RIYAD

The Prince of Beggars

R I Y A D

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Ht: 5'9  /  Wt: 150  /  Hair: dark brown /  Eyes: brown

Age: 18  /  Creed: Mendigos  /  Status: ACTIVE

Riyad is the heir apparent to the leadership of Los Mendigos in Ladroa. Once, he served as the protege and lieutenant to the old king, Salvador, and headed up the Mendigos youth gangs in the Bosque with a mix of cunning and smirking bravado. Now it falls to him to lead the clan into a new era... or to ruin.

The Meeting in the Bosque

( STORY )

from: CHAPTER FIVE ~ A TRAIL OF BLOOD characters: Jenyeva (POV), Belasca De Cinza, Salvador

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It is the night of a secret meeting in Ladroa's Bosque between the Grey Stripes and the Los Mendigos beggar gang. In order to foil an assassination attempt against the young Lady De Cinza, Kian has asked Jenyeva to go disguised as De Cinza to draw out any would-be killers. Due to the threat of treachery from within the Grey Stripes, only Belasca's trusted Phinska maidservant knows the truth of who wears the lady's mask.

The ruse succeeds. A dozen bravos lurked in the wooded shadows next to a lonely Bosque backroad, but were violently intercepted by Jack, Kian, and the others. However, now Jenyeva finds herself impersonating Lady Belasca De Cinza - surrounded by unsuspecting Grey Stripes, and entering a delicate negotiation with the leader of Los Mendigos...

Life, Love, and Loss in Ladroa

 
(STORY)

 

 from: CHAPTER FOUR: LADROA OVERTURE CHAPTER EIGHT: LADROA ELEGY

characters: Jenyeva (POV), Kian, Belasca, The Cats

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This story begins shortly after the party first arrives in Ladroa and takes up residence in the Grey Lodge, and continues through to the events following the return to Ladroa from Aesos, the Tribunal of Judex, and Kian Grey's arrest...

The Plot and the Lady

(STORY)

from: CHAPTER FIVE ~ LADROA OVERTURE characters: Belasca De Cinza, Kian

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When a mysterious note is found in the pockets of the Vaara swordsman known as Agila (specifying only a time, a place, and the name of Lady Belasca De Cinza), it is suspected that an assassination plot is afoot, and that the young noblewoman’s life may be in danger. Having already struck up a secret correspondence with the Grey Stripes’ youthful new mistress, Kian decides to warn her of this potential threat, and also to put forth a scheme to flush out the would-be killers while protecting the lady from harm…

Lady BELASCA de CINZA

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

"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."

The ORDER OF THE GREY STRIPES

Once a prestigious order formed to protect Ladroa from its enemies, the Grey Stripes have long been little more than a fading criminal gang. Now, at the precipice of their destruction, a new dawn beckons the Grey Stripes to the path of honour once more... 

THE GREY LODGE

CASA CINZENTO, aka THE GREY LODGE

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The facade of the Casa Cinzento of the Grey Stripes Order opens east, directly onto one of the main thoroughfares of the Armacentes district, where many guilds and merchant houses have their offices and depots. The streets here bustle by day, but fall eerily silent by night, but for the lapping of the canal water, and the baying of local guard dogs.

THE ESCARLATA LANZA*

A Ghost of a Ship

A model carrack resembling the Escarlata Lanza III

The  E S C A R L A T A   L A N Z A  III

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RECENT EVENTS:

The Lanza III was smashed apart by a sudden tidal wave created by the Moonfae Liege Isilrana the Wandering Moon, in an act of provocation against the Tyrson Company. The ship  was moored on a small island near Magoa at the time. Half the crew was lost in the attack, including its captain, Juanico. This is a signifcant setback for the Grey Stripes, who were founded upon the principle of coastal defense and anti-piracy action, and now find themselves without a ship. 

The original Escarlata Lanza was a whaling vessel built over 100 years ago, and belonging to the first Capitan Ballenero, one of the founding members of the Order of the Grey Stripes. With the growing militant role of the Grey Stripes in Ladroa, subsequent versions of the ship became sleeker and more specialized to coastal patrol duties. As the Stripes became more involved in criminal pursuits, the Lanza II and Lanza III were also outfitted for the purposes of smuggling and light piracy. 

CAPTAIN JUANICO

Ship's Captain of Theseus 

C a p i t a n   X i m o n   J U A N I C O

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Ht: 5'10  /  Wt: 170  /  Hair:black  /  Eyes:brown
Age:46 (26)  /  Creed: Iagosi  /  Status: SOMEHOW ALIVE

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A handsome man of average height, hale of body, fresh of face. His eyes and hair are dark and shiny, and he wears a dashing Van Dyke on his face. He is dressed in a studded leather jack in the Grey Stripes livery, and carries a katzbalger sword and wheellock pistol at his side. 

For much of his past life, Juanico was an excellent First Mate - a canny, crusty, blustering man who knew the Helicosian sea like the back of his hand. When he was named the Escarlata Lanza's captain after Lady De Cinza reformed the Grey Stripes, he served loyally and supported her mission to rebuild the reputation of the order. 

Now he finds himself rudderless... a captain without a ship, listing from the burden of his past life's failures, most especially the crew he lost. He is also a man whose soul was reclaimed from the clutches of death, and he still feels its briney taste upon his lips. 

JAN ZIZKA

J A N   Z I Z K A

A young huntsman of the Vosmir Marches, bodyguard to Belasca de Cinza

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Ht: 5’11   /   Wt: 175 lbs
Hair: blond   /   Eyes: brown
Age: 24   /   Creed: Koshka

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Jan is Belasca De Cinza's bodyguard and trusted field agent. He is serious, direct, and seems firmly devoted to Belasca's safety. He is always wary, and almost nothing escapes his notice. He displays a preternatural agility, and is a talented acrobat and axe-thrower. If he wishes, he can move silently and go unseen, but when the need arises, he fights like a demon. When stirred by the songs of his homeland, Jan is also a talented Vosmir folk dancer.