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thebards_swansongAlabaster Swan
canon Original / DnD
history Current History
point Post 1st Boss Fight
iteration Original Canon
History
Swan's world is a turning century of modern fantasy. They reside in the largest and most advanced city, Blackcreek. Here modern technology and arcane technology as well as plain old magic all intertwines together. The city is split into multiple districts each with a council member who represents it. These districts also have a sort of specialty or aspect which represents them. Either in the sort of industry or housing and neighborhoods they hold. One even lays under the water in the district of Ama where the royal family stays.
Swan came to Blackcreek in their late teens. They were raised in a smaller traditional village. Their home lay in a crooked tree in a withering forest. Raised by their mother, a Night Hag, to believe the world was cruel and horrible, and they had to prey on the people to ensure they wouldn’t be preyed on or killed in turn. Swan would start sneaking out, exploring the town and its people, it’s through this they found out about their father. He was a kind, beloved man driven to madness by their mother.
As Swan discovered they would become like their mother if they stayed, they finally fled. Hunkering in their fathers old workshop where they found the music box and note to them he’d left in a moment of lucidity. It wasn’t long before they were chased out of town by an angry crowd who came to realize this monster was squatting in his home.
Swan then wandered for some time on the roads alone, though eventually with the company of Zanth, an Owlin runaway also escaping a bad situation. The two grew close as they finally made their way to Blackcreek. Downtown was their home for quite some time. Mostly with those at the Drunken Sailor, a themed dive bar that Swan started to run errands for. Ruby and Bjorn, the proprietors, would come to adopt Swan eventually and the local bard performer Taffy would teach them the ways of bardic magic.
She made a new form for herself. A moon elf who would become Alabaster Swan. From there she’d spent years honing her craft. Quickly beloved and admired for her extravagant drag type performances in these beautiful and luxurious looking outfits. Her and Zanth would grow apart in time, and eventually split off entirely after a sour interaction following an incident at Zanth's work.
She fell into her work for a long, long time after that, trying to break away from her past fully in the district of Valdra, when the campaign started. The plot hook involved blackmail, intrigue and political scandal. Swan and the rest of the party came together to work for Ruth Valdani, the district head of Valdra who orchestrated the death they witnessed and were present for, to make them work for her in espionage. This went on for about a week or more, before it mounted into a confrontation between Swan, the party and Ruth. Which ended with Swan brutally murdering her.
Iteration
Swan's changeling nature comes from being the child of a Night Hag, instead of leaving her child in the care of others like most hags she raised Swan largely herself, keeping them hidden away until they were old enough to fully control their alter self abilities and sent them out on errands all while secretly preparing them to become a hag by instilling distrust and wariness, even anger towards the outside world.
About when Swan was 15 they had been suspecting the ills of their mother more as they were naturally curious and drawn to the outside world, when they realized she was preparing the ritual to transform them into a hag they fled their home to find their own identity
in this setting they would be raised somewhere secluded away from the city. Upon running away they travelled nomadic-ally, eventually ending up in Black Creek after about a year.
They were streetwise on their own for a little longer before they were taken in by a bar owner who let them do errands for her in exchange for shelter and food. They stayed with her for some years, eventually learning bardic ways from performers who'd come and go before becoming one themselves and forging their new identity as an adult: Alabaster Swan, or just Swan, a fanciful moon elf performer who entices the mind and interest with a pristine grace and perfected song and dance to the tune of their whip cracking.
Though having moved up in the world to a more high class district, they still visit and help out at their odd little found family's bar now and then and keep in touch with them.
Skills
- Forgery
- Performance (Song/Dance/Instrumental)
- Disguises/Costuming
- Sewing / Tailoring / Restorations
- Skill
- Skill
- Skill
- Skill
Role
physical attributes Horns, Claws, Feathered tail though they're all quite hidden under Swan's changeling abilities.
non-physical qualities TBA
reasoning Swan sees themselves in a very mixed light. For a long time they buried the thoughts that they were a monster, or the villain of the story. Lately however it’s resurfaced. They’ve done plenty they’re far from proud of, gone along with hurting others and being hurt in turn. They don’t think they’re very good anymore at the very least. Following the recent murder they did, having a life on their hands and knowing the only reason their loved ones got caught in the crossfire at all is because of them? On top of their Hag mother’s presence in their life again, they’ve more than just considered the idea being the bad guy might be what they were made for.