Luciano

The firstborn son of Count Leonard dePaulo and an unknown woman.

Living his whole life as the bastard of the House dePaulo made Luciano accustomed to taunts and harassments. Especially from his physical stronger younger half brother Francesco.

  Has a weak stomach and anxiety problems. If you look closely at Luciano's moustache, you can see dark turquoise hairs. This is the result of an partly failed hair growth/ moustache growth experiment Luciano underwent after he lost his moustache for the first time in his life since he started growing it.

## Background

Not much is known about Luciano’s youth.

He was born as Leonard dePaulo’s bastard and got framed for killing his own father. After the trial he was exiled from their lands and forcibly boarded the first available airship.

After 3 months of traveling Luciano and Wilhelm his teacher, mentor and only company landed on Rhyelatha, far away from Redroc Hills the place he once called home.

Apparently Luciano wears a mask that conceals the massive purple tinted scars on his face. The scars glows every now and then. While Luciano is wearing his mask, his face feels like porcelain. Cold, distance and with a stone like texture. Direct blows to the face, while he is wearing the mask, will result in cracks an fissures in the facial area. If the blow is strong enough it will tear off his mask.

Luciano got separated from his mother when he was 3 weeks old.

He doesn’t have any memories of her, he doesn’t know her name, he doesn’t know her voice , all he knows that she apparently has the same chestnut red hair like him.

His early memories are vague. Knowing that Wilhelm was there since he can remember.  All he can remember from his early youth was that everybody was tip toeing around him.  When he turned 12 he learned why.  His grandfather Adovardo called him to his quarters. Strangely, ‘cause the old Count didn’t show much affection to the young bastard boy.

 It was stranger to find Adovardo all alone, without his dad to back Luciano up.  It was terrifying.  The man told him that Luciano was an abomination, born and raised to be one. He told his grandson that his whole life was planned down, his day to day life, the woman he was going to marry and even the day he had to die.  He told Luciano that he, the mighty conqueror of the south, chased away the last Vehrim tribe on this ‘new Andrim land.’ And to show off their domination as a people, they built their castle and land on the once sacred ground of the Fernim.

# **Spoiler**

He told the 12 year old that he was plagued by nightmares. Ghosts haunting his subconscious being.  That even the mighty conqueror of the south could be afraid. But of course not for long.  Fear is weakness, he told the boy, and we de’Paulo never show weakness to our enemies.  Then he told the bastard boy that he made a deal with the haunting nightmares and never satisfied ghosts. And that he tricked them all.  He told Luciano that he offered them the first new blood in their bloodlines.

He told the boy that this was the only reason why he was alive and why he allowed his dad to ‘fuck some peasant girl’. But that he, Adovardo, was smarter than his haunting demons and he hired the best ritual caster he could find. And by the Gods! He even got a Sanguine Sentinel to keep watch. They trapped them. He said smiling proudly at his grandson. They trapped the biggest, most terrifying spirit, the spirit of what once was a Vehrim Shaman, in you, Luciano.

Luciano was the reason why House dePaulo still existed and he must feel pride instead of fear and anxiety that Luciano started to show.  His unknown sacrifice will not be known in the history books. ‘Cause he was never allowed to speak about it. It was his pride and his shame at the same time.  That explained the strange attacks Luciano had when he was younger. The always soft humming of an strange voice in his subconscious.

 He remembered his first attack occurred when he was 8 years old.  How his grandfather stopped Wilhelm and Leonard from helping him, claiming that the bastard boy should fight his own battles. It explained the weird purple tinted scars on Luciano’s face, marked by a Spirit trying to free himself of his cage. Why he was forced to wear his magical mask. And why he never could show the strange magical tattoos on his back.  The seal that keeps the Shaman Spirit locked away, until his prison dies.

## Signet Ring

With the help from Masan A’hal, Luciano was able to unlock one of the secrets the signet ring
kept.
They figured out that, there was a connection between Luciano, one of his parents and this ring his dad gifted him before he died.
There was a hidden mechanism, that Masan A’hal was able to open. Showing Luciano a magical 3d picture of a small family. Holding their newborn son, while a soft music box played in the background.
Luciano recognised the man in the picture as his father, Count Leonard. Suspecting that the newborn boy was himself, he started to believes that the woman in this picture could be his mother.
Meaning that Luciano finally has a touchable memory of his unknown mother. He only told his loyal teacher and friend Wilhelm about his recent discovery.

## The Golden Willow

After strolling the riverbank for hours and not finding any clue of Bohr's or Cassius' survival, it was Luciano’s idea to ship Cassius' doll Cass away from this place.
Luciano decided to ship Cassius back to Redroc Hills addressed to his younger half brother Francesco.
He also attached a small letter with the words ‘Grandfather liked your smile more than he liked mine.” to the box.
After a failed bluff attempt against Marcus. Luciano told him what really happened to the doll and apologized for his immature act.

Learning that Redroc Hills was claimed by an unknown usurper, he was desperate to go home. But knowing he couldn't return to Cinderheart empty handed, he decided to join Wilhelm's cause of investigating the organization they had found traces of. Perhaps he could find something that could help him on the way, and otherwise he was hoping that Marcus would find a way to help him in his situation.

## The Isaran Organization

As they found the origins of the things Wilhelm had found on their travels in the great city of Merkaba, it became clear that he had no intention of leaving for the foreseeable future. While **Luciano** was happy that Wilhelm had found what he was looking for, he really wanted to get back to his homeland to see if there was anything left to salvage of the situation after his brother had lost their holdings.
He decided to break his exile and return to Aphem, which meant leaving the heavily distracted Wilhelm behind.

## The Return Home

As they made their way out of the city, they encountered a man that used similar skills to Wilhelm. This man, named Gunnar, wanted to help out for some reason, and decided to join Luciano on his journey back home.

## Image Gallery

Without his moustache

— Iohannan — Kor — Laina — **Luciano** — Maeve — Mirus —
— Novacarius — Radha — Tiana — Wilhelm — XQ-305 —

— Isaac — Pyka-Rai — Syndroska —

— Thulian† — Rahakh — Fortemus† — Francesco — Vladicus —