- Aug 30, 2004
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This is just a backstory for now. I will have his personality, appearance, etc up before too long.
Dolyn was born Dolyn MacAeden, and his parents were not people of good repute. His younger sister, in fact, was born of a different father, but she resembled Dolyn and their mother more than her father. So, people were convinced they were born of the same parents when the two finally left home to get away from the life of crime their mother and her friends led.
Dolyn tried to be a good defender for his sister, Kathlyn, but all he had on his person was a knife for defense and work. His first truly dangerous weapon was earned when he saw a thief trying to scale a fairly short wall into a noble's estate, shouted up at the man, and startled him so badly that he fell, leaving his grappling hook and rope still hanging from the wall. His comrades had been waiting, though, and saw when their friend fell to his death. Dolyn told Kathlyn to run and tried to scurry up the rope, knowing he wouldn't be able to defend himself, being only 14 when this happened. He accidentally dislodged it, though, and found himself standing their with the rope in his hands. Miraculously, Dolyn shut his eyes and terror and swung the rope with all his might, and managed to hit one of the charging men. The hook knocked him unconscious, but the rope swung back around and wrapped around Dolyn once or twice. With two more men coming for him, Dolyn stepped forward and pivoted, throwing the hook so it would unwind, and he could try to run. Much to his surprise, though, the young lad found that he had clipped another man with the hook, slicing open his arm.
City Guards heard the comotion by this time, and Dolyn was arrested as the thieves fled. He was released, though, when Kathlyn returned and swore Dolyn had been defending the estate, and was her older brother. Since they saw no reason why ANYONE would try to fight 3 armed men with a grappling hook, and because they got a confession out of the one Dolyn had knocked out, he and his sister were allowed to leave.
Now, here's the stuff other people might know a bit better.
Dolyn and Kathlyn grew up to become travelling bards. Dolyn saved up money he made doing odd jobs to buy himself a flute, and Kathlyn made herself a primitive tambourine. As street minstrels, essentially beggars, they barely managed to earn a living as homeless wanderers. Their business increased when a violin player joined their new troupe. He was the youngest son of a noble, disowned for spending too much time playing music, painting, and writing poetry, and not enough time studying warfare. His name was Jean Lumier, and was 15 when he joined, the same age as Kathlyn. Dolyn was 18 by now, and he had become a leader of sorts for the group. He had been playing music the longest, had relations with some other bards and musicians in the city they wandered, he was frugal and full of common sense, and was usually a good negotiator too. Kathlyn was a beacon of youthful innocence, even at 15, and had grown quite beautiful. She and Dolyn had learned how to defend themselves, so she had little fear for ruffians, and she, like Dolyn, had learned to talk things out peacefully if possible. She was an exceptional dancer, too, and had improved on her tambourine as time went on. Jean was teaching Dolyn the art of songwriting and poetry, though he was much younger, and he was the one who taught Dolyn and Kathlyn many of the popular new songs of the day, and helped them write their own. While a sad fighter, Jean was of strong stock, somehow, and was good at intimidating people when diplomacy failed, as he grew older.
Together, the three were very happy, despite the poverty they lived in. Life was simple, spent learning songs, doing oddjobs during the day, and playing music and telling stories. Their popularity as a troupe soared, and they eventually came to be known as "The Venerable Vagabonds". As word of them spread, adventurers started coming to them from in and out of town, asking them to accompany them in the minor quests they went on. They wanted bards to lift their spirits, and more importantly, someone famous to write songs about their exploits and spread word quickly. The idea of pay and new friends was appealing, so the Venerable Vagabonds agreed, and travelled with a group of young warriors to slay a Trolloc that was lurking in a nearby forest.
Their first employers were mostly the less-favored children of nobles, seeking glory for themselves and recognition from their families. So, they had the resources to provide the three bards with means to defend themselves. However, Dolyn was the only one to refuse, as he still had the grappling hook he had from his first real fight, and aimed to stick with it. The adventurers thought him foolish and stubborn, but doubted he would really have to fight anyway. Kathlyn was given a pair of well-crafted daggers, and Jean was given a sword and shield, since the adventurers saw his broad frame and rugged features, and immediately wondered what he was doing playing music instead of fighting. Jean was displeased, but he was not foolish enough to refuse free protection.
To make a long story short, the arrogant band of young nobles were slain; pitifully. Three of the 7 were slain in one blow from the beast's axe, having charged him and then frozen in fear as it roared at them, making themselves easy targets. The two women in the band turned and fled, screaming for help, as one of the last men fainted, and the final adventurer was picked up by the Trolloc and thrown against a tree.
This left Dolyn, Kathlyn, and Jean standing there, jaws hanging open and eyes wide as their employers bled and fled. With the angry Trolloc now eyeing them, they knew they had no choice but to stand and fight.
Dolyn and Kathlyn ran around to the flank as Jean immediately tried to skirmish with the beast. He was able to jump back from the first wide swing of the monster's axe, but its second knocked the man flying.
Kathlyn bolted for the thing's side and tried to stab at it, her eyes tearing up and blurring her vision as she saw Jean go flying. She was too distracted to see the beast reach for her.
With Jean down, and Kathlyn suddenly in the air and screaming for help, Dolyn stood behind the beast, biting his lip fearfully as he swung his grappling hook in a circle. Praying he would succeed, Dolyn flung the rope at the beast, and the hook dug into its powerful shoulder. The Trolloc roared in pain, and let out another as Kathlyn took the oppurtunity to stab her daggers into its wrists. She fell a few feet to the ground, looking up just in time to see Jean rush the beast and run his sword through its neck. When the dust cleared and the beast was dead, Dolyn laid his hands upon the battered and injured Jean, willing him to be alright, and found that he had the gift of healing. He was almost ashamed of the shocked expressions of his best friend and younger sister, and hid his power from anyone else, knowing that they would only want more performance out of him if they knew.
The Trolloc's head was brought back to town, amazing the crowds as they were shaken out of their mourning of the loss of the Venerable Vagabonds. While the nobles who survived were forgotten, Dolyn, Kathlyn, and Jean were rewarded, and venerated further.
The unbreakable three-cord rope that was the Venerable Vagabonds grew to great fame and popularity in their hometown and any place they visited that heard their stories and their music. They were asked to play music, then asked to help stop some looming threat, great or small, and then songs were sang of them as they left for the next town. By the time they had been at this for a year, Dolyn was 21, and Kathlyn and Jean were 18. They were the best friends that part of the land had ever seen, and each loved the other two with equal devotion. Well... at first.
*see next post*
Dolyn was born Dolyn MacAeden, and his parents were not people of good repute. His younger sister, in fact, was born of a different father, but she resembled Dolyn and their mother more than her father. So, people were convinced they were born of the same parents when the two finally left home to get away from the life of crime their mother and her friends led.
Dolyn tried to be a good defender for his sister, Kathlyn, but all he had on his person was a knife for defense and work. His first truly dangerous weapon was earned when he saw a thief trying to scale a fairly short wall into a noble's estate, shouted up at the man, and startled him so badly that he fell, leaving his grappling hook and rope still hanging from the wall. His comrades had been waiting, though, and saw when their friend fell to his death. Dolyn told Kathlyn to run and tried to scurry up the rope, knowing he wouldn't be able to defend himself, being only 14 when this happened. He accidentally dislodged it, though, and found himself standing their with the rope in his hands. Miraculously, Dolyn shut his eyes and terror and swung the rope with all his might, and managed to hit one of the charging men. The hook knocked him unconscious, but the rope swung back around and wrapped around Dolyn once or twice. With two more men coming for him, Dolyn stepped forward and pivoted, throwing the hook so it would unwind, and he could try to run. Much to his surprise, though, the young lad found that he had clipped another man with the hook, slicing open his arm.
City Guards heard the comotion by this time, and Dolyn was arrested as the thieves fled. He was released, though, when Kathlyn returned and swore Dolyn had been defending the estate, and was her older brother. Since they saw no reason why ANYONE would try to fight 3 armed men with a grappling hook, and because they got a confession out of the one Dolyn had knocked out, he and his sister were allowed to leave.
Now, here's the stuff other people might know a bit better.
Dolyn and Kathlyn grew up to become travelling bards. Dolyn saved up money he made doing odd jobs to buy himself a flute, and Kathlyn made herself a primitive tambourine. As street minstrels, essentially beggars, they barely managed to earn a living as homeless wanderers. Their business increased when a violin player joined their new troupe. He was the youngest son of a noble, disowned for spending too much time playing music, painting, and writing poetry, and not enough time studying warfare. His name was Jean Lumier, and was 15 when he joined, the same age as Kathlyn. Dolyn was 18 by now, and he had become a leader of sorts for the group. He had been playing music the longest, had relations with some other bards and musicians in the city they wandered, he was frugal and full of common sense, and was usually a good negotiator too. Kathlyn was a beacon of youthful innocence, even at 15, and had grown quite beautiful. She and Dolyn had learned how to defend themselves, so she had little fear for ruffians, and she, like Dolyn, had learned to talk things out peacefully if possible. She was an exceptional dancer, too, and had improved on her tambourine as time went on. Jean was teaching Dolyn the art of songwriting and poetry, though he was much younger, and he was the one who taught Dolyn and Kathlyn many of the popular new songs of the day, and helped them write their own. While a sad fighter, Jean was of strong stock, somehow, and was good at intimidating people when diplomacy failed, as he grew older.
Together, the three were very happy, despite the poverty they lived in. Life was simple, spent learning songs, doing oddjobs during the day, and playing music and telling stories. Their popularity as a troupe soared, and they eventually came to be known as "The Venerable Vagabonds". As word of them spread, adventurers started coming to them from in and out of town, asking them to accompany them in the minor quests they went on. They wanted bards to lift their spirits, and more importantly, someone famous to write songs about their exploits and spread word quickly. The idea of pay and new friends was appealing, so the Venerable Vagabonds agreed, and travelled with a group of young warriors to slay a Trolloc that was lurking in a nearby forest.
Their first employers were mostly the less-favored children of nobles, seeking glory for themselves and recognition from their families. So, they had the resources to provide the three bards with means to defend themselves. However, Dolyn was the only one to refuse, as he still had the grappling hook he had from his first real fight, and aimed to stick with it. The adventurers thought him foolish and stubborn, but doubted he would really have to fight anyway. Kathlyn was given a pair of well-crafted daggers, and Jean was given a sword and shield, since the adventurers saw his broad frame and rugged features, and immediately wondered what he was doing playing music instead of fighting. Jean was displeased, but he was not foolish enough to refuse free protection.
To make a long story short, the arrogant band of young nobles were slain; pitifully. Three of the 7 were slain in one blow from the beast's axe, having charged him and then frozen in fear as it roared at them, making themselves easy targets. The two women in the band turned and fled, screaming for help, as one of the last men fainted, and the final adventurer was picked up by the Trolloc and thrown against a tree.
This left Dolyn, Kathlyn, and Jean standing there, jaws hanging open and eyes wide as their employers bled and fled. With the angry Trolloc now eyeing them, they knew they had no choice but to stand and fight.
Dolyn and Kathlyn ran around to the flank as Jean immediately tried to skirmish with the beast. He was able to jump back from the first wide swing of the monster's axe, but its second knocked the man flying.
Kathlyn bolted for the thing's side and tried to stab at it, her eyes tearing up and blurring her vision as she saw Jean go flying. She was too distracted to see the beast reach for her.
With Jean down, and Kathlyn suddenly in the air and screaming for help, Dolyn stood behind the beast, biting his lip fearfully as he swung his grappling hook in a circle. Praying he would succeed, Dolyn flung the rope at the beast, and the hook dug into its powerful shoulder. The Trolloc roared in pain, and let out another as Kathlyn took the oppurtunity to stab her daggers into its wrists. She fell a few feet to the ground, looking up just in time to see Jean rush the beast and run his sword through its neck. When the dust cleared and the beast was dead, Dolyn laid his hands upon the battered and injured Jean, willing him to be alright, and found that he had the gift of healing. He was almost ashamed of the shocked expressions of his best friend and younger sister, and hid his power from anyone else, knowing that they would only want more performance out of him if they knew.
The Trolloc's head was brought back to town, amazing the crowds as they were shaken out of their mourning of the loss of the Venerable Vagabonds. While the nobles who survived were forgotten, Dolyn, Kathlyn, and Jean were rewarded, and venerated further.
The unbreakable three-cord rope that was the Venerable Vagabonds grew to great fame and popularity in their hometown and any place they visited that heard their stories and their music. They were asked to play music, then asked to help stop some looming threat, great or small, and then songs were sang of them as they left for the next town. By the time they had been at this for a year, Dolyn was 21, and Kathlyn and Jean were 18. They were the best friends that part of the land had ever seen, and each loved the other two with equal devotion. Well... at first.
*see next post*
