COUTURE

BIOGRAPHY

1. It is in the great tradition of haughty mafioso and mafioso-adjacents to trace their origins to the old country, and across time to That Great Empire. Luca Zambrotta is no exception. For convenience and narrative coherence however, it is easier to begin with the story of his great-grandfather: Gennaro Zambrotta, who made suits for the Family in the basement of a run-down apartment, his labours persistently overlooked, and vital. “Every stitch, stitched in blood” was his motto, and although neither he, nor any of his sons and sons of sons, would gain the respect they deserved, his devotion and loyalty to both the Family, as well as the highest patrons of Craftsmanship, persisted. [break][break]

2. For all the trappings of luxury that surrounded him, Gennaro Zambrotta was in debt when he died. So too was his son Andrea. And his son Danilo—Luca’s father—also. [break][break]

3. Danilo Zambrotta was many things. Underappreciated associate of the Baldano family. Underpaid tailor. Purveyor of a broken shop. He who danced on the tightrope of near-destitution. Exceptional fisherman. Expert drunk. Master of the jealousy that bubbled beneath his tongue. Mastered by it. Foul-mouthed villain, who screamed “I’m Rome, goddamnit!” at anyone who would listen. Soft spoken orator, also, with natural talent for bedtime stories and lullabies. Squandered. Thrice married. Lonely. Too weak and brittle-hearted for the outside world. Prodigious wielder of both palm and belt buckle within the confines of his own home. [break][break]

4. This is to say that, to Luca, Danilo Zambrotta was precisely one thing. Unkind. [break][break]

5. And so Luca was a certain, pained thing of his own. Wanting. [break][break]

6. “Unkind” and “Wanting” are long and winding stories. The most merciful storytellers condense them. This is to say, simply, that Danilo died unfulfilled, and all those who cared—in the way of, chiefly, bemusement and idle-eyed curiosity—asked their questions and posited their theories as to what damage the world’s weight wrought upon his frail shoulders, and Luca’s own part in it. [break][break]

7. Luca came into the shop, and it thrived. [break][break]

8. Luca earned the respect of his peers, then the Baldano family. [break][break]

9. Luca did a job. And another. Earned his stripes. [break][break]

10. But Luca doesn’t talk about the demon that came to him before his ascendancy, clad in Armani suit and other such trimmings, belly-tickled with mirth, recounting all the failings and meager lives of the Zambrotta. Doesn’t talk about the Offering. “Promise me what is inside you, that you wear, unknown to you, like a veil—pledge it to me, and I will give you everything. I will make you Rome.” [break][break]

11. Luca is many things. Valued associate of the Baldano family. Chosen tailor of the underground. Purveyor of a blossoming shop. Conspirator. Thief. Villain. “Couture”. Man with demon-gifted magicks. Not quite Rome yet, but maybe, just maybe, almost—and if never Rome then, at least, He. He who will take hold of everything one day, one beautiful day, and, at the end of so many beautiful days to follow, know that he made off with all of it. All of it besides his soul. [break][break]

CHARACTER POWERS

✰ EMPOWERED CLOTHING GENERATION [break]
Clothing Generation [break][break]

Thanks to his contract with the demon “Armani”, Couture is able to quickly weave enhanced (let’s say, “enchanted”) articles of clothing (shirts, pants, hats, shoes, gloves, scarves, for example, but not glasses or jewelery) from nothing, and in trivial amounts of time. He is able to bestow each piece he creates with a “super”-quality of his choosing, with the abilities varying based on the article of clothing (he is also able to enchant existing articles of clothing with a brief touch). [break][break]

X - All articles of clothing are limited to possessing one super-quality.[break]
X - At any given time, Couture is able to maintain the enchantment of up to 3 of his creations. (As an aside, he is also able to consciously "cancel" an enchantment.)[break]
X - Otherwise, each piece of super-clothing is able to maintain its magical quality for around thirty minutes or, in the case of ‘active’ effects, around 10 usages (eg: 10 super-strength punches from a pair of gloves enchanted with the ability to increase hand strength). Upon “expenditure”, Couture’s creations disintegrate into nothing (pre-existing clothing that is enchanted simply reverts to being mundane).[break][break]

The following are the enchantments currently known to Couture, accompanied by description and compatible types of apparel. [break][break]

Enhanced Strength: Couture is able to enchant clothing with increased lifting strength or striking power, enough to lift a car, or send a car flying down the length of a street, respectively. (Gloves for lifting/punches, footwear for kicks) [break]
Enhanced Jumping: Couture is able to enchant clothing with increased jumping ability, enough to “leap a five/six-story tall buildings in a single bound”. (Footwear) [break]
Enhanced Durability: Couture is able to enchant clothing with the ability to grant the wearer enhanced durability, resistance to traumas both piercing and blunt targeting the area covered by relevant apparel. (All) [break]
Enhanced Speed: Couture is able to enchant clothing with the ability to grant the wearer enhanced (Peak Olympian) speed, up to around 28 miles/hour. (Footwear) [break]
Enhanced Resistance to Elements: Couture is able to enchant clothing with the ability to grant the wearer enhanced resistance to elements, such as heat/cold/electricity/acid (each element counts as a separate quality). (All) [break]
Sharpen Object into Weapon: Couture is able to enchant clothing with supernatural sharpness, enough to shear through steel. (Sharp footwear such as stilettos, the edges of scarves/capes/baggy sleeves or hats with large brims to be used as boomerang-ing projectiles). [break]
Gliding: Couture is able to enchant clothing with the ability to glide and maneuver gracefully through air. (Capes). [break]
Wind Generation: Couture is able to enchant clothing with the ability to generate powerful gusts of wind through motion. (Capes) [break]
Clothing Constructs: Couture is able to enchant clothing with the gift of animation, allowing them to float around under his control and do such insidious things as strangle Couture’s foes. They are roughly as fast and strong as an average human. (All) [break][break]

MISC.

✽ Proficient Martial Artist [break][break]

Luca Zambrotta is an accomplished practitioner of "bartitsu", a martial art combining elements of boxing, jujitsu, cane fighting, and French kickboxing (savate). He wields an ebony cane in combat. [break][break]

✽ Advanced Throwing Mastery [break][break]

Luca Zambrotta is a superlative combatant when it comes to thrown weaponry--specifically in the case of his enchanted, sharp-brimmed hats--with exceptional aim, skill with trickshots (ricochets, boomerang shots, etc), and the ability to catch his own projectiles. He is moderately proficient with other thrown weapons such as knives, although significantly less so. [break][break]