The Spaniards are a public nuisance – soldiers of fortune, thugs for hire, defectors or plain madmen. In other words, they are exemplary adventure seekers.
When the Emperor Leopold died, genealogists had to go back to the 16th century, to Charles V in their search for a legitimate heir to the throne.
It turned out that the next king of Austria and
Bohemia should be the five year old king of Spain – Charles II, El Hechizado – the Bewitched.
His mother and the regent, Marianna Habsburg, Leopold’s older sister, immediately set out to Vienna to secure her son’s interests and make sure he got elected as the new Emperor.
Spain has been in a rough patch for a while now, and has even declared bankruptcy.
Soaring prices, impoverishment of the society, and the Inquisition’s long shadow caused many people to uproot their
lives and follow the royal retinue to Vienna. They were looking for their chance to get rich, or just for a bigger pond to fish in, so to say.
These expats stuck together in the foreign land, formed bands, and settled in local inns waiting for their opportunity.
The Veterans of the Tercio are precisely this type of group. They are mostly the veterans of the wars in Flanders.
They often work for the Duke of Medina Sidonia – a Spanish grande who gives them assignments vital for the royal interests.
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The Tercio Veterans, unlike the Defenders of the Crown and the Royal Musketeers, are not in the service of any monarch.
They are more a group of friends, colleagues, and distant acquaintances, connected by common interests.
Money motivates them no less than patriotism does others, and their skills are perfectly suited for the “dirty” fighting between factions of candidates for the imperial throne.
LEADER - DIEGO ‘EL CAPITAN’ MONTOYA
LEADER - DIEGO ‘EL CAPITAN’ MONTOYA
Diego was born in the year 1622, which makes him 44 years old. He’s a seasoned soldier and a veteran of many battles.
Beginning his military career at a young age as a camp follower, at the age of 17 he joined the ranks of the famous Gran Tercio Viejo de Nápoles as a musketeer. He fought in many battles and sieges, from Thionville (learning the ropes of the art of war when he was just 17 years old) to the battle at the dunes of Dunkirk, where he was taken prisoner.
By the time of the bloodbath at Rocroi he has attained the rank of corporal. It was then that his tercio got the nickname “El Sangriento” – “The Bloody”. During the battle he was heavily wounded, but survived. He had many opportunities for a promotion since then, but his brashness and noncompliance always got in the way.
Diego is a wetwork man. Poor, but straight. His life is cheap, so the wealthy use him for low-key assignments. If thing go wrong, he can be easily abandoned. El Capitan is a nickname – he
never attained a rank above corporal (cabo).
EL BARATERO
EL BARATERO
El Baratero is only known by his nickname. He is a Gypsy knife fighter in his forties with a face so scarred from the many fights that it looks like a map.
Born in Seville, he had his family wiped out by the Great Plague. He suffered from the disease too, and his body is marked by even more scars from it, but he miraculously survived.
Strapped for money, with no one to turn to, he got mixed up with the criminal underworld. He learned the ways of the Sevillan navajeros and soon rose to become the knife fighting champion. He found work as hired muscle and a hitman of the kind called “mohinas” by the locals. When he got on the wrong side of the Seville corregidor, he decided Andalusia was too small for him. He made a run for Madrid, and after that joined other troublemakers looking for fame and fortune in Vienna.
El Baratero is obsessed with knives. He is a great knife fighter, he can throw them, and he never runs out of knives (he always keeps one more concealed blade on him).
CATALINA DE TORTOSA
CATALINA DE TORTOSA
Her family wanted her to become a nun, but the resourceful Catalina ran from the congregation before that could happen. She took on male appearance and name – Francisco Loyola – and made her way to South America.
There she fulfilled her childhood dream of becoming a conquistador. After earning some renown, she would lead various adventurer bands.
Her exploits earned her the nickname “La Monja Alférez” – “The Nun Lieutenant”. Once her fame (or infamy) became more of a nuisance than anything else, she boarded the next ship headed to Spain to look for greener pastures. Once she heard about the departure to Vienna, she jumped at the opportunity and joined a group of Spanish soldiers of fortune.
Tall, strong, and short-haired she can impersonate a man easily, especially considering her knack for seducing women.
FRANCESCO (FRANCISCA) DE MOCTEZUMA
FRANCESCO (FRANCISCA) DE MOCTEZUMA
Born in the year 1645. Her real name is… Francisca. She is the great-great-granddaughter of Montezuma II, the ninth and last emperor of the Aztecs. Her grandfather, Pedro Tesifón Moctezuma de la Cueva, was Montezuma II’s grandson, and a Knight of Santiago. He was granted the count (conde) title by king Phillip IV in 1627.
Francisca’s penchant for combat caused her to assume a man’s disguise. She was the fifer in Gran Tercio Viejo de Nápoles, where she fell in love with El Capitan. The rest of the band is aware of her true identity, and is very careful to keep it a secret.
DON QUIXOTE
DON DON QUIXOTE
His real name is Alonso Quexana – “one of those gentlemen that keep a lance in the lance rack, an old buckler, a lean hack, and a greyhound for coursing”. His favourite pastime has always been reading chivalric romances, on which he apparently overdosed. He took the fiction for fact and became a knight errant.
A few years ago, in his late forties, he donned his great-great-grandfather’s plate armour and set out into the world accompanied by Sancho, his trusty squire.
After numerous adventures he finally came back home to La Mancha, but he couldn’t stay in one place for long. Once he heard of Leopold’s death and the supposed Spanish King’s succession, he read up on Vienna. The moment he saw mentions of the terrible basilisk and lindwurm, he jumped to his feet and rushed to prepare for the journey. How could he let the ferocious beasts threaten the life of his king? It was his duty as a knight to slay them and save the monarchy. And who knows, perhaps there are even more monsters lurking in the city?
Maybe he could even meet his greatest enemy, Friston the magician? And some enchanted giants?
SANCZO PANZA
SANCZO PANZA
Alonso’s servant, a peasant from La Mancha. Sancho is Don Quixote’s opposite – calm and collected (if not overly brave), illiterate, but also reasonable, smart, and has a lot of common sense (which his master is notoriously lacking).
Initially he joined Don Quixote hoping for a quick financial gain, but since then they became friends and he grew to enjoy the exploits with the La Mancha madman.
Sancho is not the fiercest warrior, but his low key appearance lets him blend in with the crowd easily. The wholesome looks and servant attitude cause others to glance over him. This mistake often places them staring down the barrel of his blunderbuss.
HIDALGOS
HIDALGOS
Hidalgos are an impoverished Spanish nobles.
Often all their worldly possessions comprise a patchwork jacket, a rapier by their side and sometimes an old pistol. An old hat and a cloak are their shelter.
Their faces are scarred, mostly because of drunken brawls rather than great battles but don’t underestimate them – they use weapons with deadly eciency.