> [!infobox|wikipedia] > # Harland Finegold > [![[Codex/Assets/Characters/Harland_Finegold_small.webp|cover hsmall]]](Codex/Assets/Characters/Harland_Finegold.webp) > ###### Basic Information > Attribute | Details | > ---|---| > Type | Character | > ###### Character Information > Attribute | Details | > ---|---| > Creature Type | Humanoid | > Species | Human | > Gender | Male | > Pronouns | He/Him | > Place | [[Silverdeep]] | > Connections | [[The Finegolds]]<br>[[Gemma Finegold\|Gemma]] | > Profession | Merchant | > ###### Status > Attribute | Details | > ---|---| > Status | Deceased | **Harland Finegold** was the founding lead merchant of [[The Finegolds]], a respected independent trading caravan based out of [[Silverdeep]]. Portly and loud with laughter, he cultivated the image of a jolly, prosperous businessman — a man of good faith and easy company. Beneath the performance, grief had hollowed him out years before his death. He never truly recovered from the loss of his wife, and what remained of his drive was poured quietly into preparing his daughter [[Gemma Finegold|Gemma]] to carry on without him. ## Biography Harland built [[The Finegolds]] into a reputable operation through a combination of business acumen and an infectious warmth that made clients trust him. He was known as a shrewd negotiator who always left the other party feeling they had been treated fairly — a rarer skill than it appeared. Impeccably dressed in vibrant merchant robes adorned with small trinkets, he was a man who understood the value of presentation. The death of Gemma's mother shattered him. She was executed publicly by the [[Valtorran Empire|Empire]] when Gemma was nine years old — a casual act of Imperial cruelty that left Harland a changed man. He went through the motions of the merchant trade, maintained the front, kept the wagons rolling, but the passion was gone. What energy remained he invested in Gemma, teaching her everything he knew and trusting her increasingly with the real work of running the company. He knew what Gemma had been doing in recent years — the resistance contacts, the quiet intelligence work against the Empire. He lacked the will to help. He could not bring himself to act, but he could pretend not to see, and so he served as the caravan's public face while his daughter worked against the regime from behind the ledgers. Harland was killed by the assassin [[Seraphina]], who targeted [[The Finegolds]] in the ruins of [[Farhaven]]. His body was found buried near the site with his throat cut — a clean, professional kill. He was given a proper burial by [[The Bloody Nails]] before the caravan moved on. ### [[The Bloody Nails|Campaign: The Bloody Nails]] #### [[Session 01 - The Rusty Nail]] Harland travelled alongside Gemma and the rest of [[The Finegolds]] when the caravan encountered [[The Bloody Nails]] stranded on the road to [[Darmouth]]. The party was taken on as hired guards. #### [[Session 02 - Midnight Fangs]] During the journey north, Harland rode with the convoy and shared stories with the party. He offered an alternative name for the "Seven Divines" — suggesting they might be Titans rather than gods — as Gemma recounted the history of a great seven-century war. #### [[Session 18 - The Old Forest]] As the party investigated the [[Ancient Woods]] outside [[Farhaven]], they uncovered a recently dug mound near the ruined city. Exhuming it, they found Harland buried within — his throat neatly sliced. #### [[Session 19 - Blood and Sorrow]] With [[The Finegolds]] held captive by the assassin [[Seraphina]] in the ruins of [[Farhaven]], the party fought to free the survivors. Harland could not be saved. After the ambush was ended, the group gave him a proper burial before the caravan continued south to [[Val Miriel]].