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Florian DeXiphias
Persona
Florian DeXiphias is a 16th-century Frenchman, born to a shipping and merchant family on the southern coast of France. As the second of five children he was thus expected to help run the shipping business. Unfortunately, Florian was not inclined toward shipping, packing, contract seeking or finance management. He preferred instead to indulge his follies by shirking work to play music and study poetry. His goal, in fact, was nothing less than to write the greatest song in the world. Due to this, and other… interpersonal tensions, he left home at the age of seventeen to seek his fortune. This was not as successful as he'd hoped, for though Florian was a passable singer and musician, he was no serious genius and had trouble making his way as a professional artist. His family grew more and more convinced of his uselessness and, with the exception of the oldest brother, gradually cut ties with him. Florian would be greatly dependent on the generosity of this brother in the coming years.
As business opportunities in the New World grew, it became apparent that a business branch on the other side of the Atlantic would be advantageous. Leaving their oldest son in charge of the business at home, the rest of the family migrated to New France in the mid 1500s. Florian, of course, stayed behind.
Florian's young adult years were spent struggling to make it as a musician traveling the French countryside, and working farm jobs along the way. He gained a great appreciation of the land in doing so, and made many fast friends playing in taverns at night. France's farmers, however, could not afford to do more than feed him day-to-day and at times could not even afford to employ him for room and board. Seeking a living, Florian eventually migrated to Italy.
After what was now over a year on the road, he began to get rather desperate. Florian eventually accepted a position in a low-level mercenary group and was taught the basics of Italian rapier defense (street fight version). He proved effective at petty theft and break-ins, but could not bring himself to execute targets when it was required. Playing music for petty change by day, stealing by night, and sharing a hide-out with the mercenary gang, Florian was able to sustain himself in one place for nearly a year and six months. In this time, he befriended nearly every actor, gypsy, student, dancer and brothel girl within five miles of his temporary home.
The mercenary group gradually gained some notoriety in the black market and was sought for more prestigious projects. A noble woman of some import eventually hired them to slay a business partner who had slighted her both in love and in commercial enterprise. The bounty for this job was to be substantial. However, at the end of the night, Florian's inability to stomach a good killing caused him to sabotage the mission. The group was not caught, but neither were they paid, and Florian was fired therefore.
Finding himself again without work, but with increased skills in the realms of stealth, music, and sword fighting, he was able to migrate back to France in relatively better shape than he'd been when he set out 3 years prior. What little wealth he had accumulated, he was largely able to keep because he could defend himself against bandits on the road. He made it back to his home town where his brother was still running the shipping business.
Florian pleaded with his brother to hire him. He claimed repentance for his criminal career and explained that he hoped get to the New World to re-unite and reconcile with the family. These requests were accepted.
In 1580, Florian was finally brought to the shores of New France. For sometime after, he made a fair living packing, advertising and running errands for the business. As he matured and gained access to material means, his early interest in poetry blossomed into a broader and more robust interest in literature and language. Books, still rare and expensive in the New World, became a fascination.
Life West of the Atlantic scratched an itch for Florian; the restlessness which once drove him to live on the fringes of civilized society was now quelled by periodic adventures in the dense and frigid forests of New France. He took an immediate interest in the native peoples who did business with them along the St. Laurence (Huron, later Cree, Algonquin and Ojibwa peoples), seeking knowledge of their languages and ways not only for business, but out of pure interest. Soon he filled notebooks with original poetry inspired by his adventures, notes about the peoples he encountered, and illustrations of the flora and fauna of his new homeland.
At age 30, Florian was orally fluent in French, English, and various dialects in the Algonquian language group. Though it fell out of use, he even retained some of his Italian. This was not entirely out of ordinary for a man of the time, but it did make him somewhat more employable to cross-cultural business and diplomatic ends. Thus, almost despite himself, he began to climb in social esteem. At present, he reads less as a rogue bard and more as a man of the world.
This is the situation now. What will he do next?
Whereabouts
Florian currently resides in the Canton of Caldrithig, within the Barony of Skraeling Althing.
Heraldry
Florian does not currently have registered Heraldry.
Offices and Appointments
Current Office
Florian does not currently hold any positions in office.
SCA History
Florian began training in Fencing in the Winter of 2015, and joined the local choir group the following Fall. He has since been broadening his horizons and making friends.
Interests
Awards
- Bunny Tail - Summer, 2015
- Award of Arms - March 25th, 2016.
Contact Information
You can contact Florian by sending an e-pigeon to Florian DeZiphias or following him on instagram @felix_vanasse.
