Vaustel Ren
He’s the only one who ever built a lute that could make a demon weep—and a king confess.
Name: Vaustel Ren
Race: Half-Elf
Class/Role: Master Luthier & Crafter of Enchanted Instruments
Age: 51
Appearance: Tall and slender with silver-shot blonde hair tied in a loose ribbon, Vaustel dresses like an artist who doesn’t care who’s watching—waistcoat askew, sleeves rolled, ink stains on his fingers, and sawdust on his boots. His left hand bears a tattoo of a treble clef wrapped in thorny vines, and around his neck hangs a carved wooden whistle he hasn’t blown in twenty years. His eyes are mismatched—one green, one a shade of polished rosewood.
Backstory
Once a prodigious bard of considerable acclaim, Vaustel lost the ability to perform after giving up his voice to end a fey bargain on behalf of a fellow musician. Rather than vanish into obscurity, he turned to his craft: the making of instruments so deeply bound to the emotions of their wielders that they’re considered alive by some arcane scholars.
Now residing in a quiet studio at the edge of a cliffside port city, Vaustel only accepts commissions from those who can move him with their story. His instruments have names, moods, and occasionally opinions. Many believe he still speaks through them—whenever a string plucks itself or a wind flute sighs unbidden.
