Editing CrimsonStar:Harbek (section)

==Before the Company==

Harbek is a rather simple dwarf, and always has been.  He grew up in a somewhat poor household, living with his father, Dendor, for a time.  His mother was never a part of his life, and he wasn't exactly a planned addition to his father's household.  As it was, he knew little about her, and only then what his father had said about her.
{| border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" align="center" width="90%" style="background-color: #EEEEEE;"
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| <div style= "font-size:80%;">Dendor's account of Harbek's mother:</div>
"Well, you see son, she was a...somewhat promiscuous lass.  Never really intended to start a family, I did.  Oh!  Not that I don't love you as me own son, given that you are, and all.  Still, though, it was more or less a one night fling I had, after a bit of drinkin'.  Well...one night and one day, anyway.  Fantastic lass...more stamina than a hardened gladiator!  Ahem...um, where was I?  Oh, right!  I meant for it to be a...one and done sorta thing.  Well...I say one.  But, she was gone the next day.  Didn't see her again, save for once.  After nearly a good year, she showed back up on my doorstep...not quite alone.  I'll never forget what she said to me that day.  'I believe this belongs to you.' Were her words.  Just that, and she set ya down on the threshold, turned and walked off.  She didn't seem angry or nothin'.  Just like it was a bit of business.  Now, there was no question about it.  You were my son!  I could see it in the nose, and you were already showin' a bit of the family psionics.  Had her eyes too though.  So, 'course I had to keep you."
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Harbek had a fairly decent upbringing.  His father had been a freelance gladiator, until he lost his hand in a match, and had to retire.  He'd managed to make enough in the ring to keep himself comfortable, though the addition of little Harbek put a strain on the finances.  Given what his bloodline was, he set out to become a gladiator himself, so that he wouldn't be a strain on his father's finances anymore.  He found a small house in need of gladiators, and joined their stables.  Since the house wasn't large, the fights never got much attention, but he still performed well.

Like him, and his father before, the head of his house was quite the drinker.  After seeing that he wasn't really going to get anywhere in the ring under his current house, he eventually challeneged the head of house to a drinking contest, in which he won his freedom.  He had no desire of retiring, so he instead became a freelance gladiator, under tenuous contract with a well-connected manager.  There, he slowly but surely advanced in the standings, until he came to the attention of a certain scion of house Svika.