About Tandus the YoungIn-Depth Background:
His name is Tandus, and he's the greatest musician in the Inner Sea Region. Or that's what he says, at any rate. In reality, he's the third son of a lesser noble family in Kintargo that got their position with a lot of gold and kissing up to the right people. He grew up spoiled rotten, hosting parties attended only by beautiful people, and nobody told him any different, because he was just carrying on a family tradition. His father is fat and mean and loyal to House Thrune, and his mother was the one who taught Tandus to value beautiful people. The less said about his two brothers, the family heir and the Hellknight, the better. The sole saving grace is the love of his life, Anemone. They met when Tandus was out on the town with his entourage and Anemone, a commoner, was buying groceries for herself and her brother. Tandus saw her and was enchanted by her beautiful red hair, breaking off from his entourage and following her through the market, only to be shocked when she turned to reveal a terrible burn scar along the side of her face and down her neck from an incident as a child. She slapped him, hard enough to send him to the ground, and asked if he had ever seen a woman as anything more than an object for his own delight. She left him there, sitting in a muddy puddle, stunned. It should have been easy for Tandus to brush it off, but her words rattled around his head for days afterwards. He returned to the market to look for her, hoping that he might find some understanding if he spoke to her again; for three days, he waited dawn-to-dusk, and when he finally saw her, he strode across the market, turned her around, opened his mouth, and forgot what he was going to say. Her fear turned to bewilderment, then irritation as she went to pick up the food she had dropped; he regained himself, insisted on carrying her basket, and allowed her to lead the conversation. He asked to meet again, and she agreed. Over the next year, they met again many more times. Anemone was charmed by his quick wit and saw in him a potential to change, and maybe even be a force for change in the city. Over that year, Tandus realized two things about Anemone: first, that he had fallen in love with her, but did not confess because he knew(?) she did not return his feelings, and second, that she was probably involved with the Silver Ravens. Tandus did not hide his friendship with a commoner but neither did he flaunt it; as the third son of a merchant house, there were few to take umbrage. When Kintargo was sacked by House Thrune, Anemone disappeared, and Tandus suspects that her connection to the Silver Ravens may have something to do with it. After asking around to a perhaps overzealous degree, he's found a lead: vis a vis a friend of a friend, he is to meet a contact at the Aria Park Protest, a human man with a black glove on one hand and no glove on the other hand. He does not care much about revolution, but may be incentivized to get involved. Five Important Facts:
Tandus is in love with Anemone, but does not confess because he knows she does not love him. Until Kintargo was sacked, they spent Anemone's free time together (all of Tandus' time is free time), talking and making music together. Tandus is not religious. He finds the whole thing incredibly dull, but is smart enough not to tell anyone he feels this way. Tandus plays the violin (often, as a fiddle), and according to his family it's the only outstanding thing about him. He enjoys singing, but he's not great at it. Tandus is usually overconfident in his abilities, and quite bombastic. Part of it is genuinely loving himself too much and part of it is a facade to put people off their guard, but the balance of the two varies from day to day. Tandus is Chelish by ethnicity, with dark hair, pale skin, and coal-black eyes (the feature he is most proud of), but while he can be selfish and unaware at times, it's something he's working on. Anemone's disappearance certainly helps him be more serious. Four Important People:
Anemone is Tandus' dearest friend. They met a year ago when Tandus, then still fixated on outer beauty, approached her, only to cringe away when he saw the scar that marred her features. Her chastisement stuck with him, he went to apologize, and it must have been genuine enough that Anemone forgave him. Tandus has fallen in love with her, and he strongly suspects that she is involved with the Silver Ravens. Anemone disappeared after Kintargo was sacked by House Thrune. She has beautiful long red hair, an old burn scar down the right side of her face, and a lovely singing voice. Augustinus Iolem and Agrippa Iolem are Tandus' father and mother. Augustinus is a merchant-noble, mean as a snake, and usually intoxicated. Agrippa was the one who taught Tandus to value outer beauty above all else and held salons attended only by beautiful people. Agrippa is gorgeous, especially considering she is in her 50s and has had 3 children; Tandus looks a lot like her, except that her eyes are dark green. Nero Iolem is Tandus' second oldest brother, 24 years old; he is a Hellknight in the Order of the Rack, and may or may not be in Kintargo. He and Tandus have never gotten along; far too many beatings were only avoided due to Tandus' talent for arcane magic and the skill he developed at concentrating under pressure. (For the record, their oldest brother is Aurelius Iolem, the heir, and is currently running the family business.) Three Important Memories:
A few years ago, Tandus' father became exceptionally drunk and told his son that he should hope to die young, because his good looks were the only thing he had going for him. After sobering up Augustinus denied ever saying such things, but Tandus remembered, and it scared him. Tandus often recalls with shame his first meeting with Anemone, when he reacted poorly to her appearance, and she slapped him, knocking him off his feet and into a muddy puddle, and telling him off before leaving in a huff. A few weeks before Kintargo was sacked, Tandus confided in Anemone his memory of being taunted by his father. She reacted in horror that his own father would say such a thing. She listed off his talents, his skill with arcane magic, his breadth of (admittedly shallow) knowledge, and of course his music. She told him, "Damn your father! If you want to, you can become the greatest musician in the world! And even if you don't, if you lead a simple life--as long as you are happy, I will think you are wonderful." Two Goals:
To widen his experiences in the world, so that he doesn't make the same mistake as when he first met Anemone. To compose a masterpiece for violin and voice, to prove to his father that he is more than a pretty face. One Reason to Get Up in the Morning:
To find out what happened to Anemone since her disappearance. Stat Block:
Tandus
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