Tess Ruunaser

Caliban is upset
It looks like this page needs a bit of work. You can edit this page to help make it better.

## Affiliations

### Relatives

* Erin Ruunaser (adopted brother)
* Galen Ruunaser (adopted father)

## Appearances

### First appearance

Chapter 4, Page 25

> "A metal-caste young woman, and Erin’s sister. Her life dramatically improved when she was struck by lightning."
>
>

Tess is one of the protagonists of Aurora and the fourth one we meet, though we don't get to know her for several chapters. She is a metal-caste young woman and Erin's adopted sister who has been chosen by the sky.

## Appearance

Tess is a bronze metal-caste human with shiny yellow skin, silver hair, and silver eyes. She has a scar on her neck and shoulder that appears to be the result of lightning, and has no visible irises or pupils. She wears a dark purple cape, sleeveless grey shirt, black pants, and no shoes.

## Abilities

Tess is a reasonably powerful lightning mage. She most frequently uses the repulsion property of her magic to launch herself in a method akin to a railgun. Being a lighting mage, she is also able to 'sense' the activity of lightning magic, most notably when she can sense Tynan's anger within the storm long before other protagonists or side characters. Without her magic she is noted to be slower and heavier, though this doesn't reduce her strength.

Being Metal-Caste, Tess has particularly tough skin which gives her increased durability and resistance to typical injuries, such as being body slammed by a dragon.

*more work needed*

## History

Tess was enslaved as a child and was eventually bought by Galen Ruunaser to be a playmate for Erin. At some point in her late teens, she was "chosen by the sky," a process that Sparked her and gained her lightning powers. The incident made her realize she had "a million other things [she'd] rather be doing," so she immediately left the Ruunaser household after saying her goodbyes to Erin. Since her departure, she has been wandering the world.

## Appearances

In Chapters 4 and 5, Tess can be seen in the background of Windscrest.

In Chapter 6, Tess appears while fighting a dragon just after the disappearance of the Storm.

In Chapter 11, Tess aids Falst in fighting a Burrower Wyrm, though he hides when she attempts to engage him in conversation. She asks Falst if he's seen a "pale, skinny" "human mage" with "short, dark hair" and tattoos (presumably Erin) before eventually leaving.

By Chapter 12, Tess has arrived in Zuurith and is observing the weather from the rooftops, which she observes is acting strange. She is confronted by city guards for trespassing but escapes the scene, at which point she notices Erin, Falst, and Alinua walking on the street below. She calls to the trio, but is unsuccessful in getting their attention.

In Chapter 13, Tess attempts to inform Zuurith's city guard about the building storm, but realizes they are actively searching for her as a criminal and flees. She later appears to interrupt Alinua and Falst's conversation on the mountain, and introduces herself before once again inquiring about Erin. The group is promptly confronted by a guard, however, so Tess leaves before getting a clear answer.

In Chapter 14, Tess is being actively pursued by Shrike and her bounty hunters. During the initial confrontation, Shrike manages to maneuver a sealing cuff onto Tess, preventing her from using magic, but is not able to capture her. Alinua and Falst are eventually drawn into the fray to aid Tess; while Falst is knocked out in the ensuing fight, the trio does manage to escape the hunters. Tess and Alinua call for Erin's help using a wind lacrima after finding somewhere to hide.

*more work needed*

## Relationships

Tess and Erin Ruunaser act as adoptive siblings, having grown up together. She claims to not resent him for the slavery imposed on her by Galen, though it is unclear how much they communicated since she got her spark.

*more work needed*

## Trivia

* One of Red's sketches is named "tess-1-1024x1002.jpg", leading to speculation that the depicted character was named Tess. This was confirmed during chapter 13.
* Tess has the longest difference from first appearance to joining the party at 14 chapters. She first appears in the background of Windcrest but didn't start traveling with the party until they left Zuurith.

## References

1. ↑ "*Tess is Bronze-caste actually*": message in #aurora-discussion in the OSP discord server (discord.com)
2. ↑ How old are the main characters? (tumblr.com)
3. ↑ I don’t know if it’s been asked, but do you have any established ages... (tumblr.com)
4. ↑ Surprised we didn't ever ask Punchy metal lady's sexuality (tumblr.com)
5. ↑ Characters (comicaurora.com)
6. ↑ I was wondering how lightning magic makes Tess go Zoom? (tumblr.com)
7. ↑ Page 1.14.8
8. ↑ Page 1.15.4
9. ↑ Page 1.15.6
10. ↑ Page 1.4.25
11. ↑ Page 1.5.3
12. ↑ Page 1.6.25
13. ↑ Page 1.11.25
14. ↑ Page 1.12.19
15. ↑ Page 1.12.20
16. ↑ Page 1.13.2
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Page 1.13.18
18. ↑ Page 1.13.19
19. ↑ Page 1.14.6
20. ↑ Page 1.14.7
21. ↑ Page 1.14.8
22. ↑ Page 1.14.11
23. ↑ Page 1.14.15
24. ↑ Page 1.14.24
25. ↑ Page 1.15.6
26. ↑ Page 1.4.25