Howard Suabrodre
Nationality: Langheadian (from Langhead)Race: Halfling
Gender: Male
Birth: Jovember 3, 32
Death: Trilunary 22, 170
Lived: 138 years
Howard Suabrodre is remembered as one of the most beloved and perplexing figures in the history of Langhead. During his long life he was a wanderer, merchant, philanthropist, adventurer, composer, prisoner, and folk hero. Though he never held political office, stories of his deeds became known throughout the nation, and many Langheadians consider him a symbol of generosity and stubborn optimism in the face of hardship.
Howard was born during an event that entered the annals of history. On Jovember 2, Year 32, the night sky was illuminated by the largest moon ever recorded. Witnesses described it as occupying nearly a quarter of the heavens, casting shadows bright enough to read by. Superstitious villagers declared the child born beneath it destined for greatness, while astronomers spent decades attempting to explain the phenomenon.
Howard spent his youth during a period of political uncertainty. Prime Ministers rose and fell, political factions maneuvered for influence, and rumors of corruption spread throughout Langhead. As a young halfling, Howard displayed an insatiable curiosity and an unusual ability to befriend strangers. He traveled widely throughout the countryside, earning a modest living as a messenger, trader, and occasional entertainer.
His life changed forever in Year 71 when, while sailing along the western coast, he encountered a sentient albatross named **Painter**. The bird was renowned for arranging shells, stones, and driftwood into intricate images along the shoreline. Though many initially dismissed tales of a talking albatross as drunken nonsense, dozens of witnesses later confirmed Painter's intelligence. Howard and Painter became inseparable companions, traveling together for nearly a century.
During these years Langhead experienced major social changes. Organized crime established itself within the nation, exploiting its famously forgiving justice system. Howard often found himself crossing paths with smugglers, thieves, and criminals, though he was known for talking his way out of trouble more often than fighting.
By Year 105 Howard had become extraordinarily wealthy through a combination of successful trade ventures, shipping investments, and property ownership. Contemporary records suggest he may have been among the richest private citizens in Langhead. Then, in a decision that baffled friends and financiers alike, he gave away virtually his entire fortune.
Over the course of several months, Howard funded orphanages, purchased food for struggling communities, settled debts for thousands of impoverished citizens, and endowed charitable institutions across the nation. When asked why he had done it, he reportedly replied:
"Gold is only useful while it is moving. The moment it sits still, it becomes a rock."
His generosity became legendary. Songs celebrating "Howard the Empty-Pocketed" spread across Langhead, and many regarded him as a living saint despite his frequent mischief and disregard for convention.
In Year 107, as the Senate ordered the construction of a new network of mound-forts throughout Langhead, Howard traveled among the laborers and soldiers stationed there, recording their stories and composing songs about their lives. Several of these compositions survived for generations.
One of Howard's most celebrated exploits occurred in Year 116. A nobleman named Sir Alwyn Merecroft vanished while investigating rumors of a secret cult operating in the marshlands south of Langhead. Most assumed him dead. Howard, accompanied only by Painter, followed a series of clues that led him to an abandoned temple complex hidden within the reeds.
Accounts differ on precisely what occurred there. Some claim Howard infiltrated the cult disguised as a prophet. Others insist Painter distracted the cultists by stealing ceremonial masks while Howard freed the captives. Whatever the truth, Sir Alwyn was rescued alive, and the cult quickly dissolved afterward. The event greatly enhanced Howard's already considerable reputation.
The political world continued to change around him. Prime Ministers came and went. Elections were won and lost. In Year 140 the nation was rocked by scandal when the favored candidate for an open Senate seat was exposed as a cannibal. Howard reportedly remarked that the scandal had "improved his opinion of ordinary corruption."
In Year 155 he completed the work for which he remains most famous among scholars and musicians: [[The Endless Road of Stars|item"]], a ballad requiring approximately three hundred hours to perform in its entirety. The composition contained thousands of verses chronicling real and fictional journeys across the world. No complete performance is known to have ever occurred. Most audiences experienced only selected sections, though Howard delighted in threatening to sing the entire work whenever invited to a banquet.
Despite his fame, Howard's later years were marked by financial hardship. His lifelong generosity, poor business decisions, repeated loans to strangers, and refusal to keep money for himself gradually left him destitute. He continued wandering the country with Painter long after most expected him to retire.
Eventually debts accumulated beyond his ability to pay. In his final years he was imprisoned for unpaid obligations. Even then, records suggest he remained cheerful, entertaining fellow prisoners with stories and songs.
On Trilunary 22, Year 170, Howard Suabrodre died in a debtor's prison at the age of 138. According to prison records, Painter remained perched outside the prison window for three days afterward before flying away. The albatross was never reliably seen again.
Howard's death shocked the nation. Citizens struggled to reconcile the image of the man who had once possessed immense wealth—and given it all away—with the reality of his death in poverty. Many regarded the circumstance as a national shame.
Today Howard Suabrodre is remembered not for his fortune, but for what he did with it. Statues, songs, and stories celebrate his generosity, courage, humor, and friendship with the mysterious albatross Painter. Though kings, senators, and prime ministers shaped the politics of Langhead during his lifetime, it is Howard who remains most firmly embedded in the nation's folklore.
As one inscription beneath his memorial reads:
"He left the world with nothing, because he spent his life giving it everything he had."
History
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 32 | Jovember 2, 32 Howard Suabrodre is born under the largest moon anyone has ever seen.5033 |
| 71 | Illumineth 14, 71 Howard Suabrodre becomes the life-long friend of a sentient albatross named Painter.397 |
| 105 | Xylobary 6, 105 Howard Suabrodre collects a massive fortune and gives every last bit of it to the poor.398 |
| 116 | Jovember 21, 116 Howard Suabrodre rescues a nobleman from the clutches of an evil cult.399 |
| 155 | Uttonary 5, 155 Howard Suabrodre composes a ballad that takes three hundred hours to sing.400 |
| 170 | Trilunary 22, 170 Howard Suabrodre dies in a debtor's prison.6647 |