Taia Welsyna (TAI-ah well-SEE-nah)
Councilwoman Taia Welsyna
Adventuring is seen as an illustrious career, but it has an unacknowledged dark side. Taia experienced this side and barely escaped with her life. She still bears the physical and mental scars of her experiences in the tunnels beneath the city of Rewcastle, but in the years since her forced retirement, she's still managed to maintain a successful life as a member of its Council. In her spare time, Taia creates bewitching portrait paintings of female subjects that receive praise for their attention to detail and adept portrayal of the features that make her subjects unique.
Taia's Emotional and Physical Facets are stronger than her Mental Facet.
Theme Song
Moodboard
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Her fitness level has decreased since she retired, but her body is still solid and strong.
Body Features
Taia keeps her form hidden under long dresses and layers, but underneath is a pear-shaped figure that's both elegant and powerful. Her hands, forearms, and lower body are marked with deep, jagged slash scars. Both her feet are missing, the right from just below the knee and the left from the mid-calf. They are replaced by elaborately-carved wooden prosthetics that allow her to walk on her own (albeit with a noticeable hobble.) Most people do not realize that Taia has prosthetics because she only wears floor-length dresses while in the company of most people.
Facial Features
Taia has rounded cheeks, a pointed chin, and a large, statuesque nose. She usually bears a solemn or even mournful look on her face.
Identifying Characteristics
Her face and hair are what others usually use to identify her because the rest of her is almost always concealed by her clothing. Her substantial nose and short hair are very distinctive. Her missing legs and scarred lower body are also extremely recognizable, but only those closest to her know of them.
Apparel & Accessories
Taia wears gowns long enough to sweep the floor, with high necklines and sleeves reaching her wrists. Her hands are always covered by gloves. Her favorite colors are red and silver. She has an elaborate taste in clothing and enjoys outfits with many details.
Specialized Equipment
In her time as an adventurer, Taia wielded a warhammer in battle. She was proficient with the weapon and could use it to deadly effect. She hasn't touched or even looked at her old hammer since she retired, leaving it tucked away safely inside a locked case in a closet.
Though not many people know about them, Taia's prosthetic legs help her move around with great efficiency.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Childhood
Taia was born into a normal, unexciting family (at least from her point of view.) Nothing exceptionally joyful or tragic happened during her youth. She and her sister had all their needs met, but they never had anything to be particularly excited about. By the time she was around ten years old, Taia grew tired of her family's way of life and began to experience an intense craving for excitement. Her "adventures" started off small at first, mostly involving things like climbing trees or sneaking into the uninhabited outermost edges of Rewcastle with her friends.
Young Adulthood
By the time she reached her teens, Taia's childlike adventures had lost most of their thrill. She was hungry for something more. The opportunity soon arose for her to leave home and join a band of wandering adventurers. When they presented her with a variety of weapons to choose from, Taia immediately gravitated toward the warhammer. Her training began immediately. Taia excelled at wielding the warhammer, first during practice and later during encounters where she and her friends faced off against various wandering monsters. She ultimately became an integral part of her adventuring party, not only because of her prowess in combat, but because she was a likeable face for the group.
Sickness, injury, and harsh enviromental conditions in the wilderness they explore are common among adventurers. Taia lost multiple close friends to these dangers. It was when she returned to Rewcastle, however, that she went through her most traumatic experience.
Upon hearing that a mysterious new system of tunnels had been discovered beneath the sewers of the city where she was born, Taia encouraged her adventuring companions to make the return journey and explore with her. The opportunity was exactly like something she would have daydreamed about in class as a child: adventure and excitement hiding beneath the noses of everyone living in Rewcastle, just waiting for her to come and discover its secrets. Taia spent the entire trip to the city practically bursting with anticipation. Once she and her party arrived, they wasted no time in seeking out the entrance to the tunnels and making their way inside.These days, looking back on the experience of being swallowed up by all-consuming darkness as she stepped inside the first tunnel makes Taia shudder. As it was happening, all she felt was eagerness. She'd beaten formidable foes before; she thought she would be able to handle whatever she found down there.
As it turns out, she was wrong. Taia and her companions quickly became aware that something down there was watching them. She wouldn't have the words to describe it to this day, even if she wanted to. She never caught a good glimpse of it as it stalked her party, pulled her friends into the shadows, and tore them to pieces one by one. All she saw when it caught her up in its grinding jaws and took her feet were dozens of nightmarish teeth the size of spearheads. Her last surviving friend managed to pull her free and flee with her slung over her shoulder, miraculously rushing her to a healer above ground before she bled out. The tunnels' entrance was bricked up immediately thereafter. The citizens of Rewcastle were told nothing about what happened to keep them from panicking.
Present Day
Even though she survived her ordeal, Taia was left with more than physical injuries. Fully healing and learning to live with the loss of her lower legs took years, but processing the violent deaths of her close friends would take even longer. Memories of their agonized screams still flood her mind uninvited to this day. The pain she experienced is still as fresh in her memory as it was a few days after the events. Though she now lives a peaceful life as a valued citizen of Rewcastle, she wishes she could forget what happened and hopes that she can shield the people of the city from knowing anything that could cause them even half of her pain.
Gender Identity
Taia finds joy in her identity as a woman. She has never questioned the gender she was assigned at birth.
Sexuality
Taia is attracted to women, primarily Suktu, though her preference isn't exclusive.
Education
Though she had the opportunity for more thorough education early on in life, Taia rarely paid attention in her mandatory Rewcastle childhood classes. She has made up for the gaps in her knowledge after her retirement by revisiting her education.
Employment
Like many adventurers, Taia wandered freely and found employment in the places she visited. Now that she's settled down, however, her job as one of Rewcastle's council members is something that she enjoys despite the difficult decisions she must make on a regular basis.
Mental Trauma
Her failure to kill whatever she and her friends encountered in the tunnels under Rewcastle and her inability to keep her adventuring party alive haunt Taia constantly.
Intellectual Characteristics
Her intelligence types are visual, kinesthetic, and interpersonal.
Morality & Philosophy
Taia has acute empathy for others and cares deeply for their wellbeing. This (along with her own life experience) greatly influences her belief that other people deserve to live a life free from the knowledge of things that would cause them distress. She isn't hesitant to hide things from the public that she thinks are too difficult for them to be exposed to. She feels no guilt for this; in fact, she believes that sheltering others from painful information is her duty.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
First and foremost, Taia's desire is to live a calm life and forget the things she saw under Rewcastle. Secondly, she wants to do what she can to give the citizens of the city she oversees the calmest, stablest lives she can.
Likes & Dislikes
Loves art. Likes cats. Dislikes bland food. Hates cramped spaces.
Virtues & Personality perks
She's kind and pleasant to be around in a quiet, unobtrusive way. She's also well-versed in navigating highly-emotional matters.
Vices & Personality flaws
While she's usually an excellent judge of character, Taia has a tendency to become infatuated by pretty women and intentionally overlook their flaws or shortcomings. She puts her own wellbeing aside in order to pursue a lady she finds alluring; this often results in her feelings being hurt if she ends up placing her trust in the wrong person.
Personality Quirks
She tends to become fascinated by and absorbed with strange whims, which she then pursues with great enthusiasm. An example might include the desire to learn how to play the violin: after the thought comes to her, she will devote hours to practicing with hardly any thought for food or sleep. There's a 50/50 chance that she'll maintain any passion for her newfound hobbies or other activities after a few weeks pass and the passion fades.
Hygiene
Taia is fastidiously clean and maintains excellent personal hygiene.
Social
Family Ties
Taia has a mother, a father, and a sister, all of whom are still alive. She also has several uncles and aunts, along with a few cousins. Her relationship with her family as a whole is good.
Social Aptitude
She is quite socially adept and navigates social situations with ease. Tact and polite conversation come naturally to her.
Hobbies & Pets
Taia's most consistent hobbies include painting and playing the harp. Her favorite thing to paint is portraits. She has a pet cat named Muse, whom she loves dearly and spoils rotten.
Speech
She speaks at a slightly slower pace than most (though not to the degree where others become bored or impatient with her) and pronounces each syllable clearly. Her voice is medium-deep in tone and doesn't vary much in pitch. She comes across as firm and wise when she speaks.
Wealth & Financial state
Taia is fairly well-off and has enough funds to live in comfort.
Current Status
Alive
Current Location
Species
Conditions
Ethnicity
Other Ethnicities/Cultures
Honorary & Occupational Titles
Professions
Date of Birth
17th of Winter's End
Year of Birth
318 AB
32 Years old
Birthplace
Children
Current Residence
Pronouns
She/her
Sex
Female
Gender
Woman
Presentation
Feminine
Eyes
Dark brown, mournful, usually decorated with eyeliner and red paint
Hair
Dark brown (nearly black,) curly, cropped short
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Light
Height
4 feet 6 inches
Weight
97 lbs
