Hard to believe it's been nearly two years. Life gets in the way and time passes faster than we like. That's pretty much what happened with Jaegyr; I'd love to have played him to the end of his road, but life got in the way, and despite trying to maintain him, I simply couldn't get the time to log on and keep him real. I debated with myself over actually making this post since it's been so long, but I never got to say goodbye to some of the people I really enjoyed playing with. It's too easy to lose track.
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Jaegyr was born in Teron to a single human mother whose lesser talents were wasted entertaining bar patrons. Still, she did have considerable skill, something which she passed on to her only son, as well as his own talen, that of composition. Her lack of direction might have passed on to him as well, had it not been for an ugly incident involving one of the many "uncles" she brought home. More than a few of them were little more than abusive thugs, and the hate-filled young half-elf eventually murdered one of them in his sleep, coupling his talents with a lasting darkness that would haunt both his works and his life until his death.
He saw no recourse but to leave Uxmaln, afraid his mother would discover his guilt. One of Uxmaln's many wasting diseases stopped that from ever becoming a concern, and she died while he was still off in the world, learning his way.
That darkness stained his soul, and he spent most of his formative years of self-education verbally defending himself against the accusations of light-wielders who could see the stain on his aura. A few of them became somewhat more accepting of his apparent benevolence, and continued discussions led him to completely reject the divinity of the gods and any place they might have in his life. After all, what is the worth of an omnipotent being who might be slain at the hand of one of his kind, leaving those who follow him alone?
It was this realization that fueled his first composition 'Millenia' and ultimately set the fire that became Jaegyr's talent for songwriting. He wrote nearly thirty songs in his career, and was constantly seeking for greater heights in his skill. Among these was what the bard considered his masterwork, 'The Siege' (and a beast to write), a haunting epic about the rise of the Necropolis.
Despite a deep-seated arrogance that he was careful not to show, he was always looking to take that skill to the next level. Instrumental in developing his singing skills were his mentors, the famed sprite Tyna and (heck if I can remember the name of syn's bard), but his muse for composition was entirely his own. With time, he even took on a number of students of his own, most notable among these being the lady bard Juniepur, as well as a double dozen other young bards of the time. This was one of his greatest sources of irritation - the constant training of children who never sought to take their skills to greater heights, even going so far as to showcase his talents at the Heroes tournament.
He found that he also had a knack for loremastery, and used the skill as an excuse to travel and gain greater experiences on which to base his compositions. Those who gathered at taverns where he entertained probably recognized him most, but the imperial host at the time were his most common adventuring companions. Ultimately, they would taken him on a quest to seek a very old musical skill that had been lost to time. This quest never bore fruit, sadly enough.
Most significant in his life were the Priestess Ayse who totally perverted his poor young mind with her hallucinogens and strutting about naked, and a series of incidents with a demonic violin that tried to claim his soul. The damage it wrought on him was lasting, and part of what eventually killed him. The toll it had taken was on his compositional skills was permanent, and while he still managed to write once in awhile, he never recovered the full scope of his talent.
He was granted a vision of that violin's destruction, but eventually the darkness within overcame him and he retired a lonely and bitter man. There are rumors he eventually took a wife, but had anyone ever chanced to find him, they never would have recognized what the lively and charismatic half-elf had become. The darkness took the greater part of his soul, but what was left of the song took his life.
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Particular thanks go out to:
Faerti Dannerson, the Orcsbane and one of his favorite companions.
Priestess Ayse of the River. Yeah, you, toad-sniffer.
Verin, the King of Gnomes. And your secretary, whoever she was.
Tyna. Jaegyr was totally jealous of your electric instrument.
Ralina. Showed me how to use my skills the right way.
Juniepur. The pregnancy RP was just weird, but you were still an awesome student.
Pertinax and the imperials. I always had the sense that I was gonna get stomped despite the align, and played Jaegyr as a brownnoser accordingly. Contributed to Jaegyr's quest. Thanks for that.
Hanathena. Cool, but some truly awkward tastes in boyfriends.
The Black Widow. I don't remember her name, but I gave her the nick.
Imms:
~ Algorab - Your patience with my song submissions was amazing. While I was disappointed that the Moonshorn academy was never brought to life, the support you did provide was outstanding. Thanks.
~ "Demonic Violin" - Not sure who came up with that, but you completely blindsided me with it, congrats. Some of the most amazingly atmospheric roleplay Jaegyr has experienced. The demise of the violin was pretty cool too. Jaegyr might have taken it if he wasn't so certain it was attached to one of the gods.
~ The Song Dragon - Again, great roleplaying experience and finding you was half the fun. I only wish I could have played that quest out all the way.
There's some I'm missing, I'm sure, but it's been two years. Thanks for the gaming experience.
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