Stefano

Stefano is a thief and minor mage of Moonshade. He appears in Ultima VII Part Two.

Description
Stefano was not born with an adept's magic, and made his way in Moonshade by offering to obtain hard to acquire items for the city's mages, often after stealing them from their original owners. Filbercio, the MageLord, commissioned him to steal the moonsilk stockings of Columna, the Green Enchantress, that he might have proof of her adulterous affair with Torrissio and thereby blackmail her into a tryst. However, before Stefano was able to deliver them, a teleport storm exchanged them with the blackrock serpent of Order, leaving him to face the MageLord empty handed. Enraged, Filbercio had Stefano imprisoned in the Mountains of Freedom.

It was there that he met the Avatar, who had been consigned to the same fate for the offense of trifling with Filbercio's mistress, Frigidazzi. He joined with the hero in the magical dungeon, fulfilling Xenka's prophecy that "The Hero From Another World will even need a thief and a braggart as ally." Eventually they made their way out of the mountains and returned to Moonshade, clearing them of their crimes according to Moonshade's laws.

The Avatar could later meet Stefano in the realm of dreams, where the thief dreamed of himself in a paradise, surrounded by the company of cavorting naked females. When the hero declined to join him, he exclaimed, "Avatar, thou shouldst learn to relax."

After Shamino the Anarch had devastated Moonshade, Stefano sought the Avatar for protection, asking to join the hero's company once again. Columna, angry at Stefano's theft, had summoned a Death Knight to hunt him endlessly until he was slain. The Avatar dispatched the knight and thankful for his rescue, Stefano gave the hero the key to his shed, which contained the blackrock serpent of Order.

Trivia

 * Mosh, at one point, mentions the son of her former lover, Trulacci (who had been seduced by Columna) "now languishes in the depths of the Mountains of Freedom." Although the identity of this child is never explicitly revealed, it may be that this refers to Stefano, which implies that either Mosh or Columna is, in fact, his mother - making the affair of the stockings even more interesting.
 * According to the original design documents for Serpent Isle, Stefano was paid by Filbercio's allies to arrange the evidence that convicted Ensorcio of his crimes. As a reward, Stefano was allowed to take over Ensorcio's mansion following his exile. This explains the fact that Ensorcio appears in what the player knows as Stefano's mansion, when he is encountered in the realm of dreams.
 * Stefano's visage is that of Ultima VII Part Two artist and assistant designer, Steve Powers. In fact, "Stefano" (pronounced STE-fa-no) is the Italian for Steve or Stephen.
 * Thoxa met Stefano on her travels, hinting that his imprisonment is a recent development.