BronnTheSellsword

Born to a family whose descendants were neither distinguished or wealthy, Bernard is keen to prove himself now that his little remaining family have passed away. He does not want to end up like his ancestors, buried in the same hovel they were born in, subservient to their landowners with rising rents and only having nettles to eat in the hazardous winters. His parents, Jason and Falia, raised him to better himself in life and quickly recognised that he had a faculty for numbers. Possessing more wits than most, they sent him off to a local charitable Priest, putting Bernard ahead intellectually from most of his contemporaries. The lessons were intermittent, as bad winters meant there was no coin to spend on reading lessons. Bernard still lived apart of the peasantry while receiving these lessons, toiling in the fields of his local village, collecting the harvest and planting new fields. Corn was the main trade of Bernard's home-village, hence his surname, which most families around the local area shared a variant of e.g. Cornhouse, Cornhold, Corncrow etc. Bernard took over his families small plot of land when his father grew too ill to tend the corn. He was around 25 at this time, and his young wife Jane lived with the family by this time. Times were happy, and Bernard was content to burden his children with the task of becoming something greater than a corn farmer. He was happy living with his wife and ageing parents, and even grew a small affinity for corn - something which wouldn't last. However, fate had other plans. Unfortunately, a sweating sickness swept through the village 5 years later, when Bernard was newly 30. By the time the sickness had left, half of the farms in the village were left without owners, as the sickness had a particularly high mortality rate. It finished off Bernard's ailing father, and his elderly mother too. Unfortunately, Jane, a strong woman who always tilled the farm with her husband, also succumbed to the illness. Bernard survived only by what he reckoned was fate's judgement. He was meant to become something greater than a peasant farmer, not a great hero like his parents often spoke of, but maybe an ale-brewer or a soldier of fortune? Something different. His grief stays with him, and has made him an angry man, but he hopes to better himself, and fulfil his parent's wishes of finding a better station in life. The village was nameless and was located in the heartlands of the Oren Empire. The Lord was of a minor Baron who served as a vassal of the Emperor and Empress. Bernard knows how to fight. His many brawls as a child with the other peasant children were supplemented by training every Tuesday evening by his father in the art of sword-craft, practicing instead with either clubs or sticks. His father, as a young teenager, served as a footman in the armies of the Lord Protector Adrian de Sarkozy during the Civil Wars preceding the reign of the current Emperor and Empress. Bernard also has an affinity for Elven characters stemming from friendly relations his village experienced with Elven travellers in his younger years.

Bernard Cornfeed - Biography Born to a family whose descendants were neither distinguished or wealthy, Bernard is keen to prove himself now that his little remaining family have passed away. He does not want to end up like his ancestors, buried in the same hovel they were born in, subservient to their landowners with rising rents and only having nettles to eat in the hazardous winters. His parents, Jason and Falia, raised him to better himself in life and quickly recognised that he had a faculty for numbers. Possessing more wits than most, they sent him off to a local charitable Priest, putting Bernard ahead educationally more than most of his contemporary. The lessons were intermittent, as bad winters meant there was no coin to spend on reading lessons. Bernard still lived apart of the peasantry while receiving these lessons, toiling in the fields of his local village, collecting the harvest and planting new fields. As Bernard grew, the words of the ambitious Priest who taught him stayed in his mind "You will meet your end in the same place the dead corn falls Bernard, make something of yourself before it is all finished. You are not a piece of corn to be idly picked." Corn was the main trade of Bernard's home-village, hence his surname, which most families around the local area shared a variant of e.g. Cornhouse, Cornhold, Corncrow etc. Bernard took over his families small plot of land when his father grew too ill to tend the corn. He was around 25 at this time, and his young wife Jane lived with the family by this time. Times were happy, and Bernard was content to burden his children with the task of becoming something greater than a corn farmer. He was happy living with his wife and ageing parents, and even grew a small affinity for corn - something which wouldn't last. However, fate had other plans. Unfortunately, a sweating sickness swept through the village 5 years later, when Bernard was newly 30. By the time the sickness had left, half of the farms in the village were left without owners, as the sickness had a particularly high mortality rate. It finished off Bernard's ailing father, and his elderly mother too. Unfortunately, Jane, a strong woman who always tilled the farm with her husband, also succumbed to the illness. "In response, Bernard, in a fit of rage, grabbed his scythe and took his anger out on the corn that had fed his family those past 30 winters. By the end of his toil, his hands were red raw and his rage subsided, the corn fallen on the ground cut prematurely - wasted." The village held no more happiness left for him. He set out to leave as soon as possible. Bernard survived only by what he reckoned was fate's judgement. He was meant to become something greater than a peasant farmer, not a great hero like his parents often spoke of, but maybe an ale-brewer or a soldier of fortune? His grief stays with him, and has made him an angry man, but he hopes to better himself, and fulfil his parent's wishes. The village was nameless and was located in the heartlands of the Oren Empire. The Lord was of a minor Baron who served as a vassal of the Emperor and Empress. Bernard knows how to fight. His many brawls as a child with the other peasant children were supplemented by training every Tuesday evening by his father in the art of swordcraft, practicing instead with either clubs or sticks. His father, as a young teenager, served as a footman in the armies of the Lord Protector Adrian de Sarkozy during the Civil Wars preceding the reign of the current Emperor and Empress. Bernard also has an affinity for Elven characters stemming from friendly relations his village experienced with Elven travellers in his younger years.

Grumpy from the journey and needing some ale, Bernard would ask the the gentlemen where the nearest Inn was, ignoring his lofty, long-winded question. Not everyone needed to know what his grand aspirations were, as he was unsure himself. He was stout, and would make a good guardsmen or soldier, but farming was his profession. He was conflicted, and didn't want anyone to know this weakness. Best ignore the question, he figured, and go drink some ale and get some sleep.