William Sanders - Backstory / Bio

Discussion in 'Character Bios' started by xfilez, Dec 22, 2019.

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  1. xfilez

    xfilez Verified Traveler

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    Username: xfilez
    Discord Username: Xfilez#1298
    Full Name: William Sanders
    Nickname(s): Sandy, Will
    Gender: Male
    Age: 26
    Date of birth: August 18th 2379S
    Place of birth: Born in Craydon
    Job: Merchant / Economist
    Interests and hobbies: Will crafts small wood figurines in his spare time, a hobby he picked up from his father, a woodworker, when he was younger
    Religious Belief: Everyday William wakes up and worships Metus for luck in his merchant travels
    Signature Item (s):
    Benno’s Coin: A lucky coin given to Will by Benno Magus, a senior merchant, who gave Will a merchant apprenticeship and taught him the tricks of the trade


    Story Paragraphs:

    The story of William Sanders starts on August the 18th 2389S, when Judy Sanders gave birth to two twins, William and Mary Sanders. It was an unexpected, but a most welcome surprise; one which both the mother, Judy, and the father, Max, thanked the Gods for every day of their lives. Max Sanders worked as a wood-worker, crafting intricate wooden goods and selling them to locals amongst Craydon. Will’s mother, Judy Sanders worked as a locally known artisan, crafting clothes and other wearables out of common materials.


    Unfortunately, professions like Max’s and Judy’s never brought much wealth to the household. Realistically, there are only two ways to attain wealth. Firstly, be born into a royal family and living an entitled life, or, work as a successful merchant. However, in order to become a merchant, one must first gain an apprenticeship – an almost impossible task.


    Hence, for most of Will’s early life, living in poverty became something quite ordinary. In later years, Will became increasingly more intrigued with his father’s work and learnt some basic wood-working skills. At the age of 10, both Mary and Will began working for their parents. Mary had – over many years – been following in her mother’s footsteps, learning basic artisan skills and becoming quite skilled at her job. Hence, becoming an artisan was always obvious in Mary’s eyes. However, what wasn’t obvious was what William was aiming for. Most people thought William would take on his father’s business. Everyone but William, that is. In his eyes, it was a poor man’s trade. As a result, on Saturdays – Craydon’s weekly market day – William would mostly take the counter, selling his father’s specially crafted wood sculptures. It was doing this that he would meet a man by the name of Benno Magus.


    It was about ten minutes past eleven on a bright and sunny market day. Crowds bustled and murmured, vibrantly looking at anything that caught their eye. Shopkeepers held tight and confident discussions with customers whilst the clink of coins rippled through the market. Unfortunately, wooden figurines and other items were never a big hit, many people walk right by towards other more important stalls like the produce and medicine stalls. Later, he would learn about something called needs and wants – a simple explanation for this phenomenon. As William stood at his stall offering his services, a man approached in a purple linen garment with a flamboyant hairstyle Will had never seen before. “How much for this?” he enquired as he lifted a small wooden horse from the tabletop. “3 gold coins”, Will exclaimed nervously, he had never seen anyone like him before. Those clothes, was he nobility? One thing was for certain, he must be rich. “4… 4 gold coins, I mean”, the words escape Will’s mouth faster than his brain could think.
    “Oh? Normally, shopkeepers choose a worth before they sell it. You’re not very experienced, are you?”
    Will’s chin pointed down, almost unspeakably afraid to make eye contact. There was a moment of awkward silence, where you could almost choke on the tension in the air.
    “I’ll give you 2 gold coins for this. The etching on the back isn’t smooth but I think my daughter will love it”,the man finally states his offer.
    “I can’t do that, sir”, Will’s chin finally raising together with the audacity to look the rich man in his eyes, “4 gold coins is as low as I’ll go”, he firmly exclaims.
    “I see”, the man declared unenthusiastically, “In which case, good day”
    And as quickly as the mysterious man appeared, he was gone.

    * * *

    The week’s market day was almost over and many of the wooden sculptures laid on the table untouched. Unfortunately, it wasn’t an uncommon sight and Will’s father had instructed him to pack them away. As soon as he began, a man in the corner of his eye approached the stand. Will enthusiastically straightened up, eager to sell at least one more of his father’s creation, “Hello how can I he- “, Will was shocked, the man with flamboyant hair had returned.“Tell me, boy, what is it that you truly want?”, the man asked boldly. Honestly, Will had never thought about it. He was always following in his family footsteps, what else was he meant to do? Now, this man is asking him to think about himself – what did he truly desire?
    “I’ve been watching you today from afar”, Will’s eyes sparked up, “I can tell this isn’t you. How much was it that you sold today?”, the man asked sarcastically, but he was right. Will looked down at his father’s work. From the eloquently crafted wooden knives to the larger cabinets, expertly crafted and designed – was this what he wanted to do in life? He knew the answer. He just couldn’t accept it. But for a young boy from a poor family, how could he move on and try something new? He definitely did not want to be an artisan like his mother. “I have no other choice”, Will explained despondently, “I can’t possibly be anything oth-“, the man cut him off.
    “The moment you lose your spirit, your perseverance, you lose your chance. The chance to change things. You can be something else, you can be anything you want – you just have to strive for it, find your goal and never stop until you reach it”. His speech was met with a moment of reflective silence. The man continued, “I see something in you, so I’m going to give you a chance”, Will looked up, confused albeit surprised at his pleasant change of pace. “I’ll pay you 3 gold coins for that wooden horse. For the 4th coin, I’ll give you a chance as an apprentice merchant, my apprentice merchant”. William couldn’t believe it. Merchant apprenticeships were rare to come by, even rarer than a satchel of diamonds. Normally, only kids from rich families could afford them, with some apprenticeships costing up to 450 gold coins a week. And this man that Will had only met this morning was offering an apprenticeship for only a single gold. Will’s mind was flooded with thoughts. “Surely, it must be a scam, or is he joking around with me? Or maybe he’s such a terrible merchant that no one wants to be his apprentice?”, either way, Will had no idea what to think.
    “So? What is your decision, boy?”, the man demanded an answer.
    “I’ll do it”, Will exclaimed. Just like when he followed his gut on changing the price, Will jumped in again.
    “Good”, the man extended his hand, “My name is Benno Magus, I’m a travelling merchant from Elpida”.
    Will looked up confidently at Benno, “I’m William Sanders”.

    Over the course of the next decade, William slowly came closer and closer to being a fully-fledged merchant. From learning basic macro and micro-economics to improving his haggling skills, Will loved every moment of his new journey. After finishing his apprenticeship, Benno Magus gave him a golden coin – symbolising his first profit as a new merchant. Soon thereafter, William began trading independently, earning profit after profit; sending money back to his family whilst also saving money himself. After 3 years of hard work, William finally moved to Elpida in 2405S.
     
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2019
    Alir99 likes this.
  2. Alir99

    Alir99 The Guy Who Does Stuff Moderator Community Team

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    A really interesting and intriguing bio. However, before i can approve it, some changes need to be made. Your character must be moving to Elpida in the year 2405S, so some parts of your bio needs to be changed. Apart from that, it can definitely be approved if you change the dates.

    Let me know when you've updated it!
     
  3. xfilez

    xfilez Verified Traveler

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    Done. Cheers for the compliment!
     
  4. Alir99

    Alir99 The Guy Who Does Stuff Moderator Community Team

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    Thank you!

    Welcome to the community :D
     
    xfilez likes this.

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