Amadeus Presto's page

About Amadeus Presto

Amadeus was once a member in a tribe of Catfolk. They were a simple people who traveled a lot due to the changes in seasons and to follow herds of animals for hunting. His best friend was a female Catfolk named Istra, and times were peaceful within the tribe. Though one day both their lives were turned upside down.

When both were 12 years of age, human highwaymen ambushed the tribe and slaughtered them all. All save Amadeus and Istra. Bags were then thrown over their heads and they were forced to walk. In this traumatizing time, all they could do was weep. Weep for the loss of their families, friends, and weep in fear for their unknown future. For days they walked with those bags on their heads, shoved this way and that. Until finally the bags were removed and they found themselves in a circus.

The men sold them to the circus trainer, who then threw them into a nearby cage. Both were from then on treated like the animals of the place, their status perhaps being lower than slaves. The food was the worst of raw meats, the cage dingy with only hay to sleep on. And the worst of it all was the whip.

The trainer Estvon began to teach them their acts, though since they did not know the human tongue it was difficult to understand what he wanted. And when they practiced incorrectly, making even a tiny mistake they would be punished. His whip lashed out on them like fire, piercing their flesh underneath their fur. Hundreds of lashes were given to them over the course of their practicing. After weeks of practice they were able to learn a broken version of the human tongue, but Estvon often whipped them for improper use of the language as well. Or often it seemed he would hit them for no reason other than his own amusement. At last one day they did their drill without a single stinging slash of his whip. It was then that Estvon approved of them, and sent them to perform the next day.

They would partake in many stunts such as climbing, balancing, leaping and others all in front of a live audience. They did this for days and weeks, always with bright smiles and kisses to the many fans they now had. But in reality, Amadeus and Istra hated what they did. For they knew they were being used and low as slaves.

Oftentimes they would try to escape, but every time they had failed to do so. And after each attempt they would suffer intense beatings, both from the trainer’s whip and his employee’s fists.

It was such a deplorable situation, the only thing keeping them sane was each other. In the late nights when no one was around, they would swap stories with one another. Stories of their families and friends of the Catfolk, of better times. Eventually they told all the stories they could remember, and so they made up new ones. Then after that got old, they would sing to each other.

Amadeus did this more than Istra, she enjoyed to listen to his voice and he was happy to sing for her. He sung folksongs of their tribe, but also composed songs of his own. Even though he couldn’t write, he had plenty of time in the cage to memorize his own songs. When Istra sung, she sometimes apologized, for she did not has as much talent for it as he. He didn’t care about this though, he liked to listen to her voice anyways.

At one point an employee had stayed at the place later than usual and caught Amadeus singing. Istra panicked and nearly screamed, but the employee did something completely surprising. Amadeus stopped singing as a reaction from her scream, then turned to face the man. The employee sat down quietly and asked Amadeus to continue. With confusion, he obeyed. For quite a while, the man simply stood there with wonderment. Till in time he left, probably to sleep himself.

Istra at this point told Amadeus that the employee was “almost in a daze” while he sang. It was “almost like magic.” Amadeus laughed at this and said that “magic is for fairies and dragons.” As the days passed however, strange things kept on happening. Without knowing how he had done it, lights would pop up around them for example. On other occasions objects would randomly fly around them. And on the strangest of nights, all assortment of odd things would appear around them. From anything like a rose, to a set of cards would just appear out of thin air.

Istra: You still claim magic is for fairies and dragons then?

Amadeus: Alright you have me there. But how is this happening?
They in time figured it out that it was Amadeus doing all of these things, and quickly thought to harness them. After all if these abilities were honed well enough, they could try to escape for good! So for days he practiced these abilities and planned how they can be used to get out. And when they felt they were ready, they gave it a go.

What was done first, was that Amadeus summoned Dancing Lights and sent them to a far corner of the place. Estvon and his men were confused as to what these lights were. And as they rushed towards them, Amadeus pulled off Estvon’s keys with Mage Hand. Quietly they unlocked their cell and snuck off. With an illusion, Amadeus was able to make it look like they were still in the cage safe and sound. It wasn’t until much later that they were discovered to be missing.

Estvon tracked them and eventually caught up with them as they fled to the nearby city Almas (of Andoran). In the wilderness they were attacked by Estvon’s biting whip, and this time he was furious. They ran as quick as they could, but Estvon quickly tripped them both and then grabbed ahold of Istra. And then things got incredible terrible; he spoke to her in a despicable voice.

Estvon: Hm, my men are no longer here. Why not then? I wonder what you would be like.

Estvon then began to touch her wrongly, far too wrongly. And Amadeus saw in Istra’s eyes that she felt far more pain from this than any cuts that whip had inflicted. With that and Estvon’s grotesque smile, something within Amadeus snapped.

With a hiss, he wrenched Estvon’s whip from his hands with Mage Hand. Next, he swung the thing and it luckily wrapped around Estvon’s neck. He then pulled with all his might and sent Estvon smashing to the ground with a loud thud. Amadeus then pounced on him and dug his claws down the right of his face. Blood spurted from three fresh gashes and Estvon screamed so loud his lungs must have deflated.

Istra grabbed onto Amadeus’ free arm and then pulled him up from him, though not with a bit of reluctance on his part.

Istra: Come let’s go!

They turned and ran from him, Amadeus taking the whip with him. Estvon slowly got up, clutching his bloodied face.

Estvon: I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you both! Curse you!

He did not pursue them as they fled. They got into the city Almas weak and hungry in the dead of night. They went to the first building they saw, a monastery. At this point they were barely awake, exhausted from the run and the fight. The last they saw was a running figure from the monastery heading for them before losing consciousness.

Thus ended the dark time of their lives, and from it birthed a renaissance in the 18th year of their lives.

They woke in the monastery to see the man who took them in, Darian, the priest of the place. Darian was kind and asked them to tell them their story and what they were. (He did apologize on that last part though, asking someone “what” they are is a bit rude.) They did so, with a look of horror in his face as they recounted the brutal circumstances they had gone through. Darian said he would do the best he could to convince the council of the city to put the men of the circus in chains for their treatment of them. They were pleased to hear this, and asked if they could live there. Darian said that would be fine, though he warned them that he may get a little preachy at times.

As the weeks went on, Amadeus and Istra watched the sermons Darian would give on the goddess Shelyn. At first they thought the whole thing ludicrous, though they in time took a liking to Shelyn. She was the goddess of love, art and beauty. Darian himself thought it was her will that got them out of the circus in the first place. For it was clearly Amadeus’ artful spells that got them out of there in the first place. It may be that he was blessed by Shelyn to do her will.

After months of staying under his care, Amadeus and Istra thought he could be right about this. Why else would they have ended up here in the monastery of Shelyn had it not been her will? So they took to worship her like the monks of the place and read their texts. They took part in their art crafting, their dedication to make beautiful things so as to be like Shelyn. Istra found her big talent that Amadeus lacked this time; for she was great at drawing and he was not. With the monks of Shelyn they talked, they laughed, they cried, they ate, they slept. It was wonderful, and for the first time since they were of their tribe they were happy.

Things took their natural course upon the 21st year of their lives as Amadeus and Istra wed. Theirs’ was the most tender of unions, the kind only found in fairy tales. And all was right as it should have been. But yet, fate was not done with them yet.

On the 23rd year of their lives, Estvon and a band of evil mercenaries burnt down the monastery. Garbed in prison clothing, it was clear that he had just escaped jail. They killed many of the monks, others fled.

Using his own whip against him, Amadeus fought Estvon with deadly vigor. Though with a lucky shot, Estvon stabbed Amadeus in the spine and he fell to the ground. He stood there helpless, bleeding profusely.

Estvon smiled nastily at Amadeus, which eerily flexed his gnarled scars given to him those years ago. He then grabbed onto Istra, who could not escape his grasp. He says to her

Estvon: Why is it that you intrigue me so?

Amadeus tried to stand up, to kill the bastard as he left with her. But all he could do was grimace in hatred at him as Istra continued to cry out “Amadeus” over and over again.

Darian bled heavily from a wound of his own and crawled over to Amadeus. With the last of Darian’s will, he stopped Amadeus’ bleeding. And with that, Amadeus passed out. Upon waking up, he thanked Darian for the last time for all he has given them. Curing himself a bit with magic also (he couldn’t do so because he could hardly move while bleeding out) he asked around everywhere about the man who carried away a cat woman. It took a long time of searching, but at the North gate of the city a guard told him they left.

Guard: Said he was heading to Sandpoint he did. Was going to teach the cat woman all kinds of things he said. If you hurry, you might get there by the time they do.

That’s all Amadeus needed to hear. With the whip of his enemy in one hand and a bag of goods on his back, he left Andoran to save his love.

And to fulfill his destiny.