Ramirez DePietro
| Ramirez DePietro | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Colors |
  (Human) (Spirit) |
| Species |
Undead Spirit Formerly Human |
| Job | Pirate |
| Birth, Life & Death | |
| Birthplace | Unknown, probably Jamuraa, Dominaria |
| Lifetime | The Thaw-War with Phyrexia |
| Born | Unknown, but before 3300 AR |
| Death | 3605 AR |
| Sources | |
| Hazezon, Emperor's Fist, Champion's Trial | |
Ramirez DePietro was a flamboyant pirate from Dominaria, who pillaged the seas surrounding Jamuraa around 3330 AR and later continued to do so as a ghost.
Description
When he was alive, he looked like he was 15, but sounded ancient to the people that met him. He accredited his youthful looks with a boast of having drunk from a Fountain of Youth.[1]
Ramirez was tall and clad in a ludicrous blue greatcoat with metallic gold trim, and an eyepatch covering a completely healthy eye. He had a massive mane of curly black hair, although he kept it dyed to hide his grays. He wore red buccaneer boots, wielded an ornate cutlass, and had a warm, playful face, with vibrant, happy blue eyes. [2]
DePietro appears to be left-handed or ambidextrous.[3]
History
Plundering Koltos
Ramirez had a past with Adira Strongheart which was left purposely vague. In 3336 AR, Ramirez and the archer Tor Wauki the Elder fought against Adira's Robaran Mercenaries. After an initial victory stranding the Robarans on a sandbank, they sailed to Koltos and released an Infernal Medusa from Alchor's Tomb and forced the locals to dig up powerstones. The Robarans caught up to them on the island. Through an elaborate plan involving an angry Azure Drake, they defeated Ramirez and sabotaged his ship, leaving him trapped on Koltos surrounded by many angry liberated locals.[1]
Death and impersonation by Halfdane
Ramirez DePietro's likeness also appeared about 270 years later during the Madara-Edemi War, when his form was assumed by the shapeshifter Halfdane. Halfdane claimed to have killed the original DePietro two years earlier, indicating that DePietro would have been hundreds of years old at the time of his death, possibly lending credence to the pirate's claims of having drunk from the Fountain of Youth.[4][5]
Ghost
After his death, Ramirez's spectral form has been a feature of the seas off Jamuraa for centuries, signing on with a new pirate crew whenever he feels the call of the waves. Ramirez's sense of style and ready wit make him popular among pirates who aren't prejudiced against dead people.
When he's in a talkative mood (which is always), DePietro has claims to have served on Captain Crucias's Backstab as a privateer in the South Sea during the Brothers' War, to have fought alongside Tor Wauki the Elder against the Robaran Mercenaries in the Sea of Serenity during Johan's War (which is true), and to have raided shipping between the Edemi Islands during the Madaran reconquest. He claims variously to have died in a battle with the pirate queen Adira Strongheart (which is false), to have been assassinated by the Tolarian shapeshifter known only as Halfdane (which aligns with Halfdane's own story), and to have been outmatched by Gwendlyn Di Corci in Urborg. How many of his tales, if any, are true, is impossible to know.[6]
Trivia
- Similar to the problems with Lady Caleria, Xira Arien, and Tor Wauki's continuity, the problem of two characters with the same name was a result of bad communication between the writers. Clayton Emery was told to include certain legends from Legends, and Scott McGough wasn't informed those characters were already being used.
- The appearance of Ramirez in both Legends Cycle I and Legends Cycle II was considered one of the largest continuity errors of Magic storyline.[7] The appearance of a spirit version of the character in Commander Legends gave a potential explanation.
- If he had been a real-world person, Ramirez DePietro would have had two surnames and no first name. Ramirez is a Spanish family name and Di Pietro is a South-Italian family name, though the Italian "di" has been changed to the Spanish "de."
Story appearances
In-game references
- Represented in:
Pirates vs. Ninjas
The 2008's April's Fools Duel Decks: Pirates vs. Ninjas featured a promotional card for Ramirez DePietro.
Gallery
-
Ramirez DePietro's original art -
-
Duel Decks: Pirates vs. Ninjas Ramirez DePietro.
References
- ↑ a b Clayton Emery (2002), "Hazezon, Wizards of the Coast
- ↑ Scott McGough (2003) - Emperor's Fist, Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Jay Annelli (February 5, 2024). "All the new art seems to indicate left-handedness". Twitter.
- ↑ Scott McGough (2003), "Emperor's Fist", Wizards of the Coast
- ↑ Scott McGough (2003), "Champion's Trial", Wizards of the Coast
- ↑ Ari Zirulnik and Ethan Fleischer (October 30, 2020). "The Legendary Characters of Commander Legends part I". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Squirle (June 12, 2019). "The circulair (sic) continuity of Legends I, Legends II and Greensleeves". Multiverse in Review. Tumblr.
- ↑ Ethan Fleischer (August 23, 2022). "I led the design process for the box toppers". Twitter.