Devin De-a-taw

The Bard

Description and Personality

Devin is a suave and charismatic man in his early thirties. Tanned complexion complements his dark brown shoulder length hair, combed straight and full. He is average height coming in at 5'7" and weighing 130 pounds and moves with the grace of a trained dancer. While performing, Devin wears a red beret with dark green feather adorning the left side. A silver pendant of a hawk adorns the front of it. When performing, he wears a shirt of fine silk, and either black, dark blue, or red depending on his choice for the day. His performing pants fall to just below the knee, are tan in color and are tied. His shoes are black in color when in concert. When traveling, Devin wears a full brimmed traveling hat, long fur bear skin cloak turned inward, off white loose fitting peasant shirt, and brown travelling pants with black heavy boots. Seeing him on the road, you would guess he was any other traveler, except for the oud case he carries.

Like most bards, Devin is personable and charismatic, almost to a fault. However, he has a darker side which comes out when taunted or threatened. Full of hate and anger stemming from years of meager living and busking, before becoming famous, Devin carries with him the harsh life of scraping a living and dangerous journies, leading to the death of his four closest friends.

Early Years

Devin was born to a noble family who taught him to read and write, play music, study history and lore. But at the age of fourteen, he was returning to his family estate when an explosion rocked the house, killing his parents, two of his four siblings, and the entire staff. His older brother and sister both refused to take him in, and without any funds, he was forced to busk on the streets and live off scraps, until he was asked to join four adventurers as their loremaster.

Currently

Devin's wearabouts are currently unknown. He travels frequently, and was last seen in North Ballia.

Music

The oud in the hands of a master provide exciting and upbeat melodies, composed by a truely gifted indiviual, Devin is known throughout Karenth Centralis. His music is requested by the wealthies of patrons, and in the poorest of bars. He plays wherever the money takes him. Devin's oud is special, and he can mentally change the volume of the instrument or individual notes as he plays. It's magic is old, and at times, some licks will light the instrument in a deep purple glow before disipating. This excites the crowd.

The Tales

Devin travelled with his four companions, exploring the ruins of western Karenth Centralis. They finally met their end while holding off several undead spectres in an ancient Nethen laboratory. Devin was able to finish off the last of the spectres as he was trapped in the library of the building during the battle, but his companions were gone.

The Legend

Devin returned to public life two years after his party died, spending that time reading and memorizing the contents of the Nethen library. He is one of only a handful of people known to speak and read the Nethen tongue. His knowledge is in demand by both the Order of Eight and the members of the Artifact Agreement, although he charges a premium for his services.
Alignment
Neutral
Current Status
Travelling
Currently Boarded Vehicle
Age
32
Date of Death
397 AA
Children
Gender
male
Eyes
Green
Hair
Long brown and shoulder length
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Tanned
Height
5'7"
Weight
130 lbs.


Cover image: by Elena Ivashchenko

Comments

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Jan 21, 2022 16:52

Nice read. Quite an interesting background for a character, I think many would not be able to handle that much loss, not only losing his old family but his new friends as well.

Feel free to check my new world Terra Occidentalis if you want to see what I am up to!
Jan 30, 2022 21:19 by E. Christopher Clark

This was a good read. The only thing I'd consider is including a Tooltip to explain what an "oud" is. I was thinking it was an instrument of your own invention and was about to ask you for clarification, and only at that last minute thought to Google it.

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Feb 6, 2022 20:37

I concur with eccbooks on adding in a tooltip or picture of what an oud is. Where did he learn the Oud? Also, why did his parents house explode? Were they alchemists, or wizards? Were they attacked?

Check out some of my summer camp articles, like the dangerous flying jackalope or dragon wasps. Or, for something more light-hearted, there is the whimsical language Gobbledygook and Jaden's interesting job as a guano polisher.
Feb 8, 2022 11:53 by Bart Weergang

Interesting story, I also would like to know how and why his house exploded. And what drove his siblings to deny him a shelter? Making the gbest of the situation by learning an ancient language, not sure if I could've with all my friends dead, but it's a good story hook.

Feb 11, 2022 01:28 by Angantyr

Interesting character and with a tragic backstory. Why would his siblings not let him stay? Was there some grudge between them?   When reading about someone, who travels a lot, I often urge to follow them on a map. I think that would add clarity to the text and enable the reader to mentally transport to, e.g. the rendezvous point with his team. This is where the sidebar can come in handy — it could be filled with visuals to fill the blank space and provide the reader with some additional information.   Awesome job. Thank you for a good read!

Playing around with words and worlds
Feb 16, 2022 19:21 by Amélie I. S. Debruyne

Nice character. I like that he just spent two years reading books in that library despite what had happened XD Though he had a harsh life! It's strange that is family forced him out at only 14 years old without providing for him at all! Is there a reason behind that? Did they really didn't like him at all?

To see what I am up to: my Summer Camp 2024.
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