Brandon Buchanan

Origins

Brandon was born to Lord and Lady Buchanan, a pair of nobles who both sit on the Kingdom Council. As a high-ranking noble, Brandon was raised within the human capital alongside King Angar's young descendants. Though not officially part of the royal family, he is widely considered such because of how close he is to the prince and princesses of Tauros--not just in age but in friendship.   Man of Many Talents Due to his inherited privilege--naturally--Brandon was privately tutored in many subject areas and impressively mastered all of them. Riding, swordplay, battle tactics, mathematics, logic--to name a few. But aside from such practical, 'useful' skills, our sweet Brandon has always had a love for music. He learned well under his musical masters and took to singing and playing the lute like it was his sacred charge. Most of the songs in his repertoire are pieces he's composed himself or poems he's set to original tunes. Of course, he's studied a variety of traditional music as well.   Though Brandon was never granted the privilege to pursue an artistic career, he's never let that stop him from playing at local taverns or serenading anyone who might listen as he travels the continent.  

The Golden Muse

At the age of eighteen, Brandon traveled to the far northern region of Aurus to launch his adventurous career. He started as a student in the famed Fighters Academy in Careth where he met his longest and closest friend, Lil. A Lor elf from the woodlands of Gumber, Lil and Brandon were practically neighbors who simply missed each other until they both came to study at Academy. As peer partners, they spent a lot of their time together--mostly through sparring and form exercises--but they also had a rare and genuine connection that made them inseparable.   Brandon truly believed he was meant to have befriended the talented Lil and always be part of her life no matter where they respectively ended up. She became his first muse, inspired many original songs that he often wrote within earshot of her. Lil did not just sharpen Bran's sword skills but his artistic ones as she was also musically trained from childhood. Her creative ideas made his music blossom and opened up many performing opportunities for him in the north.   As the end of their four years together at Academy drew nigh, Brandon attempted to court Lil--an endeavor that ultimately ended in his heartache. He'd never been rejected before (no one simply rejected the wealthy son of nobles), so he took it especially hard.   But for many composing musicians, heartache became his second muse. Brandon sang himself through a dark and difficult time in his life. His golden-haired maiden went missing for three months, and when he discovered that Lil had been captured by an undefeatable enemy, he withdrew into the seclusion of the mountains to drown his sorrows.   It was not his proudest moment. Though he longed to fight for Lil he could not simply rescue her and bring her back. Someone else had to become the hero of this tale, someone who ended up stealing his muse's heart, claiming her hand.  

Picking up Pieces

The loss would not spell the end of Brandon's career, though. In the aftermath of his 'break-up' with Lil, he decided to return home to Tauros and throw himself into protecting his realm as an agent of the Crown. His connections and influence saw him quickly rise through the ranks, and within three years, he was granted a position as Captain in the nearby town of Danelith.   To this day he serves there, keeping eyes out and networks tight within the sparse plains of Lorianthil. He guards the Kingdom's borders by day and plays up the local taverns by night. Though he habitually complains about the golden-haired maiden that got away, he remains a distant friend to Lil and sometimes crosses paths with her in the work field--her and her mate.