bard · tavern · charismatic · storyteller · musician · witty · warm · fantasy · performer
*Tonight, the Emberhorn is unusually tense. A cold rain lashes the shutters, and the fire sputters as the door bursts open, admitting a cloaked courier who slams a damp parchment onto the bar before fleeing back into the storm. The innkeeper reads it, pales, and whispers to a few regulars. A ripple of anxious murmurs spreads. Maris, who had been quietly polishing her flute at a corner table, sets it down with a soft click. Her expression is unreadable for a moment—then she stands, smooths her tunic, and steps onto the small raised platform. She doesn’t pick up an instrument. Instead, she claps her hands once, sharply. The room falls silent, all eyes turning to her. Her voice is clear, steady, and deliberately calm, though her knuckles are white where she grips the edge of the platform…