Flynn de Ballard -- Songs of Triumph

[jadewillow]

Name:      Flynn de Ballard
Age:      28
Class:      Bard
Race:      Human
Alignment:   CG
Deity:      None

Flynn is a product of the seedy and criminal ridden streets of Fort Vehl. His mother was a bar maid, and his father was a drunk. Flynn spent most of his childhood near the docks to pan handle for coin from strangers passing through. He was a handsome boy and did fairly well until he got older and could no longer play the cute boy. At the age of 13, he gathered a few of his mates to put together a singing group. He thought they might have better results down at the docks than just pan handling. They named themselves The Salty Tongues and did quite well. After a hard days singing down at the docks, Flynn and his mates would entertain themselves with swordplay and grog. They began with wooden swords and spirits infused with fermented wood. They were both cheap to make and somewhat harmless. Such occasions would result in many bruises and usually blurred vision either from a knock on the head, or too much spirit, or both.  However, Flynn became quite the swordsmen for a self-taught hak, and soon became well known throughout Fort Vehl and would frequently have challenges from locals at the arena. When Flynn was almost 17, one particular challenger came forward. He was not from Fort Vehl, and was quite secretive about his origins. He came to arena and watched Flynn and his mates take on all comers. Once it looked as if no more would come forward, the stranger stood up and proposed a wager to Flynn and his mates. At this point, Flynn had quite the savings from his singing down at the docks. The stranger bet Flynn and his four mates that they could not lay a blow on him. He would use an old tree branch he picked up off the ground, and they could use iron swords. Flynn and his mates all laughed at the stranger. The stranger did not make an expression, and Flynn realized he was serious.

Flynn “Ow much then stranger?”.
Stranger “How much to you have lad?”
Flynn “217 gold coins”.

The stranger nodded and stepped into the arena. Flynn and his mates surrounded the stranger and began to close in on him. The stranger moved like flowing water, and was in five places at once. Before Flynn could even swing at him, Flynn was hit in the back of the head with the tree branch. All five of them charged him, and all five ended up on their faces with nasty strikes to the face, head, or groin area. It was over in about 30 seconds. As the five lay squirming on the ground, the stranger reached for Flynn’s pouch of gold and left without a word.

Flynn woke up the next day with the worst hang-over he had ever had and two missing teeth. At that moment he realized he was but a big fish in a very small pond.

Flynn, looking down at his welted arms and legs, said “There must be more than this.” He packed his things that very moment and headed out from Fort Vehl to explore the world and make a difference.

[jadewillow]

Have my eyes been shut all these years. Certainly, my ears have been. This evening I met the most extraordinary man. What style, what presence, and what voice. His name was Farros and he appeared like a beacon of light coming directly from Xeen’s lips. His garb was of the finest silk densely and intricately woven into an almost magical aura around his body. I looked down at my own attire in shame, and glanced back up in awe. However, when he spoke, I truly felt I was hearing the voices of time—the past, present, and future all in one. It cut through me like a spear through the jungle. I knew I was in the presence of something special, but when he sang...when he sang...*takes a deep breath*...words would only sully it. It can not be described with our worldly trappings. This was a man I could learn from. I knew then that there was something greater out there, an existence that I may be able to catch a glimpse of through this man—Farros. I must seek this man out and learn what I can from him. I have been an island for too long.

[jadewillow]

Today in the big city of Port Hemp. I met Farros the glorious bard. He was kind enough to show me his instruments.

"You must have an instrument my apprentice. If you wish to command your voice through the spirits of the enemy. The instrument you pick is a personal choice. There are many to chose from. Chose one that you feel comfortable with. I prefer the guitar, but others prefer the lute, the madolin, or even the chimes. It is completely up to you. Start with simple materials, then, when you get better, you can start using instruments made of Oak, Mahogonay, and even Yew. Practice my apprentice, practice. There is no substitute."

[jadewillow]

I have embarked on a journey to find the best taverns in all the lands. This has given me the opportunity to meet many new people and see many new places. Hopefully this will also give others some guidance on which taverns are best for them. Many of the taverns on my list are in remote areas. I will require help finding them and navigating the treacherous areas on the way. I look forward to these adventures, and experiencing these wonderful places of refuge and relaxation.

http://forums.layonara.com/wild-surge-inn/151402-traveling-bards-tavern-reviews.html

[jadewillow]

On one of my excursions to visit the taverns across the land, I have had the opportunity to sing for my comrades in battle. My voice grows stronger after every song, and my comrades appear to enjoy having me along even if I can't contribute with my weapon as much as I would like. The songs inspire them and make them move better in battle. It is a joy to be able to inspire others this way. But I must be careful with my new found talents. They can also be very dangerous. Just the other day, I knocked over my entire party as I belted out a roar to chase our enemies away. I require more training, and some guidance from the skalds in the land to truly master my voice, and learn how to control it.

[jadewillow]

Today while searching for Taverns on Dregar I ran into one of the Skalds of the land. His name was Hardragh, and he agreed to chat with me a bit about his lineage and the Skald tradition. He mentioned that the Skald tradition goes back many millennia, and that it originated in the northern icy towns of Krashin. I guess they had to do something to stay warm at night. He even agreed to show me how he could send the enemy fleeing with just his voice. I had never heard anything like it. A rumbling that came from the bowels, followed by a short pssst, and then a horrific bellowing that sent everyone running. I will never forget that sound. Hardragh was even kind enough to show me a few exercises I could do with my voice to help develop this amazing sound. I have rigorously been doing those exercises every night before I go to sleep.

[jadewillow]

Hardragh did not stop with the Song of Fear. He also showed me another song that sounds more like a dying Siren than a song. This one makes his enemies deaf! Even more surprising is that it makes them blind as well. He was kind enough to show me some exercises to develop this unique sound. Three times a day I should stand on my head while drinking a stout and yodeling at the same time for five minutes. I was a bit skeptical, but if there is something that will help me develop that sound, I am willing to try it.

[jadewillow]

Today I made a visit to the Caring Hope Inn for some libations and relaxation. After a few of Petar's rather average brews, I noticed it was time for my exercises. Perhaps a bit inebriated and not really thinking twice about my routine, I found a good corner in the tavern and proceeded with my exercises.  As I got to my last one, I stood on my head, as Hardargh had described, took a drink, and began to yodel. Needless to say, the libation did not take the ordinary route and proceeded to run out of my nose. However, I persisted until I heard a series of loud yelling and screaming.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?", said Petar

I glanced up from my upside down position in confusion.

"GET DOWN ON YOUR FEET RIGHT THIS INSTANCE!", said Petar

Wiping mead from my forehead and hair, I came back down to the upright position to discover a rather large group pointing and laughing at me. In my condition I had forgotten that I was dawning my traditional kilt attire, and had obviously been exposing myself to the entire bar.

Blushing a bit, "Petar, I was simply doing my voice exercises, I did not realize..."

"I will not have that kind of conduct in my Inn." said Petar
"But Petar, I am sorry, but there aren't even any women in here.", I said
"Regardless, you must go. In fact, you are banned from this establishment for one full year.", said Petar
"But Petar..."
"No buts, that's final. NOW GET OUT!"

Embarrassed and humbled, I grabbed my things and walked out taking a mental note not to practice that exercise in public.

[jadewillow]

Hardragh has surprised me with his willingness to help me understand the ways of the Skald. He showed me another song that is truly amazing. This one seems to drain the will and desire from an enemy. They appear lethargic and weak after the waves of this song consume them. It is but a small modification of one of the previous movements he showed me. Once I can master those, I should be able to catch on to this one fairly easily.

[jadewillow]

Ahh, long has it been since I have had the pleasure to speak with Farros the Skald of much acclaim. He was kind enough to loan me a guitar so that I might practice my songs, and work on my voice. It is a beautiful thing, made from the finest grain of oak, and crafted with the utmost precision with curves that are reminiscent of a full bodied women. Oh, and the sound, the sound...like a babbling brook from the heavens. Someday I must learn to craft such an instrument. But for now, I am thankful of Faros for his generosity and kindness.

[jadewillow]

In reference to the slaughters of the Aeridin children in Silkwook:

 Today, at the One Eyed Harpy, I met with the man that most closely fit this description. This is a man I had traveled with before, a man of dubious reputation, but a man, none the less, who had proven a great comrade on the battlefield. Although, not his first weapon of choice, I had seen him use the axe and whip on occasion with lethal results. Putting my life at risk, I confronted him and asked if he knew anything regarding this slaughter. He reluctantly said he did. According to him, he was not the one that perpetrated this crime. Instead it was a half-orc with similar features that did the deed. He apparently overheard a conversation at The One Eyed Harpy between a lady in dark blue and a half-orc with a brownish robe and yellow patterns on it. The lady was accompanied by a man in red full plate and a sword who said nothing, but just looked on coldly. They were joined by the half-orc after having been at the Inn for sometime. According to my contact, she placed the order, and the half-orc carried it out. My contact had said that he was warned about his lady by a very knowledgeable individual of the Fort  Vehl under belly, but had disregarded the warning and proceeded to enter the One Eyed Harpy for a drink. This is when he over heard the conversation.

Now, I know what you are thinking. "it was not me, but someone that looks and acts like me", is a fairly flimsy defense. I reemphasized the importance of the matter (his is not known for his metal capabilities), and negotiated a deal for him to get more information on the lady and the half-orc from his contacts in Fort Vehl. He reluctantly agreed, but for a fee. He wants 5,000 coin to reveal any additional information regarding the lady that he gets from his contacts. He then promptly headed out to talk with his contacts.

I await his bird.

[jadewillow]

Flynn is sitting at the bar in the Scamp engaged in his regular morning routine. He has a plate of eggs and ham in front of him, and a tankard of barely wine in one hand. He is reading a large tome entitled “The Lands and People of Krashin”. Roderick, the Innkeeper, approaches his stool.
   
  “Flynn, this come for you in the night”
   
  Flynn lifts his gaze suspiciously. Roderick extends his hand with a small brown parchment envelop, places it next to his plate, shrugs, then goes back to work. Flynn takes a bite of ham and a swig of barely while staring at the mysterious package. He then picks it up, slowly tears the side off the envelope, blows it open and takes out a letter.
   
  Flynn, my dearest. I regret to inform you that your father has passed. I know you and he did not have much of a relationship, but perhaps you could come home and say goodbye for the final time. It would mean so much to me.
 
  Your Loving Mother
 
  Flynn starred at the letter for a moment, then set it down calmly. Without expression, Flynn continued to finish his breakfast looking straight ahead.

[jadewillow]

Today I leave for home to see my father put to rest. My emotions are mixed regarding this. It feels like years since I was just a squalling child on the docks of Fort Vehl. Although, my father was never in my life (he spent most days at the bottom of a bottle), those were good times for me. Those were days of innocence, days of purity, and days of possibilities. I did not know what I know now regarding my father-- what a foul and despicable man he was for not wanting to be part of his son’s life. I despised him for that. Part of me feels glad that he got what was coming to him. He was only 48. However, part of me feels sad regarding the loss of a man I never knew, and now, will never know. The few memories I have of him in my life are played over and over again. In my youth, he would come home once a year to celebrate his ancient religious holiday. During these occasions there was plenty of drink, but also plenty of merriment and plenty of singing. I cherished and looked forward to that day every year. As I set out on my journey home to say my final farewells, I strangely feel closer to him now than ever when he was alive.

[jadewillow]

[jadewillow]

Today I met with an old mentor of mine, Hardragh. He had showed me the ways of manipulating his voice to stir the emotions of others a few years back. I have been mystified by his ability ever since. But today he agreed to take a walk with me to his homeland, Krashin; a place he hadn't been to in over 20 years. We strolled through the snow covered fields and talked of life, death, and faith. Before we knew it, we had made it as far as the Wolverine Camp. A man approached us as we got closer. He was scrawny and terribly thin. Said he was out looking for food for his family. He said they had just moved to the Camp due to being haunted by spirits or memories or something. He was quite nervous and evasive when I pressed him on this. Hardragh and I were giving him some fresh bear meat, when out of the blue, he was attacked by a small army of skellies. When I say small, I refer to their stature. Miniatures of some sort. They struck him down very quickly, and then came after us. With Hardragh's very capable voice and a few good strokes from my trusty long blade, we dispatched them. The sun was getting low on the horizon, so we decided to camp there for the night. Just as we were about to go to sleep, we were approached by a very hectic shade or spirit of some sort. He was ranting and raving about some song, his life’s work that someone stole. He was put to rest with it in a copper tube, and someone dug him up and stole it. He quickly ran off in pursuit of his song. Hardragh and I decided we should investigate further. We continued on to the Wolverine Camp. We came upon a woman and two children by a campsite. Hardragh and I ventured this was the wife of the man that was killed earlier. I proceed to tell the woman (in the presence of her children) that her husband had been killed. She was distressed, and annoyed that I would break that news to her in front of her children. I fail to see why the truth is for adults only. If anything, it is more important for children to hear it then adults. At any rate, she continued to dismiss the children to bed. We began to talk of the recent events, and told her of the shade we meet on the way there. She said their family had been moving about since they had begun to be haunted by that shade. It would sing at all hours of the night on the best nights, and come for blood on the worst. She told me that her husband had come home with a copper tube one night, and that’s when it began. Hardragh and I surmised the man had dug up the shades song, and stole it. She proceeded to go into her tent and retrieve the tube and hand it to me saying she never wanted to see it again. I proceeded to open it up, and take from it an old piece of vellum. On it was written a song, complex in its intricacies, and with many layers. It was the most beautiful piece of work I had seen. Just then, the shade returned and said that that was HIS SONG. My greed got the better of me, and I refused to give it to him. He agreed that if we played it together (it required at least three instruments) he would be released from his bind, and he would let me keep it. I was reluctant at first to play a song written by a shade. Hardragh, and his free spirit, convinced me to give it go. After all, you only live once. What’s another 20 years in the grand scheme of things. We all started in unison. It moved something in me immediately. I felt I was experiencing something forbidden, like a child who had just stole a jar of cookies, my instinct was to run, but my longing to hear the remainder of the song keep me planted and strumming away. I noticed all others living things had scurried away from once they came. It was the just the three of us, the shade, Hardragh, and I making the most moving music I had ever heard. Once it was over, the shade dissipated on the wind, and was no longer. I turned to Hardragh and said “What was that thing”. He responded, “Most likely a Skald in life from these parts, but one whose peace was disturbed by that silly man. He can rest now.”  I nodded slowly, absorbing all that had transpired. I looked down in my hands, and I still possessed the written song, the most moving song I had ever heard. It became clear that this was the key to my understanding the ways of the Skald. I would study this sheet until I perfected every last note and stanza.

[jadewillow]

"Blasted chain mail!. I might as well be wearing a suit of bells mate. Not only do the enemies hear me from a mile away, these blasted chinks disrupt my limited call on the Al'North. Just today I was running though the Great Forest and stumbled on a group of biggies that seemed to be waiting for me. Unprepared, I tried to call on the Al'North to become unseen, but this blasted chain mail disrupted the spell. Died on the spot. There must be a better way. *shakes his head*. Bah! Just get me another ale lad."

// Flynn at the tavern after a long day in the Forest

[jadewillow]

While getting warm at the campfire at Miritrix, I ran into one of my fellow Skalds Sil. We caught up on our lives and traded stories of our adventures. One frustration I expressed to her was how all the good armors interfere with my limited call on the Al'North. Being a Skald, it is my nature to be in the midst of a battle. I can't sit on the sidelines lobbing ice spells at the enemies. I need to feel the shock wave reverberating through my arms and shoulder of a good blow with my sword. As a result, I need a good strudy layer of protection cuz let's face it, I'm not the young swashbuckler I once thought I was. Sil proceeded to show me a neat trick she has learned. She can cast spells when fully geared up in Full Plate armor. This was intriguing, but apparently it only works for easier spells. The good spells are still a bit too complicated for her to pull off.

Sil suggested if that didn't meet my needs I should look up a Spellsword. It had been a while, but I remembered an old friend of mine named Ira was able to master the Al'North while fully armored. I will see if I can track my old friend down.

[jadewillow]

The last I traveled with our friend Ira was in a dismal snake pit on Belinara. On that trip he unfortunately fell when he accidentally found himself in front of the group. He was jumped by a nest of snakes that quickly sunk their poisonous fangs into his fair hide. It was one of the most gruesome deaths I have seen in a long time. His skin turned a ashen color, and his eyes looked as though they had filled with milk. I hope he has recovered from that fall. No one I have spoken to has seen him since.

[jadewillow]

No signs of my old comrade Ira. I hope he has recovered from the snake pit. Aside from my concern for Ira, this does present a problem. It will be difficult to learn the ways of the Spellsword on my own. I would be much better off finding someone that has already done it. Now I do remember an old friend of mine that was looking into the craft, but I am ashamed to say it has been so long I don't know if she ever found what she was looking for. I will need to look her up again. It will be good to catch up with Abi.

[jadewillow]

At last, my search for a Spellsword is over. Last night at the crossroads I was fortunate enough to run into both Ira and Abi. It was good to see them both again, and in good health. Prior to heading into the Misted Village for some good old fashion bandit beating, they were kind enough to show me their unique art.

Ira, while in full copper dragon plate, agreed to show me how he casted without being interrupted. He began with a very slight gesture, but then began to move his arms around fairly actively. All the while, his body moved in complete harmony with the movement of his plate. When you thought one plate would clink against another, he moved his body just so slightly to avoid any such contact. The spell went off without a sound (other than his voice). Very impressive. Ira said he did not know exactly how he did it, but that it just came naturally.
   
  Abi, on the other hand, was a bit more aware of how she was casting while in armor successfully.
   
  She said “Flynn, this should come naturally to you. It is very much like dancing. You just need to learn how each kind of armor moves, and then adjust your casting motions ever so slightly to avoid interruptions. Think of it as a ballroom dance, but your partner is your armor instead of some floozy you just met.” *Abi smiles*
   
  She proceeded to cast while dawning a nice suite of Malar leather, swirling her hands and moving her body in synch with her armor avoiding any interruptions. The spell went off without a hitch. Again, very impressive.
   
  I thought about what she said, that it is was very much like dancing, and this made complete sense to me. With all my years dancing in taverns and balls to entertain, making just a few adjustments should not be that difficult. The hard part will be learning how each kind of armor moves. However, if I start with the lighter armors I should be able to figure it out. Perhaps someday I could even learn to cast in full plate.