Tempest

"For all you know, every person you meet could be a killer. Every person could have the blood of thousands on their hands. Every person could spill your secrets to another, secrets that could inevitably end in life or death. That's why I've stopped placing my trust in others, why I've closed myself off. They won't get hurt, and neither will I..."

-From *Tempest's Journal*

### Description

#### Appearance

Tempest has light russet skin, deep blue hair, and heterochromatic eyes; one silver and one black. She is an average height, around 5’6 or 5’7, and has curved maroon horns and a tail ending in the shape of a plated arrow. She usually wears buttoned, long sleeved shirts in shades of grey and black and cargo pants with at least six pockets and holsters. To channel her magic, she keeps chunks of amethyst crystal in her pockets and wears one small, polished amethyst crystal as an earring. On her person, she always carries two daggers and several pocket knives, as well as a small journal that belonged to her sister.

#### Personality

Tempest is very impulsive and reckless, often not thinking about the potential consequences of her actions. She often engages in risky behaviour, both out of obsession with reaching her goals as well as a disregard for her own well-being. She is almost always extremely jittery and anxious, but attempts to cover this up with bravado and sarcastic, joking comments.

She does, however, have a knack for helping the people around her to feel more confident, given that she exudes a confident air. She can usually be counted on to lighten the mood with a joke, and despite her tendency to barrel into dangerous situations, she will usually listen to other’s ideas before making a call.

Tempest possesses an extreme self-loathing, blaming herself entirely for traumatic events in her past. This is another thing she desperately tries to cover up, acting as if her mistakes aren't a big deal, though she fears her failure could end in tragedy at any moment.

### Biography

#### Early Life

Tempest was born in Ghariel in 1277. Her parents, Ennui and Garron, were suffering from plague when she was born and died only a few weeks after, too weak even to name her. Before he passed away, Garron left Tempest and her younger twin sister, Torment, in the custody of an old friend, a drow named Kelin.

Kelin only agreed to care for the twins because it was his closest friend's last request and soon grew bitter and cold toward his new wards. For the first few years of their lives, he only did the bare minimum to keep them alive, slipping in and out of drunkenness. However, when they were five years old, it occurred to him how he could use their innocence and talent for stealth to his advantage.

For the next four years, Kelin taught Tempest and Torment how to lie, cheat, and steal money and items he could resell at his shop for a ridiculously high price. When they were 9 years old, Kelin introduced them to his niece and nephew, Deslil and Nalfein, whose parents had recently died. Though they were reluctant at first, having grown up in a moral household, the two young drow soon added their skill sets to Kelin's band of thievery.

When Tempest was 12, she and Deslil were approached by a bugbear and a goblin inviting them to join a famed gang known as The Fire Horns, who looted the homes of nobles in search of money and magical objects. Deslil, however, declined for the both of them, explaining to Tempest that initiation to The Fire Horns required murder.

#### Teen Years

When Tempest was 13, Kelin was arrested on charges of fraud, thievery, and murder, never to be seen again after that. The four kids were evicted from Kelin’s shop soon after, as it was illegal for minors to run a business. Usually, people ignored this rule, but Kelin was a convicted murderer and the citizens of Ghariel did not want to get involved with the Order of Kosom.

They lived on the streets for two years, living off of scraps. Soon, Nalfein began to grow ill, his weak immune system failing to defend him against the filth and disease of the slums. Eventually, out of sheer desperation, Tempest brought up The Fire Horn’s offer from years before. After a short argument, the others agreed.

Leaving Torment to take care of Nalfein, Tempest and Deslil went to The Fire Horn’s white manor on the edge of silvertown. There they met Tharr, the gang’s leader, who charged them with killing an elven noble and his wife. That night, they committed the crime. This loss of morality and the guilt of the deed affected both of them for years to come.

Nalfein soon grew healthy once again due to the decent money Tempest and Deslil made on their raids. Torment soon grew restless, feeling like the ball and chain of the group, and decided to join The Fire Horns along with her sister. Tempest, however, protested, not wanting her sister to go through the same trauma she had.

### Arc 1: Goblins, Taverns, and New Acquaintances

Tempest makes her first appearance in the campaign within a dingy tavern in the woods near the northern border of Phaedora. There, she meets two other travellers; Safi, an aasimar, and a half-elf named Estella. She tells them that she is travelling to Zadena for unspecified reasons, making her way from her hometown of Ghariel.

The three adventurers are approached by a drunken dwarf named Jovethur, who offers them 300 gold apiece to escort him and his goods through the dangerous Misty Pass on the path to Zadena. After a bit of bartering, they agree, and set off the next morning after a horrible Bon Jovi piano performance by Jovethur.

When they are attacked by goblins on the road, Tempest uses daggers to aid in fending them off. When they arrive in Zadena, Tempest receives 300 gold coins from Jovethur, as promised.

### Arc 2: The City of Zadena

In Zadena is where Tempest first showcased her magical abilities, using Eldritch blast on a group of hobgoblins outside of a rotting wooden manor on the outskirts of the city. After traversing the dangers of the manor, the adventurers came across a banshee named Agatha, who offered each of them any question.

Tempest asked Agatha to locate her sister, but Agatha was unable to. The banshee explained that this could be because Torment is protected by powerful magic, or that she’s not on the material plane. Tempest took this to mean that her sister is most likely dead and she was wasting her time by even hoping she was alive.

Later that day, the adventurers went into the tavern next door to the Mulberry Inn, meeting a half-orc named Caz and a haughty elf who looked down upon them and refused to give them any information. Shaken by the banshee encounter, the elf got on Tempest’s nerves, reminding her of the upper-class citizens who discriminated against her as a kid. She threatened to kill the elf before Estella casted Charm Person on him, making him amiable toward the group.

### Abilities

Tempest is a warlock, her powers stemming from an otherworldly patron. She can cast warlock spells such as Eldritch Blast,  Bane, and Burning Hands, as well as spells relating to her infernal heritage, like Hellish Rebuke and Thaumaturgy. She is also very skilled with a dagger, training herself in self defensive (and later offensive) weaponry starting at the age of 8.

### Relationships

#### Torment

Torment is the only relative Tempest has ever known. They grew up together, and despite their vastly differing personalities, were always very close. As they grew older, they began to bicker a bit, given Torment’s habit of doing things methodically in contrast to Tempest’s constant improvisation, but it was always lighthearted. Up to around the age of 9 or 10, the two sisters did everything together. However, when Deslil and Nalfein were introduced into their lives, some things changed. Because most tasks given by Kelin only required two people for the purposes of stealth, they often switched who would complete each task given skill sets and the nature of the assignment. During these years, spending some time away from each other was a good thing. It helped the twins to develop their own individuality and to form strong bonds of trust not only with each other, but with the others as well.

This closeness continued for quite a long time, but their relationship grew a bit rocky after Tempest joined The Fire Horns. Torment felt useless, wanting to do what she could to help, but the way Tempest saw it, she would be corrupting herself, an act that could never be taken back. She saw her sister as “pure” in a sense, and believed that she was protecting her by talking her out of her decision. Tempest was never one for communication, and couldn’t see how Torment could be upset now that she was financially and literally safe. They eventually found common ground, and were beginning to grow closer once again before the timeskip to the main story.

#### Deslil

When Tempest met Deslil at the age of 9, their relationship had a bit of a rocky start. Tempest and Torment assumed that Deslil and her brother were weak and useless given their prejudice against noble families. However, when Deslil managed to steal an expensive bow from an elf in the bazaar, the twins began to show the drow siblings some more respect. Over the next few years, Tempest and Deslil grew closer, working together on some of the more risky ventures assigned by Kelin. Deslil soon became Tempest’s anchor, willing to take risks but stopping Tempest when her ideas became a bit too dangerous or chaotic.

After Kelin was arrested, Deslil and Tempest were the first to join The Fire Horns. In a twisted way, the horrific crimes they committed brought them closer together. They were united in the notion that their siblings should never suffer through the guilt that they had, and understood what the other was going through. Tempest turned to Deslil when she was distancing herself from her sister, her logic being that she couldn’t corrupt someone who was already corrupted. After a few years, as things started looking up, their relationship shifted from platonic to romantic. It was a gradual shift, so much so that neither of them really realised it until Torment pointed it out in a conversation with Tempest.

#### Kelin

Tempest never really had much respect for Kelin. When she was young, she despised him, knowing that he never wanted her and her sister. She was rather rude to him over the years, but that didn’t stop her from constantly competing with Torment to see who could steal the best items for his shop. In the years before Kelin was arrested, after he took custody of Deslil and Nalfein, he became a bit softer, drinking less and telling them stories about his exploits with Tempest and Torment’s father years before.

#### Safi

Tempest met Safi in Arc 1, at the same tavern where they met Jovethur and Estella. Since they met, Safi always came across as quiet and a bit secretive, so Tempest, despite being less than insightful,  never really pressed her for information. However, despite not being very emotionally close, Tempest soon learned to trust and respect Safi in combat, especially after seeing her take down an orc with one attack. After their encounter with Agatha, Safi expressed that she wanted to try to save her childhood best friend from the control of the Temple of Leira. Internally, Tempest resolved that she would help, understanding the pain of uncertain loss.

#### Estella

Tempest also met Estella in Arc 1, a meeting of chance at a random tavern in the woods. Tempest joined Estella in making comments about Jovethur’s strange demeanour, which soon became a running joke. As with Safi, Tempest isn’t very close to Estella yet, having only known her for a few weeks, but trusts her to have their back in diplomatic situations, having been the party’s voice of reason in the campaign thus far.