The Swan Song of Camila Vasquez

Started by Poolson, July 04, 2021, 03:51:23 AM

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Poolson


Name: Camila Vasquez
Race: Human
Deity: Shaundakul
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Class: Bard 4, Fighter 6

Camila was a lot of fun! She had a good run. A long one, even.

Made around late december, early January, I made Camila with the intent of a few things, and I think I accomplished most of them.

Naturally, credit where it is due; RWG, Cmenden, VP, Roman, BustinBronc, Cat, Hierophant, the players of the Armencourt cousins, Kiaring, Last Cold Tome, the Malagor gang (it was a /big/ roster, so, you'll forgive me if I just make this a big title), the Scrag Lads (also a massive roster!), Loki, ETR, Crow,  and so, so many more.

Thanks for the good times, fellas. It ruled. It ruled so much.

[hide=Background fluff, and the story that shaped her as a character.]
Camila was an awoken, from the distant lands of Amn. She was a scruffy street rat, with nothing more than a guitar to her name, her jacket, and a bow, that was soon discarded in favor of another, when she roamed the woodlands of Ring 98, where she'd discover Hare apparitions that would lead her into a thicket of mist. When they vanished, what she found was the skeletal remains of a Haremarch ranger, clutching a longbow that reappeared even after it was buried with him, prompting her to keep it.

Endlessly bitter over the death of her brother, brought about by betrayal, as an escort job was actually a decoy job, Camila had hoped that she would find a fair, balanced society when she awoke on distant canals- and was only made more miserable that these Lords were no different from the Merchant Lords that ruled her home, sat atop their thrones wrought of corruption and ill-gained wealth. Yet, she was no warrior, she couldn't lead a resistance. There would be no societal change from up high.

But, she knew no other way to live than by city life, so, she merely embraced her fate- albeit bitter about it, the entire time.

She decided she'd live her life as she always did; wine bottle in one hand, guitar in the other, playing out what whims struck her, and nothing quite gave her inspiration like the prestigious and nefarious deeds of knights and highwaymen respectively. Those who ran against the flow, made noise- and often paid the price for their ambition.  It was such songweaving that grew a considerable audience, and, in so doing, made friends along the way, such as Axel- a hired swordsman and bagman, who's minimally spoken demeanor hid away a charming, winsome man. She had also come to meet Meredina Cassel; a friend who wore her heart on her sleeve and was without any delay, when it came to act on behalf of her friends - especially when it came to liberating the mind of Agnes Von Molneck. She saw someone so unyielding in their beliefs, no matter how high the odds were stacked against them. In that tiny woman, she saw her brother. And she wanted to protect that brief flicker of his resemblance as best she could.

So it would be of little surprise that when Hero-And-Patron-Of-The-Arts Percival Perias wielded his newfound powers as Knight of the Glitt family to banish her, she turned her ironsights on him. An effort that only had middling effects, as some sneered at his actions, but, ultimately became of nothing. Of course, after a night of deep social lubrication via alcohol, their feud had somewhat disarmed itself, when he exposed who he was, beneath the stoic demeanor of Knighthood. He wanted change. He desperately believed in a different society, ruled by someone beyond the Count and those older men that clung to him for power. He believed in change, and despite the grievous wrong he had done to her, she was willing to lay it to the side in the pursuit of this dream. She would be his eyes and ears, to spy on the on-goings of those loyal to the Count's rule; chiefly, Orza, who had more men abound for the open streets and fields, rather than the busybody Retainers of the other houses at home, that saw to the affairs of the homefront.

While never directly joining them, as she detested the thought of wearing a uniform and taking orders, she would follow them in their adventures, slipping information relevant to the Count's activity as she went. Yet, for all of  her intent, she was but a woman of empathy, not critical thought. She grew close to Malik and Aatish. Originally drawn to them by their tenacious pursuit of glory, she came to know the man and woman behind their respective masks, and she had come to trust them on a deep, deep level.

So much so that, when she was bestowed a dark and terrible truth in the pursuit of Percival's Anti-Count campaign, she confided in them her horrors.

Indeed; Agnes Von Molneck,  the Blind Seer, had something of a better working relationship, after the events of the entity that haunted her mind, and trusted her (as well as a few others!) enough to share such damning information. Her observations on higher cosmic powers were lost on Camila, but, what did stick was that the Count's rule was one of cruelty, and that the only things that could give him pause were nebulous concepts - "The Spear of Righteous Loathing", "The Tome of the Isles". It bothered her that he was being received with such high praise. She didn't know how to snap back against someone of extreme wealth and status, but she knew that trying to oppose him would be highly dangerous.

So when she finally blabbered these horrors to Malik and Aatish, it would surprise her that she had friends in closer places than she expected. Aatish, who was more forthcoming than Malik, revealed to her the conspiracy she was apart of, and her goals. Aatish urged caution, and to bide her time- and with such assurances to give her a short-lived peace, she resumed her life.

She met the abomination Rhenalos Torncloak, and the Armencourt Cousins who protected him, and learned of the Sanguine Dawn, who's colors they adopted. She had come to know the Songbird Marwyn Faircourt, who learned from him such passion and certainty in her sense of self, that, when he hung, she kept his songbook, and held it close, always, to ground herself when the world seemed so scary and unfamiliar. She met the Mala'gorian Warband, who's prestige could not be denied, though when coerced to write a song for them, her former admiration of Rod the Red- an undaunted runaway wagon of a man- had begun to sour. After their encounter, she joined Orza, so that she would be protected, were that another of their like rose to prominence and demanded the same of her. It was an act she wasn't particularly happy about.

She had met Raghnaid MacLochlan, a fellow guitarist from the Highlands of 94. A free spirit, with a persistent grin, who could carry a tune over even the most bustling hours of the Glitt hall, and dared to duel Camila over the King's Gifts, not with steel, but with their guitars. A woman after her own heart, who she adored dearly.

She had come well acquainted with the Wardens of the Lost, who's sacrifices and perseverance in the face of hardship enchanted her with such fascination that she couldn't help but look away. Theirs was a rich tale that was worthy of song, and she was all-too-happy to sing it, and spirit them along on their journey to Ring 1.

She shook hands with all manner of scum and villainy, from the Robber Baron Frank the Watertank, the Scraglads who ended up getting her hooked on Alley Ash just to give her a boost of confidence, the Chromamancer Adelaide Einhart who was -probably!- some measure of insane. She met the Generous(in his distribution of violence) Noor, and his curt, no-nonsense accomplice Jabbar. She had met Yelana Rankov, the Scourge. The poisoner, who kept a pet spider, and in casual conversation spoke on its crippling effects on the mortal body. You know, normal things! That normal people talk about!

She met the Outringers of 99. Axel had come to meet likeminded people, emboldened by her song of the Wardens of the Lost, and had high hopes to leave to ring 1, just as they did. Barbara, "Pajamas" and more- they were as every bit colorful as their ensembles, and she was lucky to make their acquaintance.


She had even come to meet Anastasia Orza, the woman who escaped the clutches of hell. She couldn't help but pity her- she had suffered so much that it stripped almost everything of characteristic value to her, and all that was left as cold steel, forged into a weapon that was the shape of a woman. It was a pity that persisted even through her evil, as she had thrown Moss from the roof for failing to name the Orza family in their entirety.

But, normal life couldn't resume.

Shortly after the battle for Ring 94, it was revealed to her that Count Zarono Senuspur was trapped beneath a bed of magma, following the Silverspike's eruption. This, coupled with the arrival of Moonspear, brought her to the conclusion that the time to act was now. Doom was certain - men of power rarely suffer slights, but life would be better, if the Count's seizure of power in the Peerage Ward wasn't absolute and without contest. She would sing his song - the song of his former rule - and to her surprise, she survived the initial blow.

What came later though, was to be expected. And truth be told, as she laid there dying, she wasn't sad to go. She didn't want to grow old. She didn't want to see everything she believed in turn to shit. She didn't want to be so feeble, wrinkled and old, that someone would have to feed her by spoon. She didn't want to be a washed up has-been.

She was happy, sincerely, for the first time in her degenerate life. It brought her a sense of fulfillment that neither the Alley Ash, Whirlpool Whiskey, or the adoration of the crowd could ever give her.

What would come of her final song, she would not know.

A hand reached out for that familiar, pale appirition that approached her as the sun's light faded. She took it, and, in that instant, knew peace.[/hide]

[hide=Goals]
Goals of the character:

Bard Star: Camila wants to leap from the shadows of obscurity and into the spotlight. She has an inflated sense of self worth and has a "holier-than-thou" approach to other singers, who sell their songs for money. Camila will work her way into the public scene with tales of heroism and infamy, wrapped in song and sung for the masses (some who might not even be able to read and learn history through a catchy tune.). Rock n' roll, baby. Or, flamenco I suppose.

Mission accomplished! The Bard Star strut that she wore attracted exactly the sort of lifestyle she wanted to live. Whether or not her songs will be of any relevence post-mortem, that's up to fate, not her.

Stick it to the man: Camila might have a soft spot for retainers, who she sees as mere workers earning their pay, but really has it out for the rich and powerful in the long game. Camila is a coward and isn't one to lead the rebellion, but if she sees a prime opportunity to exploit, she'll exploit it and stab it with every knife she can. She hopes Moonspear will someday muster back in force. She'd bend the knee - not because she believes in them, but because she wants an opportunity to tear down an established power who's made other's lives hell. She hopes to use this position as leader of the Seventeen Sorrows stageplay to uncover a conspiracy, so that she can blow the whistle. What if Senespur and Oriana had an affair and had Desmond killed to get him out of the picture, and scattered Phelan to the wind to ensure that nobody of his bloodline could rightfully take the chair? If or when she finds something, there'll be the devil to pay.

Mission sort of accomplished! The Seventeen Sorrows play didn't pan out as expected, but, she wrote that song in her final  hours. She also had plenty to stab at, with Ser Percival Parias, and Dame Eris Hale. Tormenting Eris by always getting her name wrong was one of life's little pleasures, and she savored it, knowing full well that Eris could have her hanged if so inclined.

Goals *for* the character:

Secret Hunt: There's cool stuff hidden, and it'd be cool to dredge up older lore that's relevent to the story, and share with the masses.

Mission accomplished!; It was always a party when Agnes was around.

Flex the creative muscle: I am admittedly not very good at old fashioned song structures that're all rhymey-whimey, but I like the concept of a Bard who reflects the world and its ongoings around her. It's a good writing exercise, to write about the efforts of other characters!

Mission accomplished!; What I did make wasn't very good, but, I think it was serviceable.

Try to make longbows useful: I adore ranged weapons, but it always feels as if they just so horribly under-perform in comparison to the other weapons. I want to see if I can make it work, somehow.

Mission somewhat accomplished!: If you want to hear what I have to say about it, I'll talk your ear off about in Discord, but, it's just a long-winded commentary on some stuff that doesn't really matter.[/hide]

Screenshots.

[hide=All sorts of strange people to meet.]

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[hide=Shenanigans]




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[hide=Scenic shots and other things.]






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[hide=Performances.]



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[hide=A bow, generously bestowed by Lialh4. It really eased the struggle of using the longbow!]

[/hide]

See you around, fellas.


Poolson

Bonus shot, of the shenanigans Camila and Aatish got into.

You know. Just sitting at someone's bedside with a shaman's mask on. Watching them sleep. T-posing. Completely normal activities.

[hide=Meme drawn by one of my DND players. She rocks. You should check out her art.]

crestfallen


Wench

Great job Pool!

I love your PCs!  ;D
Feed me my kid cuisine meal, or I will say the F word.

if she's your girl then why does her leitmotif appear in my battle theme bro  :/

VanillaPudding

Very fun character that brought a lot of life to the RP whenever she was around!

Cat

As always, my friend, I am glad for every moment we get to play together.

SamB123

Just when she finally sung about the Count...  :(

cmenden

I love all your PCs, Pool, aaaaaaah

Thank you for being so great and letting me do unspeakable things to your Steam profile

the_account

Great PC. She will be missed, but I am happy that she accomplished her goal of the final song.

Pandip

Always a class act. I didn't interact much with Camila, but she was great to have around when I did.

Slithy Tove

Love all your PCs, keep em coming!