Abelard is a dealmaker, a shrewd businessman, and, at heart, a man who would much rather pay someone else to get their hands dirty than to do so himself. His businesses range from the legal to the illegal, and while he doesn’t debase himself so much as to deal in such things as slavery, he won’t draw a line on too many other goods. If there’s profit to be made, he’s interested.

Abelard possesses a certain charm that he often uses to advance his prosperity. A true crowd pleaser, he is always ready to greet a guest—or a prospective client—with a warm smile or friendly joke to help put them at ease and win their favor.

Abelard was born and raised in Alchester to parents of modest means. His father, whom Abelard pitied because of his time spent toiling away in the city’s early factories only to make a pittance, nevertheless served as Abelard’s early inspiration. While Abelard deeply respects his father’s work ethic and discipline, he always firmly believed his father was a fool for never wanting more for himself and his family. Abelard knew early on that factory work and menial labor were not for him. He also recognizes that his father’s plight was his impetus for pushing himself to achieve something better.

Once I let the host know who I was meeting, he ushered me into a quiet back room where flickering candlelight illuminated a table laden with a king’s feast. Only one person sat at the table, his fork and knife putting on such a display of carving into roast mutton, slicing fresh asparagus, and spearing honeyed cakes that his demonstration made my knife work look amateurish. At my arrival, the pudgy-faced individual lifted his utensils in greeting, but that was all since his mouth was otherwise occupied.

“Good evening, Abelard,” I said, pulling out a chair.

Abelard swallowed heavily. “Good evening, my friend. Please, help yourself.” He waved his knife across the feast.

“No, thanks,” I said. “I already ate. But I will take a glass of whatever you’re drinking.”

“Of course!”

- THE ASSASSIN’S CUNNING / THE SHADOW CODE

A true wine connoisseur, Abelard became enamored with the winemaking industry during a tour of the fiefdom’s northern principalities, where he purchased the first of his vineyards. He has since purchased others around his home of Alchester, in other parts of Kallendor, and even one along the coast in neighboring Seacea, where the grapes for his award-winning Crusus Sabeler syrah are grown.

Besides winemaking, Abelard runs a highly profitable imports and exports business called the Land’s Edge Trading Company, which specializes in moving goods via land, sea, or air. He counts himself as a longstanding member of Alchester’s Merchant’s Guild.

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Abelard has no special abilities per se, though his charm and keen business acumen have served him well over the years. He is neither the most handsome nor strongest person, but he harbors a fierce determination to succeed that his business adversaries often overlook.

FIRST APPEARANCE

Abelard first appears in The Assassin's Blade (Assassin Without a Name Book One).