WINDBORNE BARD

“Perhaps fortunately, the wendigo are almost .extinct.” a sluggish pace considering who is supporting who. but Patriot is not but a person who has many things left to do. and not enough time. the constant coughing fits that he puts himself under was worrisome by itself. but having half your body growing red crystals is almost disaster in the making. hence why he never goes outside anymore unless it is truly needed. 

 “I pray this friend of yours. Never finds my home. For if they do. they will. surely die from. the sickness native. to it.” it had a 100% fatality in it…and one without knowledge of what to avoid, what else can you say?

“Ah, well, they’re a rather capable one, so I think they’d manage if they found their way to your star.”

They had survived Teyvat so far, after all, and all the disasters of the world coming to light. Between the Fatui working beneath the Tsaritsa - that poor Goddess, hardened to the world with no love left for her people, and none given back to her - and the loss of their sibling...well, far too many things to name beyond that...

Surely, the Traveler would be fine to whatever came next in their travels.

@windborne-ballad​!

         the signs called it a theatre. he didn’t know what that was, but it was a big place. it looked like someone had made steps going down the hill, but there were pathways between them, and a flat area at the bottom. someone was there — a human (someone who looked human, at least) holding something in his hands. each time he touched it, it made a noise. the sounds were like the music that he heard in the city, but not like any of them at the same time. Pikachu moved down the tilted path so he could get closer, ears twitching as they liked the sound of the song the person played, and passing by some of the listeners who had sat down on the steps. when the playing stopped and the audience started clapping, Pikachu jumped onto the ground he was standing on and hopped closer.  “chuu~” his arms moved away from his sides a bit, letting his excitement show.

He wondered what it was like, the excitement of these people hearing songs from beyond their star?

A story through song unlike what they had ever heard before - fingers dancing across the strings of a lyre to write something entirely new for their minds to experience? It was a thrilling thing for him, when he was still a young sprite, so he could imagine - but not quite get there. It had been many years since those days, after all.

Still. Venti had managed to grab quite the crowd in this little theater he had found, offering a bow and a grin at the end of his performance as the sound changed from his gentle tune to the roaring applause of the onlookers.

“Why, thank you, thank you! Always a pleasure to perform for appreciators of the art!” His voice was lilted with a teasing edge as he spoke, though quickly changed when he noticed the small creature that had joined in. Many a times had he sung or strummed a tune for the creatures residing in the forests around Mondstadt...but never had he seen one that looked quite like this.

@windborne-ballad​ // starter call

This was an energy that he was far too familiar with. Thousands of years ago when the seven had newly become the archons of their respective lands, the bard had crossed into Liyue with nothing but a bottle of wine and a cheerful spirit to spend the days with. That had begun the meetings of the seven and the gathering of adeptuses in Liyue Harbor. As the years dragged on though, soon seven had become six and then five; familiar faces exchanged for new ones until only the two of them remained. 

Barbatos had gone into a sleep and Zhongli had immersed himself into work. Echoes of revolution and freedom had reached his ears years later and he had only wished his fellow archon the best before returning back to endless contracts and commerce routes through the harbor. He wondered, as the years went by and his memories began to drag on his soul, if the other too felt the weathering of the years. Now he wondered too, if this world had been able to bring himself and Barbatos here, exactly how powerful were the forces at work here? 

“This was not how I imagined we would meet again… Barbatos.” He paused, expression pensive. Perhaps it was not the name that the other would have preferred, but here without their respective cities, did it matter much? “Have you been here long?”

It was a presence he couldn’t ignore.

One he associated with companionship through gains and losses. One that stuck through the wear and tear of time, playful bickering...and, just maybe, even an eon of slumber and the unwilling fall from power.

Godhood and a Gnosis didn’t determine their bond, though.

Venti had asked the Traveler about Morax. If they had managed to meet, and what the general thoughts on the Geo Archon were. Of course, he had heard that Morax - Rex Lapis - had been killed at the annual Rite of Descension. It was...terrifying, to hear such a thing. After slumbering for so long, aiding Venessa, and traveling the world as a bard - to hear that Morax of all people had been killed?

( to think that he was the last? )

It was a horrifying thought. A heart-wrenching one. 

But the Traveler was kind enough to let him know Morax was posing as a mortal man named Zhongli. Something the two of them had in common once again, he supposed, though the blockhead really gave him a scare.

To meet him here, though...

“Nor how I thought we would meet, Morax...or, should I be calling you Zhongli?” A playful lilt to his voice, accompanied with a cheeky smile. “You really went and gave me a scare with that stunt you pulled back in our star, you know. Lucky that a mutual friend saved you from having me march all the way down to Liyue myself!”

It was harsh and confusing to Xiao to see the archon Barbatos so casually comfortable with his surroundings, considering how far they were from either of their homelands. He almost seemed to enjoy it. It wasn’t until Venti called himself a humble bard that Xiao wondered if maybe this was all some sort of act. Pretending to be comfortable so those around him would relax. Clever…

❝It’s too loud,❞ Xiao answered honestly. He found a spot on the branch to balance his spear to free his hands. His knee was pulled up to his chest and he rested his chin atop it, his arms folding around his leg as he stared out across the treetops.  ❝I feel a looming danger here. Not the demons and darkness hiding in the crevices' of Liyue. Something different. Much more unpredictable. Everyone here is out of time and place–it’s unnatural. Doesn’t that concern you?❞

Venti hummed idly and paused to set his lyre down on his lap, leaning back to look up at the sky, to feel the breeze on his face. Loud...that was certainly one way to describe things. The scenery and the people both - loud, and plentiful. Different than the peaceful lands of Teyvat where you could go miles only seeing small settlements, if any at all.

This city - though larger than any other city he had seen before - was...as dangerous as it was exciting. Enticing for those who longed for what it offered and off-putting for those who only wanted to return to the familiar. 

“Did it concern you when the two travelers arrived to our star? They were out of time and place - and yet they’ve done much good.” His voice changed a bit, growing more serious in tone. He knew by now when someone needed Venti and when someone needed Barbatos. 

And so, the God continued to speak.

“It is unsettling, yes, but that’s because we’re unfamiliar with it - that unnatural sensation. If there’s an unpredictable danger here that you sense - I trust you whole heartedly. Who better to feel such a thing, after all! But we don’t have a duty here. No demons to slay, no visions to grant, no mortals to look after...so, cut back a little!” He laughed a little, turning to look at Xiao with a small smile. 

Beidou had been spending the moment to herself, taking a sip from her gourd filled with God knows what. Though the smart bet was that it was some kind of alcoholic.

She hadn’t met that many people in this city yet, only having been around for just a small bit. So she was spending most of her time just adjusting and acclimating to her brand new surroundings.

It was right after taking a swig from her gourd that she heard someone speak out to her. She looked to see what was apparently a very excitable little guy. Her brow raised, especially at his words.

It seemed like he knew who she was. Well, that told her that he was from her world at least. Though she hadn’t met him before. At least, not that she could recall.

Either way, she answered.

“Yeah, that’s me. I guess you’re from the same world as me. And I guess I don’t need to give you my name. But can I have yours?”

“The name’s Venti - bard extraordinaire hailing from none other than Mondstadt!” He chimed, offering a little wink as he cheerily lifted up his lyre to prove that he was, indeed, a bard. Plus, perhaps stating himself as a bard would lead to him being able to ask what he wished to, without any suspicion.

After all - he wasn’t witness to her actions, though he heard of them through the grapevine. How much of it was true, how much of it was made up? What was it like for her in the moment she proved herself to the Gods? He was always curious about those things.

He only ever knew the stories of the people with anemo visions. People who needed freedom, or fought for it. Tied down by duty, responsibility, memories - people who needed to look into themselves and find who was living inside. Their stories tied to his own, and for that he granted them a chance at something more.

He never quite understood the others’ methods, but it was not his place to either. Beidou was obviously more than worthy of weilding a vision.

“It is far too long. It only. prolongs the suffering.’ he says, matter of factly because it is factly that the longer you live, the more people disappear from your life. The longer the pain will be, he must. in all cases move on from his pain and keep walking forwards, no matter what. 

He must march on. 

 “The wendigo, are so few. But we must, keep connected to the land. Because it speaks, and we listen.” He intones. “If you ever. Meet me again in my. world. Perhaps you will. Only see a grave.”

 “Apologies. I only speak. of morose.”

“Unfortunately I am not one for traversing worlds,” Venti begins, and pauses. Perhaps they were not but... “Though, you may find yourself one day receiving a visitor to your star that I am well acquainted with.” The Traveller and their sibling seemed to make a life of that, after all. Hopping from star to star with one another.

How they longed to hear their tales one day, after they were reunited. 

“If the land speaks to you, you must listen...that I understand well, as the wind has many stories to tell! From the peaks of the mountains to trees in the forest, nature is meant to be respected.” Venti’s voice was lilted as he spoke - or more accurately, it felt to be a tone fitting of a bard speaking in rhymes and song.

❝Venti..❞ The name is still foreign to Xiao, but he uses it out of respect. He weighs it on his tongue in silence, only pulled back out of his contemplation again when the other asks him to sit.

Getting to the branch is nothing. A series of quick jumps; foot finding purchase here, fingers gripping a small knot in the bark there. Soon enough, he’s settling down next to Venti with a flutter of loose silks and the gentle clack of beads hanging off his neck and waist.

❝I didn’t know humans had built such a large city,❞ he admitted in response to Venti’s question. From their spot among the foliage, he could lift his gaze and look out to the buildings that started up at the edge of the forest. It brought a slight frown to his face, reminding him that he’d determined some time ago that this was not Liyue, and he is unintentionally abandoning his post.  ❝Is this what is beyond Celestia?❞

He would not take offense were Xiao to use the name Barbatos. It was how he knew him best, and they were in a private location. But something about the nature of this world and using his chosen name opposed to his given one left him with a small feeling of giddiness he equated to what he felt after bottles and bottles of dandelion wine.

A notion of freedom, even for the one who granted it.

The bards fingers still danced across the strings of his lyre as the other joined him, a smile on his face as they sat in the silence prior to his questioning. Celestia...that was certainly an interesting take - but Venti had been in their halls before. Seen and tasted all they had to offer.

Celestia was bland. This was exciting. 

“No, though I think some would loathe to hear that I find this place better than Celestia. Their water is foul, the fruit is bland, and they have no cider! They have much better options here, in this star. Plenty of drink and food.” Venti laughed lightly and finally set his lyre down on his lap and turned to the other.

 “Ha. Ha.” the laugh came out coarser than a person could imagine. like it was pained, every movement caused pain that travelled throughout his whole body. Though being used to it, the feeling was dull now and somewhat painless when  he kept moving for long periods of time like he is now. There was nothing to deny that he is old, and that soon death will come. But right now this city seems to have a hold, as it grasping death by the throat and saying. No. 

that is it. 

 “I mean, no offence. My kind, part of them. Can appear as young. as you but be. hundreds of years.” the vampire subspecies of the sarkaz race, another ancient race that long lasted since time existed. 

“I take no offense to the comment. I’m only a bit shocked by it!” No one ever quite managed to detect with a single glance that he was not who he seemed to be, after all. He had made it impossible to do so - and even those within the city he was supposed to rule, even those who worshiped him...they hadn’t a clue as to his true identity.  And that was how he wanted to leave it.

For someone from a different world to point that out in less than an instant, well...it was not favorable to say the least. But alas - Venti knew how to mask the truth where he needed to. It would be best to do so here.

This is an uncapped starter call for the Canvas Event! For the event, Venti will primarily be engaging in the musical arts, given that he’s a bard! Though if anyone is making wine when it comes to culinary arts...he’ll probably come try to get some off of you to drink. He’s a patron of the arts, in a sense, since it’s the freedom to create and express yourself, so he’d be happy to check in with just about anyone!

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT QUESTIONS ( HARD ) ! ( currently accepting ! )

6. Does your muse have any scars? What are their qualities, how do they feel to touch, where did they come from? Are they permanent, or will they fade?

As a God, Venti has the ability to choose what he looks like. Male, female, androgynous, human, creature - he can pick and choose however he pleased. The body he wears is not his own, but that of another. Still, it is fabricated out of his own powers.

Due to this, he can choose if he wants to have scars or not. Despite living through wars, decades, centuries, eons - he does not have a single scar on his body, for they were all done away with magic.

7. How tall is your muse and how much do they weigh? Are they built, muscular, fat, or skinny? Do they have much control over how they appear?

5'3" ( 163cm ) and I don't usually pay attention to character weights, so by default you can assume Venti is of a healthy weight for their build and height. They have COMPLETE control over how they appear - so they could change any attributes of their body whenever they wish.

 “It is . their situation that chooses for them.” A person can become so hungry, that greed will overtake whatever fear they have. Patriot knows the bad things that a single person could do given the power, and what the masses can do given the choices between survival and comfort. 

old men who would always think they are in the right. thats what the pair think of themselves, not even regretting the consequences that follow. Its how the old survive their regrets, their mistakes. Everything that has made them, them. 

 “You are. Older than you. Look. How. Novel.” he comments, the lights of the clinic were near, his clawed hand is clutching the walls, leaving almost deep grooves into the cement. 

 “I. Thank you for . Assistance.”

“Perhaps, but others may not think the same. Situations serve as half the battle - but some lust for more out of nothing more than who they are as a person.” He had seen it enough to know it was not situation alone that drove people into horrid fits of greed.

Some greed was good. A desire for something more could pave the path to freedom - but there were a great many who already held power over the masses, and still they took advantage of the less fortunate. It was not situation, so much as an evil that resided within the mortal mind.

Though, would it be so farfetched to say that even a sprite, even a god, longed for more, too?

Spotting the slayer of Haishan in this world was both a surprise, and something that felt so obviously normal at the same time.

Venti didn’t know if people being pulled to this realm was some manner of test to prove your mettle to greater powers ( had he not already done that, taking up the seat of the God of Winds and surviving the Archon War to take his seat amongst the Seven as the God of Freedom ? ) but were it a test of might...well, these greater powers chose wisely.

He did not travel to Liyue often, but he would be a fool of a bard had he not heard the tales of Crux Captain. Of course, being on of the Seven, he knew of her exploits against the Haishan as well, it being what goaded the previous Electro Archon into granting the woman her vision.

And he’d be even more of a fool if he didn’t take this opportunity to speak with her!

The tree. A large, constant landmark that was (usually) easy to find your way back to as long as you kept it in your sights. Or, if you don’t care for keeping customs, crossed rooftops and avoided the twisting streets of the Cotes district. Up in the tangle of massive branches, Xiao found that he could be alone. Away from the city, away from people, where he could contemplate this strange place and how it was he came to be in it.

He’d taken to spending his nights here, too.

A gentle tune roused him, and he blinked to find that the sunlight was hanging lower than he’d expected. He’d been awake until sunrise the night before, perched there in the branches, but had allowed himself to doze when he knew that he was well and truly alone.

Now, the sound of strings. An old tune, a familiar tune. Odd, considering nothing in this place was familiar. He picked up the wooden spear that he’d set down next to him and carefully picked his way through the branches until he could see the face of the man making such music. He was certain he hadn’t been seen, and yet the man addressed him confidently, confirming his suspicions and piquing his curiosity.

With a quiet thud, Xiao’s heels made contact with the ground. He looked Venti up and down before quickly averting his gaze off to the side to speak,  ❝And I thought the Archon, Barbatos, was contentedly hiding in Mondstat, these days.❞

“Is hiding in plane sight truly hiding? Or is it the contented gaze of man, which passes over their god so idly? Quite the question - Barbatos or Venti? A piece of wisdom, or a companion for a moment of respite.” 

The bard’s voice was lilted as he spoke - more of a poem or a song to accompany the melody of the lyre opposed to speaking a proper response. Though, that was quickly paused as he opened his eyes and flashed a grin, setting the lyre down in his lap so he could pat the spot next to him on the branch of the tree they were nestled in.

“Come, come sit! I’d greet you with some wine, but I’m afraid the bottle ran dry long before your arrival. I’ll have to stash a few spares here, next time.” 

Did Xiao even drink, or did he still only prefer that almond tofu of Liyue? It had been some time since Venti had found himself in the company of the Adeptus, as most of the tending to his karma - his curse - fell into the hands of Morax these days, even if he himself had helped in years closer to the Archon War’s end, and the fall of the other Yakshas. 

( ...or, was the time period closer to present day? He had lived so long, it was hard to tell. )