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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Redclaw" data-source="post: 3902912" data-attributes="member: 53791">Theon Marinatos was born several years after his family had started losing their wealth.  They had been very successful merchants for several generations, trading with the feared Nimeans when nobody else would.  Unfortunately, their close connection to the pirates eventually eroded the goodwill of the rest of Minros, and a merchant without a good name is quickly sunk.  They clung to their existence by selling cheap goods to people who didn't care about quality or source.Thus Theon was forced to grow up in the ruins of affluence and trained to be suspicious of anyone who might seem kindly-disposed to himself or his family.  With two older brothers, who had been alive to see the benefits of the merchant life, to take over the family business, Theon knew he would need to find another way to help the Marinatos fortunes.  Thus he turned to the darker side of mercantilism.  At first it was pretty mild, lifting a few extra coins or goods from trading partners, but he quickly realized how short-sighted that was, and he started working against the competition, stealing and sabotaging materials that might take customers away from the Marinatos' warehouse.  His activities had little immediate impact.  By the time his actions were starting to help the family recover, his eldest brother, Kostas, had discovered what Theon was doing.  Kostas was a true believer in the power of trade, and he heartily disapproved of Theon's nighttime activities.  In fear of further ruin to the family, Kostas 'encouraged' his brother to find another focus for his skills.  Still only wanting what was best for the family, Theon listened to his brother and signed on with an adventuring party less than a week later.</blockquote>

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