Age: 28
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Appearance (pics if possible):
Festus is average height, about 5'9. He weighs 170 pounds, and his most distinguishing features are a slight beer gut and a perennial smile.
Mage?: Slightly.
Bio: Son of Giovanni Attore and Elena Attore, Festus was born as the third of seven children. The Attores were a Hurelan merchant family, operating a relatively successful caravan which traversed the route from Durnhal (the capital of Hurelan) to Halsha (the capital of Dascus). While the Attores fortunes varied dramatically from year to year, Giovanni and Elena were doting and caring parents to all their children. Early on, Festus demonstrated his nature as a speaker and comedian, always the joker of the family. However, he possessed very little "business sense" - always underselling goods, losing track of inventory, giving away items to his friends, and gambling his few earnings away. As much as Giovanni and Elena loved Festus, they knew that he could never be a part of their family business.
However, the Freelands are a place of many paths. While they may not be the most prosperous nation of Eboris, they are filled with a vast diversity of opportunities and trades. At eighteen, when Festus began to show glimmers of magic ability - card tricks that were legitimately magical, rather than sleight of hand - his parents decided to enroll him in the Dascian Consortium College of Valden, in hopes that his talent would develop into something greater.
Unfortunately, it did not. According to his professors, magic required dedication and discipline to hone to perfection - and needless to say, our partygoing hero was rather lacking in that department. While he was incredibly popular and well-loved among his friends and colleagues, Festus developed a reputation as a haphazard and careless mage, blundering through his studies and classes. After a practical final where he accidentally detonated a fireball in front of the Headmaster Mage (singing off most of the professor's beard and ruining two separate rows of desks) rather than setting a furnace alight, Festus was expelled for "an acute inability to ever become a serious practitioner".
Festus left the doors of Valden's College completely destitute, with the clothes on his back, a few schoolbooks, and little more. However, this did not dampen his enthusiasm for life. Temporarily living with his former colleagues, he bounced from place to place and job to job, interacting with individuals from all walks of life. Finally, after a few months, he landed stable employment as a barkeeper in the town. This fit him well - he entertained many with his stories, tricks, and enthusiasm for life. While he lacked in material possessions, a purse full of coin was worthless compared to a smile on a patron's face.
However, as the wheels of time turned onward, Festus found himself yearning for adventure. While there was nothing wrong with his current life, he saw the same patrons every day, the same streets every week, and the same city every month. It was a repetitive and stale existence, and he worried that he was wasting his one life. The world was a beautiful (if flawed) place, and he could do so much more. One day, he packed up his few possessions and departed Valden, bidding his many friends adieu. For a few years, he wandered the Freelands, travelling with various merchant caravans as a guard and troubadour.
On one such caravan, he ran into a man of the cloth - a monk under the alias of "Father Carignan". Unlike many of the pious and sanctimonious clergymen Festus had met before, Carignan was a joyous individual, filled with love, kindness, and passion. Every stop they made, he blessed the poor with good fortune, distributed drink and cheer, and inspired laughter and joy among the downcast. Fascinated, Festus grew quite close to Father Carignan over the journey. The two stayed up late into the night, discussing the meaning of existence, the purpose of faith, and the tenets of morality. Carignan argued that the true purpose of the clergy was for the many, rather than the few. The gods proudest creation were the common folk - the poor, the humble, the weak. A true priest, he argued, spent his life travelling the world to view as much of the gods' creation as possible, and to bring joy and blessings to the furthest reaches of Eboris.
At the end of the year-long journey, when they reached Durnhal, Father Carignan made Festus an offer. There was an Abbey of the Vine located in the countryside in the small town of Trennam, to the East. He admired Festus's love for people, life, and drink, and saw potential for an initiate to the order. It was hardly a decision at all. Days later, Festus proudly swore oaths to abandon physical possessions and wealth, and donned the purple robes of the Men of the Vine.
For the next three years, Festus spent his time working in the orchards and winery, travelling the land to distribute their treasures, and helping to organize and host any and all local festivals. It was quite possibly the most fulfilled he had ever felt, and he could have spent the rest of his life in the Freelands in devoted service. However, one rite of the Merry Men is Benthoral's Divination, a reading of the cards. The Abbot of the Feast (the leader of the monastery) takes aside every monk, once every three years, to determine their next path. No monk is meant to spend their entire life in one place.
As Festus sat at the table across from the abbot, the Abbot slowly drew the cards from the deck, laying them upon the table as he had done many times before. The elderly man reached towards the first, and flipped it with a smile.
"Ah. An upright Death." he mused, scratching his white head. Festus's eyes opened wide, slightly afraid, and the abbot laughed.
"Calm yourself, Father Merlot. The upright Death card is not a prediction for your untimely demise." he said warmly, taking another sip of the wine. In reply, Festus sighed in relief. The Cards were a rite meant for Priests with at least five years of experience, and he had not learned or practiced any divination whatsoever. Abbot Dolcetto continued, looking Festus squarely in the eyes.
"Rather, it signifies that your current path in life is coming to an end. I believe that we should keep this in mind as we continue." he finished, moving to the next. "Ah, the Page of Wands. A youth, with enormous excitement and curiosity for the world. Quite interesting."
Abott Dolcetto reached for the third card, flipping it over decisively. A Reversed Six of Cups.
"Ah, the Six of Cups, but reversed. A sign that you may be clinging to the past too tightly, Father Merlot. Your home, your brothers, your current role. It appears Benthoral may have greater plans for you." the old man said, scratching his bald head. Internally, Festus braced. He could almost predict the next card before it arose - and ironically, he was right.
"The Upright Six of Swords, young Merlot. I hardly need to pull the last card at all." the Abbot said confidently, downing a hearty draught of wine. "As you may know, this symbolizes a transition, although perhaps not happy. Benthoral has laid a path for you, friend. All that is left is to determine what is on it." he proclaimed, drawing the last card from the deck. He paused, holding it in front of his eyes, a slight hint of concern in his eyes.
"The Hanged Man. Sacrifice." he whispered solemnly, sliding it across the table. "I do not know exactly what awaits you, Father Merlot, but I cannot promise it will be as joyous as your time spent here. But Benthoral has been quite clear with his wishes."
He took a deep breath, and when the Abbot spoke, it seemed as if something else spoke through him. Thunder filled the normally quite man's voice, and his eyes were shut tightly. His voice echoed through the room, with incredible power for such an elder.
"Death - you must leave the Abbey and return to the world. The Page of Wands - your journey will be filled with much excitement and passion. The Six of Cups - you must let go of your current state in the world and embrace the new. The Six of Swords - you are not happy to leave what you love, but fate demands it. And finally, the Hanged Man. A great sacrifice awaits you, but you shall do so willingly when the time comes. This is fate's decree."
A month later, Festus left the abbey, sent on a missionary journey to wherever the road would take him. Much like his friend Father Carignan before him, he was sent off with a trade caravan. In three years he would return a changed man, with new wisdom and experiences. He departed with only his robes, his trusty staff, a pack of supplies, a lute, and a blessing. But in his heart, he was filled with resolve. Regardless of where he went, there would be a song and a smile. Regardless of the circumstances, the time, and the place - wherever he was, the blessings of Benthoral would follow.
Fighting Style: Bard. Festus fights with a quarterstaff, with a focus on defense. He is decently experienced at using it, as the roads of the Freelands can be quite dangerous.
Abilities:
- [Silvertongue]: At certain times, people find themselves unnaturally compelled by Festus's words. He can persuade guards to let him into places he would not otherwise be allowed in, convince enemies to temporarily lay down their arms, and inspire men to acts of bravery and boldness.
- [Transfiguration]: One of Festus's favorite party tricks is to turn water into wine. The common folk love it. He can also turn things into frogs for a short time, though this is literally never useful.
- [Benthoral's Ballads]: Festus is an excellent musician and singer, as are most Merry Men. Some say that a Merry Man's music is magical, with the ability to raise spirits and dull pain. Others contest this bitterly, claiming that the Merry Men are merely a loud bunch of jesters misappropriating the name of a god. The effects of the songs seem to scale with the piety of the listener, strangely enough.
- [Illusion]: Not everyone likes the Merry Men. While they're quite popular in the Freelands, some Dascian priests and nobles view them as heretical and a nuisance. To quickly escape from a bad situation or sneak into one place from another, Festus can transform his appearance into that of another, although this is both exhausting and imperfect, as it relies on his visualization of what he desires to transform into. It's also quite short-term.
- [Pick A Card]: Festus was trained as a mage for some time, and it wasn't entirely useless. He can do many small tricks, such as teleporting objects small distances, making fireworks with his quarterstaff, and setting campfires. All of these spells have virtually no combat application.
Limitations:
- [Just A Merry Man] - Festus is not a mighty knight, wise sage, or powerful arcane sorcerer. He's just a Merry Man with a cheery disposition, a smooth tongue, and some nifty magical tricks.
- [Ill-Disciplined] - Sometimes Festus's spells work. Sometimes they fail catastrophically.
Equipment:
- [Quarterstaff] A long quarterstaff, made from a sturdy beam of ash wood. Tipped with a cap of iron at the end, this serves as a deterrent to any bold robbers that would be so daring and profane as to rob a Merry Man. While this quarterstaff is much more commonly used as a walking stick than an actual weapon, it certainly can be devastating against unarmored or careless foes.
- [Lute] A six-stringed lute, with nothing special about it. It produces the most sorrowful of dirges, the beautiful of melodies and the most merry of tunes, capable of bringing grown men to tears and stern warriors to revelry.
- [Tarot Cards] A deck of Tarot Cards, said to read fate itself! Or perhaps just a fun thing to do. Nobody knows if the Merry Men can truly practice divination or whether this is yet another amusement, but they do it nonetheless.
- [Monk Robes] The purple linen robes of a Man of the Vine. They provide little to no protection from sword or arrow, but they are quite soft and comfortable.
Optional Questionnaire
Personal Quest: Bring as much joy to the world as possible.
Favorite Factions: Merry Men of the Vine (of course), Faenar's Faithful, Oadot's Chosen, The Repentant
Least Favorite Factions: Haruza's Horde, The Magi Consortium, The Enchanter Order
Favorite Memory: Probably one of the countless nights sat around the tables with his brothers in the Abbey, filled with drink and merriment. The Merry Men live good lives.
Goals: Festus hopes to fulfill whatever destiny Benthoral has set out for him, and then return to the Abbey.
Greatest Fear: Festus is afraid that the Hanged Man symbolizes his untimely death. While he is willing to accept such a fate, he dreads it.
Religion: The Pantheon