Hamlin Pyrite

Raised in the small town of Corsee in Violl's Garden by his father, Hamlin grew up with no particular talents and had no real skill with or grasp of magic - but, left with his absent mother's electric mandolin, he poured his life into learning music. Though not innately talented in the field, his hard work eventually connected him with words of creation - and from this, magic manifested within him.

After finishing up a massage extension course in college, he departed his home town to learn more about his bardic abilities.

## Hamlin in the Campaign

Some time in the future, Hamlin would come to meet Dr. Galahan Facilier and Derica Bruno, the trio having been gathered together by the call of King Fenzhal of Home for an unknown reason. They soon found out from him that the world's end was at hand... and that, for some strange reason, only the three of them could stop it. Though initially the group couldn't be more like oil and water, Hamlin's journey with the trio would spark growth in him both emotional and physical, awakening him to new powers he hadn't known he possessed and granting him friends for life that he'd never had before.

During this journey, he and the others would come to meet and save Aficia, a girl whose curse initially threatened to destroy the world before Hamlin and his friends broke it. From then on, Aficia became like a daughter to them, accompanying the trio wherever they went as support and extra muscle--and of course, always spending time with her 'Uncle Hamlin' appreciating music and the arts. Hamlin would also meet the inscrutable Rath Kader, a whimsical noble who turned out to be a spy named Lukas Rademacher in disguise, sent to use Hamlin's naiveté against him and bleed him dry of information. Thankfully, Derica and Galahan told him off... but Hamlin's kind and forgiving nature ultimately led Lukas back to him, and after a genuine apology, the two have slowly eased into dating, with neither of them yet quite able to say how they really feel.

Throughout his journey, Hamlin would find himself on the receiving end of cryptic, otherworldly messages that leaked through to him in dreams and unconsciousness. Foggy images of his mother and brief flickers of her voice would reach through to him, but she could offer no clarity other than begging for him to find her and come to her. Eventually, with the help of Lukas Rademacher, he and the party determined that she was in a different Songhaven--a split timeline from their own. The Ice Ice Babies were able to travel there, only to find themselves in a broken world, one in which they as a group had not managed to save the world and instead had failed, letting Beasts run rampant. Instead, Hamlin--who had, in this world, been a prophesied hero--was killed during a fight against a powerful beast, leaving the world without its savior. Without him, all of the Pyrite family save for Marina died, the Derica Bruno of his world spiraled into nihilism and became an assassin who cared little for her own life, while the Galahan of his world lost more and more of his memory until he could scarcely remember anything that happened to him thirty second ago, locking himself away in an enormous library.

Of all affected by his death in this world, though, none were hit harder than his younger sister, Marina--a young woman who existed only in this timeline. She loved nothing and no one more than she loved her older brother, with whom she'd spent all of her life with, who had cared for her through thick and thin. But with Hamlin gone, the burdens of the world were shoved onto her shoulders, with the population believing that Marina was required to take up the position of being the "Hero of Prophecy" in his stead. Forced into a pact with a god by the people to gain the strength she needed, Marina quickly slipped into depression and desperation as the people forcibly summoned her to their battlefields to fight their fights with no breaks whatsoever. She became susceptible to the influence of the false god, Corruption, who promised that she would be able to see her family again if she made a pact with him... and so she did. Through Corruption's power, she was able to drag Hamlin's mother from his timeline to hers, and eventually, Hamlin himself. However, her devotion to Hamlin did not fully sit right with him, as he knew he could never really be the Hamlin that this world had left behind. Asserting this to her and saying he had to return to his own timeline, however, threw Marina into an inconsolable rage, and she forced him into battle rather than letting him leave, saying that if he wouldn't stay, then he would have to send her to be with her *real* brother himself.

Hamlin was unswayed by her doomseeking behavior. He refused to hurt her, instead trying to reach out to Marina even as she warped the words of his friends against him--calling up every instance she could of all the times Hamlin's loved ones had insulted him, particularly harsh words from Lukas, Derica, and Galahan. Yet eventually, Hamlin and the others were able to overwhelm her, forcing Marina to stand down. With Corruption's power overwhelming her, Marina had little time left to live, and as Hamlin cradled her in his arms, she apologized for hurting him. He forgave her, and peacefully, Marina slipped away... but Hamlin would not accept this fate for her. The strength of his devotion was enough to bring forth a mysterious spirit named Barron to aid him in his cause, a deceased man who opened a temporary portal to the afterlife for Hamlin to reach her through. Chasing her into the deathplanes, Hamlin called out to her soul, willing Marina to forgive *herself* for what had happened and promising her that they could live on *together*, in a happier Songhaven. Through the pain and difficulty, Marina heard his words... and her soul returned with his, reviving her and freeing her of her pacts. As promised, Hamlin brought her and his mother home to his own timeline, making his family whole once more and restoring light to Marina's life.