Middle Name: Vera
Last Name: Croft
Appearance:
Race: Human (mixed heritage)
Age: Early 20's, exact age unknown
Height 5'4"
Weight: 126 lbs
Eyes: Hazel-Blue
Hair: Dark Brown (often appears to be Black)
Facial Hair Style: Eyebrows. :p
Trystel is of average height and weight for an active and dexterous athlete. She is toned, but not necessarily "buff". It's clear she favors speed over force, in both appearance and the way she conducts herself. Her movements are swift, precise, and deliberate (she doesn't tend to mindlessly shift her weight, fidget, etc.). This demeanor pairs wonderfully well with the traits she possesses which were passed down to her by her ancestors.
Hers is a rare and particularly stunning mix of bloodlines. Most obvious at first glance is her warm, swarthy complexion and luscious hair, which she keeps tied back in such a way that can only be described as "organized chaos". In mesmerizing contrast, her eyes are a deep, vivid hazel-blue that would rival the beauty of nature itself. Similarly, her sharp facial features contrast with her comely figure and curves.
All in all, it seems like Trystel had the help of Tymora and Sune, because the mixed blood that could have (and perhaps should have) expressed itself in cacophonous fashion instead manifested melodiously and gracefully in a run of luck that few have the privilege of experiencing.
Personality Profile:
General Health: Clearly athletic and "hyper"- you don't get the impression she likes being idle for long.
Deity: In her own words... "Sune! With tendencies toward Tempus or Sharess, depending on the day and company. *she winks* "
Initial Alignment: Chaotic Good
Profession: Varied (see background below)
Base Class & Proposed Development: If Dervish could be her base class, it would be! That's what best fits her personality and background. Technically, her talents began developing as a child, thieving for a local guild, so Rogue is the base class I've chosen to reflect that until Dervish is available. Again, further elaboration in the background below.
Habits/Hobbies: As a child, she enjoyed dueling others. That hobby is what sparked her favor of rapiers, but she never received professional training in their use. As a result, she probably wouldn't do well in a fencing tournament any more, but she still enjoys a good spar for fun from time to time.
She also enjoys dancing, but not typically in group settings as large as taverns or festivals might host. Instead, she'd rather dance alone or with few others in a secluded setting, preferably with natural scenery to enjoy.
In many ways, she has come to combine these two arts. A trained warrior might realize this, or a professional dancer, but to most, it simply appears to be some exotic technique that falls in line with her "exotic" appearance.
Languages: She tends to take more of an interest in non-human cultures, likely from her extensive background and history in dealing with various human races. As much as she'd love to learn all the foreign (to humans) languages out there, the only two she's been exposed to enough to master are dwarven and elven.
Weapon of Choice: Rapiers, hands down. She might use a dagger or knife where rapiers are unavailable for whatever reason, but beyond this, she's out of her comfort zone. If she is forced to use anything else, she displays something of a disgust with it, and is likely to be vocal about it until she can get her hands on a rapier again, or at the very least, a good dagger.
Background:
This is already shaping up to be a lengthy post, and I do plan to write other chapters of The Croft Chronicle, so I'll keep it as brief as I can while also hitting the high points.
Trystel's childhood heavily influenced the path she would take in life, and thus her story starts there. Where others might deviate from their childhood goals or set more reasonable expectations for themselves as they mature, she never had any outrageous aspirations, nor did she play as other children her age might've.
For as long as she can remember, Trystel has been an orphan. All that remains of her parents, as far as she knows, are the few vague flashbacks she has from infancy. She doesn't remember much in the way of familiar settings or objects, only the parents. Based on that, she assumes that they must've been gypsies or nomads, which would also explain her odd mixture of traits, since her family would've had the chance to incorporate various races over the generations.
She does not remember the exact moment that they were separated, so whether they are alive is still in question. However, she does remember the years that followed, when she was raised by a low-ranked captain in Luskan. Naturally, she was taught the basics of larceny and subterfuge as soon as she was old enough to understand, and often ran small errands for the ship that grown crew members couldn't have accomplished themselves. They treated her well, for a band of pirates, and she was usually more than happy to oblige her adopted family.
Though she didn't know her exact age or birthday due to the loss of her parents so early, there nonetheless came a time when she grew big enough to take on more daring tasks, which gradually became more and more morally questionable. Eavesdropping from a barrel became infiltrating peoples' homes. Posing as a child beggar became burglary. Eventually, she was asked blindly to act as a distraction for an assassination, and thus, Trystel drew the line and left, never to return.
However, at about eleven or twelve years old, she still couldn't quite make it on her own. She relied on a troupe of gypsies to sneak out of town with, and the troupe ended up becoming her new home through her adolescence. It was with the troupe that Trystel was exposed to the corners of the realms. She had happened to meet them in Luskan near the beginning of a grand tour of Faerun, which started in Neverwinter and sought to visit every realm possible from Icewind Dale to Durpar.
She finally met members of other races that weren't trying to kill her, and found herself fascinated by them. She learned everything she could from them, even picking up the languages of the dwarves and the elves, which some would say are her favorites to this day, though she has never confirmed the claims. She learned to dance, dabbled in the harp and tambourine, tried her hand at cooking (and largely failed), but most of all, she learned to love.
Never before had Trystel witnessed or experienced the passion that the gypsies showed in everything they did, every day. She had never made friends that didn't require her to prove herself or be useful somehow. This is what made her gravitate toward Sune, and eventually adopt the goddess as her patron deity. She flirted with several boys and enjoyed a few loving relationships, but wasn't overly serious with any of them.
That all changed in Amn, near the end of the tour. There, a young adult by then, she met the only guy that she claims to have ever truly loved. He was a human bard and poet who made his living entertaining the caravans passing through Crimmor. They met there, where Trystel's troupe was going to stay for a few weeks. They were taken with each other, and since he would not find as much work with the troupe being in town, he invited her to his home on the lake, just outside Esmeltaran. They spent the weeks in his cabin or on the lake, enjoying long spring walks or midnight stargazing and the occasional serenade. It was truly bliss for Trystel, but she wanted to finish the tour, and have time to say her farewells, before she returned to spend her life with him. He brought her back to Crimmor and they parted ways for the time being.
Months later, the troupe found themselves enjoying one of the famous monster shows in Scornubel the night before they were to depart. What they hadn't known was that this particular show was sponsored by a local thieves' guild, meant to attract the attention of key members of a rival guild by featuring monsters from the Underdark. The ambush worked flawlessly, except that most of the troupe was present as well.
With broken spirits, the few escapees knew that they couldn't hope to avenge their fallen friends, nor could they stay in Scornubel, where the guild might hunt them in an effort to tie loose ends. They decided to return to Baldur's Gate for a time, but Trystel had a mind to return to her lover in Crimmor.
When she arrived, she was greeted by yet more grief, for she did not find her lover alone...
With everything she had come to care for ripped from her, she made her way again to Baldur's Gate, hoping to find the last of her friends remaining. Alas, they had already left by the time she arrived, with no sign of where they'd gone.
Now, Trystel wanders the streets of Baldur's Gate, alone and full of mixed emotions. She spends her days absently doing menial tasks for citizens while she contemplates her next move. In the darkness of her pain, will she revert to her Luskan ways and make use of her skills as a thief? In this time of disregard for her own life, will she start professionally dueling again and see how far her "dancing" technique takes her? Perhaps she'll use her talents to instead seek out more sensual pleasures, trying to fill the void of her broken heart? Will she seek out seclusion with dwarves or elves to shield herself from the cruelty of the world? Maybe she'll pursue what she started with the harp and tambourine, and hopefully inspire others through songs and stories of her own life...
What does Baldur's Gate have in store for Trystel Vera Croft...?
Possible Plot-Hook Ideas and Misc Facts:
I intentionally left several aspects of her story vague so that I can either expand upon them later or they can be used as plot points by DM's! Her parents might be alive, the pirates that took her in might want her back, the lover from Crimmor might come looking for her, as might the guild in Scornubel. The troupe she traveled with might return, and all of this is before we take into account whatever may have happened on that extensive tour through Faerun.
I like having a fleshed out back story for my character, but the real fun is in leaving room for others to mix it with their own. There's plenty of room for Trystel's path to have crossed with other characters', and in the end, the combined story of differing perspectives can create more plot hooks to work with.
I love cooking up good RP, so if any of that interests you, player or DM, feel free to let me know! I'll see you all server-side!