Tistan Drēsacēri

**Tistan Drēsacēri** (*Tistan lei Verisās Drēsacēri*, 9 September 398) is the only son of Verise Drēsacēri and her husband, Egāssio. As Verise's son, Tistan is poised to become an important official in the noble court of the Emperor, as he bears the noble name Drēsacēri.

He is one of the main and POV characters in the story. He first appears in Chapter II, when he accompanies his mother to the ranking ceremony at the Emperor's Villa.

## Appearance

Tistan is a lean young man of the typical Vachai complexion: his skin is of an ochre tone and his eyes are the color of amber, which shines like gold in the sunlight. His hair is light-brown and curly. Aaru describes him as "beautiful", with full lipes and an aquiline nose. He has golden piercings on his nose and ears, which he adorns with precious jewels as is customary for Vachai nobility.

He often wears robes in shades of purple, lavender and violet, the sacred hues of Sadrie, the patroness of his family. In his free time, he also wears tunics with embroidered patterns in other vivid hues.

## Personality

Described by his peers as a bright and educated young man, Tistan doesn't share his mother's passion for court life. He appears as disinterested in his nobleman duties, instead preferring the company of his household servants, like Taodie, or his best friend, Cāstās. He reluctantly aids his mother in matters pertaining to the family business, which involves mostly patronage of the Temple of the Moon and investments in the silk trade. Tistan is particularly good at doing accounting and handling numbers, and despite his apparent disinterest, he is quick-witted and effective at his job.

## Early life

Tistan was born on 9 September 396 in the Drēsacēri manse in Cōrienor, the second child of Verise Drēsacēri and her husband, Egāssio. An earlier child, Achārio, had died in infancy two years before Tistan's birth. Tistan was named for Tistan the Gilded, a distant ancestor of the Drēsacēri bloodline ruled as Emperor centuries ago.

Tistan was raised by the household's chief servant, Taodie, who had previously been his father's companion. A number of scholars hired by his mother instructed him on history, astrology, literature, geography, the Western Faith and the liturgical tongue. When he was nine years old, he was introduced to the Emperor's court as his mother's son, and began attending lessons at the Wisdom Gardens.

He spent much of his childhood between Cōrienor and the Drēsacēri villa in Madralie. When Tistan was fifteen, he met the sixteen-year old Cāstās Savesi at the Wisdom Gardens, where Cāstās lived with his sister Agās. The two took a liking to each other right away, and would develop a close relationship over time, which eventually turned into a romantic affection for each other. The two were careful to keep their affections secret, as Cāstās was the son of traitors, and Tistan's mother would not allow them to be near each other.

## Ancestry

Tistan belongs to the main branch of the House of Drēsacēri, an ancient and proud lineage of the city of Cōrienor. He is the first male heir of the bloodline in several generations.

* Tistan lei Tistai Drēsacēri (245 – 316)
* Brachē lei Tistai Drēsacēri (277 – 326)
* Ornai lei Brachai Drēsacēri (298 – 324)
* Coirian lei Ornai Drēsacēri (317 – 379)
* Chessē lei Coiriai Drēsacēri (347 – 398)
* Verise lei Chessai Drēsacēri (born 372)
* **Tistan lei Verisās Drēsacēri** (born 398)

## Trivia

* Tistan's name means "banner" in Vachai, and refers to the Golden Banner of the Dominion.