Not necessarily an insult to be called a mascot. My scion bard sort of was for a while just cause I played her a lot and so was usually around to help other scions. Didn't mean I could pk for crap and almost nobody was scared of her when they were alone against her. But she her job making the other scions tougher for the countless enemies they have. Team spirit goes a long way.

My suggestion would be to try a neutral human bard. You'll get lots of group offers so ranking will be easy, no real foes on basis of race/class so until you pledge you're pretty free, a moderate but not high xp penalty, and a chance to really learn the basics. And then you can fiend everyone at 45 and listen to them tell you how overpowered it is.

Don't let a tough go of it with a difficult character design stop you from having fun if you enjoy mudding now and again. The fields does have a lot to offer when you take it as the game it is, and most people here are genuinely trying to help you out with suggestions.