Calliano of Avadia

Calliano of Avadia

"That hot-head, I can understand. But you? You don't care about his situation. You've made it clear you don't care for him, his honour or what he stands for, and you've spend half the time on the voyage here needling him. Why in Shokai's name would you jump in for him?"
"Those Kjor loudmouths needed to be taken down a peg. That's the top and bottom of it really."
-Calliano of Avadia, explaining why he helped a Sunburst Legionary in a barfight in Solathi.

Calliano of Avadia is an Avadian wayfarer, ship captain, explorer and merchant active in 469 TE. He is the current captain of the Avadian penteconter, the Merid, and the primary stakeholder in Merid Company.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Calliano is in good physical condition- lean and wiry, but with the muscle definition and fitness that a career sailing an Avadian penteconter requires.

Facial Features

Calliano has chin-length chestnut brown hair, which he wears pulled into a half ponytail most of the time. He also has oak-brown eyes, a faint scar on his right cheek, and a brown beard which is trimmed short.

Apparel & Accessories

Calliano's wayfarer attire usually consists of a sleeveless black leather jack worn over a teal blue cotton shirt, dark canvas trousers, and boots.

Specialized Equipment

Calliano's weapon of choice is a bronze Avadian khopesh for melee confrontations. He also supplements this with a number of thin throwing knives that he can use at medium range.

Calliano of Avadia's everyday attire and equipment

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Youth / Education

Calliano was born in Port Avadia, the capital city of the Avadian Sovereignty, to a middle-class family. His father was a shipwright working on various vessels in the city, while his mother was a civil servant with the Avadian Admiralty. At the age of eight, Calliano was enrolled in one of the many trade schools sponsored by the Mariner's Guild. There he received an education in mathematics, basic Avadian writing and discourse, economics and a basic grounding in a number of trades.
Calliano's first employment was under his father's shipyard in the couple of hours after school, assisting him with odd jobs such as sanding and shaping planks and carrying tar for caulking. It was here that he first heard stories from wayfarers and captains, igniting the young Calliano's interest in adventures, strange lands, excitement and treasure.
Later into the evenings, Calliano often snuck out to the tavernae on Avadi's Harbour where captains and crew shared stories and conducted business, and through there expanded his interests even further- even sneaking out of trade school on some days to go out on day-voyages aboard vessels.

Apprenticeship and junior officer (456-462 TE)

While Calliano's parents were not pleased with his continual sneaking out, they were in a certain sense proud that their son was chasing the honoured tradition of wayfaring, and encouraged him rather than attempt to dissuade him. As a compomise - and as a way to keep him from sneaking out to tavernae and onto vessels - Calliano's father was able to arrange for an apprenticeship for his son at the age of sixteen aboard one of the vessels he regularly serviced, where he first served as a water-runner for rowers, then became a runner himself.
During this period, Calliano was given an education in the finer points of sailing such as navigation, economics and trade, skills which would allow him to pursue a role as an Avadian wayfarer. It also gave him a taste of adventure and the life of a wayfarer, sailing out to other islands in the Beyan Archipelago, and even making the crossing to southern Arikanda and the Avadian Colonies. At the age of nineteen, he became a junior officer and served aboard a number of vessels. This particular period ignited Calliano's love for adventure, as he actively took part in the planning of trade ventures throughout the Calinan Sea, engaged in shore expeditions, and liaised between the crew and senior oficers.

Senior officer and captain of the Merid (462-464 TE)

At twenty-two, Calliano was promoted to executive officer on the vessel he was serving under, the Merid. During this time, the elderly captain of the Merid, Sero of Tebana, served as a mentor figure to Calliano, preparing him for the inevitable day he would become a captain of his own vessel. Sadly, Sero passed away of heart failure while on a vessel when Calliano was twenty-five, forcing Calliano and his fellow officers to work without a commander. Between them, Calliano and the junior officers were able to get the Sealord safely back to the town of Tebana, where his family cremated him. As part of Sero's funeral wishes, Calliano was offered command of the Merid, an offer that he accepted.

Merid Company (464-469 TE)

To this day, Calliano serves as the Captain of Merid Company, and has led the ship's crew in a number of lucrative expeditions, expanding the usual routing of trade runs to include exploration forays into the western Calinan, bounty hunting and counter-piracy contracts, and the occasional treasure run. The geographic scope of the Merid's voyages have expanded too, visiting ports and islands across three continents- everywhere from Denato to Kas. This was a time of high excitement, but also of high risk - it is known that after leaving Kas, at least one merchant prince had a bounty on his head.
Most recently, Calliano has completed a voyage to the island of Tenun in the far west of the Calinan Sea, where he captured a wanted raider for the Admiralty, collected a large tobacco shipment, and retrieved a jade jaguar idol from a ruined temple for the Prince of Tenun, and is trading along the ports of southern Arikanda before journeying to Maganti.

Sexuality

"I think I'm only interested in women, but eh, never say never I guess."
-Calliano when discussing his sexual preference.

Like many Avadians, Calliano has a liberal view of sexuality, and has had his fair share of liaisons. His partners have all been women, and he is predominently heterosexual, but he is open-minded enough to never completely rule out a same-sex relationship if the attraction ever arose.

Morality & Philosophy

"Don't call me Lord, I work for a living."
-Calliano when being addressed by a servant in Mayoka

Calliano appears to tread the neutral line between altruism and selfishness. While he is generally driven more by the interests of himself and his crew, friends and family, he has been given to moments of kindness, and takes steps to ensure that his actions do not cause needless harm to bystanders or innocent people. Against his foes and antagonists, he can be crafty and pragmatic, and is not averse to fighting dirty or using underhanded tactics. This most prominently manifests when undertaking bounty hunting or counter-piracy, where his tactics can be outright ruthless.
Like many Avadians, Calliano has a particular distaste for slavery, believing in the sacred and inalienable right of freedom for all individuals. He will go out of his way to hunt down slavers if he comes across them, and is not averse to using lethal tactics against them if necessary, although he would much prefer to bring them in alive for a bounty. He will usually forgo his usual 'no passage without payment' philosophy for any rescued slaves, taking them to a safe port.
Calliano also has a somewhat rebellious streak - a trait not uncommon among wayfarers. He also thumbs his nose at the hierarchical social orders found in most city-states and kingdoms in the world, openly laughing when referred to by honourifics - and refusing to use them for others unless absolutely required to. This can cause issues for him in those regions, and he has had more than one tangle with a slighted noble.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

At his core, Calliano is driven by a need for adventure and excitement. He gets distinctly agitated if forced to remain in once place for long, and seems to suffer from a perpetual wanderlust, always off to a new city, new land or new stretch of sea. Riches are only really an interest for him in that they provide a means to fund his adventures and expeditions.

Virtues & Personality perks

Calliano's most prominent virtue is his dedication to his crew. While he may be self-interested, in the end he considers Merid Company to be a band of brothers and sisters, and will go out of his way to protect them and look out for their well-being. Another major virtue is his determination - when he commits himself to something, he absolutely will not stop until he has accomplished it, for better or worse.
Another, while he hides it under a veneer of self-interest, is his belief in freedom and a soft heart for those who have been exploited - and a desire to stand up to those who exploit others.

Vices & Personality flaws

"Only caveats - we can't go to Tenun. Or Kas. I might have been a bit stupid. Might have angered some important people. Bounties might have been issued."
-Calliano explaining his restriction on destinations to a prospective passenger.

Calliano's most prominent flaw is beyond a doubt his headstrong nature. His refusal to follow social norms, particularly of more conservative and hierarchical societies, threatens and angers the enforcers of that order, and he has left more than one city one step ahead of the law and with a price on his head. This also ties into his second flaw, his stubbornness and refusal to give in even when it is abundantly clear that continuing down a course of action will bring down a world of hurt on him. It is generally accepted - even by him - that his pride and spite will be his undoing.
Calliano is also prone to overindulge when in port - he has a fondness for Avadian rum that goes beyond simple casual drinking and into binge territory. He has also developed a mild addiction to Tenundo tobacco, which he smokes in the form of cigars.

Social

Contacts & Relations

Calliano's closest confidantes are his Merid Company senior officers - his Avadian executive officer Merina of Ecceno, his Kalriv-Lykran Chief Marine Mikos Terelian and his Heartlander Chief Scout, Kelja Erhass. Between them, the three have served alongside him for many years and serve both as advisors and as partners in the endeavours of Merid Company.
Outside of Merid Company, Calliano has several contacts. His father has passed away, however, he still maintains a relationship with his brother Kento, who took on the family business as a shipwright, and works exclusively on the Merid when repairs and upgrades are required. Calliano also has a close working relationship with Stovas of Avadia, proprietor of Stovas' Taverna in Avadi's Harbour. While this relationship is primarily business - Stovas provides access to clients and Admiralty charters, Calliano provides a cut and refers other wayfarers - they appear to have a good friendship.
Beyond his companions, crew and his contacts, Calliano does not have a close circle in Port Avadia or in other ports, simply being too often on the move to put down roots. For those he does travel with or collaborate with regularly, however, he is said to be very friendly and amiable.
Calliano also has a friendship with the Selian companion Danaë of Selia whose counsel and advice he often seeks - a relationship he insists is platonic, although his crew do not appear to believe him. Most recently, Calliano appears to have had something of a fling with Palla Arago, the daughter of the Prince of Tenun. It is unclear how this panned out, but Calliano's recent hurried departure from Tenun has likely has something to do with this.

Wealth & Financial state

Like most Avadian traders, Calliano is certainly not in danger of being destitute - although the costs of running a vessel mean that he also couldn't be considered obscenely rich. His wealth appears to ebb and flow depending on the fortunes of Merid Company - a particularly lucrative bounty, cargo or contract, or a particularly priceless treasure, could see him very much rich, only for a lean year to wipe out a good chunk of that profit. Such is the nature of an Avadian wayfarer. With that said, Calliano is at least well off enough to own a townhouse in the district of Maura's Ward.

Alignment

Chaotic Neutral

Current Status

Completing a cargo run to Maganti

Currently Boarded Vehicle

Merid

Ethnicity

Avadian

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Captain (Merid Company)
Master (Avadian Sovereignty)

Age

29

Birthplace

Port Avadia, Beyan Archipelago

Current Residence

Port Avadia

Pronouns

He/Him

Sex

Male

Gender

Man

Presentation

Masculine

Eyes

Brown

Hair

Brown, medium length, tied back into a half ponytail

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Light tan

Height

5'8"

Weight

70 kgs

Belief/Deity

Avadian pantheon (nominally)

Aligned Organization

Merid Company

Other Affiliations

• Mariner's Guild

Known Languages

Avadian (primary)
Sapphran (fluent)
Eranic (basic)