#18 – Henry Holbein
Henry Holbein is the current patriarch of the Holbein family and business. He spends most of his days walking to and fro between the various packaging and preparation houses his family owns, quelling a sibling squabble, or simply walking to give his various servants, vassals and family members a harder chance of finding him and forcing him to make some silly decision about a problem that shouldn’t have even been brought to him.
He is even known amongst some of his employees for throwing off his better clothes and pretending to be an average worker in order to avoid the more tedious aspects of his status. A day or two every week spent maneuvering bales of dried fish or lugging 4×4’s around to aid the various carpentry crews has not only helped him keep some of his youthful muscles and stave off the 60-year-old beer gut (which grows despite his efforts), but also helped him keep an ear to the ground around the city and a good image in the eyes of all the townsfolk beholden to him.
He is a shrewd but compassionate man, and though he is most often quiet and reserved, he never allows others to talk over him. The thing he hates most in life is having to visit his father, the man who would still be Patriarch if he weren’t bedridden and in a state so poor but continuous that everyone wishes he would die for everyone’s sake.
He sees a kindred spirit in Salvitore when he first meets him, and after seeing the spark in Salvitore and his daughter’s eyes upon meeting, finds it a perfect excuse to convince Salvitore to stay with their family as a layman and advisor.
Henry’s most distinctive physical trait is a big bushy mustache that is slightly reddish in contrast to his naturally dark brown hair. The mustache also curls just a tiny bit at the corners of his lips, making his dimples show more.