Aldelenna Dusksong's page

Jocyn’s succumbing to another bout of heavy drinking meant Aldelenna was Trelvar’s only entertainer, again. Asina’s gentle knock on her door that evening wasn’t unexpected. After last night’s tutoring session, during which her half-elf mentor had drank himself silly, Jocyn had once again drifted into nostalgia and unhappy memory, spilling a meandering tale of past deeds, orc savages, and wounds that were better left buried. He’d then wandered down the street, and if past instances were any indication, wandered past the Great Hall to the river to drink more and sing his lonesome lullabies in time with the gentle lapping of the Tourondel. It seemed that every year when the ceremonial collecting of the Everflame approached it was Jocyn’s way to give in to his dark reminiscence.
A hopping common room, filled with two separate traveling bands of adventurers bound for Skelt, in addition to the regular locals meant that Aldelenna was pulling double duty, serving, which meant putting up with the occasional touch on her backside, followed immediately by a slap of whatever was to hand: tankard, tray, plate, fork, spoon, knife, dagger, rapier. Likewise when the dinner rush settled down Aldelenna would pluck away at her lyre, sing the songs that adventurers loved, and steal occasional glances at her other mentor, her secret mentor, the halfling Jimes, as he nudged his nose and pointed out some of the more expensive trinkets the adventurers were carrying on them. In that way Aldelenna was doing triple duty, for Jimes would fully expect that some of those same trinkets would be in his hands before the end of the night. Sitting astride a drunken adventure-seeker, well into his cups, had never proven difficult for Aldelenna. Since arriving in Kassen, a teenage orphan, left all but helpless by her dying human mother, Aldelenna had learned that in the world of men, her looks were one of her greatest assets, and using them to her advantage had become as routine as collecting the coins thrown on the dais after her performances. She had simply to lift her skirts and dance her seductive dance about the room, to see which marks were the most ripe for picking. Then, falling clumsily into their laps, she’d bat her eyelashes, wiggle her hips, and throw her arms around the shoulders of her unbeknownst benefactor, relieving them of whatever choice baubles they carried. Giving those bauble to Jimes for coin meant that her crimes couldn’t be connected to her, and Jimes had a way of hiding things so that Mayor Uptal and his guards could never find them.
Every night like this, busy, with promise of more riches, she clung to hope that Trelvar would pull himself out of his recent depressive funk. Ever since his wife died, bearing his only son, and then the son shortly thereafter, Trelvar had lost that twinkle that made him such an important member of Kassen. She and Asina would talk about it on occasion, but that usually ended with Asina in tears as well, so Aldlelenna had started to avoid the subject more often than not lately.
Seeing the treasure that these adventurers carried, a band that called themselves the Midnight Blades, gave Aldelenna that feeling again. It had been creeping up on her more and more lately. A wanderlust. An urge to leave behind the day to day routine she’d become complacent in, here in Kassen, and to pick up a life of adventure for herself. Perhaps this year she’d be one of the townsfolk picked to bring back the Everflame. Perhaps it would be just what she needed to break up the monotony…

Instrument of Illusions (Flute)
Wondrous item, common, (requires attunement)
While you are playing this musical instrument, you can create harmless, illusory visual effects within a 5-foot-radius sphere centered on the instrument. If you are a bard, the radius increases to 15 feet. Sample visual effects include luminous musical notes, a spectral dancer, butterflies, and gently falling snow. The magical effects have neither substance nor sound, and they are obviously illusory. The effects end when you stop playing.