This is character doesn't really have a known origin but he's my favorite bard and I wanted to write something so here is the story of Drifter.

Callum Máel Coluim MacGregor of the noble MacGregor house with his rapier for protection had decided to take a walk through the fields of barley, carrots, potato, and turnips that had been planted by his families serfs last spring. All the serfs were at church to receive their weekly blessings so Callum could take a peaceful walk without being disturbed. Callum was nearly of marrying age. He was an extremely smart and well-educated man of great class. Callum was also a very proud man and with good reason. The MacGregor's were a very old and powerful family who commanded the respect of all other noble families, and who had amassed great wealth to command the respect of everyone else.

It was on his walk that Callum heard music drifting over the hills. Curious, Callum walked in the direction of the song. As he peeked over the cresting hill he saw a tiefling walking slowly down the road while playing an instrument that Callum saw as similar to the lute that his father's orchestra featured predominantly but must larger and with a must deeper rougher sound. Similarly the tiefling's voice had a melodic delivery but was incredibly rough. As Callum listened he thought to himself "so this is what an old unused hearth would sound like if it tried talking" he then smiled to himself at the wittiness of his mind. The tiefling's song like his instrument was foreign to Callum even though he had seen performances by some of the greatest orchestras in the world. But the strangest thing of all was the presence of the tiefling himself. Lord MacGregor had a well documented distrust of tieflings so Callum knew that this wasn't one of the serfs or he would have heard about it and beyond that all the serfs were at the church. It was at this time that tiefling's song came to an immediate stop along with his march. "Are you gonna just stand there boy? Or are you gonna come out and talk to me?". Callum was briefly taken aback before he regained his composure and stepped forward with his curiosity leading him. "That sure is a novel style you have" Callum said playfully. "It's a song sung for the people. I don't think a rich young man like yourself would be able to understand its themes" the tiefling teased "So what are the songs of the people about then?" Callum asked. "Troubles". Callum smiled, he had not expected any kind of wits from this traveler. "So where is this man of the people traveling now?". The tiefling then paused and slowly turned to look at Callum. Callum again found himself taken aback and again quickly regained himself. The tiefling was by no doubt old but his face had a timeless quality. His two eyes burned with passion, wit, and an endless capacity to disassemble anything in front of him, and his mouth wore a wicked grin that sent a shiver down Callum's spine. "Where ever the roads lead me". Recovering quickly Callum responded "So where do the roads usually lead you?" "Boy I've been all over the place. I've been in the biggest cities and ghost towns, I've met street urchins and kings, heroes and villains, but more than anything I've met angels and devils". "Angels and devils? I'll have to go to your purlieu's, it sounds like there is quite a interesting group of people." The tiefling's wicked smile grew wider "You don't believe me do you?" his smile grew even wider "You see boy the roads have a flow too 'em, like a river, it's a magic flow. Now at the crossroads were these roads meet the flow creates a kind of vortex. It's at these crossroads that angels and devils can rise" the tiefling's smile widened farther and he lower his head hiding his eyes in shadow "though most men can hardly tell the difference". Callum found himself being oddly angered by this statement. "You've told me where you've been so were are you going?" "I thought I already told you; I go where ever the roads lead me, but if you want me to be more specific I'm on my way to castle MacGregor" Callum was caught off guard by this statement and caught the tieflings gaze as he raised his eyes. "That's your place ain't it?". Callum felt his anger growing "And just what makes you think that we will let you in?" "Boy, there ain't a single place in the world that I can't go, and there ain't a single person who can stop me once I set my heart to a place". His anger now swelling Callum drew his rapier stopping it just an inch from the tiefling's face, the tiefling didn't flinch. "Just who do you think you are, peasant!" Callum spat, but the tiefling's unyielding eyes left him with a growing sense of fear. The tiefling laughed quietly to himself "The common folk know me as 'the Drifter' because the common folk know my story. The common folk know that I go where I please and that I can't be stopped, they know to let me in, give me food, and shelter. They know that if they're nice to me only good came come of it. But you rich folk in the upper echelon of society don't ever share my story, you don't know to let me in." Callum's fear swelled but was out of no where suddenly gone. The fire was gone for Drifter's eyes and the honey from his voice. His smile was now just the crooked smile of a stupid old man. The Drifter was just some delusional wanderer. Callum dropped his sword to his side and walked away leaving this sad peasant to be. By lunchtime he didn't even remember the encounter.

Callum had a long time ago learned to recognize dreams when during his childhood he faced a spell of night terrors. To deal with these he had to learn to tell the difference between dreams and reality. Of course once he learned to recognize dreams he also learned to control them, which is why he was so surprised when out of nowhere music came drifting into his dream. As soon as Callum remember where he had heard that music before Drifter was there. "I told there ain't nowhere I can't go, even inside peoples dreams" "Congratulations you made your way into my subconscious but you're nothing more than a construct of my own mind, so get out of my dream". The Drifter just laughed "Remember what I told you about crossroads? You see every man follows his own road and when two roads meet angels or devils can rise. Now you made your choice when refuse to show me hospitality, so you created a devil.". Callum tried to force the Drifter out of his head but he couldn't "Leave he alone!" Callum shouted but the Drifter just smiled. Callum could hardly contain his fear "Get out!". The Drifter simply smiled, his mouth full of hundreds, no millions of square tombstone shaped teeth. He opened his mouth reveling a black void. Callum screamed. When his servant rush into his room Callum was found dead.

Lord MacGregor spared no expense on his sons funeral, every powerful family, noble man, and artisan in the land came. The greatest orchestra lord MacGregor could buy can to play and a grand cleric was hired to preform the ceremony. It was a grand affair. When lord MacGregor's eyes scanned the crowd he saw all sorts of great men, and one poor looking tiefling. Lord MacGregor hated tieflings. How dare this fiend invade his home on the day of his sons funeral. It was at this point that the tiefling stepped forward as the cleric stepped down. The tiefling raised his instrument and began to play. He played a type a commoner music that lord MacGregor always hated. This arrogant tiefling with his commoner music how dare he thought lord MacGregor, but just as he was about to get up to cast out this intruder his anger was replaced by sadness at the loss of his son. Until now he had refused to face his grief but now it was being brought out by this strangers song. He sang about the road of life but lord MacGregor heard only a song about his son, and in that brief moment he felt closure. After the funeral he approached the stranger to ask him "Who are you?" "I'm just a travel looking for a place to stay for the night" "You can stay at our castle it is the least we can do for you" "Why thank you". That night Drifter and lord MacGregor talked about Callum, about politics, about everything. Drifter even gave lord MacGregor some good advice about trading routes. In the morning Drifter was gone without a trace.

If you don't like the blues then you won't get this character. This story might make him seem like a bad guy but he really is as good to you as you are to him. The big question I had to ask was does Drifter play guitar or harmonica and I think harmonica might actually be the better choice though he was created with a guitar.