Tista
Race:
Dwarf
Age:
42
Appearance:
Tista is a 137cm (4'6) dwarf with wavy light reddish-brown hair and purple eyes which gave him his name. He has a lighter complexion but still has sun kissed skin due to the time he's spent outside during his travels. Tista's beard started growing in not long ago, but he hates the idea of having it and shaves it down as much as possible usually leaving a bit on his chin. Tista is an artisan and almost everything on him he has made himself. He wears a collared shirt with a fur parka over it, baggy pants, and sets of fur sandles/gloves. He can always be seen with his goggles set up on his head and a large backpack full of supplies and random trinkets he's made.
Personality:
Tista is a very genuine, selfless person always treating others as if they were more important than himself. This has given him a bit of a reputation during both his travels and his short time as a blacksmith on the island which has been both to his favor and detriment. Though kind, Tista is not much of a people person. He prefers to travel alone now and whenever he's not tending to his store he is locked in his workshop tinkering or out in nature playing/singing songs. Tista likes being alone as he spends a lot of time in his own head; he's a chronic daydreamer thinking of what his life could be and achieving the high aspirations he's set for himself.
Tista is obsessed with magic which has caused a lot of friction with family and others around where he comes from. He has come to have some disconnect with dwarves as a whole and instead is fascinated with elves/gnomes for their aptitude towards magic.
He likes spicy foods (he has heard about orchish cuisine but never had it) and dislikes seafood.
Skills:
Though he may not act like it, Tista has the strength and toughness that comes with being a dwarf. He is not much of a fighter however, and will tend to try to use his creations as well as clever tricks to get out of dangerous situations. This will often not work out exactly how he planned though so it’s a good thing he can take a hit. When there is no other option Tista has a heavy hammer he swings around with relative ease. He isn't a fan of weapons usually, but this hammer was built by none other than himself so he injected some other utility into it. The hammer can break down and be used as other tools, almost like a russian doll multi-tool. Tista is out of it a lot on the surface, but in the dungeon where he needs to focus he can be quite perceptive. He is quick on his feet and is good at getting out of dangerous situations... most of the time.
Tista is an artisan and a jack of all trades. He has spent a lot of time doing metal/wood-work, crafting, tailoring. He was also a traveling musician for money. No matter what he's doing Tista tries to put as much care as he can into his work no matter how trivial the item.
Background:
Tista is from a heavily dwarf populated area in the Eastern Continent with old wounds regarding elves through proxy, magical practice as a whole. Despite this, Tista grew up being enamored with magic sneaking away to try to learn it himself. He was never able to however and he began to resent the fact he was a dwarf and became bitter towards what was his home.
When he was 39 however a young elf scholar came through his village for study. The town shunned the elf and on the rare occasion were outright antagonistic towards them. Tista however became enamored. He would sneak off to follow the scholar around watching them closely trying to gain any knowledge on magic from them. The elf caught him one day and although awkward, Tista offered to help which they accepted with a polite smile. Tista spent several seasons following the elf around doing odd jobs for them while quietly observing them work. He couldn't understand much of what they were doing or what the purpose of their research was and they were completely unwilling to explain anything, but Tista wasn't bothered by the disregard shown towards him. He was blindly in love.
It didn't take much longer for the elf to finish their work and were going to leave when Tista begged for them to let him come with them. The mage resisted and even scoffed at the idea, but Tista was persistent. He thought they were in love, he even wrote a song for this person he idolized so much. The elf eventually accepted thinking it nice to have someone help them on their journey back home. Word got around what Tista planned to do: not only was he getting involved with the evils of magic, but also falling in love with an elf? This was a far greater betrayal. His family had practically shunned him before he could even leave. He packed whatever he could and left knowing he couldn't come back.
Tista was almost 41 by the time he had made it to the elf's home. It was there that he was casually sent off with a thanks and was left alone before he could protest. He was not allowed inside the academy and he could tell by the looks he was getting he wasn't meant to be here at all. Tista was left to drift through the Eastern Continent alone. He had much time to think about his lost family and what he thought was love disintegrating right in front of him. It took time, but realized the parasocial relationship he had with the elf and how his obsession with magic clouded his judgement. He spent the next year traveling village-to-village, kingdom-to-kingdom making money as a performer and artisan. It wasn't until he heard about an island with a dungeon that had just been discovered that he decided it was time to settle down somewhere. He could finally make a living with all the adventurers flocking there and the dungeon would be an excellent way to get more information about magic.
Typical Role in Dungeon Parties:
Not much of a good dungeon delver but: gadget user, blacksmith, general aid giver, and (if absolutely necessary) warrior.
Five Key Words About Tista:
- Magic
Tista is obsessed with magic and dreams of being able to enchant items in order to bring it to those like himself who have small mana pools. - Music
Though he was once a traveling performer, Tista saw that only as something that needed to be done to survive. Tista often keeps his art close to heart - never showing it. He has even written love songs for people, but never actually shown them. He often plucks away on his harp when he knows he's alone singing softly to himself: original songs, lullabies his mother sang to him as a child, and works he's heard from other performers while traveling. - Artisan
Tista is a skilled blacksmith but only works with weapons and armor out of necessity. He simply enjoys the act of creating and will ensure that all of what he makes meets his own high standards whether it be: useless novelties, tools, or musical instruments. His true dream however is to be able to use magic and plans to use his blacksmithing skills as well as whatever information he can find in the dungeon to be able to make enchantments. - Selfless
Tista tends to give all he can to those he cares about, and will be the best person he can be to everyone around him. This could make him a very popular merchant and dungeon diver on the island, but his kindness could also be easily taken advantage of. - Spacey
One of Tista's skills is being perceptive, but only when he is focused which he is often anything but. It is common for him to walk around on autopilot often thinking about completely different things or nothing at all. This is a big reason why one of his favorite pass times is to sit in a shady spot and dream while playing songs until he falls asleep.
