Melvas of Bernab
Melvas of Bernab (*274 L.R. in Bernab, Geran Province, Lécaron, †341 in Kalmanna, Kingdom of Jallan) was a Lécaronian official from the Province of Geran and between 318 and 330 Surveyor General of the Empire. Travelling all provinces then part of Lécaron, he authored several geographical and anthropological treatises, the best-known among them the History of the Wertians in Geran (Wertinok-Ilinas dua Gäran, 320) and the Landmarks of the World (Eldin-Etín, 327) a guide to the geography of Lécaron.
Biography
Born into the upper middle class of early imperial Bernab, Melvas enjoyed a thorough education and through his family’s connections received an appointment as clerk in the city’s administration in 293, later rising to become diplomatic supervisor of Bernab. He was summoned to Soskilón in 308 to serve as imperial advisor during the 307–312 Merchant's Rebellion, a customs and tax dispute between the Empire and the trade magistrates of the Hajalad. Initially siding with the magistrates and attempting to convince Emperor Ésôrin II to give in to the Hajans’ demands, as the talks’ shifted in the Emperor’s favour, Melvas, too, switched sides and supported Imperial sanctions. Having gained the Emperor’s favour, and unwilling to return to Bernab following his betrayal, he was granted a position in the Imperial Survey Office, first as head of the Geran department, from 318 as Surveyor General of the Empire.
In this function, Melvas travelled all provinces then part of Lécaron, compiling detailed records of their geography, economy, and culture, which would later form the basis for his treatises. Popular among his subordinates as well as the locals due to his open and friendly nature, his work was known to be efficient and precise, but his lavish lifestyle and large appetite for feasts and celebrations dwarfed his imperial salary for most of his life. The imperial treasury repeatedly refused his request for a raise in pay, hoping to restrict his escapades. This led Melvas to the commercial publication of his most famous work, the Landmarks of the World, in 327, the income from which allowed him a comfortable life in Ochresburgh, where he had taken up provisonal residence during his survey of Seligon.
The success of the Landmarks and the rapid growth of his fortune led to a sharp decline in the quality of his work, culminating in his hosting a literary reception on his estate in Ochresburgh funded by his department in 330. Finally dismayed by Melvas’s growing sloth and insubordination, the Emperor released him from his position as Surveyor General and issued a warrant for his arrest. With the help of admirers and bribed officials, Melvas managed to escape Ochresburgh but was forced to leave the Empire. Having gained King Hernir the Magnificent’s favour during a diplomatic mission, he spent the last 11 years of his life in exile in the then-independent Kingdom of Jallan, receiving a residence and small estate in Kalmanna. Melvas died in 341 of a brief fever.