Juan Pablo

Juan's father served as the warden of a small prison to the north of the kingdom of Gildoun. A curious boy, Juan often accompanied his father at work, doing menial tasks such as cleaning cells and tossing food to the prisoners. He would listen to his father and the guards tell stories of adventurers from long ago, becoming enamored with stories of the old world from the time before the fog. Juan had a knack for storytelling; he would often blend the tales he heard into epics which he would then pass on to his siblings and friends.

One day during Juan's 14th year, an elf was captured by the guards along the outskirts of town. Stripping of his clothes and binding him to prevent his spellcasting, the guards tossed the elf into a cell in the local prison and sent word to the capital. For seven days the elf rotted in his cell. Juan, fascinated at the idea of someone who had lived through all the stories he had heard from his father, often lingered by the cell of the elf during his duties. For all their precautions, the guards had forgotten to gag the elf, and the elf took notice of the small human boy's curiosity. The elf told Juan stories of both Faerstice and the old world, of marvelous cities and magics far beyond those practiced in the small village Juan and his family called home. The elf told his tales both in verse and prose, inspiring Juan to add these elements to his own stories he passed along to his friends. Juan loved the elf's stories, but all stories must come to an end.

A guard caught Juan conversing with the elf and informed the town's mayor. In a panic, Juan blamed his father, claiming that his father had pressured him into conversing with the elf in an attempt to learn magic and elevate his status. The mayor ignored the cries of Juan's father and had him and Juan's mother swiftly executed. Juan and his siblings remained, his 8 year old brother and 6 year old sister. Juan's lie haunts him to this day, and he refuses to lie ever again that he might never repeat his mistakes.

Orphaned, Juan and his siblings came into the care of the Coin Lords, and Juan, in return for his siblings care, began to serve as an apprentice. Running errands all over Faerstice, Juan continued to gather tales of the old world and discovered that his gift for spinning tales contained more than mundane story-craft. Wandering bards, encountered by happenstance on his journeys, recognized Juan's talents and taught him the rudimentary arts of the bardic colleges.

Now 20, Juan continues to gather lore of the old lands, hoping that within the stories of old he will find a solution to the hatred between the elves and the other races or perhaps a solution to the ever-present threat of the fog.