Fritz spent years training to be a lock maker. The artisan class is highly respected in dwarven culture a sort of upper middle class. His boss the master smith favoured him and his life was set for great things. Talent and dedication to the craft earned him high praise.

But the master smith had a daughter. The beautiful Ragnasiv was stunning, her hair the colour of copper, her eyes sparkled like precious jewels and as luck would have it she turned them to Frtiz.

The master smith noticed his lack of focus first, and at first was sympathetic. When he found out his precious daughter was sneaking away with him and .. well he was furious. He threw him out of his guild house and blacklisted him so he could not find work anywhere else.

Fritz suffered several weeks of unemployment until, with Ragna's encouragement, he realised his only option was to leave. The couple secretly married with the help of the high priestess of Torag; Kaptra Dorethain who it turned out was quite the romantic. Then Fritz set out into the sky lands alone, intent on making his fortune and finding a place to settle down with his wife.

His route (walking) took him from Janderhoff into the Varisian capital of Korvosa. This city was built by the humans of Cheliax when that empire was strong and expanding and conquering in all directions. After their evil god-king was killed (last century), the region was abandoned by the Cheliaxans. The city of Brinewall in the North was also abandoned by humans, though the Southern cities of Korvisa and Magnimar retained a reasonable population. In recent years Korvosa has twinned with the city of Magnimar to try and form a unified government in the region. And so the country of Varisia was born, though it is a bit of a misnomer as Fritz soon realised on entering the city that the Varisian people are not well liked. Between Janderhoff and Korvosa the road was safe, the trade route is heavily patrolled.

Fritz arrived in Korvosa first, and accidentally and immediately fell into a bad crowd. As soon as he realised that a group called 'the scarzini', were using him talents for their gain but not his, he decided to skedaddle out of the city. The Scarzini made it clear that you only leave 'boots first'. Fritz was paid in silver to take all the risk but, the Scarzini that hired him walked away from each job with bags of gold. Fritz had used all savings to open a little locksmiths barrow in the market, reluctantly to leave with his life intact he had to lose it all. The scarzini did teach Fritz one thing, he learned all about stabbing people in the back.

The road to Magnimar was 400miles of wilderness bordering the Mushfens.

The mushfens is an area of swamp filled with Boggards and worse. Luck was on his side on the journey and he joined a large, and expensive caravan, which ate the last of his savings.

After they passed the mushfens, at a crossroads, the wagon train stopped for a party. This was a double affair as a large part of the group are heading North instead of onwards to Magnimar. Celebrating passing the mushfens without incident and waving farewell to good companions. At the party a fellow traveller offers to introduce him to some friends in Magnimar who would be interested in his locksmithing talents. He asked if he meant the Scarzini. He did.

In the morning after a fretful night of sleep, Fritz picked up his pack and headed off up the Northern trail towards Sandpoint.

Fritz is not sure of his way in the strange human lands, he has almost no information on the town he is heading to but, he hopes to find a place to settle down free of Scarzini influence to bring his young wife to join him.