Persona Survey

[Lenny Zimmermann]

> 1.  Do you have a persona history?

Yes
 
> 2.  Have you changed or altered that history to reflect any SCA titles
>     you have earned?

None earned yet, so no. However, I can see my persona story evolving with any such 
titles, but this would not change my persona "history" only his "present".
 
> 3.  In YOUR opinion, do you feel that your SCA titles accurately reflect
>     what could plausibly have happened to your persona in mundane history?
>     (For Example, an Englishman being made a Knight by his king is
>     perfectly plausible, while a Saxon plowman being raised to the
>     Peerage for service to the Kingdom is not as plausible)

Yes
 
> 4.  According to your persona's "back story" (the events that occured
>     before you first portrayed them in the SCA) was your persona born:
>         a.  A peasant or cotter?
>         b.  A villein or slave?

        X c.  The child of a noble?  (if so, please specify, the first born,
              or other)
	  First born male child

>         d.  The child of the merchant (or similar "middle Class" background)?
>         e.  Into some nomadic or pastoral people?
> 
> 5.  According to your persona's "back story" was your persona:
>         a.  An orphan?
>         b.  Adopted?
>         c.  Kidnapped by Gypsies/Mongols/Vikings (or any other nomadic
>             people)?
>         d.  Fostered out to some Noble in a different Kingdom?

None of the above, except for making a few minor embassy journies to neighboring 
Italian "states" and to Germany. Very common practice for an Italian diplomat, if you 
want to consider that being "fostered out" to some noble in a different Kingdom, but 
none of these were permanent. 

> 6.  According to your persona's backstory, have "you" ever
>         a.  Been on Crusade?
>         b.  Been on Pilgrimage?
>         c.  Been on raiding parties to plunder distant settlements?

No, to a-c

>         d.  Traveled more than a few days distance from the place you were
>             born, for any other reason than those listed above? (if so,
>             please specify why.  Examples may include (but should not be
>             limited to) traveling to fairs or tournaments, wandering
>             scholar, outlaw vagabondage, traveling performer, and so forth.

My persona would have travelled not much further than 2 weeks journey from his home. 
These were generally for diplomatic embassies in service to his Duke an only 
occasionally for a simple pleasure trip. (I don't know that you would call a 
semi-vacation in Rome a "pilgrimage" for the typical Roman-Catholic Italian, but my 
persona did not see it as one.)

There is one exception, my persona has made the "trek" to the New World and that is 
how he came to Ansteorra. My persona's standard European history ends where my SCA 
experiences take over.
 
> 7.  Has your persona ever belonged to a specific mundane historical group?
>     (For example:  Served in the Varangian Guard, as a Jannisary, a
>     Landshneckt, Yeoman of the Guard, Swiss Guard, etc.) [While the
>     examples are military, your response need not be.]
>         7a.  Does your persona STILL belong to this group?

No.
 
> 8.  What year (or century) was your persona born in?

Born 1500.
 
> 9.  Does your persona have more than two ethnic influences in its origin?
>     (For example:  Irish is one, Irish raised by an English household is
>     two, and Irish raised by an English household living in France is three,
>     and so on.)  Places that they've visited count only if they have adopted
>     some native cultural trait from that region (e.g., a Viking with a
>     preference for Persian boots, picked up while visiting there).

No. My persona does enjoy styles and pieces from other cultures, but that is almost a 
natural tendency for the Italian mindset.
 
> 10. Do you have more than one persona?

Yes and no. I have one persona I utilize 99% of the time, but occasionally I will 
create a temporary persona for events which have specific themes my persona would not 
have been around for. I.E. an event taking place in 1597 (A Day in the Life), or 1130 
(Whitsun Faire).