Gillasen
Gillasen, a renowned Skald, lived during the reign of Queen Leathides, indicating his existence in the Third Age, known as the Age of Settlement.
Lore
Gillasen was known for his sharp critiques of those in power. His biting poetry, which exposed personal and political flaws through satire, earned him widespread popularity among the common folk. His fearless mockery included spreading rumors about the Prince's common birth and the Queen's balding, yet it was his critique of the Court Mystic that led to his arrest. The Court Mystic, whose name is not mentioned, was incensed by Gillasen’s claims that he was a sham.
Instead of executing him, Queen Leathides challenged Gillasen to compose a hundred poetic odes to her beauty within a single night, with his life hanging in the balance. Despite the Court Mystic's attempts to sabotage him, Gillasen succeeded and was appointed as the Royal Skald.
Mentions
There once was a Skald named Gillasen who wrote scalding critiques of everyone in power. The Prince is of common birth! They shouted. The Queen is balding! They exclaimed. The folk loved Gillasen's poems and they soon gathered more and more popularity. The Prince Consort did not mind the mockery, and the Queen ignored it. But when Gillasen made fun of the Court Mystic, he was enraged. The Court Mystic is a sham! Gillasen cried out with a smile as they were carried away by guards to the people's dissapointment. The Court Mystic brought Gillasen in front of the Queen and asked her to execute the Skald for their disrespect. The Prince adviced against it and the Queen took his council. "Very well, Gillasen, you have one night to write a hundred poetic odes to my beauty. If you fail to impress me then you shall die but if you succeed then you shall have a place as my Royal Skald." So spoke Leathides.
Gillasen went to work, stop the prison tower, they began writing their hundred odes. The Court Mystic was further enraged and decided to sabotage for the Bard. The Mystic transformed himself into a sparrow and sat upon the prison towers' windowsill and chirped all night, with his aim of disturbing Gillasen's work.
Gillasen smiled at the bird and took a small pouch from his bag, he ate a small char root and offered some to the sparrow. The Court Mystic didn't want his cover to be blown, ate of the char roots and immediately began coughing. He flew away from the tower and transformed back, saving his life.
Come morning, Gillase presented his hundred odes to the Queen and she took him as her personal Skald at once. And from that day forward, there was not a day that went by without the Court Mystic enduring Gillasen's scalding mockery first hand.