𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑹𝑨𝑪𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑭𝑰𝑳𝑬 - mariss.
❝ You haven’t met Mariss? The Scribe -- as he’s won’t to fancy himself -- for his shady dealings out of that bookstore he manages... He’s the go-to if you need anything forged, and given the market for that, well, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had details of every merchant, shopkeeper, banker, land lord and politician in the city. But be thankful, then, Ardy; that guy’s up to his eyeballs in Guild-work, and any dealings with The Guild spells bad trouble for the rest of us. ❞
❝ The conversations you think you have in private, they’ve heard it; whatever you get up to when you think no one’s watching, they’ve seen it... All that to say, be careful!! And after you read this, burn it. Can't have them getting smart about our correspondence. ❞
-A letter to Ardy Side-step, from fellow Wallower, Zara Neesle. 1486 DR.
native neveran, mariss, grew up an urchin in the jewel of the north with an entirely unremarkable childhood that would accomplish little in speaking of it. simply know that mariss left the cold north, aimless and adrift, with years of his adolescence spent in squalor, without a place he considered a home, until an opportunity found in baldur’s gate essentially made him a wealthy young man overnight. a priceless necklace on a merchant ship was stolen away before it ever left its hull, and in the darker beds of mercantile thievery, a wily scoundrel took credit for its disappearance. however, as quickly as mariss made his pounds of gold, it was spent just as fast, yet the success of his task brought attention... of the good or bad kind, who's to say?
it took no time for mariss to become a member of the guild, the gate's largest crime syndicate, and he took up work as a thief and a fence. he and his closest associates formed a small group that specialised in selling merchandise that eventually evolved into forgeries, using the gate's lucrative merchant trade as its largest clientele. merchant permits spread to deeds for properties, wills, bank legers... there was nothing they wouldn't forge, and Pageturner was established in 1485 DR, becoming a hot spot for criminals, with mariss being the one behind the counter.
in 1487 DR, mariss met laera, a new face to the city and sellsword, looking to use her skills for her own profit; he got her in with the guild, and laera went off on her own. mariss forgot about her until two years later -- now established in the protection racket -- when she turned up at his storefront looking for blackmail material on a client. her frequent visits continued well after her original purpose, and simply put: they fell in love. his clever doggedness and mastery of everything underhanded sweetly complimented direct and forceful laera; he was the talker, she was the doer. they lived together for three years, under the market district in a hovel, where they counted their profits and planned their future together. yet anyone involved in criminal enterprises knows things may come crashing down sooner than expected, and mariss' time came sooner than laera hoped.
in 1492 DR, mariss and his associates vanished under mysterious circumstances without warning. his disappearance was handwaved by the guild, believing them to start a venture free from guild interference, or more likely, they were murdered by rivals. laera couldn't accept that response, and she began a months long investigation to determine what happened; she never did find a resolution, as later that same year, laera herself also disappeared.
