Kalim Sakhaar

His great grandfather had been a distant prince in a land across the seas. They never would have had the throne, but they were noble and comfortable. It was enough for them, but conspiracy, lies, and scandal, to which they played no part, unwound them. Their name was dragged through the mud in order to cover for another, and they were found guilty before they even had a chance to prove their innocence. The prince and most of his immediate family were executed, but a few escaped with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. Kalim's grandfather worked hard to make an honest living, but even for an intelligent man it was hard to find employment for a foreigner who had never worked a day in his life. Kalim's father, who had been alive, albeit young at that time, grew up bitter and hateful. He eventually turned to a life of crime, wreaking havoc and making quite a name for himself until he was finally captured a few years after Kalim's birth. Even before his capture, the man was rarely around. Kalim better remembered his grandfather, though the man died before he could teach him how to read well. Still, it was a start. Kalim shared his father's desire for a better life as well as his grandfather's appreciation for education, art, and culture. He didn't want to spend his life doing hard labor, nor did he want to live as a criminal, but there weren't really any other options. Much of his childhood was spent sneaking onto noble grounds in order to listen to tutors and literary enthusiasts. Occasionally, he would find a discarded book, usually damaged and missing a number of pages. His luckiest days were those in which he could listen to a tutor teaching a young noble to read, while following along on his own worn pages. there was only so much he could learn that way, however. In time, the Thieve's Guild reached out to him. They wanted a spy, and they had ways of getting books he hadn't read yet. It was a life of crime, but it wasn't like what his father had done. It also meant that he could continue to pursue his education. Working for the Thieve's Guild gave him many opportunities to learn, and in ways he hadn't been able to before. They shaped him into a noble, or some dead man's bastard son. It was enough; they even had the noble crest, after all. It was as close to nobility as he would ever get, at least. He wouldn't be anyone special, not as the bastard son of a forgettable lord, but it was more than a peasant. With that, he was able to attend some events and he could act as a tutor without being a manservant. He even had access to a handsome library. Now, he just has to keep up the act.