Lucrecia di Malapietra
Sister of Prince Innocenti di Malapietra of Caurenze
Viscountess of Sirecchia (`AC 1019)
Earth Elementalist of the Third Circle
AC 1019
"I've seen her, señor! She's the highest incarnation of purity and beauty on earth!"
(A young and very inexperienced Belcadizan noble, after a party at the Malapietra Residence in Glantri City.)
Appearance
La Signorina Lucrecia has slate-gray eyes and is fair-haired for a Caurenzan, a trait she has inherited from her Aalbanese ancestors. She uses a lot of cosmetics or even age-altering magic, and her apparent age shifts from time to time, but she never appears to be more than twenty years old. Lucrecia uses her almost childlike looks as a way to keep people from thinking of her as anything different than a sweet innocent young girl.
She dresses in expensive and stylish Caurenzan clothes, but she is careful never to appear as fashion-obsessed as many Glantrian ladies. To enhance the effects of her youthful looks, she often chooses pastel colors and whites.
Background
Lucrecia is the only daughter of Prince Mario di Malapietra of Caurenze. She was born in AC 965, and is younger than her brothers, Giovanni and Innocenti, but older than her brother Agostino. When she was 14, she was married to Vaclav Wurt, the only son of Count Ladislav Wurt of Soth-Kabree, with the intention of drawing the unaligned Wurt family into the sphere of influence of House Sirecchia. Prince Mario also knew that with the young Wurt was unable to understand even the basic principles of magic, Lucrecia would eventually inherit the fief if Count Ladislav died (which could be easily arranged).
Unfortunately for Mario's plot, Ladislav was killed by a griffon in a hunting accident in early 981, and Lucrecia was still to graduate the Great School of Magic the summer of that year, and not yet a legal heir. At that point, the County of Soth-Kabree was lost to the Wurts and the Malapietras, and the Prince divorced his daughter from the worthless Vaclav Wurt.
Lucrecia graduated as planned from the Great School of Magic, and had joined the Secret Craft of Earth Elementalism, under the sponsorship of Frau Hildegarde von Drachenfels, wife of then Prince Morgaithe of Aalban, owing to their shared Thyatian connections.
When Prince Mario died in AC 991, Lucrecia was already an accomplished spellcaster and a possible heir for the Principality. Her brother Innocenti became Prince, and Lucrecia's life, as well as other contestants to the title became endangered. However, Innocenti decided to keep his dear sister alive, because he knew no one would support a woman who would rule Caurenze, and that she would be a useful for political marriages. However, before Prince Innocenti could decide which noble she could marry, Lucrecia moved to Glantri City, where she managed to acquire good political skills and became a valuable spokesperson for the Prince of Caurenze.
Innocenti was forced to reconsider his plans. He decided that Lucrecia should not leave House Sirecchia, as she would become a tough political opponent otherwise. Lucrecia was to serve House Sirecchia as the representative in Parliament (and better her than the ambitious brothers, who could be far more dangerous than helpful!).
Lucrecia's life at Parliament was what kept her alive in the 990's. It was also what kept her alive in the following decade, for she was in Glantri City when the Great Meteor crashed and destroyed Caurenze in AC 1006. Although she lost a lot of power, she has gained a lot of freedom. She has retained her position as Spokesperson for the Viscontea di Sirecchia, but with mad Innocenti no longer interested in politics, she is free to pursue her own goals. After the end of the Alphatian War, when her brother Agostino and other surviving Caurenzan nobles began a campaign for the reestablishment of Caurenze, Lucrecia was among the front-runners for the title of Prince.
Personality & Quirks
Like the rest of the Malapietras, Lucrecia has a healthy dose of hatred for the rest of her family. Unlike her brothers though, Lucrecia is very prudent and is not prone to displays of loathing to her family, most specially Prince Innocenti. Thus, the Prince does not suspect her of any treachery—well, at least, never more than he would have, even if she truly were the sweet loving little sister she appears to be.
Another personality trait that she does not share with her family is paranoia. While she is fully aware of the danger of Innocenti, she remains a charming and sociable creature. This is a stark contrast to other Malapietras, such as Giovanni (who never leaves his room without his guards and magical defenses), or even Innocenti (who uses spells like Innocenti's bells of alarm or Innocenti's stony tentacles, which generally end up causing a lot more damage to innocent people).
And while Prince Innocenti makes a show of his love for the arts only to gain popularity, Lucrecia has a true passion for poetry and music, even if her tastes are rather baroque. Her favorite is the pompous and flattering style of contemporary Caurenzan poets, which most of her family looks down upon as some girlish fancy. Lucrecia, on the other hand, cannot stand the shows at Circus Lizzieni, because she finds them barbaric and because she is disgusted by the sight of blood.
Web of Intrigue
Lucrecia hates Innocenti as much as the other brothers do, but she is wise to hide in behind the mask of the sweet younger sister. She also hates Giovanni, whom she considers an arrogant fool—and she is not wrong, indeed. She gets along better with Agostino, probably because he has always been friendly with her, but they are both aware that they would kill each other for the new principality.
Lucrecia is friendly toward most other Caurenzan nobles, even Antonio di Tarento—probably because she doesn't know he is Innocenti's main assassin. She was not as popular among most of the commoners of Caurenze, because of her strong dislike for the gladiatorial games, but most other people respect her for this.
Other non-Caurenzan nobles consider her a better politician than her brothers. (Of course, this means that Houses opposed to Caurenze would have preferred the weak Giovanni as Prince of Caurenze instead of Innocenti or Lucrecia.) Even after the destruction of Caurenze, the Houses supportive of the reestablishment of a new Caurenzan principality are not opposed to Lucrecia, even though some of them would support other candidates (House Ritterburg, for example, would rather support Signor Griseo Fulvina, Visconte di Verazzano).
Lucrecia is also close friend of Frau Hildegarde von Drachenfels and Frau Helgar von Drachenfels, mother and sister, respectively, of Prinz Jaggar von Drachenfels of Aalban. When she pays a visit to Frau Hildegarde, she shows herself very supportive and sympathetic to the Hattian matriarch, especially about the quarrels between the Hildegarde and Frau Gertrud von , Prinz Jaggar's wife of Alphatian descent. In typical Malapietra fashion, Lucrecia does her best to stir up hatred between the Hattian and the Alphatian factions of the Drachenfels family. She is however careful not to let her schemes reach the ears of Frau Helgar, who will no doubt blurt them all out to the Prinz.
Some Belcadizan hidalgos seem to be attracted by her beauty, and they also seem to believe she really is the good-natured girl she pretends to be. Gossipmongers in Glantri City would tell you that Lucrecia had a romantic liaison with Don Ricardo de Belcadiz in the past years, though it is not known who her current lover is.
Style of Magic & Combat
Statistics: 10th-level magic-user (D&D, AC 1000) or 13th-level earth elementalist (AD&D, AC 1014), Earth Elementalist of the 3rd Circle; Str 8, Int 16, Wis 13, Dex 10, Con 12, Cha 15; AL C (D&D), NE (AD&D).
Languages: Thyatian (Caurenzan and Glantrian dialects and Common Thyatian ), Elvish (Belcadizan and Erewan dialects).
Skills: reading/writing (Thyatian, Elvish), etiquette, dancing, heraldry, politics (Glantrian), spellcraft, spell combination, artistic ability (poetry).
Weapon Proficiencies: none (Lucrecia is neither a warrior nor an adventurer; she has never studied the use of weapons).
Lucrecia is a capable earth elementalist, both as specialist wizard and as member of the secret craft. She uses her spells mostly for protection or to impress people with her ability. She especially enjoys conjuring elemental servants to do her work. Her personal gondola is manned by small earth elementals, while her mansion in Glantri City is decorated with many gargoyles, which she can animate as servants. She also has an earth genasi (human-elemental crossbreed) butler, Pietro, something most people consider just one of the many oddities of the eccentric Glantrian nobles.
While not being really creative as a researcher of magic, she has unearthed many spells known only by few people in Glantri, mainly from Caurenzan architects or nobles, such as animate gargoyle and petrification. While she doesn't like nor use spells from the other schools, she is wise enough to keep a good deal of divination and abjuration spells. During recent years she as realized that if she wants to become Princess, some enchantment spells could be really useful, so she is slowly learning at least the basic charms.
"These Belcadizans are all the same! It's only too easy to make them work for you!"
(Lucrecia di Malapietra, to her butler Pietro, after that same party)
References:
Author: Giampaolo Agosta