Editing Campaign:SUNSHINE AND DECAY/Flawless Silent Soul (section)

=== Background ===

Age: 25

Flawless Silent Soul's parents, healers themselves, lived within the walls of Nexus, and he initially grew up amongst the hustle and bustle of market life. Although his parents were only indirectly tied to any commercial traffic thought their work, they managed to establish some friendships within the Guild, presumably through treatment of Guild members.

For whatever reason, when he was about 9 years old, they moved far outside the limits of Nexus, to a village bordering a large forest with an abundance of plant and wildlife. This new environment intrigued him, and he would spend most of his days exploring the environment, often with a knife in hand. Over time, he developed a knack for figuring out what animals were edible, the best use for some plant components, etc. Although initially a childish fascination, soon these regular excursions became very practical, as his parents realized the medicinal value of his work. They taught him how to mix healing salves from the ingredients he found, as well as the medicinal properties of other, more exotic reagents. They were able to use these in their work, but this also had a side effect: Flawless Silent Soul made other potions on the side and sold them himself, and began to make himself a small fortune (or, what would seem like a small fortune to a preteen.)

When he was about 14, his parents, having realized his mercantile potential, contacted a few old friends in the Guild, and got Soul apprenticed to a few Guild merchants. Thus began a rigorous and thorough study of the complexities of trade and commerce, all of which Soul took to heart most readily. This also had the byproduct of exposing him to greater possibilities that he could put his medicinal talents to use (including mixing potions to harm rather than heal). Soul began to think of his trade not in terms of providing healing to the sick, but in terms of injecting value into the economy and amassing wealth.

When he returned to his parents' home a few years later to take over the family business (his mother having passed away in the meantime), he took it over in a greater sense than his now-ailing father had probably expected. He hired workers to help him manage the practice (which now resembled a store more than a healer's house), giving him more time to forage for elements for his concoctions. He also made regular trips into Nexus, both to hawk his wares and to haggle for rarer reagents. He kept in touch with his former Guild masters, who were all very pleased at how well he put his learning and natural aptitude to use. He quickly became inducted into the Guild proper as a merchant (quickly enough that most assumed his masters had pre-arranged for such a circumstance knowing he would join their ranks soon).

His father did not quite live long enough to see him join the Guild; this saddened Flawless Silent Soul to some extent, but he did not let it slow him down. He made the odd move of moving to the Nexus countryside and having a new practice built there. At first this seemed to be counter-intuitive; businesses in the Guild countryside are usually heavily taxed, and few people live there; farmers who tend to the crop terraces are about the only conceivable clients he would have. However, this was actually a shrewd business move on Soul's part. His membership and good standing in the Guild means he was likely able to arrange for a much more reasonable tax burden for his practice, and Guild leaders probably allowed this because they appreciated his constant trading of goods both within the city walls and in the areas outside Nexus territory; not many traders move both raw and finished goods from Nexus Markets to beyond the city-state's boundary, and vice-versa. Also, his proximity to the city means he could travel into Nexus proper more frequently, and make house calls as needed. He now has about two to four young assistants working under him at any given time to help mind the store while he is away, whether in Nexus for trade or healing, or out in the woods beyond his former home scavenging for ingredients there (after all, the cheapest ingredients are those you find for free). At least one or two of these assistants is usually an apprentice from the Guild; Flawless Silent Soul has not forgotten those to whom he owes his livelihood, and he keeps his connections to the Guild strong.

As a child, Soul often entertained the romantic notion of joining a Scavenger Lord's troupe. While he still respects the Scavenger Lords and the work that they do, he is rooted too deeply in his work to be able to drop it all and become a nomad...although he still suspects his skills would be extremely useful in such a setting.