Fharaud

Fharaud was a wealthy shipbuilder who lived in Innarlith in the mid–14 century DR.

History
In 1358 DR, Fharaud traveled to Marsember in Cormyr, along with Senator Inthelph, in order to attend a recruiting event held at a college for studying engineering. He was looking to hire a graduate from the college to help him with a project to build a massive ship for the King of Cormyr that was going to be named the Everwind. He met Ivar Devorast at the event and was impressed with his designs. He recruited Devorast to help him with his project and brought him back to Innarlith.

Devorast helped Fharaud complete the ship. The ship was supposed to be transported through a magic portal from the Lake of Steam to the Vilhon Reach, where representatives from Cormyr's navy would take it. However, Devorast distrusted the idea of sending the ship through a portal.

In 1360 DR, the ship was completed and it was launched. Fharaud and a skeleton crew took control of the ship while Devorast remained on shore. When the ship went through the portal, the portal caused the ship to break into pieces and fall from a height above the area where it was supposed to go. Fharaud survived the accident, but he was badly injured and became bedridden. Devorast visited him frequently in the years following the accident.

He died from his injuries in 1364 DR. Shortly before he passed away, however, he wrote a letter to Ransar Osorkon recommending Devorast to him as well as Devorast's idea of building a canal between the Lake of Steam and the Nagaflow.

Relationships
Ransar Osorkon respected Fharaud and was still impressed with Fharaud's work in building ships, even when he was considered disgraced after the accident with the Everwind.

Ivar Devorast worked for Fharaud and had some personal loyalty to him. After Fharaud's accident with the Everwind, Devorast went to visit him frequently while he was bedridden and helped take care of him.

Abilities
At the end of his life after his accident, he began having visions of the future. He explained that this had something to do with what happened to me while he travelled through the portal that was supposed to transport the Everwind.

Rumors & Legends
It was widely rumored that the reason for the accident with the Everwind was because the ship was too large for the portal.

Quotations
During his time bedridden, Fharaud made these prophecies:

"The master tells the revenant that he’ll have his chance to kill you soon, but he wants you to finish it first. He wants him to go back to being a second-rate human before he’ll allow him to be a first-rate monster" - 1362 DR, likely referring to Willem Korvan being turned into an undead minion of Marek Rymüt in 1368 DR

"I’m trying to make sure that the Shou woman will tell him all about the girl with the spirits inside her" - 1364 DR, likely referring to Ran Ai Yu who encountered Phyrea sneaking aboard her ship and saw her talking to people who weren't there, she later reported the event to Ransar Osorkon in 1365 DR

"They will be away for thirty-three days, the two of them." - 1364 DR, likely referring to Phyrea leaving her husband and running off with Senator Pristoleph on his yacht for a month in 1368 DR

"He’ll be watching you when you meet with the dwarf and the alchemist" - 1364 DR spoken by Fharaud to Ivar Devorast, likely referring to Marek Rymut magically spying on Devorast when he and Hrothgar Deepcarver met with the alchemist Surero regarding smokepowder for use in the canal construction in 1366 DR

"One breath, then another, and another, then the rest of them, and that’s it" - 1364 DR

"No, Pristoleph… you will fight him. You will have to fight him in the end, I think. I think I saw that, and I think it’s the most important. The rest, you will…" - 1364 DR given by Fharaud to Ivar Devorast but left unfinished, likely referring to the future confrontation between him and the future Ransar Pristoleph

Fharaud tried to explain his power of prophecy on his deathbed to Ivar Devorast like this, although Devorast didn't believe these things were real:

"I’m putting things in the wrong order. But listen to me. Listen to me when I tell you that when I went through that gate, and when I fell… when Everwind fell and my body was shattered my mind was splayed open and the future poured in. It overwhelms me, but I can see it. I can feel and taste and hear it. I have the future living inside me, but it’s a future that doesn’t include me."

Appearances

 * Novels
 * Whisper of Waves