Born to a small logging family, hard work was the constant by which his parents lived by and they were not shy to have young Erodel carry his own weight. Erodel's early days were spent helping out around the camp, from carrying washbins and clothes to cleaning axe heads before the next day's labor. It was a poor, simple but fulfilling life they led; enough for food to be put on the table, and a trinket for the miss and a toy for the lad on holidays. Free time was spent playing in the woods with friends, imitating their elders trying to cut down mighty oaks with their wooden sticks. It was during his seventh summer however when calamity stuck, the logging crew his family reported to had the misfortune of striking down a tree belonging to a family of giant spiders who wrought their revenge on the woodsmen. Of the twenty two souls who went out for work that day only five made it back to their beds, his mother and father not amongst their number.
The other families tried to care for the young boy, but soon their own funds too ran too small to spare for another mouth, and Erodel soon found himself being passed from family to family before ending up in the care of a small church that took in orphans. They did not do so out of pure charity, but took it upon themselves to take the unwanted and turn them into someone who could benefit society. He soon found himself back into a routine of hard work. It was not the labor he minded, it helped him keep his thoughts from focusing on the things he had lost. The main difference being, there was no sweet kisses from mother to reward a job well done, no toys from father on the feast days; there was food, a pallet to sleep, and always more work to be done. And on the off days, the children were told of the stories of Erastil and how his teachings were the words they should live by. Where the mighty hunters would do their work to keep the villages safe, a hard day's work is the blessing of the gods.
Perhaps it was a twist of fate that had young Erodel cleaning the chapel grounds that morning. With the cool air coming in from the coast Titus Scarnetti was in a rush to deliver his tithe, (it being tradition for the head of the household to make contributions in person to the church). However in his haste he did not see a pitfall that not only claimed his horses's balance, but also threw him from the beast, sprawling his form across the ground. Seeing the noble's plight, Erodel abandoned his duty of scouring the hen's hatchery and ran with all his might to the fallen Titus. Dragging him back to the church he was greeted by the priests who treated the unconscious noble, as for Erodel he discovered that in his haste to help he had neglected his own duties; a pair of foxes had entered via the open gate and slain the whole roost. When Titus awoke, he inquired as to his savior, and was pointed towards the boy receiving his switching: as he asked Erodel what he wanted as his reward the boy stated: "Food in my belly, a roof over my head, and work to be done the next day." Impressed with the boy's reply, he was taken in by Titus as a servant.
The Scarnetti house gave Erodel all that he asked, food was to be had, he had his own bed (well shared it with one of other servants) and enough work as the to keep him busy. His main tasks were to clean and maintain the barracks for the guards; the men and women who defended the lumber shipments as they moved across the country side. Every chance he got he would ask them to tell him tales of their journeys, follow them to the practice yard, and try to mimic their movements. He soon made friends with the other servants over the years who would whisper rumours that the Scarnetti's were invovled in shady dealings;
but rather than listen to these falsehoods Erodel would bury himself in his labor, glad to be able to serve the man who gave him a home. As he continued in his service to the Scarnetti house the rumours would continue to buzz about both the manor house and the town proper. Surely they are mistaken He would think, even as he delivered messages in the dead of night, dodging watch patrols. It was not until the manor was robbed and Titus's connections with the Scarnzi mafia were revealed that he could deny the facts to himself no longer. His childhood hero a criminal? Erodel was devastated, only to be compounded as he was dismissed from service when the house was low on funds.
Disillusioned, he turned towards the only thing he could still count on: protecting people, joining up with some of the other dismissed guard to try and earn a living protecting merchants and their wares. It was on these journeys that he learned his trade as a fighter, from applying armor, to shooting a bow that he was able to pay his keep. As the coin came in from job to job, a listlessness settled in over the young man. Despite the successful work, unease ate at him day after day until it started to affect his duties and he was discharged for having fallen asleep during watch.
Unemployed and carrying everything he owned, Erodel wandered the Varisian roads. He earned his lodgings through helping a farmhand here, escorting a traveler there, but for some reason it felt empty to him. His traveling eventually landed him back at the temple of his youth, (it hadn't changed much in his absence (besides getting new hens)), and as he walked the grounds basking in the nostalgia an old voice called out to him. "What brings you back here young man?" Turning to respond, Erodel confirmed that it was the priest who had mentored him in his youth. Stepping inside the holy grounds they caught up on recent happenings, and then the priest said something which shook Erodel to the core of his being. "What do you want to do with your life?" He had never fully thought about the concept before, merely going from one task to another. Spending the night in contemplation he came to his answer. "I want to help people." With a smile the old priest shooed him from the church "Then go do it!".
Now Erodel finds himself heading back towards Sandpoint, to the man who had changed his life twice: Titus Scarnetti. Rumor had it he was planning on re-establishing his influence in the region, and Erodel had a debt to pay, hoping he can re-pay Titus by moving him onto a more respectable path.
