Verdana's Partnership Compendium

[Verdana]

Here, I will keep track of my bearers, wardens, riders, and other individuals partnered with my creatures of Eld.

[Verdana]

Name
Quintessa of None

Better known as
Tess or Tessa

Gender
Female

Age[b]
Ageless; but has the appearance of a woman in her late thirties.

[b]Appearance
Short
Plump (was a very slender child)
Creamy-dark skin
Long, curly hair, often tied up loosely and out of the way
Full lips
Straight, quite flat nose
Hazel eyes
Small hands and feet
Maternal softness

Personality
Maternal
Prone to impatience
Sassy and spirited
Guarded and wary
Often sides with the underdog
Fighting spirit
Determined and stubborn
Survivor

Skills and failings

Skills:
Tessa can read fairly well (although big words trouble her sometimes) and write well enough to get by.
She can pick pockets fairly skillfully and can also defend herself against unwanted attacks, although she does not (or cannot) attack if she can help it.
She has an innate sense of rhythm and tune, and can sing and dance fairly well.
She is a canny observer, and never forgets a face. Especially if that face once showed her hostility.

Failings:
Tessa is terribly proud, and struggles to admit that she is wrong. She can hold a grudge terribly, and never forgets a slight, no matter how small. This comes with a streak of vanity (inherited from her mother) and the belief that, if she has made up her mind about something, she must be right.
She is also terribly untrusting, and doesn't get along with most people. She has the potential to make a good friend, but is not the sort to help the process along in any way.
She is inept with weapons of any description, and is more likely to hurt herself than others with them. She leaves any fighting up to her Rune if she can help it.


History

Lineage
Alabastar City nobleman father (pale-skinned)
Dark-skinned servant mother

Biography

Tessa's mother fell in love with a sailor. Charming, handsome and foreign, the man soon had Tess's mother's heart. When he sailed away again (as sailors are wont to do), he left something behind; something small, which grew steadily more obvious as the months passed.
He never returned.
Tessa's mother, a beautiful, vain and shallow young woman, soon had the scorn of her community on her shoulders for bearing a child out of wedlock. Before Tessa had even been born, her mother resented her. Fortunately for the woman, she had a wealthy father and so, when Tess was born, she was discarded as her mother went out and enjoyed herself. Tess spent a large portion of her child evading one nursemaid after the other, and having the run of a usually-empty house.
This suited her just fine. Tess was not a stupid child, and by the time she had turned eight years old, she had convinced one of her governesses to teach her to read instead of how to sew. She spent many hours amusing herself in the library and around the house, and, while neglected and lacking in any sort of parental care, was not unhappy.
This didn't last.
As she grew older, and grew more adventurous, it became more and more difficult to conceal her. Neighbours began to talk. Tessa's mother's social life began to be negatively impacted, and casual neglect turned to regular bouts of fury. To this day, Tessa is not sure whether her mother evicted her from the house or whether she left voluntarily, but at the tender age of ten, Tess found herself alone on the city streets.
The city is not kind to a child alone, and especially a pretty female child. Tess had to survive or die. Survive she did, and she picked up several useful (and not entirely legal) skills in the process. Nonetheless, while Tess didn't thrive, she survived, and all would have been well.
Then the talk of magic began.
Tess's appearance attracted attention. Her eyes in particular were jarring, and anything strange could be interpreted to be hostile. Casual looks became more focused. At first, talk remained simple chatter. Slowly, the hostility grew. Harsh sentiments became harsh tones became harsh blows, and soon Tess was fleeing in fear for her life. Not even small villages were ignorant of the rumours, and soon Tess was not only friendless, but hated, too. At first, this tore at her tender young heart. However, she grew steadily colder and seemingly more impervious, which only made the rumours worse.
Tess spent four miserable, lonely years of her life in this way. She grew veiled, sullen and ever watchful. So, when a stranger deposited a suspicious-looking stone in her hand one day (along with some rather blunt instructions), Tessa was sure that it didn't bode well. The last thing that she needed was to look any more magically inclined or meddle with the outlawed Rune Dragons (for nobody could mistake the signs), and she opted to toss the stone away.
She had many chances, and yet the stone nestled in her pocket. She toyed with it when she was thinking. A compulsion grew within her to follow the strange figure's advice. She held out for more than a month, but eventually the need had engulfed her entire being, and so she journeyed off to summon the rune in the stone.
And so, when she was fifteen years old, Quintessa soul-bonded to Mbarim, and for about a year they have been travelling together. Tess is no longer alone, and every day their love for each other grows more profound.

Companions

Mbarim
Enver

[Verdana]

Seth

[Verdana]

Alexander von Thrupp

[Verdana]

Jade Empress Tottori Chiasa