Rosto the Piper

Rosto the Piper
Biographical Information
Born	ca. 225 HE
Nationality	Scanran (former), Tortallan
Physical Description
Gender	Male
Height	5'10"
Hair	Blond, nearly white
Eyes	Dark
Family Information
Parents	The Dancing Dove Template:Dead
Lover	Koramin Ingensra (former), Aniki Forfrysning (current state unknown)
Affilliation
Rank	King of the Thieves
Affiliation	Court of the Rogue
Bibliographical Information
Universe	Tortallan Universe character

Phelan: "The word is he tried to kill the Rogue. Some Scanran pretty boy saved ol' Kayfer's life."

Rosto: "That 'pretty boy' would be me."

— Phelan asking about the night Crookshank tried to stab Kayfer Deerborn in the Court of the Rogue.

Rosto the Piper, originally from Scanra, comes to Tortall in 246 HE. Aniki Forfrysning and Koramin Ingensra accompany him. Not even two months after his arrival, Rosto is already the new Rogue in Corus. Tamora Pierce based Rosto on Spike from Buffy.

Biography

Life in Scanra

Presumably he was born around 225 HE. Not much is known about Rosto's social background, although it is rumoured that his family were merchants or even nobility in Scanra. However, this is contradicted by the fact that his mother was a Player known as the "Dancing Dove". She was considered beautiful and it's unknown when she died or how. Rosto later named an inn after her. But no one can be sure as he doesn't use his surname anymore and is only called "the piper" because he plays the pipes well. Nothing is known about how he came to be a criminal or how he met Aniki Forfrysning and Koramin Ingensra, either.

Life in Tortall

Rising in the Court of the Rogue

Together with Aniki and Kora he comes to Corus in late March of 246 HE. They quickly form ties with the Court of the Rogue and Rosto is hired on by Ulsa, the Rogue's chief of Prettybone District. Rosto even saves the Rogue, Kayfer Deerborn, from being stabbed by Crookshank. But Rosto doesn't only make friends with criminals. He and his two female friends move into the same lodgings as Rebakah Cooper, a member of the Provost's Guard. Rosto even shows a romantic interest in Beka, although he has had both Aniki and Kora as girlfriends until Kora found a new lover in Ersken Westover. However, Beka doesn't reciprocate his feelings, which doesn't discourage Rosto in the least.

Rosto not only befriends Beka, but also her fellow Dogs Ersken Westover and Phelan Rapp. The latter subsequently becomes a member of the Court of the Rogue, too, after he quits the Provost's Guard. Phelan's decision to not only leave the Dogs but even changing his attitude towards the law might have been greatly influenced by Rosto, who talked to him the day preceding his decision.

Rosto is attacked by two brothers, who were hired by Ulsa, in the end of April of 246 HE. He manages to stay alive and kill them instead and has a new scar as a result. When she learns that Rosto is still alive Ulsa gives him the position of gang-chief, showing her favour for him and trying to discourage rumours that she had a hand in the assault. In early May of 246 HE he spent a night in the cages after he started a tavern fight by insulting the current Rogue and some Dogs took offence by his opponent's landing in their supper.

The Rogue of Corus

Rosto challenges the current Rogue, Kayfer Deerborn, on May 11 of 246 HE and kills him thus becoming the new Rogue of Corus.

Rosto bought a lodging house from Mistress Trout and rebuilt it into an inn in 246 and 247 HE. In September of 247 HE the place became his new court and he named it the Dancing Dove, after his dead mother. Earlier that year, in the summer, the red flux was a common disease in Corus. Rosto was one of the sick, although he, unlike others, survived. By autumn of 247 HE Rosto has developed a habit in leaving gillyflowers on Beka's doorstep whenever something particularly good or bad happens to her.

Beka: "You've been laying up foreign grain."

Rosto: "It's my second year as a Rogue. My newness is wearin off. Folk are remembering I'm a stranger to Corus, to Tortall. This is a bad time for me forget it's a Rogue's duty to feed his people in hard times."

Aniki: "There's my clever lad!"

— Beka, Rosto and Aniki the day after the Bread Riot

In autumn of 247 HE the harvest wasn't going very well and there were additional rumors of mold in the corp. Rosto, following the Law of the Rogue, has been buying grain from the Copper and Yamani Islands to ensure his people are properly fed, should things get to the worst.

Physical description

Rosto is five feet ten inches (5'10") tall and muscled, although slender built. He has dark eyes, although his hair and skin those are quite pale, nearly white. He has sharp bones, high cheekbones and quite a few blade scars originating from former fights. On his left eyebrow he has a Y-shaped scar. Rosto's nose is long. He has a full lower lip and a thin upper lip. In his left ear he carries an earring in the form of a silver skull and he normally has several knives on him. In the time that Beka knows him Rosto acquires further scars after fights he won. One of them is the result of two brothers attacking him on Ulsa's orders. Another comes from his fight against Kayfer Deerborn; a long one down one cheek.

Beka refers to him as "Scanran pretty boy" quite a few times.

Personality and traits

Rosto: "Ow. Lovey's got a bite."

Beka: "I'm not your 'lovey'. I'm not your doxie. You're six years older than me, Rosto. There's mots your age more than willing to be your flirts! And you've Aniki and Kora besides. You've white hair, you great looby!"

Rosto: "I'm blond! My hair isn't white,it's blond! Corn silk! Sun-colored! Gold!"

— Rosto and Beka after Rosto tries to thank her for telling him that Ulsa sent the two brothers who had attacked him.

Rosto is polyamorous, having an affair both with Aniki and Kora in the beginning. He also likes to flirt and Beka seems to be the first woman who doesn't return his advances. In addition to this Rosto is vain and contradicts everyone who claims that his hair is white.

As the Rogue he watches after his people and ensures their well-being in bad times. Even though he is greedy like most crooked people, he also knows that turning out false coins is contra-productive and wouldn't dare producing false siver. He's also quite clever for a Rogue and has "some kind of book-learning to go with it".

Skills

Rosto is highly adept at fighting with knives, which is not only shown by his many scars, but also by the fact that he always carries half a dozen with him.

He can also play the flute quite well, which got him his name "the Piper".

Appearances

• Terrier
• Bloodhound (only beginning and end)