And then I woke up with a new idea and made it a character. Meet Custódio Collini, trusted messenger to the rich and powerful in Eversink. Yes, Swords of the Serpentine again.
You see, the social demands placed on members of the Mercanti, the administration, and especially the noble houses mean a constant flow of missives across the city. The more wealthy ones, and for the most part the administration, employ a lot of messengers for that kind of thing. Still, there are those who cannot easily afford such an ongoing expenditure, especially among the ancient noble families which have fallen on harder timers. And even those who can find themselves from time to time in a situation where some letter or small item needs to get somewhere quickly, but all messengers are already away. In such cases, freelancers pick up the slack. They hang around the places where demand is highest, and some of them are organized in small gangs. Custódio is not in such a gang.
Custódio is a loner, a freelance messenger who specializes in serving the needs of the ancient noble families. While most messengers are active on foot, Custódio is one of the rarer messengers who bring missives through the city in their gondola. And what makes Custódio truly unique is that he has figured out the means by which to open the wax seals on letters quickly and usually without leaving a trace. And even better, given the right tools and a few minutes he can make some … adjustments … to the pages. Tools that he has in the closed back of his gondola. Custódio is a member of one of the local thieves' guilds, the ‘Silent Lackeys’.
Due to his diligent work the Silent Lackeys have grown in size and wealth, miraculously finding just the right times to break into specific mansions, or by selling some political information to the highest bidders. So far, no one has figured out their secret. But if anyone in power would, Custódio's life would get very interesting very, very fast.
He is a young man, tanned and muscular, respectful and polite. He carries his sand-coloured hair in a long braid and usually wears a non-descript servant's uniform when working. He is Precise and Methodical, Circumspect in all his dealings. Not liking to depend on others he is largely Self-Reliant. Nonetheless, his easy manner makes him very Likeable.
His three favourite things in life are:
- Perfect forgery without leaving a trace
- Wind in his hair, and the soft murmur of water in a canal
- Screwing over the rich and powerful
He has Morale 8 and Health 10, the stats of someone living the good life in the more or less fresh air.
For Social Abilities, he has Charm 1, Liar’s Tell 1, Trustworthy 1, and Servility 2. He specializes in conning the powerful, after all. As regards Professional Abilities, he has City’s Secrets 1, Scurrilous Rumours 2, and Skulduggery 4. Master forger, remember?
As for General Abilities, he has Athletics and Preparedness at 8, Warfare and Stealth at 4, and Bind Wounds, Burglary, and Sway at 2. He isn’t a fighter, but he does a lot of physical work and quite literally survives by being very circumspect at all times. The rest are things he picked up in his sordid youth and from his only slightly less sordid companions.
His Allies and Enemies are the Thieves’ Guilds 1, and Ancient Nobility at both 1 and -1. As with most characters, I assume his list of enemies will only grow.
His gear:
- A small and sturdy transport gondola with a closed compartment
- All the tools a real letter forger needs
- Sardine sandwiches, his favourite
- A small, nasty dagger, with a jagged edge, well hidden inside his puffy shirt
- A worn servants uniform, puffy, blatant, and hiding a surprising amount of thieves' tools
And that is Custódio. Here the sheet.
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