Tall (6.3), muscular male. Olive skin, black hair and dark eyes. Birthmark shaped like a crescent on his left shoulder (but not a long lost heir). His name was Benicio Calderon...he is an orphan. His parents died when he was ten, killed by.... An accident he was responsible for, and he has yet to forgive himself for it. Since he was alone at such a young age, his survival depended upon... A gypsy caravan, and the barren high-ranking gypsy woman who adopted him. She raised him to be... ...a healer, for she was an expert in herbal (though some whispered magical) medicine. He desires for one to love however his past experiences have been.. Unfulfilling...He's been haunted by a recurring dream of a wondrously beautiful maiden who cries out to him. He has no idea who she is .... ... Or how to find her, but the vividness of the dreams (and his own intimacy issues) persuade him that she is real. Favourite possession: a miniature of his family, the only thing he has left of them. Passions....He loves the sea. Fishing, swimming, boating, or simply staring out across the Mediterranean. #1 sidekick...a foul-mouthed juvenile delinquent named Duffy. The rumours of magical knowledge (as we later find, not entirely unfounded) and Duffy's limited understanding of the concept of "Property," means that the two tend to be treated with some suspicion. He has a fear of fire, especially candles, since the accident that killed his parents was started this way. Along with the maiden dream, he dreams of fires raging across the world, and often he sees that maiden engulfed in flame, screaming for him to save her. Duffy stole a strange fire-starter (lighter) from a wizard's trade-wagon before and often taunts Benicio with it. But the taunting did not last long after Benicio dunked his contemptuous companion head first in the sea! Benicio's gypsy caravan is trading in a field, near a fairly prosperous village, whose economy is dependent on the nearby slate quarry.
The whole situation was very disagreeable for Duffy and later as the day passed and his mind settled down from the trauma he sat to quietly muse 'Still at least I did not lose my nice green hat, that is an upside I suppose.' and thus he became a rather cautious character where fire and his friend were concerned...Duffy was run out of the quarry for swiping tools. Benicio carries food, water, and medicinal herbs to the workers at the quarry, for a small salary each week.
Sidekick #2...Gunter Skorzeny, a master craftsman in all things metal. Chubby, grizzled, and charmingly grumpy. Lives among the gypsies.
Benicio's adoptive mother is Mama Pristina. A gypsy, she is olive-complexioned, and elderly. Though once possessing a sharp wit, her memory is beginning to fail. She taught him much about medicinal herbs and remedies. She is revered and loved by her own people, but eyed with fear and suspicion by some people out side of her clan. Some think she is a witch. Some think she's a warm, wise, kindly old grannie who helps everyone she can.
Benico is fiercely protective of her. He watches Faras Nobile, a fellow of similar age to Mama Pristina and who swoons over her, with suspsicion. He is unsure of him, as would any child be of an unknown person who has interests in one's only parent.
Gunter tries to interest Benico in taking up the metal trade. "There's a lot of coin in that," he insists. But Benicio is happy with his herbal work. It keeps him close to home, and to Mama Pristina. That way, he can watch over her. No matter what Gunter says, he doesn't trust that Nobile character. How many wives has he had so far? Two? Three?
