Nikolai Boleyn
Name Given at Birth: Nikolai Benassi Tevian Boleyn
Nicknames: None that I wish to repeat to anyone
Hometown or where you were born: Along the Mediterranean Sea in a small town as to which I’ve never returned.
Current Residence: Gypsy Encampment outside of the Barbarian Encampment.
Age: 25
Class: I am Gypsy! Roma! Those upon which Devla have shined!
What do you do, your main function in life/society: I work, as many of my brothers do, at the beckoning call of my father. We do whatever we can and do whatever it takes to keep our kumpania the greatest group of Gypsies in the world. I along with my Brother, Evgeny, are in charge of our many, many brothers to make sure that our poppas lets us go into town. Once there, my main function in society is to steal the heart of every Gagje girl that I see.
Have you ever gone skinny-dipping / do you know how to swim: Of course I have! It’s not like as Gypsy’s we have much of a choice. It’s either that or sink to the bottom with all the jewelry and garments which would in turn adorn our bodies.
Do you make fun of people: Well, usually I am not so much making fun of someone as just telling them the ta’ciben…the truth. And as for my brothers and family, it’s like Poppa always says, if we are not Jesting you, we don’t truly love you…which can only mean that Poppa very much loves his children.
Favorite Color: My favorite color is not any one color, but the many different colors of female hair.
Have you ever committed or been convicted of a crime: I have never been convicted of a crime, my brothers and I are trained assassins! Those chasing us might as well be chasing the morning mist! And as for committed? I have know idea what you are speaking of…
Closest friends/How did you meet: My closest friends are my Brothers, and my dear sister Lucianna. I am also very close friends with many other gypsies within our Kumpania
-Nadia is the leader of Troupe Festival, she is a talented musician and fine leader. She also is the one that taught me how to sway my hips the way that will cause any lady to swoon.
-Evgeny is the closest of my brothers, He is the closest of my age which has caused us to get in lots of trouble together in our childhood. Now we are grown up, yet we still are known to cause trouble in the nearest village or within our own Kumpania. Only now we also must work together to do the Queens business, because of this we have perfected the art of walking quietly even with the most coin adornments draping our raiment.
One Pillow or two: I have but a small traveling pillow which I hardly use as anything other than a projectile to fling at my brothers.
Pets: I have no pets to call my own, there is enough work with the animals that we already have that any more would just invite chaos.
Favorite Type of Music: My favorite music is the sweet hum of a beautiful maiden to the distant sound of a gypsy violin, there is nothing more serene and gratifying to my ears.
Hobbies/Pastimes: Any sort of mischief and scheme that Evgeny and I plan and pull off. My brothers and I are also skilled climbers, none so much as my brother Evgeny.
-As for a personal hobby, I a self-skilled in the art of archery. From the shaving of arrows to the design of Mogul bows. I practice secretly in the early hours of the morning (after putting my chores to rest of course) One morning when I returned to my hidden place in the forest I had been practicing, with great fortune and to my greatest delight it seemed that someone had left a Bow and quiver of arrows there. Undoubtedly a Gadje with a talent at crafting bows had forgotten it while hunting.
-Wooing, it is no easy task to make sure that the legendary Boleyns remain the greatest wooers in the land, but if I must I must. Nothing is more satisfying then to look into the eyes of an Angel and have pure poetry escape your mouth. It has also been a great pastime for my brothers and I to compete and see who is the best of the wooers. I look forward to settle this dispute at the Harvest festival.
-And finally my favorite of all, gazing towards the heavens. If there is anything I learned from my years at Whitehall, it was how to recognize, and navigate with the stars. Poppa will often consult as to the date and our position.
Personal Hygiene: I like to do whatever it takes to make myself as clean as I can be for whatever women I will meet throughout the day. But the honest truth is that a life such as what we lead, makings bathing completely futile.
Favorite Food: I dream of turkey legs, meat stew, and Rum…and a dream they shall remain…
Are your parents alive, do you get along with them: My father is very much alive and he reminds us of that every morning before the sun even seems to rise! We get along quite well just as long as our chores our being completed ahead of schedule.
The lady Jane is my current mother, she is a most interesting women married to my Poppa at the Queens request. I am overjoyed to have a mother again, it has been such a long time since Luca took care of the last one. And I am sure that she is just as excited to have all these fine Gypsy boys added to her tiny family!
If your parents are dead, when and how did they die: My mother, Stefania, died in childbirth. I know not much of her other then she was a fine fighter with a lawless attitude, I am told that I have her eyes.
Favorite place to relax: I like to head straight into town and find where all the youthful damsels play. For it is much better to relax in their company, then alone. Yet unfortunately with the life of a Gypsy, we are constantly traveling away from the villages, so my favorite place to relax becomes the highest place that I can get, a cliff, tree, or even the roof of my papa’s vardo. Anything to get closer to the stars in the sky.
Favorite Holy Day / Why: I share the love for Yule. It is a day of rest, dancing, music, and gifts! This is that part of the year where I am guaranteed to see all of my family, which is no easy task to accomplish!
Favorite Drink: My favorite drink is a warm chocolate concoction that we Boleyn’s make on all cold days to keep ourselves as well as our Kumpania warm.
What's your bedtime: It is the time after the chores are finished, our stomachs have been tended too, and I have found a comfortable spot within the camp.
What, if anything, do you usually wear on your feet: I must always wear something on my feet and it is usually gypsy sandals. However I long for a pair of royal boots.
Are you married or single: Single, and my Poppa would like to see it stay that way for quite a while. (Unless it were with "Fine, sweatee Geepsy Girl, with LARGE undulating Heeps!") I however would like to marry anyone other than that. Which is why I looke forward to this Harvest festival, for I am of age to begin on Poppa’s 100 grandchildren!
Do you have a family / who are they:
Poppa/Maestro Boleyn- Maestro is my Poppa, he is a proud Gypsy man, A Baro Manush of storvandre Decent. He has worked hard within his life and Family to get to his position in life. (However I would refrain from asking him the details of that, unless you have many hours to spare). He has many plans for his children which usually comes down to chores, Entertaining, staying away from the nearest Gadje. He also is looking for all of his children (I think 13) to provide him with 100 grandchildren! This is one thing that Poppa wishes of us that I think we should be focusing on…although he will say otherwise with a quick, undeserved, slap to the back of the head! Poppa also does much of the Queens business. He has raised all of his older sons to be trained assassins and skilled spies. We become his eyes and ars, as well as his hands finishing the job quietly, and getting back to the Kumpania in time to entertain and woo.
Lucianna- Lucianna is My only sister and Poppa’s Right hand now that Martino has his own Kumpania. I emphasize her as Poppa’s right hand because she is usually the one doing the smacking in the back of the head in Poppa’s stead. I however love her dearly and would do most anything for her. I will often talk for long periods with her discussing the details as well as the mysteries of life.
Martino- Being Poppa’s First son (and the only one who didn’t kill his mother in childbirth) he has easily been Poppa’s favorite. I enjoyed growing up with him, even if he was not so much for the climbing and wrestling as some of my brothers are, he was still a great influence in my life, and because of him, I now have the confidence to talk to whatever girl I see.
Santiago- Santiago is Martino’s twin, he has been the sole person that kept Lucianna competing directly with Martino, for while Santiago and Martino were competing with each other, Lucianna would impress Poppa in her very own way.
Evgeny- Evgeny is the closest to me of my siblings, whenever one of us gets into trouble the other one usually just hasn’t been caught by Poppa yet. We often with hunt together and get into mischief together. His greatest talent is his way with words. He often says, "Maskar le gadjende leski shib si le Romenski zor."…"Surrounded by the Gadje, the Rom’s only defense is his tongue." And often that proves to get him out of almost any situation. He lacks not in talents and strength, he is a leader, as well as a loyal follower to the Romany way of life. I look forward to the Harvest Festival where we may show all the Maidens what Real men are like.
Sasha- Sasha is my Poetic and Most educated of my brothers, he will steal time away from his chores to shove his face into a book. He is a challenge when it comes to wooing for he will sweep a lady off her feet before I can even put two words together! Sasha Takes care of the Baro Pretera, the large cats, within our Kumpania. He has taken that role (to my greatest pleasure) saving me the trouble and the mess that they hold.
Slavvo – Slavvo is one of my hardest working brothers who works to please Poppa. He has many talents, yet his strongest is his ability as a performer. Poppa will grab Slavvo and throw him into a performance if a body is needed, and he does quite well.
Gregor- Gregor is a grand representative of the Roma, he has a quick wit to get out of trouble and will speedily grab the hand of a girl and take her to a town dance. He tends to be quite wild, venturing out on his own only to return with some scar as a souvenir…in one case he even got a large star tattooed to his chest. Ever since then it’s easy to get out of trouble with poppa, we only remind him of that little incident, then he turns red and stomps off to Beat Gregor!
Nais Tuke Gregor.Guido-Guido is most interesting, he has quite the personality. He never fails to make the rest of us laugh (whether we are laughing with him or at) He is wonderful to have around, for he is a hard worker with a strong back to help the Kumpania. He does well with the Gypsy girls in our Kumpania, as well as the village, which seems to remind me a lot of myself. He tells Poppa that he is searching for "models" for his artwork. Guido spends much of his time with his brother Tido, the pair reminds me much of Evgeny and Myself, and someday when we must leave the Kumpania they may rise to take our positions.
Tido- Tido is a bright boy with a strong heart and endurance to keep both him and his brother Guido out of trouble. He shares my interest in Navigation and he longs for Roads not traveled. He begs for Poppa to let him go to the New World. It is all he ever speaks of and Secretly I think that Poppa has that planned for Tido’s future. Yet, kay zhala I suv shay zhala wi o thav. Where the needle goes, surely the thread will follow. So if Tido were to go, surely would Guido.
Benvolio- Benvolio Is one of Poppa’s youngest and one of my favorite brothers. He is talented with numbers and has learned much from Whitehall and his brother Sasha, often they will be in a deep conversation that leaves me behind at the front door. I am interested to see where Benvolio goes in life, for though he is quiet he is honest and true.
Cesar- Cesar, out of all my brothers, has undoubtedly the most interest in entertaining, which is why Poppa has graciously allowed him to but his chores on hold to train and perform with Troupe Festivale, yet all of those chores will remain until he after The Harvest festival, because none of my brothers, surprisingly, have volunteered to fill in his absence.
Luca- Luca is the youngest of My brothers, I don’t know why poppa stopped at him for he is not a handful. He does well to please Poppa and works hard to keep up with his brothers. I hope to see him take charge at this years Harvest festival for he has been looking forward to it for so long.
Favorite Entertainment: My favorite entertainment is watching my brother, Gregor, get Beat…again, Nais Tuke Brother!
I also enjoy watching the beautiful maiden dances of the Orient, India, and all of Europe.
Favorite Subject in School or Chore growing up: My favorite subject in school was astronomy, or the art of mapping the stars, it is without any doubt the most useful trait I learned for our Kumpania that I have brought back with me from my learnings at Whitehall. As for my favorite chore? Hmm…guarding the females clothing as they bathe in the stream….that is a chore after all, isn’t it?
Least Favorite Subject in School or Chore growing up: My least favorite subject was learning about numbers, I know they are important, but do they really have to be so boring? (I don’t know why Benvolio enjoys them so)...My least favorite chore is when I am sent to clean after the animals. I know that my father only asks me do it so that he doesn’t have to send me into town for an errand. He thinks that I will take too long and get sidetracked by all the wondrous girls that will inevitably be there. So I will in turn bribe my brother Sasha to take care of the animals, and I will instead take his place with whatever errands he was told to run into the nearby village.
Favorite Sport: I enjoy Running, climbing and wrestling with all of my brothers. It is necessary to know as a gypsy, and it is great practice for escaping after doing whatever "business" Poppa needs of us.
I also enjoy going into town to participate in any archery contests that may happen to take place, I do well enough to earn some extra lowe so that I may present Poppa with more incentive to let me go back to town for my own accord.
Most Humiliating Moment: My most humiliating moment happened while I was escaping a barn in a nearby farmhouse where I had been enjoying the company of a beautiful maiden aside from her fathers consent (we had been playing chess) And as I was leaping over the roof of His stable I slipped on a loose tile, tumbled to the ground, but not before a tree branch had reached out to rip my pants from my body. I spent the rest of the night alone in the vardo fashioning a new pair of pants while my brothers ridiculed me from outside because I came into our encampment that night with only my gypsy skirt wrapped around me like a diaper.
Proudest Moment: I have had many proud moments within our Kumpania but none so much as when we had become lost due to a snowstorm, all trees looked the same, all hills were white, and the road was missing under a deep white sheet. However that night the sky was crystal clear, and with the help of my brother Tido I was able to navigate our caravan to the next town by morning. Poppa had never been quicker to approving my plea to visit town.
Craziest Person or silliest you know: Guido would have to be the silliest person I know. He will have our entire Kumpania on our sides with laughter. Usually before he even understands why we’re laughing!
What do you look for in the opposite sex: That is a tough question to answer for what truly interests me is the uniqueness of all the different girls that I pursue. I love mystery, and passion, as well as a good set of hips. I have no interest in money or power, what I truly like, is to be challenged.
In our Hierarchical Society everybody has somebody "over" them, Who is your immediate "overlord" : does this even need to be asked? My father of course.
Favorite Sport to watch: My favorite sport to watch would have to be the games of the scotish highland. They need skills of brute strength to win, which in turn attracts many ladies, which in turn makes it a wonderful sport to be present for!
Do you remember your first kiss: Is Poppa going to read this? If so, no…I have never kissed!
Do you keep in touch with your childhood friends: I truly do not, although I would enjoy the ability to. However, my true childhood friends are my brothers, who I see every day…perhaps I keep in touch with them too much.
Where is your favorite "Vacation" spot: Whenever we set up camp right next to the Sea.
Have you ever been overseas: Yes, sometimes when My father would leave to scout for exotic performers he would bring a few of his sons along.
Do you have Dirt/Mud floors or Stone: Floors is not a word that truly exists in a Roma’s vocabulary. The Grass and the dirt of the land is my floor and the heavens my ceiling.
What is your bed made of: A thin blanket I’ve had my whole life, a heavy blanket from the Moguls of the East, and my small travel pillow.
How many people sleep in your bed: How many brothers do I have again?
10 Things Everybody Should Know About Me:
1. I love more than anything else all of the females in the world.
2. I am in constant competition with my brother Evgeny
3. I can be a very hard worker and work for long periods, I’m just not the most reliable if women are involved.
4. I am fascinated by the stars and the sea, I wish one day to put those two loves together and set out on my own journey.
5. My guilty pleasure is my raiment. I try my best to look as presentable as possible at all moments of the day.
6. I am a trained assassin, as the rest of my gypsy brothers. Evgeny and I are usually the ones that my poppa uses to do his bidding, but ONLY when necessary.
7. Archery is a skill that I practice but keep secretive from my family.
8. My brother Evgeny and I are entrusted by my Poppa to lead our brothers so that all of Poppa’s biddings are done.
9. I am a helpless flirt, and I wouldn’t have it any other way
10. I try to hold a strong relationship with my papa. I need his trust and respect. It is forever my goal to make him proud.