Erevard Baxkaltus
Heir to the fallen merchant house.
I hope that you are well my friend. Just wanted to keep you apprised of the goings on here in Burim, at least before I set off to the skies again. Two seats have changed hands on the council, word is one had to do with some business deal going really well. The other, well, the tale of the fall of the house Baxkaltus would take an entire volume to write so let me just say that it is no more.
Living in the House Baxkaltus
Erevard was born on 34 Summer during the 46th year of the Time of Exploration into the wealthy and powerful merchant family Baxkaltus. From a young age Erevard knew that he would be taking over the family business. He was educated by private teachers - basically the only kind in Burim - in reading, writing, and speaking several languages as well as in math. At the age of ten he began working with his father, learning the business of House Baxkaltus. He learned all the trade routes, seasonal dangers, and intricacies of moving a large variety of goods around Breharan.Life After Baxkaltus
After the business was driven into the ground by skyships on the major trade lanes and competition in the remote delivery regions, Erevard's father was removed from the Burim Council and his family found themselves without the wealth they had enjoyed the luxury of for generations. Evevard stashed away his good clothes in case he would need them later and used what little money he had to buy cheaper ones - work clothes - which he kept going well beyond what his family considered a reasonable lifespan by sewing and patching them over and over again. In the process he became the first Baxkaltus to learn to sew in many generations. The work he found as a scribe, copyist, and translator paid very little and his parents and six younger siblings also had to find work or ways to contribute. The meals were poor - standard for a working family in Burim - and Erevard couldn't stand to see his family having fallen so low. He decided he would find a way to bring his family back into the high life. A search that eventually brought him to the neighboring nation of Zinato and the city of Darapur.Taking it All Back
Erevard quickly realized that to many in Darapur money was not as motivating as it was to him. Despite the launch of the Harani beginning the Time of Exploration well over sixty years prior, the entire city was still obsessed with exploration, novel knowledge, and using the knowledge and wealth to raise the standard of living for all. Coming from a place which rewards the richest and having watched the wealth, power, and - as he saw it - dignity ripped away from his family, Erevard couldn't understand this egalitarian goal.Following the Adventurer's Trail
In order to become a person of note and gain the power and status required to uplift his family to their old station Erevard has decided that he must find the missing ship the Harani which went missing many decades prior. This may seem strange as it was skyships that destroyed House Baxkaltus but to Erevard it makes complete sense. He thinks that if he can use what brought his family low to restore it, that his family will be even stronger than it was before. He was accepted onto the expedition to find the Harani to journal their adventure and findings, for his knowledge of maps, and as the ship's quartermaster.Erevard the Humorless
I recently met the young Baxkaltus boy and told a joke which he didn't seem to get so I said "That just went over his head." and - I am not pulling your leg - he looked up and then said "Nothing passed over my head." I got a good laugh out of that one. He didn't get it.Erevard is known for never making - and rarely laughing at - jokes. Beyond that he always takes the word of others literally. If he was a regular trading merchant this would have been an issue but as someone who oversees logistics it was less of a problem. While some see his serious nature as a hindrance to his life, others often appreciate his straightforward attitude. He wears his heart on his sleeve; no one ever has to wonder what their relationship is with Erevard, what he thinks of them, or what his true motivations are. His honesty is in line with the people of Darapur but the things he's honest about - his goals - often leave him an outsider. While he may be very open about what he thinks, it can be difficult to determine how he feels simply from his demeanor and body language. His emotions are buried much deeper than his thoughts. He is not prone to anger but is definitely susceptible to envy and greed. The goal of restoring his family has become an obsession and his single-mindedness is often what gets him into bad social situations as his goal tramples over any wishes of others.
Appearance
Erevard is a young man with slightly curly brown hair, small sideburns, and eyes of true green. Standing at over 1.7 meters tall, he looks like a younger version of his father but with his mother's nose and cheeks. He is fairly healthy having been sick only a couple times in his life but is no athlete - he won't be felling trees or running marathons any time soon. Before the fall of House Baxkaltus, he was usually dressed plainly but in materials of high quality and good craftsmanship. The iconic red scarf - which he is never seen without - was a gift from his mother.Stub Article
This article is just a stub for now and will be expanded upon later.Old Article
This article was written in the past and does not meet my current standards for any number of article quality, layout, or content.In-Progress Article
This article is being worked on, perhaps not at this very moment, but it is being worked on.
Learning to Ride
While Erevard was around seven years old his lessons in horseback riding began. The horses were not scary to him - as a part of the family business, he was familiar with them - at least until he fell off one and nearly died in the accident. It was many seasons before he would get back onto a horse and, even then, only when forced to by his father. The lessons now were not as fun as they once were as Erevard always worried for his safety and his life each and every time he was near a horse. By the age of twelve he had learned the skills to ride and remain safe while doing so and the fear was gone. The joy, however, has never returned.The Heirless Heir
At twenty years old, Erevard is the only head or head-to-be in the Baxkaltus family line that hadn't already had a child by that age. When asked - usually by his parents - he tells them that he won't add to the family until it is restored to its former status. His family worries that his coming journey beyond the borders of Breharan will be perilous and he may die without having children of his own. Erevard is not concerned about dying without kids but about not fulfilling his goal.A Friend Seen Once
On one outing into the long city, Erevard went off on his own and got lost. During this time he met another boy and the two of them spent many hours on a journey through the city, looking for the other boy's missing cat. They found themselves under the stands of fishmongers, being chased by the angry owners of those stands, running along the rooftops, sneaking into the council hall, and much more. The two became great friends in that brief time but they never exchanged names, though Erevard still remembers that the cat's name was Chobi. Erevard's family found him, they went home, and the two have not met since.
Children
Given the success of our last literature-related venture, I have gathered some more materials I think you may enjoy. My ship needs some repairs after a particularly nasty encounter with a creature that lives inside of storms so I am sending it with a young man whose last name you may recognize.
Comments