#elizabeth bardsly

[jasper-the-menace]

"A gift is not a gift when forced upon others."

-Elizabeth Bardsly, Praetor-Matriarch of Old Capenna

[jasper-the-menace]

what dnd classes would the songbirdverse main characters be?

I'm gonna break them down into categories because the main character varies wildly.

Planeswalkers:

Mathias: Bard. Not horny, not even that fluent in social things, but he's just so small and confused and he looks so soft that you want to help him anyway. Also, great at singing, even with the trauma.

Ritter: Paladin/Ranger. Sort of a multiclass, sort of a blend of the two.

Jaren: Unfortunately there's no one to one for "earth mage muscle wizard" so we're gonna just say Ranger for him too.

Tibalt: Rogue. Slutty, slutty rogue. He's making up for the borderline-angelic presence of Mathias in the party.

Demons:

Jetmir: Canonically a Druid.

Spara: Canonically a Paladin. Kinda. By technicality. And formerly.

Xander: Bard but in an artistic way more than a musical way. Or Rogue with spice.

Ziatora: Giant fuckoff dragon. But also a former bandit leader. Barbarian or Fighter.

Raffine: Wizard, divination specialty.

Others:

Errant: Rogue, but not really an assassin.

Anhelo and Parnesse: Both Rogues with the assassin subclass.

Ob Nixilis: Fighter, but with some oathbreaker Paladin sprinkled in for flavor.

Elizabeth Bardsly: Druid, but spicy.

Look how much overlap of classes is here. These idiots would never survive a dungeon crawl.

Thanks for sending this in, anon!

~Jasper

[jasper-the-menace]

can you talk about the old phyrexians in songbirdverse?

Ooo, I'd love to!

There were three Praetors of Old Phyrexia during the Old Phyrexian Invasion of Old Capenna: Farrago, Rogund, and Elizabeth Bardsly. The first two came from Old Phyrexia, the latter was compleated during the invasion.

Praetor Farrago is, notably, remembered to be a dick by surviving Old Phyrexians and compleated Old Capennans. He was a favored Praetor and led the invasion himself. He was responsible for the compleation of many Old Capennans, including Elizabeth. He died at the end of the invasion, killed by Falco Spara (who was wielding the power of the archdemon Gothalahl).

Praetor Rogund was the other Old Phyrexian Praetor. He gathered up the maddened Old Phyrexians who were still loyal to Yawgmoth and isolated them all in a single, large facility where he could torture them as he pleased. This is also where he took prisoners he found, like the descendants of Old Capennans who weren't compleated or the descendants of refugees from Serra's Realm, so he and his Phyrexians could torture them as well. He was killed in 4535 AR by Elizabeth, who freed and took in the Old Phyrexians and Capennans.

And finally, Praetor-Matriarch Elizabeth Bardsly is the last Praetor taking care of the Phyrexians - New, Old, compleated Old Capennan, or compleated New Capennan. She has a camp, a little village, for her people, and has done a lot to make sure that the oil will serve what she believes is its original purpose - to be a gift, freely given but never forced. Notably, anyone is free to leave the camp - a dangerous move, but the freedom is offered and allowed. She's also, notably, the mother of Lord Xander Maestros. I have a whole "wiki page" summary of her that I'm working on, and I'm commissioning artwork of her post-compleation.

Honestly, Old Capenna still being the seat of Old Phyrexia's influence is such a fascinating idea to me, so I'm enjoying it. I'm still chewing on the idea, naturally.

~Jasper

[jasper-the-menace]

What is your favorite character trait for each of your Songbird blorbos?

Oooo, this lets me talk about everybody!

Planeswalkers:

Jaren Rakdoson: hot & traumatized bundle (one bad day away from McFucking Snapping)

Mathias Maestros: genuine good person (poor soggy little meow meow edition)

Ritter Rakdoson: so tired

Tibalt: problematic (of the murder variety)

Demons of New Capenna:

Raffine: ruthless & efficient bundle

Xander Maestros: good dad (entirely by accident)

Ziatora: union organizer

Jetmir: anarchist vibes, if not for the fact that he's already in charge

Falco Spara: barely containing his desire to murder everyone

Other New Capennans:

Anhelo: problematic (of the murder with style variety)

Elizabeth Bardsly: Token Mother Figure (better than Elesh Norn)

Errant: genuine good person (extremely capable edition)

Jinnie Fay: competent & efficient bundle

Parnesse: loves her wife (Errant)

Also Ob Nixilis refuses to die and continues to be a problem, which is a lot of fun.

Thanks for letting me talk about my little guys, Crim!

~Jasper

[jasper-the-menace]

Jesk! An Old Capennan viashino and Old Phyrexian, he serves as the right-hand man to Praetor-Matriarch Elizabeth Bardsly. He's in charge of protecting the Old Phyrexian camp and is noted by other Phyrexians to be "kind of a lot". Unlike most Old Phyrexians (who are happy to have a blend of metal and skin), Jesk opted for a full-metal makeover through the years.

[jasper-the-menace]

wait, so I read your fic, and you mentioned that falco's parents are dead and soem stuff about xander's parents. what are your thoughts on the parents of the five demons? what are you going with in your fics?

I'm gonna tuck this under a "read more" because of spoilers for the Blood and Songbirds continuity. And it's long. And also, a lot of child abuse. It's not a surprise that these five ended up where they are today.

Falco Spara

In chapter 30, we get our first and (thus far) only look into Spara's family: His parents died when he was a young boy, and he was raised in the Church of Serra. It was early enough in his life that he doesn't remember them. Hilariously enough, even without the context, his life followed a very similar path to theirs.

Ser Edmonda Spara was once the leader of the Church of Serra's paladins and knights. She was often the first one to charge over the hill at whatever monster Old Capenna threw at them. This is the thing that made her future husband (Dane Harrelsone) fall in love with her. He was a rogue, she was a paladin, it's a tale as old as time. It just didn't end well - both were murdered.

The archpriest of the Church of Serra, Friede Thorn, was then the one that raised Falco until he followed in Edmonda's footsteps and became a paladin...and then later consort with Gothalahl, the Forsaken Prosecutor, who gave Spara power and led the paladins and knights to becoming the modern Brokers.

Raffine

Raffine's mother (Veronnia) and father (Isidor) were not on good terms, with Isidor leaving Veronnia and the unborn Raffine pretty shortly after they came together. Veronnia also kicked Raffine out as soon as Raffine could fly. Sphinxes were already rare in Old Capenna (Raffine would later only recall three others) so it's not like Raffine cared much about either of her parents. Signing the contract with her archdemon, Lorahl the Mindcage Tyrant, was the biggest "fuck you" that Raffine gave to the other sphinxes, especially her parents. Both of her parents were killed (though not compleated) by the Old Phyrexians.

Xander

This is the spicy one.

Xander's father (Ehlstan Maestros) was a minor lord in Old Capenna. He got married young to a druid named Elizabeth Bardsly, and Xander was their only child. (Xander, by the way, doesn't know that his mother was a druid to begin with.)

In chapter 18 of Blood and Songbirds, we find out that Ehlstan had a whole dungeon, where he would torture, murder, and otherwise attack and mutilate anyone he imprisoned there. When Xander was younger, he would hide in the shadows and wait for his father to return from the dungeon to gauge his mood and decide whether to make himself scarce or be ready for, well...anything similar.

In chapter 20 of Blood and Songbirds, we find out that Elizabeth had grown a garden in the courtyard that puts Jetmir's modern garden to shame. She left Ehlstan to rejoin the druid circle she had left upon marriage, and Ehlstan had the courtyard sealed away after she left. It's through Elizabeth's side of the family that Xander got his chronic illness that was a strong influence in him signing the contract with Raxi, the Shadowed Defiler.

Xander, Evelyn, and Spara worked together later in their young lives to kill Ehlstan and leave no trace of evidence. Under those "unfortunate" circumstances, Xander rose to be the lord of his little hamlet.

In chapter 31 of Blood and Songbirds, it's revealed that Elizabeth is "alive" as an Old Phyrexian, separate from New Phyrexia's invasion and part of the Phyrexians who still remembered Yawgmoth's teachings without the influence of the modern praetors.

Ziatora

Dragons are notoriously family-oriented. Egyn and Aezzo had a clutch of eggs together, though only Ziatora made it to hatching. Ziatora grew up with a thirst for adrenaline, which led to her clashing with knights and paladins both (which is why she and Spara still have beef with each other to this day). Against her parents' wishes, she became first a bandit leader, and then a demon through the contract with the Noxious Slaughterer, Mufingel. Egyn and Aezzo were both killed by Old Phyrexians and compleated, only to get killed again by their own daughter.

Jetmir

Spoiler alert: Jetmir is the only one of the demons who had a good relationship with both of his parents.

Jetmir was the prodigal son of Archdruid Lazzaro and his wife Seville. When he finally got old enough to lead the leonin druid circle, Lazzaro stepped down and let his son take it in a vastly new direction - partying and enjoying the finer things in life. Though they disagreed with their son on some things, Lazzaro and Seville lived nice long lives in New Capenna until dying of old age well after the Phyrexian invasion drew to a formal close.

Shoutout to them for being the least fucked up parents of everyone, honestly.

[jasper-the-menace]

My OCs

Absinthe Rakdoson (Magic: The Gathering)

Amphitrite the Primarina (Pokemon)

Aqua the Pokemon Trainer (Pokemon)

Areia Camael (The Elder Scrolls)

Arenmir the Altmer (The Elder Scrolls)

Astropo (Dragon Ball)

Bear Sianamne (Dragon Ball/Dungeons and Dragons)

Beatrice O'mally (complicated)

Benoe the Ranger (complicated)

Blue the East Gastrodon (Pokemon)

Boyne Alexander Mason (complicated)

Chariot the Pawniard (Pokemon)

Coconut the Alolan Exeggutor (Pokemon)

Dana the Flareon (Pokemon)

Danae of Theros (Magic: The Gathering)

Dennari Areia (Legends of Chima/Magic: The Gathering)

Elizabeth Bardsly (Magic: The Gathering)

Emily Zephyras (Legends of Chima/Magic: The Gathering)

Emylyn Aghadraki (complicated)

Faust Sianamne (Dragon Ball/Dungeons and Dragons)

Flam (Dragon Ball)

Gideon Makarov-Walker (complicated)

Grainne the Griffin (Legends of Chima)

Grealt Fuque (Dragon Ball)

Himo and Hami Sianamne (Dragon Ball/Dungeons and Dragons)

Jaren Rakdoson and Ritter Rakdoson (Magic: The Gathering) * Jaren Trevelyan (Dragon Age verse) * Ritter Trevelyan (Dragon Age verse)

Jinjer the Saiyan (Dragon Ball)

Keklur of Order (complicated)

King the Bisharp (Pokemon)

Koda Hayashi (Magic: The Gathering)

Doctor Landrik the Lion (LEGO Legends of Chima)

Lena Maise of New Capenna (Magic: The Gathering)

Queen Liberta the Lion (LEGO Legends of Chima)

Lohiarm Makarov (complicated)

Loki the Skydancer (Flight Rising)

King Lupercalia the Lion (LEGO Legends of Chima)

Mathias Markov (Magic: The Gathering)

Menea of Theros (Magic: The Gathering) * Menea Surana (Dragon Age verse)

Miriam Amnesti (Magic: The Gathering)

Nen of Amonkhet (Magic: The Gathering)

Nerizana Sianamne (Dragon Ball/Dungeons and Dragons)

Nicole Mosscheek (Dungeons and Dragons)

Okadi'dro the Khajiit (The Elder Scrolls)

Onyx Zephyras (Legends of Chima/Magic: The Gathering)

Ovlan Roya (Magic: The Gathering)

Pawn the Pawniard (Pokemon)

Petha Mazat of Ravnica (Magic: The Gathering)

Quick-Sign of Kamigawa (Magic: The Gathering) * Quisi Hawke (Dragon Age verse)

Rasa Sianamne (Dragon Ball/Dungeons and Dragons)

Reyna Elderfrond (Dragon Ball/Dungeons and Dragons)

Rook the Shiny Pawniard (Pokemon)

Rune the Tarot Reader (all of them)

Sakai Tetsuya (Magic: The Gathering)

Scrat of Eberron (Magic: The Gathering/Dungeons and Dragons)

Sharpa Fuque (Dragon Ball) * Sharpa Hawke (Dragon Age verse)

Spike the Crobat (Pokemon)

Stabs-Your-Chest the Khajiit (The Elder Scrolls)

Standard the Pawniard (Pokemon)

Stem Sianamne (Dragon Ball/Dungeons and Dragons) * Stem Mahariel (Dragon Age verse)

Tabitha Markov-O'mally (complicated)

Temp (Dragon Ball) * Temp Adaar (Dragon Age verse)

Torgen of the Trees (Dungeons and Dragons)

Tower the Pawniard (Pokemon)

Trey of Theros (Magic: The Gathering)

Vasca of Zendikar (Magic: The Gathering)