ANGELO

For Angelo, music and verse are his very heartbeat. Poetry and prose are the breath from his lips, and beauty in all its forms is the meaning of life. His musical gifts are such that the people say he was granted them by The Light Itself. His songs are said to inspire anyone who feels their resolve faltering, and even the sick or injured seem to recover almost miraculously fast when in earshot of his soothing notes. His music has received universal praise, and anywhere he has journeyed you can hear the people from young to old humming his uplifting melodies. From the highest nobleman to the lowest peasant, all of them appreciate and play his music in their taverns, their castles, and their village commons.

Though Angelo comes from a noble and wealthy house, he is by no means the kind of soft, sheltered individual those of his class often turn out to be. His parents were never content to sit in their great hall and rest. They were industrious and ambitious people, constantly on the move to far flung locations for matters of politics, commerce, and honor. Through these travels, the young bard had experiences for beyond most of those his age, or indeed many of those twice his age. It was on one of these travels that he met a companion who would never leave his side; Harry. Harry is a tabby cat who, just like his owner, loves a good adventure. For years now, Angelo has been probably the most in-demand entertainer in Esperia. This demand means that of course he can't be everywhere he's invited, and many a bard will seek to turn some quick coin by proclaiming to be the one and only Angelo when passing through isolated villages. It goes without saying, then, that more than a few would-be swindlers have been chased out of town, often with lumps on their heads and a torrent of angry shouts at their back. Due to the near-miraculous healing quality of his music and the simple pleasure of hearing it, Angelo is an honored guest at any countryside inn or lord's keep.

There can always be too much of a good thing, however, and at the height of his popularity he realized that he'd lost focus, lost direction. He'd lost his ability to create songs that moved people. Simply put, the greatest bard in the land had writer's block. He also noticed that his beloved companion, Harry, had become lazy and depressed, preferring to nap for longer and longer stretches and glower at his surroundings over exploring and making mischief. Angelo came to realize he didn't need this ostentatious lifestyle. The luxuries and accolades afforded him by his gifts were in turn causing those very gifts to wither. He saw the course he had to take. Restraint. The pursuit of true freedom. Beauty. He thought back to those days when he and Harry would travel together at the beginning, before everyone they met clamored for his attention, for his approval. Before the looks of adoration had gone to his head. Before he had been seduced by his own legend and carried away from his true love of life and the wider world. It was then that they were their true selves. Angelo decided to take Harry down a fresh path. The first stop would be the northern borders, the very same frontier where the soldiers were risking their lives and holding back the swarms of the Netherkin. Those men needed his songs, and their need far outweighed his own desire for comfort and fun. Besides, he thought, what better way to find new inspiration than to see heroism firsthand?

" A caged bird is beautiful, but never so much as in flight"