Pawel Wilhart
Appearance
Tall. Handsome. Blond.
What a jawline.
He has the frame of a man who didn’t shirk away from physical labour at the tannery.
Much to his mother's dismay, his clothes are usually covered in dog hair.
Why do you insist on wearing white, Pav?!
Personality
Pawel Wilhart is an idealistic man who wears his convictions on his sleeve. A strong advocate for peaceful solutions amidst a world that prefers the contrary, he is aware that his beliefs are at odds with Anirian society but is boundlessly optimistic that if positive change can happen once, it can happen again. A pacifist, by all means, he prefers to talk out issues first rather than make hasty actions that could end in violence.
However, with that nature comes the pitfall of naivety. His idealism has led to a more trusting nature and a belief that even the worst among us can work to become better, which many would consider foolish at best. As such, he is prone to guilt in the face of failure when Vel Anir's status quo wins the day.
As a man outside of his job, he’s a kind and unserious sort who derives most of his pleasure from making those he cares about smile or, even better, laugh.
Marzi
Her favourite things include drooling, dehydrated meat snacks, sleeping, lying on the floor (good), lying on the furniture (bad), and lying on people (not again).
She is a very good girl.
Yes, she is.
The Story So Far...
From humble origins, Pawel was the youngest child in a family of four in the Fellen district of Vel Anir.
As far as things went for the working class of the city, there was little to complain about. There was safety, food on the table, a family dog, and love. As such, his life trajectory was clear; he would apprentice at his father’s tannery and, in time, grow up to carry on the family trade with his older sister, Syele.
When she opted into the Anirian Guard following her mandatory service, little really changed in that aspect, only that the tannery would fall to him, which he did not object to.
Unfortunately, his sister would not return, falling in the line of duty when Pawel was twelve years of age. It wasn’t an unfamiliar story for Anirians, and while his parents did their best to protect him from life’s grim realities, it changed his young outlook on life and their society as a whole.
His teenage years were somewhat turbulent with grief, and the initial anger and hurt of having lost a part of his family was hard to digest for someone so young.
When it came to his own mandatory service, Pawel refused, not out of cowardice but instead from a place of impassioned grief. While Vel Anir could be a cruel place, it was also pragmatic. In the wake of his sister’s service and subsequent death, he was granted leave to perform an alternative duty for the year:
Caring for veteran guardsmen.
While reticent at first, he quickly grew a rapport with the men and women who had once served the Anirian Guard, listening to their stories as he aided them with their primary care needs. Initially, he was horrified, the stories of abuse that ran rampant within their ranks, often at the hands of the Dreadlords were not a great comfort for him. However, while some of the former guardsmen were steeped within their resentment, some were not, offering insight into how Dreadlords were treated and the grim cycles that it created.
From this, Pawel saw that change was possible and that, following the revolution and birth of the Republic in the years prior, there was now more than ever a chance for new, more progressive voices to be heard.
After his year of mandatory service was over, he kept up his visits to veterans with whom he had formed bonds as friends rather than out of duty in between working at the tannery for his father. He would discuss the Anirian issues of the day with them, always listening and willing to hear viewpoints from existences far different from his own, hoping together that there would be less need for memorials and cenotaphs within their borders.
When the sitting member of parliament for his home district of Fellen suddenly passed, succumbing to an untimely heart attack, there was a suggestion.
Why don’t you run for election, Pav?
At first, it seemed ludicrous. He was a tanner’s son with no experience in the political realm. Bright-eyed optimism was hardly enough to equip a person to run a campaign, never mind getting elected. However, the more Pawel considered it, the more it held appeal. What was the harm if he failed? How could he champion progress by sitting idle and waiting for somebody else to try? What if the voices not often heard could be?
So he ran.
What started as a humble campaign from a local face quickly snowballed as the Anirian Guard moved to back him in appreciation for his service to the veterans oft forgotten. He became the flag-waving choice, a good guy almost entirely on the merit of his sister’s death, as words like ‘war hero’ and ‘patriot’ were bandied about too readily, eclipsing his own agenda with ideals that people wanted to see. It didn’t sit quite right with him, in truth.
Until he won.
Pawel Wilhart, Member of Parliament for the District of Fellen, Vel Anir.
Where to even begin?