Bardo’s Biography: The Rogue from Athkatla

Bardo was a rogue. Quite simply he thrived on making a deal on things he shouldn’t and getting the gold and the gal at the end of a good day. In fact born circa DR 1350s, Bardo is lucky to be born to a Family who have provided a line of Merchants who have great influence in the city he was born in.

However the life of landed gentry did little to curb his enterprising nature, in fact his family took him to be a bit eccentric since they did not need such enterprise. From a young age, Bardo accompanied his father on business deals and other events around Faerun that his father attended to promote his business and enter the quid pro quo arrangements with the local nobility and authorities.

However when Bardo was old enough, he was quite troublesome, taking more time in courting the daughters of his father’s contacts in the nobility. There are many cities in Faerun whose children of noble blood may find that they are related to Bardo. Ultimately, his father had to pay a few fines to release Bardo and hush up the stories.

Though little is known about the family to many outside the closed circle of the Krown House, they had a patronage with a local community of Dwarves who dwelt north of the city in the Cloud Peaks. This led to good relations between the Krown’s and this community, as they found themselves the chief exporter of the Dwarves weapons production. With this monopoly, the Krown familie’s wealth grew and they managed to elevate themselves to be a major merchant house, with ties to the Council of Six.

When Bardo’s father was assassinated by the Thieve’s Guild, Bardo’s was the sole inheritor of all the businesses his father had made. Enjoying his station as an influential Merchant in this corrupt port city, Bardo found the time to set up shop throughout Faerun. He expanded the business along the trade route Athkatla is in the middle of, setting up communities of gnome workers and product makers who were practically employees for life.

Bardo renamed the company his father set up to Bardo’s Business Acquisitions and made it the administrative center of the Krown Merchant Empire. However this good fortune would not last long. High tithes and taxes on trade and the disaster’s in the north of Faerun caused loss of profits and threatened Bardo’s wealth.

Due to a small number of business blunders caused by product related issues in a number of cities throughout Faerun, Bardo was forced to pay out to their local authorities. These pay outs forced him to sell his businesses he had set up and borrow money from many Noble families to cover his costs.

Near bankruptcy, Bardo approached his father’s old investors for a last investment into his Shipping business to provide supplies to Siranda. Who were in the midst of a civil war as far as the rumours could say. Based on his father's reputation, the investors provided Bardo with a ship, medical supplies and products of a dubious nature, befitting a Merchant of Athkatla.

Bardo set out to Ludor with his crew on his last business venture, no one has heard from him since his departure and the Merchant House’s of Athkatla have placed many bounties on the man. Wanting him back, dead or alive, to ensure he can repay the debts he owed and the dividends they expect from his profitable run in Siranda.