My friends! let me tell you the tale of the greatest merchant to ever live, me!
Like many my story does not have a happy beginning, I grew up in one of the multitude of orphanages that exist in Constantinoploss spending my days roaming the streets begging and stealing. To my great fortune one day when I was not but 7 years old I found a lyre in an ally behind the inn I would beg near. That day changed the course of my life. While begging I absent-mindedly started picking at the strings and people began stopping to listen and then giving me money, I made so much money that day that I bought food for everyone in my orphanage. Later I would learn that I have something called perfect pitch, this is what allowed me to play without any training.
In just three month's time, I had saved up 35 whole gold pieces with which I planned to purchase a lute, a more complex and popular instrument than my lyre. Unfortunately, my success had drawn the notice of those who would covet my small fortune, a group of three older orphans tried to take it from me, and I led those three on a chase spanning the whole slum before they cornered me in an ally. Trap, tired and scared I did the only thing I could, I hurled insult after insult at them while clutching my fortune and lyre, emotions swelling inside me and right as I felt ready to burst the three boys fell to the ground holding their heads. The boys ran, blood pouring from their noses calling me a monster as they went. I had no idea what I just did but they were gone and I still had my money so I didn't care, I ran to purchase my new lute as fast as I could.
The store that I bought the lute from was run by an old man named Rasef Non, as luck would have it he had just moved into his daughter's home and was looking to rent out the room above the shop. Rasef listened to my story and to me play and for some reason he took a liking to me, I was able to live there and all I had to do was clean the shop at night. Over the years that followed I started doing more and more at the shop, Rasef taught me to read and write and all about the art of the merchant, and I loved it. By age 14 I was running the shop for the most part on my own as Rasef's health was failing, by day I would work in the shop and in the evening I would play for tips at inns and taverns. I changed my instrument of choice to the viol as I found it more challenging and I preferred the sound it made, I also started to understand my magic and its relationship with music and emotions so I could now protect myself from common dangers.
When Rasef passed away his bitch of a daughter kicked me out and sold the shop, so I took all the money I had saved and became a travelling merchant, slowly I worked my way up from cheap trade goods to fine art. Currently, I am bringing a beautiful vase to Azureport for a tidy sum and I hope to open my own store in the city.
As for what comes next well that's a tale for another day.