Don Cagliostro (a.k.a. Frederick Van Der Merwe) - Spirit of Literacy

The 19th Century Literacy Spirit, Nicola’s Mentor

Aspects

Type	Aspect
High Concept	Mentalist Spirit of Literacy
Trouble	A Good-Hearted Charlatan
	“If you know the right thing, you always have the right win”
	My Time is over, it’s a Century for Nicola
	Gladly looks like Doctor Methuselah cast himself in the shadows

Approaches

Approach	Level
Careful	Average (+1)
Clever	Fair (+2)
Flashy	Fair (+2)
Forceful	Mediocre (+0)
Quick	Average (+1)
Sneaky	Good (+3)

Centurion Stunts

• The Real-Life Munchausen: Because he’s a Spirit of Literacy, he can use his knowledge to make people believe things that he’s talking is true, by “reading” them and discover how to influence them via lies into some truth. He receive +3 to Sneakily Create Advantages by deceive people into believing something he’s talking is true, as far there’s some truth, no matter how small, into it (“Yes, the Sotho people made me their king, you know! I’m the profetized White King of the Black Africa! You don’t want to be target of the wrath of the Might Sotho people!”)

Other Stunts - Refresh: 1

• Divination: Gain +2 to attempts to create an advantage by reading signs and portents in the stars, or in tarot cards, or using some other divination practice, made while being Careful.
• Stage Psychic: Gain +2 to attempts to create an advantage, made while being Flashy, when you make a show of predicting someone’s fortune.
• The Cavalry: Because you can sense when your friends are in trouble, once per session you can insert yourself into a scene in which an ally is in serious danger (unless you’re in jail, stuck on Mars, or otherwise physically incapable of getting there).
• Lie Detector: Gain +2 to defend actions made to detect lies when you’re being Clever.

Frederick van Der Merwe was born in Cape Town, South Africa, from a Boer diplomat father and an English actress mother. His father was one of the responsible by the returning (although briefly) of Cape Town to the Dutch in 1803. Before the Battle of Blaauwberg, his family emigrated to France and estabilished themself as artists in the Napoleonic France, emigrating from here to there avoiding the wars. In the mean time, young Frederick learned how the things works, by learning how to read as soon as 3 and being able to work at stage as 10. He also learned how to use his knowledge to work his ways into places and around people. Somewhat a honest liar, a real-life Baron of Munchausen, Fred had started his carrer in stage by unknowlingly using his gifts as a Spirit in his shows, to “read” his mentalist target and inducing their to do what he wanted or to read their future. It was this until Doctor Methusaleh got into his way and put him in Danger and he was found by the Century Club. He worked as an informant, an analyst and a scholar, while making fame and money as his alter-ego Don Cagliostro, and trying to put himself into the moves of Doctor Methusaleh and discover his objectives. With the century turning, however, he get himself out of the field as much as possible, searching for a specific kid, maybe a Spirit of Literacy as himself. When he found Nicola Castrogiovanni, he found what he needed: a Spirit of Optimism that could be great if correctly taught and doctrinated. And who’s better than a Spirit of Literacy to literate someone in something?