Tybalt Capulet

✧ Talrae ✧ (LOOKING FOR CO-GM)

Aster

Health: 1,500/1,500
Mana: 300/300
Renn: 762

Plenty was happening all around. Players surged forward, meeting the wolves, a mighty horse reared up against one, and commands and encouragement sailed like urgent clouds over the battlefield. Amid all this, Aster felt peace. She knew her role, and she would fulfill it with the drive and concerted effort for which she had begun to be known. With a neat, controlled motion, she swept her blade free from its scabbard, then, like a spring uncoiling from too much tension, threw herself forward, a scream of rage growing already in the back of her throat.

She met wolf 1 immediately, and delivered a two-handed blow across its maw, then changed her grip and slashed in a spinning motion against its forelegs. She ended the motion crouched slightly, her katana gripped lightly, ready to be held more firmly once it met again with the artificial fur of the beast threatening her. It was odd, seeing a wolf attack after they had chosen the beast as their sigil, but the thought didn't get the chance to take root in her mind. Before it could attack her, she gritted her teeth and braced herself, supporting the flat of her blade with her off hand. Involuntarily, she closed her eyes, relying upo her memory of the arena as the creature bore down on her.

SUMMARY!
-Aster hits wolf 1 twice, once with a two-handed attack, once with a one-handed.
-She sets herself up to block, but also closes her eyes, b/c she dumb sometimes.

Somewhere Over The Mountains

@Not FishingSounds good to me! Elodan might take a bit of convincing, though. He's not big on having his shortcomings pointed out.

Somewhere Over The Mountains

The guards were, frankly, a bit of a surprise. Elodan had always know he had a bit of an inflated opinion of himself, but still, it seemed improper that guards should attempt to deter his entrance. He was a famed bard, for Iara's sake! Perhaps his notoriety hadn't yet reached this far, but even so, his garb and manner of speech should get him in anywhere! What nonsense. Well, he would see about that.

"Your pardon, sirs!"

"You again. What do you want this time, bard?"

"Went, sirs. Elodan Went."

"Maybe it's time you Went somewhere else, hmm?" The guards chuckled at that one. Elodan frowned. That was one of his go-to puns. It was a shame to have it stolen by a common guard. Jokes weren't like biscuits. Once someone had heard a joke, that was it. It wouldn't be as funny the next time. Biscuts, on the other hand, were always delicious.

"Very clever, sirs! Very clever indeed! Why, I never thought of such an observation." By Jirys, it was hard to keep up the proper speaking. Accents were like cloaks, though. Wearing the right one could get you most anywhere.

The bard straightened his cloak a bit, adjusting the stringed instruments that hung from straps over his shoulders. He was beginning to think he had brought a few too many. "Well. If it is of any note, I trained for a time under Hoyed of Witton. He was as much a jester as a flutist. If I were to entertain the benevolent ruler, that would hold up as valuable as well, no?" He contorted his well-fed face into what he imagined a jester might look like.

The guards glanced between each other, apparently communicating through some arcane, silent method. That, or just considering the simple question of whether or not to permit entry to the apparently-unarmed storyteller.

"Aye, you can come on in."

"You have my thanks, sirs. I promise you, your faith is not misplaced!"

"Ehh, I regret it already."

Elodan didn't wait for the imposing fellow to change his mind. With a bounding gait, he hurried inside, his merlin bouncing against his back in its case over his shoulder. This was what an adventure was supposed to begin like! A gathering of heroes, and here he was to tell the tale! Ah, they would repeat the ballad he composed for generations! As he strode into the inner courtyard, he sighted the would-be adventurers.

He spent another moment looking around. This couldn't be it. There were so few... swords. And was that a child? Dear god, it got worse. A serpentine creature would make an excellent addition to an epic, but near her, strumming away, was another bard! She appeared to have a lute, and he saw no wind instruments, but even so... It would hardly do for another to replace him. Perhaps replace was the wrong word. He didn't have the role, yet... He'd have to put his best face forward. Even a king had to be impressed with a student of Gerhan Luteman!

With all the stealth of a sleepwalking hippopotamus, Elodan edged toward the red-haired bard, who was playing a lively tune he had somehow not heard before. He did his best to remain patient as the young woman played, and as she did, he appraised her appearance. She, frankly, looked a bit rough. Plain clothes, a bit dirty... He shivered a bit. She looked like a true threat. By all appearances, she was a wanderer, perhaps an Isk'bet, by the sounds he slowly began to recognize. Apprenticeship under masters was one thing. Real-world experience with culturally-musical people... that was another.

Out of respect and concern, Elodan kept quiet, choosing instead to carefully tune his merlin to its optimal settings for one of his more rowdy bar songs. The king looked like a sturdy fellow. Surely he enjoyed a bawdy tune or two... Elodan considered the idea, while keeping near the other bard, and keeping a close eye on her as well.

Somewhere Over The Mountains

So, looking at the two bards, they're pretty similar in function and attitude and all. That's not bad, necessarily, but I do have another character who is a bit more dour and certainly less bardly. I can submit his CS instead if that'd make for a more balanced story.

Somewhere Over The Mountains

<Snipped quote by Tybalt Capulet>

Alternatively, he could find the leader of this evil force and seduce him/her/it to the side of good.

@Not Fishing

I mean, that's the point of a bard, right?

Somewhere Over The Mountains

@AristoFair point. He's a fairly well-loved storyteller in his home region, and it's possible he's been heard of. Having a storyteller bard along is useful, though. Someone needs to recount the epic tale once they vanquish the plague or its source!

Somewhere Over The Mountains

@Not FishingMy dude Elodan is just after the stories to be heard and retold.

Somewhere Over The Mountains

Elodan Went

Name: Elodan Went
Archetype: Bard
Gender: Male
Age: 24

Appearance: Slightly below average height, with light skin and almost-white hair. Elodan is by no means fat, but what might be called "well-fed"- he rarely has trouble finding his next meal, which means he's healthier than most commoners. He dresses in durable traveling clothes of leather and canvas, with a somewhat-conspicuous blue-green hoodless cloak. Aside from his stiletto, he usually has at least his merlin and recorder pipe on hand, along with whatever instrument he is in the process of learning.

Appearance:

Personality:
Jovial, confident, light-hearted, but also quite competent. He generally puts forth a facade of good-natured cheer, but maintains a watchful eye and calculating mind beneath. Not someone to be ignored. Elodan puts a great deal of effort into making others underestimate him, though he can be as practical (and even, when called for, brutal) as anyone.
Backstory:
A long-time student of several great minstrels, Elodan is, at heart, a traveller and musician. He started off his life with very little, and found an apprenticeship with the legendary Gerhan Luteman when the older bard passed through his village. Elodan began following the bard as a way to improve his status in the world, and has since trained with two others, and learned such skills as story-telling, improvisation, and such instruments as the lute, mandola, recorder-pipe, and his favorite, the merlin.
Elodan was raised in a fairly typical rural forest town for most of his childhood, though he left the company of his father's people upon the death of his half-sister, whose specter haunts him still. At the age of fourteen, he ventured out into the urban world, where he trained for years on end as a bard, until eventually deciding that he would prefer to create stories of his own by traveling as widely as possible, that he might have the breadth of experience necessary to become one of the legends of bard-dom.

Strengths/Weaknesses:
+Talented musician and story teller, with knowledge of dozens of classic stories and songs.
+Congenial personality allows him to easily forge friendships and get away with some things he shouldn't be able to.
+Elodan is quick-witted enough to think his way out of most situations, and maintains careful vigilance at all times.
-Illiteracy, though not necessarily uncommon, is an unfortunate condition for a storyteller. Elodan must remember all stories he learns by rote memorization, as he can neither read nor write.
-Though he is otherwise talented, Elodan is nearly-useless in a fight. He carries a stiletto in a pocket in his sleeve, for emergencies, but nothing beyond that.
-In what is perhaps an ironic twist, for a schemer, Elodan trusts others quickly and easily. While this isn't inherently bad, it makes him an easy target for con artists.

Somewhere Over The Mountains

Elodan Went

Name: Elodan Went
Archetype: Bard
Gender: Male
Age: 24

Appearance: Slightly below average height, with light skin and almost-white hair. Elodan is by no means fat, but what might be called "well-fed"- he rarely has trouble finding his next meal, which means he's healthier than most commoners. He dresses in durable traveling clothes of leather and canvas, with a somewhat-conspicuous blue-green hoodless cloak. Aside from his stiletto, he usually has at least his merlin and recorder pipe on hand, along with whatever instrument he is in the process of learning.

Appearance:

Personality:
Jovial, confident, light-hearted, but also quite competent. He generally puts forth a facade of good-natured cheer, but maintains a watchful eye and calculating mind beneath. Not someone to be ignored. Elodan puts a great deal of effort into making others underestimate him, though he can be as practical (and even, when called for, brutal) as anyone.
Backstory:
A long-time student of several great minstrels, Elodan is, at heart, a traveller and musician. He started off his life with very little, and found an apprenticeship with the legendary Gerhan Luteman when the older bard passed through his village. Elodan began following the bard as a way to improve his status in the world, and has since trained with two others, and learned such skills as story-telling, improvisation, and such instruments as the lute, mandola, recorder-pipe, and his favorite, the merlin.
Elodan was raised in a fairly typical rural forest town for most of his childhood, though he left the company of his father's people upon the death of his half-sister, whose specter haunts him still. At the age of fourteen, he ventured out into the urban world, where he trained for years on end as a bard, until eventually deciding that he would prefer to create stories of his own by traveling as widely as possible, that he might have the breadth of experience necessary to become one of the legends of bard-dom.

Strengths/Weaknesses:
+Talented musician and story teller, with knowledge of dozens of classic stories and songs.
+Congenial personality allows him to easily forge friendships and get away with some things he shouldn't be able to.
+Elodan is quick-witted enough to think his way out of most situations, and maintains careful vigilance at all times.
-Illiteracy, though not necessarily uncommon, is an unfortunate condition for a storyteller. Elodan must remember all stories he learns by rote memorization, as he can neither read nor write.
-Though he is otherwise talented, Elodan is nearly-useless in a fight. He carries a stiletto in a pocket in his sleeve, for emergencies, but nothing beyond that.
-In what is perhaps an ironic twist, for a schemer, Elodan trusts others quickly and easily. While this isn't inherently bad, it makes him an easy target for con artists.

Somewhere Over The Mountains

Hmm. I'll slide a CS in here, see what the opinion on it is.