Federico DiPadua

Federico tells anyone who asks that his life has been like any other. From the heights of glory and hope to the pits of terror and pain, he has clung to his beliefs and pursuits despite the capriciousness of fate. Now sometimes referred to as “the Right Hand” of the Camarilla — because his centuries of service in the role of archon are beyond reproach and without equal (What other Cainite, at least one who operates in the plan view of others, has managed to hold such a position within the Camarilla for so long?) — Federico works diligently to ease the tensions in the Camarilla’s ivory tower. He reminds Kindred now in power of the nights when they were weak, and he suggests to those who are weak now that they might one night wield power and that they must not perpetuate the abuses heaped upon them. Born in Italy, Federico grew to become a veteran mercenary much prized for his ability to organize impetuous youths. In the course of those many years, he fought across all the lands of Europe, during which time he knew many masters, saw many treacheries and learned lessons that have shaped his immortal existence for five centuries. Federico’s Embrace was a brutal one, and it continues to affect him to this day, though not in a cyclical fashion — he does not dispense justice harshly, nor does he abuse his power. Instead, from the very first nights of the Camarilla, Federico fashioned his own agenda by not kneeling to the whims or expectations of the individuals he has served. Such selfdetermination was easy during the years when his adopted sire, the co-founder of the Camarilla, Josef von Bauren, was justicar, but not so with several of the seven justicars under whom he’s served. Federico always weighs the information and evidence he gathers or receives with a mind toward fairness. Frankly, he’s as surprised as his most ardent detractors that he has held his post for so long and through so many transitions. This surprise, though, arises solely from his resistance to manipulation, and he hopes that he has maintained his position because of his results. However, it has not escaped his notice that he has never been offered the position of justicar. He’s too valuable in the field, he’s told, even though he never asks the question. In the end, he accepts that as answer enough, because he doesn’t allow anything to weigh too heavily upon him except the decisions of unlife and death he makes regarding others. Nevertheless, over the centuries, Federico has become known as an ardent supporter of the Camarilla. At first, he felt the organization was merely the best solution available. Although he has surely seen the sect struggle at times, the Camarilla inevitably rights itself and travels a path that he sees as just. Federico’s cynical streak still shows itself sometimes, but that’s because he knows the Camarilla is not perfect. He particularly reviles the blindness the organization perpetuates. The best decisions are made when the most evidence is available, and the Camarilla too often closes its eyes on matters of grave concern and terrible consequence, such as the existence of Antediluvians. As an individual, though, CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT 54 Federico can take these nameless fears into account as he dispenses justice in the name of the sect. Recent years have found Federico in the United States. Several months of fruitless and dogged investigation turned up little regarding the assassination of Justicar Petrodon in Chicago. Now, Cock Robin is the Nosferatu justicar, and Federico expects good things from this Kindred. Cock Robin is committed to the Camarilla, but more importantly, he also fights the willful blindness of the sect in his constant attempts to draw attention to its fading power along the East Coast of the United States. Regardless, whether he knows it in his dead heart or not, Federico will never entirely feel certain of the Camarilla and its ability to shape Kindred politics and schemes until he is elevated to justicar. Ironically, it is a position he would refuse, for he knows he is indeed more valuable in the field. Thus, this litmus test of his devotion to and hope for the Camarilla may never occur.