Warren Background
From Ars Magica
Born to poor parents near the docks of London, Warren was orphaned early in his life. Taken in by the St. Bartholomew's Priory, he was later adopted, under questionable circumstances, by a wealthy merchant family. Curious and mischievous by nature, young Warren Osborn learned the age old lesson, “You can trap more flies with honey than with vinegar.” He began practicing what to say and when to say it, and not long after, used his newfound skills for gaining whatever he wanted, when he wanted it. While his adoptive parents were blind to his manipulations, his step brother was not, and it created a great deal of friction between them.
Educated by some of the most learned men in London along with his step brothers, Warren turned every new skill, every new fact, to serve him in his “negotiations”. His education was cut short, though when in his 20th year, both step parents were killed by brigands on the road to Shrewsbury. The heir, Warren’s dark hearted stepbrother, took control of the family and all its assets and immediately put Warren out on his bum. Suddenly, Warren was out of home and hearth, with not a coin to his name, but Warren took it in stride. He began putting his skills as a negotiator to use, sometimes in less than honorable ways, and slowly built up a reputation among businessmen and shadowy dealers alike.
Things did not always go his way, despite his self-confidence and skill. One particular deal, to buy and sell some rather rare “artifacts” from the Holy Land, went terribly wrong and Warren was imprisoned by one of the Merchant Guild’s more powerful houses. Luckily for him, he had been flirting with the guild master’s three daughters, despite their being promised in marriage to minor lords across England, and they took pity on him and conspired to engineer his escape. To a maid, each promised that they should see him again.
Effectively exiled from London proper, Warren set to the roads and paths of England and plied his trade, both legal and illegal, in the smaller cities and hamlets of the country. When things went well, he did not hesitate to spend his coin to his benefit, and the benefit of those around him, in hopes of engendering good will. When things went poorly, he did not hesitate to lift a purse or filch some food, either.
Things we going well for him on a stormy night in Ludlow when he noticed the robed man enter the inn. Though not as wet as he’d expect from someone coming out of such a storm, the man had an air about him that set the patrons on edge, making some downright hostile, including the innkeeper who seemed set to show the man to the barn. Warren was about to return to his own cup when the man turned just enough so that he could see the hunting bird sheltered under the man's hood, perched on his shoulder. It came to Warren that a man with the kind of wealth or influence to travel with such eccentricities might be a man worth ingratiating himself to, so jumped up and, pretending to have been waiting for the robed man, called him over to the table, and set about arranging food, drink and lodging. While it took some convincing, and calling in a favor or two that the innkeeper owed to Warren, he eventually won out.
When all had calmed down, Warren, who noticed a pack of books wrapped in oiled leather, introduced himself as a agent for the buying and selling of books are other rare items. Explaining that he noticed the man’s need, he thought to step in and help. The man introduced himself as Phaedrus ex Miscellanea. The two, though as dissimilar as two men could be, felt they had some deeper in common and talked throughout the night. While not quite friends, Warren gained a healthy respect for Phaedrus ex Miscellanea. He also knew that, if he could cultivate a relationship, or better, a friendship, with this powerful man…it could work out very well for him in the days to come…
