Giancarlo Lucani, Vodacce Swordsman

A cheeky young fellow is Giancarlo. Don't really know a lot about him, he's only joined our troupe in recent weeks, and is very reticent about his past. A big fan with the ladies too although he does have a streak of shyness. Perhaps that is what they find so attractive, I sure can't work it out. B.

From a story told by Lucinda Bondavini

When I first saw Giancarlo Lucani I had to hold on to something to steady myself. He was still just a boy, barely sixteen and still going by the name of Giancarlo Esposito, but he was so strikingly beautiful my heart gave a lurch and I actually felt hot flushes.

Now I am not the swooning type. Unlike most Vodacce women I have always been a bit rebellious, and hated the pale-faced, fanning girls that were all around town, particularly at the wealthier end. No, I prefer to lead a much more active life. That does not mean I am not interested in the things that most women are, but you don't have to be a simpering girl to do that. I am also quite talented as a Sorte Strega, and am learning more about my ability from my Aunt Marianna.

But I am digressing.

At the time I speak of I lived in a medium sized town near Guarre de Portofino in the principality of Lucani. My parents ran a tailoring business and weren't doing too badly. I was seventeen, liking the fact that boys noticed me walking down the street - even with my aunt as chaperone - but resenting that my mother wanted to marry me off already. There was too much I still wanted to do.

One day I was buying some goods at a general store when Giancarlo walked in. He was not very tall, but he moved his wiry body with a graceful ease that reminded me of a wildcat, always ready to pounce (or perhaps that was my imagination getting the better of me). His black, wavy hair was tied into a loose ponytail and his dark eyes seemed to take everything in the store in at once (I was a bit disappointed to see that he didn't give me a second glance). His clothes were old and worn but clean, and by his side was a sword that did not look old and worn, but was kept in top condition.

It was when I heard a crackling voice speak that I realized Giancarlo was not alone. The man he was with was quite old. He was also wiry looking but his face was scarred and weather beaten and he had a patch over one eye.

I didn't notice much else that happened for a while enthralled as I was with Giancarlo, till suddenly they had what they wanted and were gone. Well I decided right there and then that I was going to find out everything I could about this young man and somehow get to meet him again.

I won't bore you with details but I used my not insignificant contacts to find out a few things. It seems that the Espositos lived on a farm half a days ride from the town and that the old couple had been there for about twenty years - always keeping to themselves, not unfriendly, just not very social. They never had any children of their own, then suddenly, one day they had a twelve year old boy. No one knew where he came from, but everyone assumed he was just an orphan that the Espositos took in.

I also found out that a friend of mine (Maria) had a cousin (Vitorio) that was sort of friendly with Giancarlo. Vitorio's father was also a friend of my father - a fact I realized may come in useful.

It seemed that in the previous few months Giancarlo was coming into town more often, and trying to make some friends. Vitorio said he was nice enough even though he was very quiet, but every now and then he would do something very silly or very dangerous - like jump off the roof of a building onto a moving hay cart for no reason. He also had quite a temper when pushed. Apparently he almost killed this boy who made some unkind remark about old man Esposito. And he could use that sword he always carried. Vitorio had heard a story that Giancarlo and a couple of friends came across a man in an alleyway trying to rape a poor street girl. Giancarlo screamed, drew his sword and went after the man who, when he heard Giancarlo, turned around and drew his own sword. The stranger was a good ten years older and a foot taller than Giancarlo and also knew how to fence. But Giancarlo was so fast that in a matter of moments he had pierced the stranger through the heart.

The more I heard about Giancarlo the more fascinated I became and the more I was determined to meet him.

And so I did.

Again through contacts, and through a little fate twisting of my own, I arranged for Giancarlo to be at the annual fiesta of Santa Carla at the same time I was. Through Vitorio's father, I (and my ever present chaperone) received a formal introduction to Giancarlo Esposito. For the rest of the day I tried to end up beside Giancarlo whenever I could. It was not easy to engage him in any conversation. He was polite and he did seem interested - but there was something holding him back.

The main part of the fiesta was a huge procession of people wearing colourful costumes following a giant statue of Santa Carla being carried on a platform by eight men. There were also bands in the procession and people were dancing and skipping along. After the procession there were sideshows and games all over the main plaza.

As the day wore on Giancarlo seemed to loosen up and began to talk a little, actually mostly he asked questions of me, but I didn't mind. At one point we came across a group of people standing around a roped ring, and in the centre was a man calling out that he would give 50 senators to any man who could bare handedly knock down his fighter within the ring. Next to the man shouting was a large powerful looking man in leather shorts standing with arms crossed and looking very fierce. I heard the man next to me say he saw five men already try to beat him and each of them was carried out unconscious. As he was talking I saw someone else climb into the ring. I was about to ask Giancarlo if he knew who that idiot was when I realized that that idiot was him!

Giancarlo weaved and dodged blows and obviously knew how to fight. He landed ten blows to every one of his opponent, but still the size difference was taking its toll. Already Giancarlo was bleeding from his nose and even though it looked like he beginning to wear the giant down, he was hit by one massive fist to his jaw and down he went.

As I watched Giancarlo being carried out of the ring and water poured over him to revive him, something changed about my feelings towards him. Some of that girly infatuation disappeared and instead I saw a very troubled young man that I knew I could help more by being friends. Part of my Sorte Strega training was the ability to see into human hearts and judge what they were truly feeling - and I knew I could use this to help him. It would not be easy in Vodacce where friendship between men and women was almost impossible, but I was determined.

We did become friends and began to see each other whenever we could. Everyone assumed he was courting me and we didn't argue since it made it easier for us to see each other. My father become very unhappy about it since Giancarlo didn't have any money but when he tried to forbid me seeing him I came up with a plan to solve everything. We would get married.

It was simple really. I wanted to get away from home- impossible for a single girl in Vodacce - and Giancarlo was beginning to open up to me and was finding he liked it. We could get married, move away, and when we wanted to we could have the marriage annulled. So we eloped, went to see the Espositos, who were very kind to me and gave us whatever they could spare, and off we went to the big city, Gorivari.

During this time I had been piecing bit by bit the story of Giancarlo's life. He told it to me in what seemed like short fits, some things painfully torn from his memory, and in no particular order. I will try here to sort it all out and tell you what I can.

Giancarlo was born Giancarlo Lucani in Gorivari, Lucani Island. His father being the famous Mariani Lucani, younger brother to then Prince Paulo Lucani. Mariani was charming, handsome and extremely popular with the people of Lucani. He married a beautiful young girl from a wealthy family and promptly got himself killed in a duel "fighting for his honour" under what seemed like very suspicious circumstances. Mariani did not look well on the morning of the duel and many people believed him to have been poisoned beforehand, but nothing could be proven. A fact that has made Giancarlo bitter about so-called honour and the "hypocritical and archaic rules of duelling".

Growing up without a father was bad enough, but Giancarlo's mother was always very distant from him. He overheard her tell someone one day that he looked so much like his father that she found it too painful when she saw him. Giancarlo began to hate his looks when he heard this, and resented all the nursemaids that kept telling him how beautiful he was, and how handsome he will be when he grows up.

When he was twelve years old his mother died of scarlet fever. His uncle, thinking he was doing the best thing for the orphaned boy, sent him to Sant Guido Moderna military school in Guarre de Portofino. At first Giancarlo enjoyed the school. Having had a very solitary childhood, he enjoyed the companionship with other boys and particularly enjoyed training with the sword. But after six months everything changed.

The Commandant of the school, Emanuel Postafino, had taken a particular interest in the boy. He had often stopped him in the corridor and asked him how things were going, and told Giancarlo that he could come and see him whenever he wanted to. Then one day Giancarlo was summoned to the Commandants office just before lights out. There the Commandant accused Giancarlo of some minor offence and used this as an excuse to beat and rape the boy. He then told Giancarlo that he was not allowed to tell anyone of this, that if he did, Giancarlo would be blamed because everyone could see how beautiful he was and so caused this to happen. He would then be in even bigger trouble. Terrified and withdrawn, the next two days were a nightmare for the boy. On the third day Giancarlo was again summoned to the Commandants office. But instead of going there Giancarlo walked to the front gate, snuck his way through, then ran as fast as he could down the road.

Begging and stealing food along the way, the boy did not know where he was going, just that he wanted to be as far away from the school as he could. Eventually, half starved and barely able to stand, he ended up at the small farm owned by Guiseppe and Maria Esposito. The couple took him in and nursed him back to health. They offered him a home and food if he would help out around the farm. Guiseppe was not a stupid man and could see that the boy had suffered some great trauma, but did not push the boy to talk about it if he did not want to.

It turned out that Guiseppe was an ex-mercenary soldier, and a pretty mean swordsman. He had decided he was sick of war a number of years ago, and when he lost an eye in one battle he left to settle into a much more peaceful life. But he was happy to teach the boy everything he knew, in many ways he enjoyed being able to use his skills again. And the boy showed incredible aptitude and dedication, practising for hours on end. Guiseppe could see that one day Giancarlo would be an exceptional swordsman. He even suggested the boy apply to one of the swordsman schools. But the boy said nothing so Guiseppe did not pursue the matter.

Thus he stayed until he met me.

One of the reasons Giancarlo wanted to leave home was because he felt he could never find peace until he exacts revenge upon Postafino, the bastard who had crippled his soul. Giancarlo hoped that when he was returned to his family he might be able to find out where Postafino was, and if he was still commandant of the school.

When we arrived in Gorivari, I encouraged Giancarlo to see his cousin Alberto Lucani, now prince of Lucani. It took some work but eventually Giancarlo gained an audience with Prince Alberto, who immediately recognized Giancarlo and embraced him as a lost cousin. The Prince seemed a good man and was genuinely pleased to see Giancarlo. He asked him what had happened to make him run away. Giancarlo dismissed it as being the act of an unruly, undisciplined boy. Alberto looked at him for a long minute, but seemed to decide not to say any more.

So for the next few years we lived in the palace, where Giancarlo caught up on his education, practised with his sword, and tried to stay out of trouble while I made friends with Alberto's daughters - very powerful witches themselves.

But his past was still eating away at him.

Eventually his staying out of trouble became harder and harder. He started to drink more and began picking fights at taverns. He also started sleeping with any girl who showed interest - of which there were many. We had established early in our relationship that ours was a marriage of friendship and convenience, but I still did not like this behaviour, especially when many girls were hurt. When I confronted him about it he angrily replied that this seemed to be what was expected of him. That all anyone seemed to want from him was sex, and so he would do what was demanded. I told him he was being stupid and even Alberto, who had been very understanding until now, had a word to him. He was developing a rather unsavoury reputation.

I finally began to get through to Giancarlo that his anger was venting itself on the wrong targets. He began to listen and started making discreet enquiries about Emanuel Postafino, the ex-commandant of Sant Guido Moderna military school.

It transpired that Postafino retired rather suddenly from the school a couple of years after Giancarlo ran away. No one seemed to know why, but rumor had it that word had come straight from Prince Paulo that he was to resign at once, and that the only thing that kept the whole thing very quiet was that Postafino had some very powerful friends among various families, including the Villanovas and the Calligari. But before Giancarlo could follow this up, something else interrupted.

Stephano Clemenza, a very wealthy wine merchant from Mondavi, approached Prince Alberto with the accusation that Giancarlo seduced and impregnated his daughter. Apparently five months earlier Clemenza and his family had been invited to a ball at the palace where, Stephano claims, the seduction occurred. When Giancarlo found out about this he was furious. He told Alberto that he remembered the ball and the girl, but that she had approached him on the balcony and made it very clear what she wanted. When Giancarlo politely refused, stating that his wife was present, and that it would not be appropriate, she turned and stormed off. Now this was well after Giancarlo had stopped bedding every wench he could, and had withdrawn himself again to the point where physical closeness was extremely uncomfortable for him. I too remember that ball and I remember that Giancarlo was not drunk. Besides I knew he wasn't lying.

Clemenza wanted 30,000 senators as compensation for the loss of income from marrying off his daughter. Giancarlo refused, saying he owed the old man nothing. Alberto took Giancarlo aside and tried to explain that this was not going to look good. He believed Giancarlo but unfortunately Giancarlo already had a reputation and people will believe what they want. Alberto even offered to loan Giancarlo the money if that was the problem. Giancarlo said the money wasn't the issue. He was sick and tired of people getting away with this sort of thing, and he was not going to be cowered into submitting to something that wasn't his fault. Alberto agreed to keep out of the situation, but warned Giancarlo that Clemenza would not give up on this. As far as Clemenza was concerned Giancarlo owed him 30,000s and he was not a man to let a debt go. Clemenza left, vowing that Giancarlo had not heard the last of him. After which Giancarlo resumed his search for Postafino.

Then, fate stepped in and delivered the devil to Giancarlo's doorstep. It seems that after Postafino left the school he became more and more entrenched with the Villanovas, often representing them in certain political and business negotiations in Lucani. Giancarlo heard that Postafino was in Gorivari and that that evening he was dining with potential business partners in the merchant district. Giancarlo went to the restaurant and waited outside.

When Giancarlo saw him stepping out the doorway he screamed, "Postafino, your evil past has finally caught up with you. You will never again harm an innocent child." And drew his sword. Postafino looked at Giancarlo obviously not recognizing him. He then looked uncomfortably around his companions and drew his sword.

"Whoever you are," he called back, "I will make you pay for making false accusations and besmirching my name!" With this he stepped out onto the street to meet Giancarlo.

Postafino may have been a few years older, but he was still a highly skilled swordsman. Giancarlo though, was like a man obsessed. He ignored any wound he sustained and simply continued to beat Postafino down until the older man got tired and made the inevitable mistake. It was over in a flash. Giancarlo's sword pierced Postafino's throat and blood spurted out. The devil fell, gasping for air. Giancarlo stood stone faced, as Emanuel Postafino slowly choked to death.

Later, Prince Alberto took Giancarlo aside to speak to him. He had heard about the duel and was very concerned about the consequences. Alberto told Giancarlo that he had heard various unsavoury things about Postafino and did not blame Giancarlo for what he did. Besides, there were witnesses to say it was a fair duel. But this would not stop Postafino's powerful friends seeking revenge. Even if it would be merely to discourage this sort of thing from happening to anyone else in their protection. He suggested that perhaps it would be best if Giancarlo left Voddacce for a while. And he had just the mission for him.

Prince Alberto had a plan to increase trade relations with Eisen. That country was trying to rebuild itself and as it progressed, more and more markets would open up. One of the ways to improve things was to make the Lucani name better known there. "Go," he told Giancarlo, "see what you can do to help the situation. I will give you a letter of introduction to Herr Fischler in Seeufer. Offer your services as best you can. Also I have heard of a certain group lead by a Franz Von Tannen. They seem to be making a name for themselves, if you happen to come across them you may consider joining them. Do not worry about Lucinda, she is of course welcome to stay."

Giancarlo thanked him and told him that he was in debt to him for everything he has done. He came and told me of all this and asked me what I wanted to do. I said I wished to remain here if possible and continue my Sorte training. I will miss him, but looking at the cards I could see that this part of Giancarlo's life is over. And a new one was about to begin.

Giancarlo Lucani		Current Stats
Traits
Brawn 3 Finesse 3 Wits 3 Resolve 3 Panache 3		Nationality: Vodacce Home: Profession: Noble Arcana: Inspirational Reputation: -10
Backgrounds		Advantages
Obligation 1		Toughness
Debt 1		Left Handed
		Noble
		Scoundrel
		Dangerous Beauty
		Language - Vodacce
		Vodacce Accent
		Language - Eisen
Civil Skills		Military Skills
Sailor Balance 1 Climbing 2 Knotwork 1 Rigging 1 Guide Stealth 1 Ride 1 Street Nav 1		Fencing Attack 3 Parry 4 Athlete Climbing 2 Footwork 3 Sprinting 1 Throwing 1 Pugilism Attack 1 Footwork 3 Jab 1