Rosseo Stefano

Name: Rosseo Stefano di Temperi
Age: 28
Origin: Cairhien City, Cairhien
Description:
A slim man standing at five foot four. Graceful and precise in every movement betraying a refinement much more than the common birth he often claims. Closely curled dark hair is lit through with copper tones; his eyes are the colour of smoke and his skin copper making him handsome in a foreign way. The dark colouring lets Rosseo pass as from a number of different cultures, something he uses to his advantage. No trace of an accent but speaks like an educated man. Dresses according to the role he is currently playing; Rosseo often masquerades as a scholar or as the agent of some obscure company. He comes over as assured and poised, but has an easy manner, rarely found intimidating.
Personality:
Presents a charming front and appears laid back and agreeable at most times. Endlessly fascinated by people and their goals. Inquisitive and tenacious in his pursuit of answers, undeterred by threats. An obstinate man, sometimes reckless, who enjoys a challenge. It’s difficult to provoke this genial man but, when under pressure, he reverts to his high born roots in appearing bored and unfriendly; it takes a lot to anger him but he can show a malice and cunning that few would suspect. Makes light of danger being cool headed in a crisis, full of ingenuity and daring. Conversely, when the situation calls for it, he can be ruthless and unfeeling in the extreme.
History:
Ambition marked out the di Temperi House in its early years. They clawed for every coin or scrap of land and cut throats over contracts. Nobody scrupled to trade with factions of unsavoury reputation; arms, materials and men supplied to the highest bidder. All houses trod close to the law in that respect and it was the unspoken rule that anyone fool enough to be caught deserved any punishment they received. It was a game for high stakes … but Daes Dae’mar lay dormant in all Cairhienin blood and the family had been waiting on this opportunity all their lives. They rose to paths paved with daggers, subject of half a hundred proverbs, and it was at this precarious place that Rosseo Stefano came into the world.
His mother was a dark Domani jewel snatched untimely from her setting in a finer court. She had lent him her blood and her looks, but found herself unable to give anything less tangible; this reserved, serious child seemed a thousand leagues removed from the lights and glamour to which she was accustomed. A flurry of messages from abroad trailed off. Her husband busied himself with court business. Alone, she searched for a bond with this child, failed in some indefinable way to understand. Time passed. In the end she commended him into the care of a tutor and numerous amiable uncles and escaped to the Court of the Rising Sun, a poor shadow of her home, but sufficient nonetheless. Raised in the scholarly tradition, the child Rosseo learnt to examine life with a curiosity quiet and relentless as a glacier.
In his eighth year Rosseo observed the fall of an ancient house. Its members numbered among their most trusted friends. Nevertheless, they fell as swiftly as any other, and left no trace on the murky waters where predators still flitted through shades. He cried when he heard that he would not be able to speak to his friends again; all his questions gained no answers. He never met those people again. From this Rosseo learnt that life was unjust, that ruin struck without warning, and that friends fell as easily as enemies.
Some time later, in that difficult stage where a boy becomes a man, Rosseo perceived that his mother was dissatisfied with their city. Drab colours prevailed. It rained incessantly. Reserve and distrust lay behind every movement. Once he had picked up on these small and telling clues Rosseo came to his second conclusion, that his mother had become the king’s mistress. He brooded over this for some time. Honour demanded that he avenge this slight. Prudence told him that a lesser house did not cross swords with such a colossal force in politics. He held his peace, and when the king paraded his prize openly, he never mentioned that he had seen it coming. From this Rosseo learnt that few could be trusted and that sometimes silence was the best policy.
At sixteen, his countless uncles requested him to join court. It struck him as likely that they intended to use him for bait, but he could scarcely refuse them. Rosseo entered the Court of the Rising Sun and began his own education in intrigue. Charming information out of a succession of rich and educated women turned out to be a less burdensome task than he had anticipated. Breaking into their houses afterward thrilled him. Danger suited him far better than the empty customs of court; it also kept his wits sharp, and, best of all in his family’s eyes, he was dispensable should anything go wrong.
Years wore past. The di Temperi consolidated their position at court. In time other green children learnt court ways at first hand in the same manner. Business sent him to Shienar to secure an alliance with another house; then to Murandy, to arrange a contract with feuding factions there. Murandy turned out to be more complicated than expected. Hatred ran deep there and his name and rank meant little. Some hard men cornered him one night and attempted to persuade him that his kind were not welcome here. The message came across loud and clear but, unfortunately, they didn’t seem to be taking a hint. He had never fought in his life and had not intended to. In effect, he was useless. It turned out that they did not want to risk killing him; but it was a sobering experience. From this Rosseo learnt, somewhat mortified, that people were not all civilised and that a good steel blade had many uses. He determined that once he was up and about again his first purpose would be to gain some proficiency in weapons before continuing his work for the House di Temperi.
Skills: Court trained and a talented player of the Great Game. Learned in court protocols. Stealth and secrecy necessary as is a knowledge of other cultures. A scholar, he is constantly on the lookout for fresh knowledge.
Agenda: Advancement of Cairhien and the House di Temperi. This is his overriding goal. Also keen to benefit his own cause, survival being the most important aim here.
Rosseo Stefano
House di Temperi
Spy & Scholar
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