Don Alvar de Mandoria

Don Alvar de Mandoria, Bard of His People

He never imagined being anything other than a bard, and every woman in his life pushed him a little further down that road. Everything came easily to him, except being serious. One look, one little song, and to his bed come the wife, the lover, the widow, then, a little later, the husband, the brother, the hired muscle. Alvar has devoted his life to pleasure and settles his troubles the way one settles a bill, without looking. He would not trade a single one of his nights for a quiet life.

Describe him

Such majesty! He does not walk, he parades, and the whole street notices. He knows he is being watched and plays it up a little, with a smile, a tip of the hat, a too-generous splash of perfume on clothes that have already lived a great deal. In the crook of his arm, Duke, his pug, surveys the crowd with the same air of importance. And when he lifts the oboe to his lips, conversations stop: he plays remarkably well, and knows nothing but love songs.

Play him

Play him as a never-ending party, one eye always on the prowl. Nothing in love surprises him, not even an elf married to an orc woman; he will raise his glass to the couple before anyone else. In battle he gets bored, so he goes straight for the most efficient move, sometimes too fast for the group to follow. Let Duke sow chaos, eat off the plates, lift his leg on a dignitary's boots at the worst possible moment, and let Alvar apologize with a smile. Make it felt that trouble follows him like his dog, and that he loves it almost as much.

What he says (rarely)

"A serious life? I came across one once. It looked terribly long."
"Duke, let go of the gentleman's boot. He already has enough reasons to hold a grudge against me."
(one foot already on the windowsill, while someone pounds on the door) "Hold Duke for me a moment. The husband came home earlier than expected."