Wilhelm Peut
Wilhelm Puet (a.k.a. Willie)
Pleased to meet you, Master Silvan - I'm a huge fan of your work. And let me tell you, I was incredibly surprised to hear that you even know who I am, much less that you would consider interviewing me.
I will admit that my first instinct was to not meet with you - or at least not talk to you about me. I know there are people who trust me and wait for my take on new products before they rush out to buy anything, and I love that I have been able to touch so many lives. I imagine you get much the same type of reaction, with people reading your books and pamphlets to learn more about the world around them and trusting you, personally, about what is worthwhile to do and see. If you're like me, though, and I think you are, you wish that your own celebrity would fade into the background and people could focus on the work.
Because that's what really matters, you know? For you, it's all about relaying stories to people, giving them a way to experience the wonder of the world that you have been able to be a part of, right? For me, it's about sharing these wonderful products with people and helping them to live better lives. When a person comes up to me and says, "Wilhelm, you do such a good job with your presentations, you make me want to buy the products!", well, that's flattering and I love to hear it. Everyone wants to hear that they are good at something, right? But when someone comes up to me and tells me that they bought something on my recommendation, and it changed their lives, or even just made their day a bit better, that's when it really pays off. Knowing that I helped make someone's life better in a tangible way, even if it was only through pointing out something they could buy to make life better.
And before you go asking about my relationship with Credence's Cunning Collection or their subsidiaries, let me point out that I do not have an exclusive contract with them or anything like that. As recently as last Festivus I did a presentation for the Koleran League touting their new short term study program for establishing frontier towns. I did that presentation because I believed in it - I took the class first, learned what they were teaching and saw how it can apply to establishing a new settlement.
I do a lot of work with CCC, that's true, and there's no way to get around that. But I do that work because I believe in them - I believe that the products I endorse are ones that make things better for everyone. I don't do all of their launches, either, because they have come up with a few ideas that I did not believe in. I think my reputation backs that up, which is why there are so many people that listen to what I have to say.
While you're here, might I take the opportunity to tell you about Credence's Contained Concerts? They have expanded my reach so much, by allowing me to record presentations for the masses without any of that kenku repeating others are using. They are an incredible solution to spreading your writings among the people, reaching beyond the bounds of literacy to get to the people most in need of your message. Credence's Contained Concerts aren't just for the musicians of the world - if you have a message you need to reach the masses, you can't get it out there faster than with Credence's Contained Concerts.
Oh, you are already aware of those? Hang on, I have a catalog...
Mental characteristics
Education
Puet was apprenticed to the Corellum chapter of the Temple of Fierte at a young age. He went through their standard education program for adolescents, with the expectation that he would pursue a specialty when he found what he was best at.
He discovered that he was good at grasping the fundamentals of crafting techniques and evaluating others performance, while never finding a craft he had any real talent for. No masters were willing to give him an apprentice slot, so he joined the members of the Temple that were directed to simple crafting jobs, such as cutting stone blocks to specific sizes or planing wood to make lumber - all important, but not worthy of a master's time.
Employment
While working in the Temple's raw material processing group, turning large stones into little rocks, Puet was in the right place at the right time when Lord Credence approached the Temple looking for workers for his "assembly line". He needed workers who could do repetitive tasks well, with little or no difference between produced parts. Puet was one of the 50 that the Temple assigned.
Puet worked on the line crafting pieces of the first product made by Credence's Cunning Collection, Credence's Clean Commode. None of the workers knew exactly what they were working on, although they could tell that the pieces they produced would fit together to create a commode. As the launch was approaching, Lord Credence visited the factory where they had finished the initial prototype. As a thank you to the workers, Lord Credence had the first full unit produced installed in the factory and invited them to try it out. Puet was one of the first in line, and was amazed by the creation. After using he, he proceeded to talk about it in glowing, flowery terms to his fellow workers. Lord Credence witnessed this, and the excitement on their faces.
Lord Credence asked for time to speak with Peut, and asked him about the commode. Puet immediately went into an in depth review of the product, pointing out the benefits and even touching on the one detriment he had found (splinters on the seats). Credence was impressed, and offered to employ Puet personally to help explain the wonders of the product to the masses. Puet countered with the idea of being an independent contractor who he could hire on a product by product basis, allowing Puet to keep his independence and only talk about products he believed in. Credence agreed, seeing the worth, and even suggested to Puet that he be willing to provide the same services for others.
Puet returned to the Temple and thanked the clergy for raising him, then left and founded his own establishment, "Puet Production Partners" (a clear nod to the CCC), effectively establishing the role of "pitch man" as viable employment in the kingdom.
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