Meryelle "Mery" Keryndon
Level 4 Half-Elf Sage College of Lore Bard
AC: 13 (Leather Armor) | HP: 30/30 | Speed: 30 ft.
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft; Passive Perception 11, Passive Insight 11, Passive Investigation 14
Str: 8 (-1) | Dex: 14 (+4) | Con: 14 (+2) | Int: 14 (+2) | Wis: 11 (+0) | Cha: 18 (+6)
Languages: Common, Elven, Solamnic, Kharolian, and Draconic
Spell-casting: +6 or DC 14 | 1st 3/4 2nd 1/3 | Bardic Inspiration: 1/4
“My words,” | ‘My thoughts,’ | My actions
Mery chuckles at Kalasääski's antics. She tells the osprey, "I feel grateful that we have your talons when you swoop down from the sky and do one of those raking attacks. That shows that you are tough and not to be taken lightly. Poor Handsome's head is just flesh and blood. If we stay together for any length of time, I'm wondering if it would be possible to get a stick of the right diameter to make a comfortable perch for you and use a leather strap to lash it to the pommel of my saddle. It might need a brace or two to be sure the stick can hold your weight, too. But we can cross that bridge later on if we need to."
After Granny Mélanie's story about lizard people from the swamps, Mery replies, "Oh no, the lizard-like humanoids I speak of are not swamp-dwellers. They are called draconians. We just found out that they are corrupted good dragons. The thing is, Granny Mélanie, the old gods are returning to Krynn, and Takhisis is responsible for corrupting these good dragons—one of the draconians just told us so. She has raised them up to be part of her armies. My traveling companions and I believe Takhisis wants to take over all of Ansalon if not our entire world, and she has an army full of these draconians in Solamnia right now that is trying to take over this country. Like your swamp-dwelling lizardmen, they try to take whatever they want whether it's rightfully theirs or not. And when you kill these draconians, they always do something potentially deadly, like release gas that momentarily petrifies you or explode and send bone shrapnel all over the place."
She pauses for a few moments, taking a bite of her stew. "In cities, Takhisis' armies—the Red Dragon Army in the case of the one invading Solamnia—will round up those who can fight and force them to serve the army. They also seek people whose loyalty they can buy with money. I can see your stone being quite useful in a fight against the forces of Takhisis."
She then gives a troubled sigh. "The situation with my traveling companions was more akin to an ordinary argument where there were mistakes on both sides but no real malice. They also bumbled into something that's extra painful for me, but again, I believe it to have been done without malice. I just got emotionally overloaded and need to calm down, and I'm a lone woman traveling with four men and a female Gully Dwarf who thinks much more like a man than a woman. It's less that I think they're dastardly and more that they aren't the best at dealing with someone who's upset. I also have a troubled past. I'm on a journey in my life to heal from the harm that was done to me, and I've made some progress, but without a feminine woman around who I can lean on when I'm upset, it's...kind of challenging."
She then gnaws on her lower lip, thinking about the old granny's offer. "If I agreed to let you teach me your ritual, what would you require as payment? Is there something I can do that you might want in trade?"
Actions & Resources
Actions:
Shortbow (simple, ranged, ammunition, two-handed). Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, ranged 80/320 ft., one target.
Hit: (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.
Dagger (light, ranged or melee). Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, ranged 20/80 ft., one target.
Hit: (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.
Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: (1d4+2) piercing damage.
Bonus Actions:
Healing Word
A creature of your choice that you can see within range regains hit points equal to 1d4 + your spellcasting ability modifier. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the healing increases by 1d4 for each slot level above 1st.
Bardic Inspiration (4 per long rest, for 1d6)
As a bonus action, a creature (other than yourself) within 60 ft. that can hear you gains an inspiration die (1d6). For 10 minutes, the creature can add it to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw. This can be added after seeing the roll, but before knowing the outcome.
Cutting Words (requires use of bardic inspiration)
Also at 3rd level, you learn how to use your wit to distract, confuse, and otherwise sap the confidence and competence of others. When a creature that you can see within 60 feet of you makes an attack roll, an ability check, or a damage roll, you can use your reaction to expend one of your uses of Bardic Inspiration, rolling a Bardic Inspiration die and subtracting the number rolled from the creature’s roll. You can choose to use this feature after the creature makes its roll, but before the GM determines whether the attack roll or ability check succeeds or fails, or before the creature deals its damage. The creature is immune if it can’t hear you or if it’s immune to being charmed.
Heat Metal
Until the spell ends (up to 1 minute), you can use a bonus action on each of your subsequent turns to cause this damage (1d8 fire damage for each level the spell is cast at, minimum 2nd level) again.
Ammunition:
14 arrows in quiver, 0 arrow bundles in backpack.
Spellcasting:
Mery is a 2nd-level spellcaster. Her spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). She has the following bard spells available for spontaneous casting:
- Cantrips (3/3 slots): prestidigitation, vicious mockery, message
- 1st level (4/4 slots): healing word, hideous laughter, cure wounds, unseen servant
- 2nd (3/3 slots): invisibility, heat metal, enhance ability
Class Features:
- 3/3 Bardic Inspiration, recovered after a long rest
- Song of Rest (Use on any short rest - anyone who hears her performance and chooses to regain a hit die gains an extra 1d6 of HP.)
- Jack of All Trades (add 1/2 proficiency bonus, rounded down, to any ability check you make that doesn't already include your proficiency bonus.)
- Bardic College = College of Lore. Gain expertise in 2 skills you already have proficiency in, and proficiency in 3 new skills. (Choosing Persuasion and Deception for Expertise, adding Nature, Stealth, and Religion for Proficiency.)