Ehrl Durbein

Ehrl Durbein’s father was a textiles merchant in Ostermark. Though not wealthy, they were comfortable, and the elder Durbein decided each of his three sons would receive a proper education. The oldest son did not take to learning at all and eventually became a soldier. The youngest showed a good grasp of business and numbers and became their father’s apprentice and assistant and eventual successor. But the middle son, Ehrl, who had served as his father’s valet, showed a true aptitude for learning and began reading everything he could get his hands on.

Thrilled at the idea of a scholar for a son, Ehrl’s father hired tutors and eventually sent Ehrl to the University of Altdorf. But unfortunately, while Ehrl did love reading and learning he was not very fond of lectures or examinations. He often neglected his classes to sit in the library poring over old tomes or even to sit in taverns listening to travellers swap stories. By the end of his first year, Ehrl had failed all of his classes. Furious, his father withdrew him from the university and insisted Ehrl return home. But having found such a wealth of knowledge, Ehrl refused to surrender it. His father disowned him, and Ehrl stayed on at the university, going from a student to an assistant librarian. The job paid very little but let him continue to read constantly, and that was enough.

Ehrl might have spent his entire life in that library if he had not come across a scrap of paper in an old book. The paper was a map written in a very old language. Ehrl puzzled it out and discovered it was describing the location of an old tomb. Curious to see whether the map was real, he followed its directions. He found the tomb exactly where the map said, but he also discovered a man and a Dwarf about to enter it. Ehrl stopped them just as the man was about to set off a particularly nasty trap, having noticed a cryptic warning etched into a nearby stone, and the two offered him an equal share of the treasure if he helped get it. Ehrl agreed. Putting his knowledge to use and holding riches that had not been seen or held for centuries had him completely hooked, and he suggested the temporary partnership become a permanent one.

Ehrl is a small, slight man whose back is permanently stooped from years of hovering over books. He has weak features, lank brown hair, and his blue eyes are always watery. He is more graceful than he looks, however, and the others have taught him enough swordplay to at least defend himself. Ehrl is interested in knowledge, but he has learned over the years that not all information comes from books. Often, the best details are found in stories, yarns, and tall tales, and he spends much of his time in bars and taverns, listening to the other patrons and gleaning useful titbits from their tales and gossip.

Source
[[Category:E]] [[Category:D]]
 * Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd ED -- Lure of the Liche Lord
 * pg. 121
 * pg. 122