Character Name: Nicola Francesca Canon: Piofiore Age: 28 If Under 16, why is this character a good thematic fit for Somnia?: N/A Canon Point: Fated Memories, post-death in the Best End of Yang Route Wiki Link(s):link
SOMNIA-SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
1. Dreams are how Sleep chooses you. What might draw your character into Somnia— a wound, a wish, a weakness? Would they follow the dream, or run from it? Nicola enters Somnia through a lethal wound accompanied by two wishes: a burning, hateful wish to witness the downfall of a rival criminal organization known as the Lao-Shu and their leader, Yang, and a rueful wish that he could have saved the life of his boss and "little brother," Dante. In the Best End of the Yang Route, he is killed at Yang's hand during a battle he initiated in an attempt to avenge Dante. Nicola's violent death underscores the limits of his charm and calculation; for a man who lived by control, his end comes as the ultimate loss of it, cut down in a world where his strategies, his loyalty, and his careful balancing act were not enough. Having never experienced anything supernatural or left his world before, Nicola would find the dream terrifying, but he would not run from it. He would follow it with the same grace he showed in life, smiling even as he hides the bitterness of a life cut short.
2. Somnia is a slow unraveling—of worlds, and of selves. How does your character respond to fear, transformation, and losing control? Do they fight, adapt, collapse? Nicola's unraveling begins with his death. In life, he was quick to adapt. He stood firm against Yang and the Lao-Shu even when the odds were hopeless, and he met authority with sharp words hidden behind a polite smile. Yet in Somnia, haunted by the circumstances of his death, he would find himself face-to-face with a fear he never wanted to acknowledge: the fear that charm and strategy cannot stop fate. His instinct remains to adapt, to go along with the dream with a practiced smile, but beneath the surface lies the memory of how his life ended. When the Murmur threatens to consume him, Nicola would fight to reassert control, unwilling to collapse a second time. The man who faced Yang in the church with a smile as the blade struck would reveal the ruthlessness beneath the elegance, refusing to be undone again.
3. Connection is the only constant. What kind of bonds does your character form—fast and burning, slow and wary, deep and desperate? How might that shape their time in this world? On the surface, Nicola is a charismatic man who can form fast, dazzling bonds, winning others over with ease, but most never go beyond the surface. Despite his silver tongue, he is more of an introvert, preferring to keep others at a respectful distance and actively avoiding people when he's tired. In this canon point, he was only able to form two deep bonds in his life. The first was with a boy named Henri when they were both children, who told the lonely Nicola that he would be his older brother. Tragic circumstances tore the found brothers apart not long after, and they never met again. The second was with Dante, to whom Nicola subconsciously passed on the love Henri once showed him by telling the young Dante to think of Nicola as his older brother. Nicola dedicated the rest of his life to serving Dante from that point onward, going to unspeakable lengths to try to ensure that his little brother lived happily and successfully. Now that he's lost Dante as well, Nicola would yearn for yet another person to pass on that brotherly love to, but he would always be haunted by the shadow of the little brother he could not save. His charm would make him magnetic in Somnia, but his grief would render those bonds heavier, more fragile, and more dangerous.
4. What are two major forces in your character’s personality that are often in conflict? Loyalty and freedom. Nicola's loyalty to Dante and the Falzone bound him. He lived every waking moment of his life in service to the Falzone Family and worked hard to ensure that the Family prospered under Dante's rule. However, he often acted on his own behind Dante's back, unafraid to do things his boss would not approve of for his sake. Nicola also secretly despised the outdated traditions that the Falzone clung to and was the only member of the Family who didn't believe in God. Ever since the young Dante blurted after a heated argument with his father that he didn't want to be boss, Nicola spent years quietly formulating a plan to free him from the Family's shackles, though it never came to fruition in the Yang Route. He convinced himself that it was what Dante truly wanted, but Nicola was really projecting his own desires onto him. This is shown in the Good End of his own route, where a failed execution of the plan led to his own freedom instead of Dante's. Nicola tarnished his reputation to the point that he had to flee his hometown for his own safety, but before he left, Dante told him he was proud of the life he was living as the Falzone's boss and asked Nicola to find his own path without worrying about his blood. Nicola was happy and even excited to embark on the journey with the woman he loved by his side, but the freedom would hit much differently in Somnia, where he would begin his path of self-discovery alone after losing his life in a failed revenge scheme.
VESSEL SELECTION Which Vessel Type are you choosing: Token or Offering? Token Why does this Vessel type feel appropriate for your character? Nicola is someone who commanded great respect as the underboss of the Falzone Family. There were those in the Family who thought so highly of him that they believed he should have been the boss instead of Dante. When he briefly took over the Family following Dante's death, his subordinates continued to follow his orders without question. Nicola's strong leadership qualities make the Token type fitting for him. I also think Shadowbinder specifically suits him because Nicola has always lived his life in the shadows, drawing as little attention to himself in the eyes of the general public as possible. Most didn't even know he was the Falzone's underboss. I've always liked the idea of him having powers that play into that. Choose one OR list three subclass options within your chosen Vessel type that you think would suit them: Shadowbinder
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Name: Ori
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Age: 33
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CHARACTER INFO
Character Name: Nicola Francesca
Canon: Piofiore
Age: 28
If Under 16, why is this character a good thematic fit for Somnia?: N/A
Canon Point: Fated Memories, post-death in the Best End of Yang Route
Wiki Link(s): link
SOMNIA-SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
1. Dreams are how Sleep chooses you. What might draw your character into Somnia— a wound, a wish, a weakness? Would they follow the dream, or run from it?
Nicola enters Somnia through a lethal wound accompanied by two wishes: a burning, hateful wish to witness the downfall of a rival criminal organization known as the Lao-Shu and their leader, Yang, and a rueful wish that he could have saved the life of his boss and "little brother," Dante. In the Best End of the Yang Route, he is killed at Yang's hand during a battle he initiated in an attempt to avenge Dante. Nicola's violent death underscores the limits of his charm and calculation; for a man who lived by control, his end comes as the ultimate loss of it, cut down in a world where his strategies, his loyalty, and his careful balancing act were not enough. Having never experienced anything supernatural or left his world before, Nicola would find the dream terrifying, but he would not run from it. He would follow it with the same grace he showed in life, smiling even as he hides the bitterness of a life cut short.
2. Somnia is a slow unraveling—of worlds, and of selves. How does your character respond to fear, transformation, and losing control? Do they fight, adapt, collapse?
Nicola's unraveling begins with his death. In life, he was quick to adapt. He stood firm against Yang and the Lao-Shu even when the odds were hopeless, and he met authority with sharp words hidden behind a polite smile. Yet in Somnia, haunted by the circumstances of his death, he would find himself face-to-face with a fear he never wanted to acknowledge: the fear that charm and strategy cannot stop fate. His instinct remains to adapt, to go along with the dream with a practiced smile, but beneath the surface lies the memory of how his life ended. When the Murmur threatens to consume him, Nicola would fight to reassert control, unwilling to collapse a second time. The man who faced Yang in the church with a smile as the blade struck would reveal the ruthlessness beneath the elegance, refusing to be undone again.
3. Connection is the only constant. What kind of bonds does your character form—fast and burning, slow and wary, deep and desperate? How might that shape their time in this world?
On the surface, Nicola is a charismatic man who can form fast, dazzling bonds, winning others over with ease, but most never go beyond the surface. Despite his silver tongue, he is more of an introvert, preferring to keep others at a respectful distance and actively avoiding people when he's tired. In this canon point, he was only able to form two deep bonds in his life. The first was with a boy named Henri when they were both children, who told the lonely Nicola that he would be his older brother. Tragic circumstances tore the found brothers apart not long after, and they never met again. The second was with Dante, to whom Nicola subconsciously passed on the love Henri once showed him by telling the young Dante to think of Nicola as his older brother. Nicola dedicated the rest of his life to serving Dante from that point onward, going to unspeakable lengths to try to ensure that his little brother lived happily and successfully. Now that he's lost Dante as well, Nicola would yearn for yet another person to pass on that brotherly love to, but he would always be haunted by the shadow of the little brother he could not save. His charm would make him magnetic in Somnia, but his grief would render those bonds heavier, more fragile, and more dangerous.
4. What are two major forces in your character’s personality that are often in conflict?
Loyalty and freedom. Nicola's loyalty to Dante and the Falzone bound him. He lived every waking moment of his life in service to the Falzone Family and worked hard to ensure that the Family prospered under Dante's rule. However, he often acted on his own behind Dante's back, unafraid to do things his boss would not approve of for his sake. Nicola also secretly despised the outdated traditions that the Falzone clung to and was the only member of the Family who didn't believe in God. Ever since the young Dante blurted after a heated argument with his father that he didn't want to be boss, Nicola spent years quietly formulating a plan to free him from the Family's shackles, though it never came to fruition in the Yang Route. He convinced himself that it was what Dante truly wanted, but Nicola was really projecting his own desires onto him. This is shown in the Good End of his own route, where a failed execution of the plan led to his own freedom instead of Dante's. Nicola tarnished his reputation to the point that he had to flee his hometown for his own safety, but before he left, Dante told him he was proud of the life he was living as the Falzone's boss and asked Nicola to find his own path without worrying about his blood. Nicola was happy and even excited to embark on the journey with the woman he loved by his side, but the freedom would hit much differently in Somnia, where he would begin his path of self-discovery alone after losing his life in a failed revenge scheme.
VESSEL SELECTION
Which Vessel Type are you choosing: Token or Offering? Token
Why does this Vessel type feel appropriate for your character?
Nicola is someone who commanded great respect as the underboss of the Falzone Family. There were those in the Family who thought so highly of him that they believed he should have been the boss instead of Dante. When he briefly took over the Family following Dante's death, his subordinates continued to follow his orders without question. Nicola's strong leadership qualities make the Token type fitting for him. I also think Shadowbinder specifically suits him because Nicola has always lived his life in the shadows, drawing as little attention to himself in the eyes of the general public as possible. Most didn't even know he was the Falzone's underboss. I've always liked the idea of him having powers that play into that.
Choose one OR list three subclass options within your chosen Vessel type that you think would suit them: Shadowbinder
Samples: TDM toplevel