Federigo Caccialpiano the Mercenary - Citadel C01 Fighter (1983)

Came up on eBay on this little pre-slotta thing. I bought it because it was cheap, even if it was really damaged by cleaning. I had no idea it was a 1983 C01 Fighter, as shown in the First Citadel Compendium.

Top row, second from right

Needing a mercenary miniature for my WFRP party, I set out to paint it, with no high hopes. But as I applied layers, I discovered a great sculpt full of little details and character. I have little clue of who might the sculptor be, but he did a great job.

For true WFRP fans, those who look with nostalgia at Tony Ackland's drawings of careers, this is real greatness. Look at the overloaded backpack, with holes and patches. The blanket tucked under it. The butterfly-shield. The wide-brimmed hat covering the eyes in a shady and threatening way. The sword in hand and the axe at the belt. The breastplate, the protections for knees and elbows, the knightly helm also leaning from the belt.

Everything here screams knight in disgrace, a fine warrior who fell on dark times, travelling away from his home to find adventure.

That's how the character of Federigo Caccialpiano was born. A grizzled mercenary with lots of experience but little wealth put apart, he met the PCs on a ship sailing from Dralas to Lévalto in the western Princedoms, and was promptly hired, showing great professionalism and skills. Little did they know that he had already been hired by their patron, to check on them. He figured that being their mercenary would make the job easy and mean extra pay.

Federigo himself hails from the city of Altoborgo, a free Comune up in the hills. He had been spymaster for the Council for several years, but had to flee the city when a riot of the alum miners deposed the Council and put a Podestà in its place, ransacking the homes of the wealthy families who used to get fat on the profits of the mines. He now works as a mercenary and spy for private clients, waiting for better times when eventually the Council gets back the city.

Federigo is cunning and experienced, professional and efficient. He is a rational and selfish person, with little empathy for others, but can be surprisingly manipulative. He is loyal because he likes to have a good reputation with his employers, but if risks become greater than opportunities, he is keen to turn on anybody as long as nobody will know about it. He looks like a nice chap to hang out, but he is in fact a very dangerous person.