(There is only one true bard portrait.)
T h e m e : The Leslac Version
A g e : 21
P r o f e s s i o n / C l a s s : Bard
P r o f i l e :
Your archetypal traveling bard, Alberico is a jovial and high-spirited man, with a tale for every occasion and never at a loss for words. Ever confident and always smiling (or smirking, at least), he acts for all to see as if he hasn't a care in the world and nothing can hurt him. Going from town to town, he offers his songs and his tales to anyone with a coin to spare - and allegedly his sword as well, though no one can say they've seen him use it. He greets every new person in his life cordially, at least at first, and at least to their face. If they draw his ire, however, he is not above making jabs at them whenever he gets a chance.
F e a t s:
Acrobatics, dancing, juggling, singing and musical performances of various kinds. Able to read and write and count, and knowledgeable in a wide range of subjects that might come up in a conversation, or at least able to fake such knowledge reasonably well. Alberico is quite the polyglot, mostly thanks to an outstanding talent in non-verbal communication, and has a firm grasp of etiquette. He fences in the style of the ship-born bravos of the western sea, favouring nimble footwork and a long, pointed sword before thick armour and powerful weapons, and can point a crossbow in the general direction he wants the bolt to go.
A r s e n a l:
Scrolls and books with drawings and songs, ink and quills and graphite. Bone pipe, lute, lyre, pan flute. Fine steel rapier, small crossbow, throwing knives. Leather chest armour.
A r c h i v e:
Alberico is more than happy to tell anyone who'll listen about his background - whether he tells the truth is another matter, however. He was allegedly born into a wealthy noble family in some unpronounceable city in the far west, his youth spent in luxury, learning the ways of culture and the high and mighty. As a young man, after graduating from an esteemed sword-fighting school (at the top of his class, and the youngest swordsmaster in decades, of course!) he got involved in a series of grave misunderstandings with the fathers of some noble ladies. As much as he professed his innocence (and besides, they seduced him!) his accusers would not relent, and he became his nation's most wanted - by women and the law both. Suddenly taken by an inexplicable wanderlust, Alberico claimed he took his belongings and a bit of money and took a job on a ship bound for the northeast. After that, his tale usually devolves into a string of ever more unbelievable tales, that should by all rights have taken several lifetimes to complete, all taken together. The details seem to change every time he tells them.
While no one would take Alberico for a giant slayer, and that story about how he out-fought a dozen (no, fifty) ogres in the distant north, there are elements to his story that might just be true. Certainly, no one can question the musical ability he claims to have learned his his years as a wealthy dilettante, and few would doubt that he's a scoundrel at heart. He knows dances from royal courts and farmers' markets both, plays several instruments and dabbles in everything from juggling to calligraphy. Who but nobility would have enough time to pick up so many useless skills?