| “ | Majud and Curnsbick Metalwork, Hinges, Nails, Tools, Wagon Fixings, High-Quality Smithing of All Varieties | ” |
— Sign over Abram Majud's business
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Abram Majud is the leader of a Fellowship travelling across the Far Country to Crease. He himself is a metalworker intent on setting-up a new business with his partner Honrig Curnsbick.
Appearance and Personality[]
Majud is tall, stringy, sinewy Kantic man, with a fine-shaped skull bald as an egg, dark slanted eyes, and a golden front tooth. He comes across as a miserly merchant; quite rigid, a stickler-for-the-rules, and an expert at haggling. He always justifies his miserly attitude by unconvincingly claiming his partner Curnbick has a heart of iron in business. When Curnbick finally arrives in Crease, he turn out to be a pleasant generous type, so it's probably Majud himself who's the hard-nose businessman. Nevertheless, he displayed much good humour, and is basically a good man according to Shy South.
History[]
Majud is from the Gurkish Empire. He served for a long time in the Gurkish army, once receiving a sword from the renowned General Malzagurt for saving his life. He has since become a merchant and metalworker, having formed a partnership with a Union-man named Honrig Curnsbick, the inventor of the patent portable forge.
Red Country[]
Majud establishes a Fellowship of pioneers and migrants spurred by various motives, travelling across the Far Country to Crease. He himself intends to setup a new metalworking business with his partner Honrig Curnsbick, and perhaps stake an iron and copper mining claims in the mountains. He hires the famed frontiersman Dab Sweet to guide the Fellowship, and each pioneer must pay one hundred and fifty marks to join.
One day, Sweet returns from scouting with Shy South, Lamb, and Leef. Sweet wants them to join the Fellowship for free as extra fighters, fearing the danger of the Ghost-ridden plains ahead. After a bout of tense haggling, Majud agrees, justifies his miserly attitude by unconvincingly claiming his partner Curnbick has a heart of iron where business is concerned.
Some time later, Shy fishes-up Temple from a river they are crossing. Majud refuses to allow Temple into the Fellowship unless he pays, again blaming Curnsbick. So Shy agrees to buy him a space on the caravan, but is very specific about the amount he owes, and make him work off the debt.
On the plains, a tribe of Ghosts under the renowned chieftain Sangeed attack the Fellowship. They are sorely pressed, but despite losses, they drive off the initial attack. Surrounded by the tribe, Majud sends Shy to try and negotiate a truce, since he himself has an injured leg and she's proven another expert at haggling. It seems that Shy and Sangeed eventually reach an agreement for safe-passage, for a price less than half his original demand including money and cattle. However Lamb slowly stands, saying “I’ve a better offer”. He then mercilessly massacres all the Ghosts, leaving only one alive to take a message back to the war-band. After a tense night of waiting, the next morning the Ghosts have gone.
Arriving in Crease, Majud hires Temple to build Majud and Curnsbick’s Metalwork, a combines workshop and residence on the plot-of-land he has bought. Temple proves himself to be an excellent architect and carpenter, and the building proves to be one of the finest in Crease. As the building nears completion, Honrig Curnsbick introduces himself to Temple having just arrived in Crease. Curnsbick proves to be a pleasant and generous type, giving Temple a bonus, and describes Majud as having a heart of iron where business is concerned.
Shy, Lamb, Cosca and his mercenaries leave Crease for Ashranc to rescue the missing children from the Dragon People. Always with an eye for profit, Majud accompanies them as far as Beacon, in order to repair weapon and armour with his portable forge. The children are eventually rescued but relations with the mercenaries breakdown, with the men going mad for gold and arresting Savian as supposedly the notorious rebel leader Conthus. On the way back to Crease, Lamb, Shy and Sweet decide to go back and rescue Savian in Beacon. Majud is given the task of taking Pit and Ro safely back to Crease.
In the end, Majud and Curnsbick’s Metalwork is gradually growing into a massive manufactory, to refine the coal deposits that have been found in the mountains around Crease. Majud and his partner now own almost half of the town, and Majud himself travels to Adua in order to cement a deal with the Union.