Tom would never have imagined he would have ended up here. Ever since he was a little boy he wanted to be a bard. Every winter he would make his way through the snow to clean the tavern’s stable so that he could sit by the hearth and listen to the bard wintering in the village. None of these bards were exceptional since the village was not very large. However, he would sit for hours listening to their songs and tales. As he got older he managed to get an old lute and would practice for hours in his father’s barn.

It was later in his fifteenth year that he discovered he had an ability, which would set his future path in life. Hank was the blacksmith’s son and went out of his way to put down Tom whenever he could. Tom had always been interested in Jesse and when he found out Hank was going out with her he stopped practicing his lute and could be found sitting by the creek throwing rocks. One day Hank saw him there and started taunting him about Jesse and even though Tom knew he could not win a fight he yelled: “Shut up!”. Hank tried to reply but he could not hear anything when Hank tried to talk. Then he realized he could not hear anything at all. Later, after both he and Hank panicked Tom saw a small picture flicker in the lower left of his field of view. It moved as he looked around and he suddenly realized this is what he had heard of in the stories about adventures. This was a status icon and as he focused on it a blue window opened in front of him.

Congratulations

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You have unlocked your ability Silence, 50 XP awarded. Basic 1.

He focused on Silence next and saw another window open.

Silence, Basic Level 1 (0%)

This ability creates a sphere of absolute silence 30 feet in diameter centered on the user. Refreshes twelve hours after last use or after complete duration used at the current skill level. Minimum duration 1 minute. There will be additional benefits at a higher skill progression level.

Duration: 1 minute per skill level

This ability did not seem very useful to an aspiring young bard, but it was still exciting, he had discovered an ability like an adventurer in his stories.

By his sixteenth birthday, he was ready to leave. His father kept pressuring him to stay on the farm with his brother and sisters, but he wanted to wander the world. Others in the village including Jesse kept their distance after he discovered his ability. Putting everything he owned in a pack including the battered lute he set out to make his fortune. Five months later found him wandering the streets of Brisban. It was a small city or large town depending on who you asked, but he didn’t care for that. He cared more about making some money to quiet the growl in his stomach. It had been a day since his last meal. It had sounded so easy to wander the world as a bard until he realized the tales he knew were from second-rate bard visiting a backwater village. His skills with the lute were mediocre at best as his customers were happy to point out. He had spent more time as a laborer than as an actual bard. Little did he know his fortune was about to change seemingly for the worse.