Rafael Marozzo's page

Rafael is a slim, tall half-elf of young appearance. He wears his sandy brown hair cut short and remains clean-shaven for the most part. He wears well-maintained traveler’s clothes in dark blues and purples, and is never seen anywhere without his basket-hilted rapier at his side. When it comes time to go on mission, he dons his enchanted brass and leather backpack, with a plethora of knives strapped onto bandoliers crossing his chest.

Rafael was born into a wealthy family of minor nobles, the 4th son and 7th child overall. From an early age he showed exceptional promise in physical skills, especially when it came to swordsmanship. Two of his older brothers, Edgar (who was 2nd in line) and Mariano (who was 3rd) came to resent his natural talent and feared he may have been favored to inherit ahead of them. So, they set out to sabotage him and cause his early death (or at least drive him away from the family holdings) by convincing him to take up the life of a minstrel.

Surprisingly, Rafael found he had a beautiful singing voice as well as quick wit and an excellent memory. Combining that with his attractive features, confidence, and ability to defend himself if the need arose, he excelled in that role. Perhaps he did a little too well, attracting the attention of a Seelie Court fey princess by happenstance in a roadside tavern. Polite and kind, he managed to avoid all her traps and tricks until he finally goofed; he accepted an invitation to her bed. When she opened the door to the room, the world shifted as he stepped through the now enchanted portal, winding up in the land of the Lady.

Walking uncertainly into a strange and new place, his first interaction was with a skeleton, a fallen swordsman in the back room of the tavern he’d been shanghai’d into. Finding a beautifully crafted rapier still in its sheath, he switched out his well-worn steel blade for the strange, lustrous black one. Newly equipped, confused as to his location, and ready for adventure, he stepped out into this new, strange place with a smile on his face.

Rafael is exceedingly optimistic and generally confident. He doesnt really believe he can lose when engaging in adventuring, despite having lost friends and loved ones in combat before.
Rafael will place himself at the forefront of any danger or stressful situation, so long as his allies and friends are in trouble. He will retreat if needed, but only after everyone else is on the way out or already gone.
Fastidious about his appearance and clothes, he really does not like getting dirty and messy, preferring to stay out of muck, mire, and similar situations.
He understands his family probably was the root cause of his current planar situation, but does not blame them for it. He would welcome them back into his life if the opportunity arose, but has essentially written them off from his mind.
He really truly wishes to be a world renowned SOMEONE, and has dedicated himself to swordsmanship and derring-do in hopes that will yield what he so greatly desires.

Goals:
Wishes to defeat in an honest duel someone obviously as capable or greater than him, in public and with as much of an audience as possible. Not necessarily to the death, but a fair duel regardless.
Rafael wants to be the captain of his own ship. Privateer, merchant marine, or pirate, he’s not too picky, but he wants the freedom to point in a direction and the ability to give the order to head that way. Despite having no discernible skills regarding seamanship, navigation, or the like.

Secrets:
Rafael is a nobleman by birth and station. His family operates a sizeable chunk of land as well as a shipping concern on their coast, and he technically stands to inherit at least some of that. Whether he ever will, or what the disposition of his half-elven family are, he is completely oblivious.
The fey princess which brought hreim into the realm of the Lady was totally a set-up. A fairly high-ranked Seelie Court fey saw a glimpse of Rafael’s future, and wanted him to both be separated from his birth world and become a talented swordsman. She will certainly come to call in that investment sooner or later.

Contacts/Relationships
Lucius and Emeritus Marozzo. His older brothers (although not the oldest and presumed heir Edgar), who set him up to be shanghai’d and forced into a life of adventure in fear of losing their inheritance.
Shai’ir del’Qualia is an otherworldly beautiful woman who owns and runs a pub/restaurant in the Lady’s realm. Her place is called The Winged Cup, and specializes in exotic foods and drinks from around the multiverse. Shai’ir is either planetouched or geniekin, but does not speak of her heritage. A friendly ear and smiling barkeep, she is one of the first people Rafael looks to see whenever he comes back to town.
Georg Marchant is a rival duelist, a tiefling who hates Rafael with a passion. He considers him a fop, lacking seriousness and true commitment to the art of swordsmanship, and is constantly looking for an opportunity to call him out and take Rafael down a peg or two.

Memories/Quirks:
Rafael remembers the flower garden where his mother raised her plants, a sea of color and texture and scent. He loved to play among the blooms and listen to her tell him their names, help identify weeds and invasive plants, and yank them out with gusto.
Wearing fancy clothes and bright colors is almost compulsive to Rafael, he all but refuses to wear dull clothing and spends a significant amount of time cleaning and polishing his gear.
Rafael tries to keep himself “bladed” whenever he feels a bit uneasy, he points his left shoulder and refuses to hold anything in his right hand when danger is even a possibility.