Author's Notes
Cat Burglar Silvio
Silvio is a sad case.
I wanted a very likely, very harmless, very innocent and very hurt character, with an almost classic angelic look of innosence, someone the crew would feel protective about. He had a bad life, never got to be a kid, never learned normal interactions, always expecting to be hit. Then, he found the Blue Marlin, and things changed. He got friends. He developed feelings for Junia. People liked him, and protected him. Life was going better.
There was just one small problem.
His only reason for existing in the campaign was to show that we play for keeps. From the very moment I started making him, it was because I planned to have him unfairly and brutally killed for no good reason.
I wanted to set an example, show that the world is brutal and risks are real. By doing this, the feeling is established, and the GM can, without the players knowing, reduce the danger. Now, the world feels dangerous, even if the danger isn't that big anymore.
This, in turn, makes it possible to have a long running campaign without having to kill characters, while still feeling grim. This is good for continuity and long character development arcs.
So, sorry Silvio. I never gave you a chance. My apologies.