Bio

APPEARANCE
Arturo is tall for a tiefling, of medium build and proud stature. His horns sweep from his temples up and back over his skull and twist inward, hooking up at the last few inches; rigid and hefty. His full, thick hair a darker side of onyx, sweeps back between the horns and long down his back ending in a few tight braids. Eyes a burning hell-fire red-orange have an almost friendly gleam to them and a mischievous sparkle. His mouth in an almost permanent smirk which flashes quickly to a toothy grin when he is excited or pleased with himself or something else, ending in a chin with a few short horn-sprouts.

He is usually found garbed in some kind of green and brown fine shirts and leathers, a hand-crossbow at his right hip, a tool-parcel opposite it and a lute slung across his back. His nimble tail tweeks around at times, playing at the hem of his clothes as though bored. Military boots and trousers fill out the suit.

A medium sized magpie bird perches upon his shoulder and he tends to it lovingly. It’s feathers well groomed and it’s keen eyes always watching for sparkly objects. The two are, if anything, approachable and friendly to any who don’t wish them harm.

BACKGROUND
“Well, ya know, it all started… Well, where it always starts, when I was a wee newborn, screeching to tha’ high heavens fer comfort… Sadly comfort did nay come in the form of my dearest mother; nah, it done come at the small hands of those who would do right by an orphan child.”

Arturo Fritz Kelborn, that’s what they called him when he came into the world. Orphaned before he was even taking his first breath. The circumstances were dire when the woman came in, alone, to The One-Eyed Hound Inn and Tavern. She was a young tiefling, only seen maybe a couple-dozen summers, and was heavy with child. The Kelborn family was distraught at the plight and Lillen, the matron of the place and her husband Brast were both members of House Ghallanda and known by it for their dragonmarks. Brast bore the Mark of Hospitality and Lillen was a nurse and follower of Boldrei. The tiefling girl knew that this place would be safest for her in her current condition.

The halfling couple; Lillen and Brast, took to her swiftly trying to put her at ease and gather assistance at this late hour and began for what could be a very long night. Brast asked repeatedly where the father was, asking why he wasn’t here to see this, to see to her. The girl couldn’t answer through the sobs of pain and sadness, the tears streaming down her face as she knew somewhere deep down that this was going to have a tragic end. Something was wrong this night, many things were terribly wrong, for the halflings knew this girl, they knew her beau and this was meant to be a joyous occasion. Zelda and Marvoux first met at this very tavern some 3 years ago and had begun their romance from there. It was their favorite place to meet or be entertained and they had become good friends with the Kelborns.

This night they were all faced with a horrible set of facts, Zelda was dying, Marvoux was missing and the child was coming whether they were ready or not. Lillen and Brast made haste, getting towels, boiling water, gathering blankets and tending to the pained girl. They had to focus at the task at hand, which was delivering the child safely and trying to save Zelda.

The night drug on, Zelda had gone into and out of consciousness, the labor intense and the healing and comfort provided proved to not be enough. Brast had sent his serving girl Emereld out into the streets to try to find Marvoux and they awaited her return as well, hopefully with the father to be. Zelda was beyond help and Lillen knew it, and it was time. She roused Zelda one last time, to have her help bring the child into the world. She struggled against pain and finally, as her child was brought into the cool air, as Lillen helped him to breathe; Zelda put her hand on her child, closed her eyes and heard her baby gasp and cry for the first time, and for her the last time.

So into the world did Arturo Fritz Kelborn arrive, amid pain, sadness and loss. Emereld came back to the inn in the morning with the sad news that no one had seen or heard from Marvoux since the night before and in fact all of his things were still intact in his home. On Zelda were two things of note however, Marvoux’s onyx ring, the ring she had given him and he had worn every day since receiving it; and a silver ring that no one had seen before adorning her finger.

Lillen and Brast had no idea what to do with the new child that had fallen into their laps, they didn’t feel right giving their friend’s child to an orphanage, and any other “solution” seemed too foul to even think of, so they kept him and swore to love him like his own mother and father couldn’t.

Flash forward a few years and the toddler was not but two feet shorter than his adoptive parents and with the budding horns and tail weighed almost as much, and was never without the onyx or silver ring given him from his mother’s body. Ooohhh he was a handful, taking parts from both lineage and upbringing, to say Arturo was mischievous would not do him justice. He was downright trouble. He grew swiftly and it was in his fifth year that his little sister was born. Arturo was so mesmerized by the downright diminutive person that he swore, as only a child could, to protect his little sister since “She’s too tiny, she could get squashed by a bug or something… I have to keep an eye on her.”

The two grew up close, Teela (as they had named her) always looked up to her big “brother” figuratively and literally. Arturo found early on that building gadgets to entertain the two of them, and sing songs along their merry adventures, were his two favorite things. Many days he got into some kind of trouble by filching a few items; clock spring here, brass plate there, a few gears, a winding key, etc, and would piece together something that whirred and clicked for Teela and him to chase around. They would sing songs and tell tales of their “grand adventures” when Brast and Lillen would allow them to go out to play, and Arturo would always, always watch out for Teela.

There wasn’t much schooling other than what was taught at home. Brast taught the children hospitality and to always carry a smile in your heart and a song on your lips. Lillen taught health and wound mending, literacy and such. As for the arcane arts, that came naturally to Arturo, his experiments with clockworks grew and grew from childhood games into serious ventures, leaving many messes about the household. The more elaborate his creations the more power he unknowingly invested into them… Until one day he realized that he had created Teela a doll automation and to his surprise, it became mobile without a power source. Startled, Arturo smashed his first creation as soon as it became active, but his curiosity got the better of him and he began dismantling it to find out what had made it… tick. Pretty soon all of Arturo’s creations were arcane infused creations of one sort or another.

Through his teenage years and Teela’s adolescence they continued to be inseparable, setting out on adventures with a few human friends that lived nearby who were first won over by Arturo’s clockworks. They would set out into the town and have their “adventures” digging in places for “treasure.” The whole while Arturo and Teela and the other children would exaggerate and sing there tales of wonder something similar to Arturo’s infusion of magic into clockworks happened with his words. Arturo and Teela’s tales began weaving with arcana and lifted spirits and hearts and inspired even greater deeds. Unbeknownst to Arturo and Teela, the war was gearing up again and the military was looking for gifted people to fill its ranks, and Arturo exhibited the talent they were searching for.

Arturo was eighteen years of age when the father of one of his childhood friends; the neighbor human boy Thomas, came calling to the Kelborn house. The man, Armory Captain Meeners, had heard his son’s retelling of Arturo and Teela’s tales. He first thought them simple children’s stories but after a few years came to the realization that something about Arturo was special, he and Teela could incite so much confidence, so much excitement and pure elation in his son with just the telling of a tale. The military had room for War-Bards and when he stumbled across one of Arturo’s clockworks given his son, he knew he had a primary candidate for the Cyre military.

Arturo and Teela came in from one of their daily outings to find Captain Meeners siting at the bar, discussing something with Brast and Lillen in hushed tones. They stopped and looked to Arturo with somber expressions on their faces and Armory Captain Meeners stood and greeted him with a measured smile and an outstretched hand. Arturo looked to his adoptive parents, then to the military man, lastly he looked to Teela who frowned as Arturo took the man’s hand. “Arturo,” he said “Your country needs you young man.”

Arturo didn’t know what to say, he smirked at the man, patted his shoulder and went to sit down with his family. As he sat down he opened the man’s billfold which Arturo had inexplicably palmed during the greeting exchange and found the identification he expected to find. Captain Meeners was none to pleased with this display. Teela giggled and Arturo handed the belongings back to the stern captain who snatched it away swiftly before straightening his shirt and glancing from Brast to Lillen once more before sitting down with the now complete family.

The man began to talk, words that lacked the emotion and charisma needed to keep Arturo’s full attention and he only heard a touch of what the military man was saying. Something about war within the kingdom and gifted men and women being needed to help support Cyre. It wasn’t until the man mentioned clockworks and machinery did Arturo begin to HEAR him. Then the man mentioned the warforged and Arturo had all but made up his mind. Teela saw the look on Arturo’s face when the man found his angle and began exaggerating about the man-made sentient machines, she got up from the table, excused herself and left the room.

Arturo found his sister crying in her room, the poor girl had been there ever since leaving them earlier. She looked at her adopted brother and began, through broken sobs, to tell him that she didn’t want him to go. She told him that she loved him too much, asked him who would adventure with her, asked him who would look out for him, asked him so many selfish questions that she almost missed hearing him speak over her stream of consciousness. “I’m not going, I declined his offer.” Arturo stated… Teela stared for a moment at her big brother, then whacked him across the shoulder roughly: “You idiot! Why would you pass up a chance to work on something that amazing?!”

Arturo chuckled at his sister and sat down next to her, patting her tiny head, the contrast in their sizes overwhelmingly obvious suddenly. He was tall for a tiefling, something over 6 foot, and she was young and still small even for a Halfling. “So, you’re saying I should take it eh?” “I’ll be disappointed if you don’t.” she replied. “But I’m killing Thomas for this.” They both laughed and knew that the laughter was for the sake of making it be okay. “Keep a smile in your heart, and a song on your lips Arturo.” Those were the last words his sister said to him as he left for military training.

PERSONALITY

COMMON EXPRESSIONS
“Keep a smile in your heart, and a song on your lips.” (his general “goodbye”)

THEME SONG
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KNOWN FAMILY MEMBERS
Name, race relation, factoid
Name, race relation, factoid

PRELUDES
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INTERLUDES
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JOURNAL ENTRIES

CAST