Merchant Boldizsár Prohászka
Appearance: Boldizsár is a skinny little man, of pale complexion, with watery blue eyes. He is of average height for medieval Europe, about five-nine. He hair is thinning and has already turned gray, so he wears it short and keeps an elegant mustache and well trimmed beard. As he is often cold, he prefers to wear dark wool and pale linen, but at parties or court, he wears dark silks from far off Hind. As an exceedingly wealthy merchant in gold, he has and wears a variety of beautiful jewelry, all the better to show off his wears to customers of note. Unfortunately, he is allergic to most of the exotic and overpowering scents used to cover the smell of unwashed bodies, but has found that the essence of vanilla suits him, and regardless of its price he virtually bathes in the stuff. He is never without a variety of silken handkerchiefs upon which to blow his ever-runny nose or in case he should sneeze, which he does often and quite loudly.
Background: Boldizsár was born into a large clan of Hungarian miners, but as a child he was too sickly to play with the other children, let alone work in the mines like his many brothers. So he was raised mostly by his mother and sisters, and grew up somewhat effeminate. His delicacy as a child limited what sort of work he could do for the family, so he learned to help his mother shop and keep track of just what goods the household was in need of at any given time. He quickly realized that what nature might have denied him physically, it had more than amply rewarded him intellectually. For he often conversed with the merchants of the nearby town and learned the art of haggling in the same way that other children learned games. His mother wasn't oblivious to this and placed him with local merchant to learn the art of trade.
It was in this capacity as apprentice merchant, that Boldizsár came into contact with Artúr Aurél, a local scholar and alchemist. The old man was an alchemist and the only one in the town who more intelligent than Boldizsár, the two found that they had much in common and it wasn't long before they were fast friends. For Artúr, the boy Boldizsár was like a long lost son to which he could teach all of his arcane secrets and for Boldizsár, the old man was a mentor who could provide him with the education he couldn't afford. The two were thick as thieves for years and when Artúr journeyed to Constantinople, he took the young Boldizsár with him to purchase his alchemical supplies and to meet his scholarly friends. The boy took to the sophisticated culture of the city; his favorite place was the Bazaar of the Spice Market, where the Jewish and Muslim traders spent their time drinking tea, playing backgammon and quietly trading news of foreign lands. It was here, in the shadow of the Hagia Sofia, that Boldizsár realized where his real gifts lay, the life of a merchant would allow him to pursue the dream that he and Artúr shared, the search for the legendary Philosopher's Stone.
When Boldizsár returned home the following Spring, he immediately began making plans for a trade caravan from Hungary to Byzantium; the difficulty lay in convincing his family that they could trade gold directly with Byzantium, but Artúr came to his rescue and helped the boy's father and uncles understand the brilliant simplicity of Boldizsár plan. Reluctantly, the miner's agreed to try this trade plan on a limited basis, with small amounts of gold. The returns from Constantinople were significant and Boldizsár was barely a man as he began making the commercial decisions of his clan of miners. In the capacity of mentor, Artúr proved his worth again, by suggesting and arranging the union of the Prohászka Clan with the Ágota Clan of smiths by the marriage of Boldizsár to a daughter of Ágota called Irmuska. The two were married on the winter solstice to symbolize a new era unity and wealth between the two clans. Sadly, it was not to be chemical wedding, as Irmuska had no head for anything but motherhood, but in this regard, she has served her husband and her clan well by producing a dozen surviving children. Boldizsár and Irmuska's family has spread out to create a network of trading houses in the great capitals of the pagan east.
Unfortunately, trade and family took up much of Boldizsár's time and the years passed quickly, thus it came as a surprise, when the master merchant learned of the death of his mentor Artúr Aurél. Although Boldizsár had met with Artúr when the opportunity presented itself and often exchanged letters on alchemy with his mentor, he wasn't there when Artúr became sick and died. Boldizsár was sickened with grief, far more so than when he lost his own parents, for Artúr was the only one to truly understand him and share his dreams. After the grief finally past, Boldizsár resolved to honor his mentor's memory by achieving their mutual goal of deriving the Philosopher's Stone. But the years of trade and familial politics had left Boldizsár rusty in alchemy and thus, he chose his oldest son Lukács to lead the family business, while he turned his remaining years to the pursuit of the stone.
The pursuit of alchemical lore has recently led Boldizsár to Alba Iulia in search of the legendary Picatrix grimoire. Sadly the book was purchased only weeks before his arrival, by a magister named Szilveszter Zoltán. When the master merchant approached Magister Zoltán about purchasing the grimoire from him, he was told the book had already left the city for the library of Ceoris. Magister Zoltán was the regent of the Alba Iulia chantry and suggested that if Boldizsár really wanted to read the Picatrix, then he should join the hermetic wizards of the House of Tremere. Seeing no other way to achieve his goal, Boldizsár agreed and now finds himself in the dark halls of Ceoris. He has yet to penetrate the great library and find the grimoire, but he is within reach of his goal. His success seems to rest on a loose alliance of associates met on the road to Ceoris, but the question is, can he trust any of them? In the cold halls of Ceoris, Boldizsár has begun to feel his age and the lure of immortality is starting to influence his judgement; but, isn't that also a part of the quest to complete the great work?
Personality: Boldizsár is both extremely shrewd and acquisitive. He is familiar with the etiquette of nobles, the haggling of merchants and the deeper thinking of scholars. Boldizsár's stock and trade is the offering of compliments, not those of an odious and obviously false nature, but of observed strengths, so as to be honest and pleasant. Regardless of what he is asked, he never offers a negative comment, preferring to reinforce everything he says with positive commentary. When people feel good about themselves, they like to barter and trade, which is the cornerstone of Boldizsár's nature, for ultimately, everything is for sale. The master merchant hopes to buy the right to use the Picatrix in his quest for the Philosopher's Stone, but the price just might be his soul. But, if that is the case, then Boldizsár feels certain that with eternity before him, he can purchase back whatever he loses and come out ahead.
Puppeteer: Brian O'Riley
