia di Franco (Medium)

  Member: Cecilia di Franco 
  
  // Continued from above
  
  Sight: Moderate - Sees inner organ systems and basic biological signals
  Power: Average 
  Can assist in surgeries or stabilize internal bleeding in emergencies. 
  Eye Color: Amber
  Rank: Medium
  Able to do complex tasks both individually and as a mid-ranking servant of an estate family. Unable to enter politics.
                          

• Example 2: Lorenzo Caravello (High)

  
  Member: Lorenzo Caravello 
  
  // Continued from above
  
  Sight: High – Interprets organ microstructures, vascular flow, even cellular deterioration
  Power: High 
  Capable of performing solo surgeries, isolating cancers, restoring bone matrix structure from a distance.
  Eye color: Dark Gold
  Rank: High
  Required to either work autonomously or as a high-ranking servant under a branch family. Is allowed to hire servants and enter estate politics.
                          

Within the Venetian Estates, every individual on official business is required to wear a mask. This rule extends beyond Venetians themselves, encompassing visiting politicians, dignitaries, human servants, and even lovers permitted entry into the estate halls. The mask is not mere ornament—it is a declaration of rank, duty, and alignment.

A Venetian’s Eyes determine their inherent potential. A Venetian’s Mask determines what society has permitted them to become. To appear in official capacity without a mask is a public disgrace, tantamount to admitting exile or betrayal.

Mask Materials and Ranks

• Glass Masks – Transparent, fragile, meant to erase the presence of the wearer. Worn by servants, carriers, outsiders, and those whose Eyes rank too low for political or military life. Symbol: Utility without visibility.

  Prominent Wearers: rarely remembered; Rico Zanetti, Nicolo Barozzi and a handful of others (notable only because of through their achievements in non-Estate fields such as the Liberal Arts).

• Copper Masks – Durable and conductive. Worn by apprentices, laborers, low-level soldiers and the occasional powerful outsider. Symbol: Heat, endurance, and obedience under pressure.

  Prominent Wearers: Cecilia di Franco, Girardino da Parma, and 387 others (reflecting the visibility of Copper ranks as the backbone of the estate).

• Iron Masks – Heavy and unyielding. Worn by seasoned soldiers, and enforcers Symbol: Strength, silence, and absolute loyalty to the estate.

  Prominent Wearers: Lorenzo Caravello, Venerio Bonifatti, and 136 others (feared and remembered for their duties in war and punishment).

• Silver Masks – Refined, elegant, and dangerous. Worn by the highest ranking nobles, commanders, and estate leaders. Symbol: Prestige and closeness to the founding bloodlines.

  While many nobles have borne Silver, the most notorious Silver Masks of recent centuries are paradoxically the so-called "Failures"—Ambrogio Bressan, Paolo Padovan, Michele Trevisan, and Rodrigo Cavallaro. Their scandal, survival, and strength have etched their names more deeply into cultural memory than most legitimate nobles.

• Gold Masks – Rare and ceremonial. Worn only by the Head of the Venetian Estate. Symbol: Authority, legitimacy, and the divine connection to the founding bloodlines. Prominent Wearers: Only three in history—Silvanus, Selene, and Benedetto Vanieri.

Integration of Eyes and Masks

Venetian hierarchy is never judged on a single axis. A low-gold Sight bearer with a Glass Mask remains a servant, while an amber-eyed soldier entrusted with an Iron Mask may wield more daily authority. Yet true power emerges when both align—brilliant Eyes behind a noble Mask.

This dual system ensures that Venetian society remains rigidly stratified but never wholly predictable. A child’s golden irises may promise greatness, but only achievement and loyalty can grant the Mask that completes their station.

In the Venetian Estates, rank defines every aspect of life. From duties and privileges to marriages and even the right to speak, hierarchy dictates one’s place and possibilities. To understand the Estates is to understand this structure: a layered system where heritage, power, and loyalty interlock. What follows is a basic outline of the current organization of the Venetian Estates.

1. The Head
   • Current Head: Benedetto Vanieri
   • Role: Supreme leader of the Venetian Estates, overseeing all political, military, and social functions.
   • Responsibilities: Governing the estate, making high-level decisions, and representing the estate in external affairs.
   • Privileges: Wears the Gold Mask, holds ultimate authority, and commands the highest respect.
2. Branch Heads
   • Current Heads: Rodrigo Cavallaro (Rovigo), Michele Trevisan (Treviso), Paolo Padovan (Padua), Vincenza Padovan (Vicenza) and Veronica Veronese (Verona)
   • Role: Leaders of the major branches of the Venetian Estates, each overseeing a specific region. Previously there were two main families holding this position: the Paduans or the Veronese. But Benedetto has long changed the balance of power to benefit other provinces more.
   • Responsibilities: Managing branch affairs, enforcing estate policies, and reporting to the Head.
   • Privileges: Wear Silver Masks, command branch forces, obey certain tasks assigned to them by the head directly, and participate in estate councils.
3. Nobles
   • Current Notable Members: Lorenzo Caravello, Venerio Bonifatti, and Ambrogio Bressan (though his case is quite notable)
   • Role: Senior members of the estate with significant influence and responsibilities.
   • Responsibilities: Advising Branch Heads, leading important missions, and managing key estate functions.
   • Privileges: Wear Iron Masks (except for Ambrogio Bressan), hold high-ranking positions, and have access to exclusive estate resources.
4. Commoners
   • Current Notable Members: Cecilia di Franco, Girardino da Parma
   • Role: Established members of the estate with moderate influence and responsibilities.
   • Responsibilities: Carrying out estate duties, supporting nobles and branch heads, and participating in estate activities.
   • Privileges: Wear Copper Masks, hold mid-level positions, and have access to certain estate resources.
5. Servants and Laborers
   • Current Notable Members: Rico Zanetti, Nicolo Barozzi
   • Role: Entry-level or low-ranking members of the estate with limited influence and responsibilities.
   • Responsibilities: Performing basic estate tasks, supporting higher-ranking members, and maintaining estate operations.
   • Privileges: Wear Glass Masks, hold low-level positions, and have access to basic estate resources.

As the current head of the Venetian Estates, Benedetto Vanieri wields unparalleled authority and influence. His leadership is marked by a blend of traditional values and modern strategies, ensuring the estate's continued dominance in Northern Italy.

Unlike most estate heads who simply serve one function as the ruler of their Estate, Benedetto also has a second position that he inherited from his father Silvanus as the Earth King of the Italian peninsula: the most powerful Earth Elemental in the country.

Due to his status as earth king, all international and records consider him to be the most powerful Northern Italian alive today, with a Sight that is unparalleled among everyone in the Northern Italian Estates. Due to this he is considered the Head of not just the Venetian Estates, but all of Northern Italy.

Despite the connotations of their names the Failures are not in fact the least powerful people in the estate: quite the contrary. Three out of four of the members rank highly in combat settings, and the other one excels greatly in the field of poisons and medicine.

The name instead originates from their training as a part of the failures section, which they were all placed in due to either biological conditions or political maneuvering in the parts of either their enemies or their allies.

Despite this, all four of them have risen to prominence in the estate, and are considered to be some of the most powerful and influential members of the estate today.

They are as follows:

• Ambrogio Bressan: A prince of the Eastern Elves who was placed in the failures group due to his late recruitment into the estates by Silvanus; due to the golden eyes that originated from his father's mixed heritage.
• Paolo Padovan: A noble-born Venetian who as a Padovan was placed into the failures section due to the spite of their rival family the Veroneses. His Elemental Ability is second only to Benedetto in the Estates.
• Michele Trevisan: A commoner-born Venetian who was born with a condition that made his bones too brittle for most combat lessons.
• Rodrigo Cavallaro: A servant-born Venetian who was placed in the failures group due to a biological condition that impacted his strength. His Sight is second only to Benedetto in the Estates.

The Venetian Estates maintain a delicate balance with their closest neighbors: the Genoese and the Milanese. Periods of open conflict—especially with Genoa—have given way to a present era of uneasy peace.

This peace is mostly due to their unification under Benedetto Vanieri, who has brokered alliances and enforced truces to prevent further bloodshed. Due to his power, all of Northern Italy is united under him as the Earth King of Italy and in most international causes, they are considered as one Estate.

However, old habits die hard. And petty disputes can be shown in the interactions of the Northern Estatesmen, especially due to differences in their fighting philosophy and training. But these disputes are mostly kept to formal duels, Estate program exchanges and competitions, rather than open warfare and all of the Northern Italian Estates have at least a grudging respect for each other.

The Venetian Estates have a more tenuous relationship with the Central and Southern Italian Estates, such as the Umbrian and Neapolitan Estates. These estates often view the Northern Estates as arrogant and overly aggressive, while the Venetians see their southern counterparts as disorganized and weak.

The Venetians for example are known to have entered many disputes with the Umbrian Estates, due to what they perceive as the overly large amount of involvement in the business of the Pope and the Catholic Church. However in modern day, both estates have agreed to a truce and a non-aggression pact. With Benedetto having recently arranged a dual-training deal between the Estates.

When it comes to the Southern Italian Estates, the Venetians have a more pragmatic relationship. While there is little love lost between the two, they often find themselves allied against common threats, especially since the Southern Italian Estates is the largest in Italy and has the most manpower. The Venetians often provide strategic leadership and elemental expertise, while the Southerners contribute sheer numbers and magical diversity.

Benedetto Vanieri's relationship with the Roman Council and Lavinia, the daughter of Romulus and Head of the Southern Italian Estates, is complex and multifaceted. As the head of the Venetian Estates and the Earth King of Italy, Benedetto holds significant influence in Italian politics, which often brings him into contact with the Roman Council.

The Roman Council, being a powerful political entity, that allows the Estates to adjudicate decisions that affect the whole peninsula, has a history of both cooperation and conflict with the Venetian Estates. Benedetto's diplomatic skills are frequently put to the test as he navigates these interactions, balancing the interests of his estate with those of the council.

Lavinia, on the other hand, represents a more personal connection for Benedetto. As adoptive siblings, their relationship is marked by a blend of familial loyalty and conflicting ambitions. Lavinia's own position within the Roman Council adds another layer of complexity, as her actions and decisions can directly impact Benedetto's standing and strategies.

Overall, Benedetto's dealings with both the Roman Council and Lavinia are crucial to maintaining stability and advancing the interests of the Venetian Estates in a turbulent political landscape.