ToeFungusGremlin

Daan is a simple Batavian man. He likes his money, and he likes his art. Growing up on the outskirts of Reza, he lived and worked with his father Thijs. Mother died during childbirth, Thijs often blamed Daan for Faan’s death and his loneliness. While his father was an accomplished potter they still lived a realtively “humble” life, much to Daan’s disappointment. He always dreamt of living the life of a nobel, but for a lowborn son of a potter like him, such a life was a long distance away. It didn’t help that Thijs didn’t care for much outside of his craft and God.

Daan has tried many times to increase his and his father’s income. He painted his father’s pottery with intricate beautiful designs, which did end up turning a pretty profit. He also advertised his father’s business inside Reza like a maddened town crier, which just ended up annoying the general public. However, he knew his father’s business wouldn’t grow anymore. Taking his skills in pottery, his artistic talent and his willingness to perform, he set out to earn the most money their family has seen in a while.

After being given one pot to paint, he did as his father asked. He painted the pot. But not in his usual style nor his usual patterns, he plagarized the realms most prestigious potters’ patterns. The Faarowind family vases are often worth five to thirty minas, depending on the order or the designs. Daan intended to flip the forgery for five hundred minas, possibly thousands. Daan’s paintings isn’t that of a master but to the untrained eye it would be enough to fool most. He finalizes the forgery with a signature, then sets off for his scam.

He meets up with his friend Gil, a local vagrant and theif in Reza, and agrees to split the profit fifty/fifty. The plan is simple: Gil waits in the pub, scanning for a wealthy and drunk “mark”. Gil then tries to befriend the mark. Daan enters with the vase nicely concealed in wrapping parchment. They drink and don’t acknowledge each other until Daan leaves to go to the toilet. Gil peeks at the vase and acts shocked. When Daan returns, Gil tries to buy it at 300 minas. They try to keep this within earshot of the mark who would hopefully intergect and enter a “bidding war” with Gil, until they reach a hefty sum. They sell and run.

The plan itself went off without a hitch. They sold the vase for a nice even 650 minas. A little less than what Daan would have wanted, considering he only ended up with 325, but he wasn’t going to complain over the biggest sale of his life! He practically sung and danced his way home, overjoyed. His victory lived only to the morning however when he was woken by the large heavy knocks by the crownsguard.

The jig was up. The mark took the vase to an appraiser which, unlike most people, notices the finer details in art. They alerted the crownsguard and Daan’s father was told everything. Daan was forced to give back the entire 325 minas with 30 minas extra. His father fronting 100 minas more of Daan’s fine. Their family was now in debt 145 minas to the crown.

Understandably, Thijs was not happy. After paying back the 145 minas over the course of 5 months, Daan was officially disowned. He was sent to the streets, where he’s spent his life ever since.