BotR Jon Sterling
Jon Sterling
Appearance
Jon is of average height and build, with a less pronounced elven look than many half-elves; he'd appear in his early forties if he were human. His hair is black, shot through with silver
Age: 55
Character Details
Free Feat: Lucky
Heirloom: Jon's guitar, handed down from his great-grandfather, is inlaid with intricate patterns in seven kinds of wood, and he keeps it strung with silver strings. It can be used to invoke the guidance cantrip.
Attributes
STR 10 (0)
DEX 14 (+2)
CON 12 (+1)
INT 10 (0)
WIS 14 (+2)
CHA 18 (+4)
Attacks
Rapier +5 (1d8+2)
Short Bow +5 (1d6+2)
Vicious mockery (2d4, save 15)
Skills:
Animal Handling +5
Survival+5
Stealth +5
Perception +5
Persuasion +10
Performance +10
Deception +7
Insight +5
History +3
Medicine +5
Languages: Dwarven Trade, High Dwarven, Elvish
Speed: 30
Traits:
Darkvision 60'
Fey Ancestry (advantage on charm saves, immune to magical sleep)
Skill Versatility (Insight, Perception)
Background: Folk Hero
Defining Event: Jon grew up as a simple farmer in the border country between Hartshorn and the Clanclave, locally well-known for his singing and storytelling. When the son of the minor elven-lord claiming Jon's home town in his territory attempted to force Jon's niece into an unwanted marriage, it inspired Jon to make up a scurrilous and humorous ballad, plainly referring to the young noble, which spread throughout the area until the noble grew too humiliated to press his suit further. Shortly thereafter, however, Jon was framed for a killing -- the death of a peace officer, well-liked and respected as a just man. Though the evidence against him was far from convincing to most of his neighbors, Jon was forced to flee his home as an outlaw, and has since taken to a career of attacking petty tyrants through verses and tales.
Feature: Rustic Hospitality
Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling, Survival
Tool Proficiencies: Land vehicles, artisan's tools (woodcarver's tools)
Personality: I judge people by their actions, not their words.
Ideal: Respect. People deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
Bond: I'm on the run because of people who abused their strength and position. I'll stand up to any bully I encounter.
Flaw: I have a weakness for the vices of the city, especially hard drink.
Bard 5
Hit Dice: 5d8
Hit Points: 33
AC: 12 (Studded Leather + 2 (Dex) = 14
Proficiencies
Skills: Performance (Free), Persuasion, Thieves' tools, Deception
Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords
Tools: Guitar, Bodhran, Mouth Harp
Features:
Bardic Inspiration (1d8)
Song of Rest (1d8)
Expertise: Persuasion, Performance
Jack of All Trades
College: Lore
Bonus Proficiencies: Stealth, History, Medicine
Cutting Words: Within 60', if able to see target, use a reaction to expend one Bardic Inspiration as a negative to an ability check, attack roll, or damage roll.
Saving Throws:
Str 0
Dex +5
Con +1
Int +0
Wis +2
Cha +7
Equipment
Rapier
Dagger
Studded leather armor
Shortbow
Shovel
Iron pot
Woodcarver's tools
Entertainer's pack (inc. disguise kit)
Silver-strung heirloom guitar
Mouth harp
Bodhran
Healer's kit
Thieves' tools
Parchment (x30)
Ink
Money GP: 27
Spells
Spell DC 15 Spell Attack Bonus +7
'.'Cantrips Known: Vicious mockery, message, prestidigitation
Spells Known: 9
Level 1: bane, cure wounds, dissonant whispers, disguise self
Level 2: phantasmal force, enhance ability
Level 3: hypnotic pattern, mass healing word
Spell Slots: 1st (4), 2nd (3), 3rd (2)
Background
Name a crime you are wanted for but didn't do.
Marshal Arvis Crane of the Aylwood Rangers was poisoned in a local tavern several weeks after the young lord Hanel Aylwood withdrew his suit for the hand of Miss Emberlyn Sterling, Jon's niece. Arvis and Jon were friendly to each other, and testimony from multiple persons at the scene placed Jon at the scene drinking together with Arvis and tampering with the officer's drink. This testimony and the charges were false, and a majority of the locals do not believe them to be credible, but with judgment sitting in the hands of the hostile Baron Aylwood, Jon could see no plausible way to defend himself.
Name a crime you committed that nobody knows was you.
Once in Adamalash, the relics at a shrine of the Wanderer were seized by the authorities when its priests failed to make their proper tribute. After hearing the complaints of travelers about the treatment of the shrine and its guardians, Jon infiltrated the Judiciary Palace to steal both the relics and the assessed taxes from the judicial coffers, returning them to the shrine in secret. While the Judiciary was well aware that the goods had been liberated by illegal means, by the time they were ready to move against the shrine the next day, a "spontaneous" outbreak of song and praise concerning the "miracle" had spread around the city, and the Judiciary opted to play along rather than risk protest and riot. Ultimately, this gave the Wanderer's servants breathing space to make good their finances by the time of the next assessment.
Name a shady contact. Include their description and occupation.
Lady Amaryll Finch is an outcast from Bar-Kesh high society who now runs the sprawling tavern and gambling-hall Finch's Roost. Amaryll herself is a handsome tiefling woman of middle years who continues to maintain an air of refinement a bit at odds with the ramshackle charm of the Roost, where a variety of legal and semi-legal vices are available. Amaryll works hard to maintain the dignity and the agency of those who provide those services, both her direct employees and those independently using the Roost as their base of operation, because her real stream of income comes from brokering information that passes in and out of her establishment.
Name your claim to fame.
Jon is well-known for a number of songs he has originated, like "The Royal Rascal" and "Sara's Seven Secret Charms". However, his greatest accomplishment is that he knows the true version of the infamous "Eight Lost Verses" of the epic ballad "Princess Kvana's Ride". The missing material -- suppressed by the descendants of the legendary dwarven warrior Kvana's family -- concerns the princess's dalliance with her lover Melia, the "Songsmith of Iron Deep". Garbled, bowdlerized, or entirely reinvented versions of the verses crop up occasionally before they are again stamped out by the Clanclave, but Jon managed to learn the true verses from the ghost of Melia herself after proving his worth in a contest of song. Rumor has somehow gotten around that Jon knows these verses, but he has yet to find the right time and place to reveal them, having pledged to Melia's spirit that he would only do so when they could properly honor her and Kvana.
What is your onstage role in the band?
Jon sings lead on some songs, but he's just as happy to back others on vocals and guitar, or contribute to some of the complicated percussion pieces that the group can put together behind Gareena; he likes the mix of styles that the group can bring. While he does play into the personal notoriety that his past has given to him off stage, when everyone's performing together it's a different story.
Personal Ties
Jon has a particular soft spot for Una because she reminds him a great deal of his niece Emberlyn, particularly in her singing voice. While he's aware that this is probably a misplaced sentimentality and he takes care not to treat her in a patronizing way, he nevertheless tends to be especially supportive of her efforts and tries to make sure she has the chance to shine among the group.
He sometimes finds himself frustrated with (@thorya's character). It's a combination of being a little dismissive of the latter's more formalized musical background, and the feeling that they're not achieving up to their potential.
