Lady B E L A S C A de C I N Z A
young noblewoman of a disgraced family
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Ht: 5'1 / Wt: 99 / Hair: brown / Eyes: brown / Age: 13 / Creed: Iagosa
Profile:
Belasca de Cinza is the last surviving child of the late Don Rafael de Cinza. In spite of her youth and inexperience, she is all that remains of the Order of the Grey Stripes' founding families, and so has taken up the mantle of leadership after the near-destruction of the Order.
Unlike her father, Belasca is uninterested in carrying on the criminal aspects of the Grey Stripes' organization. Instead, she wishes to return the Order to its original purpose, as a society aimed at protecting the city of Ladroa and its way of life, while also improving the lot of the poorest and most vulnerable citizens.
To this end, she has rallied all that remains of the Grey Stripes around her - mainly those who were loyal to her mentor, Capitan Jorge Ballenero. In the wake of the corruption of the Reborn in Darkness, and the fall of the De Cinzas, many of those loyalists have found themselves moved by her idealism, her forceful personality, and her drive to recoup some of the lost honour of the Stripes' better days.
Still, Belasca understands the dangerous game she now plays only too well, and weighs advice carefully. She listens intently and speaks very deliberately. Once she has committed to an action, her resolve is firm, Her furrowed brow bears witness to the tragedy of the De Cinzas, and the weight of the goals she has set for herself.
Description
Belasca is a petite young woman with plain features, pale skin, brown eyes, and nut-brown hair. In most situations, she maintains the upright, reserved manner of a pious, noble lady with no hint of frivolity, as decorum would dictate for one in her position. She dresses in the somewhat austere style favoured by older Iagosi gentlewomen, with elements of the grey-and-brown livery of the Grey Stripes showing through. She also carries a small dagger in the manner of country nobility. In public, she will often conceal herself behind a veil or a fan rather than wearing a mask as others do in Ladroa.
Early Life...
After the death of her mother in childbirth, Belasca was largely ignored by her father, who doted instead upon her older brothers. She had a sheltered upbringing as a young noblewoman, with little exposure to the city beyond the walls of the Casa Cinzento, and was mostly spared the full scope of her family's criminal activities. Undaunted by her closed-off world, she found solace instead in learning and books.
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Ht: 5'1 / Wt: 99 / Hair: brown / Eyes: brown / Age: 13 / Creed: Iagosa
"I am the last De Cinza in Ladroa, and I speak for the Grey Stripes. Captain Ballenero was like a second father to me. He made sure I understood what our order was, and more importantly, where we came from. I have come to see just how far from that path we strayed. I know that the Grey Stripes were almost destroyed - not because of Cortazaro's treachery, but because we willingly made a place for vile men like him at our bosom. We must take a lesson from this, and change our ways."
Profile:
Unlike her father, Belasca is uninterested in carrying on the criminal aspects of the Grey Stripes' organization. Instead, she wishes to return the Order to its original purpose, as a society aimed at protecting the city of Ladroa and its way of life, while also improving the lot of the poorest and most vulnerable citizens.
To this end, she has rallied all that remains of the Grey Stripes around her - mainly those who were loyal to her mentor, Capitan Jorge Ballenero. In the wake of the corruption of the Reborn in Darkness, and the fall of the De Cinzas, many of those loyalists have found themselves moved by her idealism, her forceful personality, and her drive to recoup some of the lost honour of the Stripes' better days.
Although not well experienced in noble circles, her youth and growing confidence have made her bolder since her return to Ladroa... even haughty at times, in the ways one might expect from aristocrats and thirteen-year-old girls both.
Still, Belasca understands the dangerous game she now plays only too well, and weighs advice carefully. She listens intently and speaks very deliberately. Once she has committed to an action, her resolve is firm, Her furrowed brow bears witness to the tragedy of the De Cinzas, and the weight of the goals she has set for herself.
Description
Early Life...
Capitan Jorge Ballenero served as Don Rafael's right hand, and managed much of the household business. Having lost his own wife and daughter to pox, Ballenero took a keen interest in Belasca's welfare. He encouraged her intellectual cultivation, and arranged for her to receive a classical education, supplemented by books from the Mercado Largo, and from his travels abroad. By Belasca's own admission, Ballenero was more of a father to her than Don Rafael ever was.
Flight from Ladroa...
When the Reborn in Darkness cult began to gain power as a faction within the Grey Stripes gang, Don Rafael turned a blind eye to the schisms. Jorge Ballenero, however, saw that internal strife was inevitable. According to entries in his personal journals, he sought to protect Belasca by secretly arranging her transportation out of Ladroa.
Ballenero wrote in his journals that the Escarlata Lanza III carried Belasca to a secret rendezvous point under cover of night. There, she was transferred to an undisclosed location by a second ship. She was to either wait for the troubles in Ladroa to be resolved, or remain in exile. Ballenero made preparations so that she might live out the rest of her life in safety in a faraway land. When they said their goodbyes, Belasca gave Ballenero a locket containing a miniature portrait of herself. This locket was found with Ballenero's journals after his death.
The Return...
After making contact with the few remaining Grey Stripes loyalists left in Ladroa, she learned that only days before, the last Reborn in Darkness cultists were killed by an assassin called The Shoe-Monger. This man had been hired by the loyalists in a last-ditch attempt to oust the cult and regain their headquarters.
She and her entourage then attempted to reclaim the Grey Lodge, but found Jack Tyrsson and his company squatting there instead. This lead to an uneasy alliance between De Cinza's Grey Stripes and Tyrsson's company.
For some time after De Cinza's return, she lived in hiding offshore, aboard the Escarlata Lanza III. Gradually, as her position became more secure, she made more appearances in Ladroa society, building a foundation upon which the Grey Stripes could be returned to grace.
Recent Events...
Thanks to loans, support, and advice provided by the Capracian merchant and notary Lorentino di Magappi, De Cinza and her organization has made considerable gains. They have reclaimed several of their old holdings, and gained considerable prestige for their sponsorship of the expedition to capture the pirate Goran di Frezzi and his reaver ship El Tiburon.
Ballenero wrote in his journals that the Escarlata Lanza III carried Belasca to a secret rendezvous point under cover of night. There, she was transferred to an undisclosed location by a second ship. She was to either wait for the troubles in Ladroa to be resolved, or remain in exile. Ballenero made preparations so that she might live out the rest of her life in safety in a faraway land. When they said their goodbyes, Belasca gave Ballenero a locket containing a miniature portrait of herself. This locket was found with Ballenero's journals after his death.
The Return...
"Ballenero saw the rift coming within the Stripes when my father did not. He knew there would be blood, and he sought to protect me by sending me away. He may have thought me still a child - perhaps I still was at that time - but that was three seasons ago, when I still had a home and a family. Ballenero said he would avenge my father and set things right. When I learned of the Captain's death by treachery, I knew that I must return to Ladroa, as... as a matter of honour."When word of the coup in the Grey Stripes reached Belasca, she could not bear to remain in hiding. Instead, she vowed to return to Ladroa to seek vengeance for her kin. With the funds intended to provide for her exile, and protected by two trusted Koshka bodyguards engaged by Ballenero, Belasca sailed for home.
After making contact with the few remaining Grey Stripes loyalists left in Ladroa, she learned that only days before, the last Reborn in Darkness cultists were killed by an assassin called The Shoe-Monger. This man had been hired by the loyalists in a last-ditch attempt to oust the cult and regain their headquarters.
She and her entourage then attempted to reclaim the Grey Lodge, but found Jack Tyrsson and his company squatting there instead. This lead to an uneasy alliance between De Cinza's Grey Stripes and Tyrsson's company.
For some time after De Cinza's return, she lived in hiding offshore, aboard the Escarlata Lanza III. Gradually, as her position became more secure, she made more appearances in Ladroa society, building a foundation upon which the Grey Stripes could be returned to grace.
Recent Events...
Thanks to loans, support, and advice provided by the Capracian merchant and notary Lorentino di Magappi, De Cinza and her organization has made considerable gains. They have reclaimed several of their old holdings, and gained considerable prestige for their sponsorship of the expedition to capture the pirate Goran di Frezzi and his reaver ship El Tiburon.
The Grey Stripes have also rekindled their old alliance with the Bosque-based beggar clan Los Mendigos, which has bolstered the ranks of the Stripes with new blood.
At the same time, threats to her person and territory have been thwarted by the interventions of Jack Tyrsson's associate, Kian Grey - including a conspiracy hatched by the Colegio-based gambling baron Nino Arriaga and the former leader of Los Mendigos, Salvador.
At the onset of winter, De Cinza was embroiled in a Mariscal inquest when it was publicly revealed that the man known as Lorentino di Magappi was the mastermind behind the assassination of the Imperial Legate of Ladroa, and had been involved in numerous subversive activities in Ladroa in recent months. De Cinza was able to allay suspicion by assisting in the Mariscal operation to trap di Magappi, and by paying considerable restitutions.
At the same time, threats to her person and territory have been thwarted by the interventions of Jack Tyrsson's associate, Kian Grey - including a conspiracy hatched by the Colegio-based gambling baron Nino Arriaga and the former leader of Los Mendigos, Salvador.
At the onset of winter, De Cinza was embroiled in a Mariscal inquest when it was publicly revealed that the man known as Lorentino di Magappi was the mastermind behind the assassination of the Imperial Legate of Ladroa, and had been involved in numerous subversive activities in Ladroa in recent months. De Cinza was able to allay suspicion by assisting in the Mariscal operation to trap di Magappi, and by paying considerable restitutions.
This seeming exoneration was brokered on the strength of a confession by Kian Grey, who took responsibility for bringing De Cinza into contact with di Magappi. In turn, Kian Grey's parole was lobbied by De Cinza, with the contributions of other influential interests in Ladroa (parties who had benefited from Kian's assistance previously).
De Cinza is presumed to be ignorant of the truth - that Lorentino di Magappi was the Baron Cordova's alias while operating in Ladroa, and that di Magappi's capture and demise was in fact a sham staged by the Baron in order to make his exit from the city.
De Cinza is presumed to be ignorant of the truth - that Lorentino di Magappi was the Baron Cordova's alias while operating in Ladroa, and that di Magappi's capture and demise was in fact a sham staged by the Baron in order to make his exit from the city.
It remains unclear why exactly the Baron took such an interest in restoring De Cinza's influence in Ladroa. Did he plan to take over the Grey Stripes, or was it simply his intent to shift the balance of power in the city's underworld? For the time being at least, the organization's future now appears to be firmly in Belasca's hands.
