Yes – you read that correctly – I am casting for a Vampire the Masquerade chronicle, called “Aqua Tofana”.

I have been a long-time lover of the Lilim, those humans and kindred who worship the Dark Mother (aka: Lilith) in Vampire the Masquerade. I played the head of a Garden in Red Centre by Night and was ablet o research, write and portray lore, both canon and created for the series. Now, I am finally putting pen to paper and writing an on-going Chronicle, using the V5 system of VtM, to portray another story of this lesser-known sect? Cult? of individuals in the World of Darkness.

Want to put your name in the proverbial hat? Head on over to the Casting Call form.
Want to know more? Keep on reading.

What is Aqua Tofana?

Colourless. Odourless. Tasteless.

It was the terror of abusive husbands across Italy (and some say further abroad) for almost 20 years in the 17th century.

Otherwise known as Acqua Toffana or Aqua Tufania, it was an arsenic-based poison dispensed to women who could see no other way out of their predicament.

The story goes that a woman named Guilia Tofana found a solution to the problem many women faced – husbands who treated them terribly, divorce not an option, and no end in sight. A concoction containing deadly active ingredients, mostly found in women’s cosmetics of the time, its actual recipe and development processes are lost to the sands of time. Camouflaged in decorative bottles labelled :Manna di San Nicola” (Manna of St. Nicholas of Bari”), the packaging was designed to throw suspicious husbands off the trail, thinking they were makeup or some sort of religious devotional item.

The poisoning was so subtle that it could go unnoticed, dropped into wine or food. Its lethality was total – just 4 drops would kill its victims. Slow-acting, the symptoms resembled other progressive ailments, so it could initially be attributed to a cold, then flu, then severe illness, with the fourth dose killing them. This gave the women time to prepare for the death of their victim, including wills being drawn up and ensuring meddlesome relatives were no where to be found.

So, how does that refer to the Bahari?

The Chronicle, Aqua Tofana, follows the story of a group of Lilims as they attempt to poison the world’s existing Kindred political structures. Slowly. Steadily. Drop by drop.

Trained at the Garden of Hope in Budapest, our story follows each Lilim as they locate their target, infiltrate the existing power, gain trust and power themselves, and then – once all the pieces are in place, activate Operation Belladonna.

What is Operation Belladonna?

That, I’m afraid, you will have to watch the series to find out.

When is it coming out?

Aqua Tofana will be a series of ten episodes, coming out in 2027. Watch this space for more details as they come to hand.

Want to be part of the magic?

I am currently accepting applications for main cast and potential NPCs, so head on over to the Casting Calling form and put your name in the hat.

Want to lend a hand with the production, but not necessarily on camera? Drop me a line! I’m always happy to hear from folks, and the more the merrier with projects of this nature. This will be my first self-produced project of this scale, so if you have skills, there is a high likelihood I can benefit from them, and would be thankful for your knowledge if nothing else.

I don’t have skills and/or I don’t want to be on camera – how can I support?

Once casting in finalised, I will be looking to engage with artists for character art. I like to pay people for their art, so if you are an artist with a portfolio of previous work of this nature, let me know.

I will also be looking for title music, so if you have a portfolio, let me know!

Liking, sharing and commenting on updates helps the project reach further into the void of the internet. I also have a Ko-fi where I have set up a goal, with all funds from now until when the first episode goes live going towards the production.

Where can I stay up to date?

Updates on Aqua Tofana will be posted here and across my socials, so make sure to follow and subscribe.

Thanks so much for your support and I look forward to bringing you one hell of a killer story.