Vincienzo di Randazzi
Baron of Edleview
AC 1014
by Andrew Theisen, modified by Michael Berry
"Shame- I really thought you had me that time. Shall we make it best of seven, then, or do you concede?"
I. Appearance
Vincienzo is of average height, though slight of build. He has the olive complexion traditional of his Thyatian ancestry, though slightly paleness that is testimonial to a lifetime spent indoors. Vincienzo's hair is black, and shoulder length, usually kept bound in a ponytail. The ends of his hair are bleached white, making it resemble a fox's tail. His brown eyes twinkle mischievously.
He dresses in the latest cut and style of clothing, but his outfits are always specially tailored to have a gaming theme to them- red and black chessboard patterns, tiny roulette wheels, etc. Vincienzo's outfits are not garish, though they do draw attention by dint of their thematic underpinnings.
II. Personality & Quirks
Vincienzo is the consummate gamesman. He loves games of chance- the higher the odds against him, the better. In particular, he was known as a champion dart thrower during his tenure at the Great School of Magic. He is also acknowledged a talented conjurer- setting summoned creatures against those of an opponent in an arena-type situation. Vincienzo's close bonds with, and skilled management of his summoned monsters have led him to victories against traditionally stronger opponents time and again. Ironically enough, though he is most known for using his summoned creatures in gaming, he is closer to them than he is to his own family. He knows them all by name and several of them have been his companions since childhood. In Vincienzo's eyes, it is other people that are pawns and game pieces to be used and discarded at will.
III. History & Background
Vincienzo was the oldest child of Pangriato di Randazzi and Caterucia (nee Capostria) born in Lizzieni in AC 981. His mother was granddaughter of Louis Capostria the Count of Soth-Kabree. However Louis died heirless in AC 931 and as his son had no magical ability and the family was stripped of their noble status. Count Louis had known this day would come since his designated heir; his brother (and eligible wizard) had suddenly died 5 years earlier. The Count prepared his son financially for the day when the family would be stripped of its title. He set aside a substantial fortune for his son which helped ease the shock of going from being the son of a Count to a mere commoner. When Caterucia was born in AC 955she did show potential for magic and was educated at the Great School of Magic. While studying at the Great School she met and fell in love with Pangriato, a dashing young military officer and she soon dropped out of school before graduating and married him in AC 976. Pangraito quickly moved up the military hierarchy and achieved rapid promotion through the ranks and in AC 986 they had their first child when Vincienzo was born.
As a young child Vincienzo was discovered to have a gift for magic. As he grew into adolescence he showed little talent for the arts of war like his father so Vincienzo was apprenticed to become a wizard. He was also groomed to be what his parents could not be, a privileged member of the Glantrian nobility. At the age of 14, Vincienzo was packed off to the Great School of Magic in Glantri City. Being somewhat shy at first, he found himself the object of ridicule by his peers. His truest companionship came from the creatures he summoned with his magic- for Vincienzo's specialty was in the field of conjuration. In order to fit in, he took on many dares and bets in order to prove himself to others. Fortunately, Vincienzo's keen mind was suitable to games of skill, and he demonstrated a great degree of luck at games of chance. As his reputation as a gambler grew, he began to come out of his shell and develop into something of a rogue. Vincienzo remained at the Great School of Magic only long enough to graduate, which he did in AC 1005, at which time he left, finding no more challenge in it. He stayed in the city, however, becoming a permanent fixture in Glantri City's various gambling dens and casinos. He drifted among the noble social circles for a couple of years, living high and low on his gambling wins and losses. Back at home, his family looked upon him and his actions with growing disfavor but there was little they could do to control their gadabout son.
The Plague in 1008 caused the death of Caterucia di Randazzi, his mother. Though he hadn't seen her in several years, the loss hurt Vincienzo more than he'd care to admit. In his grief, he became reckless, taking bets at impossible odds and amassing huge amounts of debt. In a seemingly vain attempt to relieve himself of his misfortunes, he accepted a bet by a long-time gambling companion to vie for a position among the nobility once the Great War ended late in 1009 and several vacant noble titles were scheduled to be filled. It was the gamble of a lifetime, but by calling in favors and making several shady deals, Vincienzo beat out a favored Averoignian competitor and became the new Baron of Edleview.
Though he'd gotten out of debt, Vincienzo immediately came to regret his position. The tedium of rulership, along with the self-serving nature of politics at first disturbed him. He brought in his father, now retired, and his younger brother, who lost an arm to a Bugbear axe during Thar’s invasion, to help with the mundane duties of administration while he concentrated on his own pursuits and living the high life of nobility. However the more he hobnobbed with the Glantrian elite, the more he came to view politics as yet another game- albeit one with much higher stakes- with pawns to manipulate and pieces to move. Vincienzo has become quite a bit more politically active of late, as he seeks to establish himself as the winner in yet another gambit, this one to become a Viscount by the end of the decade.
IV. Web of Intrigue
Vincienzo leaves the day-to-day administration of his dominion to his father Pangratio- a retired Army Brigadier General and his younger brother Jacobo who followed his father’s footsteps into the Grand Army before being severely injured and permanently maimed during the war. Unbeknownst to Vincienzo, Jacobo is a high-ranking member of the Followers of the Claymore who is using his position in Egorn to help strengthen the weakened organization.
Among his political allies, Vincienzo counts Gerrid Rientha, the neiboring Baron of Egorn. The two men share a love of gambling and a respect for one another's magical prowess. Though he is more closely associated with the House of Sirecchia these days, Vincienzo would consider leaving Sirecchia for the right price or support in a future Awards Festival. Vincienzo's enemies include former Baron Pieter Vandehaar, who stills seethes with rage over the events of a recent wager in which Pieter felt he was cheated by Vincienzo. Archduke John Beaumarys-Moorkroft has a special hatred for Vincienzo's familiar for disrupting many of his fox hunts; this dislike has carried over to his master.
V. Statistics & Style of Magic
Statistics: 11th Level Wizard; Str 10, Int 17, Wis 13, Dex 18, Con 11, Cha 17; AL - Neutral Vincienzo's familiar is a fox named Scacco.
Languages: Thyatian, Alphatian, Elf
Weapon Proficiencies: Dart (skilled), daggar (basic)
Skills: Alchemy (I), Alternative Magics (I), Gambling (W+2), Glantrian Politics (I), Glantrian Society and Nobility (I), Bargaining (Cha), Persuasion (Cha)
Vincienzo knows all the common level spells appropriate to his level but his he specializing in spells summoning and controlling other creatures. If forced into combat he would summon creatures to do the fighting for him. He is a skilled dart and daggar thrower and is rarely found without his magical darts (2 +1 darts) and daggar (+3) with him.
(Archduke John Beaumarys-Moorkroft, ranting after a disrupted fox hunt)