.: Broken Empires :.: The BARON CORDOVA

a mysterious nobleman

The B A R O N C O R D O V A

fixer, broker, plotter, player, entrepreneur
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Ht: 5'11 / Wt: 160 / Hair: black / Eyes: dark / Age: 36 ? / Creed: Koshka

PROFILE

Very little is known about the man often simply called The Baron. He holds some reputation and influence in the Capracian port city of Ascenzia, but remains unknown to those outside specific society and underworld spheres. He wields considerable power in the upper-class Constellazione district, and after a prolonged power struggle, he has recently wrested control of the lucrative port district of Ascenzia from the clutches of the Carabassi crime family.

The Baron Cordova seems to have many friends and contacts among the aristocracy and clergy of the Constellazione. While the feared Carabassi rule by the knife, the Baron is more subtle and opportunistic, preferring to control events though secrets and manipulation. It is said that the Baron sees and hears everything in the city, and that half the Constellazione owes him a favour, while the other half works for him without even realizing it.

Those seeking favour with the Baron may obtain an audience with him if they are lucky. On these occasions, it is customary for the Baron to ask for a gift. He is disinterested in simple monetary amounts, preferring instead precious stones, rare or unusual baubles, or in some cases, particularly juicy bits of information.

The Baron presents himself as an expatriate Koshkovian nobleman, probably from the kingdoms of Old Kos. Despite his honorific, it is uncertain whether he is truly a baron of anything at all, or if the Cordova are any kind of noble family. Although he employs various agents and messengers, other members of the Cordova are rarely seen, and their numbers are unclear. The Baron usually appears alone, coming and going as he pleases in mysterious ways. Sometimes he keeps the company of several trained crows, who he feeds and calls by name. He seemingly has no home, but sometimes makes use of various 'borrowed' offices and safe-houses.

The Cordova operation seems to dabble in several fields; information brokering, confidence scams, smuggling, embezzlement, theft, fencing of high-profile goods, blackmail, and even possibly some light treason. Street-level management is usually handled indirectly, but despite a light touch, it must be assumed that the Cordova have their enforcers on the ground, especially as they contend with the Carabassi in the bustling port district.

DESCRIPTION

The Baron is a lean, aristocratic man, with sharp features and piercing dark eyes that seem to follow everything around him. He is extraordinarily handsome, with an aquiline nose, shiny pitch-black hair and a well-maintained mustache and goatee. He is well-dressed in black noble attire and fur trim, albeit after a foreign Koshkovian fashion. He often wears a triangular Koshka-style fur-lined hat, pointed boots, and a courtly saber at this side.

His manner is typically louche and urbane, but with a glimmer of intensity lurking beneath. He is evasive when it comes to his own secrets, but displays a keen curiosity when it comes to secrets kept by others. By his own admission, he detests the very idea of there being something that he cannot know.

In Ladroa:

The Baron Cordova planned for some time to expand his influence to the Iagosian free port of Ladroa. His investment was initially limited to reconnaissance and laying the foundations for future ventures. He secretly employed the rooftop gang of urchins called The Cats as spies and informants in the city, and as well provided sub rosa financial support to Belasca De Cinza and her rehabilitated Grey Stripes militia organization.

All of this was conducted at arm's reach from his home Ascenzia operation, under the guise of Lorentino di Magappi, a local merchant and fixer who seems to have his fingers in many pies. If anybody knew di Magappi worked for the Cordova, few realized that di Magappi was the Baron himself, wearing an elaborate disguise.

The Baron was involved in the assassination of Ladroa's Imperial Legate Brom Callor, though whether this was a brokered job or to serve his own ambitions is unknown. To perform the hit, he leveraged blackmail to employ the feared Carabassi assassin duo known as the Devil's Helpers. It is assumed that the Devil's Helpers never knew that their Ladroa contact for the job (di Magappi) was none other than their enemy, the lord of the Cordova.

The cover identity of Lorentino di Magappi was compromised when one of the Helpers was captured alive, and identified his contact. To hide his tracks, the Baron stage-managed di Magappi's very public demise during a raid by the Mariscales of the Ladroa. He substituted the body of the fallen priest Leocresca in di Magappi's stead, making use of that man's notoriety to add spice to the fiction.

After this close call, the Baron returned to Ascenzia. Although he maintains certain interests in Ladroa, he manages them from a distance for the time being.

The Baron as 'Lorentino di Magappi'

THE BARON'S KEEPERS

In the rare event that the Baron allows himself to be exposed to mortal danger, he employs a squad of six armed bodyguards. These black-clad men speak the Koshka tongue, and wear matching armour, facemasks and tricorn hats. They are exceptionally skilled stealth agents, and are rarely seen until they spring into action. On occasion, the Baron has referred to these men as his Keepers.

One of the Baron's Keepers