Aran Jharel: Portraits
Aran is a dashing and gallant man in his late thirties or mid forties, with dark hair, a neatly trimmed beard, and gray eyes. He dresses as a swashbuckler, with high black boots, tight gray pants, a blousy white shirt, a handsome vest in gold and green embroidered with fleurs-de-lis, and a broad-brimmed gray hat with a gold-tipped ostrich feather. He usually carriers a gold-hilted rapier, with which he is said to be quite capable. Aran once set off adventuring at the very young age of fifteen, with the goal of becoming a rich and famous bard & mingling with all the famous and important people of Hurva. While Aran´s goal of fame was only partly achieved (he is known among the wealthy and the bards of the realm, but is hardly a house-hold name), he did succeed in becoming incredibly wealthy. Not a foolish man, Aran decided it was better to retire and develop his talents as a painter of portraits (not to mention enjoy his wealth) rather than risk losing his wealth (and other even more cherished assets) with further adventuring. Aran retired, bought himself a nice estate with room to paint in and some servants, and set up a museum where he displays many of his paintings (those not already sold; his works command a tidy price.) Aran has, in fact, painted many of the famous people in Hurva , and he goes out of his way (not really difficult, considering his numerous wizard friends with teleport spells) to meet new subjects. Aran usually pays his models with smaller versions of their portrait they are able to keep. With the exception of a few nobles he was afraid to offend, Aran never paints anyone he doesn´t like, and will not sell his services to just anyone. Aran is a pleasant, easy-going man who enjoys parties, women and conversation. He loves hearing people talk about their lives, and he knows a bit about every one of his models.

Armando Grinaldi: Dance
Once a traveling performer, Armando accepted a position as a teacher at a small school of arts established by a group of noblemen, wealthy merchants, and priests of Harmonia. Armando is an expert in all forms of dance, a life-long passion with which he worked his way out of the gutters of Tonn and into a famous traveling troupe (most of whose members are now retired.) Armando is gorgeous, with dark hair and eyes, and a dancer´s body. He is intense and sensual, though not lightly flirtatious, and joyful. His students adore him, and he has many fans throughout Hurva. He still performs regularly in and around the school.

Bardok Ch´i: Architecture
Bardok is a strong, well-spoken and energetic man who has turned his love of building into a sizable enterprise. He and his people have been responsible for many famous buildings in Hurva, including the Tower of Mysteries in Tonn. Bardok´s services are constantly in demand by those with the capital to afford his services, though Bardok occasionally does some charity work, once donating the services of his employees to rebuild a town that was badly damaged by a major fire. Bardok is well liked and respected in his community.

Cytherea Nalin: Customs
A middle aged woman, tall , elegant and distinguished, with short dark curls, brown eyes and a regal bearing, Cytherea is the daughter of one of the king´s diplomatic advisors (now deceased). Cytherea has traveled a great deal, and she speaks many languages. Her expertise is the customs, dress and social behavior of different cultures. She has trained and advised a variety of people over the years, including, it is rumored, the king´s spies. Having been exposed to so many different types of behavior, Cytherea has developed a relaxed, easy-going attitude, and she is not easily offended. She is kind and has an engaging sense of humor, and she enjoys company in her elegantly furnished home (which is staffed by numerous servants.)

Dane Sweetwood: Heraldry
Dane belongs to a wealthy merchant family that caters to nobles and the upper crust. Their wares run the gamut from shields and armor to clothing, banners, and even table linens. All goods are of the finest quality. Dane is a recognized expert in heraldry, and has often been called upon to create a coat of arms for newly made knights.

Isidoro Olon: Voice/Singing
A lovely woman in her mid thirties, with long blond hair, gray eyes, and beautiful delicate features, Isidoro is widely considered to have the finest voice in Hurva. She performs regularly before many noblemen, including the king. Despite her fame, Isidoro is calm, pleasant and unassuming. She adores children, and has sung as many children´s songs to the poor as she has arias to the nobility. She is a devout worshiper of Soltana, and her husband Shamir is a priest of that order.

Logan Waerling: Medicine
Logan is a pleasant man in his mid forties, with clean-cut blond hair, blue eyes and boyish good looks. He is compassionate, intelligent, and utterly dedicated to his profession. He and his wife Uri (a mid-wife before she met Logan) own and operate a small school where they teach the art of natural healing. Logan is a skilled surgeon and diagnostician, and Uri acts as his nurse. Their students often include novitiates from various churches and servants to the nobility. They are willing to barter with those who can not afford their fees.

Lord Arsai Tannin: Art
Arsai is in his mid-thirties, handsome with long brown hair and green eyes, always well dressed and groomed. Articulate, witty, with a pleasant tenor voice and a great dancer. An indulged and pampered noblemen with little of substance to distract his active mind and energetic nature, Arsai embarked on a quest to understand and possess the essence of beauty. He has turned much of his vast estate into a museum which visitors can tour during regular hours: it houses many exquisite paintings, statuary, gems, jewelry, and examples of much that is fine and beautiful. Arsai also owns a huge library and a vast store of antique musical instruments, including an enormous pipe organ. His ballroom is said to be the most beautiful in the realm: in it he hosts many grand balls and concerts. He regularly hosts as guests in his home many bards, artists, and beautiful women (of which he also is said to keep a rather extensive collections.) Arsai is considered by many of his peers to be lazy, and eccentric, but the younger set find him generous and vastly entertaining.

Lutero Troye: Music
While having no performing talent of his own, Lutero is widely known as one of the greatest composers in Hurvan history. He is widely sought by bards and royals alike, and regularly composes music for the king´s birthday celebrations in Geston. Lutero is a tall, thin man with white hair and a flowing mustache. He is always pleased to meet bards and music-lovers, but seldom discusses topics outside of music.

Magdalen Ghystar: Genealogy and the Hurvan Royal Family
A jolly, chubby woman of middle years, Magdalen (Magda to her friends) is proud to be the daughter of the queen´s former dress-maker. Magda was able to go to school on her mother´s salary, and when she inherited her mother´s life savings, she used her good fortune to start a small shop selling books and writing equipment. In addition, she pursued her life-long hobby of studying and recording the family tree and history of the Hurvan royal family (her mother was always convinced that they were related somehow). For a substantial fee, she is also quite adept at researching the family trees of lesser folk, even tracking down lost relatives. Next to genealogy and royalty, Magda´s favorite hobby is gossip. Most customers seeking her services are in for a long stay.

Solomon D´bor: Religious Lore, History & Mythology
A dynamic, energetic and somewhat high-strung man of uncertain years, Solomon was born into a large family that boasted many priests and paladins among its ancestors. Passed over by the gods in his bid to become a priest himself, Solomon devoted himself instead to chronicling religious lore. He maintains a large home with an enormous library and numerous works of religious art. He often hosts priests, paladins, bards and scholars as his guests.

Wulfrith Vanderlin: Politics & Diplomacy
Wulfrith is a tall, distinguished man in his mid forties, with neatly trimmed brown hair and hazel eyes. His dress is fastidious and immaculate, as is the man himself. Wulfrith is an expert on Hurvan politics, knowing which baron ranks above which other, which lord hates which other and why, and who stands to inherit next. He is often called upon to mediate internal disputes within the kingdom, though he never travels without a sizable guard and retinue when he does so. (There are rumors that his ignorance of politics outside Hurvan is deliberate, as the man is far too much of a coward to risk himself in diplomatic endeavors between countries.) Wulfrith has a very high opinion of himself, and tends to be imperious and demanding to those beneath his station. He is very polite to his betters.

Ydonea (eye-dawn-ya) Trelayne: Law
A lovely, energetic woman in her late sixties, Ydonea has long been a professor at the Royal University in Geston. Though she knows a great deal about the complex Hurvan legal system, her expertise is more general: she has studied the governments and legal systems of many cultures, including Harat. She is interested in how a culture develops its legal system or systems, and is a bit of a philosopher. Ydonea is cheerful, soft-spoken, and well-mannered.

Kuratana Min: Plant Lore & Care
Kuratana is a robust though elderly woman with great pride in her skills and her plants: she was the care-taker of the king´s garden until she was forced to retire. She lives in a small cottage and maintains a vast garden with the help of her hired help. Kuratana loves to share her skills and she enjoys having visitors for a cup of tea. She loves showing off her garden, and will happily provide information on plants and their care to any who ask. She will not sell any of her trees, shrubs or flowers, though particularly pleasant visitors may convince her to sell them a few seeds.

Lord Ranabus Latterby: Avians
Lord Ranabus is a stout man in his mid sixties with white hair , a flowing mustache, and blue eyes. Some describe him as kind and harmless, others as a doddering old fool. Ranabus is equally pleasant to both varieties. Ranabus loves birds, and has built an enormous aviary on his vast estates. Ranabus delights in showing visitors around, though they must first pass the inspection of his loyal guards (led by Captain Tyjen), who are devoted to keeping their too-trusting lord from harm. Lord Ranabas is not just a collector of birds, but is widely read on a variety of species and can mimic many bird calls. He maintains a large library on avian biology and behavior, and much of the art in his home is bird-related.

Phoebe Marchand: Folklore
Phoebe is a traveling bard in her late twenties, with curly red hair, green eyes, a pretty, freckled face and a lithe figure. Like her father before her, Phoebe studies and collects the myths, tales and folklores of the various races (there are even some ugly rumors that she has trafficked with elves.). She houses her father´s and her own extensive collection of notes and books at the temple of Oghma in Geston, where she is granted access to their library. Phoebe enjoys hearing the tales of other travelers, the more outlandish the better, and she loves to meet other bards. Phoebe always travels in the company of adventurers, though she never stays with one party for long.

Gaea Acasatre and Maia Norito: Botany & Herbalism
Maia and Gaea are two elderly sisters who were raised by priests of Wajen. The two sisters are both knowledgeable in the care of plants. Maia is an expert in herbalism, while Gaea´s expertise runs towards botany. The two run an extensive green-house, where potted and cut flowers, and plants of all kinds can be found at any time of year: many are available for sale. Herbal remedies can also be purchased. Maia´s husband Alami runs the shop attached to the green-house. Both Maia and Gaea are kind and talkative, and have a tendency to fuss over their customers. Alami can seldom get a word in edge-wise. (For a substantial fee, the store can also ship plants and flowers designed to bloom upon delivery; this costs more during winter months when magical protections are required.)

Jurdan Sahnama: Psychology, Human Behavior, Mental Illness
Intelligent, soft-spoken with graying hair but still quite handsome, Jurdan is a thoughtful, dedicated man in his mid forties who, under the training of his uncle and with the support of the Church of Soltana, has dedicated his life to exploring the mysteries of human behavior. He keeps a modest home with an impressive library and a comfortable meeting room for interviews and discussions; Soltanite novitiates from the nearby temple take turns serving as his cook/housekeeper and secretary. Jurdan provides counseling to those who have suffered mental and psychological trauma, conducts behavioral research, and often acts as a profiler for law enforcement officials. His needs are met by the temple; services are paid for on a donation only basis.

Roland Odrhean: Ship-Making, Boats, Navigation
Roland owns a vast ship-yard, where he has designed and built numerous vessels for customers ranging from common fishermen to the Hurvan navy. Roland is pleasant and courteous to those with a love for and knowledge of sailing - he has no time for land-lubbers. His knowledge of oceanography arises partly from his many sea journeys, but also from a large library and maps that were kept by his father. Roland is large man with dark hair and beard, bright green eyes and a booming voice.

Sirat de Melancourt: Medicine, Human Nervous System, Pain-Killers
Sirat is a tall man of middle years, thin and and pale, with long gray hair, blue eyes, and weathered skin. Descended from a minor noble family that has since faded into obscurity, Sirat managed to retain enough of the Melancourt wealth to support himself. Selling pain-killers is his trade, but he seems to spend more of his time in research and study. He often employs homeless people for his experiments, which upsets some people, but after all, he is searching for ways to cure pain, isn´t he? Sirat is rather intense and seems a bit cold-hearted. He has no friends that his neighbors know about, but magicians, beggars and other odd characters are often seen coming to and from his modest dwelling.

House Elpenor: Horse Lore, Care & Training
Veda Elpenor and her sons, Sheldon, Karn & Arlen are the current in a long line of Elpenors who have run these famous stables. Their steeds are commonly considered the finest in all of Hurva, and their animals are regularly purchased by the Hurvan army, various nobles, and even the king himself. The Elpenors are second to none in knowledge of anything equine, and they maintain a vast library regarding horses and their care and training. Veda, the matriarch, handles all sales and business deals personally: she will not sell an animal to a customer she considers unworthy of her horses. Sheldon handles the breeding, Karn is the trainer (called by some a horse whisperer, as he seems to be able to speak to the beasts) & Arlen is a physician who specializes in the care of horses.

Polinius Shri: Animal Lore & Behavior; Zoology
Polinius is a fat, slovenly man with thinning hair and numerous chins. He maintains an extensive zoo, which visitors can tour for a small fee, and where he studies animal behavior. It is rumored that some of his experiments are not kind, but no one has ever found him hurting any animals. The priests of Wajen are said to distrust him.