art by meee-----------------------------
Tristan Leeds
Age: 27 at time of ritual
Gender: Male
Species: Formerly human, now a kind of demi-fae
Ethnicity: Serenian
Height/Weight: 5'11" / N/A
Occupation: Bogman
Residence: Originally, from a little village set just outside of a sizeable bog in northern Jadenshine. Now officially resides in the bog itself.
Physical Description:Fairly well-muscled, though physically lighter than this would seem to suggest. His skin is dark, thick and almost leathery. His hair is just as coarse, usually pulled back into a rough knot and rougher braids and kept that way with wax. His clothing is often in a similar state, threadbare in places or so caked in mud or whatever else that it's rough to the touch. The only softness is in the center of his chest, where the skin is open to reveal a smoothed bit of petrified wood where a heart should be. The strings keeping the wood caged are changed regularly, which is kind of horrifying to watch. Even more horrifying is watching him eat-- his teeth are rows of sharp, black obsidian fangs, which let him crunch through tough bark or shells to get to his food. In combination with unnaturally green irises set in dark sclera, he looks rather unsettling.
-----------------------------
Personality: Despite looking like something lurking in marshlands to gobble your kids up, Tristan is actually rather kind. He is especially gentle with the small animals that live in the marshes with him, to where he can often coax them into his lap for petting. This affinity for animals doesn't quite extend to people, as most are put off by the Bogmen and the feeling is normally mutual. He, like the rest of the Bogmen, are only really aggressive when their home is threatened.
Tristan is absolutely, unequivocally, insurmountably in love with honey. He can't get enough of the stuff, and can very easily be bribed with a good bit of honeycomb. His metabolism means that he doesn't need to eat often, but he will pig out like holy hell if it's made with honey.
Magic/Abilities: Lightfooted, able to move quickly over marshes without crashing into the water, and can blend in with the scenery very well, making for excellent scouting/ambushes. Like most Bogmen, he's more than capable in combat, favouring two short swords.
Particular weaknesses: As his kind are meant to stay in the area of his home bog, he is technically not allowed to wander off. The only way to circumvent this is for him to carry a bag of bog mud and twigs, which he wears on his person at all times. He's incapable of moving very far from this bag should they be separated.
Like fae and their relations, Bogmen are weak against iron. Skin contact will result in heavy blistering, and in the worst case scenario, scarring. The Bogmen also have a particular weakness to fire, and while that's usually helped by a fair presence of water at all times, if they get sufficiently "dry" they can light up fairly easily.
Relationships: To be added
History: Centuries ago, an agreement was struck by the residents of Tristan's village and the spirits that dwelled in the bog that made up its borders: the spirits there would leave the villagers alone, and even grant them boons, in exchange for some of their warriors to act as guardians. In a ritual that involves cutting out the sacrifical victim's heart, replacing it with magically-imbued wood, and sinking them into the peat, the Bogmen are made.
These creatures are designed to put the safety of the bog above all else-- while normally sentient and autonomous, they will enter a sort of trance when the bog or the fae are threatened until that threat is negated. Over the years, though, bogspirits dwindled in number and influence, and eventually just became superstition altogether. Now, parents will spook their children with stories of the Bogmen, who would kidnap them into the marshes if they misbehaved.
Without the spirits to guard, most Bogmen sleep the years away beneath the peat around a hidden shrine, only stirring when something disturbs them. Tristan was one of the Bogmen awoken when the shrine was ransacked, ornate carved wood and jade treasures stolen from their former masters' home. Now he wanders about Serendipity, looking for what was stolen so he can go back to sleep.
-----------------------------
Current ThreadsHeart of the Bog /
-----
Completed Threads
