Goal:

To develop NPCs with distinct traits, histories, and personalities to enrich a video game world set in Renaissance-era Italy.

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Challenges Overcome:

• Conducted historical research to understand the era’s atmosphere, culture, politics, and influential figures.

• Designed story arcs, dialogues, and barks that showcase the characters’ personalities, voices, and mental states.

• Briefly hinted at potential future storylines to build audience intrigue.

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Luca Marchesi (Companion)

 

Luca is a gambler and a drunkard, yet a resourceful one. He is a talented artist, or rather, would have been a talented artist if he put some elbow grease into it. Luca comes from a wealthy merchant family, having apprenticed to leading artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael; not necessarily in that order, for even he doesn’t have much of a recollection of the sorting any longer. He was already quite old by the time his first master took him in, and neither he nor the later ones let him stick around for long. Luca has always believed the only reason he ever received an apprenticeship was his father’s wealth; quite a false notion. Luca will have the chance to confront his former masters and hear firsthand from the old men that he had talent and potential. It was his drinking, gambling, and womanizing habits that made him a lost cause. Sad indeed, but Luca will see a silver lining in knowing at least he could have been someone else, someone big, maybe in another life.

At the age of 26, Luca is a beautiful man with fair, feminine features. His attire is colorful and made of expensive fabrics. However, he has issues with self-care. His high-quality and expensive clothes are worn out and shabby. His beard is messy and ungroomed, which, for some reason, makes him physically even more appealing. He always carries an old, paint-covered rag in his vest pocket because he enjoys the smell of paint thinner residue. He has green eyes and olive skin.​​

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Barks / Quotes:

• When the player loots something valuable - "Drinks are on you, as always!"​

• When the player succeeds in a difficult ability check - "Never thought I'd meet a luckier bastard than me."​

• Near random female NPCs - "Oh, I remember her! Anabella... Bianca... Carina... Something with a D, maybe? Remind me the number of letters in the alphabet."​

• Combat - "I'll paint you red, with blood and wine!"

• Combat - "The palette is mightier than the sword!"

• Defeat - "Tell my wife... I'm glad she... doesn't exist!"

• When a nearby NPC screams "Fuck!" after getting splattered with mud - "He hee! Yes please."

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Character Related Item Description: A Stain on House Marchesi

• Before Luca's personal quest is completed: "This ornate handkerchief bears the colors and insignia of House Marchesi. Despite Luca’s insistence, the dried red stain marring its surface is far too thick and murky to be oil paint."

• After Luca's personal quest is completed: "This ornate handkerchief bears the colors and insignia of House Marchesi. After a long journey at your side, Luca finally confessed that the blood belonged to his former betrothed, whom he had killed by accident."

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Suora Sienna (NPC)

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An old nun, serving her Lord at his house in the small town of Pietrapertosa. She’s a strict woman who doesn’t hesitate to punish the wicked on occasion. Sienna has always believed she alone had the responsibility to deliver the souls of the “impure” to her Lord. With her unmatched observation skills and intelligence, she sees through the lies and sins of every single church attendant. She knows which infants are products of adultery and believes that the sins they bear have to be wiped off the face of the earth. Every child of sin that she delivers, she delivers to God in secret. The mothers soon follow them, most of the time willingly due to Sienna’s incriminating preaches, but sometimes, they require a little encouragement and a push to make the “right decision.” The drunkards drown in their wine cups in her presence, the thieves fall from the roofs they climb on for break-ins, and the women of the night go to bed early. There is no escaping Sister Sienna’s “benediction.” She can be a part of a murder mystery quest.

Sienna is an old, vengeful woman with a face and posture that resembles Mother Theresa. She always carries her silver cross inside her palms, squeezing it hard enough to draw blood. However, hers is not the only blood that the holy symbol ever tasted. Sienna cleans the cross frequently to wash away the sin. She slouches a bit, and her tight headpiece covers her cheeks as well as every single strand of her hair. Sienna has a walking stick so old that its handle endlessly pierces her palm whenever she holds it. Her nun’s habit is too big for her, and its skirt is torn. Her face is wrinkled. She is as pale as an albino.​​

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Barks / Quotes:

Sienna can be seen preaching at masses and harassing street vendors for their prices, quoting from the bible.​

• "Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us."​

• "For this reason, God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error."​

• Shopping - "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to... Diavolo take you, woman! Look at that price! It's a single apple, not the entire farm!"

• Threatening- "God watches over those who watch their own backs!"​

• Judgmental - “O, I solemnly wish I could welcome you into the church, but I’d hate to see you burst into flames, heretic!”

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Character Related Item Description: The Word

• "Suora Sienna is known for keeping her bible close to her heart, right next to her poison-soaked dagger."

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Colomba (NPC)

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Colomba is an 8-year-old street urchin. She is a surviving victim of Sister Sienna, who secretly poisoned her drunkard, unfaithful, wife-beating father. At first glance, you may feel that Sienna did Colomba and her mother a favor, yet the reality couldn’t be farther from that. With no income, Colomba’s mother sought a remedy in thievery. Before Sister Sienna could get to her, the town guards caught the woman in the act and imprisoned her. Behind the ceilings, she fell in and died soon after. Colomba learned how to take care of herself in the streets all by herself. She knows every corner of the town, every small crack in the walls that she can squeeze through, and every spot where she can find still-edible food in the trash. She always keeps an eye on Sister Sienna.

Colomba is small. She looks even younger than she actually is because of malnutrition. She has big brown eyes and pitch-black, dirty hair, infested with lice. She is barefoot, and her outfits are old rags stolen from drying racks. She is missing a lot of teeth. Assuming that the townsfolk occasionally catch her as she is about to steal from them, she may have bruises on her arms due to the beatings she gets. Fortunately, the townsfolk refuse to hand her over to the guards since she is only a child.

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Barks / Quotes:

Colomba can be seen begging and stealing in the streets.​

• "Please, sir, I want some more... Not the beating! The food!"​

• "Florin for your thoughts? No? How 'bout my thoughts?"​

• "Why does everyone call me Dove? I hunt birds. They should've named me Bobcat."

• When a male pedestrian gives her a coin - "Glad I didn’t rat you out about your visits to Il Cerchio, eh?"

• When a female pedestrian gives her a coin - “You deserve the latest gossip. Guess who just walked out of Il Cerchio?”

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Character Related Item Description: The Doll without a House

• "Colomba claims that this deformed, stinking rag doll was a gift from her mother. Thankfully, it isn’t worth a single florin, saving her from ever having to choose between coin and memory."

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Signora Antonella (NPC)

 

Mistress of the brothel-in-disguise-of-a-tavern named “Il Cerchio”, and a close friend to Luca. At least once a month, she is woken up from her beauty sleep by Sienna, who preaches at her establishment’s door, screaming at the top of her lungs, holding up her silver cross. Antonella resembles Red from ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK. She has a soft, fun side that she withholds most of the time, and she takes good care of her girls. Even Sienna has to think twice before messing with Il Cerchio’s courtesans, but the patrons of the enterprise are an open buffet to the nun. Antonella and Sienna’s paths eventually cross when the old nun targets Luca by dropping a few drops of paint thinner into his wine cup, believing no one would notice since the man always smells like paint thinner. Antonella also feels responsible for the tragedy that is Colomba's life because the little girl’s mother came to her in search of a job after her husband’s demise, but Antonella refused to take her in, saying she was not “courtesan material” and mocking her appearance while at it.

Antonella is a big, tall woman. She has a hairy black mold on her face. Her arms are thick with both fat and muscle. The woman always puts on an old, white, messy French wig on top of her bold head when in public, thinking its fancy looks boost the quality of her establishment and customer portfolio. She has a fan which she squeezes in between her breasts, and carries a small dagger in her right boot. She may resemble a modern-day drag queen with her extravagant makeup, behavior, and attire. Her teeth are crooked, and she has one lazy eye. The sound of her laugh is as violent as an elephant’s trumpet.

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Barks / Quotes:

Signora Antonella can be found in or near her establishment, tending to her customers.​

• "Come on in, gentlemen. Don't be shy. We have a group discount."​

• "Oh, I'm sorry, my dear. I don't have any male employees. You'll have to wait for the Day of Long Carota for that."​

• "My girls set their own prices. No haggling!"

• "Oh, hell no! I'm not on the menu!"

• “You came to… eat? Only that? I’m not even sure we have a functioning kitchen anymore. Might’ve thrown a mattress in there too.”

• When a customer refuses to pay - "You know, my girls carry bigger swords than what you're packing."

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Character Related Item Description: List of Customers In Debt

• "Signora Antonella keeps this passbook to track her indebted customers. The names may prove useful, assuming those listed would prefer their 'extracurricular activities' remain undisclosed."

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Raffaello Sanzio da Urbin (NPC)

 

A multifaceted Renaissance artist, Raphael is one of Luca’s former masters. According to Luca, however, the relationship they had was hardly based on a master-apprentice dynamic. The player questions the truth behind what they actually had between them, expecting some romantic elements. Luca laughs it off, however, saying he has been an apprentice of Raphael for a mere three days before coming to the workshop drunk and throwing up on his work-in-progress MADONNA OF THE PINKS painting. Afterward, Raphael chased Luca off, throwing eggs at him. When seeing Luca once again, after all those years, Luca expects a hug but gets an egg on his face. This takes a weight off Raphael’s mind, who begins laughing. His apprentices are surprised and relieved to see him let off some steam, indicating that the man has been stressed and prone to aggression for a while.

Since he is a real historical figure, Raphael should have a very minor role in the story. His portrait should be taken as a reference during the character design phase.

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Barks / Quotes:

Raphael only barks at Luca, literally.​

• When Luca is in the party - "Get off my property, mascalzona!"​

• When Luca is not in the party - "It's hard to find good help, but having met Luca, I came to appreciate even the smallest signs of intelligence."​

• When Luca is not in the party - "Once I told that idiot to buy some lapis lazuli for the ultramarine. He somehow ended up at the brothel... Probably thought it was a whore."

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Character Related Item Description: Restraining Order

• "This formal document is an unholy product of bureaucracy, declaring that Luca Marchesi is restrained from coming anywhere near Raffaello’s workshop... Who would have thought the law capable of such authority?"