A son of Lord Mario al'Mordran, brother to the late Duke Raphael, Alaric was raised, as most men of his House, to be a knight. In truth, most of the lessons never quite stuck with him. Reading and writing came simply enough, and he was capable in mock battle, especially with a spear in his hand, but the prospect of competing in tournaments never particularly appealed to the lad. Rather, he went about his lessons with one eye on the caravans constantly making their way through Duchy to trade with the Vir Sidus Empire beyond. That was his ambition: to see the world, to experience all that it had to offer.
Alaric's father, originally frustrated by his son's halfheartedness, softened over time, and by the age of ten he was permitted to take time away from his duties as a Page to travel with the merchants on some of their shorter, safer routes. Given that the realm was embroiled in war at the time, traveling to the farthest reaches of the Civilized West was perhaps not as dangerous, relatively speaking, as it might otherwise have been. The experiences were nothing shy of life-changing for the young man, and he picked up the Imperial tongue as easily as he'd learned his own language. Perhaps more importantly, he had the opportunity to watch the merchants as they went about their work, and his father saw to it that he learned from some of the best in the business.
When Alaric was of age to begin his squiredom, tragedy struck his family in the form of an awful, wasting illness, one that claimed the lives of his aunt, uncle and cousin. Fortuitously, Alaric himself was abroad during that time, but his handlers rushed him back to Litreaux Castle as soon as it was safe. With the increasing responsibility given to the extended family in the wake of the Duke's demise, Alaric's travels came to an end, and he was obligated, reluctantly, to focus entirely on the work of a squire. The next four or five years would have been miserable regardless, but they were made still worse by the influence of his chosen master, a harsh veteran Knight with a propensity for verbal abuse. Suffice it to say that that was a time he'd prefer to forget.
As soon as Alaric reached adulthood, he attached himself to a merchant caravan and again made his way out of Rhone. No longer under his father's watchful eye, he was free to travel some of the more dangerous trade routes from East to West, and during that time, his old Knightly training came in particularly useful. Many a bandit met his end by underestimating the young man in foppish clothes who proved to be particularly quick of arm and sure of aim.
Mostly, though, he learned that a man's tongue could be a far more powerful weapon than his spear. Years spent observing business negotiations gave him a keen eye and ear for deception and misdirection; before long, he could hear the strain in a man's voice as he struggled to form a lie or spot the nervous twitches of a trader who had something to hide. More than once, he helped a merchant avoid embarassment (and substantial financial loss) by seeing through a ploy and making a well-timed comment at the opportune moment. Soon enough, he was involved in the deal-making itself, and between his sharp mind, eye for detail and sheer force of personality, he became adept at squeezing every last copper out of any business transaction.
For the better part of a decade Alaric was abroad, traveling the few accessible portions of the Vir Sidus Empire as well as the other lands of Aeqor, the city-states of the Coast, the kingdom of Galenthia and even parts of Partharia. Eventually, however, changing circumstances back at home forced a change in priorities. His cousin Jasmina, now grown but still as sickly as ever, reigned as Archduchess of Aequor and head of the House. The relatives who'd guided her to this point, Alaric's own parents included, were aging and returning to their own holdings. There was much to be done at Litreaux Castle, and many family interests beyond to be protected.
It was time to come home.