Tristaan is a free passive, at least in theory, but in practice, obviously, he's not truly free. He feels heavily the rejection from galdori society, perhaps much more than he really should. He has idolized what he cannot have to the point of perhaps not seeing that his life is, in fact, far better free from his magical peers' own social expectations. He never feels he can fit in—not with humans, not with wicks, not even with other passives—and this is very much in his own head more than for any other reason. Obviously the Red Crow accepted him without question, and yet that was uncomfortable to him.
My goal for him is first to accept himself on a deeper level, to become comfortable in his own skin and accept that his freedom is superior to living within the confines of galdori society. I'd like for him to find his true freedom and grow in that, and I'd also like for him to discover what it really means to be a passive one day, what kind of secrets his race holds.But first he needs to be ready for those truths, and right now, he is not.
Instead, his family consists of Red Crow wicks and the tyat he once ran away with. His adoptive father, Guaril, is still alive, and the old wick misses him. He would have friends among the tribe, and perhaps even still have connections among Vienda Soot District passives who were indentured in the same factory he was. Other than that, Tristaan is a sociable creature, craving companionship and validation very deeply, and tends to charm friends out of strangers wherever he goes. Tristaan always needs people in his life, and so if you're looking for a feisty, loyal passive to keep in touch with, past or present, he'd be happy to call you friend.
Not unaware of his well-bred good looks and charming smile, Tristaan has not lived his life in ignorance of sex and sexuality, although his harsh youth in the Soot District was perhaps not the safest of introductions to all the wrong that could happen. Living with wicks for a few years certainly introduced him to experiences and enjoyments he'd been conditioned to believe he wasn't allowed to partake in as a passive, but he's perhaps loved and been loved in the past, only to find himself unable to maintain a relationship either out of fear or poor choices. Past relationships would be a lot of fun to memory threads, so if you think you'd have a reason to cross Tristaan's path, don't hesitate to consider the situation they'd find themselves in.
As much as he longs for a wife and children, he's achingly aware of what he is. Unlike a wick parse, he's legally not allowed any of those things, though he's of the mind, buried beneath the shame and fear, to have them for himself anyway. That said, even if he doesn't know it yet, Tristaan is spoken for by [mention]Sarinah Lissden[/mention] in the present. A bit of drama isn't unwelcome, but their relationship is far more special in the long run than he's quite aware of right now.
Tristaan isn't the type to make many enemies, although his charming, indomitable goodness often rubs those of the less than savory persuasion the wrong way. He's seriously, ridiculously irritatingly good, the underdog hero in far too many situations—standing up for the downtrodden to the point of getting beaten for them sort of thing—and yet he's done his fair share of crimes just to survive. He ran with tyat who planned to be a thorn in Hawke's side, and he's killed and stolen because that's all he could do to eat at the time ... but he's never been indiscriminate about such things. He's fought for his life and self-preservation, but Tristaan is the type who'd rather talk his way out of a situation first and fight his way out second. He just happens to be equally good at talking and fighting, if not slightly better with his fists when it comes to blows in the end.
Bad Brothers have a price on his head at present. What he once owed as an indefinite debt to a currently unnamed member of Hawke's organization (would you like to be a part of that plot line? let me know!), he now owes in his own blood for his relationship with Sarinah and their fleeing of the Harbor together.
Other antagonists and enemies are welcome, however, as no matter how nice Tristaan is, it's impossible to charm everyone. Bring on the challenges. He lives to overcome them.
I'd like to be working on Tristaan's Social and Mental Aptitude Skills, and of course his Physical. I'll be expanding his Combat Focus Skill set, working on earning him the Wick Tricks (not magic, of course), and going his various Professional Skills, since the passive is more or less a sapper, a jack-of-all trades, or the odd job sort of man. He does what he can and knows a bit of everything.
I'm most interested, of course, on getting him somehow swept up in the passive discovery plot—what is he? What does it really mean to be passive?
And he needs to hang out with his sister. A lot.