Peter Rossini

Peter Rossini

Peter Rossini was born the eldest son of Gabriel and Elena Rossini in the city of San Lorenzo. The Rossini family was part of the wealthy merchant class with holdings in shipping and banking concerns, and influences in the local trade guilds.

Early Years
Gabriel had hoped to groom young Peter for the family businesses but while showing a keen aptitude toward them, had no heart for it. He wanted a more active lifestyle. Peter was looking to his brother Marco, younger by two years, to embrace the tediousness of business. He himself would see to the physical aspects of them.

Peter had spent his early years with his grandfather Carlos Arnoldi Rossini, the first Rossini to enter into the overseas trade of silks and tapestries. Peter loved to walk the docks with his Grandfather, fascinated by the ships and taking great interest in the building and rigging of sailing vessels. Peter liked but never understood why his grandfather would nod with appreciation at a successful situation and say “Plumb, Level and Square to the World”.

When Peter became of school age, he was put under the tutelage of Giovanni Gessetti. Gessetti was an acquaintance of Carlos with unknown ties. Gessetti was to teach Peter and later Marco in mathematics, bookkeeping and material logistics. Peter was also to be instructed in swordsmanship and physical training. Peter loved the training but hated the “book stuff”, ducking out of assigned reading whenever possible.

One such excursion of being ‘oot n aboot’ proved to be fateful.

Assassination
Peter often escaped the mundane world of study for the wharfs and marketplaces. He became friends with local boys of the city. They didn’t know he was “Grosso”, wealthy, and he didn’t care that they were “Populo”, common. He spent much time in this world of freedom.

It was while trying to sneak back into Villa Rossini that Peter was aware immediately that things were very wrong. The normal mutterings from certain rooms were silent. He heard the screaming of his mother from his brother and sister’s rooms. He was close enough to hear his mother begging for the mercy of her children and then silence. As he ran down the hall, he was knocked over by a hooded figure, the eyes and face he would always remember. He found the lifeless bodies of his mother Elena, brother Marco and sister Karina, stabbed. In the study he found his father and grandfather, slain. His grandfather had been shot by a wrist bolt and father also stabbed. The chronicles are unclear as to where Gessetti was during the assassinations.

The ‘Gray Mouser’
Vowing vengeance of his family, he made his way back to his friends. Nature would have it that he turned to a life of petty crime, snatching purses from the Grosso in the marketplace. While gold reminded him of happier days in the Villa, he never took it, only silver. He reasoned that gold in a street urchin’s hands would raise suspicions. He had a method by which he would snatch a purse, follow the person and then run up saying “Pardon, your grace, you dropped your purse back there. I retrieved it for you”. This usually netted Peter a few silver as a reward. During these times, he became known as the ‘Gray Mouser’; stealthy, planning and agile.

It was a matter of time before Gessetti caught up with Peter. Gessetti had heard of a ‘Gray Mouser’ and knew it was Peter. Posing as an elderly merchant, Gessetti wandered the marketplace. Sensing Peter’s approach, Gessetti grabbed him. Peter was never so relieved to be caught in his life! Gessetti took Peter under wing and began the training anew. The following years saw Peter develop his skills and reach manhood. While in training, Peter would often question Gessetti about his family’s assassinations. Gessetti would only say ‘In time, In time’.

Invasion and Exodus
The immediate threat of invasion from forces to the east led Rossini, Gessetti and others to engage in skirmishing actions in the foothills of the east of San Lorenzo. While never intended to defeat the enemy hordes, the actions served as a delaying tactic to allow the people of the Lugano region to flee with the main body of the exodus.

Gessetti at this point instructed Rossini to travel with the main body. He himself was to find Genseric and join the resistance.

Rossini strongly objected to this as cowardly but Gessetti told him it was not ‘fleeing’ but ‘protecting’. Gessetti’s personal task required him to join Genseric.

The exodus eventually resulted in internment by the Empire. It was interment that led Rossini to meet Lucy Bligh and Oliver Redding.