Everis Averis Dumont, the Encyclopedic

"There is no better home than in my travels. Therein, I could say that staying 'home' in it's colloquial sense, is a pain that drives deep."

-Professor Dumont to Eldur Monk Anna De Vries

Father of History

While he may not have been the first to record history, it is impossible to deny that Professor Dumont is its most influential admirer. Credited with making the only worldwide encyclopedia of Laminarum, Dumont has spent the majority of his life traveling, seeking out stories through history and its descendants. Making his first voyage upon the "Boastful Debutante," Dumont hoped to fully understand the city of Kala. Ever since, he has made it his goal to draw the curtain of time away from history, providing resources for any who wish to abroad or become part of the greater global community.

Personal History

Early Life

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Professor Dumont, before his escapades as the world's finest historian and archaeologist, lived a relatively boring life within the port city of Poueir. While there was no formal historical recording at the time, Dumont affirms that his birth was sometime "after the well and unfortunately known Exodus  and before the old The War for Renad-PaiWar [/history]  for the j'barri mountain. We lived far out, you see. Little to know or do, and certainly little news to reach your ears."

Inspiration

Spending the first 20 years of his life as a salmon fisherman, Dumont had little in the form of entertainment. With so little to the outside world, though, he had no reason to expect there was something more to be experienced. Self reportedly, it was not until he was the age of 35 that he went to the ports and saw a j'barri in the flesh. The foreign creature had drawn much attention, as it was the first sapient creature of non elvish descent that the local folk had ever seen. Dumont, not least surprised among them, ignored the purpose of his visit in order to speak just a few words to the foreigner. The individual paid little attention to him, only blowing air onto the embers of the young elf's curiosity. Unfortunately, it would not be until the death and funeral of Can En that Dumont would get his first chance to sail to the exotic nation of Renad, as he pressed King Vhou Riyael to allow him passage in exchange for labor upon the ship.

First Time Abroad

On this short-lived adventure, Riyael was all but forced to pay Dumont extra mind, as the young elf fell ill only a few days into the voyage to Roja. It would not be formally diagnosed for years, but it was eventually discovered that Dumont fell victim to "Elvish homesickness," a condition which effects roughly 3% of the species population. For unknown reasons, Dumont is part of the unlucky few that cannot leave their home continent of Silse, lest they become anemic and sickly.

Attaining his First Voyage

After his return to Poueir, Dumont found home a dull form of torture. He wouldn't remain with his family for longer than 4 months before going to the city of Anomae, the capital of Nim in hopes of jumpstarting his dreams of travel. It was here that he read the works of several southern and eastern elvish historians, all with different methods. After years of observing their work, he constructed a method that he deemed "only as fallible as the researcher." His first formal archeological study was a success, recovering a carving from the mountains in central Silse that depicted the Hailen Ryr. While the piece has been put up to scrutiny for its validity, Dumont made no formal claims on the piece, saying there was no substantial evidence to draw conclusions from. Impressed, Vhou Riyael would fund a voyage to Renad in hopes of uncovering the secrets behindThe Mountainfold  . The voyage upon the Boastful Debutante was a massive success, though he would have to access historical records of Yunbad healing magics in order to remain in good health.

Voyages of the Debutante

The Cartography of Renad: 450-457 HI

The first voyage of the Debutante was a 7 year mission for the purpose of mapping out the nation of Renad. The majority of the time was spent traveling the land with the locals, walking on foot or mount to ensure the maps were accurate. After collecting several local samples from the cities of Kala, Roja, and Brillé, Dumont would cross reference to ensure he had gotten his work correct. The majority of his work had been correct. Further, his research was able to fill in several gaps in the contemporary cartography.
Much of his time was stuck in sickness, whether from his unique condition or the toxic colloidal air of Udundst. Thankfully, records of Yunbad healing magics were recovered from Kala. There was only one individual capable of utilizing this forgotten knowledge, who would be paid a hefty sum for his skills.

"The first travel was rather dour, to tell the truth. I had my method but little practical skill. At the time, I had never had such financial backing... Matters were only worsened by lack of confidence and care for the work itself. I, at the time, could have shared the name of my ship. My interests were vapid, compared to those I traveled with. I was fortunate to come away with a name at all!"

— Professor Dumont in Rather, a Debutante

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Unveiling the Hand: 467-479 HI

The second voyage by Dumont accompanied the western elves, hardly distant enough to be considered their own ethnicity at this point, along the hand of Silse. The professor had spent years as an expert for the council of Nim regarding matters in Renad. Aside from the occasional hiking expedition down south, the Dumont's life had grown stale. Still refusing to return home to Poueir, Dumont would inform Vhou Riyael that he would be accompanying the traitor nation of Urale on their expeditions out west. He claimed that the voyage would be impartial, sparing no hate or kindness for the westerners. The king, hoping he could gain strategic information regarding forts, relented on his disagreement. Unfortunately for Vhou, Dumont had specifically excluded structures of any kind in his maps and drawing.

"It was an exercise in impartiality. The voyage was hardly to help Urale or Nim, though there was plenty of financial backing in both directions. The hand itself was the reward. The escort across the Cendre? the witness of constructs and the moonfolk? The people to meet and land to explore were pay enough... So long as they kept us fed as well. It was an easier exploration than that of Renad as well, given the homesickness never took me.

— Professor Dumont to Paele Haerehel.

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The Caripreet Summer: 485-486 HI

"The last voyage of the Debutante was short and quick by necessity. It was not but a double check of our maps. Most assumptions regarding the continent's geography had been correct, though that was hardly the reason for my rush. The ship could hardly hold itself together at the start of the voyage, and we had several scrapes along the jagged coasts of the backhand. Regardless, time abroad is time well spent, and it left me wanting more. Few can get the gift of continuing their work so long and still crave for more."

— Professor Dumont to Ineva Kataqr

A Westerner's Cure for Homesickness

After spending such long periods time away from Silse, it became clear that Dumont's unique homesickness condition had to be resolved. While no permanent solution was ever found, the western elves were able to utilize Waning Rock technology and machines to assist him. One machine in particular weighed as much as 2400lbs and sat in the captains quarters of his ship. It served as a seat which he could connect himself to via a series of needles and pipes. When sitting within the machine, he could breath clearly, alleviating some of the symptoms of his condition. Over time, more drastic measures would be required as surgeries would see various modifications made to his body. These highly experimental alterations decreased his pain perception, improved his vision, and improved breathing among others. After so many alteration to allow him to continue traveling abroad, many began to ask why he avoided his homeland so adamantly to begin with.

1423 HN-1947 NG: First Worldwide Encyclopedia

After the dark era of Ettermiddag, Dumont wished to recover the knowledge of the world, one step at a time. After a virtual retirement in Anomae, he would begin teaching courses in History within the southern elvish kingdom before doing the same in Ghei Wyl. After a short break and archaeological work in the Icelends, hoping to uncover the history of Ettermiddag, he would broaden his horizons to the largest project ever conceived in Laminarum: A global encyclopedia. He would work closely with several research groups that spanned 12 ships, with himself and his partner "Ghilel Lovre" boarding the "Ulaeloril" for centuries across the continents of Laminarum. His crew would spend years in each new location, finding every book, scroll, tablet, and local opinion on matters of history, politics, art, and ecosystems. While the first voyage took roughly 230 years of data collection, writing, and revision, the future updates tended to be quick, with installments of researchers in every territory sending letters back to his headquarters.

1690 NG, Disastrous Fire in Nim

After the completion of the first encyclopedia, it took a decade for Dumont's researchers to voyage once more. Since they initially had no plans for updating the encyclopedia in their lifetimes, Ghilel and Dumont had no established methods for expediting the process, such as researchers that Dumont would later install for letter updates across the land. When they finally continued into their adventures, there was a disastrous fire in the great library of Nim. The fire would destroy each book of the series. Word reached the crew while they were investigating in Fjordstrond. Unfortunately, after hearing the news, Ghilel would take his own life. Dumont has continued his research headstrong ever since, rarely taking a break.

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All pictures made with Midjourney

All maps made with Inkarnate

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