“Don’t grow old, Lady Relvingold. Not with humans. They’ll break your heart a million times over. But then, they teach you many things. Like how to love, live hard and fast, and never take a single day for granted. Even we long-lived races should endeavour to have the fortitude and hope of the human soul.”
Elmer is Mancel Ludlow's personal assistant and steward of the Ludlow Estate. He doesn't know his age, but appears in his mid-to-late thirties.
True Background[]
TLDR; Caybourne, Sylvie Isle, and Westgate were all part of a civilization masked from the rest of the world by illusions of dangerous reefs. Elmer lived there. Somewhere between 1-2k years ago, the civ was decimated. Elmer escaped with his wife Sinmae, but they were captured by slavers in their vulnerable state. An incident with the Black Elf led to the sinking of the slaver vessel and the death of Sinmae. The Black Elf left Elmer alive, sensing potential for a demonic host. He was mistaken.
Modern Times[]
Elmer forgot his real name a long time ago. He knows he is not from Aradia, and likely comes far from the east. He's not entirely certain, but he believes he is mostly High Elf, if not fullblood. His dark hair makes him doubt that though.
There are tattoos of an unusual tribal design all over his body from the neck down. His body is scarred and mutilated by burns, whipmarks, and some bladed injuries. His face is mostly untouched by these cruelties, or the scars present seem to be more carefully closed with healing magic. Red runes have been carved into his skin over the tattoos, of a ritualistic nature.
Elmer's introduction to Aradia was in 830AE. He was found adrift on a badly damaged ghost ship of a foreign design, the sole survivor of some great disaster far east of Aradia's mainland. He was found clutching the body of an elven woman, who he kept calling Sinmae as he wailed for her to come back. They were both found with metal bonds on their wrists and ankles - slaves. The patrol ship which found him took him to Everglow City for help.
He was simply named 'Elmer' and started to receive help for the trauma he had been through. For a long time, he would only say his dead wife's name, and began forgetting things. It took until he had forgotten Sinmae's name before he began to speak again. His unusual case was documented, his tattoos copied by a scribe into books, and then he was released.
He hated the city with a vengeance, especially with nothing to start out with. Elmer immediately took to the farms surrounding the city in search of work. He ended up working at a brewery owned by House Dalman for several decades. With the money he saved, he began learning from a tutor how to read and write.
Elmer already knew a way to write, but it didn't make sense to any Aradians so he had to learn all over again. When he was confident in his writing and numbers and had sufficient money, he entered the University in 890AE. There, he began to learn business and commerce. Although he had the aptitude for magic, he decided against studying that as it would cost him even more. He picked up fencing as a way to defend himself.
In 903AE, Elmer bought a small trading ship and assembled a skeleton crew. They began ferrying cargo between Briochi and Everglow City. Unfortunately, only two years into his new business venture, it all came crashing down.
In 905AE, his ship was caught in a storm and they had to turn to the ocean to avoid crashing into the mainland and reefs. When the storm finally abated, the crew found they were lost. A few nights passed without the stars to guide them, but another ship found them first. A slaver vessel.
Half of the crew were killed, the rest enslaved. Elmer crumbled under the memories as they poured back to him of his past life, and he didn't resist. He and his crew were separated as they were sold or traded. When it was discovered he could read and write, and also knew an unknown written language, Elmer was prized for business by the slavers. They used him for themselves for the longest time until they could find a bidder offering a worthy price.
His new master was a drow woman in the trade of silk. She dressed him well and had him act as a servant although she was still cruel to him and treated him as a slave. To the public, Elmer was seen as her willing assistant. The travel between trading posts was dangerous and the drow woman had Elmer train with a crossbow and sword until he was proficient in each. She had him for 32 years.
943 AE, the drow woman's son inherited Elmer with his mother's untimely death in Silkwood. Not in the silk trade himself, Elmer's new master sold off the company and brought Elmer back to Everglow City. In the market for a new ship, the master had Elmer accompany him to the docks to examine those on offer.
A family was also at the docks - a young father and his two toddlers. Having had so much trouble with them, he had bound them to each other by a rope on their wrists, of which was also linked to his own wrist. He didn't see his little girl slip the knot and take off along the docks only to fall in the water.
Elmer witnessed the accident and immediately left his master in the middle of haggling, racing down and jumping in the water to save her. He got her out and had her breathing again by the time his master and the father caught up with him. The father introduced himself as Gauge Heartstone-Rodin and offered Elmer a position in his crew as a reward. The drow master persuaded Gauge to buy Elmer's freedom.
Life with the Heartstone Family
A free man again, but damaged enough to need a person guiding him through life, Elmer stayed with Gauge and his crew. He became the First Mate and often spent time with the Heartstone-Rodin children, Keyair and Amayl, and their half-uncle Tazim Chakif, telling them stories and teaching them how to read and write. In time, he also taught Gauge literacy and numeracy, which helped with his new trading business - Heartstone Trading Company.
12 years on, the Heartstone Trading Company was booming and had another five ships added to its fleet. Keyair became Captain of one and set off on his own way. Then tragedy struck - Amayl was betrothed to a nobleman in Everglow City but the ship ferrying her there was attacked by pirates and she was captured. Gauge lost all interest in his business as he tried to find his lost daughter, so Elmer kept the business side running to support his Captain's militant pursuit of pirates across the Sorrows.
Gauge handed the company over to Keyair and continued his search for Amayl for six more years. He finally gave up and retired to Caybourne, but charged Elmer with continuing the search.
Another 15 years, 270 AE, and Elmer had become a stronger man. With the pursuit of pirates and slavers, his heart had hardened to the memories of torture and cruelty at their hands. He had gained a respect for his freedom and a sense of justice in helping other escaped or freed slaves readjust to life.
He had temporarily joined forces with House Umbridge searching for one of their ships when they discovered a pirate hideout. He joined the main force in taking down the base, and while inside, found Amayl. He brought her home.
Gauge died two years later. Elmer was grief-stricken, but immediately signed on with the Heartstone Trading Company once more - soon absorbed by the Ludlow Accord. Keyair advised Elmer to assist his new business partner, Mancel Ludlow, and help the boy just as he had helped Gauge.
Living in the Ludlow Accord
Since 973AE, Elmer Twicefreed has been based in Caybourne, the personal assistant of Mancel Ludlow. He taught him how to read and write, amplified his business and commerce skills, and acted as a bodyguard at times. Mancel respects him greatly and he is treated as one of the family. He makes regular visits to the Heartstone Estate in Sylvie Isle, usually a couple times a month.
Elmer was offered his own estate. Although he accepted at first, he soon realized how lonely it was living alone with no one to serve - even with his new, strengthened outlook on life as a free man. He had the estate renovated into a library/inn and pays a tutor to live there with the innkeeper and serving staff so anyone staying there could learn literacy and numeracy. The inn is called The Tome Shelf. Elmer moved back into the Ludlow Estate to serve his lord.
Over the years Elmer has recalled his magical talents. It seems there is some deep well of unknown knowledge that year-by-year, he slowly recounts about himself and what he is capable of. One day, perhaps, he might even remember where he came from and who he originally was.
Notes on Writing this Character:[]
General[]
- Feels somewhat inferior to other elves as he does not remember his family, heritage, or anything of value concerning his history before Everglow City in 830 AE.
- On the rare times he takes vacations, Elmer usually goes camping or hiking in the jungles of Caybourne, or rock-climbing about Sylvie Isle's higher peaks. He loves going for walks.
- Greatly enjoys humans and the shorter-lived races. He feels they live life hard and fast, just as everyone should, long-lived or not.
- Has a collection of Westgate relics in his quarters at the Ludlow Estate.
- Created the Ravensyell from a dream he had, like he had made it before.
- Discovered in 988 AE that he knew the fundamentals of some type of blood magic.
Fashion[]
- Always smartly dressed. He prefers tailored shirt, trousers, vest, and a flowing jacket.
- Has a vast wardrobe at the Ludlow Estate, something he obviously takes pride in.
- His boots or shoes are always polished.
- Takes fantastic care of his personal set of gold-trimmed Ludlow Accord armor.
Drugs & Alcohol[]
- Elmer will partake in Marsh Bark when offered. He prefers not to have any other sort of drug.
- Drinks human-brewed alcohols regularly without consequence.
- He has avoided Wyvern-mead after an embarrassing incident where he was found asleep in the library of the Ludlow Estate stark naked with a pair of servants. He's not proud of that time.
- If offered Wyvern-mead, he will drink one serving and no more.
Romance[]
- Elmer was married once to a woman he does not remember other than her name, Sinmae. She died 185 years ago and he's still not certain if he should move on despite holding her no real allegiance in this new world and age.
- Has had a few flings, but with no intention of anything being serious. The Wyvern-mead incident was apparently the most recent.
- If he ever has children, fully intends to be part of their lives.