Biltbobble Family
The Biltbobbles are known as the Shire's wealthiest family, owing their massive fortune to heavy involvement in the oil, mining, and pharmaceutical industries. Amassing their fortune was spearheaded by the famous Cornelius Biltbobble, the son of Floffwymites Zachary and Cordelia Biltbobble, born on March 22nd, 1802. His conception was considered scandalous at the time, since interracial reproduction was deemed a social taboo. He was born a beluga Sammichian, like his mother. From a young age, Cornelius expressed a keen interest in the arts and creativity, but these interests were suppressed by the industrious and superficial attitudes of the Floffwymites. Despite disapproval from the community, Zachary and Cordelia approved of their son's passions, and spent nearly all of their savings to send him to boarding school in Fulfwotz where he could hone his artistic skills.
His painting was so revered, that he earned a fair living painting portraits for wealthier members of Fulfwotz society. A business magnate simply named Foie Gras commissioned over 450 paintings from Cornelius, and in return taught him the in-and-outs of the business world. Upon his death, Gras left his apprentice a large sum of money, should he ever want to start his own business.
The money could not have come at a better time, as Cornelius was attacked by a mountain lion while painting in the Demmatrodine wilderness, and lost his right hand. Although his artistic career was over, Cornelius began investing in various companies with Gras's money, and eventually started his own mining company. Today, Biltbobble Industries has over 75 subsidaries, such as Biltbobble Pharmaceuticals, Omega Mining Company, Demmadorra Architecture, and is a chief benefactor of fine arts and education institutions across the Shire. In 2014, the Biltbobble family's fortune was valued at $80 billion SPB.
Life of Cornelius
Early Life
Cornelius Virmuthe Biltbobble was born during a large storm on March 22nd, 1802, in the town of Floffwym. His mother was Cordelia Toulouse Biltbobble (née Tulloc), a deaf seamstress who died from tuberculosis when Cornelius was fifteen.
His father was Zachary Daniel Biltbobble, a struggling fisherman and avid gambler. During his birth, Cordelia and Zachary panicked, since no midwives were able to come to the house during the storm. Despite Zachary's lack of experience in the field of childbirth, Cornelius was born healthy.
He spent his childhood outside, sketching and painting. Many people in Floffwym disapproved of this behavior, since most children his age were already working on docks and in the fields, and creativity was not a valued trait in Floffwym society. These activities were further supported by Cornelius's parents, primarily his mother. Cordelia claimed that "...if a child never knows what childhood is, they will surely never know what adulthood is." Around the age of eleven, it became apparent to Zachary and Cordelia that art was something their son was passionate about. For the next two years, they saved enough money to send Cornelius off to Noche Artistic Academy in Fulfwotz when he was thirteen.
Life in Fulfwotz
When Cornelius arrived in Fulfwotz to begin his first semester at the Noche Artistic Academy in Feverly Hills, he described it as a shell-shock. "The sun is so bright and the air is so warm," he wrote. "The storms of Floffwym have not followed me here, as the rain hardly ever falls in Fulfwotz. The people around me seem to appreciate the fine arts and culture; I'm glad my interests are shared with the rest of the city." In his classes, Cornelius was remarked as a savant of the arts. He became close friends with Marienne Geoffsburg, the daughter of a prominent Fulfwotz socialite, Anastasia Villanueve-Geoffsburg. She caught wind of Cornelius's artistic abilties, and after she commissioned a painting from him, many of her friends asked to commission paintings as well. In 1816, Cornelius received over 200 commissions.
Many of these had come from Foie Gras, a business mogul and art enthusiast. Cornelius would repeatedly paint at Gras's mansion upon invitation. Some speculate that Foie Gras and Cornelius Biltbobble had an underage homosexual relationship, although these rumors have never been proven. In return for his paintings, Gras taught Biltbobble about the business world. Foie Gras died in 1820 from falling down the stairs, and left a large sum of his money to Cornelius.
After a successful two years in Fulfwotz, tragedy struck; Cordelia was one of the victims of the 1817 Tuberculosis Outbreak in Floffwym. Cornelius took a year off from his studies to return home to console his grieving father, who developed a severe case of alcoholism. On the morning of October 25th, 1818, Floffwymites claimed to see Zachary get on his boat and row out to sea (during the autumn storm season). He kept on rowing and did not respond to shouts. He never came back, and it's believed that he most likely drowned during a storm. Neither his boat nor body were ever recovered.