Giovanni di Malapietra
Brother of Prince Innocenti di Malapietra of Caurenze
Condottiere di Lizzieni
Earth Elementalist of the Second Circle
AC 1006
"No, I cannot trust them! If just one of them was a spy of my brother..."
(Giovanni di Malapietra, talking to himself about whether to accept or not the offerings of some Thyatian envoys.)
Appearance
Giovanni di Malapietra was rather similar to his younger brother, Principe Innocenti di Malapietra, except that he wore only moustaches, and had slightly harsher features and more wrinkles. Not that this was due to his age, as he was only two years older than the Principe, but rather from the fear of his brother's superior magic and network of spies, and from the great envy and hatred he had for his brother.
Giovanni used to dress in the formal clothes of his charge, and was never seen without an escort of at least twelve soldiers from the Aalbanese guard.
Background
As the eldest son of Principe Mario di Malapietra, il signor Giovanni was to be the heir to Caurenze. But Giovanni was passed over for reasons which are still not clear today. Some say (and Giovanni was among these) that it was due to Signora Letizia, wife of Principe Mario di Malapietra, and her strong preference for her second son, Innocenti. Others whisper that it was because Giovanni was a failure as a mage, and that he graduated from the Great School of Magic late and with the minimum mark; these people are quick to point out that Prince Mario himself had to personally sponsor Giovanni into the Secret Craft of Earth Elementalism, since no one else would.
Giovanni's younger brother Innocenti became Principe di Caurenze in AC 991, and Giovanni was powerless to contest it. Principe Innocenti did not do away with Giovanni outright (as would be the custom in Caurenzan successions), but kept him and alive, and even made him the ruler of Lizzieni. On one hand, Giovanni was the objects of such acts of mockery and ridicule—for Innocenti's own sick amusement, no doubt! On the other, Giovanni was also the recipient of many warnings, death threats, and assassination attempts—or at least, that's what he believed.
Because of his constant fear and paranoia, Giovanni replaced his Caurenzan guards, and imported his own bodyguards from Aalban, but only after each one underwent a rigorous battery of personal interviews, background investigation, and magical testing—to make sure they were not under the influence of his brother or other enemies.
Despite his constant plotting, Giovanni could never manage to kill the Prince. He could only vent his anger by bullying the citizens of Lizzieni and by using his Aalbanese guard to crush all opposition to his rule. Giovanni also used his position to exact higher taxes than he was allowed by the law, keeping the exceeding sum for himself. Indeed, most citizen of Lizzieni would have been happy enough if a giant rock fell from the sky and crushed him dead.
Giovanni had no children, and he and his wife, Eleonora Fulvina, were always quarreling about who was to blame for this. (Gossips are always sharp to note that the Fulvinas have always been rather prolific).
Personality & Quirks
Considering how Giovanni lost his birthright, then live under the shadow of his brother, and then how he had to swallow all the gossip about his failure as a ruler, a wizard, and even as a father and husband, it was no surprise that Giovanni was embittered.
But beyond the cruelties of fate and circumstances were the cruelties of his own family. The constant plotting and conniving against him had driven Giovanni to irrational fear and mad paranoia. Giovanni was known to talk to himself when alone, perhaps because he trusted no one about his thoughts and perhaps because he believed everyone else was lying to him or hiding something from him. But it has come to the point that this bizarre behavior manifests itself even in public, which has only spread the mistrust and dread in the Malapietra family.
Giovanni's only agreeable passion was hunting. However, after an incident when one his retainers was "accidentally" killed in a mountain hunt, Giovanni never went hunting again. From that time on, Giovanni was always on his toes, watching his back from possible assassination attempts.
Giovanni was the living paragon of the failures of Glantrian society: He was not a mage by calling, but he was forced to study at the Great School instead of pursuing another career. He would have been a good fighter and hunter, and was a passable student of law, but the fact that he was not a suitable heir for the Principality—and the fact that everyone blamed or mocked him for it—only helped develop his cruel personality. Besides, few people would have retained their mental equilibrium for a long time if they had three Malapietra siblings scheming against them...
Web of Intrigue
Like many Malapietras, Giovanni had many foes and few friends.
The first of his enemies was his brother Innocenti, who became Principe di Caurenze instead of him. Innocenti's cruel acts of keeping him alive while constantly threatening him with assassination plots has only fueled Giovanni's already insane and furious hatred for him.
Giovanni also hated his other younger brother, Agostino di Malapietra, who also had been plotting to kill him and the Prince, as well as his nephew, Bartolomeo di Malapietra, who was in league with Agostino (although Bartolomeo has plans of his own to become Principe di Caurenze). Giovanni had no real hatred for his sister la signorina Lucrecia di Malapietra, but he had no real love for her either; if Giovanni had the power and the opportunity, he would have her killed as well.
Unlike the other Malapietras who had good relationships with fellow Thyatians from the Thyatian Empire (meaning, they didn't want to kill each other—at least, outwardly), Giovanni had earned the hatred of Thyatian envoys who had tried to contact him to gain more influence in Caurenze. As the paranoid ruler of Lizzieni, Giovanni nearly managed to have them all killed, believing them to be Innocenti's spies.
While the list of Giovanni's enemies outside of his family could go on and on, especially among the local population of Lizzieni, it is sufficient to add that his cruel attitude as ruler of Lizzieni had even allowed the Followers of Claymore (freedom fighters against the magocracy) to gain a adherents among the Aalbanese guards in the town.
As for the other noble houses of Glantri, few, had any interest in Giovanni. Some—those opposed to House Sirecchia and would have liked to see Caurenze it crumble into a heap of rubble—would have liked to see him as the Prince, but none of them ever took serious action towards this goal.
To list his friends and allies would be easy. He had none. He had a number of sycophants, most from the minor nobility of Caurenze, who had no hope of inheriting family holdings, or who were as hopeless as him as wizards, or who had gone into debt so much that they had no other choice but to support the failing plots of a loser.
Giovanni's Aalbanese guards had no genuine loyalty for him, and were only serving him for the pay.
Style of Magic & Combat
Statistics: 9th level wizard, Earth Elementalist of the 2nd Circle; Str 13, Int 11, Wis 12, Dex 11, Con 14, Cha 9; AL C (D&D) CE (AD&).
Languages: Thyatian (Caurenzan, Glantrian, and Aalbanese dialects, the last with a strong accent).
Weapon Proficiencies: dagger, sling.
Skills: etiquette, hunting, law (Glantrian), riding/land-based (horse), reading/writing (Thyatian common).
Not that Giovanni had much style in magic at all. Giovanni managed to learn some of the easier spells at the Great School of Magic. Spells with application in hunting were his favorites, such as magic missile or web. For combat and protection, he relied on magical items given to him by his father when he was young, such as a wand of magic missiles and the defensive items listed below.
Due to his fear of being targeted by assassins, Giovanni always wore bracers of protection and a ring of protection from normal missiles, both given to him by Principe Mario. Giovanni never left the safety of his palace without having a dimensional door spell ready.
"Why is he still alive? He is so scared of what I could do to him—and yet so unable to conceive even a passable plot—I cannot help but to find him... amusing."
(Prince Innocenti di Malapietra to the Signor Antonio di Tarento, Visconte di Castelbianco, who had just warned him of the latest plot of Giovanni)
References:
Giovanni di Malapietra in AC 1016
Spells of the Secret Craft of Earth Elementalism
Author: Giampaolo Agosta