After a life as a musician, lothario, drunk, and adventurer, it seems Andrew Reid has finally thrown out an anchor. To kick off our series Bards of Layonara we talked to the man in his inn, the aptly named Silver Buckle, about his life, his deeds, and what led him to own a bar.This is a very nice inn. Does this mean you’ve settled down?
I’m not sure I’d say that! I’ve created a home base.
Fair enough. Tell us a little of your biographical details?Oh, um...I’m too tall, too skinny, and getting too old. I have black hair and dark brown eyes and I like to sing, dance and wander the dunes of the cape at midnight...that last one was a lie, I hate getting sand in my knickers. I have two sons and a woman who puts up with me and this big old liquor barn here. And a wonderful family. Hi, Mom! You’ll print that, right?
Sure, why not. So you’ve built your home base and now you’ve built your own stage...I should call it All the Worlds, yes! (laughs).
Prior to this you’ve traveled extensively. What is your favorite place to visit?You know, it’s like children – you can’t pick a favorite. I love them all, they all have different flavor and personality.
Come on now. You’re hedging.Okay, fine. I am partial to Leringard and Center is beginning to hold some memories for me; Lor, the Sederan desert...let’s see...I’m not as fond of mountain ranges I’m afraid, it’s hard to smoke at high altitudes. Oh – Port Hempstead, and Mariner’s Hold of course. I have a few quieter places I like to go and hide but I’m not telling where.
Hard to imagine you wanting to hide!Sometimes you do. Adventurers...it’s funny, I never started out to become one. I still don’t think of myself as one – it’s convenient to say but really I’m a guy who looks for inspiration and finds it in strange and sometimes dangerous places. So I’m not an adventurer, not really. I’m just a singer with a danger fetish. What was the question again?
Right - you get yourself in trouble sometimes, willingly or not, and then hiding...yes. Sometimes.
What have you hidden from that you’re ashamed of?Oh, Muse (laughs). I’d like to be honest but really there’s only one person who knows all the possible answers to that question and neither She nor I are giving details. Let’s say that I’ve learned a lesson about running and hiding. I do less of it now and I’m more careful of whom I irritate, or I try to be. I try.
I’ve run from marriage though, once. From women and fathers and once and a while from the law, although we got that worked out. For now.
I think.
How about regrets, then?Regrets, yes. I know people say it’s a waste of time but you can’t deny the emotion. I regret when I was trying to find an Ilsarian woman who’d gone missing and we did not find her in time, although we were able to recover her body and return it to the parents. We never did find the murderer. That one I don’t forget.
I regret a lot of the pain I’ve caused, mostly women, mostly because I was and I guess can still be an insufferable pri...jerk. My woman keeps me honest there now, mostly. I regret that my voice, a song of stunning and damage, has killed. That one is still fresh...an accident, but it really drives home that sorry isn’t everything. What if it had been my child? Could I forgive someone else for that? I guess I regret that I’m not a wiser man.
That sounds like a lot of your past. Tell us a little more about it?It is, it is. I wasn’t – then, I was more likely to run into a bottle than deal with problems. I lost most of my teens and twenties that way. I started actually growing up at nearly thirty. I had to take a crash course in emotional stability, I had to learn how to live with myself. To accept my limitations and what I could and could not do. That’s a work in progress - Gods, I sound like a Toranite – one moment. (lights a cigar)
There. Had to rebalance things, you know? Where was I.
Growing up, learning limitations.Right. I’d have to say the first time I was motivated to reach beyond myself was the tsunami in Port Hempstead. That was overwhelming – before then I’d just written some music, flirted like mad, played my little songs wherever I could. But that tsunami...I was there. For the first one. I ran from the waves with a lady friend in tow and I could not believe the destruction. I went back and saw misery like I’ve never seen, suffering that I’d never known in my rather easy life. It hit me hard and I ended up doing whatever I could, I helped clean up, I did corpse patrol for a while – that was extremely hard. I guess that was the first baby steps in really seeing the world around me.
Then we knew the second one was coming and I got actively involved. I suggested a way to link the magical energies that we all used to deflect the wave and it was quite a rush to have it turn out to be a good idea. I was just blown away that I’d come up with something useful. I stood with others there either protecting the magic-users or singing or casting our ever-loving hearts out and I felt part of something bigger, and that veered my path, nudged me in this direction.
The tsunami was devastating. Was that the main catalyst for your current success?It was the start. It got me started helping...meddling, to some. Like I said, I didn’t start out wanting to be an “adventurer” (makes finger quotes). But when you travel you find that for every five people who shun you for meddling, there is someone who can’t get help from anyone else.
An example?An example...ah. I went to play in Fort Miratrix, this was quite a long time ago and I’d never been there so I wanted to see it. When I arrived I played and things seemed normal, but the next day there was a murder discovered. We traced that one for a long time, several of us ended up staying it through and we discovered a pit creature that was meddling with an undertaker and who – it chokes me to even say this – considered itself an artist of Ilsare, but the art was posing murdered individuals. (pauses)
I’m sure there are others who could have taken on that task, but by the time you get word to this church or that group, and they have time to send someone to investigate, things have gone completely south and more people have died. So that’s something I was glad to be a part of.
There was an incident in the Sun Kingdom I recall where a community of elves had some nice land and the Sun Kingdom wanted it. They hired us to kill the elves, essentially. I’ll probably get in trouble for saying that. We – there were a few of us – were able to negotiate to move the elves to a better location inside Erilyn, so with our meddling, no one died. I check up on them a few years later, they were doing alright.
As a meddler, what are you most proud of?For meddling? Or just in general?
Let’s tackle meddling first – we’ll need another stack of paper for “in general” I think.And that’s not counting music yet either.
I didn’t bring that much ink.(laughs) Meddling, adventuring, right. I’m proud of a lot of things. Maybe I should say I take joy in a lot of things. Aside from what I already mentioned I’ve been a proud thorn in Rael’s side, trying to raise awareness of the wrongs of his governance, and that of the Blackguard in Leringard. Someone has to watch the watchmen, to make sure that people – that they know it’s not all roses and champagne, power corrupts and it’s not enough to close your eyes. I’ve done some teaching bardic tours to spread those songs as well.
And there’s Lor - I’m very proud of what we all accomplished in Lor. I was there as an instructor...then as a motivator for their fighting forces, and I was there through Rael’s attempt to take the city and all the battles forward. Tough as nails those people, if I take a second home, it will be there. I’d like to someday.
I’ve taught, that is some meddling that turned out well – some special students and also a young lady who I helped to overcome a serious mental block. Joining the Krandor Hospital, there’s a group of gold-hearted meddlers...we’re just getting started but it is something in which I see a lot of potential.
What else...I remember standing with a bunch of dwarves, defending Lan’s Port from attacking troll hordes. Another time when the town guard needs our help – they didn’t have the numbers to mount a defense. I was proud of that even if I couldn’t sing magic on a single dwarf. What else...oh – Jed! There’s another bit of meddling that still brings me joy.
Jed?Jed’s a child I took care of. We found him and a handful of other survivors in a cave, larder to some horrific creatures, after we got involved in a town of halflings who had unwittingly been providing girls to the slavers who were doing the feeding. He was the only child who survived. He could not talk when we found him, he was so traumatized. We found out later he’d watched his mother be eaten.
Dear Gods!I know...it took myself and a few friends quite a while to ease him from his shell and help him find his voice again. And to finally return him to his father. He’s alive, he’s married, has children of his own now. That, to me, is a perfect example of why I meddle. To...not to fix, some things can never be fixed, but to aid...to give of yourself and discover so much about both of you in the process, that’s joy. That is sharing Ilsare’s love.
All leading up to the war I did things here and there, I got heavily involved in the fight to keep Sedera from Cult hands and then I traveled to Fort Hope...meddling on a global scale, all of us doing whatever it took to put a halt to Molvaren’s expansion.
I’ve reported on a few conflicts, kingdom clashes and such. What was your take on this struggle that brought so much of Layonara together?Just that. There were so many different kingdoms and rulers and temples and individuals involved it really drove home what we were facing – might still be facing, if they try to keep the Cult alive. We can’t know if we got everyone. (pauses)
I spent a lot of time in Fort Hope and Hilm talking to the soldiers. Not the officers and the ones giving the orders but the ones who had to go out and charge the enemy. We entertainers write a lot of songs and tell a lot of stories about, say, the heroic general and how difficult and lonely it is to lead. But to me, the interesting ones, are the men and women who packed up and volunteered even though they only have one life to give. The hero is the guy from Erilyn who left his family and came to Belinara because of them, because he understood what was at stake. And I’m glad he did because I don’t read gnomish...long story. Or the lady from Spellgard who walked away from her teaching position to lend her spells to the war, even knowing she’d be taking orders from Toranites. And you had better believe that the scale of those battles left an impression, and fostered the kind of experience you only get with a common enemy. I hope we all remember this and maybe we keep the knowledge that different isn’t bad close at hand. At least for a few generations.
I would have to agree. With all that you’ve experienced, is there one pinnacle experience? I have a feeling you’ll hedge again...No, I have an answer to that question. My son. I have a boy who I have a long road ahead to get to know again, he’s been safely away during the war. I guess that’s my pinnacle, being a father and not being half bad at it, and also my most consistent pain that we had to send him away and it went on far too long. But yeah – I can point to the inn or my music or my faith or my looks but in the end my legacy will be measured in part by the foundation I give him and how he carries that out and his children. So my pinnacle is my boy.
You said you had two sons?I...one child is with his mother and I am not allowed to see him. I don’t -
Sorry to break in but I have to ask. It’s well-known you are a fan of kids. Why would you let a child go if you could take him? You have land and money to help with his care, justices like that.It’s not that simple. The mother – he’s all she has. I follow Ilsare, more than that, I believe in love. Whose love should I put first, mother to child, or my own? Should I hurt the mother so I can love the child? Can I even make that determination? I know what I felt Ilsare telling me. I hate it and yes, there has been a crisis of faith if you will, but I know what She wants from me. So now is not the time. Maybe in the future. Definitely when he’s grown, if nothing else. But if I know what my Goddess feels, I can’t go against that. I can’t.
You’ll pardon me for saying that you sound more like a cleric than a bard. How did you come to be Ilsarian?My family is Ilsarian, almost all of them. They run a pottery shop in Huangjin. I grew up knowing Ilsare. I think I was eight...yes, eight, when I first really felt...heard...Her. For hours, what I know now as the Heartsong I heard outside my bedroom window. I could not stop listening, and that was that – I was Hers, not because my parents were but because it was part of my heart after that experience. I spent a long time trying to hear that again. Almost thirty years!
It’s not easy. I struggle sometimes...I’ve followed Ilsare almost all my life but there have been times I’ve been tempted nearly away, by Xeen, and other times that I have asked, why? Why did this happen? How could She let this happen? I was very sick for a while and thought myself contagious and felt cut off and – well, it was bad. I questioned. And giving up my son, no matter how much I knew it was the right thing to do for Ilsare, that is a wound that festers. I suppose my faith would never grow if I didn’t challenge it though.
Moving on, you’ve spent part of your life playing in bars and festivals. Is there a memory that stands out from all the times you’ve played?A memory...ahh, a few. I’ve sometimes played incognito, due to the aforementioned law problems, and had some very memorable events. Not all of them good, I’m afraid.
I think the nights that really stand out for me are those when myself and other musicians get together. That’s a big part of owning this place, the collaboration, the wanting to share. I was recently in Center and was able to share a crowd with Karn, he’s played here before, and an elf acrobat and singer named Vell’dryn, and we had an archer friend named SehKy provide some fireworks with his arrows as well as music and later Gel’larian, another musician friend whom I collaborate with, came by – those are the best nights. I’ve played with most of the bards that travel and a good number of the musicians out there and those always stand out. It’s the way two people are never the same after interacting, the way each person contributes to the Heartsong in an ever-shifting song. I’ve played with Flynn de Ballard, I’ve sung with Commander Lance Stargazer –
You did not.I did, cross my heart. He can sing pretty well, he’s got a good voice. So yes, I’d say that the memories that really stay with me are the times we sing together and we gather to entertain each other.
Do you prefer Ilsarian bards? You’re a member of the Resonance of Being, correct?I am, but that doesn’t mark a preference for me. I learn more from entertainers of all faiths. Let me qualify. Faiths that Ilsare isn’t an enemy of. That has to be said.
And the Resonance is there to teach you...what?It’s not teaching so much as mentoring, I think of them as different. No one can really show you how to hear the Heartsong; when I heard it as a child, no one could have prepared me for that. No one can give you directions on ways to calm yourself, or excite others – it’s very personal and always different, just like the song of life is. The Resonance of Being, as I experience it, is a group devoted to learning and sharing that learning and also to keep some controls on how people manipulate emotions with it. I’m not usually a big fan of lots of rules but there is potential for severe harm, this hits you right in the heart.
An example?Let’s see – the first time I felt the effects of this sort of manipulation sticks in my mind. This was from a lady in Port Hempstead who has a gift with music, and she was able to sing me from a pleasant, moderate state of mind to fury in a matter of a minute. Boom! Just like that. Of course it was a demonstration and she warned me, but still, that was eye-opening. I tend to focus on either whipping up a crowd with good feelings or trying to soothe, but any emotion can be amplified in another. Anger, depression, joy, even heartbreak. It’s powerful.
Sounds like it. Is this a path for you, something you intend to focus on.The Conductor told me long ago when I first applied to join that it was really truly the first day of the rest of my life and it is. Like anything music, you learn, you play, you fiddle and adjust, but as the Heartsong is ever-changing so is the learning of it. I have a pretty good knowledge of Self now, the sphere of Self, and I’m working on Other. Beyond that there’s Many, and then Divine. (long pause)
I’d like to know the Divine sphere. There are arguments that it doesn’t exist or that it should never be attempted, that it should be left to Ilsare and the purity of the Heartsong, but I want to know. That sounds arrogant doesn’t it? But from the first time I heard the Heartsong as a child, I’ve been drawn to it. I’m not the only one. I’m not anyone special to Ilsare, just another bard. But I would really, really like to have even a second’s understanding of Her, to hear the song of the entire world...Muse, that would be something. And I believe it’s there.
Something like that might make you a powerful man, at least inside the Ilsarian church. Is that something you want?Power? No. If I were to be given the opportunity to know Ilsare’s Divinity through the Heartsong, I think most people would not believe me anyway, and I’m not a power guy. And I can’t imagine trying to extend myself into that sphere, or being able to teach it. I really believe Ilsare will choose if She wishes someone to experience that, I wouldn’t want it to be a bardic tourist destination or anything.
What do you want, then? What does Andrew Reid want?I have to think on that...
To find a love who will bear me children that can share my love with my lady Minu. To teach – I have some students under Sedera I have to get back to someday, when things settle down. To watch my sons grow into good men. To prevent the world from being taken over by another Molvaren or Rael. Maybe to someday earn a Band of the Heart, that would be nice.
Most of all, to continue promoting Ilsare by inspiring others. Songs, writing, art, love, expression in all its forms. If I am part of that, I know my Goddess is smiling somewhere, and there isn’t much more a man like myself can ask for.
Mr. Reid, thank you for your time.It’s been an honor. I have a list of names if you want to chase down some more of us to interview!
Quests List29-Oct-2009 - Spooky Stories at the Crossroads (as self, first place, Hi No Tama)
28-Oct-2009 - Ring of Endless Light part one (Alzira/Zarianna chardev quest, pt. one only, as self and uninspired knave)
29-Oct-2009 - Just Desserts (as self and bemused bystander)
27-Nov-2009 - Tsunami Waves (Tempest in a Teacup - as self, moderately drunk want-to-be engineer and relentlessly helpful musician/spellcaster)
01-Dec-2009 - Tall Tales Night at the Wild Surge (as self, first participant, story of Liang and Rose Reid)
02-Dec-2009 - Loss of a Friend (as self and investigator, death of Ilsarian orphanage head in Hlint, sent letters in char thread)
05-Dec-2009 - Alazira's Cake Baking Charity Event (as self, ran Pie Song contest to add to charity proceeds)
15-Dec-2009 - Ride the Lightning (Jaelle's world leader quest, as self and bemused potion thrower)
20-Dec-2010 - Leringard Arms Open-Air Celebration (as self and drunken idiot, singing to entertain the participants)
26-Dec-2009 - The Artist (as self and investigator; a woman killed, and posed as...art?)
27-Dec-2009 - The Mercenary (as self, sucked into plot; love conquers all and dwarves don't fight fair when they're influenced by magic bugs)
31-Dec-2010 - Story Time in Hlint (as self, listened to Plenarius stories, sang some songs, and encouraged others to sing)
06-Jan-2010 - The Road Under Huangjin (as self and very short-lived adventurer)
13-Jan-2010 - Cleaning House (as self and tactician; elves in Sun Kingdom relocated to a much nicer plot of land in Erilyn)
14-Jan-2010 - Joining of Two Hearts - Fehriel and Talia's wedding (as self, was asked to be musician and write/perform a song)
20-Jan-2010 - Ben and Sonya's Funeral (as self, wrote and sang a song for Lana on the spot to honor Ben)
23-Jan-2010 - The Artist (as self and investigator; a whole family? Something must be done! To the coroners!)
27-Jan-2010 - Andrew's dev quest part one (as self; joining the Resonance of Being part one: listen to the dwarves)
03-Feb-2010 - Andrew's dev quest part two (as self; it's all about the Heartsong, dummy - accepted!)
06-Feb-2010 - The Artist (as self and Devil's Advocate and sneaky knot-tier; Crazy Lady Who Gave Away Her Kid and the Idiot Who Loved Her)
13-Mar-2010 - The Artist (as self and investigator; knock knock)
27-Feb-2010 - The Artist (as self and investigator; who's there? Pit Creatures!)
06-Mar-2010 - For Love of Canines (Tyra's dev quest part two only, as self and Useful Pain in the Arse who discovers the secret of the tower)
13-Mar-2010 - The Artist (as self and triumphant demon slayer and the only one who didn't slap down Ellis) (not that I didn't want to)
27-Mar-2010 - Love of Law and Law of Love (Daniel and Bella's wedding - as self and snarky observer - OBEY)
28-Mar-2010 - First Mate Harris Ja'ron interview for the Jakzonvilet (as Jimmy Fishhawk, shy kid from Creedo)
28-Mar-2010 - One Night Only - Willie the Bard! (as Willie, star of the show!)
03-Apr-2010 - Come Sail Away, Come Sail Away, Come Sail Away With Me (as Jimmy Fishhawk, neophyte sailor and soulless violin hunter)
10-Apr-2010 - Come Sail Away part two (as Jimmy Fishhawk, Protector of Cross-Dressing Women and desperate diplomat)
17-Apr-2010 - Quantum Trip (as self and vampire chow, to investigate whether a lich is taking up residence in the Ice Marshes)
23-Apr-2010 - From One (as self and irrepressible matchmaker of halflings)
24-Apr-2010 - Wake the Dead (as self and bald-face liar to Rofies, also starring Sonata the Wonder Horse)
29-Apr-2010 - Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (as self with Sonata the Wonder Horse - accidentally ported into quest by MJ and made the best of it)
02-May-2010 - RP Event for Charity (as self, art afficianado, and Barbarian Calmer)
07-May-2010 - Lor, Border Campaign (as Singer, following trail of dark elves into a trap and refusing to believe that Gladyus is really one of us)
16-May-2010 - Sea Stories at the One-Eyed Harpy (as Singer, teller of tales heard from sailor Jimmy and witness to the destruction of an orc)
18-May-2010 - Measures and Rulers (as self and unwitting participant in the evil schemes of Stygian; also earned a spot on the assassination list)
23-May-2010 - From One: Double Take (as self and investigator of a town being withered by...what?)
30-May-2010 - Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The Dawning of a New Day (as self and part of aiding a town to find a traitor)
12-May-2010 - First Meeting, Krandor Hospital (as self, full member, and co-suggester of KART with Shadowleaf)
13-Jun-2010 - Defense of Lan's Port (as self and frantic bolsterer of spirits) (also potion flinger) (and stoneskin gem applicator)
19-Jun-2010 - To Die As You Lived, An Enchanting Tale (as self and flirtatious distraction)
25-May-2010 - StoryTeller's Night in Krandor (as self and budding illusionist)
26-Jun-2010 - To Die As You Lived, Green With Envy (as self and undead hunter)
05-Jul-2010 - The Culling of the Trolls (as self and frantic bard)
10-Jul-2010 - From One: Third Time is a Charm (as self and loudmouth and failed bluffer - do not bluff next to a Rofie...)
11-Jul-2010 - Annwyl and Ysgraine's Wedding (as self and musician and friend of the brides, wrote and sang song for wedding)
11-Jul-2010 - Storytelling Night: Dragons (as self telling story of the Kushiri and the Redlands)
??-Jul-2010 - Elohanna's Character Dev Quest (as self and supporter)
02-Aug-2010 - Trip to Blackford Temple (self and worried father of sick child) - retconned
03-Aug-2010 - Coalition Romp (as self and tamer of the shrew)
07-Aug-2010 - Shadowleaf and Feawen's Wedding (as self and entertainer)
07-Aug-2010 - From One: Who Hired Who (as self and soul-strand-losing standard Bard™)
19-Aug-2010 - Omnia Pro Aegroto (as self and catcher of the world's worst STD) - retconned
20-Aug-2010 - To Die As You Lived, A Hunting We Will Go (as self and intrepid mushroom hunter)
28-Aug-2010 - Molten Isle Beckons Yet Again (as self and goggle-eyed dragon viewer)
06-Sep-2010 - From One: Jed (as self and self-appointed therapist of child)
12-Sep-2010 - Meeting in Castle Mask (as Singer and Angela-appointed watchdog of Argali)
13-Sep-2010 - To Die As You Lived, Half Is Sometimes Twice As Much (as self and Caerwyn-appointed leader of the chaos)
17-Sep-2010 - Running Free (as self and flower chaser/returner)
19-Sep-2010 - Knight of the Wyrm Initiations (as self and cheerer for Daniel Poetr) (and mumbled heckler)
22-Sep-2010 - Trial, Dark Elf Archer (as self and guy who just happened to wake up in Hlint to a trial)
23-Sep-2010 - Spotlight on Lor (as self and interviewer of Investigator Smith and clue-hunter)
10-Oct-2010 - From One - Coming Home (as self and reuniter of families)
13-Oct-2010 - Zigruum's Fireside Chat (as self and idea-thrower)
13-Oct-2010 - Triple S (as self and not very intimidating GDC hunter)
16-Oct-2010 - Council Meeting in the Great Forest (as self and Reporter On the Scene and so what if she's a dragon? She's HOT!)
23-Oct-2010 - Military Training Exercise (as James Standish, scout and team leader)
24-Oct-2010 - The Mist (as self, mist monster food and protector of children)
25-Oct-2010 - Company of the Muse trip (as author of the ancient elven poems found)
30-Oct-2010 - Leringard Arms Reopening (as Lana Poetr, one half of the singing duo LANDREW; and as self after the strappy sandals started to hurt)
31-Oct-2010 - Spheres and Dreams, Reid's Discovery of Self, part one (as self and learning member of the Resonance of Being)
01-Nov-2010 - How to Win Friends and Influence Giants (as self and bardic teacher - resulting in five months under Sedera, see private thread)
18-Nov-2010 - Darts Night at the Silver Buckle (as proprietor, along with Elly - hosted first darts night)
22-Nov-2010 - Giant Plans VI (as self and refuser to kill giants - left quest early on rp grounds)
25-Nov-2010 - Silver Hand (as self and supporter of a dwarven fibber; also arranged meeting at the Buckle with Connor and Anna to further information distribution)
27-Nov-2010 - The Hunter Becomes the Hunted (as self and failed negotiator - quest ended early because of goblin in party)
28-Nov-2010 - Understanding the Heartsong Can Be Torture (as self and tortured soul)
05-Dec-2010 - Cult Strike - Moraken's Tower (as self and attempted defender of Ilsare's Shrine in Hlint, and dirt napper, and eulogist, and singing healer)
07-Dec-2010 - Company of the Muse (as self and co-discoverer of Ilsarian artworks with Gel'arian, Zari, and Raz)
12-Dec-2010 - Stalking the Borders of Kuhl (as suicide squader and drach killer)
14-Dec-2010 - Tales of Adventure! (as self and proprietor of the Silver Buckle running a storytelling night)
16-Dec-2010 - The Trouble With Hlintites (as self and scrying helper and supporter of Elohanna)
20-Dec-2010 - Moves Within Moves (as self, and not-self with Darthy while trying to find a Cultist, and bardic cleric once again)
20-Dec-2010 - BOOM!!! - Explosive Dwarven Lass (as self and idea tosser regarding ballistae)
21-Dec-2010 - Letters of Love (as self and intrepid story hunter, and defender of wronged fisherfolk)
24-Dec-2010 - Moves Within Moves Part Two (as self, bard for the Lor Army, healer of giants, and writer of songs)
28-Dec-2010 - First Annual Demon Card Contest (as self, spectator, runner of bets and winner of money)
29-Dec-2010 - Mess With the Bull, You Get the Horns (as self and just plain adventurous person in the underground minotaur city)
06-Jan-2011 - The Trouble With Hlintites (as self and panicked lover of a dying woman and Blackford Flagbearer)
08-Jan-2011 - It's Got 8 Legs, I Just Need Two (as self and skeptic of the spider hunter and "Let's try and talk to it!" guy and stupid, dead optimist)
19-Jan-2011 - Willie's Concert (as Willie the Bard and insufficiently prepared would-be ambusher)
22-Jan-2011 - Callahan's Breweries Presents - Storytelling Night at the Bull's-Eye (as self and teller of a real downer tale of sacrifice)
23-Jan-2011 - Meeting with Ragrian (as self and procurer of twenty Halberdiers and a handful of bards for the war effort)
24-Jan-2011- Coalition GCDQ - Orphanage (as self and snarky latecomer and manners police)
24-Jan-2011 - An Obvious Trap (as self and back-upper of Lance and caster of useful vocal illusions)
25-Jan-2011 - War Council Meeting in Blackford Castle (as self, suggestion offerer, and Wolfswood liaison - premeeting only)
26-Jan-2011 - Wolfswood Rangers (as self and co-procurer of twenty ranger scouts for the war; with Vrebel and Shadowleaf)
01-Feb-2011 - Gel's CDQ (as self and auditory illusionist and distractor of crazy blonde elves)
07-Feb-2011 - A Big Hand - Help For Our Cause (as self trying to convince a tribe of giants to act as spies for the allied forces; with Gurnorhn and Tyra)
09-Feb-2011 - Ad Lib Madness by the Gates (as self and leader of the least sensical storytelling ever; for Elohanna and Nokka)
13-Feb-2011 - Attack on Northpoint (as self and combat bard)
19-Feb-2011 - Disease (as self and singer of the remove disease song)
02-Mar-2011 - Haven Castle Needs Your Help (as self and battle bard and Shiff antagonizer)
06-Mar-2011 - Sederan Defense (as self and dragon and vial carrier and chaotic SOB)
13-Mar-2011 - Sederan Defense, Ongoing Actions (as battle bard and dragon admirer)
17-Mar-2011 - Arrows and Blades, SehKy and Keela's chardev (as self and musician and learner of the Resonance)
20-Mar-2011 - Sederan Defense, the Final Push (as battle bard, helping to destroy Ori portals)
24-Mar-2011 - Healers of the World, Rejoice! (as self and reactive idiot and woman-and-child-murderer, Krandor Hospital chardev)
26-Mar-2011 - Exploration to the Peaks (as battle bard)
28-Mar-2011 - It May Be the Demise of Us All (as member of Gel's Company of the Muse and battle bard and body dragger)
31-Mar-2011 - Feeling Lucky, Punk? (as proprietor of the Silver Buckle gambling establishment and guy who hasn't figured out rigging the house yet)
07-Apr-2011 - Thunder Peaks Expedition (as battle bard and mithril miner who actually hammered off one chunk. One.)
11-Apr-2011 - A Kettle of Strange Brew (as self and brewer and assassin vine seed hunter)
18-Apr-2011 - Fort of Last Hope - The Siege Begins (as battle bard and unnecessary giant interpreter)
18-Apr-2011 - A Kettle of Strange Brew (as wagon chaser and advocate for a poor sap used as a decoy)
21-Apr-2011 - The "Self" Proclaimed Bard (as self and helper to a blocked woman via Resonance and sudden, desperate father of unknown son)
25-Apr-2011 - A Kettle of Strange Brew (as self and ROCKER OF THE WAYFARE INN while others did the hard work)
05-May-2011 - Amaria (on IRC, as self and singer to dreams and soother of fears)
11-May-2011 - Fort of Last Hope (as self and opener of dwarven doors and scout of weed-choked passageways - oh yeah, and singer)
15-May-2011 – Fort of Last Hope (as self and Ori slayer – okay, potion flinger – and master singer)
20-May-2011 – Stormcry Hollows (as self, helping to destroy Broken dragons)
24-May-2011 - The "Self" Proclaimed Bard part II (as self and miserable wretch, deciding to let go of a lifelong dream for a biological child in favor of Ilsare)
Impromptus that come to mind (I made up the titles): Mixafix, Numerous Attempts to Kill Andrew (and the Birth of Willie the Bard); OsX, To Sell a Dark Elf; Redeemer, Love Will Keep Them Together (on the Dragon Isles); Redeemer, the Lady Ivanova Smithson mystery (done mostly on forums through pm plus Wake the Dead and To Catch a Killer); The Master, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star prelude, The Mystery Box (help Twinkle and Darla get back a Very Important Package); The Master, I Ate What? (returning home a lone survior of a goblin attack); OsX, Welcome Home (prelude to Aya's character submission); OsX, Can't Trust 'Em (where Andrew is killed for being Dutchess's slave); OsX, Drums of War (prelude to Defense of Lan's Port and Culling of the Trolls); Redeemer, Here Kitty Kitty (obtaining cat pelt for Vladimir Marksman); OsX, "Self" (where he discovers not all spiders are stupid; see follow-up, "It's Got 8 Legs"); Nimrod, Spider Spider on the Wall (where a dark and evil man taunts adventurers through the spider caves); thedagda, Misted Village Golem (where a golem is discovered, coveted, whined over, and finally destroyed amid heavy sighs); OsX, Gambling Night at the Silver Buckle (where Osx shakes down a new inn owner).
Background work: Pankoki, Xeenite Infiltration for Jaelle's WLDQ; Miltonyorkcastle, "training tour" to spread anti-Rael and anti-Blackwatch songs throughout Mistone and follow-up with Selma the Bard; Bardic Tour (ongoing, A Bardic Tour thread, Rumor Has It); Pankoki, investigations into an orphanage raid; OsX, investigations into Saida and subseqent discouragment (information passed to Emwonk); Argali Trueaxe, to become boat instructor for Lor Dwarven contingent and a brief stint as swimming instructor (and the birth of James Standish, in Lor thread, Rumor Has It); Mixafix, obtained a herd of horses for Lor's cavalry; OsX, letter sent requesting audience with King Briant of Erilyn (for Elohanna); thedagda, From One, the healing of Jed (solo, then with Emwonk, Daniel, Feawen, Caerwyn and Lana) and dagger follow-up and destruction (with Lana, Emwonk and Caerwyn); Mixafix, Follow-Up, Spotlight on Lor and other Lor activities (static quests with Argali, Angela, Alantha); Redeemer, Cruelty-Free Silver (where Andrew and Gurnorhn try to obtain silver without slaughter, and Andrew teaches some giants to sing); Rowana/Dorganath, the acquiring of backers for, and purchase of, the former Weary Traveler and transformation into the Silver Buckle Entertainment Establishment and Fine Lodging (with Damon Silverdawn, Chakar, Buddy Tenker, Caerwyn, and Arkolio); Rowana/Dorganath, Hlint is Poisoned (where Elohanna aids the town after the attack on Moraken's Tower and becomes ill; Andrew conducted many visits in-game to keep her spirits up and that of the Aeridinite Sisters and entire town on a few occasions and participated in forum rp regarding her move to Xora's Tower and subsequent cure, see Innocent Investigations forum); The Master, Willie's Last Show (where Willie does not properly prepare and a number of winged gatecrashers bring the house down); Redeemer, A Big Hand (where Andrew, Gurn, and Tyra head to the desert to bring some giants into the war as spotters for the Audiran refugees); Miltonyorkcastle, The Hit (where Andrew as Willie engages in a teaching tour as he travels, to get anti-Cult songs on people's lips and in their minds); Dezza, Stormy Weather (where Andrew gambles to get Mist's Riptide to aid the cause, with Hardragh and Pallena in crucial roles and Angela/Alantha and Raz as backers); Welcome Home (where Elohanna comes home for a visit to the Buckle, in game and forum rp with Gulnyr, Anamnesis, and special guest star Dorganath); Masterjack and Dezza, Coaliton Net-throwers (using his MJ quest reward to try and speed up getting plans for a net-thrower to use against the myrdrachs and dragons).
Relevant threads:Character:
http://forums.layonara.com/development-journals-discussion/250492-andrew-reid-letters-home.htmlPrivate:
http://forums.layonara.com/private-development-journals/251522-andrews-songbook.htmlBardic Tour:
http://forums.layonara.com/rumour-has/255592-bardic-tour.htmlLor:
http://forums.layonara.com/rumour-has/253892-lor.htmlPlot Quest:
http://forums.layonara.com/dragon-storm-campaign/282836-sederra-defense-rp-thread.htmlhttp://forums.layonara.com/dragon-storm-campaign/283080-fort-last-hope.htmlPlease see also Silver Buckle forum.
How do you see your character being or becoming a World Leader?Something to do with the Heartsong, specifically the Divine Sphere. This is the dominating character development quest arc for my character and will be pursued whether I am approved to try for WL or not. In conjunction, something that leads him to earn Band(s) of the Heart.
What sort of position and/or title do you envision for your character?Nothing specific, although earning some Bands of the Heart might equate to title in Ilsare’s Church. He’s not title-oriented. Not being tied to positions leaves the character more flexible to me and therefore with a greater chance he’ll see the same amount of play and not succumb to World Leader Disease.
Thank you for your consideration,
RC
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