<div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Tessa Fairwind (No not THAT Tessa Fairwind!)</div><div class="spoiler_body">(https://i.imgur.com/DCOcWSH.jpg)</div></div>Tessa Fairwind, Halfling Sorcerer (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JSA8WLaAXFvxVApZO5sgUk6MvcoS_m3nnVGoAkMb1Tc/edit?usp=sharing) (Maestro/Serpentine Crossblooded)<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">The Details</div><div class="spoiler_body">Tessa Fairwind, not to be mistaken for the near-legendary pirate lord by the same name (No matter how much it amuses THIS Tessa), is a halfling sorceress from the western edge of Varisia. Well, lots of places in Varisia to be honest, seeing as how she grew up as part of a gypsy caravan performing for all and sundry. This Tessa has always been a rather unusual, rather special young lady though. Amongst halfling women she is taller and a bit slimmer than most. Her skin is a soft light tan without blemishes, her chocolate-colored hair falling in luxurious waves down to the small of her back. Like other halflings she has large, bright eyes though the color is an unusual green a bit too bright to be called olive. It all comes together to give her a somewhat fey appearance, something she claims comes from a Lillend ancestor. If it's true, it explains her unusual powers and musical gifts.<br/><br/>Tessa considers herself to be a proper, good person. She's calm and kind, always ready to whisper a word of encouragement where it will be most useful. The whisper part is important because her voice has been likened to literal bells being rung. There's a dreamy, musical quality to it that can be outright hypnotic . . . and yet she doesn't abuse it in every day life. She saves the more magical effects of her voice for combat, and instead focuses on helping the people around her. While she enjoys a good adventure as much as the next, she's just fine with enjoying a night of music or cooking a good meal and settling down. Still, her high level of magical power has lead her to belive that it's her responsibility to make use of it, leading to her joining with various adventuring troupes or acting like a diplomat for those in conflict. The stories of her brokering peace between a frontier village and a tribe of orcs, or her taming a wild dire lion, are well-known. Honestly, it's probably her sense of responsibility and do-gooder-ing that are her biggest flaws, since she's a bit frail to be throwing herself into danger left and right. She's long since learned to stay with strong allies rather than set out on her own.<br/><br/>For most of her life, Tessa was rather content to stick around the Varisian caravan she was born in. They were fairly successful, well-defended, happy . . . why bother leaving? Life was song and dance and meeting new people in various towns every day! Even the most content and satisfied halfling eventually gets a bit of wanderlust though, especially when they awaken to sorcerous potential. When her caravan met up with an adventuring group, Tessa decided to head along with them instead of staying with her family. Her silver tongue (and the fact that she actually knew how to cook) easily convinced the adventurers to let her join. This began a solid decade of her joining various groups and going on grand adventurers, be it exploring deep woods to find rare herbs for medicine, or stopping wild beasts from attacking merchant caravans.<br/><br/>It really didn't take long for the young woman to gain a bit of fame of her own, and not even for her various good deeds. Despite not being a classically trained bard, her music and dancing was something to look forward to by her many fans. Her reputation as a fair diplomat and intermediary increased her popularity as an adventurer as well. If you're having a major dispute with someone, or you're having problems with communication, why not call Tessa Fairwind? This suited the young halfling woman just fine as long as people didn't try and convince her to do more . . . troublesome things. This isn't to say that she's a pacifist of course. Her powerful magic has lead to the deaths of more than a few irredeemable enemies, it's just that she personally likes diplomatic options where possible. It was decided that she would be a great choice to join the expedition to the west for all of the above reasons, especially her ability to understand and be understood by any sentient beings. After all, who knows what races they'll run into on the journey west?</div></div>