Bartholi di Santa, The Explorer Extraordinaire

Young Lord Bartholi Eran di Santa

"Don't be silly Mother! What possible harm is there in learning about our past, so that we may avoid the mistakes of those who came before! Ignorance, now that is true heresy."

— Bartholi di Santa's last words to his mother
before the Panthos expedition

Bartholi di Santa led a very privileged life; born to a wealthy noble family, pampered, cared for and looked after his entire early life. It is perhaps this very upbringing that made Bartholi run head first to danger whenever the opportunity presented itself, and run he did. From daring escortless excursions into The Dark Wilds, to tricks played on the city guard and the Library, he fast amassed a reputation as a rule-breaker, a nuisance and a daredevil in equal measure, much to the dismay of his family who had a reputation to maintain. It wasn't out of malice Bartholi behaved in this manner however, he simply wished to live and experience, travel and witness, and his thirst for knowledge just so happened to be in direct conflict with the practices of the Library and its clerics.

Mental characteristics

Education

Due to his position as the heir of a wealthy and respected family, Bartholi enjoyed the services of particularly reputable tutors and teachers. Most notably Bartholi was particularly skilled at languages, even some from the Old World, as well as the history of the realm. Although much of the Old World knowledge was lost including its history, and most of what remained was acquisitioned by the many Libraries, what he could find he cherished, memorizing every morsel of information. He was also known as a gifted artist, drawing several portraits, landscapes and even maps, and acquiring tutoring to hone his artistic talents from some of the best painters and artisans of his time.

Employment

Due to the state of the world in the early post-Culling era much remained an uncharted mystery for a long time, as the nations tried getting back on their feet and worked to rebuild their settlements. In fact there existed conflicting claims as to its size and due to the difficulties involved with traveling and priorities typically placed elsewhere, the mapping of the realm remained an unresolved issue for centuries. In fact, it's much thanks to the exploration and expeditions conducted by the young di Santa that the realm now has a general idea on the shape and size of the world they inhabit. Using the wealth of his family he was able to equip himself and a small company of fellow explorers, as well as to pay for their safety, and slowly but surely he was able to draw up a general world map.

Official details of his career have been all but expunged from record, due to his acts of heresy, but it's generally thought he acted in the capacity of an explorer for roughly a decade before his execution.

Accomplishments & Achievements

Despite his somewhat short lifespan, Bartholi was a rather accomplished and renowned explorer during his time, with such accolades pinned to his name as the rediscovery of the lost catacombs of Nechraphoel and the discovery of the extremely isolated and secretive drow colonies in the heart of the Sands of Solitude mountain range. But certainly his most famous discovery, one that overshadows the work of his entire career, is a peculiar tome he discovered during an expedition into the submerged city of Panthos, a stone throw off the coast of the western Saraspecia region. This tome, titled "De Deorum Originem, Concerning The Origins Of Gods" and later known as the "The Di Santa Manuscript" after Bartholi produced a translated version of it, was quickly flagged by The House Of Minerva as heresy and Bartholi was branded a false prophet. He was subsequently executed by hanging for this crime, despite his vocal protestations of having translated the book for academic purposes only. The House of Minerva swiftly hunted down all copies of the manuscript it could find and they were never seen again. Some say they were stored, some claim they were burned, but no one knows for certain. All that is certain is that no copy of the Di Santa Manuscript has been seen for at least two centuries.

Social

Religious Views

Bartholi wasn't thought to be particularly religious. He recognized the power wielded by Minerva, naturally, but was generally happy to live his life detached from religious influences. This was something that would later be used against him as a partial reason for how he could stray so far from the good teachings of The House and dare overreach and challenge them. Once the Di Santa Manuscript was published he quickly became public enemy number one, quickly hunted down, swiftly tried and promptly executed as a heretic and an acolyte of false gods. Some were even convinced he had secretly been taught to worship the Old Gods by his parents or a tutor they hired, or both, and as a result the entire di Santa family had their status as nobles torn from them, and they were forced into exile.

_{Picture created with Portrait Workshop}

Date of Birth

35th of Nuum

Life

402 AM 431 AM 29 years old

Circumstances of Death

Executed by hanging for spreading heretic messages

Birthplace

Ancaster

Eyes

Light brown

Hair

Shoulder-length, wavy, brown

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Tanned

Height

6'4"

Weight

175 lbs.

Known Languages

The list of known languages in Bartholi's repertoire varies according to the source, but general consensus states he was fluent in at least;

• Common
• Elven
• Dwarven
• Infernal
• Necril
• Undercommon

As well as able to read and translate;

• The Old World tongue (colloquially called "Archan")
• Celestial
• Draconic