Brazil is a federal republic composed of a union of the Federal District, 26 states and 5,570 municipalities. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and numerous other sovereign states to the west, Brazil is the largest country of South America.
Overview[]
Brazil stretches almost 2700 miles from the foothills of the Andes Mountains eastward to the Atlantic Ocean. In area, Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world; it borders on every country of the continent except for Chile and Ecuador. Despite dwelling within borders almost the size of the United States, the country's population is barely half as large.
Locations[]
- Amazon Forest
- Brasília
- Manaus
- Rio de Janeiro
- São Paulo
- Santos, a large city
- Recife, a large city
Vampire: The Masquerade[]
Brazil gained independence from Portugal in 1822, and during the 19th century enjoyed a political stability unusual for Latin America. As the 20th century dawned, however, the area fell into social turmoil. Brazil's vampires claim no part of the chaos; the violent overthrow of a dozen different administrations is entirely the work of the kine. Brujah, Gangrel and others were, of course, more than happy to batten on the turmoil.
Brasília, the capital city, was built in the highlands beginning in 1957 in order to encourage development of the interior, and became a inhabited by many Nosferatu who took advantage of the construction to build an impenetrable fortress against She Who Screams in the Forests. Brazil's lowlands are composed primarily of undisturbed sedimentary rocks and harsh terrain. For this reason, much of Brazil's interior is still uninhabited, despite advances in technology that would allow for easy access.
Brazil's kine prefer to remain concentrated along the coast or on the major rivers.The country has a strong Sabbat presence since its formation with the regional expansion and arrival of the exiled Portuguese court, with points like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro having strong influence and presence from the Black Hand on its foundations. However, it is also possible to find strong Toreador activity on the Camarilla side. The lush panorama of untamed forest has made Brazil very popular with the Gangrel. No one is certain just how many members of clan Gangrel dwell in Brazil, but most suspect the numbers are high. Fear of the havoc the Gangrel could wreak if antagonized has prevented Brazil's other vampires from pushing harder for expansion into new areas.
Lasombra and Toreador have warred over Brazil for centuries, with the exception of the “Carnival City” Rio de Janeiro, which is open to all clans. Whether Kindred strife or Kindred satiety finally drove the kine to respond, when they did it was with fire and sword. Brazilian national police officers whose faith or hatred outweighed our substantial bribes assembled thick dossiers of the disappeared, the victimized, the kidnapped, the devoured. Possibly tipped off by the Society of St. Leopold, while Brazil’s states and cities created elite squads of special police in the 1980s, they formed their own Batalhão de Operações Especiais Secretas (BOES), the Special Secret Operations Battalion. Funded by seized criminal assets at first, and then by seized Kindred assets, the BOES inserted five- or sixman comandarias within the military police or special operations police in São Paulo (ROTA), Belo Horizonte (BOPE), Rio de Janeiro (BOPE), Vítoria (BME), and other cities and states. Those comandarias scout a city and map out the Kindred turf and activity in it for months or even years. Once this is accomplished, the BOES “flying reserve” squads move in, strike as many targets at once as they can, and then begin clearing the city block by block if need be.
Because BOES for its first decades concentrated on non-Camarilla cities, we paid little attention to their raids. Indeed, it would likely not surprise you to learn that several local Toreador princes put the BOES on the scent of their rivals. But once the Society of St. Leopold brought BOES fully into the Second Inquisition, it became a significant threat to our activities as well. In some cases, BOES platoons have decades of hunting experience, more than any other human fighting force on the planet. The most veteran among them train and radicalize the new recruits to the “Sagradas,” (the Sacred, as they call the unit) blunting our kind’s weapons of shock and doubt. With U.S. military backing and funding via IAO, it is only a matter of time before they expand their operations outside Brazil: indeed, BOES comandarias may be operating in Bogotá, Caracas, and Luanda already.
In recent nights, She Who Screams in the Forest remains active in its hunt for Nosferatu.The Cult of Shalim is also active in the country, having some cells of Shalimites scattered across their states.
Changeling: The Dreaming[]
Changelings have heard of the Kingdom of Amazonia, which encompasses the vast country of Brazil. Deep in the jungles of the Amazon, atop the boughs of an ancient Gyranthera tree, the Kingdom of Amazonia holds court. Known for their dazzling parties and warm hospitality, these fae are more welcoming than their neighbors to the south. Travelers to Bellatierra often find themselves swept into the splendor of the court of Amazonia and its fair ruler, Queen Camellia. Her family has held the throne since a pod of encantado founded the kingdom nearly eight hundred years ago. The members of the court of Amazonia rarely engage in direct conflicts, preferring to keep their hands clear of blood. This is not to say all their subjects are pacifists — their ranks once boasted some of the fiercest warriors in Bellatierra — but they prefer only to fight when their homes are directly threatened.
Werewolf: The Apocalypse[]
The Amazon Basin[]
Few vampires dare to venture into the Amazon Basin. The Amazon is a battleground between the Lupines and their enemies, the creatures of the Wyrm. Powerful garou warriors like Golgol Fangs-First fight the continuous corporate destruction of the tropical rainforest. The conflict has sparked the Lupines to Rage, and vampires are wise to avoid them.
The strange and savage war for the Amazon has precipitated several unpleasant surprises. Reports of odd, nocturnal migrations away from the jungle have alarmed many of Brazil's vampires. Great winged beasts, half-human and half-bat, have reportedly been seen flapping away from the rainforest. Those few who claim to have seen the creatures aver that the bat-things drink blood. Some even whisper they prefer the flavor of vampiric blood over all others. No proof exists, but vampires seldom leave behind evidence after they've been drained of their unlife.
Stranger creatures still are supposedly moving toward the coastline, and thus the cities, but their descriptions are so fantastic that most tend to discount them as myth. Efforts to halt the destruction of the rainforests - just in case the rumors about monsters are true have had no real effect to date.
Wraith: The Oblivion[]
The Fishers and their allies battled confederations of natives for almost a century from their Citadel in the Necropolis of Salvador. They advanced across Brazil methodically until the Third Great Maelstrom swept across the continent and discorporated tribes by the hundreds. The Fifth Legion ousted the few remaining Fishers in Salvador, and most of the native population simply ceased to exist, were Reaped by the Hierarchy as they crossed the Shroud, or resided in remote areas beyond Hierarchy control.
Gallery[]
References[]
- WOD: A World of Darkness Second Edition, p. 34-37
- VTM: V20 Companion, p. 64
- WTA: Rage Across the Amazon, p. 16-23, 24-37, 118
- WTO: The Book of Oblivion, p. 101
- CTD: Changeling: The Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition, p. 73
- CTD: Changeling: The Dreaming 20th Anniversary Player's Guide, p. 93-94
- WOD: Camarilla (book), p. 78-79