Character: Fra Taddeo (grog)

Penitentiagite! Fra Taddeo has come to Triamore with Fra Sulpice

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Early Youth in Assisi

Taddeo is the son of a scribe working for both the comune and the bishopric of Assisi. Taddeo turned out to be steady and reliable, thus had also reliable friends among the boys of his town. His father succeeded to get him educated in Latin and grammar by the scholasticus of Assisi cathedral – and at the same time taught him his own trade.

Francis

Among the boys instructed by the scholasticus there was talk about high spirited Francesco di Pietro Bernardone (Francis), who had returned a changed man from his second military campaign, and after a pilgrimage to Rome spent much time in the dilapidated priory of San Damiano outside the walls of Assisi.
So young Taddeo and his friends snuck after him and tried to climb into that church. They saw him talking to a crucifix in bad state. Astonished and distracted, Taddeo slipped. He struck the poorly attached crucifix, and it tumbled down and hit Francis. But Francis just caught it in his arms, continuing to converse with it. That scared the boys and they ran – but none of them ever forgot it.
They saw some of the aftermath of their expedition a few months later, as they entered the school rooms at the cathedral with their scholasticus: Francis led by his father to the bishop’s court. After lessons, they heard that Francis had spent some of his family’s wealth to refurbish San Damiano, without his father knowing or consenting. In the middle of the legal proceedings before the bishop Francis had then renounced his father, family and patrimony.
From then on, Francis became the favourite subject among the friends: did he really become a beggar, work as a scullion, go on a pilgrimage again? Returning to Assisi he appeared a beggar indeed, and retired to San Damiano. The boys felt very bad for him, and quite guilty. At his first appearance in public, however, they understood that he was by no means broken: he defiantly begged the people of Assisi for stones to rebuild San Damiano! The friends took to collecting stones and to amateur masonry at San Damiano as their favorite pastimes for the next months, and became a little bit notorious, if not really helpful, themselves.

Franciscans

Their families prevented the boys from following Francis, as he went on to restore further chapels surrounding Assisi: they had to finish school and apprenticeships first! Even when Francis gathered his first followers around him and obtained approval by the Pope for his rule, the boys were still too young.
Only as the first noblemen entered the Order, his father let 16 year old Taddeo join it as well.

To France

Two years later Francis considered sending friars to France. Cardinal Ugolino advised against Francis going himself: so he sent Fra Pacifico the poet (https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fra_Pacifico) with some brothers, and young Fra Taddeo as Pacifico's secretary. These brothers set up their first community in France at Vézelay, and soon after their second at St. Denis near Paris.

Appearance

Fra Taddeo

Fra Taddeo

Characteristics: Int +1 (Shrewd), Per +1 (Attentive), Pre +1 (Personable), Com +1 (Glib), Str ‑1 (Round Shoulders), Sta +2 (Enduring), Dex +1 (Deft Hands), Qik 0

Size: 0

Age: 20 (20), Height: 168 cm, Weight: 55 kg, Gender: Male

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 0 (0)

Virtues and Flaws: Mendicant Friar, Well‑Traveled (50/50), Educated (50/50), Monastic Vows

Personality Traits: Brave +2, Pious +2, Reliable +2

Reputations: Pious (Christians) 1

Combat:

Dodge: Init: +0, Attack ‑‑, Defense +2, Damage ‑‑

Fist: Init: +0, Attack +2, Defense +1, Damage ‑1

Kick: Init: ‑1, Attack +2, Defense +0, Damage +2

Soak: +2

Fatigue levels: OK, 0, ‑1, ‑3, ‑5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: ‑1 (1‑5), ‑3 (6‑10), ‑5 (11‑15), Incapacitated (16‑20), Dead (21+)

Abilities: Art of Memory 1 (Places), Civil and Canon Law 1 (Papal), Latin 4 (Church Usage), Artes Liberales 1 (Grammar), Chirurgy 3 (Bind Wounds), Concentration 3 (Prayer), Music 1 (Hymns), Charm 3 (Etiquette), Folk Ken 3 (Clergy), Stealth 1 (Urban), Area Lore: Assisi 1 (Francis), Area Lore: Paris 1 (Churches), Awareness 1 (Search), Survival 3 (Animal Handling), Athletics 3 (Swimming), Brawl 1 (Dodge), French 4 (Orléanais), Italian 5 (Umbrian), Church Lore 2 (Liturgy), Scribe 3 (Copying)

Equipment:

Encumbrance: 0 (0)

Place holder for early development

for me Fra taddeo looks great. Maybe a little bit bland, lacking a story or strong personality (grogs with strong personalities, a little bit over the top, tend to be more memorable to me, but to each one his own :slight_smile:), but ruleswise it is a solid character and a proper mendicant friar.

Fra Taddeo is a rather young Franciscan, made special because he has followed in his earlier youth the beginnings of Francis in Assisi from multiple perspectives: that of a child, of a pupil at Assisi cathedral, as a youngster eager beaver when Francis set up his order, and as a young Franciscan chosen by Francis to cross the alps into France.
Please give me some time to write that up in detail.