Ferdinand Tempus

The minstrel Ferdinand is a walking tragedy wrapped in a warm smile and a charming heart. Once, he was but a simple troubadour, but everything changed when he accidently found himself trapped within the vast, untamed expanses of the Feywild.
Once upon a time, Ferdinand Tempus was nothing more than a wandering minstrel; traveling from town-to-town, city-to-city, plying his trade. He entertained crowds and surrounded himself in life's simple pleasures. In short, his life was perfect. He was independent, well-to-do; his parents were proud of him. He even met a girl called Alissa on the road. They fell in love and she traveled with him for a time. They got engaged with plans to elope when they conceived a child. All was well until one fateful day when Ferdinand was returning to his hometown by way of a quaint forest road.
It was the last hours of twilight when Ferdinand heard the most enchanting and beautiful music he had ever heard coming from a clearing just off the road. As if compelled, he wandered into the clearing and found himself in a circle of toadstools. On the mushrooms sat a plethora of pixies and sprites, singing and dancing and frolicking without a care in the world. They took note of Ferdinand and asked who he was and if he'd like to join them. Ferdinand readily introduced himself and agreed to join the feyfolk for a while. What happened next is only a blur to Ferdinand now.
He began playing his pan flute, one gifted to him by his betrothed, and joined the melody of the fairies. After that, he recalls little to nothing; save for a few flashes of blurred imagery of vibrant forests illuminated by an unending sunset populated by strange yet fantastical creatures.
He then awoke to find himself lying in the grass in the middle of the clearing completely alone. It was a bright morning, and it seemed as though he had but spent only the night there, until he touched his face and found a full, scraggly, unkempt beard. Confused, but not yet alarmed, Ferdinand returned to his hometown to find it an abandoned ruin.
In a panic, he returned from whence he came to find his fiancée, only to find confused looks from strangers and insistence that no one by that name has lived here for generations. It was then that Ferdinand knew he had somehow been gone for well over a century, maybe two, lost in the Feywild. What's more, bizarre powers began to manifest in Ferdinand. He found himself able to manipulate the Weave of magic to cast spells. He also found an otherworldly and shadowy book in his possession with further secrets of spell-casting. And most odd of all, from time to time, he would hear the voice of an unseen and powerful being compelling him to complete certain tasks.
For a time, Ferdinand spent his days adventuring across the land searching for answers as to what happened to him, where he went, and if there was any way to get back. Unfortunately, he never found satisfying answers to these questions. His best and only hope was a mystical island said to "exist outside of time" that could potentially let him step back in time, but he quickly learned that Brynn's Island, while indeed mystical, did not possess such a power. His voyage there did at least put Ferdinand in contact with new comrades, namely the tiefling sorceress Echoless, who had also gone to seek Brynn's island for her own reasons.
Over time, Ferdinand began to (albeit reluctantly) accept his plight and endeavored to make the best of his situation and the powers he had been bestowed. He aided Echoless and her adventuring group on a number of missions; first in combating the machinations of the lich Shepherd, and later against the forces of Cataclysm himself. During this time, Ferdinand conducted himself selflessly, even to the point of recklessly, as he felt that he truly had nothing else to lose.
Despite his burgeoning martyr complex, Ferdinand survived long enough to gain a few more additional insights as to what happened to him. He learned the identity of his mysterious patron, Hyrsam: self-proclaimed Fey-Prince of Fools. He also learned that he had a co-worker: the witch and entrepreneur Agatha, and that many of his mysterious tasks had involved acquiring rare and exotic ingredients for her elixirs. Ferdinand could never say that he was particularly happy with this knowledge, but prefers it at least marginally to the agony of not knowing (granted, he wishes to never truly regain his memories of his time in the Feywild, believing that the retention of that knowledge would certainly kill him).
With the conclusion of The Extinction War, Ferdinand was able to find some manner of peace. He had made new friends during his struggles and was finally able to get closure on the family he lost. Even his patron, Hyrsam, seemed to be willing to let him rest; never truly calling on him again. Eventually, he was able to settle down with a new family with whom he spent the rest of his days in happiness.

Species

Humans

Life

986 1288 302 years old

Birthplace

a now ruined village near Fendelen

Current Residence

Habitual Wanderer

Belief/Deity

Dualism

Aligned Organization

The White Tower Alliance