cantor: (chord.)
renny "aspiring vtuber" oldoak ([personal profile] cantor) wrote2015-08-18 11:37 pm
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the baldurian bard.

ABOUT
NAME
Renny Oldoak
PRONOUNS
He/They
AGE
35
GOD
Lathander
CLASS
Ancients Paladin (Act 1), Oathbreaker (Act 2) + Swords Bard
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
  • 3'0" lightfoot halfling
  • Diagonal burn scar running from the top of his right eyebrow, down to his bottom left cheek
  • Black and white tattoo of a lyrebird on the left side of his neck
  • Brown eyes, reddish-brown hair
  • Heavyset; he can almost be mistaken for a dwarf at first glance
  • Smells faintly like olive oil or lime, as he always carries around homemade soaps
  • Has a distinct Baldurian accent (think a bit of a drawl)
    • PERSONALITY
    TRAIT
  • + Optimistic: No matter how dark the hour, Renny searches for the silver lining. It's a habit born from fulfilling his Oath, which dictated that he nourish the light in others and in himself. He sees his hopefulness as a demonstration of faith in Lathander, his primary deity, and treats his songs as prayers for better days to come. Even after becoming an Oathbreaker, he holds fast to this line of thinking.
  • + Curious: Renny's hungry for new experiences and wants to see the world entire, be it good or bad. He's loved stories since he was young and always treats strangers as potential comrades. It was music and song that allowed him to reconnect with the world - and now he wants to sample all the world has to offer him.
  • + Determined: A common trait among halflings is 'bravery.' Even against insurmountable odds, Renny is able to push through. He sees his word as binding and strives to finish what he starts, no matter where the journey may take him.
  • — Romanticist: Renny idealizes the adventurer's life. All his life, he's grown up on stories of heroism and sees almost everything through rose-tinted lenses. What's miserable now will make for a wonderful song in the future! The right choice will be clear-cut and certain! He also has a tendency to overlook other's faults in favor of presenting his companions as a heroic party. (This does not always turn out well.)
  • — Hungry for Fame: Renny wants to make a tangible difference in the world, be it through heroic deeds or being immortalized in song. Adventuring is a common profession in Faerun, and he isn't satisfied with being only one of many. He wants to stand out, to be recognized, and to be known. This drive is what splinters his relationship with his siblings, and the cause of his poorer choices.
  • — Stubborn: The flip side of determination is plain old stubbornness. Once Renny sets his mind to something, almost nothing can change it.
    • ABILITIES
    ABILITIES
  • A PALADIN'S OATH: A paladin's power is drawn from their sacred oath. So long as they follow the tenets of their oath, they are granted magical and divine powers to carry out their purpose. In Act 1, Renny is an Ancients Paladin, sworn to defend life and light wherever he may find it.
  • AN OATH, BROKEN: Oathbreakers are paladins who have abandoned their oath. They draw their powers not from their oath, but from the darkness within. Where paladins are bound by the tenets they've dedicated themselves to, Oathbreakers bear no chains. In Acts 2 and 3, Renny has forsaken his oath. A more detailed breakdown of Renny's paladin skills can be found here.
  • A BARD'S SONG: In the most basic sense, bards cast magic through music. For Renny, his brand of magic focuses on 'resonance' - on recreating the harmonies from the original Song of Creation.
  • A BARD'S BLADE: Magic is only one part of Renny's repertoire. He's a skilled swordsman too! He belongs to the College of Swords, a bardic focus emphasizing showmanship with the blade. A more detailed breakdown of Renny's bard skills can be found here.
    • BACKSTORY

    Born in the Gate's Lower City, Renny was raised by an entire adventuring party. His mother and father retired after deciding to start a family, but their friends remained in close contact with them. Renny's memories of childhood are bustling and vibrant. He remembers playing with his siblings, Lavnia and Halry, in his parents' apothecary, with a new colorful character to beg stories from every month. From a young age, Renny yearned to go on a great adventure worthy of telling.

    Tragedy struck when he was 10 years old. A fire broke out in the Heapside, consuming the neighborhood his family lived in. While Lavnia and Halry escaped unscathed, Renny's face was severely burned and his parents perished in the inferno. The newly orphaned siblings were taken in by Ahmira Copperherath, a family friend, who loved them as if they were her own.

    For a good year, Renny was in a deep depression. It was Ahmira who helped him by providing him music lessons. While he went through the motions at first, everything changed when she taught him magic. She showed him how to listen to the memories of the world, how to tie the Weave and pluck it to form melodic spells. Given a new way to connect the world, Renny reemerged with a single desire: to become a great bardic hero.

    Renny and his siblings began adventuring once they all came of age. Chasing off bandits, clearing roads of dangerous beasts, and escorting merchants made up most of their gigs. Years of such mundane work made Renny restless. He began pushing for them to take on riskier work, arguing it was important for them to make their names known. Eventually, Lavnia and Halry agreed. They located a hitherto unexplored dungeon in the Fields of the Dead and plunged into its depths.

    A great reward awaited them: an ancient spellbook written by a witch. Renny didn't recognize the author, Vilhara, but that didn't matter. Among the pages were arcane spell-songs that'd been lost to time, promising forgotten power to the wielder. How could a bard resist such temptation?

    The siblings began to bicker. Renny and Halry wanted Vilhara's tome for themselves, while Lavnia insisted they destroy it. Night fell. Wary of danger, they agreed to take some time to cool off their heads and to reconvene the following morning.

    But Halry made off with Vilhara's spellbook in the dead of night. Incensed by the betrayal, Renny swore to find his brother and to take back what was his. He set off to find Halry...

    ... only to be picked up by the nautiloid.