Aristide de Ferrino

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  1.   1.  Appearance
    1.   1.1  Basics
    2.   1.2  Miscellaneous
  2.   2.  Personality
    1.   2.1  Ideals
  3.   3.  Relationships
    1.   3.1  Family: de Ferrino
    2.   3.2  Pack Relations
    3.   3.3  General Relations
  4.   4.  Skills and Inventory
    1.   4.1  Abilities
  5.   5.  History

Aristide de Ferrino is the youngest son of the de Ferrino family's head branch. He originates from Monaco but has lived in various places, from the French Riviera to Rome. He fled Europe when his family was scattered after a feud with a rival family, the Visconti. After leaving Monaco he made his way over to the American continent out of paranoia. From there he travelled up to Nova Scotia, driven by curiosity and tales of a red star falling from the sky.


Overview

Basics

Heritage

Name Etymology

NPCs

Etc.

  • Date of Birth: 22 August 2014
  • Gender: Male
  • Luperci: Ortus
  • Residence: Areas, Packs
  • Mate: Characters (DD Mon YYYY)
  • Pack: Packs (DD Mon YYYY)
  • Rank: Rank (DD Mon YYYY)

Name Origin: Italian

  • Forename: Aristide [ah-ree-STEE-de]
    • Italian version of the Greek Aristides. Translates to 'the best kind'
  • Surname: de Ferrino [dee Feh-REE-noh]
    • de is a connector meaning 'of'; Aristide of (the) Ferrino
    • Ferrino is a variation on Ferro and Ferrari, occupational surnames for those who work with metal.

PLOT OPPORTUNITY!

OOC ASSUMPTIONS!

  • Getting Aristide recruited to Salsola!
  • Aristide is seeking information about the meteor.
  • Aristide is a blacksmith! Though, he currently lacks a workshop or forge. He has some basic weapons and tools to sell and can do basic repairs to your stuff.

Packs members may assume and reference the following without discussion/asking:

  • A'somethin'
  • Butts

1.  Appearance

1.1  Basics

Essentials

  • Species: Aristide is a finely blended mixture of various types of dog and wolf. His three dominant ancestries are Italian Wolf, Golden Retriever, and Arctic Wolf. His frame and build are mostly wolf, but his fur and facial features borrow heavily from both sides, particularly in the golden-yellow colour of his fur.
  • Fur: Aristide's fur is a patchwork of white, golden-yellow, and gray, with no one colour claiming true dominance. His fur is a shade longer and coarser than a purebred wolf, and his tail shows feathering almost worthy of a purebred Golden Retriever.
    • Optime Hair: Aristide's hair is a light, almost whiteish blond. He grows it long and wears it pulled back in a tight ponytail, with a few strands usually hanging free and over his face. Hair Style Reference
  • Facial Features: Aristide has sharp, distinguished facial features that are primarily wolfish. His eyes are a deep amber that almost seem to glow dimly when they catch the light right, giving him an intense stare.
  • Build and Size: Aristide's frame is smaller and more compact than the typical wolf, particularly noticeable in his lupus form. In Optime form, broad shoulders and muscles built from working as a smith add some bulk to his appearance, and aren't just for show.
  • Humanization: Heavily humanised. Aristide is heavily invested in the use of human tools. He will go without clothes if the situation demands it, but when he has the chance will always choose to wear something.

Image

Raze is awesome (and drew this)!

Palette

Fur (Various shades)

Spring Wood (#F3F4EB)
Tacha (#D6AF5D)
Tea (#C3BCB2)

Hair

Wheat (#F2E1AE)

Eyes

Golden Grass(#DF9122)

Nose, Skin, Paw Pads

Emperor (#514649)

1.2  Miscellaneous

Modifications

  • Scars:
    • Thin vertical scar on the left side of his muzzle.
    • Small nick taken out of the outside edge of his left ear.
    • Various scattered duelling scars on his right arm. These are all small, thin, and typically hidden by his fur.
    • Large scar, running diagonally across his chest from his right shoulder.
    • Burn scar from the base of his right thumb to the centre of his palm.
  • Piercings:
    • Small golden stud low down on his right ear. Circular and flat, with the Ferrino 'F' engraved onto it.
  • Tattoos:
    • None

Jewelry and Accessories

Weaponry

Being a blacksmith, Aristide owns many weapons, and rarely maintains a consistent collection as he frequently trades them away and/or makes new ones. The below are almost always worn as part of his regular outfit.

  • Rapier. Made to Aristide's tastes and strength, this has a slightly wider blade than a typical rapier, and features an elegant, gilded swept hilt. It is worn on Aristide's left hanging sheath and wielded with his right hand. A variation of the de Ferrino 'F' - with the usual letter contained in an oval, which itself has a three line semi-sunburst emerging from the top - is engraved onto both sides of the blade just below the guard.
  • Parrying Dagger, worn on right side of actual belt, wielded with left hand. The de Ferrino 'F' is engraved onto the pommel.

Clothing

Aristide owns various pieces of clothing and will vary them occasionally. His typical day-to-day outfit is:

Other common pieces of clothing

  • Kept away for special occasions; a leather jerkin and a fencing cape. Both are black and edged with silver threading. They feature the de Ferrino 'F' embroidered in silver threading on the breast and shoulder respectively.
  • When it is raining; a hooded cloak made from brown canvas and edged with dark fur. Tattered, but warm.
  • When blacksmithing; leather apron and heavy pair of leather gloves.

Forms


90 lbs (40.8 kg)
27 in (68.5 cm)

Lupus

Sturdy and compact, with a fair amount of muscle packed onto a small frame. Looks almost like a purebred wolf aside from the fur colour and feathered tail. Aristide almost never uses this form.


145 lbs (65.8 kg)
44 in (111.8 cm)

Secui

Very similar to Aristide's Lupus form, but bigger and bulkier. Aristide's broad shoulders and muscle definition start to show through, making this form powerful and quick.


245 lbs (111.1 kg)
6ft 3in (75in / 190.5 cm)

Optime (Preferred)

This is Aristide's preferred form; he almost never leaves it voluntarily. Proportionally larger than his Lupus form, and broad shoulders and impressive muscles acquired from blacksmithing make Aristide look even bigger than he actually is.

Interaction

  • Speech:
    • Deep, smooth voice.
    • Is fluent in Italian and English, passable in French.
    • Speaks slowly unless he is upset, and with a heavy Italian accent.
  • Scent: Oil, Coal, Fire, Smoke, Metal, Horse (Volatore), Sea Salt.
  • Quirks, Gestures, Etc.:
    • When Aristide is unhappy he speeds up, talking and moving quickly. Pacing is a common activity when something distressing is on his mind, as is going through his sword forms.
    • Even when not wearing his rapier, his hand will still twitch towards where it should be if he is stressed/surprised/upset/etc.
    • Not quite ambidextrous, but comfortable with both hands. Can use his dagger equally well in either hand, but struggles with using his rapier in his left.
  • General Posture and Body Language: Confident and dominant, but not aggressively so. He has a tendency to move in the same manner as he speaks; slowly and purposefully.

Images

None :<

2.  Personality

|| Confident, Driven, Sophisticated, Reserved ||

The outward image that Aristide displays to the world is calm and confident. Around strangers he typically acts friendly, but purposefully keeps an air of superiority about himself. He is highly driven to achieve whatever goals he has set himself, but puts a lot of stock in decorum, and so tends to keep his enthusiasm under wraps.

|| Loyal, Honourable, Protective, Ruthless, Ambitious ||

Aristide is extremely loyal to those he considers true friends, treating them almost as an extension of his family. He values loyalty highly as a personality trait in others, rewarding it in kind and showing an extreme disdain for those who betray those who trust them. In general Aristide is very honourable and will treat most people well, particularly if they have been or might be useful to him. He is very protective of those he is close to or who have been loyal to him, and will often throw himself into conflicts at a disadvantage to protect them. That said, when he is working towards a goal he can be ruthless, and will trample those who he doesn't feel a sense of loyalty to if it will help him achieve his goals, or if they are in his way. If somebody is a threat to his family, his friends, or his ambitions, Aristide will hesitate very little to cut them down.

Highly driven by a sense of hierarchy and belonging, Aristide is a very social creature. He has a liking for power and authority, and so strives for a place at the top of the hierarchy, but he will accept a lower place gracefully if he respects those above him. He is very socially capable, and while not naturally good at manipulating others he can be rather persuasive. However, he is disinterested in large social gatherings or those with people he doesn't care for. Instead he prefers smaller, more intimate occasions where he can relax with friends.

|| Proud, Arrogant, Detail-Oriented, Artistic, Blacksmith||

Despite considering themselves nobles, the de Ferrino were a family of tradesmen. They were highly prideful of their family's reputation as high quality smiths, and considered the fact that every adult de Ferrino knew how to work a forge a matter of pride. As a son of the head-branch family, Aristide's smithing ability was given as much attention while growing up as other 'essentials', such as swordsmanship and socialisation. Aristide is extremely prideful, both of himself, his own work, and of his family. He does not take insults against himself or his family lightly, and can be overly quick to reply with a sharp tongue, or a sharp blade. This pride often goes to the point of arrogance; and Aristide makes a habit of overestimating himself.

|| Playing a Part, Uncertain, Young, Naive||

Much of Aristide's outward personality is very fragile, formed from what he has witnessed as 'ideal' behaviour while growing up. The confidence and pride that he feels are genuine, but they are also built on a rather shaky foundation that threatens to crumble when he is faced with failure. He is still rather young, and has lived a sheltered, leisurely life for the most part. While he tends to be rather prickly towards strangers as a defence mechanism, that is a wall full of soft points getting past this would be a fairly easy task for anybody with any knowledge of psychology.

2.1  Ideals

Traits

Arrogant, proud, loyal, driven, artistic.

  • Outlook: Mixed. Aristide is very (too) self-confident and driven, and so is very optimistic about events he has some part in. He tends to be more realistic about the general course of things where personal success isn't really a consideration.
  • Sociability: Smooth and eloquent in casual conversations. Aristide is disinterested in, and tends to get uncomfortable in, prolonged or intense social situations with those he is not familiar with. He is very interested in cultivating relationships with those he considers close friends or useful allies, and is socially capable in these situations.
  • Expression: Dominant and haughty to most. Shows deference easily and gracefully to those he accepts as his betters.
  • Alignment: Lawful Evil
Believes in using society and its laws to benefit himself.
Is comfortable in a hierarchy and would like to rule, but is willing to serve.
Is loath to break laws or promises.
Values his allegiances and allies.

Motivations

  • Belonging and Stability: Is most comfortable in a defined social group where he knows his place and role, and is driven to defend such when he finds it.
  • Authority: Highly motivated by power over others, be it through fear, respect, loyalty, or whatever other means. He abides by the authority of those above him, and will work loyally for a leader who he truly respects.
  • Appearances: Aristide is highly affected by how others see and perceive him.
  • Pride: Aristide is a prideful being, particularly when it comes to his family, and his craftsmanship. He is very driven to improve, and reacts violently to attempts to put him down.
  • Security: Seeks an environment that protects him, but is also strongly motivated to protect and things and people he cares about.
  • Family: Holds the history and reputation of his family in high regard. Aristide is highly motivated to grow, celebrate, and enhance the de Ferrino name.

Fears

Minor

  • Crowds: He dislikes crowds, and can get overstimulated if forced into them for long periods. Much prefers smaller, more intimate groups.
  • Stormy Weather: He spent most of his childhood on the coast and in boats, but never really got used to dealing with rough weather when out at sea. As such, Aristide finds stormy weather unsettling even when he is on land.

Major

  • Failure: Deep within himself, Aristide is terrified of publicly failing at important tasks. This isn't something he tends to acknowledge, even to himself.
  • Irrelevance: Aristide is deeply aware that with their recent downturn, his family is close to fading into obscurity He is driven to make a name for himself, and by extension the de Ferrino bloodline.
  • Loss: Losing many of the family members he grew up with has left Aristide shaken. He can't stand the thought of losing any more people that he grows close to.

Biases

  • Species: Doesn't discriminate between different types of canines, but dismisses other intelligent species as lesser beings.
  • Non-Luperci: Pities non-luperci as savages. Derides those who purposefully remain so as willing savages.
  • Gender: Tends to be more respectful of women. Is slightly intimidated and cowed by strong females.
  • Color: Finds those with lighter fur colours more aesthetically pleasing, but has no real dislike for individuals with darker fur.
  • Age: Initially dismissive of those he sees as old and frail, but open to having his mind changed about individuals.
  • Attractiveness: Aristide is rather vain, and tends to subconsciously judge others on how attractive he finds them. Openly disdainful of those who make no effort to maintain their appearance.
  • Weakness: Somewhat split opinion; if Aristide is in a position where he must depend on somebody then he finds weakness in them frustrating and detestable. In more relaxed circumstances though he has a soft spot towards those he perceives as weak, and is often willing to take them under his wing, though he will never rely on them once he has begun to see somebody this way.

Sexuality

Heterosexual, with a fairly active sex drive. Tends to be very flirty when conversing with females who he finds attractive, but doesn't quite know how to react, and turns awkward, if his attentions are returned.

Interests

  • Likes: Swordplay for leisure, creating beautiful things, feeling important, the smell of the sea, family.
  • Dislikes: Traitors, rivals, discomfort, cold weather.

Substances

Fond of alcohol; has a taste for wine and whisky. Cannabis was an occasional sneaky treat growing up, and he will likely indulge occasionally now that he is free of parental supervision. Open to experimentation.

Spirituality

Agnostic. Open to the idea of religion and the supernatural, but finds himself dissatisfied by most religions he has encountered.

3.  Relationships

* Does not know this person by name.

3.1  Family: de Ferrino

  • Mother: Juliette de Ferrino
  • Father: Bartolomeo de Ferrino
  • Siblings: Sebastian de Ferrino (Eldest Brother), Aurelio de Ferrino (Elder Brother) Evelina de Ferrino (Littermate, Sister)
  • Half-Siblings: None
  • Children: None
  • Cousins: Many
  • Extended:
    • Mario de Ferrino (Uncle)
    • Aristide has a large extended family; all four branches of the de Ferrino share a common bloodline and intermingle regularly.

Familial Relations

Major/Romantic Relationships

3.2  Pack Relations

Leadership

Notable NPCs

Positive

Neutral Relations

Negative Relations

3.3  General Relations

Positive

Neutral Relations

Negative Relations

4.  Skills and Inventory

Dabbler > Apprentice > Competent > Skilled > Expert > Master

4.1  Abilities

Combat

  • Education and Learning: Given the situation that he was born into, Aristide was trained in combat from a young age. His education has mostly been around formalised duels with a single opponent, but he can still hold his own in a real fight.
  • Rapier and Dagger (Skilled): Aristide is skilled with a rapier in his dominant hand, and a parrying dagger in his left. He is quick and aggressive while fighting like this, making use of both weapons simultaneously to both guard and attack.
  • Unarmed combat (Competent): Aristide knows some unarmed combat techniques, though these are mostly wrestling-style techniques based around holding an opponent so he can draw his dagger and stab them. If truly caught unarmed, he is much less skilled in fighting with his fists and claws.
  • Longbow (Competent): Aristide is a decent shot with a bow, having trained specifically with a longbow. He doesn't do well when firing under pressure or on the move; he is more used to using the bow as a tool for hunting than a weapon.
  • General (Competent): While specialising in his rapier, Aristide is middling to competent with most edged weapons. At the very least, he knows enough of the basic forms for most weapons to test the weapons that he makes.
  • Horseback fighting (Dabbler): Despite having no true education or skill in mounted fighting, Aristide is able to swing a sword from the saddle without unseating himself.
  • Aristide tends to focus in on one enemy, often to his detriment in battles with multiple participants. His typical strategy is to split individual opponents out from the group and pick them apart, so he does poorly when pressed by multiple foes.

Combat

  • Education and Learning: Given the situation that he was born into, Aristide was trained in combat from a young age. His education has mostly been around formalised duels with a single opponent, but he can still hold his own in a real fight.
  • Rapier and Dagger (Skilled): Aristide is skilled with a rapier in his dominant hand, and a parrying dagger in his left. He is quick and aggressive while fighting like this, making use of both weapons simultaneously to both guard and attack.
  • Unarmed combat (Competent): Aristide knows some unarmed combat techniques, though these are mostly wrestling-style techniques based around holding an opponent so he can draw his dagger and stab them. If truly caught unarmed, he is much less skilled in fighting with his fists and claws.
  • Longbow (Competent): Aristide is a decent shot with a bow, having trained specifically with a longbow. He doesn't do well when firing under pressure or on the move; he is more used to using the bow as a tool for hunting than a weapon.
  • General (Competent): While specialising in his rapier, Aristide is middling to competent with most edged weapons. At the very least, he knows enough of the basic forms for most weapons to test the weapons that he makes.
  • Horseback fighting (Dabbler): Despite having no true education or skill in mounted fighting, Aristide is able to swing a sword from the saddle without unseating himself.
  • Aristide tends to focus in on one enemy, often to his detriment in battles with multiple participants. His typical strategy is to split individual opponents out from the group and pick them apart, so he does poorly when pressed by multiple foes.

Combat

  • Education and Learning: Given the situation that he was born into, Aristide was trained in combat from a young age. His education has mostly been around formalised duels with a single opponent, but he can still hold his own in a real fight.
  • Rapier and Dagger (Skilled): Aristide is skilled with a rapier in his dominant hand, and a parrying dagger in his left. He is quick and aggressive while fighting like this, making use of both weapons simultaneously to both guard and attack.
  • Unarmed combat (Competent): Aristide knows some unarmed combat techniques, though these are mostly wrestling-style techniques based around holding an opponent so he can draw his dagger and stab them. If truly caught unarmed, he is much less skilled in fighting with his fists and claws.
  • Longbow (Competent): Aristide is a decent shot with a bow, having trained specifically with a longbow. He doesn't do well when firing under pressure or on the move; he is more used to using the bow as a tool for hunting than a weapon.
  • General (Competent): While specialising in his rapier, Aristide is middling to competent with most edged weapons. At the very least, he knows enough of the basic forms for most weapons to test the weapons that he makes.
  • Horseback fighting (Dabbler): Despite having no true education or skill in mounted fighting, Aristide is able to swing a sword from the saddle without unseating himself.
  • Aristide tends to focus in on one enemy, often to his detriment in battles with multiple participants. His typical strategy is to split individual opponents out from the group and pick them apart, so he does poorly when pressed by multiple foes.

Miscellaneous

5.  History

Aristide De Ferrino was born the youngest son of Bartolomeo de Ferrino - head of the de Ferrino family - and his wife, Juliette de Ferrino née Rosarche. He was part of a litter of two alongside his sister, Evelina, and had two elder brothers: Sebastian and Aurelio.

As a child, Aristide lived a life of luxury. He and Evelina spent their youngest years where they had been born, in the mountaintop compound of Ezé just outside the city of Monaco, where the head-branch of the de Ferrino dwelt. Once they were old enough they began to travel, and throughout the first year of their lives the two lived in the different branches of the family. From Nice, all the way down to Rome, the de Ferrino held many smaller enclaves of members and the siblings spent time amongst them all, learning of those they would grow to lead.

Aristide's time growing up was a busy time. The de Ferroni family had a long history as blacksmiths and metalworkers, and as a member of the head branch Aristide was under pressure to perform in this arena. To mark the occasion of his shifting Aristide was given the three traditional presents of the de Ferrino; a horse, Volatore, a set of smithing tools, and a sword; a finely made rapier made and presented to him by Bartolomeo’s own hand. Most of Aristide's time from this point on was spent learning to use these gifts; in the forge or learning the various other lessons of his youth, from how to navigate social situations to how to duel and fight. What free time he had he would use riding Volatore, racing along the coastal paths that his family settled near, or laughing and playing with his sister in the shaded courtyards of their family's villas.

However, the peaceful times were not to last forever. The de Ferroni family had an ongoing feud with another family of nobles, the Visconti. Both families had originated in the city of Pisa, and had been at each others throats so long that the original cause had been lost to the mists of time. Shortly before Aristide had been born the feud had erupted into a violent and bloody battle in the streets of Pisa, and the de Ferroni living in the city had left. Outwardly they claimed it had more to do with the acquisition of new properly: Ezé, an old human village set atop a mountainside in the French Riviera. The displaced members knew the truth of the matter though, and dark feelings grew and matured.

For the most part, things between the de Ferroni and the Visconti were peaceful but tense, a cold war that sprung up into small, isolated incidents of violence with some regularity. Bar-room brawls and midnight duels between the two factions were common, though serious injury was rare and deaths unheard of. This was not to last.

Despite his best efforts to remain above the petty bickering, as a direct descendent of the pack head Aristide was a natural target. His skills using a rapier got almost as much testing as his ability to create them over the first year and a half of his life, until events from a darker turn.

While out drinking in Monaco, celebrating Aristide's successful progression to journeyman, a prominent Visconti member sharing the tavern they were in caused some offence to Evelina. The argument itself was petty, not even a memory the next morning when the wine had cleared from Aristide’s mind. The consequences of the argument, were much farther reaching. Enraged by what had been said to his dear sister, Aristide challenged the Visconti to a duel on the spot.

At first the duel was harmless, two drunkards barely able to hit each other with their swords. Such things would usually be left to run their course long enough to satisfy the participants’ wounded pride, then split up by clearer minds. There was no chance of this here as with judgement clouded by rage, and reflexes dulled by wine, Aristide struck too deep and landed his first substantial blow, spearing his foe straight through the heart. The resulting brawl left three more Visconti dead, and Aurelio blinded in one eye.

The matter did not rest there, as the Visconti responded with a vengeance. Duels became skirmishes, which then became battles in the streets, and the bodies on both sides began to pile up. Eventually a troop of mercenaries under the Visconti’s pay arrived in Monaco and laid siege to Ezé. The de Ferrino put up a spirited defence but in the end it was a repeat of the events at Pisa, only this time there was nowhere for them to flee. Aristide almost died that day, but at the last moment Bartolomeo spirited his children away through a hidden tunnel in the mountainside. Bartolomeo and Juliette took up the sword to defend their children, holding off the pursuing soldiers. That was the last Aristide ever saw of them.

The three survivors fled down the coast, making for the branch family situated on Genoa. When they arrived though, they found the gate barred to them with a fearful explanation. The Visconti had declared them to be killed at any cost, and with the head family shattered the branch did not dare to take them in. They found the situation repeated all down the coast, the doors of de Ferrino compounds either locked tight or burnt down, until eventually even Aristide’s beloved Uncle Mario, head of the second branch in Rome, turned them away. With no further family left to turn to, the siblings devised a plan to flee across the sea, chartering a boat to carry them to safety. It was here that the Visconti caught up with the de Ferrino siblings. Soldiers burst into their inn at night, attacking them as they slept. In the confusion the three were separated, while Aurelio fled into the night with Evelina. Split up from his family and injured, Aristide managed to escape by the skin of his teeth and fled on-board his ship.

Haunted by visions of his lost family, and by the fear that the Visconti chased him still, Aristide did not settle in America but instead continued to travel. He wandered aimlessly for some time, until eventually he followed stories of a red star falling from the sky up to a small province in what had once been Canada, Nova Scotia.

2009

  • DD Mon: your character was born hooray!

2010

  • DD Mon: they turned a year old hooray!

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