Murmur

Character Sheet Information
Race: Tiefling

Class: Bard (College of Whispers)

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Level: 9

Current Status:Alive (and likely drunk)

Strength: 8

Dexterity: 15

Constitution: 12

Intelligence: 14

Wisdom: 10

Charisma: 17

Armor Class: 14 (Studded Leather Armor)

Backstory
''SLAM!!! The tavern door flies open and in barrels a group of gentlemen that have obviously already seen there fair share of drinks that night. After stumbling over a not insignificant number of tables and stools, the group of lushes finally manage to make it to the bar. “I’ll have two flagons of the strongest ale you serve for everyone of my men!!!” the leader of the rambunctious party practically yells at the now nervous man serving drinks behind the bar to a chorus of cheers from his compatriots.''

''The bartender practically skids across the floor to to the tap just as a beautiful elven barmaid finishes topping off a flagon of ale. The bartender begins pouring but the groups attention has been drawn away to the barmaid as she makes her way around the bar counter and towards a table with a single occupant. As soon as she is within range the leader quips, “I’ll take one of her as well,” and smacks the barmaid on the ass causing her to drop the solitary drink in her hand. The occupant, an elderly man with grey, thinning hair and deeply wrinkled skin, gives a deep scowl as his drink spills across the floor, all the while the drunk men laugh at the ruckus that their leader has caused.''

''“You gentlemen seem to be enjoying yourselves this evening,” the elderly man states his gaze locked onto that of the leader’s. “What’s it to you old man?” the man challenges the stare unblinking. A few brief moments of tension pass as the tavern grows increasingly quiet to almost near silence. Finally, the elderly man shrugs his shoulders, “Merely making on observation. I’m never one to try and ruin a good night. As a matter affect, how about I provide a bit of entertainment for you all while you enjoy your newly acquired beverages. Would you fellas care for a story?”''

''The leader and his men hesitate at first but after detecting no real threat from the old man they make their way over to the table. After all the men grab a seat, the old man sweeps his gaze over his new audience, clears his throat, and begins, “Have you ever heard the tale of the fallen devil?”''

'It was a typical night for Baron Solomon, as he stumbled his way back home from his favorite tavern The Handsome Devil until he heard a baby cry pierce the night sky. The Baron sought to find the owner of the infant and punish them for the effects their child’s insolence had on his already pounding head. To his surprise, the heavily swaddled child was laying on the floor with no parents in sight. In an attempt to get it to shut up the Baron picked the child up, loosening the cloth it was wrapped in and revealing its demonic ancestry. Despite its crimson skin, pointed tail, blackout eyes, and the tuft of black hair sprouting around its small horns the child was aesthetically pleasant. Being a shrewd business man, the Baron decided to keep the child so he can later exploit it for financial gains. As he continued to make his way back home, the child’s cries subsided into a soft whisper prompting the Baron to dub the child Murmur.'

'Growing up in the Solomon household, Murmur was treated at best as nothing more than a pet, given the bare minimum to survive as the rest of the family lived in decadence. In exchange for this minimalist lifestyle, Murmur was made to learn circus-like feats as soon as he was old enough to walk in order to perform on the street and make the Baron some extra coin. If he ever didn’t bring in enough coin to satisfy the Baron and his luxurious lifestyle, he would be severely whipped as punishment, leaving a weave of scars across his back. Murmur’s act became so popular that the aristocracy began to take notice and refer to Murmur as Solomon’s Demon.'

'Many nobleman attempted to acquire Murmur from Solomon but the Baron was making too much money off of the child and refused every offer that came his way, until he met Duke Michael Brennan of New Polperro. The Duke always had a soft spot for children and once he saw how Murmur was being abused he approached the Baron immediately. He offered the Baron an insultingly low amount of coin to take the boy off his hands but before the Baron could refuse the offer, he fell under a trance like state. “I will take the boy and you will never attempt to take advantage of child like this again,” Michael stated as he flipped a copper piece into the Baron’s face. In response, the Baron simply picked up the copper and walked away. Astonished by the exchange he just witnessed, Murmur was frozen in place as the Duke approached and reached out his hand. “How did you do that?” Murmur asked in awe. “I can show you if you’d like,” Michael replied with a smile. To that, Murmur’s only response was to take the Duke’s offered hand.'

'As the years went by, Murmur was introduced to the finer things in life. Quickly making friends with Michael’s son Daniel, the two were taught together on how to not only live like a noble but more importantly how to act like one. Murmur took to lessons very quickly, treating it as just another form of performance, while Daniel struggled through every instruction. Coupled with his attractive physical features and the renown gained from his previous life as a performer, Murmur quickly made his way through the ranks of the aristocracy. Witnessing Murmur’s rapid ascension and Daniel’s difficulty firsthand, Michael took Murmur aside. “I need you to protect Daniel. He cannot survive amongst the vultures himself.” Michael pleaded. “It would be my honor,” Murmured replied with genuine sincerity. “Good. Then there are some people that I’d like you to meet. They are performers like yourself and they have much to teach you,” the duke said, the familiar smile creasing his face one more.'

''“So what happens next?” the entranced leader asks, the rest of his men looking on with urgency in their eyes. “Well this is where the fallen part comes in,” the old man says, a faint melancholy grin flashes across his features.''

'After many years in the College of Whispers, Murmur quickly became one of the best in the guild but with that skill also came a fair share of arrogance. Learning of Daniel’s recent capture at the hands of orcs and thinking he had nothing left to learn from the College, Murmur approached Michael and practically begged his mentor to send him in for the rescue. “Bring him back Murmur,” Michael urged. “Consider it done,” Murmur pronounced with a flash of his signature smile.'

'After a daring rescue, which included a couple of solid skirmishes and some not so solid stealth, Murmur flew back to New Polperro with three new party members. A water Genasi with an affinity for food, a half orc that was too quiet, and the most aggravating human you’ve ever met. '

'Upon their return, Duke Michael gave Murmur and his new team a new mission. They were to scout a nearby Orc encampment and to comeback with any intel that they believed would prove valuable against the great Orc army. Before heading out on their adventure, they unanimously agreed to have a couple drinks and spend the remainder of the evening resting up for their next adventure. Unfortunately, things started to go south very quickly. Long story short, a little tussle outside the local tavern ended in a soldier getting killed and the party being thrown in jail. Being the capable men that they were, they escaped and headed out into the forest never to be heard from again.'

''“What happened to them?” one of them asked, a tinge of desperation in his voice. The old man leaned in and whispered, “Well rumor has it, that the group decided to continue on with the mission as a means of absolution for the accident that occurred in the town. Some say there were ambushed by a group of rogue orcs, only Murmur barely escaping the slaughter. There are whispers that tell a tale of survivors guilt, the morose tiefling drowning his emotions with ale for over a decade.”''

''“Well that’s a shit ending if I ever heard one!” the leader bellowed, springing to his feet as he slammed his now empty flagon down on the table. The old man looked up at the barrel chested man, small flames appearing deep within his eyes as a familiar smile spread across his lips, “who said the story was over?”''

From the outside of the tavern, a small fire explodes through an open window as the leader and his men come barreling out of the tavern twice as fast as they barreled into it, screaming at the top of their lungs as they flee down the center of town.

-Tony Pisano

Story So Far
Season 0

After a united Orc warband had captured Daniel Brennan, son of Duke Michael Brennan, Murmur was tasked with the mission to rescue him. He flew on an airship, (piloted by Tahani) and inflitrated the Orc prison inside of the coliseum of Ozyrn.

After successfully liberating Daniel and his fellow prisoners, they used the airship to fly back to their hometown, New Polperro. Daniel was returned safely to his father and his wife, but Michael informed Murmur of a new mission request for him and the people who saved Daniel's life.

It was requested by the commander of the army, Varden Jahka, that the four of them travel to a nearby Orc outpost to see if they can gather information to aid them in their war effort against the united warband. However, things quickly went wrong after a small altercation outside of a tavern resulted in the death of a town guard.

Murmur and his party were arrested, but quickly escaped captured and intended on completing the mission to hopefully clear their names from the incident. When the party setup camp outside of town, they encountered an Orc scouting party.

The Orcs attacked while a majority of the party were asleep and unaware of the situation. While the party fought valiantly, Murmur escaped the fray, hoping the others would soon follow.

Unfortunately, the others were unable to escape. Now alone and incapable of completing the mission, Murmur decided to abandon his duties. With the assistance of Michael Brennan, Murmur left the Northern Continent to avoid prosecution and set sail toward the Southern Continent to begin anew.

Season 1

Ten years after the failure in the Northern Continent, Murmur had found himself two homes in the Southern Continent: one in Cloudfall and one in the bottom of a bottle. Disguising himself as an elderly man, Murmur spent most of his time inside local taverns with no real responsibilities to uphold.

That changed when some members of the Guild of the Phoenix entered his local watering hole, The Smiling Lute. They were on a monster hunt and Murmur, seeing the opportunity to visit the wine cellar, decided to assist them with this endeavour.

After chasing it throughout the town and discovering the inner workings of the Cult of the Devourer, Murmur tried to return to his carefree life. However, under authority of Sammael and Garrett, Murmur was conscripted into the guild and became one of the party members sent to stop this evil plot.

Murmur proceeded to reluctantly continue forward with this goal, but made constant breaks in the trip to fulfill his own needs. It was partly due to his incline to drink that the city of Tabarongo suffered heavy casualties. This may have been the cause that drove him to pursue this cult with a bit more focus than before.

When the party arrived in Balia, Murmur was the party's primary negotiating force to enlisting their assistance in confronting The Faceless Man. In this, Murmur was also faced with one of the hardest decisions in the campaign.

Murmur was tasked with requesting financial backing from Basteux for their ambush strategy against The Faceless Man. Basteux revealed that he had given Murmur a small gift with a scrying ability, and he was aware of their dilemma. Murmur was then tasked with convincing O'Malley to give up his share of Tabarongo in order for Basteux to provide more than enough gold to fund the ambush. O'Malley counter offered with a small sum that would not cover the complete cost, forcing Murmur to make the judgement call on who's side to take.

In the end, Murmur chose to go with Basteux and convinced O'Malley to concede. Basteux was true to his word and provided the funds necessary, but Murmur let him know his clear distaste of him as a person. O'Malley's fate was never revealed.

The party setup their ambush in The Fist of Asmodeus, a large crater in the center of the continent, with Murmur acting as the primary distraction along side of River. When a caravan of the cultist arrived in disguise, it was Murmur's intrusion of one of their minds that set off the counter offensive from The Faceless Man.

After the battle's heavy loses, Murmur returned to Cloudfall with the remainder of the forces. His original intent was to return to the Northern Continent, but Sammael made a call as the temporary leader of the guild to prevent any member close to this mission from leaving the city. This decision was later upheld by their new leader, Nassnar.

Season 2

When Balthier gave the information about Exomari's Neagram to The Guild of The Phoenix, Murmur joined the party in traveling to The Elemental Planes.

During their travels Murmur discovered a statue of one his former party members, Fiji, that seemed to indicate that he was a member of Water Genasi royalty. His hometown had been inflicted with the Fades curse, but the party was pushed forward by Sammael to not pursue the cause of this affliction.

Later, Murmur was attacked by a strange ooze creature in The Swamp of Oblivion that put him into a dream state where he was joined by Ooga Chaka and Maurice. His relation with these two individuals inside his dream is still unknown.

(This season is still in progress and this entry will be updated further as pivotal points for this character are revealed).