The Great Strombolio
Strombolio Lunacitia (a.k.a. The Great Strombolio)
Strombolio, or the Great Strombolio, if you're going by his stage name, is the Dark Champion of Altairus and the creator and former wielder of Lethal Joke. He alongside the other five Champions of Altairus defeated the Heart of Darkness back in the War of the Wendigoes and banished it back to the Flipside.
When the War ended, he went back to working at the Circus of Shadows. Where once he was merely one of many performers, he became the big star of the circus once he returned. Despite running a tight ship, he never lost his smile or his sense of fun.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Strombolio has aged remarkably well. He is still physically fit enough to perform in the Circus of Shadows and run the Dark Carnival when the time comes.
Body Features
Strombolio has a few features that distinguish him from his fellow harlequin gremlins. His many battles in the War have left him with a chunk taken out of his right antenna. His tail is long and curls upon itself. When he is sad or tired, it drags along the ground.
Facial Features
Strombolio has a black goatee and bushy black eyebrows.
Physical quirks
Strombolio is known amongst harlequin gremlins for his ability to put down food and drink like it's nothing. He tends not to get stomachaches or become nauseous easily. This is part of the reason why he has such a big belly (the other reasons being his age and the fact that he's a male harlequin gremlin, who tend to be rather chunky in general).
Part of his gluttony can be attributed to his hedonistic personality. As a being whose modus operandi is to bring happiness and laughter to the people of Altairus, he values all kinds of pleasure, including physical pleasure.
The other reason for this is... rather dark. During the War of the Wendigoes, he nearly faced starvation while on his journey. After the War ended, he never wanted to feel that kind of hunger ever again. In this way, his binges are a kind of coping mechanism.
In a similar vein, he has a remarkably high alcohol tolerance, built up over time as he started drinking to cope with his trauma from the War.
Special abilities
Strombolio is a master of illusion and performance magic. While this doesn't sound useful in battle, it proved to be more than helpful in the War of the Wendigoes for its power to induce positive emotion in an audience. This increases the power of Undifferentiated Anima in the area and weakens wendigoes.
Apparel & Accessories
Strombolio wears a pied jumpsuit, like all harlequin gremlins who work in the Circus of Shadows. His jumpsuit is deep plum on the right and royal purple on the left. His gloves and boots are a more bluish shade than his suit.
Specialized Equipment
Strombolio used Lethal Joke in the War of the Wendigoes. Nowadays, he still occasionally uses it for shows.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Strombolio was born into the Circus of Shadows. He spent much of his early years performing alongside his parents. The ringmaster at the time, The Amazing Magnus, immediately recognized that Strombolio was something of a prodigy; even at the tender age of 2 years, he wowed audiences with his fantastical illusions and displays of Dark magic. This ringmaster took little Strombolio under his wing, teaching him all the ins and outs of the circus business. He christened the harlequin gremlin widget with his signature title and began using his image for advertisements up until he temporarily left.
Strombolio was quite smart when it came to machinery, too. He first built Lethal Joke when he was 15 years old. Back then, it did not have a name and was merely designed to be a handheld launcher for fireworks. But when the War of the Wendigoes broke out, Strombolio and the rest of the circus crew faced off against an army of wendigoes that had invaded the theater! Putting his fear aside, Strombolio used his makeshift weapon to drive the monsters back and save the day.
It was then that Strombolio knew what he needed to do. He bathed his creation in the Dark magic of the harlequin gremlins and replaced the fireworks inside with grenades full of laughing gas. He joined the five other Champions of Altairus on their quest to defeat the Heart of Darkness once and for all with his creation, now rechristened Lethal Joke, by his side.
After the Heart of Darkness was defeated, Strombolio went back to the Circus of Shadows. To his dismay, he found that the ringmaster who had mentored him had died in the War. So he took on the responsibility of managing the circus in his absence. He remains in charge of it to this day.
Education
Strombolio's late ringmaster, The Amazing Magnus, taught him everything about the circus and its inner workings. When he got back from the War, he used this knowledge to keep the circus running in his mentor's absence.
Employment
Strombolio was born into the Circus of Shadows. When he was about three or four years old, the circus's ringmaster saw great potential in him and began giving him more complicated acts to follow. When he passed these with flying colors, his mentor observed that he was drawing in more patrons than any of the other performers. It wasn't long before Strombolio was christened with his stage name and made the star of the circus. Unfortunately, this attracted some negative attention from a certain Mr. Twicchit, who resented that Strombolio's act shoved his to the side.
Strombolio took a leave of absence from the Circus of Shadows when he embarked on his quest to defeat the Heart of Darkness in the War of the Wendigoes. Coming back, he realized that the circus had no management, since the former ringmaster passed away. He took up the responsibility of managing the Circus of Shadows in his mentor's absence, where he remains today.
Accomplishments & Achievements
Strombolio is the Champion of Darkness. Wielding Lethal Joke, he assisted in banishing the Heart of Darkness, ending the War of the Wendigoes.
When he came back from the War, he took on the responsibility of running the Circus of Shadows and the Dark Carnival.
Failures & Embarrassments
Strombolio has had more than his fair share of rotten tomatoes thrown at him. Such is the nature of the beast when you're in show business.
Mental Trauma
Strombolio maintains a cheerful demeanor, but what he went through wasn't easy. Aside from the trials and tribulations he and the other Champions faced during their quest, going back home to find his mentor had died of influenza was not an easy thing to come back to.
He felt especially guilty because he was off on his quest when this happened. He had missed the chance to try and get his ringmaster the medicine he needed to live, or at the very least to spend the last few precious moments of his life at his side.
While he claims to be happy despite everything, his employees have found more and more empty bottles of Amberjack Cider in his trailer lately...
Intellectual Characteristics
Strombolio is very smart and was very precocious when he was young. He created Lethal Joke when he was just 15 years old.
Morality & Philosophy
Strombolio is committed to the mission of the Circus of Shadows. His main goal is to put on a good show, making as many people smile as he can. Still, he can be serious when the situation calls for it.
Taboos
Since Strombolio has been on the receiving end of more than a few boos and jeers in his lifetime, he has a lot of empathy for those who are laughed at. As such, he has little patience for those who bully others. He makes it clear to all of his employees that he does not condone harassment, and those who are caught bullying others are fired on the spot.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Strombolio's motivation centers around bringing smiles to the people of Altairus. He finds that in the wake of the War, this is what gives his life meaning. Not to mention that it empowers the world in general, as laughter is one of the many things that bolsters Undifferentiated Anima in this world and drives wendigoes back.
Savvies & Ineptitudes
One thing you would never guess about Strombolio is that he is a skilled healer. He had to learn from an early age how to deal with cases of someone getting sick or hurt on the road. He has an apothecary set in his trailer and an ample catalogue of books on potion-making. Many of these potions are made from common herbs and other ingredients that can be found throughout Altairus.
Likes & Dislikes
Strombolio is a big fan of cheese, cheddar specifically. One of the things he missed the most on his journey during the War of the Wendigoes when he and the other Champions faced hunger was cheese. He vowed that he would get his hands on it as soon as he could when he made it back home.
As for dislikes, Strombolio cannot stand The Fluffer Butters in the Land Without Cheers. This harlequin gremlin who faced down the Heart of Darkness goes into hysterics if he even so much as hears the name of the special. Which is appropriate, considering he gets violently sick if he watches it. The last time he saw it, he was in the bathroom throwing up for five hours straight! He was also worried about the cursed copy when it was still in circulation, but that fear of his has abated for the most part since The Winter Orchestrator locked it away.
Essentially, this is his reaction to seeing any part of The Fluffer Butters in the Land Without Cheers (linked because this particular video is not enabled for embedding).
Virtues & Personality perks
Strombolio is a tough but compassionate leader. He sets high standards for his employees to meet, but is more than willing to throw his life and limb on the line to help them if they need it.
He is also a savvy problem-solver.
His fun-loving nature and ample experience in the Circus of Shadows prevents him from panicking easily. As he always says, no matter what happens, "the show must go on!" This attitude has served him well in the War of the Wendigoes. Situations that would make a lesser being break down simply became another challenge for him to overcome. Admittedly, he has not always succeeded in his efforts, but he has the determination and the insight to know that it's not the end of the world if something fails.
Vices & Personality flaws
While Strombolio is brave enough to face down the Heart of Darkness, the same can't be said for his willingness to be vulnerable in relationships. He doesn't want to worry any of his friends, so he tends to keep things bottled up inside. His employees have been finding evidence that he has been self-medicating with alcohol, but whenever they confront him, he just brushes them off.
He tends to see his own personal happiness as less important than the happiness of those around him, and in fact confuses their happiness with his own. He carries the weight of Altairus on his shoulders and thinks that if he starts to let himself be sad, he will completely break down and Altairus will be left saddened and vulnerable to wendigo invasions in his absence.
Aside from this, Strombolio can be a bit naive and forgetful sometimes.
Representation & Legacy
Strombolio has the logo of the Circus of Shadows painted on the side of his trailer.
Social
Contacts & Relations
Strombolio considers his employees an extension of his family. His ringmaster served as a second father to him when he was growing up, and when he went back to the Circus of Shadows after the War, he adopted that role for other circus members who had lost family members.
Family Ties
Strombolio's parents were both in the Circus of Shadows when he was born. This is how he was introduced to the circus life.
Social Aptitude
Strombolio's demeanor is much warmer and friendlier than San's. He only tends to distance himself when the conversation turns to himself and his problems.
Speech
Strombolio has a somewhat raspy voice and a baritone register. He sometimes speaks with a slight drawl.
His speech tends to be very casual and friendly. He tends to use slang more often than the other characters, even referring to The Heart of Darkness as "the devil" at one point.
Light
- "If I weren't laughing, I'd be crying/screaming!"
- "The show must go on!"
Design-wise, Strombolio is very similar to Jack Thunder. Conceptually, he is very similar to Dionysus/Silenus in Greek mythology.
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