Saint Teleptamba

Personality

Saint wears masks as armor and wields practiced charm as a weapon; they can pass in many different social circles with seeming ease. They are naturally empathic and find people interesting. They are perceptive and insightful, and have a trained eye for noticing details and patterns.

They have high standards and strive for excellence; in their eyes, a qualified win is a loss. They prefer to stay busy and create diversions for themself between jobs. They are materialistic in every sense of the word, but also generous. They give gifts to express affection.

They enjoy indulging in worldly comforts and sensory pleasures, but they can be practical and hard-working as needed. They will pay extravagebtly for a good, hot bath. Their drink of choice is wine. They like cats and children, and they are nervous around dogs.

Featured portrait by Mike (awkwardconversationalist on Discord).

Appearance

Light skin with a warm undertone that tans easily. Saint is androgynous and attractive, with features that are easily emphasised or minimised to lean more masculine or feminine. Their build is slender, with lean arms and long-fingered hands, a flat chest and narrow hips, a small waist, and proportionately long legs. They have thick, wavy hair in a colour between dark blond and light brown, and blue-green eyes.

Distinguishing Marks: Scars on the tops of their ears. Severe scarring on their back from a grievous lashing. Assorted smaller scars. A small tattoo of a compass rose on their side, high on the ribs.

Ideals

• "My worth is dependent on my performance; I must be exceptional to be of value."
• Purpose is found in the day-to-day, and meaning in a job well done.
• Always strive to improve your skills; overcoming a test of ability is its own reward.
• Don’t make Marks of easy targets, or steal from anyone who can’t spare the gold.

Bonds

• They are a financial patron of the Sunbee Home for Orphans.
• They like¹ and care about Edmund in spite of themself.
• They respect Grindelza’s pragmatism and feel motivated to keep her friendship.
• They admire Sonder, even when they don’t understand her.
• They are fascinated by Yoree and feel protective of her.

^{1 They are in love with him, actually, but they are currently being foolish about it.}

Flaws

They are secretive by nature and lie compulsively. They are self-centred, stubborn, and lash out as a defense. They can be impulsive and defiant; they abhor being told what to do by someone they don’t respect. They are profoundly tempted by a large enough payday. They are emotionally avoidant and repressed. They are self-critical and hold their shortcomings against themself. They have an emotional dependence on alcohol.

Past Personas

• Avery Glade, socialite — he
• Lyric Vale, theatre actor — she
• Crescent, playboy poet — they/he
• Sterling, assassin — they
• Nik Thorn, mercenary — he
• Sterling, assassin — they
• Aster Charm, merchant — they/she
• “Ty” Valentyne, luxury fence — they/he
  
• Seriel Ilmarë, noble — they

Backstory

Skylark "Sky" Elmstree was born to Diana, an exile from Enarus, and Micah Elmstree, a luthier. Sky spent their early childhood in the village of Briarbosk, until a con artist called Talent Knowing posed as a merchant lord and convinced the Elmstrees to sell their home and enter into business with him. They found themselves homeless and destitute in Songtooth, and both Diana and Micah died shortly after.

Sky spent some time in an orphanage, but ran away and joined up with a group of street kids, including Coty Cross. They renamed themself “Sparrow”, and at the age of 13 they began running their first con: selling a piece of stolen jewellery that was supposedly an elven empire relic. When they were finally caught in this scam by Arthur Veramy and Coty was nabbed, they ran away from Songtooth for a hard life on the road.

At the age of 15, they encountered Talent Knowing again, and after failing to kill him, became his protégé. Under his mentorship, they developed their skills as a rogue and grifter, and he became family to them. When Sorin felt that they had learned everything he had to teach, they robbed him and left him on the hook with dangerous players. In the present, they believe him to be dead.

They proceeded to spend the next decade putting their skills to use; first to survive, and then in the pursuit of excellence. They travelled far, learned much, and lived many lives through different personas. Over time, they developed their own code to live by, only targeting those who could afford to lose what they would steal, and striving to be better than Talent in every regard.

While staying in Songtooth, Sorin entered into a relationship with Lamakh Gonjohn. They fell desperately in love with her, but she was unwilling to share her life with them. After six months with their “Bella”, Sorin disappeared without warning, taking a demonstrative amount of gold and Lamakh’s enchanted dagger with them. It has been three years since they last saw her.

As of the start of the campaign, they go by “Saint” and have been working for the Black Talons for a few months.

Notes

• Their Elmstree violin is a cherished possession, and they often leave it behind when on the job.
• Their dagger of warning was stolen from Lamakh Gonjohn, and they carry it always; they have gone so far as to risk a hand to ensure that they didn’t leave it behind.
• Ever since a con went wrong and they were buried alive, Saint has struggled with claustrophobia. That near-death experience was their inciting incident to finally get out of the game.
• The flogging scars on their back have been fully healed for years, but they experience chronic nerve pain, and cold weather and certain conditions cause it to flare up. Warm baths help.

Gallery