Leo'Dore Lass'Ame

Male Human, 10th level Bard, 10th level Cleric

Special: bardic knowledge (+11), bardic music, bardic spells; cleric spells (domains Good and Protection), turn undead; proficient with simple weapons, swords, all types of armour, and shields.

Skills: Concentrate +8, Craft (calligraphy) +11, Craft (music composition) +14, Craft (drawing and painting) +6, Knowledge (religion) +11, Perform (harp and singing) +24*, Profession (sailor) +14, Ride +14, Swim +11, Wilderness Lore +5.
* includes +2 Skill Focus

Feats: Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, Enpower Spell (Turn Water to Wine*), Extra Turning, Martial Weapon (bows), Mounted Combat, Skill Focus (Perform), Weapon Focus (morningstar).
* new spell

Languages: Celestial, Common.

Possessions: +1 enchanted morningstar, ring of tongues, ring of polymorph self, ring of mind blank, gem of teleport without error (two charges), masterwork harp (+2 Perform), masterwork bronze holy symbol, 868000 gold pieces.

Preferred Weapons: morningstar, shortspear, bow.

Deities: Esthe, goddess of beauty and pleasure (Chaotic Good); Feythor, god of music (Neutral Good).

Appearance: Leo'Dore is a handsome man who appears to be in his early thirties, though he is actually almost seventy years old. He ages at a markedly slower rate because he used a wish granted by the goddess Isthar to make his lifespan match that of his first wife, Opal Firestone (a half-elf). He has long brown hair, usually worn loose or in a single braid (but only when he expects to have to fight), brown eyes and often wears a beard. His favourite colours are dark and golden brown, but he has a lucky wide-brimmed felt green travelling hat that he still wears on the road (mostly because it still irks some of his friends after almost half a century).

Background: Leo'Dore was the fourth son of a prominent merchant family in Shi'Ren, a provincial capital of the Eastern Kingdom. As there was little prospect of a career for him in the family, his father directed him to join a priesthood. Although he was very gifted musically, Leo overlooked the more rigorous church of Feythor and joined the church of Esthe, goddess of beauty and pleasure and the blessed vine.

By the time he was almost twenty, Leo'Dore was a master of his chosen instrument, the harp, and a surprisingly disciplined temple guard and acolyte. Thus, when brigands robbed his church, Leo was the one chosen to go and reclaim the church's magical treasures. He went with several others, including Paul (a paladin with one of those exotic Nomad names), who was guarding Sannar (performing civic duties as a punishment for theft), and Satranemann the Elf (who loved surfing). After some strife, the church's goods were returned safely, and Leo decided to continue to adventure with the others.

At first Leo'Dore indulged too much in the pleasures of life, particularly wine. One of his early achievements was spending over a month drinking his way through the wine cellar of an abandoned monastery with Satrenemann after the party cleared out the monsters. After a few months of this, however, Paul died, and while Leo was minding his body, the god Caranos turned up and brought him back from the dead. The profound shock of his first personal contact with the divine drove Leo away from drink, and he decided to pursue all pleasures in moderation from then on.

Over the next half-year Leo'Dore married Opal Firestone (they were the first of the group to marry), was ordained a Master Teacher, and began to travel throughout the continent with his friends, protecting those in danger, spreading the faith, and learning. As time passed, the others began to marry: Paul found a Nomad wife (named Amanda - such strange names they have), and when they moved across the sea to the Middle Continent Sannar continued her rise in social status by marrying into the local nobility. After four years, Opal gave birth to their first child: Kel'Dan, a boy.

The friends travelled together for decades, opposing evil, undoing magic curses, having children, and learning more about the greater powers of the world. Leo'Dore and his sister-in-law Ash'Dan died when an iron statue breathed toxic gas on them, and after causing some trouble to the Celestial Bureaucracy they absconded and went to Heaven. The two of them spent several months in Heaven waiting to be restored: during this visit, Leo was introduced to the church of Feythor, and became one of his priests with Esthe's permission. The group also travelled to Hell, where Sannar became investment manager for the Demon Lords (who up to that time had kept their treasures in locked halls and didn't lend it to anyone, let alone at interest).

After ten children and almost fifty years, Leo and Opal finally separated (which is fairly common among the half-elves, who usually marry and separate several times in their lives). Less than a year later, Leo played a minor role in stopping a cabal of wizards destroying the world. Following that cataclysmic battle, the group finally disintegrated, with some continuing east to explore the Elven continents while others returned to their homes in the west. Satranemann was finally going to get to surf the waves of his ancestral homeland ...

Roleplaying Notes: Most priests of Esthe run out of ambition by the time they're 5th level. Leo remained driven for some years, becoming the greatest Master Teacher of Esthe in living memory, reforming decadent churches that had fallen into drunkenness and debauchery (a serious and recurring problem among followers of Esthe), undoing the enchantment that caused the Ahri Desert. During that time, he also became a priest of Feythor (on his first extended visit to Heaven), a wealthy wine merchant, father to a constantly-expanding brood of children, and helped restore government at the devastated metropolis of Sy'raf.

However, it was becoming obvious that Leo had run out of things he wanted to do. He helped his friends overcome the wizards' plan to destroy the world, but his heart wasn't in it: he was bored with adventure, tired of writing and teaching. Leo always intended to become a priest of Lenoril Cedorith, goddess of dancing and joy, whom he met briefly in Heaven, but he never got around to it. Half-Elves are used to a recurring pattern of ennui and finding new things to do: how a long-lived Human will adapt is a good question.

Leo'Dore is laidback and easygoing, but has a strong sense of personal responsibility and stands up for what's right. He believes in balance and moderation, avoiding excess (except when you're young and foolish, of course), and making sure other people have the opportunity to make their own decisions.

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