Corporal 'Ren''s page

Why would the Kitharodians have a Rival anyway? Who has a sinister plot to rid the world of a bunch of bards? Someone with a personal reason, and a political agenda that he considers the Academy to stand in the way of, perhaps? Oh yes, he's a bard, too. Fight Bard with Bard, I always say. Well, no, I never say that, but I just did. :)
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Despite growing up surrounded by the Kitharodian Academy, as the bastard son of Baythani DiConti Bianche and an unknown father, ‘Ren’ felt little more than contempt for the excesses and indulgences around him, all spectacle and costume and pretty words that, to his mind, represented the decay of the once-glorious Taldan empire. He could read about and re-enact glorious plays about the armies of Taldor or the Armies of Exploration, but it seemed like the cream of Taldan society was content to sit on their ever-expanding arses and do nothing to bring that sense of glory and accomplishment to Taldor.

His distant mother was only part human, and he blamed her otherworldly half for the whimsical fancies that seemed to occupy her time, and he began to see the magnificence of the Kitharodian Academy as a leech, sucking the life out of Taldor, keeping them fed and entertained, while their significance was sucked away and lesser nations like Andora, Cheliax and Qadira siphoned away the influence and import that was once Taldor’s alone. They sat and listened rapt to stories of heroes that they would never be, and that, for all the money they poured into ‘the arts,’ they guaranteed that Taldor would never be again.

After one last argument with his mother about these matters, Ren joined the army, and turned his bardic talents to securing officer status for himself, serving to provide spellcasting services and rousing leadership to the rank and file on the border, but always stymied by the lack of true action, other than the occasional skirmish, that ended as soon as it began, it seemed. Always he heard the same frustrating refrain, that bolder action against their neighbors, any attempt to recapture faded glories, was a fool’s errand, as Taldor’s army was not strong enough to engage in a major campaign. And why was the army not up to the task? Certainly not for lack of fire in the hearts of the Taldan soldiery, no, it was because too much of Taldor’s treasuries were tied up in fripperies like the Kitharodian Academy!

And so he has turned his sights on stirring up nationalistic pride, attempting to turn the very patrons of the arts his mother introduced him to, to support for the army, and to, as they say, ‘beat the drums of war.’ His mother, in her frustrating way, has dismissed his crusade to resurrect the sleeping giant that was great Taldor, even claiming that his entire life’s ambition is just a sign of ‘childish rebellion,’ but her words have only strengthened his resolve.

Like-minded souls will find his plans unfocussed, but he seeks both ways to discredit the Kitharodian Academy, and to provoke some sort of pretext for military action against one or more of Taldor’s neighbors. His original intent was to attempt to stir up trouble on the Qadiran front, but has been re-assigned abruptly to the Andoran border, instead, and he suspects political discomfort with his words and actions, as he stirred up nationalistic fervor to a degree that left other officers uncomfortable and unsure of their ability to maintain a smooth flow of command. He’s now learning the lay of the land along the Andoran border, more quietly stirring up discontent with the rebellious and ingrateful peasants who stole land from the empire and rudely and illegitimately usurped the authority of their betters during their proletariat coup. Missions to antagonize Andoran border patrols into aggressive or provocative action, or, in the most extreme cases, to frame Andorans for attacks on Taldan holdings (even if they were obvious humanoid or bandit attacks), to stir up talk of retaliatory strikes, will be his bread and butter, and he has squirreled away an assortment of ‘evidence’ to be discovered, such as Andoran military tabards and equipment. He will also happily seize any chance to make a Kitharodian performance suffer, and an ally who can arrange an incident that will cause such a performance to be less-than-thrilling will please him greatly.

Boons During his investigations, Corporal Bianche has discovered a lively cross-border smuggling operation, with participants on both sides, and can blackmail the participants on the Taldan side of the border to provide services to his allies. He can also rouse up some rabble on short notice who will assist with varying levels of thuggery, particularly if he can paint the target as an Andoran sympathizer.