Bevan (prime)

Lord Bevan Ravenswing, as rendered by Divone.

Lord Bevan Ravenswing is an elven bard and sailor, one of the last survivors of the Kulthea era. He is one of the most notable performers in history, the only person to have finished first or second in the Aspis Bardfest five times, and the creator of the modern-day music festival.

Background

Lord Bevan is over 2500 years old, one of the oldest living adventurers. While he appears to be a surviving Ashrim elf, there are rumors that he is from another valence entirely, one called Aradath, which would technically make him a demon.

Clan Ravenswing, of which he is the patriarch, is large. He has twenty-one known children, by numerous women. His birth children are (in order) Dremerie (by an unknown mother), Tanri and Tanager (both rumored by another native of Aradath called Sylena), Chakyra (by the adventurer Jakaesa), Magdellena (by the adventurer Morgatha), Auren (by the adventurer Aureellia), Alcelor and Hyacinthe (by his fourth wife Cinnamon), Meilya (by his fifth wife Jadista), Alveron (by his sixth wife Morgause) and Chandasa (by an unknown mother). His adopted children include Taamlyn, Shadowkatt, Bethye, Gleeming, Marigold, Mustafo, Azure, Gladywyn, Ahkorakhil, Ainsley and Lunaryna. There is no sure count of his grandchildren and other descendants, which number in the hundreds at least.

He has been married six times. The identity of his first wife is unknown, although the union was apparently very brief, and rumor has it was in the valence of Aradath. His first known wife in Kulthea was Lael, and his second was Passion, the daughter of Lady Wanton; the three were in a group marriage for a time. He subsequently married the wizard Cinnamon, and most recently has been in a group marriage with the Faendryl half-sisters Jadista and Morgause, marrying them in 5103.

Political history

Originally joining House Paupers at the behest of his friends Wanton and Ryanna, he became Paupers' treasurer, and then its Chairman; he was the last Chairman of Paupers in the Ice Age. As such, he led a team of House officers to instruct and teach the great wave of newcomers after the Ice Age ended, the origin of the Order of Lorekeepers. He had not gained a title at the time of his appointment as Chairman, the last known adventurer to chair a Great House without doing so.

He resigned soon after that to join House Aspis, being immediately named its first Co-Chairman (the office having just been created), becoming the first person in history to chair two Great Houses. In more recent years, Lord Bevan spent a term as the Ambassador of Twilight Hall, which given its co-chair powers made him the only adventurer, technically, to chair three Great Houses, a total that may never be surpassed.

Lord Bevan also spent several years as a member of the Order of Lorekeepers, for which over a continuous two-year stretch he led the entire Order in hours served (by over quadruple the total of the second-most Lorekeeper), newcomers aided and newcomers welcomed.

His other significant political association was as a founder of the Solhaven Trade Association, a merchant guild in the city of Solhaven -- in which he is a citizen and business owner of Ravenswing Imports -- serving as an officer and as the organization's second and most recent President.

Musical history

Lord Bevan has won numerous musical competitions, and is credited with the format of the modern performance competition; familiar elements such as directed theme finals, Artistic / Technical/ Showmanship / Judge's Preference elements of judging, and preliminary/final rounds are attributed to him in establishing both his Orfeo/Wanton performance festivals and Bardfest.

He is also a noted loresinger and teacher, lecturing on the subject in many venues, including the one-time unofficial bards' guilds Harpers' Hall and the Elanthian Rose group, as well as a performer in Dagor's troupe of traveling minstrels. Among his dozens of apprentices have been Charna, Cinnamon, Morgatha, Aureellia, Calathea, Nayolan, Landrai and Uniana.