The Troubadours

The Troubadours are just that, a group of four human musicians who travel from town to town and perform at various venues to earn their coin. They have a decidedly Irish folksy sound (not that they've ever heard of Ireland), and they know how to give a good show. They banter with the audience, take requests, and know when to make the transitions from melancholy to upbeat.

SAMPLE SONG LIST

Couatl Jackboots- satiric song about owning unnecessary things
Four Seasons- tells the year in the life of a peasant farmer
Why Worry- expresses how life sucks, but has its good points
The Gallant Argosy- tragic tale about a shipboy conned into swimming to an enemy ship and drilling a hole into the side of it
Bron-Y-Ar Stomp- fond remembrance of a past love
Rowan on the Grave- sad song of the passing of family

BAND MEMBERS

Esue Lubrack- lead vocals
Many a spectator has remarked on how it is that such a voice could be produced by such a small girl. Esue stands at barely five feet tall, and the coiled-pigtail hairstyle she favors only adds to her childish appearance. But she possesses an amazing vocal range and never seems to inhale. Her voice sounds, as one critic put it, "like honey-glazed sadness in the dark".

Esue wears flowing, brightly-colored clothing on the stage and off, and the more the colors clash, the better. This eccentric fashion sense seems to advertise her personality as well, for she is impulsive and has a short attention span. Such as it is, it makes her a hard-to-like person. If the band were ever to achieve great fame, she would probably evolve into a demanding diva. For now, though, she can be reasoned with.

Gireg Mannatie- harp, dulcimer, fiddle
A man of mighty girth, it would seem that Gireg takes his share of the profits in food and ale. Indeed, he is a man of great appetite, and once seated at the inn's table, he is likely to stay there for quite some time. But he is a gregarious, friendly fellow, and enjoys telling tales. When he does so, his hands are always in motion, he flails his arms around for emphasis, and has knocked over many a beer stein in excitement.

This exuberant gesturing is probably a side effect of his vocation. For when he plays, he gives it his all, and one can see the effort in his expression. That, and the sweat stains on his tunic.

Penthik Yuccaseed- mandolin, flute, pipes
Thin and swarthy, Penthik attempts to make up for his homely appearance by meticulous attention to his hair and beard, both of which are trimmed to precise lengths and styled with beeswax. His clothing is always dark and loose-fitting, and the overall effect makes him look somewhat of a swashbuckler.

He has a natural gift for music, playing multiple instruments with seeming effortlessness. In fact, from time to time, Penthik will stray from the rehearsal piece and launch into an extended solo that he makes up as he goes along. His bandmates get annoyed when he does this, but always dutifully accompany him. Esue constantly accuses him of showmanship, but in truth, he is just carried away by the music and can't help himself.

Suca LeGroeg- percussion
Suca is a quiet, bearded fellow who always seems lost in thought, even while performing. He takes great pride in the fact that he, with his own hands, made his own drum kits from barrels and animal skins. It consists of several tambours, metal cymbals, and bells of various types. His kit indeed looks homemade, but no one can deny its workability. The plethora of sounds he can coax from his ramshackle devices are impressive.

Suca has been thumping musical beats from hollow objects since his childhood, and he's gotten somewhat obsessive about it. He drums his fingers constantly, and really has no interest doing—or talking about—anything else but music.

ENTOURAGE

Drachenfeld- manager
With his stained robes and long, scraggly white hair and beard, Drach seems an odd choice to represent anyone. However, in addition to owning the horses and cart that the band uses to travel, Drach also provides the group with perks that they would be hard put to replace. During performances, he casts various spells that enhance the show. He can create lighting, subtle pyrotechnic effects, and amplify the sounds they make (perhaps an opposite version of cone of silence). Most of the groups rates are standard, so there is very little haggling involved with his job. This is a good thing, because Drachenfeld is very old and somewhat addlebrained.

Thube Hoarfrost- roadie
Thube is an older, yet still scarily muscular, hill dwarf. He occasionally claims that he is of noble birth and that he and his brothers must go on a quest to reclaim their heritage, but he is vague on the specifics. Gruff and grumbling as a dwarf should be, Thube will never admit that he does this job because he finds Esue's voice enchanting.

Ahgil Essandro- roadie
Ahgil is a blond, blue-eyed human in his early twenties. He and Thube share the duties of unloading the equipment, securing the wagon for travel, and driving. Ahgil enjoys ribbing his partner about his "quest", and how it always seems to come up when there is heavy lifting to be done. Ahgil is secretly a thief. He cases homes during the band's stay at one village or another, and usually pulls a heist late at night just before the group is due to move on (often, during their final performance). Thus far, he's never been caught, either by the magistrates or his companions.