Ephraim Windjack

## Lord Ephraim Windjack

"Progress compels us forwards, but laziness? Laziness is the true mother of invention."

### Relatives

Arthur Windjack (Father)Samantha Windjack (Mother)

Jessica Windjack (Sister)

Ortellio Windjack (Brother)

Marise Windjack (Sister)

## History

### Stranger in a Foreign Land

Ephraim was born to Samantha and Jessica Windjack on the decks of a small ship sailing the Ustradi River just outside of Alkenstar. His father, Arthur Windjack, was a retired Taldan Naval Officer who had married into the Windjack family. The young couple had been traveling to negotiate an import agreement between Alkenstar and Taldor, when Samantha went into labor. Negotiations resulted in the family remaining in Alkenstar as a liason for an ongoing trade agreement--as expected, Alkenstar imposed strict limits on weapons exports, but consumer products could still fetch a pretty sum on the Taldan markets.

As the eldest son, Ephraim accompanied his father on business meetings from a young age. After all, he was expected to one day take over the family business, and he demonstrated quite an aptitude from an early age. After learning to read at the grand old age of three years old, Ephraim devoured anything he could get his hands on. One of the earliest finds had been a primer on the clockwork constructions used to power some constructs and timepieces popular in Alkenstar at the time, and it only took off from there.

As his small family slowly grew, Ephraim's interest in the technology and inventions took off. When his parents put him in a small private school, he regularly snuck out to try and get a peek at some new invention or machine. One day, after having dipped to try and sneak closer to one of the legendary factories, he ran into one of his classmates by complete happenstance. When it turned out that not only was she the daughter of one of the factory's operators, but also that she shared his interests in devices a new reign of terror began.

The two children often excused themselves from classes, often using Hannah's connections to sneak amidst the laborers, watching the heavy machines at work. At other times, they painstakingly attempted to recreate some of the constructions they'd found using broken and cast-off parts. They even went so far as to build a small laboratory in an abandoned warehouse to experiment with all kinds of ridiculous ideas and parts. Childhood was kind to the both of them, and they managed to pass many years this way with relative glee. Somewhere in the back of their minds, they knew that he'd eventually have to return to Taldor, while she would likely end up working in one of the factories they both loved visiting.

### End of the Era

Nothing good lasts forever, and for the two children this meant that eventually, someone noticed that they'd been skipping classes. One teacher told another, who told the headmaster, who sent a runner to tell the Windjacks that their son had been slacking. Worst of all, his parents found out that he'd been slacking in the presence of a common girl--not even low nobility! This unacceptable occurrence needed to be halted post-haste! They gave Ephraim little more than a few hour's notice that he'd be leaving on the next ship, sending the young boy scrambling--both to pack his things and write a farewell letter. He'd tossed the letter and a few coins at a child as he was ushered onto the ship, begging him to deliver it before it was too late. To this day, he's still not sure if Hannah ever received that letter.

From there, life was a mix of boarding schools and noble nuisances until he finished his education. He entertained himself by fiddling with clocks in his spare time, sometimes combining the timepieces with his alchemical studies to produce minor tricks and gadgets. By the time he was ready to set out on his own, he wanted nothing more than to continue the same way he started--building cool new things, or at the very least, figuring out how all of the cool things worked.

## House Windjack

The Windjacks are a minor noble family based in Golsifar, Taldor. Composed primarily of Taldan Naval Officers and Merchants, they focus primarily on international trade while providing mild support to the Taldan Navy at the same time. Not a particularly important noble house by any means, the Windjack's main specialty comes in knowing what to buy and sell, and nearly all of their members have a savvy head for business. Their House Motto is *Destitutus ventis, remos adhibere (When the winds fail you, use the oars)*, and they pride themselves on their ability to navigate the winds and seas of Golarion in search of the latest bargain.

## Personality

A remarkably brilliant young man, Ephraim is also one of the laziest individuals you will ever meet until something peaks his interest. When he sets his mind to something, he can progress in leaps and bounds until reaching an entirely new conclusion, however he is usually content to waste his efforts doing things of little consequence. He gets easily annoyed when others can't keep up with him, but genuinely tries to care about people.

## Aspirations

Ephraim wishes to design the latest and greatest in a wave of multi-purpose constructs and machines.