Lincoln Parnell

Lord Lincoln Parnell ap Dougal
Nas Adhark of the Candied Plains

Sidhe Grump
Baron of the Lodge of Moonshine Blues

Description

Mortal Seeming: ~The talented Mr. Parnell arrives at an even, measured pace. A light moustache and occasionally even a beard encircle Lincoln's pleasant smile. The thirty year old man's dark mocha skin appears blemish-free. Ralph Lauren cologne drifts from his flesh. Link's well-toned body is usually concealed in a sharp custom-tailored suit complete with suede shoes and a silk tie. Occasionally, he wears more casual attire -- always name brand labels' top-of-the-line outfits. The devilishly handsome black man keeps his hair shaved close to his smooth scalp, like his moustache. Behind his baby-brown eyes, masculine beauty, and smooth style, Link glows with brass and crystalline mysteries.~

OOC: Appearance 4 (enthralling); Style 2

Fae Mien: ~Humanity drifts away to reveal a human form perfected to deific beauty. Lincoln is undoubtedly a black Apollo: his model-quality looks deepen to enthralling, gorgeous features. Though the graybeard's actual moustache and beard do have a few flecks of gray, Link still boasts a smile that can melt hearts and souls like chocolate. The Sidhe directs the wills of others easily through this preternatural beauty and charm, making malleable and agreeable friends easily of the predisposed. His facial features grow slightly leaner, sliding up to the elfin tips of his ears. His hair does not alter, although his dark eyes lighten to a brick red hue, like the heart of a quieted crucible. Link already demonstrates excellent posture, but his true form illustrates a noble air of command. Yet the Sidhe remains relaxed and pleasant, revealing that the nobility can be strong without being intolerably prudish and sanctimonious. Link sports fine voile: velvet-brown pantaloons are tucked into knee-high black leather boots of impeccable shine. The gentleman wears a long-sleeved silk shirt that matches his eyes with a dark red dye. His able-bodied arms are slid through a fine leather guildman's vest, tanned and smoothed. On the right lapel, the Dougal blazon is etched. Link himself etches a halo of calm and mellow blues in the air around him. The beautiful Sidhe evokes both warmth and musical charm, his presence like a lullaby and carousel. Many words can try to describe this lord. However, "simply amazing" sums it up nicely.~

OOC: Appearance 6 (enthralling)

"Lend me your ear and you will hear all you ever need to hear."

History

Youth

Some thinkers argued whether a person's talents develop due to environmental or genetic conditions. In Lincoln Parnell's case, talent evolved from both factors and then some. Lincoln, or "Link" as his parents Lamont and Tamara nicknamed him, was born in '74 and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. The Parnells were well off and Link enjoyed a beautiful manor right in the middle of a nice neighborhood downtown. His mother was a "classy dame", a talented pianist who encouraged music in her only son. His father was from where the Parnells' family fortune derived. He ran an underground gambling club, the sort of classy establishment that reminded locals of "Sugar Ray's" from the movie Harlem Nights. Link was grateful for his parents. They were affectionate and wise, practical and compassionate. They helped their boy grow self-confident and worldly. They sent him to private school to acquire the best education. In school and at home, musical talent was encouraged. Link didn't follow his mother's footsteps, however, choosing the trumpet as his mainstay instrument.

In fact, Link fell in love with the trumpet and music at whole. With puberty, his dreams grew more and more romantic. They weren't romantic so much in a skirt-chasing manner, but that music of all sorts filled his wakefulness and sleep. Link began to see musical notes floating in the air as the music played always. He began to believe they bore secret messages. When he was awake, Link thought he caught glimpses of...things...from the corners of his eyes, too. Sometimes he thought he heard distant tunes, and sometimes he thought he caught glimpses of strange, imaginary creatures. So enmeshed in his music and these growing "hallucinations" was Link that he lost sense of time altogether. He went to school on time thanks to his mother sending him on his way. But always Link felt detached, lost in another world.

Chrysalis

And that world became a reality in 1989. One rainy day on the way home from school, the fifteen year old was suddenly overcome with the desire to just tug his trumpet from its case and play right there on the street. So he did. A jazzy tune rang out on the quiet, wet streets as the teenager sauntered down the block. And to his eerie surprise, as he played, rats began to creep out of the sewers and cracks in the walls. Before he realized it, a virtual swarm was following him as if he were the Pied Piper of Hamlet! Terrified that if he stopped playing, the rats would hurt him, Link waltzed right on by his home. He tried to walk hurriedly, but found himself limping as if his left leg ached from a muscle cramp. Link headed out of town eventually, to nearby fields. The rats followed all along, keeping behind Link's lame walk. Once he reached the fields, the swarm of rodents dispersed (to his relief), and he finally stopped playing. Link didn't realize that this Dream Dance marked the approach of his Chrysalis. He hurried home as fast as he could, though his bum leg make the travel slow and return late.

Link went to bed early that night, but he didn't fall right to sleep. He stayed awake for hours, thinking about what happened. He didn't tell his parents, of course. They were worried enough, he realized. Fortunately, they testified his daydreamy state to "musical genius", and thus refused to send him to shrinks. They just wanted a way to help Link channel his passion. But Link wondered if God had another plan in mind. He saw an allegory in what happened to him with the music and rats today. Perhaps, he thought, it was his responsibility to lead the rats away from the city. Or maybe, less literally, it was his duty to clean up town. But how? He wasn't a superhero!

Yet Link suddenly remembered what he was. Vague memories of Arcadia swept over the youth. Link recalled his nobility in that fae realm and his exile to Earth. He was Sidhe, better than any hero Hollywood could concoct! Link was so excited by the flare of his Chrysalis that he grabbed his trumpet, snuck out his bedroom window, and waltzed through town again. He played for hours, but this time rats didn't follow him. The few late night pedestrians and street corner musicians followed instead. And they simply jammed and reveled in his great talent, for they were intoxicated by the raw Glamour the Chrysalid emanated.

Mentorship & Naming

Fortunately, dan brought Link's Chrysalis at the same time that a trago of Satyrs was passing through the area. Link wasn't the only Chrysalid they discovered. But he was the only Sidhe they inducted into their encampment. Ivy Sik, the trago's leader, met with Link's parents and arranged for the Sidhe's transfer of care to her "camp for the musically gifted". At last, the Parnells realized, a channel for Link's burgeoning talent arrived! Link met Ivy, and recognized her true form as Satyress. She had no trouble convincing the young Sidhe to accept her as a temporary mentor, to help him adjust to the changeling way and relearn the basics of Kithain society. Link knew of the animosity some commoners felt towards the noble Sidhe. But at this trago, he discovered they were largely open-minded about it. And just as Link wondered if they hated Sidhe and planned ill things for him, they were tested to see if he was a villainous noble who hated and abused commoners. Link certainly was not!

Over the course of a few months, Link heeded the lessons taught to him among the trago. He learned the basics of Kithain society, including the Escheat laws. Link listened to a surprisingly unbiased telling of changeling history. He developed a few basic magical skills, and was also given free rein to practice his musical talents with a few key tips from older musicians. Link adapted quickly to life as Sidhe, enjoying his noble birthrights and his newfound sense of purpose. Of course, he discovered why he limped so: his left leg below the knee was completely atrophied in his fae mien. This mark, proof of his Dougal heritage, would be dealt with in time, the Satyrs assured him. So for a few months, he hobbled around on a crutch and studied up on prosthetics. While there, he encountered another recent Chrysalid of the same age and general homestead, though different Kith. Stanley Titus was the big Troll's name and they became fast friends. Link charmed Stan enough to gain the Troll's loyalty, which the Sidhe suspected would be quite handy for the future.

The Sidhe came to claim their Chrysalid that year. The trago expected that, of course, and Link was glad to join his fellow nobles. He moved to the heart of the Julius Maer Duchy, which Duchess Letitia Dain ran. There he began his noble tutelage. Link learned the Dougal ways and the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of nobility. He was impressed with the last, for the Duchess was a practical but diplomatic noblewoman of high Seelie intent. She wanted vassals who would win the commoners' trust. Of course, Link was also instructed in noble Arts, from the obligatory Sovereign to the tinkering science of mechanical prosthetics. He would be required to craft his own leg. No one would do it for him.

So the intelligent young Sidhe studied hard and practiced and trained and experimented for a long year. After the traditional one year, it came time for Link to undergo the Fior-Reigh. This test preceded Saining -- his formal induction into the noble ranks of fae society. The Duchess expected much of her vassals. Firstly, Link had to recite and explain the entire Escheat, demonstrate his magical aptitudes, and deliver a detailed oral presentation of Kithain history as accurately as possible. All that studying tested his intellect and wits. But it also forced Link to reveal his noble will. The Duchess gauged his morality and pragmatism through his views and interpretations of history and the law. Link also had to demonstrate how he honored his Dougal heritage. To that end, he had to design and present a biomechanical device -- a prosthetic limb as it were -- at the time of his Fior-Reigh. Obviously, this was something he worked hard on all year long. In the end, his device was crude compared to modern medicine, but would be quite functional and unencumbersome. He still would not be able to run, but he wouldn't require a crutch or cane anymore.

And the final test was an examination of his organizational and managerial capabilities. This final test, Link suspected but wasn't sure, would not condemn his Saining if he failed. But it could be used as a gauge to determine if he were fit for higher-ranking noble positions in the future. Link was required to develop a plan and timetable on how to solve all the problems of the Duchy. These included the Nunnehi threat, Unseelie trouble, Prodigal dangers, Dreamer shortage, and Trod guardianship. Whatever his ideas might be, he was told, they weren't necessarily going to be made policy. In fact, they would probably be ignored. However, Link thought long and hard about each of the conflicts that the Duchy faced. After much brainstorming and drafting, Link came up with a surprisingly sound and shrewd plan to tackle each of the problems. The Duchess applauded his innovation.

And Link underwent his Naming in a traditional and austere Sidhe ceremony. When the Saining was over, Link was now Lincoln Parnell ap Dougal, Esquire. He swore a year of fealty to the Duchess to honor her mentorship. A wild party (as Dougal standards allow!) was thrown in the new nobleman's honor. Link thoroughly enjoyed it. Of course, the next day he awoke with his left leg so atrophied he could barely walk. The House curse set in along with the House blessings of expert craftsmanship and iron will. However, Link was sedated and the atrophied limb amputated from the knee down by a surgeon in the Duchess' employ. Nockers were hired to create the prosthetic device he designed and it was installed on his leg. Link was now prepared for the world.

Squirehood

But for one year, he remained at Julius Maer in service to Duchess Letitia. The Duchess did not have much for him to do, but often came to him and valued his opinions. Or maybe she was once more testing his wisdom? Link was never quite sure. She had Link apprenticed to the lord of the County in which her freehold was based. Count Lathrope Sloan ap Dougal, lord of the County of Neptunia Vir, took over Squire Lincoln's continued education. Link was to improve his constructive skills, which he did over the year. He tinkered with his prosthetic some, improving its efficiency just a bit. Mainly, however, Link's love was music. He returned to that talent with a passion. He was already beginning to compose his own tunes before his seventeenth birthday.

After his year of service to the Duchess ended, he was persuaded to oath indefinite fealty to Count Lathrope. Link agreed, for Lathrope would allow the young man to return to his family. Link's family lived in Neptunia Vir (though of course they were ignorant of the Dreaming and the political lines that the Sidhe drew). So in 1991, Link returned to Kansas City and his family. He wanted to finish high school at least, and his parents supported that of course! Link had greater ambitions that human education, however. He wanted to use his knowledge of the neighborhoods, his streetwise, to better the society of men and fae alike.

And Link was street savvy enough to blend in with the fashion and attitude. His confident, good looks helped him along, too. Link made a number of new friends -- just acquaintances really -- throughout downtown Kansas City. Many of these fellows were involved in youth gangs. Link also appealed to local commoner changelings. They weren't many, but Link tried to prove his trustworthiness. And many soon found the young Dougal to be trustworthy, whereas Lathrope they didn't trust. It wasn't that the Count screwed the commoners over ever as it was more that his estate was far east of the city in the rural area -- he was a country bumpkin to their eyes.

Meanwhile, there was Link on the street. In the evenings, he took his trumpet out and played everyone's favorite jazz and blues tunes on the corners. He even picked up a little extra cash. At the same time, Link attended and finished up high school. He lived at home with his folks, but discovered he didn't love them. Of course, that would be because he was no longer Lincoln Parnell -- he was Lincoln Parnell, the Sidhe. A different mind and soul inhabited this body. Link at least respected his parents, especially for the freedoms they permitted their son. They knew he would make a career out of his music and any pressure from them would only stymie his chances of success. By 1995, he was performing in bistros and clubs around the city. Link was able to pay his own way at home, which was expected since he was now a legal adult.

Over the course of these intermediary years, Link never encountered any physical dangers. He was lucky, popular, and smart enough to avoid those kinds of conflicts. Link was friends with people from just about every gang, at least downtown. He never took any sides, playing the role of the neutral diplomat often quite effectively. In one instance, his most aggressive action against anyone, mortal or fae, was in 1994. A gang member's sister was brutally raped by another gangster. Both gangs were already scuffling in alleyways and parks and it threatened to turn bloodier. To avenge the girl and hopefully remove the cause of the strife without the girl's brother's gang being blamed, Link called upon his changeling magics. Link levied a potent curse against the rapist. Within a month, the scumbag had a serious accident due to Link's sway over fortune. The gangster was in a car accident that left him crippled for life. The girl's brother and his gang were satisfied that justice was done and the street war was averted.

Caer Luskia

Unfortunately, in 1996 Link's parents died in a car accident. Karma? Probably. Nonetheless, this helped Link immensely. According to the Parnells' will, Link inherited the home and all their investments. He was suddenly a very wealthy young man. This was good for Link, however, since he was already so close to Grumpdom. Link redecorated the manor, adding plenty of expensive artwork in the form of paintings, tapestries, murals, rugs, sculptures, and antique vases. He began a pricey wine collection, too, making use of the wine cellar. During his explorations of this cellar, he discovered a very old moonshine still hidden away in a chamber he never knew about (though his father likely did). Yet it was more than that: Link could feel subdued, subsided ebbs of Glamour. This manor was an inactive freehold!

So Link figured out how to get the still working again. The heat source for the old moonshine device was actually the balefire heart of this old freehold. Link channeled his hopes and dreams into this old still, and the flames began to flicker with the magic of balefire. The freehold was being enervated and Link knew it would be his homestead. After a few months, the freehold was completely reactivated and he named it Caer Luskia. He called upon one of his most trusted commoner friends, the Bogganess Mary Mint, and had her weave an illusory spell on the freehold's Glamour so as not to detect Unseelie ravagers. Once Link knew it was safe, he went to Count Lathrope and showed it to the higher-ranked Dougal. Pleased with Link's discovery, he agreed to make Link the Baron of that holding. The Count drew up the baronial boundaries, giving Link most of East Side downtown. In solemn ceremony that Duchess Letitia oversaw, Link was promoted to Baron just like that. She knew his worth as a leading noble, clearly. Link first called a number of trusted commoners to his aid to help him maintain the Lodge, including Mary and two Trolls -- Stanley Titus, and Stan's comrade Eddy Galt.

And due to his popularity, Link enjoyed wide support from the mostly Seelie commoners in his Barony and without. Unfortunately, certain Unseelie elements were not happy with a Dougal lord planted right in their midst. The commoners largely enjoyed free reign in Kansas City. The Ranters hired a corby of Redcap thugs to teach this upstart Sidhe a lesson. One night in '97 as Link was walking home from a performance, which he still did with avidity, the Redcaps jumped him. Without his Thanes to protect him, he went down in no time. The vicious 'Caps kicked and punched and bit him repeatedly. In the process, his prosthetic leg was torn off. Through the haze of agony, Link realized he was being assassinated. But before the corby could finish the job, a mass of human beings swarmed the gang. Fans all of Link's music, they shrugged off apathy to save this quiet "hero". The Redcaps were fought and shoved off and beat a hasty retreat. Link was carried home and immediately seen to by doctors. His false leg was later reattached. Meanwhile, his Trolls hurried off to punish the Redcaps and make sure a second attempt was not made. At the same time, the Seelie commoners of the Barony repressed the force behind that corby. The Ranters were warned off by the fair folk, who believed Link was the best candidate for the job.

In 1998, Link encountered another problem with Unseelie fae. This time was quite non-violent -- well, except for the language. The local guild of Nockers was furious that an urban freehold rediscovered was immediately awarded to the Sidhe. The fact that Link inherited the manor and rejuvenated the balefire himself was irrelevant to their minds. Starved for Glamour as most fae forced to live in the cities were, the Nockers demanded freer access to the freehold. They didn't make demands on behalf of commoners at whole, only their guild. Link entered into peaceful discussion and negotiation with the Nockers. They agreed to provide a discount off their chimerical manufacturing services to not just Link but the entire Dougal Duchy. In return, they could use the freehold whenever they needed, provided they did not Reave its Glamour. As a reward for brokering this treaty, Duchess Letitia gave Link a magic trumpet, the Coronach, crafted long ago by Nocker friends of House Dougal.

The Unbanished Shadow

But beginning in 1999, Link dealt with a darker conflict. A shadowy enemy infected the harmony he was trying to establish in his barony. Link could only assume it was another anti-noble faction out to get him; Soothsay only predicted dark trials ahead. The troubles began when ugly rumors began to spread around town about how Link was no better than the worst Sidhe. The patchwork of lies suggested that Link cared little for commoners. He only wanted to abuse them and did not hesitate to invoke noble powers to "keep the peasants in line". The rumors also said how Link horded the Glamour of his freehold and gathered Dreamers into his home to keep them out of the hands of commoners. The fabrications continued until Link's loyal retainers spoke out against them. Few commoners believed the rumors to begin with, and hearing steadfast Trolls speak in Link's defense helped them keep their faith. The unknown manipulator's campaign failed by the end of '99. For the next two years, all stayed pleasantly quiet in the Barony of Moonshine Blues.

Then in 2002, the same dark force mounted a dreadful assassination attempt on Link. One night as he, Mary, and Stan took a walk through a nearby park, a cold and compelling voice rang out unseen in trees. "Destroy them!" And from the midnight sky swept down a terrifying chimerical dragon. Mary panicked and while the giant of a Troll stood between his liege and peer as the dragon attacked, Link hurried Mary away from the park. They raced back to the manor, where Link dispatched Eddy. Eddy ran to help Stan, arriving after the Troll defeated the dragon. Once more, the shadowy force behind the malignancy escaped undetected. At least they were still alive.

And a year later, Link's secret admirer struck again. This time it was Samhain, and the villain tried to burn the mansion down while everyone was inside partying. Fortunately for Link and his guests, Stan was patrolling the grounds and chased the arsonist off. Link rushed down to the basement with his other retainers, there fighting the fire that started. It took four of them with fire extinguishers to put the virtual lake of flames out. Meanwhile, Stan was forced by honor to confront the villain's Ogre servant. Once more, the enemy escaped; Stan could only identify the enemy as a lordly but cruel Sidhe. But the Ogre was defeated and brought back to the manor. Link conducted a thorough investigation of the vile Thallain, employing Sovereign to force the beast to speak of what he knew. Sadly, that wasn't much. He could tell them who his master was at least: Sir Axel Wildon ap Balor of the Shadow Court! With the wicked nobleman's identity exposed, that alone seemed enough to douse his villainy for a while.

Link tried to remove the curse Axel lay on Stan, but found that Axel sacrificed a tremendous amount of Glamour. He suspected that was the Shadow Courtier's bitter attempt at revenge for his plots being foiled. Link also attempted to use the Art of Soothsay to search the Autumn Realm for Axel. Unfortunately, the Balor retreated beyond his scrying powers, probably into the Dreaming. No doubt, Axel was waiting for the right time to return, plotting and hording power for his next strikes. In the mean time, Link maintained harmony in his Barony and enjoyed peace and quiet over the next year. The respect commoners and nobles alike held for the diplomatic, worldly, and savvy Dougal increased. Link became the most popular lord in the Duchy. Now that he had this influence, he had to decide how to use it. With an eye to the culture of his city, Link prepared to inspire a boom in dreams and Glamour in his realm and beyond. Yet everyday, Link can't help but wonder if he will succeed or his Shadow Court enemies will stop him from bringing a sliver of wonder and light back to the world.

Significant Other

Link loves cultural entertainment of all sorts. He met Christina after viewing her on stage in 2004, performing ballet. He took her aside afterwards and they began to see each other. Their dual fiery natures soon incited a passionate relationship. Link and Chris indulge in one another's adorations. She even moved in with him. Marriage and certainly not children are not yet considered. But Link intends to keep a hold of this lovely young Dreamer for as long as he can without blocking her career. Christina appreciated his flexibility and their romance continued without abate.

Christina

Weakness
Dilettante Blues

Link has a good head for nobility and music. But in some ways, he's been spoiled. He's too dependent on inheritance and retainers to get things done. He doesn't quite understand that he needs to be a bit more self-reliant to survive the coming Winter.

Likelihood of Corruption

Low.

Link is popular with the commoners and lacks the extreme pride with which many Sidhe are plagued. However, the failure of Sir Axel has earned Link a shadowy enemy who corrupts for a living.

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