TEXT:  
  RIO DE JANEIRO 
  BY GODS & MYTHS 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  CREDITS 
  Author: T. Hayashi 
  SPECIAL THANKS TO 
  Maitrecorbo, for the Two Friends. 
  All the Scion community in the Onyx Path Official 
  Forums and Facebook Group for the support and help. 
   
   
   
   
  
   
  Introduction 
  5 
  What This is Not 
  6 
  Geography 
  6 
  Zones of the City 
  6 
  Downtown 
  6 
  North Zone 
  7 
  West Zone 
  7 
  South Zone 
  7 
  Baixada Fluminense 
  8 
  Favelas 
  8 
  Getting Around in Rio 
  8 
  History 
  9 
  Pre-Colony 
  9 
  Foundation and Colonial Period 
  9 
  Independence and Imperial Period 
  10 
  The Old Republic 
  10 
  The Military Regime 
  12 
  The Recent Decades 
  12 
  A Year Passes in Rio 
  13 
  Themes of Rio 
  15 
  Places of Faith 
  17 
  Maracanã Stadium 
  17 
  Metropolitan Cathedral of S. Sebastian of Rio de 
  Janeiro 
  17 
  Apolinarian Church of Rio de Janeiro 
  17 
  Laukr Cult 
  17 
  The Twin Temples by the Water 
  18 
  Cultural Center of Chinese Traditions Pereira Passos
   
  18 
  Cinelândia 
  18 
  Terreiros 
  18 
  Red Temple 
  18 
  Church of Penha 
  19 
  Places of Tourism 
  19 
  Botanical Garden 
  19 
  Sugar Loaf 
  19 
  Christ the Redeemer 
  19 
  Municipal Theater 
  19 
  National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage 
  (IPHAN) 
  19 
  Places of Fun 
  20 
  Odin’s Table 
  20 
  The Silver Mug Pub 
  20 
  Ikigai 
  20 
  Afrontosa 
  20 
  The Two Friends 
  21 
  Places of Mystery 
  22 
  Gávea Stone 
  22 
  Castle Hill 
  22 
  The Lost Market 
  22 
  Haunted Places 
  22 
  Secret Groups 
  24 
  The Six of the Emperor 
  24 
  Cadre of Anpu 
  24 
  Princes and Princesses of Lakshmi 
  24 
  Corinthian Society 
  24 
  The Black Guard 
  24 
  The Jesuits 
  25 
  Malandros 
  25 
  A Legend of Rio 
  25 
  Bárbara dos Prazeres 
  25 
   
  
   
   
   
  
   
  INTRODUCTION 
  he Wonderful City. The Purgatory of Beauty and 
  Chaos. The 40°C (104°F) City. The city of Rio de 
  Janeiro has all these names and many others. Some of them 
  are not so nice. And all of them speak the truth. 
  One of the largest metropolis of all South America, sec-
  ond just for São Paulo, another major city in Brazil, Rio de 
  Janeiro (or simply Rio) is a vibrating city in many different 
  aspects with a rich story and where is possible to find almost 
  any kind of character. It’s a tropical shore paradise World-
  wide famous by its beaches, touristic attractions, at the same 
  time being a cultural epicenter for musical, dramatical and 
  scenic arts. 
  It’s a city of intense contrasts, where misery and abun-
  dance are some blocks away from each other. Where the 
  saint and the corrupted walk not rarely side by side. Here, 
  all the saints, Gods, faiths, people, languages, spices, 
  flavors, customs, parties, and coins are welcome. It’s a city 
  of party and joy, with a people that struggles and work hard. 
  It has many dark and down sides too, like any human place 
  in the World, but, nevertheless, it’s still a Wonderful City. 
  Be ready to enter a city of heat. Not just the one caused 
  by the tropics. Rio is hot in its feelings, people, parties, pas-
  sions, culture, and violence. Relax by the beaches, celebrate 
  with its aristocracy, or in the favelas, dance like crazy in the 
  carnival, be seduced by its muses, fight against its demons 
  in dark alleys or in the smoked reunion rooms of political 
  conspiracies. But surely, be absolutely certain that you will 
  never forget the time you spent here. 
  In this fanbook, we’ll try to portray and to bring all 
  these narrative lines in a way that anyone can use in a Scion 
  2nd edition chronicle. Even if you never heard or never been 
  in Rio. 
  THE WONDERFUL CITY 
  
   
  WHAT THIS IS NOT 
  One of the main ideas of Scion 2nd Edition is that the 
  World is not a scenario restricted by writings in any form. 
  The World is what your story needs it to be. So, nothing in 
  this book aims to be used like a final word about anything, 
  even Rio itself. It’s not a canonic material and even if it was, 
  the fun of everyone at the game should come first. Remem-
  ber, in the World all the myths are true. This includes the 
  ones which contradict this book and those you make on the 
  fly. 
  Many poetic liberties have been taken in many points 
  of the book. So, it can hardly be used like an actual guide to 
  the city, or any information here represents how Rio is or is 
  not. There is an actual city like this, and we made our best 
  to capture its soul, but in here, we are not talking about the 
  accurately portrayed Rio de Janeiro. We are talking about a 
  possible Rio in the World. 
  GEOGRAPHY 
  The city of Rio de Janeiro is home to no less than 6 
  million people, coming from every way of life you can im-
  agine. From millionaires living in huge mansions isolated 
  (some would say “protected”) from the common plebe, to 
  homeless people that struggles to live by the streets. And all 
  the in between. 
  The weather is Atlantic tropical, meaning hot and hu-
  mid summers with occasional storms. This kind of weather 
  combined with the proximity to the sea also avoids the con-
  tinentality, making the city 30-40°C (86-104°F) almost all 
  the time during the year. 
  The city of Rio is the capital of the state of the same 
  name, in Southeast’s Brazil. The city is located at the west-
  ern side of the Guanabara Bay, including more than 100 
  lesser islands, almost 200 km of shore, and extends for 
  1,200 km². The shore is divided in two main groups: the side 
  of the Guanabara Bay, where many of islands are, including 
  the Governor’s Island (or the neighborhood Ilha do Gov-
  ernador, in Portuguese), home of the Galeão Airport; and 
  the Atlantic shore, whose geography is more varied, having 
  high mounts but also beaches like Copacabana and 
  Ipanema. In the low grounds, there are many lakes and la-
  goons. 
  There are lots of green areas, that are also in contrast 
  with the high buildings that can be found in part of the shore 
  and mainly in downtown. It’s a common sight to have high 
  trees making shade to the streets in some neighborhoods, 
  but the city also has many natural reserves in places more 
  afar. Nature also blessed the city freeing of all kinds of nat-
  ural disasters. Through all its history, Rio has never been 
  target of earthquakes or hurricanes. Eventually, the sea back 
  sweep can cause some damage, but even when they happen 
  they are usually small. 
  The geography is pretty varied too, including moun-
  tains and valleys between them. 
  ZONES OF THE CITY 
  Rio de Janeiro is a city of intense contrasts, and great 
  variations and some truths from one of its regions may not 
  be applied to another. It’s virtually impossible to trace a sin-
  gle universal truth that can be applied to all of it. 
  One of the unique characteristics that can be applied to 
  maybe every Brazilian larger city is the absence of ethnical 
  or cultural divisions. The fact that, for instance, Little Africa 
  is strongly influenced by African culture doesn’t restrict the 
  Afro-Brazilians to live exclusively or even in more intense 
  numbers in there. You can find them in all parts of the city. 
  The same goes for the East Asians in Tijuca. There are peo-
  ple of all kinds everywhere in Rio. 
  Rio also has many neighborhoods, but most of them can 
  be grouped in larger zones, subprefectures and administra-
  tive regions, where we can define them more easily. 
  Downtown 
  The first things the Portuguese made after eliminating 
  the local resistances was to build a fort, a school and a 
  chapel on what is the today’s Downtown. The first settle-
  ment, Rua da Misericórdia (Mercy Street) exists until this 
  day, preserved like many other buildings in the Historical 
  Center. 
  Downtown is mostly a business neighborhood, full of 
  tall commercial edifications, shopping centers, and people 
  almost at running speed wearing working suits. Like many 
  other city centers, it has heavy traffic movement of all kinds 
  of vehicles. 
  Many of the museums of the city are here, including the 
  National Art Museum and the National Historical Museum. 
  The Modern Art Museum is nearby, but technically, it is in 
  Glória neighborhood. The main Catholic Cathedral also 
  stays here, the Metropolitan Cathedral of S. Sebastian of Rio 
  de Janeiro, patron of the city. Just some blocks away from 
  it is one of the most famous buildings of Rio: The Municipal 
  Theatre. 
  The called Ports Zone is not formally a subprefecture 
  or even a neighborhood, but most residents know what it 
  means. In times past it was considered a place of illicit ac-
  tivities, smuggling (for centuries it worked as a door to any 
  stranger ship), corpse hiding, illegal trade, shady deals, and 
  
   
  all the rest of bad reputation you can put in a single place. 
  The most recent decades of the 20th century saw a revitali-
  zation of the place. 
  There is a region of the Ports Zone that the cariocas call 
  Little Africa (not formally considered a neighborhood, yet). 
  It has many works of art and monuments that pays homage 
  to the African people, or many other that Afro-Brazilians 
  that came from the Brazil’s Northeast. The modern urban 
  arts also are much appreciated in here. 
  The futuristic Museum of Tomorrow also is in the Ports 
  Zone. It was built in 2016 for the Olympics, and shows ex-
  hibits about the future of the planet, not only technological 
  revolutions, but manifested worries about the recent climate 
  changes. The Museum also shows incredible and futuristic 
  architecture. 
  North Zone 
  Considered by many sources the poorer side of the city, 
  the neighborhoods of the North Zone are considered dan-
  gerously violent by residents of the other parts. Many of the 
  people living in there are actually workers in the wealthier 
  parts of the city, that travel back and forth every working 
  day for it. 
  The typical stereotype the northern neighborhoods have 
  is the of a gregarious community, that besides humble, is 
  extremely sympathetic and cooperative among themselves. 
  There is a kind of light prejudice between the poorer side of 
  the city (considered less sophisticated and brutish) against 
  the richer one (considered snobbish and too much alienated 
  from the sheer and hard reality of the city and the world). 
  It’s part of the conflict of classes typical from Rio, but that 
  rarely scales to more than jokes from one side against the 
  other. 
  One interesting point of this the Tijuca neighborhood. 
  Considered a neighborhood prettier and wealthier than the 
  rest of the North Zone, many of its residents are thought as 
  snobbish as the typical resident of the South Zone. But can 
  not help in having the “suburban soul” from the North 
  Zone. 
  The Maracanã Stadium, the heart and soul of the Bra-
  zilian national sport, football, is located in the neighbor-
  hood of the same name, and it’s considered by many enthu-
  siasts a holly place to where they go to watch their teams 
  play. If football was a God, then Maracanã would be his 
  main temple. 
  The São Cristóvão neighborhood is home to larger 
  Brazilian Northeastern community in Rio, so it’s natural 
  that the Luiz Gonzaga Center to be located in there. A pa-
  vilion built originally to host an art exhibit in the 50’s, the 
  complex was converted years later to host an almost dairy 
  fair of Northeastern items, music and food. 
  West Zone 
  When you think about the West Zone, the main word 
  that comes to mind is: beaches. Barra da Tijuca, Prainha, 
  Grumari, Reserva, Recreio dos Bandeirantes are here. The 
  West Zone can be described as the part of the city with more 
  intense natural preservation. Many of the reserves of the 
  city are here, and its beaches are more preserved than those 
  of the South Zone, generally. Both zones have luxurious ad-
  dresses, but, typically, the South Zone’s shores attract more 
  international tourists than the West Zone’s. Away from the 
  shores, the West Zone has many neighborhoods originally 
  built for the working class, like Bangu (also famous for hav-
  ing the highest temperature of the city). 
  The entire Barra da Tijuca neighborhood has one of the 
  most modern architecture and transportation systems of the 
  city. Much of this thanks to the Olympic and Paralympic 
  Games in 2016. Many games were hosted there and the 
  neighborhood grew and saw great recent development by 
  the shores. 
  South Zone 
  By many aspects, the South Zone is the diametral reflex 
  of the North Zone. Home of the richer class of the city, it 
  has the square meter more expensive of all Rio. Many of its 
  neighborhoods are considered luxuries reserved to the elite, 
  celebrities or people by some reason awesomely rich; or a 
  humble employ of one of these. It’s not rare to meet with 
  stars and celebrities (not only from Brazil) by its beaches. 
  Many actual residents from other humbler neighborhoods 
  can be found here as well, since the beaches are a demo-
  cratic entertainment, but also working for establishments in 
  here. 
  The more famous beaches of all Rio are here: Leblon, 
  Ipanema and Copacabana. The Botanical Garden (the literal 
  translation, “Jardim Botânico”, is its neighborhood) is actu-
  ally a park, originally conceived as a particular garden by D. 
  João to his mother in 1808. Centuries after, it was restored, 
  improved and open to visitation. 
  The great Tijuca Forest belongs to the South Zone. The 
  foundation of the National Park of Tijuca preserves the area 
  that has many touristic attractions, some beautiful land-
  scapes, mountains and waterfalls and some buildings dating 
  from the imperial period, that the nobles of the period used 
  
   
  to admire the nature. The Corcovado mountain also inte-
  grates the park. At its top, is the Christ the Redeemer statue, 
  overlooking the entire city. 
  Baixada Fluminense 
  Technically speaking the region known as Baixada 
  Fluminense (or just Baixada) is not actually part of Rio de 
  Janeiro, but refers to some other neighbor cities. Many of 
  the cities comprehended in this valley between Rio and an-
  other imperial city, Petrópolis, share many similarities with 
  the North Zone, with amplified characteristics. Its residents 
  usually work in their own cities, but it’s not rare to find them 
  working or studying at the capital. 
  In colonial times, this region was famous as a fleeing 
  route for the native people. In more modern times, it re-
  ceived many migrants and strangers from all around the 
  World, making the region extremely varied culturally. All 
  the phenomenon that created the favelas also affected the 
  Baixada. This, and governments each time more absent, ur-
  ban violence scaling high made the region a fertile ground 
  for what many Brazilians know as “parallel power”. Militia 
  forces, organized crime, paramilitary organizations are 
  knowingly a force to feared by the public power and civil-
  ians alike. They exist and can act in actually in any other 
  place in Rio, but in here and in the favelas, their power is 
  considered stronger. 
  Favelas 
  Starting from the 19th century, Rio suffered a process of 
  having a great number of people building entire settlements 
  in places almost untouched by urbanization until then. They 
  were precarious houses, full of entire families fleeing from 
  public reforms, dumps, epidemies, or any other reason that 
  makes people flee for this kind of place. Besides the stereo-
  type (in most cases fairly deserved) of being extremely 
  violent and dangerous places, some favelas in Rio are actu-
  ally urban organisms that can operate virtually independent 
  of the town. 
  The favelas are not crowded in a single specific region, 
  but there are many scattered around the city, normally in 
  hills, that also can be used as a synonymous to them. Acari, 
  Cidade de Deus, Mangueira, Rocinha, and Complexo do 
  Alemão are just some of the more famous ones. 
  As like many other places of more humble origins, 
  there is strong prejudice against favela’s residents. They 
  may be considered occasional criminals by any wealthier 
  neighborhoods, that may see this kind of attitude as self-
  preservation, since many of the criminal factions in Rio are 
  originated from or act more intensely in some of them. As 
  they are considered some kind of “no man’s land”, police 
  brutality is a frequent problem in there as well. The preju-
  dice against the favelas walks by the side of the institution-
  alized racism, since the larger part of its residents are Afro-
  Brazilians. 
  Historically, favelas always were places the public 
  power not just never acted, but maybe never really cared 
  about. 
  On the other hand, many owners of business in more 
  urbanized or wealthier neighborhoods sometimes prefer to 
  hire residents from the favelas because most of the time it’s 
  easier and faster to navigate through them to get to some 
  places in Rio. But in general, the idea that they are inhospi-
  table an unhealthy ground remains. 
  GETTING AROUND IN RIO 
  Rio de Janeiro is a modern city with plenty ways to get 
  you from one place to another. Excepting the streets kept 
  with cobblestone for historical preservation reasons, all of 
  its urban paths are asphalted and signalized. 
  For having be the capital city of all Brazil during cen-
  turies, many roads lead to Rio. The city has exits to any 
  other important city of the region, including São Paulo, Belo 
  Horizonte, and, more distantly, Salvador. Great part of the 
  access between neighborhoods more distant is reached by 
  roadways and viaducts that can look confusing and compli-
  cated for the ones not familiar with them. 
  One can get to Rio by plane, by one of its two interna-
  tional airports, Galeão, more used for international flights 
  and Santos Dumont, more used for regional flights. By bus, 
  through the Novo Rio Bus Terminal; and technically by 
  ship, if you disembark in the Mauá Pier, exclusive to cruis-
  ers. There are also the ferries that part from the Ferries Ter-
  minal Station Praça XV de Novembro. They can take to 
  other ferries terminals in Niterói, Cocotá (east side of the 
  Governor’s Island), Charitas (south side of Niterói), and 
  most famously, the Paquetá Island, in the middle of the Gua-
  nabara Bay. 
  Any neighborhood of the city is supplied by public 
  transportation services, like buses. Train lines reach the cen-
  tral, North and Western sides of Rio (the not shored ones), 
  while the subway goes from the central areas to the northern 
  ones. More modern and recent services got installed in 
  
   
  2016, the VLT (Veículo Leve sobre Trilhos, “Light Vehicle 
  on Rails”) and BRT (Bus Rapid Transport). The VLT des-
  tinations are almost limited to the Downtown, while the 
  BRT systems are segmented buses that run in exclusive 
  paths. They connect the Galeão Airport to the South and 
  West Zones of Rio. There are expansion plans of these ser-
  vices in the near future, though. 
  The heart of the public transportation system of Rio is 
  the Central do Brasil Station, in Downtown, that combines 
  the main rail transport systems to the urban bus lines nearby. 
  Everyday, millions of passengers rush through its services. 
  Until 1998, the station was named after the emperor D. 
  Pedro II, so it’s also a valid name for it. 
  Because of the public transportation system is consid-
  ered by many insufficient, precarious and even dangerous, 
  many cariocas prefer to move through the town in private 
  cars, what ends causing more traffic jams. Taxis can be con-
  sidered too expensive, depending to who you ask, so the re-
  cent addition of the app services for rides or even private 
  transports (normally much less expensive) are thriving. 
  More recent and ecologically correct initiatives, like bicycle 
  paths and electric scooters for rent are being tried too in the 
  more urbanized neighborhoods. 
  HISTORY 
  PRE-COLONY 
  Before the arrival of the Portuguese to the Guanabara 
  Bay in 1502, the territory of the city was populated by many 
  native nations. Some of them already there for at least 500 
  years. The strongest presence were the tamoios, and their 
  main installment was the Carioca village. Even today, the 
  word is used as a gentilic from Rio de Janeiro. 
  When the Portuguese sailors first arrived, they thought 
  the Guanabara Bay was the delta of a river, hence the name 
  Rio de Janeiro (“January’s River”, in a literal translation). 
  During all the period of the 1500’s, the region was used 
  mostly as a replenishment post for Spanish, Portuguese and 
  French sailors. 
  The native people called this region Niterói. The name 
  was later given to another nearby city, by the other side of 
  the bay. 
  There were tries of colonization of the region made by 
  France. None last long, but they would prove very crucial in 
  the episode the natives call “guassu tata” (the big fire, in 
  Guarani). Initially, the French helped the tamoios to fight 
  against their rival, the temiminós. The France Antarctique 
  built a fort on what is today the Island of Villegagnon, in 
  1555, in the Guanabara Bay. Five years later the Portuguese 
  got the region back, fighting with the help of the same tem-
  iminós expelled by the French and an internal division of 
  their enemies. The conflict gave back the region to Portu-
  gal’s control, but also almost extinguished the same native 
  nations population enrolled in it. 
  Descendants and Scions of these native nations exist 
  until today, but never as the glorious nations of another time. 
  FOUNDATION AND 
  COLONIAL PERIOD 
  In 1st March of 1565, Estácio de Sá officially founds the 
  city by the name “São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro”, in hom-
  age to the Catholic Saint S. Sebastian. All of what was 
  known as Brazil was already being colonized by Portugal 
  since the 1530’s, but the creation of Rio de Janeiro was cru-
  cial for a better exportation of the products coming from the 
  Southeast region by sea. 
  During all this period, the city was little more than a 
  port to send products from the region to Europe. Few streets 
  of cobblestone connected the harbor, to the Paço (palace of 
  authority of the Crown in the colony. Exists until today, as 
  a museum). The city grew in population with more settlers 
  arriving from Europe and slaves from Africa, brought to 
  complement the necessity, since the native slaves were not 
  enough. 
  The fight for freedom was still shy at the time, but al-
  ways present. The Brazilian natives were considered lazy 
  for the work by the Europeans, with many of them prefer-
  ring to die than to be taken as slaves. Many of the African 
  slaves that fled built communities in wild places, far from 
  the white people cities. These communities were the 
  quilombos. Quilombos and slave rebellions were common 
  around all colonized Brazil, but rarely worthy of worrying 
  by the colonizers. 
  During most of this period, the Guarani and other native 
  languages were spoken more commonly than Portuguese in 
  all the colony. Just in 1758, the Marquis of Pombal, Sebas-
  tião José de Carvalho e Melo, forbids these languages. 
  In 1763 the same Marquis officially changes the capital 
  of Brazil from Salvador to Rio. At the time, already an im-
  portant door to the outer world. The title would endure until 
  1960, when the capital was transferred again, this time to a 
  more central region of the country. 
  It was also at this period that many of the faiths from 
  Europe arrived in Rio. Some in secret, under the guise of 
  Catholic saints, but others not so much. Some were fleeing 
  for any reason, while others were actually excited about the 
  idea of discovering or exploring a new land. Others had a 
  
   
  good feeling about the future of this new land, and surely 
  didn’t want to be out when the real action in there begin. 
  INDEPENDENCE AND 
  IMPERIAL PERIOD 
  Brazil would just be independent from Portugal in 
  1822. Rio still was the capital of the country, and became 
  not just the home of its emperors (D. Pedro I and II), but 
  also an effervescent center of political life, economic devel-
  opment, industrial growth, and home to an opulently rich 
  elite. 
  In general, the financial elite and government had a 
  (maybe not so much) subliminal wish in achieving what Eu-
  rope was having. That being: Illuminism, instantaneous in-
  dustrialization, and even the Brazilian fashion, music and 
  culture in general made efforts to replicate the Western Eu-
  ropean trends. Great sums were spent sending rich kids to 
  study in there, with them coming back decades later doc-
  tored in sciences, arts, languages and ideals of the more el-
  egant and civilized Old World. The issue began when ideas 
  of freedom came with them. 
  As previously said, there were tries to free the slaves 
  before. In a country whose main products came from far 
  away farms, it was a polemical, to say the least. The process 
  to the end of slavery was shamefully slow, hard, and just 
  came to light completely in 1888. But the problem is that 
  the slaves were finally legally free. And had nowhere to go. 
  By that time, Rio had many other problems. The uncon-
  trolled urban growth, almost un-existing urban planning, 
  precarious health services and many other problems brought 
  grave diseases and other disasters to the capital. 
  The city was screaming for an action by their leaders, 
  and they tried their best. Huge architectural reforms were 
  made in Downtown, destroying much of the illegal tene-
  ments. Few of its residents got successfully relocated. The 
  government also made vaccines mandatory to everyone, 
  hoping to extinguish many of the diseases that plagued the 
  capital. It caused an armed revolt among the population (the 
  process of inoculation was considered brutally painful by 
  some) in 1904. 
  The Federal Serotherapy Institute was then created in 
  1900 under the guiding of Oswaldo Cruz, famous hygienist 
  and medic, responsible for the laws of generalized manda-
  tory vaccines. The Institute was destined to the creation of 
  vaccines, remedies, serums, and any other treatment that 
  could fight the plagues that infested Rio. Even when com-
  pared to similar institutes of the World, the Oswaldo Cruz 
  was maybe the most advanced research and biological sci-
  ences center. The mission of the institute persists until to-
  day, by the name of Fundação FioCruz. The main headquar-
  ters is in the same address of the original institute, in 
  Manguinhos, Zone North of Rio, but it has many other in-
  stallations all over Brazil. 
  The just-freed slaves, people left homeless by the re-
  forms of the city and other migrants (and immigrants) that 
  ended unemployed after not realizing their dreams of a well-
  paid job in the great city began to stablish themselves in 
  lands unclaimed at the time. Normally far from the more ur-
  banized and elegant areas. The improvised houses they built 
  with materials at hand remembered the ideas of honeycombs 
  (“favos”, in Portuguese) initially. Hence the name favelas. 
  THE OLD REPUBLIC 
  In 1889, after many disagreements with the Brazilian 
  throne, the commanders of the army organize a coup against 
  the emperor D. Pedro II in 15th November and banish him 
  and his family. They would just be allowed to return in 
  
   
  1921, short after the death of princess Isabel, daughter of D. 
  Pedro II and heir of the throne. Even against his will, the 
  first president appointed by the republicans is the Marshal 
  Manoel Deodoro da Fonseca (a confessed monarchist, but 
  that took the charge to avoid what he feared would be a 
  bloodbath). 
  The thinkers and leaders of this period still were influ-
  enced by what they judged positive in the “evolved Europe” 
  and tried to emulate these ideals. Positivism, social Darwin-
  ism and climatic determinism began to become words of or-
  der in the education of the new generations. Worried that the 
  Brazilian people didn’t look alike any other people existing 
  on Earth, they tried to ensure that the Brazil didn’t become 
  a caricature of itself. So, it became a caricature of something 
  else. One of the main ideals of the Republicans was to break 
  with imperial ideas, to create a modern and industrialized 
  country, and distribute the authority, previously kept at the 
  imperial throne among the governments of the states. This 
  diminished a little the influence of Rio in the politics of the 
  country, but all the rest of Brazil was still an oligarchic so-
  ciety ruled indeed by rich farmers. 
  Some movements of revolt arouse at this period, 
  against the oligarchic politics and general displeasure of a 
  fake democratic government. Some even asked for the re-
  turn of the empire. In Rio, the most significant happened in 
  1922, it was known as the Revolt of the 18, the taking of the 
  Copacabana Fort, or the 18 of the Fort. Unhappy with the 
  results of the last election for president, 17 army lieutenants 
  decided to take the Copacabana Fort and point its cannons 
  to the capital. On the way to the fort, one random civilian 
  decided to join the revolt, hence the 18. All of the revolts 
  were unsuccessful. 
  The Vargas “Coup” 
  At the time, the presidential elections were actually an 
  alternation between candidates appointed by farmers from 
  Minas Gerais and São Paulo states (here referred to as “oli-
  garchies”). The president at the time breaks this agreement 
  and manifest his support to another candidate from São 
  Paulo. Unhappy with this, the oligarchy of Minas Gerais 
  conspires against the present government, and allies with 
  the oligarchy from Rio Grande do Sul to support a candidate 
  to president from there, Getúlio Vargas. Vargas is initially 
  defeated in the elections, but his vice-president candidate is 
  assassinated by a political and personal rival. The Vargas’s 
  political party then incites many revolts in all the country, 
  with some cases scaling to armed fights, and less than one 
  month later, in October 24th, 1930, Washington Luís is de-
  posed, and Vargas takes the presidency of what was sup-
  posed to be the provisory government. 
  THE VARGAS AGE 
  Despite of having a more liberal and modernizing dis-
  course, Vargas initiates a centralization of power to himself. 
  He writes another Constitution to replace the created in 
  1934, giving him almost absolute powers (among other 
  things, making his provisory govern not so provisory), and 
  creates an organ to promote his politics, the DIP. This organ 
  could censure any communication media at any moment 
  without further explanations, and obligated all the radios 
  (the most popular media at the time) of the country to play 
  its program at 19:00 h every working day. The program was 
  aimed to promote the figure of the president, his political 
  accomplishments and the Brazilian art and culture as a cel-
  ebration to all that. Many artists were revealed by this pro-
  gram (then named A Hora do Brasil. This program exists in 
  radios even today, by the name A Voz do Brasil), and was 
  extremely popular at the time. The search for the “Brazilian 
  identity” or “Brazility”, also supported by the Brazilian 
  modernist art movement, brings a valorization of the samba, 
  until then considered a music genre for the rabble and al-
  most restrict to the favelas. 
  Getúlio Vargas can be considered maybe the most pop-
  ular politician Brazil ever had. Charismatic leader, he would 
  be received with sincere applause and ovation by the crowds 
  like a true idol, gathering millions to listen his discourses at 
  the radio that called him “savior of the country” and “father 
  of the poor”. Many were grateful for the rights conceived by 
  him to the working class. 
  Under winds of the Red Scare (that in Rio started to 
  blow around the 30’s), the people agreed that a firm, strong 
  and centralized government was necessary to repel the com-
  munist threat. So, it was natural that Getúlio would get each 
  time more powerful. 
  When the drums of the Second World War sounded, 
  Getúlio chose initially to keep Brazil neutral, but eventually 
  signed the participation agreement by the Allies side. 
  In 1945, with the end of the War and under constant 
  criticism to his dictatorial government, Vargas renounces, 
  supposedly to avoid a military coup. He would be away 
  from the leadership for some time, but not from the politics. 
  He would return, as elected president in 1950. 
  His second mandate, however, would be tainted by a 
  mysterious event known as the Assault at Toneleiro Street. 
  At the time, Getúlio was trying to free himself of the dictator 
  image, but kept great part of the adoration and love from his 
  people. Some say that some dangerous supporters of his 
  even organized a “Black Guard” for protect him and elimi-
  nate his most significant opposition and criticism. One of 
  the main political enemies of Vargas at the time was the 
  journalist and congressman Carlos Lacerda. In August 5th of 
  1954, Lacerda supposedly is shot in the foot by a member 
  of the Black Guard. A major of the Brazilian Air Force that 
  was with Lacerda doesn’t has his luck and dies. There is 
  great conspiracy and controversy about this event since the 
  medical documentation of Lacerda’s wound disappeared, 
  and one testimony was aired of a man saying that Lacerda 
  was not targeted at all. 
  As result of the assault, Vargas suffers under great pres-
  sure from the media and military to renounces. At the night 
  between 23rd and 24th August of 1954, Getúlio kills himself 
  with a shot in the heart and lets behind an auspicious suicide 
  letter, where he attributes this last act to “occult forces”. In 
  his words: he “would leave this life, but wouldn’t leave His-
  tory.” 
  
   
  His vice-president, Café Filho, assumes the presidency, 
  but resigns for health problems short after. A series of other 
  presidents follows in quick succession, until the power 
  comes to João Goulart, considered by many an ally of the 
  communist nations. This fear causes a military coup against 
  him in 1964. 
  THE MILITARY REGIME 
  Surely one of the darkest periods of the Brazilian His-
  tory, the military dictature had presidents that were actually 
  generals of the three main armed forces (Army, Navy and 
  Air Force) relaying on each other after nearly four years. It 
  was marked by an authoritarian regime, that censured the 
  press and all the media. Criticism to the government was 
  forbidden in any form. Even that the capital of the country 
  was actually Brasília (built with this purpose in 1960 by the 
  president Juscelino Kubitschek), Rio was still the intellec-
  tual and artistic capital of Brazil. 
  Many musicians and composers were persecuted by the 
  government, and as answer, they made works that criticized 
  the authorities and the big figures in charge. This, allied to 
  the hippie movement that gained strength in the USA, 
  guided a new generation to a philosophy of “It’s forbidden 
  to forbid”, “make love not war” and other hippies maxims. 
  One of the greatest musical genres born in Rio, the bossa-
  nova also rises mixing the popular samba, jazz and blues 
  with erudite influences. 
  Persecution for suspect of communist ideas or anything 
  that sounded against the militaries was enough legal funda-
  ment to interrogatory, torture, maiming and even murder for 
  the good of the country. Fanatical patriotism was also 
  plainly encouraged by the government, with slogans like: 
  “Brazil: Love him, or leave him”. Protests against the 
  abuses were received with more aggression, college 
  students being the main victims. The opposition was becom-
  ing more violent and even terrorist cells were formed. They 
  kidnaped important men of the government or even diplo-
  mats from other countries for money to sustain these urban 
  guerrillas. 
  Not all were thorns and tears, however. The military re-
  gime made great works in all the country, including the Rio-
  Niterói Bridge, inaugurated in 1974, that unites both cities 
  across the Bay. 
  THE RECENT DECADES 
  The last decades of the 20th century saw a Rio that faced 
  the terror of the dictature and fought for democracy at the 
  cost of many lives. It was a period of intense changes in the 
  political and law system. The democracy was truer than 
  never in the history of the country. There was a feeling of 
  hope for the future, that new times were finally arriving. 
  The Copacabana Sidewalk gained its famous black and 
  white design in the 70’s. This pattern would be replicated in 
  many other places in Rio and in all the country. 
  The first edition of the festival Rock in Rio would hap-
  pen in 1985, with great musicians from all the World, reach-
  ing a crowd of 1.5 million people. The festival would be re-
  peated in Rio in 1991, 2001, 2011, and 2013. Rio was 
  quickly becoming a modern metropolis, but these positive 
  changes seemed to be limited to the rich. Favelas grew in 
  size, and other social problems seemed to rise without any 
  serious worrying by the government. 
  The city also staged the Pan-American Games in 2007, 
  the FIFA World Cup in 2014, and the Olympic and Para-
  lympic Games in 2016. All of these events had great awe 
  over them by the cariocas. They were worried if the city had 
  the capacity to host well these events, if some unfortunate 
  
   
  incident could even cause international diplomatic prob-
  lems. There was even the fear of terrorist attacks during the 
  competitions. Fortunately, none of these disasters happened 
  and all these events were complete successes. 
  What remains of the history of the city still remains to 
  be seen. As we said, it’s a city with many problems, but with 
  many good points too. It’s a city beloved by its residents, 
  besides all the downsides. 
  A YEAR PASSES 
  IN RIO 
  As in many other places of the World, the week in Bra-
  zil is divided in five working days (Monday to Friday) and 
  two days of rest, called weekend (Saturday and Sunday). 
  Depending on the job you have, Saturday is what is called 
  facultative day. Maybe you work, maybe you don’t, maybe 
  you work just half of the time of the normal working day. 
  That’s up to you and your boss. That’s what normally hap-
  pens. Some professions may have different working 
  schemes. Schools usually work during the working days as 
  well. It’s not rare to see the streets so crowded during the 
  rush hours to the point we have traffic jams in the main 
  paths. Excepting this, traffic jams in Rio are just usually 
  caused by some serious accident or any other kind of emer-
  gency. 
  There are lots of traditions and superstitions about the 
  New Year in Brazil. The color of your clothes you wear in 
  the midnight’s January 1st means what you are wishing for 
  the year that begins. White for peace (the more traditional 
  and classical choice), yellow for riches, red for love, etc. 
  Being specifically in Rio means that you are able to enjoy 
  the traditional New Year party by the sands of Copacabana 
  beach, where the new year will be received by the fireworks 
  over all the facade of the Copacabana Palace Hotel, and, if 
  you wish, enjoy the superstitions (also called simpatias, in 
  Portuguese) about the occasion. Hop over seven easy waves 
  as soon as the year begins, make offerings to Yemojá-Oboto 
  (more known as Iemanjá in Brazil) sent to her in little ships, 
  and hug and kiss your loved ones in the first moments of the 
  new year. This means that you wish to stay and have good 
  moments with them. 
  January 20th is the day of the patron of the city, S. Se-
  bastian. Special religious celebrations happen during this 
  day, but it’s anyway a holyday. 
  It’s said that the year in Brazil only officially starts after 
  the Carnival, without a doubt, the larger event in town. It 
  happens in all the country, during the four days before the 
  Ash Wednesday. Each region of the country has their own 
  customs to celebrate the Carnival. In Rio, the people take 
  the parties to the streets, celebrating with intense music and 
  joy in big groups called blocos. Costumes, masks, wigs, 
  samba, confetti, and serpentine are everywhere during the 
  parties that in some cases can go to all the days without in-
  terruption. The climax of the Carnival is the Parade of the 
  Samba Schools. These Schools are actually recreative grem-
  mies that plan, create, compose, rehearsal, and work really 
  hard during the rest of the year to present a good spectacle. 
  Each one of the Schools represents one region or neighbor-
  hood of the city or a city of the Baixada. Some of these 
  Schools may have zealous fans among the residents of their 
  locals. The parade of each school abords a theme they 
  choose for that year, and the final result can not be defined 
  as less than spectacle. Allegoric cars, dancers, and singers 
  are what is normally expected this show has, but special ef-
  fects, illusions and even pyrography have been used in few 
  occasions. During the first two evenings and nights of this 
  event, they perform their show in the Sambadrome Marquês 
  da Sapucaí, a space built specially for this occasion. At the 
  day before last of the Carnival, one School is chosen as the 
  champion of that year. She will then repeat the parade in the 
  last day of Carnival, closing the event. This decision is made 
  by the sums of notes that go from 0 to 10 to each technical 
  aspect of the Parade. Time, beauty, coordination, 
  
   
  originality, each of the wings separately, etc., made by a 
  group of juries. This canvass is also accompanied by mem-
  bers of each School, and each decimal matters. 
  With the Carnival over, it’s time to get back to “seri-
  ousness”. Some more traditional and pious people can make 
  abstentions during the period after the Carnival until the end 
  of the lent, 40 days later. 
  The month of April starts with the “Day of Lies”, April 
  1st. It’s not a recognized holyday, but most people use this 
  day to play tricks and pranks in their friends and closest 
  ones. People have the right to say anything, and then take it 
  back announcing that was an “April 1st!” and normally eve-
  ryone is ok with that and laughs about it. 
  The second Friday of April is the Friday of Passion, the 
  day in memory to the Christ’s Crucifixion. To celebrate his 
  resurrection in the Christian Easter, people give each other 
  chocolate gifts, usually in the shape of eggs (that’s what 
  Brazilians generally understand when you say “Easter egg”) 
  sold specifically during this period. 
  April 21st is the Day of Tiradentes. Martyr of the Incon-
  fidência movement from Minas Gerais state, but the entire 
  country considers the day of his death a holyday. Soon after, 
  April 23rd, is the day of another Catholic saint very im-
  portant for many in Rio and patron of Portugal and the state 
  of Rio de Janeiro, S. George, celebrated in all the state, and 
  naturally, the capital is no exception. 
  May is traditionally considered the month of the brides, 
  and is considered auspicious to be wed during this month. 
  Its 1st day is the day of the work, ironically, a holyday where 
  no one (except, of course, emergency works and other es-
  sential services) works. In the second Sunday of this month, 
  is celebrated the Mother’s Day. The custom is to present 
  your mother with a surprise gift. 
  June is considered the month of romantic love because 
  its 12th is the equivalent to the Valentine’s Day. The day you 
  are supposed to gift your loved one and be gifted back. The 
  day precedes the 13th, that is actually the day of S. Anthony, 
  who fulfills a role similar to S. Valentin (a wedding-maker 
  saint). 
  June also can happen to celebrate the Corpus Christi 
  day. It’s a Catholic holyday to celebrate again the Christ’s 
  resurrection, sixty days after the Easter, so it can also 
  happen to be celebrated in May. The celebrations of the 
  Corpus Christi count with processions, some nicely 
  adorned. 
  August is considered by many the worst month of the 
  year. There is this superstition that this is a month of bad 
  luck, and that seems to last forever to be ended. However, 
  just like the Mother’s Day, the Father’s Day happen in its 
  second Sunday. Also just like the Mother’s Day, people are 
  supposed to present their fathers with gifts. 
  September’s most notable day is certainly the 7th, the 
  holyday that celebrates the independence from Portugal. 
  Bigger cities organize parades of the military forces at their 
  disposal. Soldiers march in impeccable order and the word 
  of the day is order and organization. 
  September 27th is the day of S. Cosmas and Damian. 
  Traditionally, the children have permission to run around, 
  asking for candies at any door. It’s a lot similar to the North 
  American Halloween, with exception that the children are 
  not costumed for this. 
  The October 12th is a double holyday. It celebrates the 
  day of Our Lady of Aparecida, Catholic patron of all Brazil, 
  but it’s also the Children’s day. Symmetrical to the Mother’s 
  and Father’s day, it’s time to give gifts to the little ones. The 
  month also presents the day of the teachers (15th), trade 
  (17th), workers of the trade (19th), and the day of the govern-
  ment worker (28th). All of them are considered mostly fac-
  ultative holydays, and have no specific traditions tied to 
  them (but it is considered nice to present your teacher if you 
  are on school that day). 
  November 2nd is the day of the dead. Its custom is to 
  visit the graves of your relatives and close ones, clean them 
  and adorn them with flowers, specially if their death was yet 
  this year. Rituals that bring them to the memory are also 
  taken. Be it drink to them at the bars or simply talk about 
  them with people that met them. 
  In November 15th is celebrated the Proclamation of the 
  Republic. That is a day celebrated mostly by militaries (who 
  actually made the country a republic) and workers of all the 
  levels of the government, to meditate about their public ser-
  vices. 
  It’s a recent holyday, but the Day of Black Conscience 
  happens at the November 20th. It has been celebrated since 
  2011, at the day of the death of Zumbi dos Palmares, leader 
  of the Palmares Quilombo, and considered a symbol of re-
  sistance against the slavery and oppression. 
  Finally, the end of the year approaches, and maybe the 
  most important Christian celebration happens at December 
  25th, Christmas. All over Brazil, it’s tradition to adorn your 
  Christmas Tree (in Brazil, they normally are artificial trees, 
  that are disassembled and kept guarded during the rest of the 
  year), and have a celebratory supper with your closest ones 
  (family, if possible) at midnight of 25th. Many special dishes 
  are traditionally sold or prepared (which you prefer) during 
  these days, like the rabanada (bread fried covered in sugar 
  and cinnamon) and the panetone (a light massed cake with 
  crystalized fruits inside. A more modern version of this 
  
   
  Italian recipe is the chocotone, that replaces the fruits for 
  chocolate). The Christmas is considered a time for reconcil-
  iation and peace, and many people inclined to make amends 
  to those who they hurt during the year. 
  The days after Christmas normally enrolls the prepara-
  tions to the New Year, and the cycle restarts. 
  THEMES OF RIO 
  Honestly, you are free to create any kind of story you 
  want, in any place you wish. But there are some themes 
  more aligned and possibly easier to be used in some places 
  than in others. So, we gathered some main options. Natu-
  rally, this is not a limiting or restrictive list. There are a with-
  out number of stories to be told in the Wonderful City. You 
  can create your own, for sure. Want to tell a story about how 
  a poor football player rises and becomes a hero? Go on. A 
  terror story of a serial killer acting freely in the city? Bring 
  it. 
  An interesting point is that many of these themes can 
  be interlaced. The “Broken Spirit” theme exists in part be-
  cause of the generalized corruption that taints and jams the 
  system. Politics and other authorities let themselves to cor-
  rupt because, in the end, there is this feeling that “it doesn’t 
  actually matter.” 
  Broken Spirit, the Blessed Future That Never 
  Comes: There are many theories why this persistent but al-
  most subliminal thought seems to be present in the minds 
  and spirits of so many cariocas (and maybe Brazilians in 
  general). For generations the Brazilian people has heard 
  about the glorious future this nation has. That it has natural 
  riches unmatched in the World and how they are incredibly 
  promising… and that’s it. Maybe that’s because of the pac-
  ifist nature of the carioca people. Maybe that’s a legacy of 
  the torture and lessons against rebellions the slave lords left 
  behind. Subliminal teachings from somewhere… There is 
  not a simple answer. 
  In accord to some theories, the national motto “Order 
  and Progress” is a clarification of that. Order is to keep the 
  things as they are (for more rigged this can be). That is how 
  you progress. That is how you can keep the whip away from 
  your back for another day. 
  Natural Treasures: Rio de Janeiro is a city surrounded 
  by Atlantic Forest. It has the greatest urban forest in the 
  World (Tijuca Forest). Beaches that are no less than stun-
  ningly beautiful. You don’t need to actually travel to be sur-
  rounded by green and animals. Through its history, much 
  was debated if this was desirable instead of urban progress. 
  If the city must grow, it must also abide these values? 
  There are probably hundreds of portals to Gods know 
  what Terra Incognita in these forest, woods, parks, reserves, 
  and gardens. Many of its secrets are still to be found. And 
  there are those interested to keep them this way. 
  Contrast of Lifestyles: Rio is a place where the abun-
  dance is literal neighbor of the misery. You don’t have to 
  walk great distances to go from a beautiful block of luxuri-
  ous apartments to a favela. Yes, they are everywhere, that is 
  true. But the question is that you have people that are abso-
  lutely sure that all this luxury and comfort is their mani-
  fested right and people who may disagree of this. Not all 
  debate about this is even verbal or ends nicely. 
  In a city of this size it’s also expected to gather people 
  from all the ways of life. Millionaire bosses may meet mis-
  erable hanging out in the beach. Pious prayers may be 
  coworkers with the most bohemian and diabolically lustful 
  pals. It’s not rare too the story about the two friends of child-
  hood that became police and thief when they grew up. Rio 
  gets together all in between the salt of the sea and the sugar 
  of the canes. There are many forces in the city that tried and 
  still try to change these differences to a more homogenous 
  portrait, there are other who are literal artists when dealing 
  with the different. 
  Clash of Cultures: This is a metropolis visited fre-
  quently by the entire World. It seems natural to have people 
  from all the cultures around here. But it’s not just that. In 
  Rio these cultures can live literally by the next door. It’s not 
  even so incredible that a Japanese sushi chef marries to an 
  Afro-Brazilian samba dancer, and they are neighbors to an 
  Arabian programmer (he, in exchange, is married with a 
  beautiful Spanish stylist, and they have a little baby), and 
  they all hang out every Wednesday night at the bar nearby, 
  after a football match by the beach. The cultures can collide, 
  but the tendency is that in here, they actually live in peace. 
  Even old enemies may become friends if they pass enough 
  time in Rio. Maybe it’s the magic of the city… 
  Different from so many other places in the World with 
  maybe even greater diversity, in Rio they get miscegenated, 
  mixed, combined, they can admire and learn with each 
  other. They can even strength each other. One can not make 
  a beautiful painting with just one color, some would say. 
  And Rio is an incredible work of art indeed. 
  Corrupted Authorities: In the letter Pero Vaz de 
  Caminha writes to the King of Portugal, regarding the dis-
  covering of what would be Brazil, he ends the missive ask-
  ing for a job in the court for his cousin. There is a proverbial 
  expression about the ability and tendency the Brazilian peo-
  ple has to deal to overcomplicated solutions, or simply to 
  avoid the right way to do things: The Brazilian Little Way, 
  in an approximated translation. 
  The number of reasons for all the legal Brazilian system 
  looks rigged, ineffective, and bureaucratic nears the infinite. 
  This excessive bureaucracy was a way to keep the Portu-
  guese colony under control, and to keep a sense of order 
  during the dictature. To avoid the slaves of even the most 
  human rights was a way to keep them obedient. To be able 
  to abuse your own power was and is pleasant until today, 
  depending to who you ask. It was a way to affirm that you 
  are different, you are special. You deserve this extra. You 
  certainly already decided how to use it, and I’m not speak-
  ing necessarily about money. You sacrificed so much to get 
  wherever you are now… you deserve it. Whatever it is, that 
  is how the system operates, without much faith even from 
  those who are part of it. There’s a general impression that, 
  in the end of the day, it makes no difference. As José Padilha 
  
   
  said, for instance, about the Rio de Janeiro’s police: “In Rio, 
  every policeman needs to make a choice: Or he gets dirty, 
  or he shuts up, or he goes to war.” 
  And if that really doesn’t matter, why not take ad-
  vantage of it anyway? 
  On contrary to what many people believe, it’s difficult 
  for the good souls in high places too. Will you denounce a 
  corruption scheme in your political party knowing that they 
  can reach your family and with just a call they can put you 
  in jail forever? Would you oppose an illegal deal in your 
  work when you are in serious needs? And if yes, to who? 
  Maybe it can be easier to just keep rowing your boat. Or, of 
  course, you can be a hero… 
  No Black or White, No Right or Wrong: The city has 
  a lot of “it’s complicated.” Not always the criminal is what 
  it is because he or she likes it. Sometimes he or she had no 
  choice. Sometimes the policeman is not really the hero. He 
  just was in the right place at the right time. Yes, the absolute 
  right and wrong still exist, but rarely it’s that simple and 
  easy to see. 
  This is a great narrative way to break the stereotypes. 
  The imaginary of Rio is full of criminals of good heart, cor-
  rupted authorities, be them policemen or millionaires with-
  out a hearth. 
  In the city of the carnival, it’s not that strange that 
  sometimes the roles get messed too. Maybe the hero of the 
  tale is actually a coward, the sage is just pretending, and the 
  pure lady is not that innocent. 
   
   
   
  
   
  We talked about the Rio’s geography before. There, we 
  spoke about neighborhoods and great places like they were 
  very big and general themes a story may be about. But there 
  are places that are more specific and special too. These can 
  work as background and terrain to specific scenes, or for 
  plot advancements. 
  As in many other parts of Rio, these are full of history, 
  legend’s potential, or maybe specific places where the char-
  acters may go for specific intents. 
  PLACES OF FAITH 
  Rio is a place where all faiths are welcome. Even the 
  city being strongly influenced by Christianism in its history 
  and architecture, in the end, everyone is welcome. 
  If you are reading this book more structurally, you will 
  notice that some pantheons lack an entry. It doesn’t mean 
  they don’t exist in Rio. It can happen that they are yet not a 
  so powerful strength to be felt in city yet, or even that they 
  actually don’t have a formal temple or way of worship, this 
  can be worked by your Chronicle. 
  Maracana Stadium 
  The Maracanã (Maraca, for the friends) is a stadium 
  located in a neighborhood by the same name, in the North 
  Zone of Rio. That is obvious. People go there to watch 
  sports events more usually, but it has also been the place for 
  great musical shows in some moments. But make no mis-
  take. It’s a place where the faith of millions of almost fanat-
  ical fans converges in expression of the more sincere love 
  and passionate fervor for their favorite football teams. 
  It’s traditional that each big sports team to own a sta-
  dium, but the Maracanã is considered like a neutral ground 
  among the four bigger teams in Rio, even that only two of 
  them (Flamengo and Fluminense) exert actual legal admin-
  istration over it. 
  In its present form, it can host 78 thousand people, not 
  counting spaces for other sports, like volleyball. In its first 
  floor, there is a museum with items belonging to the most 
  remembering football athletes, like Pelé, Zico, Zagallo, and 
  Garrincha. 
  There is a lesser stadium connected to it, the Mara-
  canãzinho (literally, “the little Maracanã”), with spaces 
  suited for lesser events and an aquatic park. 
  Some of the most more important games and moments 
  of the sport’s national history happened in here. Even from 
  afar, millions of people cheer in their homes, watching or 
  listening in the radio fierce disputes and decisions of titles. 
  Silent prayers get to this altar. It’s not clear which God(s) 
  actually rules over them, but, rest assured, one of 
  his/her/their names is Football. 
  Metropolitan Cathedral of S. 
  Sebastian of Rio de Janeiro 
  The main Catholic church in Rio, and a touristic and 
  architectonical attraction by itself, the Cathedral was fin-
  ished in 1976, in Downtown. It exhibits a conical shape, re-
  sembling a Mayan pyramid. The insides have beautiful 
  stained glasses that go to the floor of the building. 
  When the Portuguese started the colonization of Rio, S. 
  Sebastian was originally worshiped at a much humbler 
  chapel by the Rua da Misericórdia, in the Castle Hill. That 
  title was later transferred to larger churches many times, 
  starting in 1734, and the hill itself was demolished during 
  the urban reforms in 1922. 
  Apolinary Church of Rio de Janeiro 
  What is today a community of thousands of people in 
  all Rio began as a timid cult when the Portuguese started to 
  use all hands available for better explore the land that would 
  be known as Brazil. The worshipers of Apollo arrived as 
  Italian immigrants, but the cult rapidly grew in number and 
  power. Apollo’s blessings over the city would be very clear, 
  any faithful would say: the powerful sun over it, the scien-
  tific miracles that saved thousands from the plagues during 
  the imperial times, and the music and the muses that walk 
  among them daily in torrential rains of artistic inspiration, 
  just to say some. 
  The church itself is located in the Glória neighborhood, 
  South Zone, with strong architectonical influence of the Ro-
  manic style, but using modern construction techniques, re-
  sulting in a building where classical and modern are really 
  harmonized. It realizes cults every Sunday, but the wor-
  shipers also make their more special celebrations at more 
  private and agrestic farms, far from the urban landscapes. 
  There, they usually sacrifice and feast on animals raised or 
  bought specially for this, what uses to provide plenty of ex-
  cessive food, that is later reverted to charity. 
  Laukr Cult 
  The Æsir cult has not what many would consider a for-
  mal location in Rio, but you can see many people around 
  with signs of their faith. Runes are a popular tattoo motive, 
  and Thor’s hammer figures in pendants and walls of craft 
  shops. 
  They have a not enormous but also not so modest tem-
  ple built in the woods near the Cachoeira das Almas (Souls’ 
  Waterfall), in Alto da Boa Vista, however, Northwest side 
  of the Tijuca Forest. It exerts no administrative power or 
  leadership over the rest of the cult, however. It’s just a place 
  where most of the important celebrations happen. The way 
  to there is a walking track uphill some can consider ruff, but 
  others consider it a good test itself. 
  PLACES TO GO 
  
   
  The Twin Temples by the Waters 
  The Japanese were one of the most recent immigrants 
  to arrive in Brazil by the beginning of the 20th century. Even 
  they have a more significant presence in states like São 
  Paulo or the Brazil’s South region, some families got in-
  stalled in Rio since that time. Among many other things, the 
  Japanese colony and their descendants in Rio erected two 
  temples to honor the Kami. They were built simultaneously 
  and are actually identical. Both are in the Recreio dos 
  Bandeirantes neighborhood, but one is in the urban side, 
  while the other is located atop of the Pedra do Pontal, by 
  the shore. Every temple to the Kami honors them all, but the 
  one in the city is more dedicated to Suijin, the sweet water 
  Kami, while the one at the Pedra do Pontal honors Susano-
  o. 
  Anyone is welcome to visit them, and they can be quite 
  an attraction since they are a real demonstration of tradi-
  tional Shinto architecture, unique in all Rio. 
  Cultural Center of Chinese 
  Traditions Pereira Passos 
  The Center is actually a complex of eight buildings that 
  hosts many activities related to the Chinese culture and reli-
  gion. Offices dedicated to traditional medicinal practices, 
  lessons of arts (martial or not), languages, a museum, and 
  an open square for celebrations like the Lunar New Year. 
  Many of the Chinese and Sino-Brazilians that live in 
  Rio came during the rule of D. João VI in 1822. At the time, 
  he tried to cultivate tea plants in the Botanical Garden. The 
  experiment failed, but the immigrants persisted. The monu-
  ment knowns as Vista Chinesa is a lookout at the East side 
  of the Tijuca Forest is a homage to them.  
  The name of the Center is a homage to the mayor that 
  built the Vista Chinesa in 1923. It stays in the Tijuca, home 
  to the greater part of the Sino-Brazilian population of Rio. 
  Cinelandia 
  This is the name of the region around the Floriano 
  Square, in Downtown Rio. Not exactly a neighborhood but 
  it comprehends a considerable space of the city, mainly con-
  stituted by theaters, cinema, and other cultural and artistic 
  places. Even the bars usually have musical groups perform-
  ing their songs openly. 
  That is where many of the priest-poets of the Tuatha 
  also chose as stage to make public preaching and declama-
  tions of their poetry and songs. Many passersby can stop and 
  watch, if they have the time. Even who is not an adept of the 
  religion admires the beauty of the arts. 
  Terreiros 
  The African religions grew with many difficulties in all 
  the Americas. Persecution and the slavery stigma can be felt 
  even today, and Brazil is no different in that, unfortunately. 
  Trying to avoid this kind of conflict, the priests of the Can-
  domblé used to fled from the more urbanized areas and wor-
  ship happened in farms or places equally isolated. There is 
  not a precise map to the terreiros, but it seems to be safe to 
  say that they exist in all neighborhood in town. Some of 
  them exist until today, and can date since the colonial times. 
  Red Temple 
  The first thing you must to know about the Red Temple 
  is that it doesn’t exist. Everybody heard about it, stories 
  about a pyramid erected in the top of some hill in the North 
  Zone, or a favela, or maybe Baixada, where fanatic crimi-
  nals scar themselves in the name of the Teōtl Gods. The 
  
   
  reason about many people actually fear this possibility to be 
  true is the fact that it would mean that one of the most pow-
  erful criminal factions (the Red Execs. They really exist and 
  anyone in Rio knows that) in Rio is divinely supported.  
  If it even exists, or if at least the half about these stories 
  are true, then this is one of the most well kept secrets of the 
  Teōtl. And they are not sharing this easily. 
  Church of Penha 
  The building of this church dates from 1635, when cap-
  tain Baltazar, owner of these lands decided he wanted to see 
  his holdings from the top of the mountain. When he got 
  there, he was attacked by a snake, and considered the saving 
  he received by a lizard that eaten the snake as miraculous. 
  Then, he decided to build the chapel that would grow until 
  become what is today the Church of Our Lady of Penha of 
  France at the top of the fatidic mountain. The long stairs that 
  take to the church were built later, in 1819. Many wor-
  shipers make promises whose payment is to go up these 
  stairs. Some even make it by their knees. 
  Or at least that is the history he told for the avoid con-
  flicts. Many Teōtl worshipers of the present time get curious 
  about how the stories about Our Lady of Penha tell of ex-
  cruciating sacrifices and sufferings. None of them actually 
  worship in there, that would be ask for trouble with the 
  Catholics, to say the least, but it’s considered a popular the-
  ory that maybe Our Lady of Penha be actually a version of 
  Chicomecoatl. 
  The church can be easily seen from almost any point in 
  Penha and sometimes even neighborhoods in the North 
  Zone. 
  PLACES OF TOURISM 
  Rio is dotted by many wonderful and beautiful places. 
  Some are natural works of art, like the Tijuca Forest. Others, 
  were specially built to be admired or to provide admiration. 
  Anyway, there are many places in Rio where you can go just 
  to see beautiful landscapes. Among many cariocas, just 
  standing by a beach watching the sea is some kind of natural 
  calming medicine. 
  Botanical Garden 
  The Botanical Garden was officially open to public vis-
  itations in 1808, during the imperial period. D. João VI built 
  it originally as a private garden for his mother, D. Maria, 
  afflicted by mental disorders. It has changed its administra-
  tion like the government of the city changed hands. Just one 
  thing never left: the love of the Òrishá for this place. The 
  main goal of the Botanical Garden is to gather specimen of 
  plants from all the World (there are even some from Terra 
  Incognita, if you ask to the right employee), for research and 
  medical use. But it doesn’t limit to it. Just catalog and apply 
  all its properties would be boring for them, it seems, so they 
  decided to revive the place by the centuries making it a place 
  of magnificent green beauty. 
  The Botanical Garden, as previously stated, is in the 
  neighborhood that literally translates its name, Jardim 
  Botânico, at the South Zone of the city. 
  Sugar Loaf 
  The Sugar Loaf Cable Car (“Bondinho do Pão de Açú-
  car”) is a teleferic exclusively touristic. It has two sessions: 
  One coming from the Praia Vermelha to the Urca mountain, 
  the other going from there to the Sugar Loaf mountain that 
  gives name to the attraction. It was open to visitations in 
  1912. It oversees a panoramic view of the city from its 
  heights along the way. 
  Christ the Redeemer 
  Christ the Redeemer (“Cristo Redentor”) was open to 
  visitation in 1931, but having a long process of funding, 
  planning and building. It’s until today one of the main sym-
  bols of the city around the World. Standing at the top of the 
  Corcovado mountain, watching over the Guanabara Bay, 
  the Christ is a statue of 30 m (98 ft) height, over a pedestal 
  of 8 m (26 ft), with the open arms being 28 m (92 ft) wide. 
  Around the statue, there is a lookout from where one can see 
  all the city. It’s considered by the cariocas a welcoming 
  sight when you come to the city (by airplane, much proba-
  bly), to have the Christ greeting you with open arms. 
  Among the Scions, there is some theorization about if 
  the statue is one of the colossi created by Hephaestus or has 
  been used as an avatar or watch by Zeus or Indra (what 
  makes sense, since the statue is hit by a lot of lighting, even 
  when there are no storms). Maybe all that is true, but not at 
  the same time. 
  Another recurring gossip or conspiration theory about 
  the Christ is that it hosts reunions to some kind of secret 
  society of powerful and rich men bad intentioned in its in-
  side, or even underground. Until now, nothing has been 
  found. 
  Municipal Theater 
  The Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro finished its 
  building in 1909. Its architecture is deeply inspired by the 
  French belle epoque, with elegant galleries and beautiful 
  paintings exposed. It was open like a place of elegance and 
  sophistication, for the elite to be seen and to show yourself 
  as such. Today it has not this same appeal, but if a presenta-
  tion is happening, if in all the places, in the Municipal, then 
  it’s a testimony of its greatness. Or so it’s expected. 
  National Institute of Historic and 
  Artistic Heritage (IPHAN) 
  Rio de Janeiro is one of the cities in Brazil with more 
  and the greater museums. The IPHAN (acronym for Insti-
  tuto do Patrimônio Histório e Artístico Nacional) takes care 
  of all of what is comprehended as cultural, historic, and ar-
  tistic heritage in all Brazil, what includes but not limits to 
  55 museums and cultural centers of the city. In Rio, its head-
  quarters are in Downtown. 
  Besides being a purely governmental, bureaucratic or-
  gan, every pantheon with influence in Rio is interested in 
  having it working at full capacity. Donations are the most 
  usual way to help, but they also protect the museums, parks 
  and any other cultural preciosity the city has. Damaging an 
  old painting that praised an Òrishá, for instance, is a great 
  way to attract their rage. 
  
   
  One of the most recent tragedies felt by all the city was 
  the burning of the National Museum of Rio de Janeiro, in 
  September 2nd of 2018. The losses were unmeasurable and 
  revolted everyone, but the Netjer felt greatly, since many 
  relics of Egyptian origin were in there. 
  PLACES OF FUN 
  In a such a paradisiac city with a so sociable people liv-
  ing in it, not having places where you can simply hang out 
  and have good time with your friends would be a very un-
  happy contradiction, and many people are interested in this 
  not happening. 
  It would be impossible to list all the places the people 
  in Rio go for fun. There are tons of theaters, cinema, parks, 
  beaches, nightclubs, etc. Here are just the ones more signif-
  icant from the divine point of view. 
  Odin’s Table 
  In Valhalla, Odin hosts a diary banquet for the Einher-
  jar, glorious warriors who fell in battle and will pass the 
  eternity battling in wait for the Ragnarök. In Rio, one Incar-
  nation of the All-Father named Carlos Montalva (or Carlão, 
  if you are a near friend or costumer) decided he liked foot-
  ball after all, and decided to open a big bar near the Mara-
  canã where many football fans go after the games, be for 
  celebrate their victories, or drown their defeats. Contrary to 
  the what would be expected, rarely happens something more 
  serious than one side shouting jokes and taunts to the other. 
  Everybody knows that is not wise to misbehave in a house 
  of Odin. 
  Many Scions from Rio also use the place for celebrate 
  their successes, so it’s a place very well-liked place among 
  all the divine community as well. 
  The Silver Mug Pub 
  Steve Barland first visited Rio decades ago for some 
  Tuatha dé Dannan business. Since then, he made what he 
  could to actually live in the city. He opened this pub, by the 
  sands of Copacabana, with that intent. Completely in love 
  by the beauty of the beaches and its pleasures, the Scion of 
  Aengus uses to say that Copacabana is the nearer that Earth 
  can get to Tír na nÓg. During the day, and always when he 
  has the time, Steve can be found by the sand, tanning, swim-
  ming, flirting with some lady he considers beautiful, or 
  drinking at the kiosks. At night, he works at the balcony’s 
  pub, preparing drinks and being the talkative nice guy type. 
  Steve is an excellent mixologist, but what most people 
  don’t know is that he is also a certified internal alchemist, 
  able to mix and create powerful potions and drinkable en-
  chants. He can make a drink with “something extra” if the 
  client asks for, or even prepare entire magical bottles on re-
  quest. 
  Ikigai 
  The Matsuda family have been by centuries a proud 
  clan of samurai warriors, many of them being Scions of Ha-
  chiman himself and other Kami. But the calling of the chef 
  Toshiyo Matsuda never was in the battlefield. His older 
  brother, Hiroshi, is a typical experienced Scion of Ha-
  chiman. He fights bad guys, saves people from monsters and 
  travels all the World and Terra Incognita in his missions 
  with other Scions. When Toshiyo tried to break the familiar 
  tradition of not being a warrior, he thought that all the pan-
  theon and family would be angry for it. Never was the case. 
  But he tried make them proud anyway, having a talent that 
  would compete even to the most famous chefs in his home 
  country made people think twice before criticize his deci-
  sion. Some of his familiars resented his choice, but Toshiyo 
  made clear his passion when he put the name of his restau-
  rant. Ikigai means the most supreme vocation and passion a 
  person can have to an activity or profession. The cooking 
  arts are his passion, gift and destiny. For it, would be worthy 
  to flee from his own country and try the luck in a strange 
  land in the literal other side of the World. 
  Certainly, there are many other restaurants that offer 
  Japanese food in Rio, but the Ikigai raises the culinary to an 
  absolutely different level. If you want a simple sushi, you 
  call to delivery. If you want a touch of divine level culinary 
  at your taste, you make a reservation at the Ikigai. 
  The place is one of the greater prizes that the Japanese 
  community has in Rio, and many important celebrations or 
  formal reunions are traditionally held in there. The Ikigai is 
  located in a calm region of the Jardim Botânico neighbor-
  hood, South Zone of the city. 
  Afrontosa 
  Rio is a city by the sea, filled with beauty where sculp-
  tural bodies walk by the streets everyday, and passions can 
  literally bleed until the entire city drowns. In these circum-
  stances, it would be naïve to suppose that Aphrodite would 
  not be around. One Incarnation of her, Lúcia Cavalcante, 
  owns the considered better nightclub in all Rio. Famous for 
  
   
  provoking torrid romances with many beautiful gallant ac-
  tors (and sometimes actresses) and celebrities like if she was 
  just changing clothes, the Afrontosa grows in fame propor-
  tional to the scandals of her owner. 
  Everyone in Rio has a story or knows somebody that 
  has a story about a love at first sight that they had when in 
  there. The Afrontosa is in the Leblon, one of the most ele-
  gant and exclusive neighborhoods in South Zone of Rio. 
  Dois Amigos 
  One of the most known epics in the World, Beowulf 
  narrates the journey of the protagonist by this same name. 
  As his first great heroic deed in the legend, Beowulf kills 
  the monstrous Grendel, and later, his mother. 
  It seems that two versions of them thought better to 
  unite forces and opened a restaurant, the Dois Amigos (Two 
  Friends). The owner is Beatrice Wulf, and she makes ques-
  tion to be always present at her investment. Her chef is the 
  always serious Glenn Mendel. The Dois Amigos is a famous 
  place in Cascadura, in the North Zone of Rio, with Beatrice 
  being very famous around. They tell different versions 
  about how they met each other and decided to open the res-
  taurant. This seems to be an internal joke of the two. Some 
  people even conspire that they are secretly a couple. At 
  least, there is a lot of romantic tension between the two. 
  The place is important for Scions because Glen is a 
  good source of information about other Titanspawn in the 
  region. He is not a snitch, however. In equal proportion, Be-
  atrice is also good in discovering secrets of Scions. 
  PLACES OF MISTERY 
  There are places that are simply weird. Strange things 
  seem to be attracted or more propense to happen in there. 
  Many are haunted abandoned houses or cemeteries, others 
  are portals to Terra Incognita opening without a warning.  
  Gavea Stone 
  The Tijuca Forest has many peaks that are touristic 
  points. People go there for the adventure of climbing and 
  exploring, take pictures of their amazing views, and nor-
  mally call it a day and everybody that visits has good stories 
  about it. This peak at southeastern side of the Forest is dif-
  ferent, tough. Some tell about strange lights (sometimes col-
  ored) floating over it during some nights, and there are a ton 
  of theories about alien visitations happening. 
  The other name this peak has explains a lot. Portal da 
  Agartha (Agartha’s Gate. Yes, it’s that obvious) works as 
  the name says. A portal to that Terra Incognita.  
  Castle Hill 
  When the Portuguese expelled the French from the 
  Bay, they thought in build defensive edifications against 
  probable future invasions. The first buildings of what would 
  be Rio were in the Castle Hill. Legends about the place say 
  that the Jesuit priests hided an enormous treasure in some 
  place of their holdings in there. The hill was meticulously 
  searched when D. João VI later expelled them from the city, 
  and nothing like a sizeable treasure was found (some say it 
  was around 6 tons of gold, among other preciosities). The 
  hill was later demolished during the urban reforms of the 
  beginning of the 20th century, with most of its land being 
  used to grounding other regions of the city. Again, nothing 
  was found. 
  Later excavations found secret tunnels and under-
  ground passages to some of its buildings, but the treasure 
  still is a legend or a mystery to be found. Given the reputa-
  tion of the Jesuits in Rio, this is will be a series of clue-find-
  ing quests, since the Jesuits also had lands in other places in 
  Rio. 
  The Lost Market 
  One of the legends more famous in the South region of 
  Brazil tells of a young black slave, constantly abused by his 
  owner. Once, his landlord sent him on an errand to take the 
  farm’s horses on a trip. During the journey, he stops to rest 
  and falls asleep. The landlord’s son, however, scares the 
  horses making all of them flee on purpose, for pure trickery. 
  Furious, the landlord punishes the slave beating him and let-
  ting his unconscious body rest on an anthill for the night. 
  The slave boy would be dead if it was not for the divine 
  intervention of the Holy Virgin Mary. As a lesson to the 
  landlord, she sends the young slave to be with her in Heav-
  ens with all the horses that belonged to him. The Negrinho 
  do Pastoreio (no version of the story even mentions his 
  name) then rises to the sky riding the favorite sorrel of the 
  landlord. It is said that he helps people who lost objects after 
  a short prayer to him or a candle lighted to the Virgin Mary. 
  In Rio, he operates a little different. He runs a really 
  secret underground market of any kind of item people lose. 
  Money, relics, treasures, glory, decency, documents, magi-
  cal stuff, wallets, cars, weddings, fame, names, pride, 
  watches, pins, etc. If you know how to find it (what consists 
  in a series of rituals for crossing that street at the right time, 
  then turn to that corner looking in that direction, then press-
  ing a certain brick of a wall, and of course, knowing the 
  password, etc.), you then can buy virtually any kind of thing 
  anybody has lost, if you can pay the price he puts on it. Even 
  being a place with access quite restrict, the trade seems to 
  have enriched the previous slave pretty well. He prefers that 
  people call him by the name he chose, Mauro, in homeage 
  to his savior. His true name is other good he can sell too, 
  again, if you have the right payment. 
  Mauro usually accepts money as payment, but for some 
  really special items, he prefers to trade favors. He is usually 
  a honest merchant too, he has no need to be greedy about 
  money. 
  Haunted Places 
  Any city in the World has its own haunted places. Nor-
  mally abandoned houses where the departed souls are still 
  attached to this side of the World, or cemeteries where 
  ghosts still wander. 
  In Rio, they are normally the oldest buildings in town. 
  Downtown, the oldest neighborhood, has many of its muse-
  ums receiving occasional ghosts visiting for whatever the 
  reason. 
  
   
  Many of the old residences can be visited by the 
  doomed souls of their previous owners, and many farms 
  where slaves were killed or abused can have the sounds of 
  chains and grieving voices in the silence of the night. 
  Campo de Santana, a popular park in Downtown region 
  has ghosts in elegant garments dueling with swords at ran-
  dom. 
  Another popular haunted place in Rio is the Torre Al-
  mirante (Tower Admiral). The building was built over the 
  ruins of the Edifício Andorinha (Swallow Building), de-
  stroyed by fire in 1986. The number of dead was relatively 
  small (30 dead. 3 of them jumped in despair, falling fatally 
  on the street), comparing to other catastrophes in the World, 
  but even today the Almirante is visited by hauling voices 
  and its emergency doors slamming open, just to be calmly 
  closed and then locking themselves again. 
  The night guards of the FioCruz Building are advised 
  to not react too promptly to signs of apparent invasion. They 
  report of lights in the laboratories being suddenly turned on, 
  and one guard once saw a woman he never met before en-
  tering the corridors, she casually greeted him good night and 
  he thought she was a scientist that forgot something or had 
  some late work to do. Later that night, he searched the entire 
  building and the woman was gone. She could not have left 
  the building without pass by him. 
  Even places that are not so old have ghost stories. Cen-
  tral do Brasil Station workers tell of a night in that one of 
  the trains arrived in late night without realizing any stop. 
  The instruments informed that the doors were not even open 
  a single time because of that. However, when it arrived at 
  the final stop in the Station, the doors opened and hundreds 
  of people wearing clothes of colonial times passed through 
  them. 
  The Duque de Caxias Museum, that gathers items be-
  longing to him, is said to be haunted by himself, other times 
  just his head, that can be seen hovering by the corridors like 
  a gas balloon. 
  There are also hauntings that doesn’t seem to be re-
  stricted to a certain place. One thief very famous and feared 
  died during a daring scape from the police in the Rebouças 
  Tunnel, in the 1980’s. He clashed against another car, whose 
  family was returning from a birthday party. All of them 
  died. In any street of Rio, but more commonly at the place 
  of his death, the black sedan can be seen or felt by some 
  drivers chasing them. It is said that to pray for the poor in-
  nocent souls killed in that accident makes him give up the 
  chase. 
  One that is probably a very common version around the 
  World is the ghost a woman that appears more commonly 
  in the road to Petrópolis. She is blond, young and beautiful. 
  The young lady asks for a ride and then at some point she 
  suddenly vanishes from the vehicle, without much explana-
  tion or an apparent objective. 
   
   
  
   
  A city is made of its important places as a car is made 
  of its painting. 
  Places are important to describe the themes, atmos-
  phere and history of a place, but what really makes it alive 
  are the people that live in there, the SGC’s the players will 
  find and want to interact with. 
  The people of Rio is very receptive, gregarious and al-
  ways inclined to do what they judge to be the good than pre-
  tend do not care. They tend to be more inclined to happiness 
  and joy than seriousness and protocol. It doesn’t mean they 
  are all clowns all the time. They work, study, do serious 
  business as hard as anywhere in the World. But maybe it’s 
  fair to say that they party harder too 
  GROUPS 
  In the suicide letter Getúlio Vargas left, he starts with: 
  “One more time, the forces and interests against the people 
  coordinate themselves and trigger off against me.” He 
  doesn’t specify his enemies, even in moments before his su-
  icide and many people are asking why until today. Many 
  political figures, through all the history of Brazil, had suspi-
  cions of contact with secret societies, hidden cults, or com-
  panies whose true intentions seemed to be occult for a rea-
  son. Emperor D. Pedro II was supposedly commanded ac-
  tually by the masonic society, and if you look in the projects 
  for the imperial cities (Petrópolis, in Northern Rio and Juiz 
  de Fora, Southeast of Minas Gerais), you can find some in-
  teresting arcane patterns, whose intention are yet unknown. 
  Almost every president of the republic was controlled by 
  some stranger not-so-secret group. Something like a con-
  spiracy created specially to keep the country under their 
  will. 
  Many of the factions listed in here can work as contacts 
  of Scions, or even maybe as Guides or Followers. 
  The Six of the Emperor: Emperor D. Pedro II was a 
  man admired by his intelligence, progressist ideas, fine taste 
  in the arts and, some say, connection to the arcane arts. One 
  of the secrets most well kept since the times of the crown, 
  was a personal cabal he could summon at will in case of dire 
  need. The imperial times are over, sure. There is not an em-
  peror in Brazil anymore, but these six gentlemen are still 
  around. Turned almost completely immortals along the cen-
  turies, they are all wizards and conjurers of huge power, 
  whose interests now are more personally oriented. 
  It has not been the case yet, but in case of anyone of 
  them coming to die, another talented mage must be chosen 
  to keep the cabal active, and keep on the ideas that the em-
  peror inspired them. 
  Cadre of Anpu: The Military Police of Rio de Janeiro 
  is one of the most brutal police forces in the World, and has 
  to deal daily with implacable criminal forces and corruption 
  above and in its own ranks. A tough job to say the minimum. 
  They have one elite group, however, the BOPE (Ba-
  talhão de OPerações Especiais, Special Operations Squad). 
  They are special soldiers focused in urban combat and tac-
  tics, one of the most respected and feared (if you are in the 
  wrong side of the law) group in town. 
  Anpu, however, seems interested not just in BOPE 
  members, but the best of the best they can provide. If asked, 
  he can say that he’s really moved by their dedication and 
  efforts, or that he really likes the skull logo and the black 
  uniform. To be a BOPE soldier is already proof you are a 
  fearsome combatant, but his cadre are individuals who are 
  also paragons of moral virtue among them. He bestows them 
  powers, sometimes brings them back from the dead and 
  even choose some as his Scions. 
  So far, no more than a simultaneous dozen have 
  reached the levels of Anpu’s interests to be part of his cadre. 
  Princes and Princesses of Lakshmi: The South Zone 
  of Rio is considered the home of snobbish people, and some 
  would say, spoiled younghood. Lakshmi doesn’t agree to-
  tally with that. It’s not clear even today if these young and 
  rich boys and girls decided to build a cult to her or if some 
  were first chosen by her. They are a group of really good 
  intentioned heirs and young rich celebrities that decided to 
  collaborate to try to make their city better. Yes, they raise 
  funds for charity, make YouTube videos discussing some 
  serious problems and causes that are trending at the mo-
  ment, organize marches and protests against the global 
  warming, and, for those outside its circle, that is it. The ac-
  tions of the group have not yet been proven changed much 
  in Rio. They say that they are growing slow, and at least 
  they are trying to make some actual good in the World, 
  though. 
  Corinthian Society (Scion: Hero, p. 31): The Corin-
  thian Society is responsible for the birth of at least the two 
  greatest football teams in Brazil (Clube de Regatas Fla-
  mengo and the Sport Club Corínthians Paulista). They op-
  erate in here like would do in any other place of the World. 
  The Black Guard: They were once feared as the most 
  zealous defenders of the president Getúlio Vargas. That 
  kind of thing was not a novity in Brazilian even at the time. 
  Mayors and other political authorities in the countryside 
  used to hire jagunços, individuals whose main function was 
  to eliminate political adversities or criticism. Normally by 
  brutal ways. 
  PEOPLE TO MEET 
  
   
  The Black Guard doesn’t count with divine or super-
  natural help of any kind in its core, but it’s still dedicated in 
  to uphold the ideals its first idol had: fight for the people, 
  for the poor and defend those who defend them. 
  The Jesuits: In the 15th century’s Brazil, the Jesuits 
  were a religious order, but scholars too. They had secret labs 
  where they studied anatomy, engineering, philosophy, and 
  had advanced medicine techniques. There were many con-
  spiration theories not just about their treasure, but that their 
  disagreement with D. João VI was about the actual control 
  over the city, so great was their authority. 
  They were officially expelled from Rio during D. João 
  rule, but it’s virtually impossible a society with so much 
  power simply fade that fast. Mostly certainly they are still 
  around, Gods know what they are studying this time. 
  Malandros: They are hard to define in simple words. 
  They are rascals, tricksters, deceiver, cheaters and thieves. 
  But they are also decent souls and sometimes even heroes. 
  The classical figure of a malandro is a man in white suit 
  and hat (optionally with a red shirt or tie), with a friendly 
  smile in his lips, samba in his feet and a hidden razor as a 
  weapon. That figure may have changed by the decades, but 
  the true essence of a malandro is what he/she does. 
  The malandros can be interpreted as a creed, but with-
  out any kind of formality. If you are one, you are one for 
  love, never for obligation of any kind. They are bohemian 
  individuals. Lovers of the night life and its pleasures, true 
  lords in the arts of trickery. You can be approached by some 
  nice guy that you never seen before, and then he tries to sell 
  you the ownership of the Christ the Redeemer by a very low 
  fraction of its invaluable price indeed. He even makes you 
  sign some papers as proof this is legitimate. What a nice 
  friend, right? That’s a classical trick of them. 
  There are few points in common among all them, but if 
  there is one, is an almost mandatory law: “Thou shall not 
  work.” At least not in an honest and “boring” job. If you do, 
  then do it the minimal possible. They survive (and live quite 
  well, if you ask them) by means many would consider ille-
  gal, but not that much. They don’t rob banks, don’t commit 
  violent crimes, but actually act in the breaches of the law 
  and the system. Smuggling, betting, anything that in first 
  place don’t call much attention of the authorities. Not that 
  they are afraid of them, it’s just better not to get in a fight 
  when you don’t need. They are not coward, by the contrary. 
  Many of them are able capoeira fighters, and to refuse a 
  snooker game (betting, of course) is a grave offense and loss 
  of face among them. They also tend to be very gentlemen 
  and consider any slender against any woman worthy of pun-
  ishment. 
  All of this can be said about a typical carioca malandro, 
  but also, they are a cult. In this sense, they are part of a larger 
  religion named Catimbó, and are dedicated to one of its de-
  ities, Zé Pelintra, a spirit prone to help people in domestic 
  needs, professional endeavors and causes of the less fa-
  vored. 
  A LEGEND OF RIO 
  This chapter contains just a SGC that you can use in 
  your Rio’s Chronicle as an Antagonist,  
  Bárbara dos Prazeres: There is a building in Down-
  town very famous named Arco do Teles. It was, at the time 
  of its construction in the 18th century, a promising real estate 
  investment, a new passage full of houses between the XV 
  de Novembro Square and the Fish Market’s alleyway. At 
  first, Bárbara went to live there, accompanying her husband. 
  She was a very beautiful and young lady, but that suffered 
  under her abusive husband, probably unhappy that his in-
  vestment quickly disvalued by a fire. Bárbara kills her hus-
  band and tries to flee with her lover, a handsome and young 
  man. Time passes and Bárbara realizes this man is only in-
  terested in her wealthy. She kills him too and goes to live by 
  the streets. She recurs to prostitution as a way of life, and 
  gets moderate success. Afterall, she was young, beautiful 
  and seductive then. 
  Time passes again and she begins to notice her clients 
  and money staring to thin. Desperate to find a solution, she 
  finds a sorcerer that teaches her a secret recipe for eternal 
  youth and beauty. 
  It used the blood of children and newborn. Many chil-
  dren disappearing cases by that time have been tied to Bá-
  rbara since then, considered by many a witch or a vampire. 
  She continued active until near the end of the 19th century, 
  when she suddenly disappeared completely. It’s unknow if 
  she was actually killed or fled to another place. 
  We recommend to represent Bárbara as the Sorcerer 
  Archetype (Scion: Origin, p. 158). 
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Scion (storyteller) [multi]/2nd edition/3rd Party/SCION 2e - Rio de Janeiro by Myths & Gods.pdf