Wandering musician
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Time for some ceol agus craic, lads! |
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— Himself |
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Kieran is new to town, having busked his way across the states from Canada. He's an easy-going fellow, quick with wit and always with a drink in his hand. A fiddle is his constant companion and he's never afraid to break it out at a moment's notice to entertain.
Personality
Kieran is an easy-going, fun loving young man, always looking for a way to flirt with cute guys, sample new drinks, and generally encourage those around him to live life to its fullest. He is hard working when he enjoys what he does. Though he has an outgoing personality, he harbors an intense dislike of authority and of falling afoul of those more powerful than he is.
Background
The Changing
Kieran was human once, born on May 1. Always an avid music lover growing up, he learned to play many instruments and was a member of a band competing in the Queen Maeve International Music Festival in Ireland. The cheering of the crowd and the thrill of performing in front of so many accelerated his changing, his chimerical soul taking form on stage. Most saw it as special effects designed to elicit even more applause and support from the audience, but to Kieran it was all too real. He soon discovered that his changeling nature was that of the leprechaun, mythical type of fae that, in his case, allowed him to excel at revelry while holding his own when given responsibilities. Typically, his sort of leprechaun love a good time and work hard to make sure everyone enjoys themselves. They have a talent for fitting in and smoothing things over. They always seem to be aware of the changing currents in any social situation, and the Seelie, or more generally benevolent, among them use these insights to say and do the right thing at the right time. His sort are very responsive to the needs of the moment, and it tends to be safe to trust them to live up to any responsibilities or duties placed upon them.
Having come into his powers unexpectedly, he was fostered by a sidhe lady in a small court of Summer Fae. He spent several years as a bard and emissary for the court, charged with winning over allies and persuading those who would act against the court to look elsewhere. His gift of words far outweighed the problems he created when drinking too much or starting fights as a way to break the ice. It was like this until he was sent to deliver an offer of an alliance to a house of the Court of Winter that he found himself falling out of favor.
The Geas and Escape
While acting as emissary at this house of the Winter Court, Kieran was forced to endure a lack of respect while being told tall tales of the sidhe lord's ascent to power. One of the members of the local court came to Kieran to conspire to embarrass the lord. Since the lord had only given lip service to the rules of hospitality, and Kieran had been drinking heavily, he agreed. His part was to steal the lord's magical fiddle and the other sidhe would do the rest. Kieran for his part executed his part of the plan perfectly, but then he was betrayed by the other members of the court. They had used him and the lord banished him, though Kieran escaped with he fiddle. When he returned to his own court, he was also banished for his part in the deception and for allowing himself to be duped. A geas was placed upon him, and in a twist of irony, he was commanded that he must continue moving and a new taste must grace his lips every day. This has kept the musician traveling always looking for a new food or drink to try lest the geas's curse befall him. He has recently found himself in Port-Au-Feu, drawn here by the energies of the supernatural and the presence of the Mists being prevalent. He still continues to look for a way to break his geas so that he may enjoy some of his favorite food and drinks from the past.
SIGNATURE ABILITY
Unleashing
While Kieran's use of glamour can be varied and powerful, it has limitations set into the very nature of the magic and the way it interacts with the Mists. In times of dire need, when Kieran's life may be in danger, or when there is an emergency of great import, Kieran's glamour may be unleashed. The unleashing is usually a simple word or phrase uttered by Kieran about what he wants or needs to happen. Examples include "Do over!" "Burn!" or "All disappear!" The unleashing may be done for any Glamour Art that he possesses at the time and the effects are generally quite spectacular but short-lived. A time unleashing might rewind time by a few moments for all in the area. A trickery unleashing might cause all cars in the area to begin changing colors rapidly. A bard unleashing might allow Kieran to communicate to a group over a vast distance. A travel unleashing might suddenly teleport him to safety a short distance away from instant death. Whatever the unleashing, Kieran is left weakened and unable to use glamour for a short period afterwards. In addition, there is always a personal cost, a sacrifice that is appropriate to the power unleashed. This might be a physical injury that stays with him until healed, the destruction of a treasured item, or the loss of some important memory.
SKILLS
Academics - Novice Level
Kieran has a standard education as anyone his age does, but experience has taught him a bit more; since graduating high school, he's studied more at the School of Life rather than formal schooling.
Athletics - Competent Level
Kieran's usual mode of transportation is walking or hitchhiking, and he's done his fair share of hard work over the years. This all keeps him rather fit.
Awareness - Competent Level
Life experience and an inclination toward alertness make Kieran good at keeping aware of his surroundings and able to pick up on small details to a reasonable degree.
Empathy - Expert Level
Kieran's been on his own a lot and spends a ton of time around crowds. He's also great at reading people and knowing how to push their buttons or help them open up.
Etiquette - Competent Level
Kieran has a silver tongue and is very polite when he wants to be, which isn't always the "right" time. He usually knows what he's supposed to do, regardless of whether he does so or not.
Hand-to-hand - Competent Level
Kieran's a leprechaun and Irish, and he lives up to a certain reputation for brawling at the drop of a hat or the buying of a whiskey. He's good, but he can be beat by those with more formal training or with better weapons.
Music - Expert Level
Kieran is a consummate musician, familiar with many instruments that one might find in an Irish band. He's best known for his skill with the fiddle.
Occult - Competent Level
Kieran knows much of the fae world and those who dwell in it. He's also familiar with other supernatural types that he's encountered over the years of his travels.
Parkour - Competent Level
Kieran's quite the athlete and, having spent much time on the streets, he's become accustomed to using the environment and landscape to aid his movement. He can balance on railings, leap onto fire escapes, and dodge through scaffolding with ease.
Persuasion - Expert Level
Kieran knows the right things to do in a situation and has no problem being polite, complimentary, and even flirtatious. While his advances are not always returned, he makes them with style.
Scrounging - Novice Level
Kieran is used to stretching his money since most of it goes towards his hoard or drinking. He knows how to thrift shop and he knows how to make use of things others have discarded.
Technology - Novice Level
Kieran is capable of using everyday devices but has no special knowledge or skill with advanced technology.
ABILITIES
Glamour: Bard - Enhanced Level
The Bardic Arts use glamour to produce music, weave epic tales, control sound and influence the reactions and emotions of others. An ancient tradition, the Bardic Arts have been employed by fae throughout their existence, with each practitioner specializing in particular skills such as singing, dance, storytelling, or musical instruments.
Kieran's specialities in the Bardic Arts allow him to gauge an audience's desires and reactions, stir up or quell emotions in a crowd, create sensory effects to accompany his storytelling or music, create offensive sound attacks, and revitalize a group of people that listen to him play for an extended period of time.
Glamour: Elementalism - Basic Level
The Art of Elementalism involves creating, commanding, shaping, and speaking to the primal elements of the world. Air, fire, earth, and water are among the most common, though these always manifest always in their more natural forms. A master of the Art may command much respect at fae courts for the power they bring.
Kieran's mastery of the Art is still evolving, but he is able to speak to basic elements, plants, and objects as well as to conjure a small portion of each raw element.
Natural: Fighting Words - Enhanced Level
After only a few moments, a clurichaun of Kieran's sort can get a read on a person or group, knowing exactly what to say to provoke a fight. Leprechauns of this type view fighting as an ice breaker and a form of rough-and-tumble bonding. Kieran is skilled at prodding most anyone into throwing the first punch, but it can be resisted with high willpower or personal discipline. This can be used to incite a fight between the character and the target or between the target and another person.
Glamour: Mirage - Enhanced Level
Practitioners of the Mirage Arts bend and weave glamour, drawing energy from the Mists to obscure their magic from the mundane world. The Mirage Arts can be used on mortals and supernatural creatures alike, fooling even supernatural senses up to Enhanced level.
Kieran's particularly skilled in the Art of Mirage, and has specialities when using the glamour to hide objects from sight, make an object or person look like something or someone else, and cause people to believe something happened that did not.
This Art can be opposed via magical resistance or supernatural mental properties, such as awareness to counter manipulating perception or willpower to counter manipulating memory.
Glamour: Sky - Basic Level
The Art of Sky glamour is the art of the wind, thunder, lightning and the weather. Fae have used the Sky to bring about great weather changes, fly through the air at great speeds, and bring forth spirits of air.
Kieran's abilities with Sky glamour are evolving, and he's able to lift himself with the wind to make it easier to parkour as an expert, short out electronic equipment with a small surge of electricity, and even call forth strong gusts of wind.
Glamour: The Ways - Enhanced Level
Kieran has the ability to step through the Mists into the realms between as a method of travel. While this may shorten the time between distinctions, it is not without risk. Fae and other supernatural creatures inhabit this realm, and not all take kindly to trespassing. There are shortcuts within The Ways to other key locations, but most are well-guarded secrets. Kieran may, by using his glamour, bring along willing creatures with him but each person for which he does so adds to the likelihood of encountering hostile or dangerous creatures within The Ways.
Glamour: Time - Enhanced Level
The Art of Time is used to manipulate Glamour in such a way as to perceive time forward or backwards as well as control the passing of time around the practitioner. Some fae-blooded mortals have used the Art to extend their lives even beyond what is common for them, and true master practitioners have used it to imprison or punish their enemies by locking them into time loops or taken them out of the flow of time.
Though he is not so capable as a true master of the Art, Kieran's become quite skilled in the use of the Time magic. He's been known to look back in time, control the perception of time in others, and even cause the passage of time to be temporarily halted for an object or person.
Glamour: Transformation - Enhanced Level
The Transformation Art is all about changing the properties and characteristics of people and objects. These changes may be short-lived or permanent depending upon the skill of the fae using the magic. There are few limits to what can be accomplished with this Art in terms of transfiguration.
Kieran's been improving his skills in this Art and is now able to perform such feats as changing physical characteristics about a target, such as altering height, hair length, or eye color; changing one item into another, such as the famed trick of lead into gold; and causing objects and people to grow or shrink up to several times their size (or reducing them to a similar fraction of their original size).
This effect can be opposed with sufficient magical resistance or supernatural physical traits that grant a very stable, unchanging, or adaptable form.
Glamour: Travel - Enhanced Level
This is the Art of journeys, of clever movement, of the fae talent for moving quick as a dream. Travel is an ancient Art and one of the most widespread bits of changeling magic. It is prized by scouts, scoundrels, couriers, and travelers alike.
Kieran has made good use of this Art, using it in tandem with Sky to more effectively parkour around like an expert, move objects and people around, and open small passages (much in the style of "portable holes") through solid barriers.
Glamour: Trickery - Enhanced Level
The Art of Trickery is as old as glamour itself and is core to the legends of many of the fae. Trickery is a broad reaching realm of magic and encompasses all manner of effects from thievery to deception to elaborate pranks.
Kieran's been known to use all manner of Trickery, allowing him to steal small objects from their owners by teleporting them into his own hand, creating confusion and distraction with illusions and tricks of perception, and creating lifelike simulacra of objects and people.
Natural: Twinkle of the Eye - Supreme Level
Many leprechauns have a talent for disappearing from potentially troublesome situations. Should someone take their eye off of Kieran, even if only for a moment, the wily fae can disappear into the nearest cover (sufficient to conceal him) so quickly that it's nearly impossible for anyone to find him. One minute he's there, the next he's gone! Kieran can effect this trick even if being grasped by someone, but not if he is personally blindfolded (or otherwise unable to see) or if bound with iron.
ADVANTAGES
Codladh Mor
This fiddle was said to be carved from a branch freely given from Craeb Uisnig, the guardian ash tree that sits at the center of Ireland. With strings fabled to be spun by Ariadne herself, the fiddle had been a grand possession of a powerful Fae lord in Ireland until Kieran made off with it. The fiddle is beautiful on its own, inlaid with gold and green Celtic knot-work and having an airy, almost otherworldly sound.
The fiddle's powers are largely steeped in myth or legend, but it does enhance any magic that it is used in producing, notably from the Bard Arts. It also has another power, that when played for a period of time for an audience, all those who hear are renewed and refreshed, any of their spent energies replenished. It can also quell an angry mob or soothe the raging of a savage beast.
Glamour Foci
Kieran has a set of focus objects for his glamour. While he doesn't require their use, his glamour is more powerful when they are employed in its use. He has a pocket watch for the Art of Time, a skeleton key for the Art of Travel, a magician's stage wand for the Art of Trickery, and a pair of rose colored glasses for the Art of Mirage. His fiddle counts as a focus for the Art of Bard.
WEAKNESSES
Amorous
Kieran cannot possibly pass by a handsome man or a fetching lad without at least greeting them. He's a flirt by nature and is easily distracted by the possibility of returned affection.
A Toast!
Before drinking with a group or starting an adventure, Kieran must raise a glass in a toast appropriate to the situation. If he's prevented from doing this or chooses not to, bad luck will follow him along the way for three sunsets or sunrises.
Geas
Kieran is under a geas to not go a day without sampling a new food or drink. The geas was placed on him while in Ireland after stealing the fiddle. If Kieran should be unable to sample something he's never tried, his health begins to fail and his powers are diminished until he can do so again. This will not kill Kieran but can debilitate him considerably over time.
Never Drink Alone
Kieran must always accept a genuine offer to drink with someone, for he never could suffer anyone to drink alone. The drink must be freely offered with no ill intent behind it for this compulsion to take effect, so if the leprechaun perceives deception of some kind he may opt to decline.
The Old Way
Kieran is bound by the superstitious power of certain old fairy tales and folklore, even ones that are not actually true under normal circumstances. As a result of this, he must deal with a variety of drawbacks, ranging from minor inconveniences to more serious dangers. He may not enter a residence without invitation, though the invitation may come from anyone inside. He may bypass this if he's able to perform a small service for the owner of the residence, with or without their knowledge. He may not perform glamours upon someone who has recently thrown salt or bread over their shoulder, nor on anyone wearing cold iron. He may not enter a doorway that contains cold iron, nor religious symbols. Finally, any mortal who knows his true, full name may command three tasks of him, and he is bound to them until they are complete. However, the fulfilling of the tasks may be to the letter and not the spirit of the request.
Tippling
Kieran has a terrible time resisting alcohol, and whenever he drinks to excess--or "tipples"--he undergoes a change, tending to maudlin and incapable of anything but singing sad songs and telling sad, often pointless tales. To take action when in this state, he must push through by finding a point of inspiration in someone nearby.
