Nesidyn the Bard
Nesidyn (a.k.a. The King of the Fish)
Nesidyn the Bard (1623 BLC - 803 BLC), also known as The King of the Fish, The Whisperer or The Minstrel from the South, was an elf bard from Barael. He is a legendary figure, who has contributed greatly to the arts of the Northern Arm. Nesidyn's legacy consists of both his fables and myths, and the stories told about himself, such as The Legend of the Singing Fish and A Tale of an Old Dragon.
Life
Born in Barael, raised in Dathyll
Nesidyn was born the son of a female scout from Barael, who is said to have given birth to him within the darkness of The Porcupine, so that he immediately learned to see where there was no light. His mother continued her missions while he was a newborn, and the first seven years of his life were spent wandering the depths of the middle mountains and the lands of the Northern Arm. From a young age, Nesidyn showed a proclivity for making musical sounds and telling stories about events he had witnessed. This served as a great embarrassment to his mother, whose missions were often supposed to be kept secret. For this reason, she left him in the care of friends in the Dathyllian city Prydisyrr at age ten. Schooled by teachers in the city, Nesidyn was taught the creation myths and the aspects of the Bird Gods. He did not only absorb this lore eagerly, but could recall it in such a way that even his teachers, who had heard the stories countless times before, were captivated.A religious calling
Before long, Nesidyn was noticed by the Birdsong Singers, a group of poets and musicians who facilitated prayers and festivities directed towards the Bird Gods. They offered to train him in drama, teach him stories and develop his musical skills, in return for an active role during their events. Nesidyn spent thirty-three years with them, honing his skills, when he became interested in the then-fledgling cult of Waye. After learning about their beliefs, he went to the Moss Cave Mystery in Qosid in 1574 BLC, where he became initiated into the cult. Here, he spent forty-two years crafting the epic poem A Bird's Flight, before returning the Prydisyrr, where he drew crowds reciting his work, often improvising on the scenes with additional dialogue, songs and music. Inspired by the performance of the young elf, bards who saw his performance in Prydisyrr spread their version of A Bird's Flight to other elven settlements, thereby contributing greatly to the growth of Wayanism on the Northern Arm. Still, Nesidyn received a fair amount of criticism, as his poem playfully revised some of the Bird God mythology and his popularity was seen as the cause of a waning interest for the old gods. In 1510 BLC, he was summoned to the Qosidian High Tree Crown in Thellur to defend himself against accusations by the Elder Priests, who charged him with blasphemy. His defense, which provided the basis for the bardic song The Clearest Truth, argued that he had witnessed a deeper truth about the Bird Gods while engaging in the Moss Cave Mystery, and that his stories exist to worship them and Waye, the Mother of All. The Elder Priests would not have it, however, and declared Nesidyn an apostate and banned him from Qosid.Important work
- A Bird's Flight, in which the ancient Bird God myths are collected in an epic telling that features Waye as the mother and protector of the Birds.
- The Clearest Truth is a famous song that shows how Nesidyn argues against all accusations and arguments made by the Elder Priests of the High Tree Crown, but is ultimately cast aside because they put themselves above the gods. The song is enjoyed because of the many lines that foreshadow the Long Autumn in Qosid.
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