Tyding Grimm

Tyding's journals and hero page:Tyding Grimm

Tyding is an elf from the island continent of Aerenal. He was born into the noble family Grimm, who oversee the city of Kathuran. Although nobility in Aerenal is earned through deeds rather than blood, the family Grimm is prominent, having no fewer than twelve direct ancestors amongst the Undying Court and several others who have become "spirit idols" (elves who have died but whose spirits remain tethered to their embalmed bodies so their knowledge is not lost). Tyding and his sister, Satisfaxa, spent their formative years being groomed to become the next Sibling Kings of the nation. Sadly, his sister fell victim to Dreamfever while just in her eighth decade, a strange malady that causes the victim to fall into a deep slumber (unheard of among elves) in which they thrash and moan as if in terror before eventually wasting away and expiring. The death, especially of one so young, was devastating to Tyding and, indeed, his entire family. Confronted (many of them for the first time in centuries-long lives) with the proof of their own mortalities, in the possibility of a random ending outside of the power of even the Deathless to influence, the entirety of House Grimm were traumatized by the event to some degree.
For young Tyding (barely into his eleventh decade then), it meant not only the loss of a beloved sister, not only the end of his bid to rule Arenal before it had really begun (one can't be a Sibling King if one has no sibling), it meant an absolute loss of faith in the divinity of the Undying Court. Had he been allowed to utter such blasphemies in public, the consequences for House Grimm might have been dire. Shaken as they were by the death of Satisfaxa, the Grimms were not about to attack the very foundations of their society nor lose their standing in it. Tyding was sequestered and sent to Shae Mordai (the famed City of the Dead) to commune with his ancestors and “get his ears pointed in the right direction”.
For nearly 50 years he lived there, studying philosophy, theology, and even occasionally meeting with one of the Deathless themselves—although, if he's being honest, Tyding will admit neither party ever left such a meeting much impressed with the other participant. The one joy Tyding found in Shae Mordai was reconnecting with his great-great-grandmother, the renowned oracle and soothsayer Reepah Grimm, who became a spirit idol when he was but 53 and who had doted on him for his entire childhood to that point (elves reach physical maturity at about 90, although the elder generations often lament that the younger act like children for decades longer). So often did Tyding visit his “grand-mummy” (an affectionate term that Tyding thinks is infinitely more clever than it is) and so strong became their bond, that the Keepers no longer had to perform the Commune with Dead ritual when Tyding came calling. Eventually, he didn't even have to go to the sacred sepulcher where her mummified corpse rested. She (or her spirit, more accurately) could visit him at will—although it is important to note that it was at her will, not his, a fact which Tyding found in equal parts wonderful and annoying. She rarely dropped in unannounced, but he suspected she was watching more often than was strictly necessary.
Even worse, she was (and still is) constantly telling him what would happen in the days to come, but only if said foretold events did not include him in any way. In those cases she was, at best, agonizingly cryptic and, at worst, altogether silent. She also did nothing to restore his shattered faith in the Undying Court. If anything, she made matters worse with her gossip about the activities of certain Deathless (which she shared on a daily basis) and her general attitude that most of them had been puffed-up frauds in life, unworthy of the honor of divinity bestowed on them. Tyding suspected his Gam-Gam might have been the slightest bit bitter about not being chosen to become a Deathless herself, but it seemed prudent not to mention it. Soon, Reepah announced that it was time for Tyding to leave Arenal, that his destiny awaited on the distant shores of Khorvaire. His family were all too happy to oblige. They said it would be a chance to earn his place in the House, perhaps even lay the foundation for his own eventual Transition. Tyding knew that they just wanted him far away where his blasphemous ideas were unlikely to be heard, but he didn't care. He had spent the entirety of his 160 years of life in study. Adventure and his destiny awaited!
Sort of. As it turned out, Gam-Gam had been even more bored than he was. With her spirit now tethered to his body rather than her own, she was anxious to see the world. She hadn't lied when she said his destiny lay in Khorvaire, she just didn't mention that he wouldn't actually need to be there for another 136 years. Even so, it should have been thrilling and wonderful. He should have been a witness to history. Tyding was in Khorvaire for the entirety of The Last War, for the Treaty at Thronehold, for the Day of Mourning, the Great Freezing of Sharn, and the Destruction of the Tower of the Twelve. He was there for every pivotal moment in the recent history of the Nations, and it was all so BORING. Not only did Gam-Gam ruin all of the surprises by telling him what would happen before it did, she also kept him well away from anything remotely dangerous. It was like sitting next to the person who talks during the play, except you had to sit next to him every day for a century and half. Thus, Tyding didn't actually witness any of the great battles or events, he heard about them – once right before they happened and then again in a news pamphlet a couple of days later. On numerous occasions he tried to trick the old ghost and go where he'd heard fighting was thickest, but of course she knew beforehand exactly what he was going to try and made sure in the days before that he was just where he needed to be to hear a false rumor or read an erroneous report.
Now 296 years young, Tyding still finds his life somewhat tedious, and he's terribly lonely. Most people are uncomfortable around him. He's gregarious, affable, and full of stories - including this one about his past, which he loves to tell. He doesn't know why people go pale when they see his Gam-Gam out of the corners of their eyes. She's really very sweet. And, yes, he has his death-mask tattoo, but so what? Lots of people wear symbols from their religions or cultures. You don't hear him complaining about those ghastly butterfly patches he's been seeing around lately, do you? Or those beastly, half-sized men from Talenta with their dangly bits only partially contained by what looks like a bar-rag wrapped around their knobbly hips? He's perfectly fine with all of it even if it does slap the face of propriety and piss on the embers of good taste.
Oh well, at least that oversized, woodland monkey-man with all the pottery had seemed nice. Tyding wouldn't have necessarily imagined such a creature would become a cherished companion (frankly, when they first met, he had mistaken the firbolg for some type of pack animal and had been delighted to discover he could form intelligible words with that huge, slobbering mouth), but a starving man mustn't throw away soggy lembas, as they say. And is it just his imagination or has his Gam-Gam been a lot quieter of late? She did tell him to investigate those murders rather than just telling him who did it. Why, do you suppose, had she done that? And who had he off-handedly delegated the task to? He can't seem to remember. Egad. He hopes it was someone competent.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

He's got the usual elven grace, but has clearly never worked a day in his life. His arms and legs are so spindly, when he moves people often find themselves thinking about spiders, although they're never quite sure why. Despite his aversion to physical labor, Tyding is relatively hale and surprisingly dangerous with a rapier (in short spurts).

Facial Features

The detailed skull tattoo covering his entire face tends to distract most people from noticing anything else. Despite his loneliness and boredom, Tyding loves people and is generally smiling and cheerful. Unfortunately, under the tattoo this makes him look dangerously insane rather than approachable.

Apparel & Accessories

Tyding tends to wear fine clothing, although his recent nihilism has caused him to neglect the cleaning and upkeep. He has no idea that this makes him look like a corpse buried in his best suit who recently dug his way out.

Mental characteristics

Employment

Wouldn't dream of it

Accomplishments & Achievements

None to speak of

Failures & Embarrassments

Too many to mention

Mental Trauma

His sister's death from Dreamfever is a continuing trauma, mostly because it utterly destroyed his faith in the Aerani religion which also happens to be the foundation their entire society is built upon. He also suffers from crippling boredom and an overconfidence that Gam-Gam wouldn't let anything bad happen to him.

Intellectual Characteristics

Tyding is extremely well educated and well-read. He's prone to quoting obscure authors or texts with the expectation that everyone will recognize the reference and share a laugh. They never do. He's basically an Eton-educated, Victorian aristocrat who has found himself trapped for a century in rural Romania.

Morality & Philosophy

Tyding has become fairly nihilistic of late. He desperately wants to find something worth believing in.

Social

Family Ties

He writes his family from time to time, but Gam-Gam is his only real familial contact

Speech

Sounds like a caricature of a posh British aristocrat.

Relationships

Reepah Grimm

Great-great-grandmother (paternal) (Vital)

Towards Tyding Grimm

4

3

Subversive

---

Tyding Grimm

Great-great-grandson (Important)

Towards Reepah Grimm

5

4

Honest

---

Alignment

Chaotic Good

Current Status

Is impatiently awaiting his destiny (or a little excitement)

Current Location

Korth

Ethnicity

Aereni Elves

Age

296

Date of Birth

Who can recall?

Date of Death

Can't arrive soon enough

Birthplace

Aerenal

Family

House Grimm

Spouses

Siblings

Current Residence

Some inn beneath his station (actually The Different Dog )

Gender

Male

Eyes

Ice blue

Hair

None (and I mean none)

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Pale white skin; full, intricate death mask tattoo on face

Height

5'10"

Weight

95 lbs.

Belief/Deity

Lapsed follower of the Undying Court

Known Languages

Common, Elven, Draconic, Giant, Goblin

Destiny: Coming of Age - Tyding receives inspiration wherever he achieves a personal milestone (join a new organization, travel somewhere new, accept a new major quest or mission, change worldviews, grow as a person, etc.) As a bonus action he may spend his inspiration to gain proficiency with a weapon, armor, skill, or tool of his choice for the next hour.

Tyding is a bard as far as the rules go, but mostly I'm reskinning the class to represent that he's a spoiled elf who has read a lot of books. Most of his spells are actually things GamGam does. He mostly flails weakly and closes his eyes. He's very brave, but only because he's dead certain GamGam and her oracular vision will keep him safe. He has no concept that his life is in danger.