Cazio
Brief Overview
Cazio was one of the original members of the Knights of Albright. He is the current captain of Grundlewood's security forces. Among the manliest of men, Cazio liketh sports, watcheth the action movie, eateth of the beef, and enjoyeth to look at the bosoms.
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Early History
Cazio has claimed that he's the last surviving son of a noble family from Phyllisca, although he's offered no evidence to support this. Furthermore, his manner of speaking and general demeanor seem to contradict a privileged upbringing. According to Cazio, after his mother's death, his father threw away his family's wealth on wine and women. The family estate crumbled and his father became sickly and died. Orphaned, Cazio fell under the care of his father's bodyguard and best friend, who began Cazio's training in the way of the sword.
Left with nothing, Cazio threw himself into his studies. He quickly became a prodigy at swordplay and quite proficient in hand to hand combat and other martial disciplines. His weapon of choice was the rapier. He considered himself a duelist and was quite proud of his skills. A bit of a show-off, Cazio became fond of drinking and flirting.
Meeting the Group
After striking out on his own, Cazio found himself in Grundlewood during its siege by Caltor's goblin hordes. In the subsequent escape and adventures, he grew close to the other members of the Knights of Albright. He considered Argol to be a brother-in-arms, since it often fell to the two of them to keep the the more fragile members of the group safe. He often found himself acting as Brina's de facto bodyguard, where he quickly developed feelings for her, which she reciprocated.
Their adventures soon took them to the kingdom of Albright. While in the castle, confusion and suspicion ran rampant when a number of servants reported seeing Cazio kidnap Princess Katelyn. After some investigation, they discovered that it was actually the villainous Velsed who had actually done the deed. Curiously, Velsed and Cazio appear physically similar.
Sal stabbed Cazio in the middle of the night, then fled into the darkness. It has since been revealed that Sal did so because he thought that Cazio and Velsed were the same person. For a long time, Sal and Cazio were hostile toward each other, but over time, that hostility has become more of a rivalry and begrudging respect.
After their initial journey into the Shadow Wood drove the group apart, Cazio returned to Albright with Argol and Brina. While there, Argol and Cazio helped to train the kingdom's military and security forces. For a time, Cazio and Brina's romance continued to grow. Brina soon came to become an important member of the king's court and an invaluable diplomatic envoy. During this time, the two grew increasingly distant.
Eventually, Brina told Cazio that she intended to marry King Albright's son, Edward. Cazio pledged his love to her once more, leading to a final night of passion between the two of them. The next morning, Edward and Brina were married.
Cazio did not take this development well. He descended into a haze of drinking and self-destruction. Despite his best efforts to help his friend, Argol was unable to shake Cazio of his depression. The once carefree and cavalier Cazio became sullen, angry, and at time, dangerous.
Current History
When the Knights of Albright reformed under the leadership of Quarion and Argol, Cazio was eager to leave the land of Albright, which really had nothing left for him. On the road and in the wilderness, Cazio began to feel alive again, especially after he started fighting things again. His drinking tendencies faded a bit, although they did not disappear.
After Caltor revealed himself in Grundlewood and instigated another undead siege, Cazio volunteered to stay behind to help lead the defense of the city. He fought bravely and earned the respect of the city's guardsmen. After the captain of the guard died during the battle, they looked to Cazio to lead them. He's been placed in command of the city's defenses, at least temporarily.
Personality
The Cazio of years ago was a carefree and optimistic show-off. He frequently partook of the most earthly of delights: good food, good drink, beautiful women. This was also reflected in his fighting style. He was a swashbuckler of the highest order, deftly leaping about the battlefield, parrying foes' attacks and trading quips with his foes.
The Cazio of today has changed. His playfulness and love of a challenge has now transformed into an often brutally direct approach to dealing with life. He tends to be quick to anger and quick to take action, without thinking things through too carefully. This overall change in his personality has also changed his fighting style. He relies more on brute force these days than on agility or cunning. He deals with opponents quickly and violently, preferring to kill his enemies outright rather than disable or disarm them. He has also traded his rapier for a more conventional longsword and shield.
With that said, Cazio is intensely loyal to those he cares about and doesn't think twice about putting his life in danger in order to protect them. He is stubborn and obstinate and tends to stick with what he believes is the right thing to do, in spite of the consequences.
Miscellaneous
- Cazio has spoken to King Albright about his resemblance to Velsed. Thus far, he hasn't spoken to anyone else about it, nor has anyone asked him about it too deeply.
- Despite his heartbreak over losing Brina to Prince Edward, Cazio was very fond of their son, Darrin. He taught Darrin the art of the sword and gave the young boy his rapier before leaving with the newly reformed Knights of Albright.
- Darrin has an uncanny resemblance to Cazio, both in how he looks and in how he wields a blade.
- Cazio once drunkenly told Argol that "Cazio" wasn't his real name.
