#mc: kassiani tjedis

[soulventure91]

glance for your usual suspects? 👀

oc character designs | we start with the ladies just for u :D

glance: At first glance, what stands out most about your OC’s appearance? What’s their distinguishing feature?

Pre-transformation, Trin was always easily spotted simply for being Drow - her ashen skin and white hair. Since the Drow vanished from her world, Trin is a rarity just by walking around! We've met more tieflings in Trin's campaign than other Drow! Post-transformation, of course, the red dragon scales visible on her shoulders, neck, and legs make her stand out even more.

Kassi is a tossup between her emaciated figure - countable ribs, some other bones jutting out under her clothes - or the intricate tattoos covering her face and body. Her tats are records of the spells and rituals she's mastered during her twelve-year apprenticeship under the dead-speaker for the Tjedis tribe, Setaisi (fondly called Seta). Then again sometimes it's her bright-but-ragged smile!

Pre-transformation? Diric was almost entirely uninteresting to look at - normal height, normal hair, just some normal dude. You would have to get closer to notice the faint points of his half-elven ears, or catch him in the dark to see the reflective glow of his golden eyes. Post-transformation, he can't go anywhere unnoticed! Could it be his massive height of 6'8? The dragon horns that arch up from his hair now? Or the rich slate-blue-grey of his now-fully-Drow skin? He can't go anywhere without being seen now.

Tor is fairly basic compared to the rest of the usual crew of OCs, even for a Drow. I think for him, the first thing that stands out is exactly how normal he appears to be - nothing fancy, nothing different from any other Drow you might see. At least until you notice his vivid blue eyes and the tattoos on his lower arms, which will eventually become sleeves of spells and arcana.

[soulventure91]

20, 30, and 40 for Kassi? 💖

solidify the novel bbygirl yes good |

20. What were the most deeply impressive political or social, national or international, events that they experienced? So the Cursed Lands, where Kassi's tribe and other nomads that make use of "true" necromancy (ie using necromancy for better ends than popularly believed), are a massive stretch of steppe where their ancestors' civilization and nation were destroyed when demons effectively corrupted many necromantic arts aaaand then there was a massive volcanic eruption when the more demonic-aligned necromancers tried to tie the Cursed Lands to the demonic plane via reality warp. Yeah. Which is how the tribes came about in the first place, so while Kassi was not born at that time (which is ~200 years before the planned novel) all of that has a heavy impact on her culture. On a more positive note, probably the most personally deeply impressive event Kassi got to witness was her first Wind-Dance: a semi-annual event where the tribes all gather to trade and perform a ritual battle using tribal kites. Each tribe has a minimum of three kites (one for the war-leader, one for the tribe chieftain, and one for the dead-speaker) supported by others made for communication and marking territory; the Dance itself sets tribe against tribe as a way to indicate favor and capability without actually killing each other off. Kassi's first Wind-Dance (at around age 6-10) was highlighted by her accidentally ripping Seta's kite and trying to mend it with plaster meant for setting bones instead of a lightweight paper paste or sewing the tear before the Dance started. That was where she learned that the dead-speaker's kite is often kept for many years as it takes on necromantic energy from those who work on it; Seta's kite dated back to the very early days of the tribe, not long after the volcanic eruption. However, because of this ability, the kite could effectively act as a kamikaze bomb: by sacrificing the kite, the eruption of energies can also wipe out several kites and actually increase the tribe's standing. Kassi helped to make the replacement kite, and thus officially started her training as a necromancer.

30. Are they holding on to something in the past? Can he or she forgive? Kassi's a very in-the-moment person, so she doesn't really hold onto anything at present. However, if she were to be severely, personally slighted, I don't see her being someone to let that go easily. Kassi offering forgiveness depends on the slight and who gave it. She can range from 'oh you just didn't understand, ok let me explain it's fine miscommunication nbd' to 'i will burn your city and salt your fields and your descendants will suffer for ages to come'. She totally has that range. Never dis the sunshine necro.

40. How is their sense of humor? Do they have one? Kassi is super sassy and can catch onto wordplay/innuendos very quickly. No one is safe. In a private rp I've done a couple rounds on where Kassi manages to portal herself from Diabloverse to Thedas (Kirkwall, to be specific), she is so sassy to Cullen and two Templar OCs that basically become her best friends within an hour of meeting her and dragging her ass to the Gallows. Those Templars, Jerrik and Dylen, will actually appear in the novel!! For the most part, Kassi's humor is upbeat and funky, always finding ways to poke fun even to situations that could be very politically difficult if talked about with a straight face (eg., the mage situation in Thedas after living as a free-roaming spirits-of-the-dead-interacting necromancer her whole life). But she's also able to be serious when the situation calls, very clear about the things she can and can't do as a necromancer, and always kind to those who need it.

[soulventure91]

8, 16, and 36 for whoever you're feelin'? 👀

excessive headcanons for everyone why not | [tw for drug use references, addiction reference]

8. Favorite indulgence and feelings surrounding indulging Diric - Smoking a pipe he picked up after the party's rather footloose style drove off a potential DM-controlled ally, whom Dir respected since they were both upright military types. Dir only smokes when he needs to make himself slow down and center in the moment, and for the most part it does work! Since it acts a little like a calming routine/mechanic, Diric only smokes when he's able to get into the mindspace to slow himself down and relax. Trin - TEA TIME. Typically she travels with a little travel tea set so she can start her morning with a small, meditative little ritual cuppa. However the routine didn't do much to alleviate her stresses before leaving the party, and since her return Trin has not given herself the space for it. Dragon-rage kinda limits your ability to take time and slow down. Tor - Mm. He has huge guilt and discomfort over it, but Tor has started enjoying a little bit more alcohol than he's allowed himself in a lot time. He's had troubles with addiction growing up and, when his campaign started, Tor refused to drink alongside the party. Unfortunately, being around several hard-drinking Viking types means his resistance got worn down, on top of a lot of Icewind Dale Weird. He's making sure to moderate himself so he doesn't go overboard, but it doesn't help that some of his harder addiction ghosts start looming. Kassi - FOOD. And I'm serious - food is Kassi's biggest indulgence. Doesn't matter what kind, so long as it's considered tasty she's going to eat it. In her world, necromancer magic is fueled by your own life energy unless you've mastered the skills to pull it from others (blood magic) instead of yourself ("breath" magic). Kassi is very good at breath magic, but it's why she looks very skinny and malnourished. Zero guilt, whatsoever. Don't expect her to use utensils much, either.

16. Biggest and smallest long term goal? Diric - They're sort of the same thing right now, to be honest! The "smaller" goal is fulfilling his promise to @gwynbleiddyn's Maahes and getting him home to rescue his family and city from the clutches of Asmodeus. Correlatively (and because Diric has very intense but complicated feelings about Maahes at the moment), Diric's bigger goal is finding himself a place to call home. He thought for awhile said home might be the party, or even just Maahes, but some of his recent vibe with the party has left Diric feeling a little...eh...off-centered when it comes to his dearest friends. He wants to feel like he matters to others, and at the moment Diric hopes going Elsewhere will help him find that feeling. Trin - Oof. Well. The big goal is figuring out how to find and free her people from the clutches of a powerful devil - which is not easy, considering her adoptive uncle Quendar (not biological; Wen is Trin's mother's best friend who managed to escape the hells and the geas cast on the Drow to return to the material plane) doesn't remember much about his time under that geas. A smaller goal Trin is sitting on is trying to better master her draconic rage, which, so far, is...not going well. Tor - Big goal is the sensible one: keep eyes and ears open for Zhent and Arcane Brotherhood activity in Icewind Dale and fuck their shit up on behalf of the Harpers, thus protecting Ten Towns. Of that party, only @bladeverbena's Arsen knows that Tor is a Harper, though the others are aware Tor has some additional affiliation he won't discuss. Small goal is classic wizard hubris: build up arcane repertoire and push his limits. Much of Tor's life has been spent pushing himself mentally and physically, and he's not about to stop now. Kassi - Don't have her motivations fully plotted yet, but the inciting incident sending her out into the world is being exiled from her clan for being unable to use bone magic - the ability to raise skeletons as backup troops or short-term assistance. This incident is also when Kassi's warlock-inspired pact locks in!

36. What makes them feel guilty? Diric - Being rescued when he intended to do the rescuing. Not being enough to clear obstacles. Going into a spiral and saying stupid shit because of his invasive thoughts. Trin - Intentionally verbally lashing out but instead of triggering a fight (where she can then vent her frustrations) being heard or understood. It means she has to apologize when she might not actually want to. Tor - His little backslides toward his old party-hard self. Even though he knows he needs to loosen up, Tor doesn't want to lose who he's become into who he was. Doesn't want his addictions to run his life again. Kassi - Not understanding some things in the new culture she finds herself in after her exile. Her tribe's lifestyle is so different from where she ends up, Kassi finds herself invariably making mistakes and always proving herself the outsider.

[soulventure91]

3, 4, and 5 for kassi? 👀

sunshine meets some edgy queries |

3. What is your OC's fatal flaw? Are they aware of this flaw? Kassi has a few, but I think the big kicker is her big mouth combined with mostly-innocent and trusting outlook. Once she starts talking, especially when she reckons the person she's talking to is someone she can trust, her focus is completely locked on whatever thoughts happen to be in her head. This can lead to, and doesn't exclude, accidentally insulting the listener; discussing her necromantic powers and outlook thereof; and being led into a trap or imprisonment because of whatever she's talking about. Overall she means well but Kassi's propensity to chatter can, has, and will get her regularly into trouble she doesn't necessarily have the ability to handle.

4. When scared, does your OC fight, flee, freeze or fawn? Obvious enemy? Fight, for sure - even if they outweigh her (which is. Pretty much by default yes), Kassi won't back down from a fight. That being said, if she's caught by surprise - say, surrounded by guards for running her mouth - Kassi will shift rapidly into fawn. She doesn't want to scrap with normal people, so if Kassi can manage talking her way out of people problems she'll just run her mouth even faster. I've discovered in some chardev work that her persuasion style is to just. Wend her way around a topic and ultimately get a question of her own answered all without providing any information she might know.

5. How far is your OC willing to go to get what they want? Mm. Per a bit of 4 above, Kassi avoids directly going toe-to-toe with normal people if she can. She can stare down demons and hellspawn like nothin', and putting down undead she can handle in her sleep. But something about facing down living mortals, even if they mean her ill, Kassi has a hard time engaging in conflict. So putting her in a choice between saving innocent lives and her goal? Unless she's confident others can protect those lives and she doesn't need to fret over that loss of life, Kassi is always going to pick protecting life. It's the bedrock of her beliefs and despite her abilities so clearly and easily making her a target for the living Kassi won't compromise it for anything. That's the epitome of the balance she strives to protect.

[soulventure91]

1, 8, and 34 for kassi 💖✨

fun things to ask ocs!! |

1- are they associated with a certain color? what color do they wear the most? I actually associate Kassi with green and black; not only are they the identifying colors of Kassi's tribe, but the color her spells are tattooed on her skin (black) and her eyes (green). Kassi's eyes are especially vivid, as her eyes are almost too-big for her face given that her necromantic powers slowly drain away her visible physical health. As for the colors she wears, Kassi tends to stick to neutral colors if she can but loves shiny metal jewelry to wear - doesn't matter what type of metal, so long as it's got a nice gleam.

8- do they have a nickname? who gave it to them? if it's not derived from their real name, what's the story behind it? Kassi is short for Kassiani, though one of the other necromancers in her tribe, Gere, often called her "little Kass" since he was the oldest of the apprentices and she was the youngest. Kassi's almost always been called that, unless she's in trouble. Then it's full name time.

34- how would your character describe themselves? it doesn't have to line up with how they really are. Kassi's not afraid to admit she's a necromancer, even if she's around people that are uncomfortable by the notion. She'd then let her bubbly and inquisitive nature prove that "necromancer" and "evil" are hardly mutually exclusive - if she's not proving the image of an evil necromancer surrounded by undead, but rather using necromantic energy to enhance her capabilities or those of her allies, then how can all necromancers be evil? She does recognize such exist, of course, but Kassi is clear that magic-users that use necromancy toward evil ends aren't "proper" necromancers anyway. And yes, her focus would be on her necromancy and beliefs; Kassi is well aware her physical appearance is hardly an aesthetic ideal (she often looks half-starved despite being perfectly healthy, with a narrow sharp-angled face) and can sometimes be self-conscious about it. However, much of her appearance is because she's a necromancer! So it somewhat kills two birds with one stone.

[soulventure91]

67%. What's the worst injury they've ever gotten?

battery percent injuries for EVERYONE |

Kassi's worst injury is probably something silly - my bet, a concussion from getting bonked on the head when something in Seta's cart fell as Kassi was either rummaging or getting up to no good. I reckon Kassi was probably 10 at the time so she recovered fine but she was probably out cold for a few hours. Sure learned her lesson about getting to stuff in the cart while the tribe was on the move, though.

Tor's worst physical injury is definitely the loss of his left hand, though probably not worst in terms of trauma (which is wild considering. Yanno. Loss of limb). Tor's trauma injuries are probably some of the scars across his back, especially one that might've been acidic/chemical or took a long time for Iymraen to heal - Illiran was that dedicated to trying to awaken psionics in Tor he did about anything he could think of to trigger it.

Worst injury for Trin. Hm. She's probably had her share of broken bones while learning her martial arts, and she was pretty beaten up when we fought the red and green dragons. I don't think she's had a massive narrative-based injury though!

Diric. Whoo. Hm. Probably the only one he's got a semi-functional story for that isn't just 'we found this thing in the Underdark and it tied to eat us but we killed it and ate it instead' is the scar around his jaw and up his cheek. I mentioned in a previous ask that it's the one scar Diric can definitely recall from his time enthralled by an elder brain; basically what he can remember is something going sideways and an illithid was about to make him pay for it by, obviously, eating his brain. This is where it gets fuzzy for him because Diric's not really sure why or how it let him go, only leaving the scar of its tentacles around his neck. He can invent reasons why, of course: he had a moment of clarity and managed to break free, something exonerated him and another took the punishment, free game. But ultimately that illithid let him go for no real reason Diric can understand. And as far as he knows, that illithid is dead as of the Talisman's hike through that nest.