Vandimion Family

The Vandimion family, also called House Vandimion, is a line of high nobility whose holdings are rumored to exceed the budget of a leading nation. Bound by marriage to royal houses across several kingdoms, they command enormous sway within religious circles. Behind that reach stands the Vandimion Bank, jointly managed by Giorgio, who also serves as general financial manager of the Holy See's accounting office.

The family's money underwrites much of the known world's warfare. Without their backing, many nations, Tudor among them, could not have fought the Holy See's campaign against the Kushan, and the See's entire financial administration runs through the Vandimion Bank alone. During the catastrophe surrounding Albion, the house supplied the bulk of provisions for the fleeing refugees. Their grand mansion sits in the Holy City, once staffed by dozens of servants, many of whom fled during Farnese's difficult childhood; one of its buildings burned in the fire she set at sixteen when her father arranged her marriage. A second Vandimion mansion in Vritannis is marked throughout by a four-leaf clover motif.

The house is led by Federico de Vandimion III, its third-generation head and, through the bank, the most influential figure in the Holy See's domain, alongside Lady Vandimion. Its members include the financier Giorgio, the cardinal Poliziano, the eccentric Magnifico, and Farnese, the daughter who abandons her privileged station to follow Guts. The clover-marked crest and immense wealth signal a power that operates behind thrones rather than upon them.