Bramble

The Oakenburn and Bramblewoods were two separate fae courts. To say they were not fond of one another would be an understatement; mingling between the courts was strictly forbidden, and faes who dared to cross into the other's territory would quickly find themselves killed.
Bram's parents were young and foolish fae, who stole away at day to see one another. Their affair escaped detection long enough for them to create Bram. Each court wanted the boy, who, able to pass between the courts, was the perfect weapon against the other. He was plied with gifts and instruments, in the hopes that he'd pledge allegiance to one or the other.

Instead, when he was old enough to set off on his own, he fled to the human world and found trade as a bard. Bram's music was enchanting to the humans he now played for, who found themselves unable to resist the fae's song. For a great many years, over the course of several human lifetimes, the bard travelled, often playing new roles just to see if he could; he served as a human court bard for a while, and played at being a visiting noble in another. He picked different names on a whim, often those taken from humans he'd loved.

For all the humans were enchanted by him, Bram was equally enchanted by them. He delighted in their pettiness, in their short lives and the wonder they filled them with. He fell in love, and out of it; he watched his friends and lovers grow old and pass on, and he broke hearts and had his heart broken. Eventually, though, times moved on and bards fell out of fashion, and Bram found himself settling in the company of an elderly vampire, Walter Godfrey, who took Bram into his home as a personal musician and servant. Bonding over being a great deal older than the humans they were surrounded by, Walter and Bram fell into an easy relationship, doting on one another. It was Walter who began calling him Bramble, and the name stuck far longer than any other name he'd ever taken.

In a modern setting, Bram's talents earn him quite a following after he begins posting his music online aged about 16. The young musician mostly writes adaptations of classic legends and stories into music - Arthurian legends, Greek myths, and classic novels all feature on his discography. There are a few other pieces more inspired by his own experiences, though - songs of love and heartbreak, and of the trials of being young and feeling as though he's existed before - and a few covers, here and there.
Although he's mastered quite a number of instruments, most frequently he'll employ his voice and his lute. He released his first album aged 18, to immense, immediate success. Since then, Bram has been releasing his own music reasonably regularly, and has been asked to perform on other artists' recordings.

He was born through the union of the Oakenburn and Bramblewood families, who owned rival bookshop chains. Despite the rivalry, Bram's parents met and fell in love, and determined to run away to escape the feud. Upon Bram's birth, the two families reluctantly agreed to coexist, but there was always a great deal of tension between them.

Bram was raised as the pawn between the two families; each vyed for his favour with expensive gifts and extravagant displays of affection. Many of the gifts included books and musical instruments, especially after Bram showed a strong interest in furthering his musical education.
His relationships with his family members is tenuous; he hates feeling so trapped between them, and now does his best to stay out of their way, preferring to keep to himself and choose his own, new family out of the many friends he's amassed.

Bram's history is something of a mystery. Although his name is known widely, and he delights in telling the stories of others, his own story is kept a careful secret.

The dukedoms of Oakenburn and Bramblewood had been at war for several generations, after a duel in which the heir of the Oakenburn legacy killed the heir of the Bramblewoods. The feud had cost both sides many members, and

Julietta Oakenburn was the eldest daughter of the Oakenburn legacy, who had the immense misfortune to fall in love with