Name: Pietro Machelli
Age: 30
Gender:Male
Species: Human
Background
Ah-HA! So you are interested in learning the tale of the marvelous Pietro Arnaldo deSanto Mordante de la Machelli! Well, it is a powerful and adventurous tale, one of chivalry, daring, and fantastic hair!
Kingdom of Origin: Nepharie
Parents: Count Fernando Machelli, Countess Maria Machelli
Backstory: The tale of the great swordmaster does not start as one would expect. No, Pietro Machelli, the legendary adventurer and swordmaster, did not start off as a poor urchin or a grief-stricken orphan, but as the lazy and untalented child of a Nephari count. Pietro was born in a town named after his family, Machelli, a small, coastal fishing village south of Port Orarius. His family took a tax from the people on their fishing exploits and also owned three large orchards, one of apples, one of oranges, and one of grapefruit. His father Fernando was wealthy and influential, a good friend of the governor of South Nepharie and an excellent businessman. The people of Machelli were industrious and lucky, as their village sat at the mouth of a river where many species of fish migrated. The town grew rich and, with it, Fernando Machelli and his house.
Pietro was not anything particularly remarkable growing up. He lived a life of luxury, spending his days lounging on his father’s yacht or reading stories. Pietro was inspired by the tales of chivalry that he found in books, especially in the Tales of the Knights of the Ram, a compendium of stories written by a Talborian scholar who followed the Knights for five years. So, Pietro decided that he wished to be a knight when he grew up. Fernando encouraged this dream, thinking that dreaming for something so noble would motivate his son to grow up well. He bought Pietro a wooden sword for his sixth birthday, and Pietro would spend hours every day training against his father’s guards. Soon, Fernando began to teach Pietro proper swordsmanship. He was not a particularly gifted swordsman, preferring to fight with a lance, but his training was enough for Pietro to learn the basics. In addition to swordplay, his father taught him use of the lance, axe, and dagger.
Though he was motivated to learn the ways of the sword, Pietro was not quite as interested in more academic pursuits. In fact, Pietro’s least favorite thing in all of his life was his tutor. Though the boy was brave and strong and loved to read, he was exceptionally bad at mathematics and history. His tutor said that he just wasn’ trying hard enough, but Pietro thought differently. In his mind, he just wasn’t cut out to be a scholar. As such, he avoided his nobility-worthy education for most of his childhood and learned relatively little besides how to read.
When Pietro turned twelve, his father’s griffon gave birth to two chicks. He gave Pietro one of them, telling him that if he raised it well, he could one day ride it wherever he pleased. Pietro raised the griffon from a very young age. When it became large enough to hold him, he began to take it on brief voyages across the countryside. He became fascinated with the archipelagos off the coast of Nepharie, and began exploring the islands, drawing maps of them and finding their hidden secrets. On one such mission, Pietro ran into a band of thieves who were hiding out in an abandoned watchtower. Slightly before he had arrived, a Nepharie battalion had begun to set up at the far side of the island. Their assignment was to capture the thieves and bring them back to Capital City. Pietro decided that he was going to join them in the raid, despite their warnings for him to go home. These were real criminals, they said, not toys for a child to play with.
Despite this, Pietro attacked the thieves’ hideout. As one would expect, he got his ass kicked near-instantly. Though his swordplay was impressive for someone his age, the brute strength of his opponents easily wore him down and he was vastly outnumbered. They beat him, stabbed him, nearly cut off his arm, and left him for dead. Had the Nepharie soldiers not saved him, he would have died. Because of his foolishness, most of the thieves were able to escape. Fernando was furious, but he knew that his son’s heart was in the right place. He realized as well that day that he could no longer give his son the training that he desired. So, he sent a letter to his cousin in Talbor, the Thane of Ferdinand, Enver. He left a few weeks later, thinking that it was a punishment of some sort. He arrived at Castle Ferdinand at the age of sixteen.
Now Thane Ferdinand, in addition to being the arbiter of his squire, was a Master Knight of the Ram. Several other knights served under him, each with one or two squires. Ferdinand himself had no squires, as his duties as thane were too important for him to be distracted. His cousin from Nepharie was convincing, however, so Thane Ferdinand decided that he would test the boy Pietro to see if he had what it took to be a knight. Upon Pietro’s arrival, Thane Ferdinand took him to a courtyard in the center of the castle, where all of the squires serving in the castle stood with their weapons. Pietro was told that if he could defeat every squire in the room using the training that his father had given him, he would become a squire himself, serving directly under Ferdinand. One by one, Pietro defeated every single one of them. As Ferdinand promised, the boy became a squire.
Pietro trained under Ferdinand for four years, learning the ways of a Knight of the Ram. He got a new tutor who begrudgingly attempted to undo the damage that the first tutor had done, learned the ways of chivalry, and learned an entirely new training regiment. Though some squires disliked him for skipping page status, those who knew him well became good friends of his. Because of his noble birth, the king of Maceron at the time, King Arnold of Jessup, took interest in the boy. He invited Thane Ferdinand and his squire to several feasts at Maceron. There, Pietro became good friends with the son of the Thane of Draco, who would one day become king.
Four years later, Pietro completed his training. He became the strongest squire of his class and was by far the best swordsman, capable of defeating even some of the knights in swordplay. He was offered knighthood, but, in the first instance in the last hundred years, he turned it down. He realized that knighthood would tie him down to Talbor, disallowing him from travelling the world. Staying in Castle Ferdinand all that time with only sparing voyages out on his trusty griffon made him miss travelling much more. So, he decided to dedicate his life to travelling Tithe, exploring the islands, making maps, and studying other styles of swordplay in hopes of becoming a true swordmaster. Thane Ferdinand, while speechless, understood the young man, and made him an honorary Exemplar of the Order.
For the last eight years, Pietro has travelled Tithe on the back of his griffon, Velpar. He has crossed swords with opponents from across the realm, from the xenophobic Valkyries of the floating isles to the vicious dragonkin of the far north. He has explored more of Tithe than any man could dream of, amassing quite a fortune while doing such. Occasionally he stops by Castle Ferdinand for a meal with his old master, and a few times a year he pays a visit to Machelli, where he tells tales of his adventures to the local youth. He is a folk legend in many places, a larger-than-life tale (which is most definitely filled with inaccuracies). Many know of his name, though few have met the swordmaster of Nepharie.
Physical Appearance
After all, Tithe’s greatest warrior is also the most beautiful man you will ever see! Prepare yourself!
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 140 lbs
Appearance: Pietro is a small-framed and agile man, with the build of a gymnast. He has thin, tightly-packed musculature, well-defined but not thick, just the kind that a nobleman would have. His skin is distinctly southern Nepharie, tanned like a southern Italian. He has long arms and is quite tall for a human, generally looking an inch or two down on others. His body is littered with a scar or two (this is early renaissance tech, everyone has scars) but none of them are particularly impressive. He’s generally well-kempt for a guy in the renaissance era, with manicured nails, well-combed hair, and somewhat-straight teeth. He has a long neck.
Pietro’s face is slim and gaunt, with strong cheekbones and a strong jawline. He has a somewhat pointy chin and a romanesque nose. He has hair black as night. His hair comes down to the bottom of his neck. He generally combs it out of his face, allowing it to fall down the back or to the sides. It frames his face rather well and helps to hide his rather large ears. Pietro also has a rounded black goatee which he trims quite often. His eyes are almond-shaped, and his irises are dark brown. He has thick eyebrows which are very animated, betraying his emotions quite well.
Pietro walks elegantly, with his chin up and his chest puffed out. He always looks as if he’s trying to show how much better he is than others. He speaks with an Italian accent, as all people in South Nepharie do.
Attire: Pietro dresses as a nobleman, wearing a long-sleeved white blouse, a black and brown tunic vest, a pair of tights, and a pair of brown leather boots that come up to just below his knees. The tunic is actually a jack of plates. A jack of plates is a leather jacket which has small steel plates inside of it, designed to protect Pietro from attacks while remaining lightweight. He wears a pair of brown leather gloves on his hands which come up to three quarters of the way up his forearms. The gloves contain a layer of chain mail inside of the forearms and the back of the palm, protecting Pietro from strikes to the hand. Over Pietro’s outfit he wears a short black travelling cloak which comes down to midway down his thighs. On his head, Pietro wears a wide-brimmed cavalier hat. It is made of felt and has an ostrich feather sticking out of it. A sword belt holds his rapier at his left side.
Personality:
I am the greatest man alive, the greatest warrior of Tithe! You’d better get used to it, because it’s not going to change anytime soon. Now how about you give me a kiss, sweetheart?
Personality: Pompous and spoiled, Pietro is a rich playboy. He’s larger than life, a hammy guy who has a massive ego. He’s got the archetypal adventurer personality. He likes playing the hero, rescuing people and then expecting a reward at the end. He’s a pretty spoiled guy. If he does something right, he expects compensation, be it through money or love. He’s quite spoiled, and complains constantly when low on food or money. He’s also quite lecherous, a lady’s man who can’t keep it in his pants. He has spent many a drune in brothels.
In general, Pietro is pretty shallow. He does heroic things because he wants recognition, not because he wants to do the right thing. He prefers the easiest course of action in a situation. If given the opportunity, he will steal other people’s credit to make himself look better. If around women, he will ham his stories up even more, adding in details and taking out allies to make himself seem more heroic. Though many of his stories are exaggerated, most of them have at least some base in fact.
Pietro’s spoiledness pales in comparison to his hubris. Pietro has a reputation to hold up, one of being the best swordmaster around. He will keep that reputation, even if it means cheating or being dishonorable. Pietro will always do the thing that makes him look best and maintains his reputation. He will not back down from a fight and will keep fighting no matter what to maintain his reputation. When his reputation is tarnished, Pietro can turn angry and violent very quickly. This has caused him to pick a lot of fights and doesn’t necessarily make him a team player.
He has become so convinced in his ability that he has a habit of calling himself “Tithe’s greatest warrior.” At times, this is a mantra that gets him through hardship. At others, it’s a reason for someone to punch him in the face. Point is, he says it way too much, to the point that it makes you wonder if he has to say it to keep himself from going insane from the pressure he puts himself under.
So why is Pietro here? Why has he been chosen for this magnificent quest? Well, not many are sure. Sure, he is skilled in combat, but there are many who are more useful when on a quest to save the world. Pietro is here because he has the capability to be a great hero, not because he is one. Pietro is a dick. He’s a self-absorbed hedonistic prick who doesn’t care about others. Perhaps if someone or something taught him how to live a better life, Tithe would be a lot safer.
Hobbies: Pietro can be found most of the time in taverns, telling stories of his grandiose adventures across Tithe. Generally, there will be a crowd of young boys and attractive girls around him, reveling in his adventures. As he works as a professional duelist, he spends a lot of time in arenas and in city squares, challenging other prizefighters. He has begun to learn how to play the lute, and carries one with him. When travelling alone, he will often mess around with it, attempting to play songs that he has heard in the past. When he was young, he was given violin lessons, but he doesn’t remember much of them and doesn’t care to try.
Skills: Pietro is an accomplished equestrian, a skilled rider of both horses and winged animals such as griffons and pegasi. He is skilled at calming domestic animals because of this. Besides that, Pietro’s skills can be summed up to “keeping himself alive”. He is a decent hunter, though his lack of dogs makes it difficult for him to take down and big prize. He is a good enough cook to be able to make food that is palatable when not in a town, a good enough navigator to not get lost too often, and a good enough firestarter to not freeze to death. he received a nobleman's education, so he knows reading, writing, a little history, and a little math, but he didn't pay much attention in lessons, so he's not particularly intelligent.
Abilities
I will fight any and all, and bring all foes to their knees, for I am Tithe’s greatest warrior! Ah-HA-HA!
Abilities: Though much of Pietro’s reputation is false, his skill with the sword is not. He is a gifted swordmaster, capable of defeating nearly any opponent. He has trained with dozens of different kinds of blades, from the single-edged curved scimitars of Ostraca to the blunt, two-handed bastard swords of the Dragonkin. His fighting style is incredibly quick, revolving around striking vulnerable spots multiple times quickly. He can adapt his fighting style to his weapon, though, and so fights more defensively with a longsword and so on. Pietro has also trained with spears, lances, and maces, though he’s only particularly good with the spear. He is an okay shot with a bow, but I wouldn’t put my life on him hitting someone with an arrow.
Pietro’s agility is unmatched, and he is fairly strong for someone his size. Though he is not trained in magic, he has consumed a tear and so is capable of a few very small acts of magic. While in Haderlock, he trained a bit in the art of illusory magic. He uses this combined with his very small amount of magical ability to cause illusory copies of his blade to blink into existence when fighting, making his strikes much less predictable. Besides this, Pietro cannot perform any magic.
Weaponry: Pietro’s primary weapon is a rapier named acus, a thin, sharp-pointed sword known to be carried by noblemen. It is a duelist’s weapon, a very thin and light blade designed for short, quick thrusts and slashes. It is very long, nearly 36 inches in length, with a fat pommel to balance out its length. The sword is ornately-decorated, with a swirl of metal protecting his hand (google rapiers). As Pietro comes from a noble family, it is a blessed sword, and so it is very hard to break (though, since it is so long and thin, it breaking is not completely impossible). In addition to this, Pietro carries a rondel, a twelve-inch steel dagger which comes down to a needle tip. Like the rapier, it is primarily used for stabbing. While in Haderlock, Pietro trained in the ways of the compound bow, the weapon of choice of the Shadow Corps. He carries a compound bow on the saddle of his griffon, though he rarely uses it in combat and prefers using it for hunting game. Finally, while in the Southern Isles, Pietro took possession of a flintlock pistol. As it is a very early pistol, it takes a long time to fire and isn’t very accurate, so Pietro only uses it in close-quarters situations. Generally, he keeps the weapon for show.
Weaknesses: Pietro is a fighter who prides himself on being lightweight and quick. Because of that, he wears a very small amount of armor. The jack of plates on his torso only really protects vital spots and, while it can take a little bit of a beating, it by no means can stop a strong swing from a sharp weapon. Pietro’s weapon is also very lightweight and is very long, so an armored opponent with a very aggressive attacking style can take on Pietro and have the upper hand.
Pietro’s biggest weakness is his hubris. He has come to see himself as the greatest warrior in Tithe, and so he can vastly underestimate his opponents. While he has thus far survived his dueling career without being mortally wounded, he has had many close calls. He has come to think of himself as invincible, and thus has an extremely aggressive attack style. Those who can capitalize on this have a better chance at defeating him.
Mount: Pietro rides a griffon, a half-bird, half lion creature. It is about the size of a horse, with long, feathered legs ending in sharp talons. Its head is shaped like that of a harpy eagle, thin and arrow-shaped with a tuft of feathers on the back. There are tail feathers on its rear. As it is a flying animal, the griffon has a pair of very large wings. When stretched, it can have near a twenty foot wingspan. It is covered in brown feathers instead of fur, and has a long yellow beak and the large, yellow eyes of a hawk. Its underside is white, giving it countershading when in the air. Pietro named this griffon Velpar, and commonly refers to it as Vel.
Velpar is a fast and agile flyer, capable of flying at 80 mph in short bursts with Pietro on its back. It can run at around sixty mph when on the ground, but cannot keep this speed up for very long. It can only fly for up to an hour before it grows tired, due to the fact that griffons generally don’t have to worry about having a person and all of their stuff on their back. Vel also requires a clear path to run down in order to gain lift, much like an airplane. It has to get a running start, so it can’t just take off from a standstill.
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