Laudavyn Aconite
From Mizahar Lore
| File:Laudavyn.jpg Master of Merchants | |||||||||
| Race | Symenestra | ||||||||
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| Date of birth | 468 AV (aged 55) | ||||||||
| Place of birth | Kalinor | ||||||||
| Title | Head of Trade in Kalinor | ||||||||
| Skills |
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Laudavyn Aconite is the head of the Aconitum, the center for all trade in Kalinor. Due to its remote location, trade is of great significance to the inhabitants of Kalinor, which places Laudavyn in a position of considerable power. Apart from facilitating trade, Laudavyn and his web are also tasked with playing host to traders from abroad. They endeavor to create a pleasant face for other races to behold to counteract the impact of the Symenestra's malevolent reputation.
History
For generations, the Aconite web has encouraged and facilitated trade within and out of Kalinor. In Laudavyn's generation, the heir apparent was his elder cousin, so as a young man Laudavyn happily dealt with the books and organizational aspects of the family enterprise. Loathing the spotlight, he poured himself into background mechanics. The work that required a quicker tongue and face appealing to outsiders, was not his and he thanked Viratas for that.
In an accident, misfortunate for both Laudavyn and his cousin, the heir apparent and his wife died. The web had pinned all their hopes on the recently departed and bemoaned the future of the Aconitum. While the family fell into despair, Laudavyn continued to do what he did everyday: open shop.
Entirely by accident, Laudavyn began to take care of all the loose ends his cousin left. All the young Laudavyn did was see a need and cheerfully fulfill it. He knew the necessary parts of the business, but felt unsure because he lacked the mercenary instinct of previous Aconitum Heads. Surprisingly, business remained good, but Laudavyn was still holding his breath, waiting for the Aconitum to collapse around him.
Eras passed as Laudavyn continued to man the business. All the while, he viewed himself as a steward for the rightful head. After five years, Laudavyn's anxieties finally surfaced and he demanded to know who would take over for him. "Take over?" his grandfather said, "What do you mean? You're the head. You have been for years."
It took several weeks for Laudavyn to process this new change and an era to overcome his doubts. He is now the unquestioned leader of trade regarding Kalinor and partial owner of the The Meadow's Public House.
Family
The Aconitum web is a rather large group, most of which share coloring: gold eyes and dark hair. Laudavyn is happily wed but has no children, instead he has adopted the three his cousin left behind. Now approaching infertility, he claims he was kept too busy to seek out a surrogate and too insecure to accept one as a gift. His position may be the only one the Symenestra could forgive for being too busy to carry out his harvest duty. Mercifully, his sisters were gifted with surrogates by their first-born husbands.
Personality
Unbeknownst to him, Laudavyn is the perfect Symenestra face for the outside world. He is a friendly with a gentle sense of humor and dose of humility. While his manner is quiet, he does have a head for numbers and a heart for equity. He knows when he is being cheated and knows how to persuade or politely decline.
It is rumored that Laudavyn's extended interactions with outside races have made him sympathetic with Esterians, but there is no true evidence of these sensibilities.