Elmar Poplarsong

== Elmar Poplarsong ==
The Show Starter, The Top Charter, The Bench Marker Elmar Poplarsong. Known through the Confederation of Haystan for his music and performances, usually seen for free by the public. Elmar is responsible for many of the most well known songs in the Confederation. Even having an entire genre of music named after him called Pop Music. A popular Bard indeed, Elmar's songs are known to be inspiring, with some of his more recent performances calling for unity and action against Emberot. 
=== Biography ===
==== Childhood ====
Elmar was born in Rotentor in 1527 AtS. Elmar doesn't talk about his family much but it is known he had two sisters, one older and one younger, and one older brother. The family was a line of merchants and wizards, When Elmar was around 7 or 8, he took up the bongos, the first of many instruments he would learn. He would also meet his later wife, Melodie, at one of his lessons. Elmar seems hesitant to talk about his family, which he claims is for their safety.
==== Teenage Years ====
By 14, Elmar was enthralled by music, seeing it to be just as magical as any spell. He had also become close Melodie by this point to whom he shared everything. The two were never able to be separated. Elmar had still followed some of his family's wishes, enrolling into a school of magic in the city, specializing in the theory behind magic, arcana. Secretly, he'd visit the Ruby Brush Bazzar and the Lakeside Studio, which were both art galleries and general arts & crafts places. There he'd learn to properly craft things, but only truly became proficient in Smith's Tools, surprisingly enough. 
By the time he was 17, he asked Melodie out, and the two started dating after. He had also started to master some instruments by this point, with his signature instruments being bongos, flutes, the lute, and the viol. He had taken up acting in secret and had become quite good at is, becoming proficient with disguises. He also learned to channel his magical abilities through his songs. 
==== Adulthood ====
Now an adult, Elmar, Melodie, and Star were off on their own. For the essentials, Elmar had come prepared with plenty of gold. If they truly needed something, Elmar was more than willing to work for it, or find some way to get it with magic. It was during his first time in Badenbach where Elmar truly became a man of the stage. He was encouraged to play in front of a tavern crowed, which was quite nerve racking for the musician who had spent his whole life being told music would take him nowhere. He used a technique he hadn't see others do before where he uses mage hand to help him play more at once. Using mage hand to help control his flute, he was able to focus on playing the lute, the bongo would be tapped by the top of the lute. It was no easy task but he did have years of practice. To his surprise, the audience loved it, and asked for more. He ended up playing for 3 hours, eventually choosing songs simple enough to be played just on a lute, singing along about the days of old, stories that had been told, past from generation to generation. Unknowingly to him, due to him being enthralled in the music, people had started leaving donations, and at the end of the night he had made 16 gp, an amount that astounded him. 
After he was finally done preforming, he went to the bar and asked for a drink. A woman sat next to him and complimented the music, to which Elmar brushed off. Elmar could feel magical energy radiating off of her, and she had an aura of celebration around her. Elmar, for the most part ignored her, though, as he was happily taken and wasn't interested. As he walked away the woman said, "You're far more fun than clerics," and even though it was whispered, Elmar heard, "especially mine..." That stopped Elmar, who sent her a message saying to wait until the bar was cleared so they could speak more alone." Until then, Elmar hung out with his girlfriend and sister, who congratulated him on his show. Star commented how excited the crowd was every time Elmar would start a new song. Elmar had to admit he was glad people liked his music, and he felt good after the performance, as if it was his thing.
When the bar cleared, the lady appeared again, this time with an instrument. It looked like a Viol but different. The woman held it up to her chin, which perplexed Elmar as it was completely improper form, but then the woman played. Thought it was for but a few seconds, Elmar was left stunned, it was more beautiful than anything he'd ever heard. Elmar asked the women how she could possible play that well, and she gave him a smirk, saying she'd been playing since before he was born. She told him not to worry about it too much and that she had an idea. The world desperately needed a pick-me-up, and people like Elmar were just the type of people to do so. All she asked is he travel around, preforming wherever he goes, and he would be able to make a living off of donations. Elmar can't say he didn't think of such an idea, after all he had made a lot of money in just 3 hours. Elmar asked Melodie and Star if they were ok with it, and they said it sounded fun and so Elmar agreed. The woman smirked and handed him the weird instrument. He asked why she handed it to him, and she told him to learn it and play it as the next town he goes to. She also gave him a small box, with a strange looking object inside. She called it rosin, and told him not only how to make it, but how to use it. Afterwards, she left the tavern, and Elmar had a feeling there was something more to her... 
The next town Elmar visited was Kreuzdorf, playing at The Iron Boar. He simply played another rendition of what he played in Badenbach, not confident enough in his skills with the new instrument yet. Elmar would stay in the city for 3 days before traveling on to Avenwolf and performing in The Golden Goose Inn, finally trying out his new instrument. Originally he planned to play it with bongos in the background, but after playing it for Melodie, she suggested to only use this new instrument. When she asked what it was called, Elmar replied with "A uh, viol.. uh" and she responded "Viola sounds nice." Even if by accident, he loved the name, and took her advice to play it without bongos. So he went on stage and performed what would later be called "The Viol-a." While the crowd was at first skeptic of this weird new instrument, especially as Elmar brought it up to his chin, but when they heard the music their skepticism washed away. The song was short, like "Enter: Elmar" but it was still good enough for the crowd. Elmar would experiment on the instrument live on stage, playing for a total of 11 hours straight, from around dinner time to near sunrise. By the end of the night, he had made a considerable 63 gold, and plenty of drinks. He realized, in retrospect, that this song had the same melody as his last few. Four descending quarter notes followed by two eight one quarter ascending twice. This gave Elmar an idea, for he had learned when he was younger of musician's signature "melodies" sometimes, though when he learned of them he was told they were called rifts. So he decided he would put this rift in every song, and call it The Storm Rift.
After leaving Avenwolf, Elmar decided to head by south to Kreuzdorf so that he could make a turn west to Neusellen, where he would play at multiple taverns, including, The Rocky Retreat. He decided to go back to playing his original instruments for a few of the shows, but reversing the measures of The Storm Rift for the flute, This would also be the first song Elmar made in E major, making it sound far more cheerful with the sharp notes. All in all, Elmar enjoyed his time in the city before moving on.
This traveling would continue for 5 long years. By then. Elmar was 23, Star was 15, and Melodie was 22. After making it to Wallsel, Elmar knew that the next big city to go to was obviously Rotentor, his old home. By this time, he had become quite popular, and his songs played at taverns around the Confederation. He knew nobody in his old town would recognize him, but just in case, he decided to slightly disguise himself. He did, however, make a plan that he would activate in his home town.
==== Tying the Knot ====
Elmar had, for a few months, thought of a way to ask Melodie to marry him and had decided it would be his grandest performance yet. He had prodded the question, asking what Melodie would do if he asked her to marry him while on stage, and she said she'd slap him before then accepting. He had bought custom forged rings, which would always be able to find the other as long as they were on the same plane. They would also bind to the wearer's finger and could only be taken off if they wanted it to be. Engraved on both was a picture of a treble clef, with the notes F A C and E, the space notes, each with tiny hearts on them and ascending upwards. This was meant to signify that the other's face would fill the space in their own heart, even in trouble. Elmar would then play what would become one of his most popular songs, "I Could Fall In Love With You." So there in his home town, in front of a fairly large crowd, in The Mage's Retreat, Elmar song his heart out, proposing to his wife, who was left in tears by the end. He would present the ring and she would put it on, the two happily bound for eternity, happy for eternity.
==== The Shooting Star ====
A few months after the wedding, Star would turn 16, and had been interested in learning magic, just like Elmar. She had had a far harder time learning to play, and seemed unable to cast magic through playing as Elmar had. She was very good at tinkering though, making Elmar believe her to be an artificer. He had observed her tinkering in her spare time, and saw how much she enjoyed it. So Elmar talked to Star, asking if she'd like to pursue that type of work instead of music, to which she agreed. Elmar would pay for Star to go to one of the best schools in the Confederation, though he's never said which one, and hired a retiree of the Shimmerhand Association to helper her harness her magical powers. She seemed very interesting in the design and making of firearms, a newer weapon on Ferra. Elmar encouraged her bright thinking, and as Star went off to school, it left just Melodie and Elmar to decide what to do for the future.
==== Home ====
Elmar was, barely, convinced by Melodie to return to their home town, to see how its changed, and maybe do a performance. Elmar agreed, even if he wasn't the happiest about it, because it would allow him to move on to the far east of the Confederation. 
He returned to his hometown, and decided to donate some funding to the Ruby Brush Bazzar and Lakeside Studio, the very same places he'd been a decade ago. This funding, he hoped, would allow children who were like he once was to thrive. He couldn't break the itch of how his old family was doing, though, and so he decided to pay them a visit, if not to reconcile at least to know he was right 5 years ago. 
==== A Return to Rotentor ====
Wishing to settle down for at least awhile, and enjoy the company of his Melody, Elmar decided that he would return to Rotentor for a while longer. He would buy a house with a studio in which he could make music and write his songs with ease, along with a spare house in Badenbach to visit when he wised. He would also fund a temple to Ylanna in Rotentor, a grand music hall called The Hall of Ferra. It is planned to be a large building with multiple auditoriums, studios, poetry and sound libraries, and tools for aspiring artists of Ferra. When asked why he chose the name, Elmar replied with, "Music and poetry are things that I believe anyone, regardless of what they've been through or who they are, can enjoy and deserves to be able to enjoy. I hope for this music hall to be the first in a chain of halls around all of Ferra, dedicated to helping artists, new and old, to furthering their career." The grand hall is planned to finish construction within the next 2-4 years, perhaps longer depending on if Emberot or its undead interfere.
Elmar's new home in Rotentor was impressive. A three story house with a beautiful garden and fountain out front. He had a soundproof studio with any instrument he could ever really need. His goal was to write one new song every month for the local taverns. When Elmar does perform at a tavern, its packed for the night, and all food and drink is paid for by him. In public while not performing, he is often in disguise, something he seems to be good at.
==== A Trip of Destiny ====
For his 24th birthday, Elmar decided to he would take a vacation with his wife to Badenbach, partly to perform at the first place he'd performed in years ago, and partly because he enjoyed the city of magic. Yet the night he was set to perform, tragedy would strike. For as he was performing, a great light would illuminate outside and the city began to shake. The crowd would be in a panic, despite Elmar trying his best to calm them down. He found his way to Melodie, telling her they needed to get outside. When the two got outside, Elmar would see a giant bird made of fire, Emberot. Fires littered the streets and rooves of buildings, and creatures of what appeared to be fire wisped around. For moments, Elmar stood shocked, before one of the creature attempted to touch Melody. Elmar sprung into action, taking the blow before commanding the creature to leave, lacing his words with magic. The two would run until they found a frontline being set up near the Golden Hand Cathedral. As Elmar got close, he heard a woman singing, telling her comrades to stand strong against the "Horde." The song gave Elmar an idea, and he told his wife to stay safe, as he became inspiring the troops fending off the siege. He would sing his soon to be standard battle song, "Survive." A small snippet is provided below:
All of these lives at stake
So we must thrive to ache
We stand strong until the
Siege is over!
No dying on me down
Defeat? It's not allowed!
Stand proud til dawn of day and 
fight! fight! fight!
The song was very effective, with the soldiers seemingly working double time. Once the siege was over, Elmar would go back to find Melody. 
It is public belief that the two has since broken up, as Elmar returned to his home in Rotentor alone. Since then, over 100 suitors and suitresses have taken in interest in becoming the new lover of the famous musician. Elmar has since not left his castle, even to perform. Some say they can hear his sad songs on his many instruments, but especially the viola. The suitors have reportedly become less and less patient over time.