From: wsb1@dolphin.upenn.edu (Bill Brickman)
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 1995 12:03:28 -0500 (EST)
I wanted to post some bits about my characters that should be well known, and things which should not be. Vasha the Astrologer, as the people of Ragusa know him, is known for being a bit of a meddler. During his years running the shop, he's gotten quite into the habit of conning merchants into speculating on this or that, and manipulating their fortunes by telling them what their fortunes are. It's an occupational hazard for astrologers, sometimes fatal. But so far in his career Vasha had stayed carefully out of trouble. He hasn't talked himself into having to 'fix' any of his predictions with magic in such a way that it'd get him in trouble. So people from Ragusa, like Amanda and others, will certainly have heard of Vasha, and might take his advice with a large grain of salt, or at least look at him as a manipulator. As for Versipellus the Mage, he is very little known. As I revealed in my last note, Versipellus' master, who owned the shop before him, was once of the House Guernicus, a chosen Quaesitor. After Gdansk, Vaticanator, for that was his name, fled to Novgorod, and only journeyed to Ragusa in search of his apprentice, whom he found nearby. Vasha told the Council this when presenting himself. Vasha from his habits in the mundane world calls himself Vasha a little too often. Although he chose the mage name Versipellus, only his master and himself used it, and once his master died, the only other person who knew it was Marius, after a run in between the two in town. So Vasha will get used to calling himself Versipellus in time, but it should only get used during Order of Hermes type interactions.
As for Giovanni, despite his constant bravado and almost reckless heroics, he's got a reputation in the lands of the Count as a Coward, due to the incident when his hospice was slaughtered by "Montenegrans", or rather, the Count's men in disguise. He was publically decried a deserter and coward by the Bishop, and everyone knows the Count is ashamed of his nephew and the Hospitallers gave him the penance he's suffering under. Everyone just assumes Giovanni is a coward who blusters to hide it, and don't quite trust him in serious situations. Sure, Giovanni's a good guy. Sure, he *acts* brave-- but in the crunch, how do we know he won't desert again, they ask themselves. This gives Giovanni a Driving Goal, to *absolutely* prove to everyone he's not, which coupled with his Over-Confidence does make him dangerous. However, it also keeps him humble, sometimes.
Anyway, I just think that any Reputations should come up as often as we can remember them, so I hope Mike will remind us from time to time, as I'm sure we'll remind him.
Bill