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Character Name: Tertian (pronounced TER-shan)

Race: Bestial

Class: Trader

Subtype: Stork

Element: Water

Gender: Male

Age: 73 (near the high end of middle-aged for bestials, assuming a 120 year lifespan)

Family: Tertian's family is quite small since their separation from their original tribe - only a younger sister, who is 49 years of age. His mother and father are now dead. Tertian does have quite a bit of both blood and tribal family, but he has no idea where his old tribe is now and feels he is too old to abandon his trading business to go look for them, despite the occasional yearning to do so.

History: Tertian was born into a mixed tribe of Bestials, but one his family had been part of for many generations. Be they furred, feathered, or scaled, all were considered family by rite of long tradition and the mingling of blood on the territorial battlefield. They lived deep in the center of a swampland inhabited by Bestials, far from any elven centers. Tertian grew up content, and took up ceremonial dancing in his youth. His elegant neck and graceful gliding steps made him a natural in the dances, and he adored it greatly. He wanted to dance behind the shamans all his life.

Then, one day, when Tertian was nine years old, a charismatic macaw-type Bestial arrived. This odd nomad's name was Mechai, and he journeyed through the Bestial lands speaking to avians of a better life found in the unity of the family of feathers, away from fur, scale, and the hairless elves and humans. He called them to join with him in his own, newly-formed 'flock' made up of only avian Bestials. His parents were swayed by Mechai's words (and perhaps by the odd drink he offered to them, that made the sun flare black and the skies dance, or so they said) and despite the protests of their young son they made the decision to join the flock.

Life in the flock was not as stable as life with Tertian's born tribe might have been. The new tribe frequently found itself caught up in territorial disputes as it wandered far away, where they had no knowledge of tribal boundaries. They were much more nomadic than most, as Mechai felt his duty was to spread his word to as many avians as possible.

Eventually, after many weary years of doing little but existing in Mechai's dust, following him without rest or staying anywhere for more than a week or two, Tertian's family had had enough. When Tertial was 14, they broke away from Mechai's flock far away from their original tribe, at the edge of the forests near Terralusk. With no family connection to any of the tribes, and feeling very wary due to what had happened when they joined Mechai's flock, they settled down in one of the outlying mish-mash settlements along the edge of the forest.

Tertian quickly learned that outside of the close-knit world of the tribe, his ceremonial dancing skills were distinctly underappreciated. Those who did appreciate dance seemed to want it for only one reason, and only one TYPE of dance, and he was very much opposed to that. So, in lieu of dancing for masters like a slave, Tertian forced himself to change his passion into something that was better for his personal well-being and his family's finances. With the city of Terralusk relatively close, and the bounty of the forest also within easy reach, Tertian decided to become a trader.

Tertian worked very hard at this task, working at odd jobs wherever he could find employment, often ranging afar to collect odd and eldritch items and materials, and bringing them back to his parents' home where they would be protected. By the time he was 30, Tertian had amassed enough raw materials and wealth simply through collecting and good fortune for his family to afford a larger home in a more decent town. It was here that Tertian set up his trading business, beginning with lakeside rushes (the good quality ones being good for weaving, the lesser ones making a decently cheap hay) and beach glass as commodities to start. On the side, he ran a small shopfront using his own creative ideas for handicrafts and hiring talented hands to bring those ideas to life.

Present: Tertian has been a trader for a long, long time. He isn't mind-blowingly successful and wealthy, but he is happy. He has never mated with anyone, despite a few odd flings here and there, and as old age approaches he's beginning to doubt that will ever happen. It doesn't particularly bother him - he has his work to keep him busy, both managing his trading business and designing new items and oddments to offer. He has come to the Spring Festival in Terralusk for two reasons. The first is to meet with a merchant tradesman who may be able to offer him a wider, wealthier audience for a higher grade of refined beach-sand for glassmaking. The second is simply to visit the Festival, and most especially to see if there might be any from his old tribe about... and, of course, to observe any ceremonial dancing held in celebration. Despite the fact that he can't join in the dances, watching them makes his heart leap and bound along with those on the ceremonial floor. Tertian has enough funds that he can stay in an inn of good standing, with a small but private room, and maybe a cunning young chick some evenings to warm his aging hollow bones.

Personality: Tertian is a cunning and shrewd businessman, although that is more from many decades of learning than from natural inclination. He is straightforward in all his dealings and with a strong eye for providing quality goods, rather than selling inferior goods at inflated prices. His trader's honor is quite important to him. Tertian also despises long negotiations. He's very blunt, preferring to say exactly what he means and not soften it with pretty words. He doesn't have very much respect for those who hide behind a veneer of 'smart talk', and tends to regard such types with suspicion. His tendency to be blunt did get him in trouble often when he was younger, but now that he's older he tends to just stare at people, unmoving, until they sit down and shut up, at which point he'll mumble about "respecting your elders" and keep going. There are some luxuries only found in old age, after all.

Tertian has a deep fondness for the arts, especially for dancing, and for the shamanic beliefs of his people. He devoutly holds to shamanism, and celebrates the rites as he can with pious dedication. He feels it is his duty to repay for not holding to the path of the dancer. He adores watching the dances of others, even if they're not ceremonial - ball-type dancing and others hold just as much fascination for him. He continues to practice his old dancing exercises inside, although he never dances in public, and as a result is more limber than one would expect, considering his age.

Tertian enjoys surrounding himself with people, although he doesn't often participate in discussion. He is happiest surrounded by others who are happy, simply enjoying their presence. Although he isn't talkative, preferring to lurk on the outside of any drama or great events, he appreciates the safety and comfort of large, friendly groups. Tertian has many, many aquaintances, most of whom would call him a friend, but he doesn't have any very close friends at all. He seems happiest at one remove from everything - keeping people close enough to enjoy the good things but not near enough see the bad things.

His favorite place to be is right along the marshy edges of the forest, where dirt turns to swamp before hitting the lake itself, and the occasional pristine sandy bank presents itself. He enjoys it both for the solitude and for the food - Tertian absolutely adores raw frogs. His exercise for the dance serves him well, as he usually has little trouble catching frogs for himself, although his joints have begun to creak as of late. Still, a nice raw frog eaten in fresh quarters is his guilty pleasure.

Appearance: Tertian's body is an odd blend of avian and human features. Although his basic shape is humanoid, parts of his body are naturally distorted to mimic the avian. A large stork's beak takes the place of normal mouth and nose, his neck is longer than a normal human's although not as extremely elongated as a real stork's would be. White-gray down and feathers cover his body, with a full complement of black flight feathers on his arms. His wings are not on his back but are integrated into his arms. Because of this, Tertian is not capable of strict flight, but he can glide easily as his bones are hollow - he simply doesn't have the muscle strength for true flight. He does have hands at the ends of his arm-wings that are fully functional, although his nails are black and longer than most. He has a short feather tail identical to that of a stork.His legs are slightly longer than human legs would be, and are featherless with much tougher skin than the rest of his body. His toes are quite long and tipped in claws, and splay out from his foot much like bird toes do. This makes walking somewhat uncomfortable for him. He prefers either to glide in short hops or to walk on his heels, wings spread slightly for balance. Swimming or wading in water is even better for him.

Tertian has dark blue eyes, almost black unless they're seen in the right light. He has a long crest of blackish-gray feathers rather than hair atop his head. For clothing, he wears a sleeveless tunic and kilt-like skirt in steel gray. (In his youth, he went naked, but now that old age is beginning to touch him and his feathers aren't as dense as they once were... well.) An old leather belt is held loosely just above his hipbones, and carries a large assortment of odd things on it - several pouches containing raw materials, coin, and other precious things; a dagger for the most basic self-defense and for cutting food and whatever else is needed; a rattly old compass on a leather thong... and several other small pouches and bundles, many of which have blackened with age and haven't been opened for a very long time. These items can slide around on the belt all the way around Tertian's waist, and he often has to corral them back around to his right side. As Tertian's motto is to be prepared for everything, he's loath to remove any of those items from his person (other than for a price, of course) and puts up with the inconvinience of the load.

Tertian carefully withdrew his beak from the amphora and grinned at his host. "Excellent wine, Chinyan," he said, appreciatively. "And don't think I don't appreciate the effort with the special dishes."

"Long beaks are a hinderance," the merchant said, waving one hand dismissively. "How else can you quaff my latest aquisitions? A normal goblet or tankard would hardly work."

Tertian grimaced. Drinking in pubs was an exercise in not spilling the beverage all over himself, and usually involved extreme care - or bending in awkward and stupid-looking ways. "So. Business," he said, briskly. "You said you had some connections for me?"

"Quite possibly." Chinyan flicked through a sheaf of parchement at his side. "I have a potential buyer for some of your sands... glassmakers, mostly, and for highest-grade... although there's also a few jewelers who could use some fine gravel for polishing in tumblers... ah." He pulled out one piece of paper and looked it over. "And something more interesting, perhaps."

"What?" Tertian arched his neck again and dipped his beak into the amphora.

"Another trader, one Ngozi by name. I know him only a little, but he's a sly fellow. Deals in fripperies. Perhaps a good travelling source for your side business, hm? I know you reserve your larger ventures for the sure sellers like glass-sand and reeds... but you treasure your little handicrafts-shop." Chinyan's eyes glinted. "Giving some of your wares to a travelling trader who specializes in such goods, like Ngozi, would be an excellent move on your part, my friend..."

"How much commission do you want?" Tertian grunted, flicking his beak upwards. A drop of wine fell off the tip, splatting on one of Chinyan's papers.

"I'm insulted. Must you assume-"

"I know you, Chinyan," Tertian said, plainly not impressed with his friend's dissembling. "How much?"

"Mmm... ten percent?"

"Five."

"Seven?"

"I'll consider it." Tertian stood up. "Where can I find this Ngozi?"

"In the main market square, where else? Look for a dark-skinned African elf with a cart of the most sparkling wares in the square. Tell him I sent you, it might help."

"I see." Tertian inclined his head to the merchant. "Thank you for your help, Chinyan."

"Eight percent?"

"Goodbye."