Tristyn Dawnhawk

Description

Tristyn has brown hair and the same chocolate brown eyes as his father and half-brother, Tayenden. He stands at 5'7" and has a slender, wispy build common to elves. His skin is fair. Tristyn prefers simple clothing and finds fancy things highly uncomfortable. He typically wears T-shirts and jeans, or whatever is similar now that he lives in Amaras.

Personality

As a former underpaid worker of Aldraln, Tristyn doesn't talk much as he is not used to having much of a say in anything that happens to or around him. Even after coming to Astrael, Tristyn keeps his own council. He is a considerate, kind person who would put others before him if possible. Laid back and relaxed, Tristyn has never felt the need to hurry and prefers to get things done right the first time and to the best of his abilities.

Tristyn is uncomfortable around anything that reminds him that he is of noble blood, being the son of Tarvanel, King Turold's brother. Because of this he typically stays away from the palace and never brings up his heritage, avoiding it or even denying it if he feels uncomfortable talking about it.

Family

Tayenden Hawkvale

The brother he never knew existed, Tristyn sees little of Tayenden these days as his half-brother is busy on Pern or sticks to the palace when he's in Astrael - as Tristyn is uncomfortable around the palace, or any reminder that he is technically a member of the royal family, he does not get a chance to catch up with Tayenden as much as he sometimes wishes.

Philippe Ramsey/Amarion Ashfalcon

On one hand, Tristyn hates Amarion for revealing his heritage but also is thankful that the man found and got him out of Aldraln. Like Tayenden, he rarely sees Philippe, who he knows is his cousin but can never admit outloud. Philippe does check in from time to time to see how Tristyn is adjusting to life in Astrael but typically doesn't stress the sensitive issue of family with Tristyn.

Relationships

Summer Reeds

Summer is his previous girlfriend, or almost girlfriend, from his time in Silverne. He still cares about her but after learning about his heritage he chose to let Summer go and live her life. As he has found that Astrael offers him the home he has always been looking for, he has little regret in this choice. Summer doesn't know that he is actually the son of the King's brother and he plans to keep it that way.

Tia Stillwind

A former slave from the Republic, Tia is still adjusting to her new life and the society of Astrael. Tristyn is currently helping her around the Tavern, the old manor that was given to the refugees from the Complex to make a new home. Tia runs the place, and Tristyn helps with tasks as well as teaching her common elvish so she can navigate the market and people on her own. While he was only there to help, his love for the young, feisty, and independent women only grew, with her son Jaivyn (and Jaivyn's father) the only things standing in his way. When Tia made it clear to him where Ash was in her and her son's life, Tristyn relented and allowed his feelings to be noticed and, to his relief, accepted. He allows Tia full control of what is to take place in the Tavern and is content, as he has been most of his life, to be of help to her and the others who are turning the rundown manor into a respectable restaurant of exotic cuisine from various countries in the Republic.

Jaivyn

The son of Ashthelien and Tia, Tristyn continues to deny his love for the child despite Tia assuring him that she is fine with it - and so is Jaivyn's biological father. Tristyn is becoming more comfortable with the idea of adopting the boy and Jaivyn clearly looks to Tristyn as his father.

Brynth

Tristyn had been skeptical about standing again after the embarrassment of his first attempt but he could not deny that the moment Brynth touched his mind and soul he had felt grounded for the first time in his life. Brynth is a steady rock for Tristyn who is still trying to find his place after learning the truth of his father and that he has family among some powerful people.

History

Tristyn was born in Aldraln to Tamea Bensen (Gray) who was married to Mykal Bensen, a well-off farmer outside of Silverne who had married Tamea and inherited her family's land in the process. Despite not being Tristyn's father, Mykal raised him as his son and loved him no differently. Tamea, who had met and fell in love with an injured elf, had always felt guilty for her actions but considered Tristyn to be a gift, and proof that the man she had nursed back to health had felt the same. He was the youngest of four older siblings, two brothers and a sister. Neither his mother nor Mykal tried to hide his lineage from him while growing up and taught him that his difference was a strength, not a weakness. While Tristyn was unable to attend school like his siblings, his parents homeschooled him instead to the same grade level if he was a human child. He was (and is) very smart and a quick learner.

When Tristyn was fourteen, the government came and took him from his family due to his elven blood. His adopted father tried to stop it, opposing the agents that showed up to take Tristyn into custody. Unable to prevent it, Tristyn was placed in a foster home with other children who had elven blood. Unlike most of the children in the foster home, Tristyn knew how to read and write, which his new caretakers thought was unless he was bound to be placed in a factory or hard-labor where they believed such skills were not needed. Tristyn was devastated by this but would find books to read and was always curious about the world.

Upon reaching the age the government deemed appropriate to be put into the workforce, Tristyn would spend over twenty years working anything from hard labor to factory - anything that most humans never wanted to do. He did so without complaint or concern, typically content with his life that could have been far worse. While he moved often, going where the government said he was needed to work, he was given housing and enough pay to get by. It was the only life Tristyn knew and thus he never saw a reason to complain.

Tristyn later met Summer Reeds though they did not interact often he saw her nearly daily on his commute to the factory. Summer was kind to him but was startled when she finally stopped to talk to him. As she was the first one to make him feel the way he did, he was quick to hint that he was interested in marrying her, something that Summer balked at as she was only a senior in High School. Tristyn was willing to wait. Unfortunately, the notorious mafia-like gang, known only as the Wolves, got wind of Tristyn's intentions and were quick to take matters into their own hands. The Wolves, who disliked the idea of elves and humans mixing in anyway, removed Tristyn and wiped his memory. The next day he was informed that he would be relocated. With his memory wiped, Tristyn shrugged this off - it wasn't the first time he had been forced to move because he was required to work elsewhere.

Months after his relocation, Tristyn began to have nightmares and would wake up confused. On his way home from work, he was stalked by two figures and began to panic. He turned to ask them what they wanted and they simply wanted to know if they knew a man named Tristyn. He said yes and, not saying he was who they were looking for, Tristyn answered their questions until he started to feel as if he was being watched. He quickly left the two and started for home, only to be ambushed by Wolves. This time, his stalkers rescued him and sent the Wolves running. It was Philippe and Tayenden of Isla Weyr who had been asked to find Tristyn on behalf of a very concerned Summer. With the Wolves clearly not about to let Tristyn live the life he wished, he took up the two Searchrider's offer to leave completely by becoming a candidate for a dragon. In truth, the dragon part of the offer went over Tristyn's head. The 'get you out of here and somewhere safer' was all he had heard. Before that, however, Tristyn wanted to visit his mother who was nearly eighty and quite ill. Philppe agreed to take him to her - then they would leave.

While visiting Tamea, who lived alone at her family farm, Tristyn was told his father's name, which startled Philippe and Tayenden - Tarvanel. Tamea, who was oblivious to the tone of voice the High Prince was taking with her, told Philippe everything and confirmed that Tarvanel was still alive; a statement that contradicted what Tayenden had been told about his father. Tayenden later told Tristyn why Philppe was so interested in his father's location, and revealed that they were half-brothers. Tristyn was too shocked to believe that he was technically of royal blood or that he had a half-brother; or that the notorious Amarion Ashfalcon (who still had a soured reputation in Aldraln thanks to the activities of Tabeynen), was his cousin.

After leaving his mother, with Philippe learning what he needed to to try to intercept Tarvenel, Tristyn was taken to the Vella Crean to stand at a Court clutch that was currently on the sands. Unfortunately, his heritage was made known to the people there and the attention Tristyn received, as if he was royalty, caused him to unravel. When his anxiety had reached its limit, Tristyn sent a message to Philippe in desperation, expecting to be told he had no choice but to go through with the event that was due to start within hours. As it was, Philippe cut his apology off and told him he would bring him back to Astrael and, if he wanted nothing to do with the royal family, he could find his way in the city. Given that going back to Silverne would mean running into the Wolves again, Tristyn found this idea far more appealing and as Philippe went to deal with the staff and leaders of the Vella Crean, Tayenden took him back to Astrael and dropped him off within the city.

Tristyn soon found that living in Astrael was a bit harder than being on the government's workers program. He had to figure things out himself and for the first few weeks he began to wonder if it was worth dealing with the Wolves just to get a warm bed and full meal each day. He would take small jobs as trade for a meal or a bed and eventually ran into (literally) Tia. Offering his assistance, as she had a newborn baby and a full arm of items, he followed her home and made sure she was settled before departing. He crossed paths with Tia often after that and she soon offered him a small room in return for helping her get the Tavern, as the old manor was now called, renovated to house the thirty or so women that had been rescued from the Complex. His relationship with Tia began to grow though it was only after Tia made it clear that Ash - Jaivyn's father - was not going to be a part of the boy's life like Tristyn already was did Tristyn allow himself to settle into the role of father to Jaivyn and lover to Tia.

When Philippe returned to Tristyn and asked him if he was willing to give the 'dragon bonding thing' another try, Tristyn was hesitant and told the Prince he would think about it. Tia later convinced him to try - this time he would have her there. He informed Philippe he would try and a week later, days after the eggs from the Last Oddessy were delivered to Astrael, Tristyn was allowed to join the other candidates to touch the eggs and found that one felt 'right'; Tia told him it was a good sign and he returned during the hatching where 'his' egg hatched into a forest-colored green that chose him. Tristyn knew that he had family - including Tia - cheering for him but Brynth cheered for him loudest. Later, during the celebration held for the new riders, Tristyn met with his father (who had returned to Astrael earlier but Tristyn was ignoring him). The two talked and Tristyn began to accept his royal heritage more easily after the conversation. Thankfully, Tarvanel also was accepting of Tia and Jaivyn and said as much before Philippe and Tayenden dragged him (as well as Ash and a few others), off for shenanigans that included alcohol and a headache in the morning.

Appendices

Apperances

Tristyn has (will) appeared in the Skies of Fire series.

RPG Stat Block

Tristyn has begun his training as a fighter, so he's only level 1.