Nathaniel – Benevolent Bard

It was many springs ago that Nathaniel was born under the name Naera’thial in the eaves of Aluvitar, one of the Elven enclaves of the human kingdom of Belfrie. Both Nathaniel’s father and mother were Elves of Nan Thalias and warriors who had aided in the Belfrie Rebellion that saw the independence of the human nation against the Draksborne Empire. Though Nathaniel was born among Elves, much of his early life saw him grow among humans as his father and mother both became sages and advisors to the noble families of Belfrie, and ambassadors for Human and Elf relations. It was in these early childhood days he opted to take the name Nathaniel, an easier word to swallow than his traditional Elvish name.

Through his travels Nathaniel often found himself enamoured and besmitten by the court musicians in the great halls and castles that he was taken to. The allure of sweet melodies and sorrowful dirges often lured him from wherever he might be in the castle as soon as his acute Elven ears caught wind of the tune. Nathaniel’s parents saw the passion their child had for music, and to the surprise of many, encouraged their son to pursue his passions, funding studies for his music and training at the University of Ardris when it became clear that his talent for music extended beyond mundane means, and he was in fact a talented Breath Wielder destined for greatness. They thought it better that in times of peace their son would be an entertainer bringing joy, rather than a soldier bringing war.

So as Nathaniel explored his magical abilities and furthered his repertoire of musical instruments, he continued to gain popularity across Belfrie as a well regarded musician. Ballads of war, love songs and even comedic novelty songs all fell under his repertoire. Many nobles commissioned him in the creation of lengthy operas and often too he would find himself creating great sagas reminiscent of old Elven poetry mixed with contemporary human song. It was this that earned him a soaring reputation that became a name to rival Brekken the Bodacious in the last few decades. Despite all his newfound fame however, Nathaniel has remained humble and approachable.

In bid to boost morale, the Golden Griffins looked to hire Nathaniel as entertainment for theirs and other Coalition troops during deployment for the Liturium War. Somehow or other though, Nathaniel has found himself caught in the conflict directly. Whether it was being in the wrong place at the wrong time or signing a potentially malevolent contract that he had glossed over, Nathaniel was now forced to fight or be executed as a deserter. Though he had been in his fair share of scraps over the last century and a half, he had never been in something so deadly as a large-scale war.