Baron Stefano Gilden
The roads will always be my home, but duty calls me to my family and I must answer.
Obituary: Found in his bedroom, torn apart in a way terrifyingly reminiscent of Lord Cicero Malvici. From the looks of it, his was a bloody, painful ending.
Description: Dirty blonde locks fall across Stefano's eyes in a haphazard sweep that aims to keep those icy blues from peering out at the world. Often considered thoughtful for the way he pauses prior to speaking, it also lends him a sense of gravity that others often find charismatic and easy to defer to. The smiles he rewards those with are generous, often accentuating his well-defined features and prominently squared jawline. The height of this man by no way rivals the giants of the northern lands yet he does possess a strength of character with his solid build.
Personality: At heart, Stefano is a wanderer. He is more comfortable out on the roads, learning and studying than he is fighting or leading. But he is also a man of duty, and when duty to family became paramount, he answered the call setting his wishes to serve the Knights of Solace aside. He is not a brooding man, and often uses easy smiles in order to disarm tense situations, but talks about the disappearance of the Baroness are a safe way to darken his moods. He can become introspective at times, losing himself within the paths inside his mind in order to come up with answers, and prefers to give everything due consideration before committing to an action.
Background: The elder nephew of Baron Leo Gilden, Stefano had been considered the most likely heir, that is until the Baron went on to marry a commoner girl known as Alessandra, and produced as son with her. This never bothered Stefano, for back then he had made a choice to pursue the noble path of becoming a Knight of Solace. Since young, Stefano had a tendency to let his mind wander. He delighted in writing fantastic stories of chivalry and battles against fantastic beasts, never once imagining as a boy that the Compact would end up facing enemies that were once thought to be myth.
Because of his interest in becoming a knight, when he was young, Baron Leo sent his nephew to Lenosia. There he received instruction from Duke Niccolo Velenosa both in the use of weapons and the art of war, but he also befriended the younger members of the Velenosa family, going as far as engaging in a friendly rivalry with Prince Luca, unable to ever defeat him when they used to spar. He would also often spend time paired up with Princess Eleyna during etiquette and diplomacy lessons, a time he would dearly enjoy.
After his time with the Velenosa, Stefano joined the order of the Knights of Solace, and spent most of his time serving the order while traveling between the roads uniting the Barony and Lenosia. He was supportive of the appointment of Alessandra as Baroness, for this allowed him to continue with his duties and by then, he and Alessandra had become good friends.
But then Alessandra disappeared and with her, the guards that served her. This gave enough reason for Stefano to return home, as he struggled to find out what had happened to the leader of Caith and his friend. He reached out to others, including the Velenosa but there was very little to be found on what occurred. Torn now between duty to his family and his order, he reluctantly accepted a position of Voice along with Lady Arianna, and ended up being appointed as Baron by Great Duchess Esera before her death, in an attempt to provide stability to the Barony during a time of growing uncertainty across the Compact.
Questions about what happened to Alessandra remain, and Stefano has vowed not to leave any rock unturned. This has led him to come to Arx, in search for answers and the assistance of allies and friends.
Relationship Summary
Acquaintance:
Family:
Friend:
| Name | Summary |
| Armani | THe cousin. He's got the Baron stuff locked down. He's definitely a good spot as the family lead. I'll keep on Admiralling. |
| Caelis | Quiet and efficient. He has a humor about him when he works that reminds me of a friend of mine, I wonder if we might get along should we cross paths again. |
| Calista | We met many many years ago and my impression of the young Baron then is the same as it is now; Handsome, strong, and intelligent. We find comfort in each other as we were not supposed to be running our houses and lean upon one another for support. Stefano has quickly become one of my closest confidants. |
| Costas | Near all nobles have roughly the same personality when you meet them. The social equivalent of two fighters circling with neutral postures that don't tell much. I don't have a good read yet his glibness got a sort of cunning to it. Not bad for a start. |
| Cristoph | Ah, the Baron of Caith! He seemed like a good sort. Didn't mind me attacking his army over and over again. Some people might take offense at that. |
| Eithne | Baron Gilden of Caith is one of my best customers and now he's returned for more work! I love repeat customers. He seems like a pleasant nobleman and one I do not mind working with in the future. |
| Eleyna | My old friend. It's good to see that we can still laugh like we did when we were younger, even though so very much has changed between us over these past few years. It will be interesting to see how our friendship develops now. |
| Itzal | Baron Simple Man, though like any profession of mundaness, it's a lie. Pleasant company, I like this one! |
| Jaenelle | Stefano is a man who appears honest and sincere. Honored to serve House Velenosa, and the new Sword of Lenosia, I shall be seeing a lot more of him to be certain. |
| Lailah | Baron Stefano Gilden, Vassal of Velenosa. He seems an interesting man, very lycene in his presentation, and I mean that in the best of ways |
| Leola | Seems to be a silk with his head screwed on right. Protecting his own folk, and a love of horses, and strong in his Faith. Can't argue much with that |
| Marian | He's funny. Has a dry wit. Damn good at this Conquer Game. Almost as good at strategy as the Duchess. |
| Petal | He seems very serious and not that interested in clothing or animal masks and maybe not in tailors either. He wants to find more men for his golden knights of the faith and he probably will. He seems very drive after all. |
| Saoirse | A very rude baron living on the charity of the Velenosa family. |
| Talen | Eleyna and Stefano were close, like Talen and Isabetta. Gildens always seem to wind up spending time around Velenosans. It's simply the way of things. They owe their loyalty, yet it's Talen's belief that they should be owed a great deal of reward for it too. In the south, loyalty and trust are hard to come by. |
| Theron | The Sword of Lenosia and the leader of the Mirrorguard. He's a well traveled fellow, like me, and instantly recognized my House and my name. I don't know why but that's always odd -- then again, should I expect anything else from the man protecting the Velenosas? I get the impression we will work well together, however. |
| Ysabel | I adore my brother to pieces. He always listens to my latest research findings, even if they are a bit colorful at times. |