3. Iselbarde Tir'Ein

Iselbarde Tir'Ein

  • M

    Account Name:MattNoto
    Character Name: Iselbarde Tir'ein

    Had even the greatest of bards told you the tale himself, you still would not have credited it without first having seen it with your own eyes, or had your ears assaulted by the truth. The new arrival, you think him half-elven but it is difficult to tell, for his face has been mutilated, festooned with studs and rings of silver, strikes you as either the most brilliant charlatan in all of Faerun, or as a stark-raving lunatic who might best be given a wide berth.

    What catches your attention – even when you desperately wish not to pay him any -- is the voice. It is loud, and it has all the qualities that one might associate with a scalded rooster. You cannot help but notice Islebarde (he prefers to be called Ike), because Iselbarde does not give you any other option. The very Heavens forbid that he should consider you a friend -- for you'll never be free of his company -- nor the endless, convoluted tales of dead and severely-wounded relatives, so many of these that you cannot be certain of just where fact ends and fantasy begins.

    Iselbarde, to those who deal in mere appearances, is simply yet another stupid, clueless, child-like clod, hardly worth the effort to get to know or worth paying attention to. However, he does have a few redeeming qualities: he is earnest, works hard, and is enthusiastic and eager to please. Those who deal solely on first impressions often dismiss him as a simpleton, but those who have the paitience, perseverence, and wisdom will note that perhaps something else is at work here, although just what that may be can be difficult to say.

    There is something lurking beneath all the ungainly animation, the child-like demeanor, the skipping, the boisterous nature, the appalling personal habits. The dullness of the eyes, the carefully-concealed scars about the top of the head, the allusions to a hardscrabble upbringing, the appalling lack of knowledge of even the most fundamental aspects of his elven heritage; these all point to a deep, and perhaps intriguing, mystery.

    Those who wish to solve it, though, may get far more than they ever bargained for.

  • ICC

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