Osborn Thelonius d'Cannith
Younger son of Merrix the Elder, and uncle to current patriarch of House Cannith in Breland, Merrix the Younger, Osborn is an accomplished businessman, a notorious schemer, and an ambitious rival. He is ten times the politician his nephew is, but has barely a whit of the younger Merrix's skill at Artifice. He considers himself the true heir of the southern branch of the house, and has designs on reunifying the once-glorious name of Cannith, with the help of one of his classic schemes.
History
Osborn was a young man during the rise of the Warforged, but was instrumental in negotiating the deals that ensured a steady supply of raw materials for their construction. He was often referred to as the "fuel behind Merrix's genius" or even "Uncle's little helper". His financial acumen was crucial in navigating an ever-shifting network of merchants, caraveneers, and even sometimes "private suppliers" (i.e. pirates) to secure the iron, dragonshards, and other high-demand material being gobbled up by hungry war machines across Khorvaire.
After the Day of Mourning and the loss of Merrix the Elder, Osborn wasted no time in petitioning house elders to make his case. Sure, he argued, Merrix the Younger was a talented smith, but he wasn't half the leader his father was, let alone fit to follow his namesake, nor did he have any wish to. However, his strategy fell apart as the house fractured along geographic lines, and his campaign against his own nephew did not win him friends back home. Still, with his power base securely in Sharn, his best chances at true power would require him to pay lip service to the lesser Merrix while biding his time.
A vocal opponent of the abolition of Creation Forges proscribed into law by the Treaty of Thronehold, Osborn has redirected his house's investments into weapons of war. Initially selling arms and armor to help Breland rebuild its army, he soon found many willing buyers looking to outfit their sailing and aerial vessels with defenses, especially given the renewed interest in expeditions to Xen'drik, where conflicts tend to be looser and much less political than the mainland.
Still, he dreams to return the house to glory by way of their greatest invention--the Warforged. While Merrix is content to toe the line, there are other creators whose minds can be tapped to help restart the engine of the House's greatness.