Bartolomeo del Imola
Educated at Bologna, this younger son of a merchant family was being groomed for a minor role in the Church via his family's connections but for a chance encounter with Fr. Thomas. Bartolomeo spotted Thomas at Sunday mass and struck up a conversation with the foreigner who had recently arrived in northern Italy, later inviting him to his family's villa to rest up after his crossing of the Alps. Thomas impressed the young man with his piety and determination to visit the monastery of St. Catherine of Alexandria in Sinai to retrieve a relic despite the Crusade being waged. He left with his father's dubious blessing but having numerous healthy older brothers meant that his death would not jeopardize the family's holdings.
During the pilgrimage he came to learn about Thomas' gifts and about the Order of Hermes. After a successful, and exciting, trip through Egypt, Bartolomeo decided to continue traveling with Thomas back to England. After all, the Church was universal and one bishop's ordination rites was the same as any other's. Of particular interest was the fact that the chapel that Thomas had helped to construct was without a regular priest. Thomas' own studies and duties to the covenant meant that he could only intermittently attend to the souls of the few dozen Christians residing at the covenant. A full-time priest would settle the matter and this is something Bartolomeo felt he could do. Once he had been fully ordained, naturally.
| Name: | Bartolomeo del Imola |
| Race/Nationality: | Northern Italian |
| Place of Origin: | Imola, Northern Italy |
| Birth Year/Age | 1201 (age 19) |
| Apparent Age | 19 |
| Family | None |
Characteristics
| Intelligence | +3 | Presence | +1 |
| Perception | +0 | Communication | +1 |
| Strength | -1 | Dexterity | +0 |
| Stamina | +0 | Luck | +0 |
Virtues & Flaws
| Virtues Clerk (Acolyte) |
Flaws Pious |
Skills
| Skill | Specialty | Score | XP |
| Artes Liberales | Astronomy | 4 | 50 |
| Bargain | Bulk Goods | 3 | 30 |
| Civil and Canon Law | Pilgrimage and Crusading Law | 3 | 30 |
| Folk Ken | Clergy | 3 | 30 |
| Leadership | Inspirational | 1 | 5 |
| Profession: Merchant | Northern Italian goods | 3 | 30 |
| Philosophiae | Moral Philosophy | 3 | 30 |
| Survival | Forests | 2 | 15 |
| Theology | History | 1 | 5 |
| Lore: Church (Organization) | History | 3 | 30 |
| Lore: Tuscany, Area | Towns | 2 | 15 |
| Lore: Rome, Area | Pilgrimage Sites | 1 | 5 |
| Lore: Sinai, Area | Geography | 1 | 5 |
| Speak Latin | Church | 5 | 75 |
| Speak Tuscan | Merchant vocabulary | 5 | 75 |
| Speak Arabic | Trade pidgin | 1 | 5 |