(Approved by Gracie)
Name (and title): Louis Alan Fritz the Minstrel of Choras
Age: 41
Race: Human
Sex: Male
Hair: Messy, dark blonde hair cut short, with somewhat neatly trimmed sideburns, stubble, and a light, graying beard.
Eyes: An earthy brown with a gray tint.
Weight: 183 pounds
Height: 6’0”
Theme Song: Secret of the Forest (Chrono Trigger), Hurt (Johnny Cash)
Known Family:
Julianne Fritz – ex-wife
Melinda Fritz – eldest daughter (deceased)
Caroline Fritz – youngest daughter (deceased)
Katherine "Kate" Anne Madrigal – adoptive daughter
Homeplace: Brantmill, Choras, Guardia, Medina (city, country, continent, world)
Languages: English, spoken with less medieval flourishes because of his upbringing on a farm
Weapons: A short sword made of steel with an onyx-colored hilt that is hidden inside his clarinet within its case. A lighter manner of steel halberd is similarly hidden within a deceptively large fiddle case.
Armor: Louis wears a byrnie (down to the waist) shirt of chainmail crafted of steel rings underneath his clothing.
Strengths: Louis is a very versatile fighter who is proficient with a number of swords, spears, and axes. He is quick-thinking, and has a great degree of physical power and stamina beyond that of normal humans.
Weaknesses: Louis lacks magical abilities of his own and is somewhat slow on his feet. He refuses to harm women or animals, and is easily distracted by conversation when in a fight.
Skills/Magic: Louis possesses no magical skills. He wields swords, spears, and axes well, and can play several musical instruments. Thanks to Melody Ferrier, he has a few abilities that can manipulate sound or that draw upon the girl's own mysterious energies.
Sonic Whistle- A special technique taught to Louis by his protégé, the musical prodigy Melody Ferrier, where Louis emits a high, shrill, whooping whistle. It makes all metal or metal-like weapons vibrate, and causes his own sword or halberd to let out a sonic-wave that can harm opponents. The attack is powerful enough to knock a human male onto the ground, but its main purpose is to surprise a foe. Louis first used the skill against Zachary Leos in "Misadventures of the Minstrel - Northern Dojo".
Sound Barrier- A special technique taught to Louis by his protégé, the musical prodigy Melody Ferrier. By playing a tune with special qualities on his harmonica, which he composed together with the girl, he can generate a clear, rectangular barrier around his body, which can last for a duration of 10 minutes.
Healing Sonata- Louis begins this spell by playing the first few measures of a song with magical qualities, which was specially composed for him and Cadenza Madrigal by the minstrel’s own protégé, Melody Ferrier. As the melody flows, energy gathers at the man’s feet, and rises in bright rings until it has traversed his whole body, healing any non-lethal injuries, internal or external, as it goes. Melody’s flute can be heard echoing in unison with the song when the spell is cast.
Sonic Strike- Using his impressive strength, Louis can produce a strike with his blade that can cut through the sound barrier and is powerful enough to sever a human's arm if they are without armor. The strike can be performed with both his sword and halberd, but is more effective with the latter. Because of the speed of the attack, the minstrel needs more energy to use this attack than to slash normally, and the more he uses it, the more it tires him out.
Appearance: Louis was born a fair-skinned male, but over his years of traveling has acquired quite a tan. He is attractive in a rugged way, with sharp, pronounced features that contrast with his dirty, soft-edged attire. He wears loose, dark brown slacks fastened at the waist with a tan leather belt, and tan boots on his feet. On his upper body, he wears a white shirt (although it's now yellowing at the edges) with wooden buttons open down to his hairy chest, and a loose-fitting, dark red vest over top. Louis occasionally also wears a floppy, tall, brown hat with a wide brim, most often when in poor weather.
On his back, he carries a tan suede bag for supplies, and both his small, oaken clarinet case, and larger, brown, hard leather fiddle case. The straps of the bag and cases are worn across his chest.
Picture:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/sailormichiru/louisp.png
Personality: Louis is an eccentric and puzzling character to many; he respects lofty ambition in one person and down-to-earth realism in the other. With age, wisdom and a sense of gentle humor have come to him; he’s not bothered by callousness, especially if he believes it’s justified, as in the case of his colleague Cadenza Madrigal. Often his motives confuse younger ones, only for them to learn he has greatly helped them in some way later. He retains his fatherly side from when his daughters were alive, and is kind and protective towards children and others weaker than himself. Underneath all of this placidity, however, is the side of him that’s pained by his grave losses, and it shows itself in his dislike and distrust of the Merridale monarchy, and in quiet moments when he’s reflecting on his own.
In battle, he’s always willing to fight a formidable opponent, and always gives the match his all if he thinks his foe is worthy—seeing it as a sign of disrespect not to. He’ll only become gravely serious if his life or the life of one he cares about is in great danger. Occasionally, he’ll play a song after a victory in honor of his defeated foe’s efforts.
Biography: Louis the Minstrel hails from the imperial-minded Choras, land ruled by the royal family of Merridale. He once lived peacefully in the farming village of Brantmill, several miles from the tragedies and bloodshed of the ongoing wars. But when the latest conflict brought the battling to Bartholomew, merely ten miles away from quaint Brantmill, panic began to brew in the village. Men from Brantmill volunteered to join the ranks of the army to defend their home and way of life, and Louis Fritz was among them.
The small auxiliary force of Brantmill was called upon as the fighting progressed to Bartholomew Fields, halfway between the city and the farming village. When the day was over, Louis and his comrades believed they were successful in holding off the enemy’s army from penetrating Brantmill, but when they returned home, they found that their foes had razed the farming community to the ground. The grief was almost too much for the men to bear. Foremost among the mourners was Louis the Minstrel: a single father raising two children his disloyal wife had left him with twelve years prior.
Louis could feel his sanity slipping in the following months. Efforts were made to rebuild Brantmill, but he refused to participate. He needed to leave. He needed a fresh start.
Taking what supplies he had left from the packs the army had given him, Louis set off to travel the world of Medina, singing songs and telling stories of Brantmill, the Choras wars, and his life. He made money doing odd jobs, going on journeys and protecting people or small towns. But the bard’s main quest remained the same: to find a new purpose in life.
EDIT (3/3/07): Louis has, since leaving Choras, traveled to the mysterious Dome and become both a teacher and student. On his way there, he met a young girl named Melody Ferrier, who is a musical prodigy, and was heading to the Dome for some unknown reason as well.
Room at the Dome: Beyond the plain oak door is a grassy meadow, with stars perpetually twinkling overhead and trees interlocked in a sort of natural border before the simple dark brown walls. If one looks closely enough at the trees, they may find doors in a few of them. These doors are said to lead to a kitchenette, a bedroom, a full bathroom, and a few locations scattered throughout the Dome complex.
Despite all the shifting of the Dome halls, Melody Ferrier’s room is always right beside Louis’ quarters. The lilac-colored door opens to a lavender-hued room that is very easy on the eyes, and consists of a soft bed covered with sheets that have musical notes printed on them, a small white writing desk, and a dresser of the same tone. The two doors at the east end of the room lead to a full bathroom and a music studio.
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[B]Battles:[/B]
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/showthread.php?t=59276"]Misadventures of the Minstrel - Northern Dojo[/url] (complete)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/battle-arena/77282-knockin-heaven-s-door.html"]Knockin' on Heaven's Door[/url] (in progress)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/battle-arena/75912-shadows-mourn-puck-altamira-insaney.html"]Shadows of Mourn[/url] (in progress)
[B]Crossroads:[/B]
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/67018-excitement-operahouse-southern-belle.html"]Excitement at the Operahouse[/url] (postponed)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/69223-misadventures-minstrel-away-sea-hurripen.html"]Misadventures of the Minstrel - Away at Sea[/url] (postponed)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/71016-forgotten-lore-altamira-sabbo-vn.html"]Forgotten Lore[/url] (postponed)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/73085-farewells-all-those-who-wish-join.html"]Farewells.[/url] (complete)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/81646-send-me-friend-sakume.html"]Send Me a Friend[/url] (complete)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/81726-winning-end-altamira.html"]Winning In The End[/url] (dropped)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/82650-its-easier-hate-mikey-mike.html"]It's Easier to Hate[/url] (in progress)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/87105-spell-gone-awry-sakume.html"]A Spell Gone Awry[/url] (in progress)
[B]Character Fiction:[/B]
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/character-fiction/70585-common-cause-work-progress-everything-still-entirely-subject-change.html#post1789099"]A Common Cause (tentative title)[/url] (dropped)
[b]Training and Teaching:[/b]
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/showthread.php?t=59558"]Camdel's Training[/url] (in progress)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/showthread.php?t=59595"]Shrukan's Training[/url] (dropped)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/showthread.php?t=60286"]Chad's Training[/url] (in progress)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/showthread.php?t=60519"]LEA's Class IC Thread[/url] (dropped)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/battle-school/60734-altamira-harijs-training.html"]Harij's Training[/url] (complete)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/battle-school/59981-altamira-kratiss-training.html"]Kratis' Training[/url] (complete)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/battle-school/61664-altmaira-dirks-training.html"]Dirk's Training[/url] (complete)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/battle-school/63756-altamira-carcaroths-training.html"]Carcaroth's Training[/url] (complete)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/battle-school/67506-altamira-teras-training.html"]Tera's Training[/url] (complete)
