.+The Libertine+.

When I reached the second decade of my life, I began the better part of it. I was well known in Sanders, as rotting rumour travels on fast wings, and I reaped the benefits. I was a rogue, a fiend, a rascal who had dragged himself up from the depths. But to the women of Sanders, I was a godsend. And above all, I was a libertine.

So here he is, the Devil himself. For those of you who don't know him, this dashing charmer is Rollostebanio II, known as Nio, the father of Ronnie, Rollo and Mercutio. Now you can see why Ophelia was annoyed that Mercutio looked so similar to him Looooong description coming up, hold onto your hats!

Nio was born the middle child of Steban and Ismene, and took the initiative of being the worst behaved of all the siblings. As a child he frequently got into trouble, and usually blamed it on his older brother Sawyer. He was a mischievous child, but quiet (it's always the quiet ones you have to watch!) and he liked to explore the forests bordering his childhood home when he could. This was what started everything, as he stumbled upon two other children around his age. They wore different clothes to him which he found odd, and only once he explained them to his mother did Ismene realise they were gypsies settling for the summer. Gypsies were considered excellent for business in this small rural area, and Ismene and Steban frequently invited the leader of the group and his wife to dine with them. This was when Nio met Celeste, a pretty young girl of 12 to his 10, and realised what love felt like.

The gypsies would encamp near their area annually after they knew they were welcome, and so Nio always looked forward to seeing Celeste grow that little bit more, as did many of the other boys living around the place. It was clear however that she had eyes only for Nio, and the two grew very close. She was his first in more ways than one, and when they were forced to move away from their camps it broke Nio's heart. However this was the least of his problems.

His father had returned to the sea, and had an unwritten rule that if he was gone for longer than a year at one time, Ismene should assume him dead and do things accordingly. A year passed, and no Steban to speak of. Ismene began to greive, and one day she just vanished completely. None of them, now teenagers, knew where she had gone to, and with no way of keeping the house themselves they were forced to move away, Tebani splitting from her brothers and having adventures elsewhere. Steban and Nio made for the capital city of Sanders where they suffered in considerable poverty for some time. They managed to rent a disused barn for their living abodes with their measely wages, and set about trying to make a living as best they could.

Nio happened upon the libertine idea purely by accident. He was scrounging for food as usual when he spotted a handsome man with coins in his pocket talking to a group of pretty girls. He tried at first to pickpocket him, but the man was not fooled and caught him red-handed. Before he punished him though, he noticed Nio's looks and realised he had a potential goldmine on his hands. He suggested that he became Nio's tutor, and he would teach him the arts of music, art, etiquette and most importantly, seduction. The money he offered Nio was more than the teenager has ever seen, and so he eagerly agreed. Sawyer was less pleased that his brother was chasing fancies, but he kept his head down and continued to make a living in his own way. It was around this time that Nio received Damascus, who was unbroken and the grumpiest stallion on the planet. It took a while to subdue the horse, but once he did Nio had one of the best horses in the country. He also 'hired' a mare called Fleck to be his carriage horse whenever he needed one. It was all about performance, and putting on the right mask- again, this was the time when he took to wearing his mask in public.

It took four long years to make Nio the man he remained, and he soon became renowned in Sanders' capital as the 'Great Lover' and men of all walks of life were beginning to get cautious and protective of their wives and daughters. Nothing however would stop Nio getting to the women- so long as they wanted him. Nio had a strong moral compass, and knew better than to force himself upon an unwilling woman or to try to seduce someone who didn't want the attention. He knew women, and they would come to him; he just had to lay the invitation.

Nio was living the high life indeed, and his downfall came with Evelien. Having charged into her House after escaping from an angry husband, he caught part of her routine, and he was spellbound. The courtesan mesmerised him, and his calm and confident demeanour would chip whenever she was around afterwards. He knew he had fallen for her, and fallen hard, but he tried his best to ignore it, continuing his life as a libertine and hoping the feelings would fade. But after some time he realised this was not going to be a simple infantuation: he loved her, and he wanted to be with her. He promised her he would marry her as soon as her contract was up- he would have waited forever if he could.

Unfortunately, it wasn't to be, as we well know |D poor boy. Ophelia got her claws into him and he should have known better than to toy with a Keagra's affections- they don't do lightheartedness. However despite his wish to be with Evelien, Nio was overjoyed to be a father. He doted upon Ronnie and Rollo as much as he could, but because of his relationship with Ophelia not being the best of ones, he jumped at the chance of enrolling in the army. He had no skill, and being a soldier was the best idea he could have: he certainly couldn't return to his libertine duties.

His disappearence is a strange one; peculiarly, it was after a masquerade set up by Ophelia in honour of Nio's return from a victorious battle of some kind. Unfortunately, some drama happened, drinks got thrown, fights broke out and Nio just...vanished in the middle of all the chaos with his faithful Damascus, and never came back. No one knows where he is now, or whether he's alive or dead.

WOOT. Big description. Cooke for you if you read all that through |D Not sure if I'm totally happy with how he looks in this, but it's an acceptable representation. And also look, bg! A terrible bg, but a bg nonetheless Done whilst watching Casanova I believe (lol the irony) and me bawling my eyes out...

Rollostebanio II (c) to