Cassian Sterling
Bard, College of Eloquence
Cassian Sterling
Species
Half-Elf
Appearance
Cassian is a dashing half-elf man with a narrow, expressive face, sharp hazel eyes, and an easy smile that seems to arrive a heartbeat before his words. His dark hair is swept carefully back, though silver has begun to gather at his temples like frost on black iron. His skin is smooth and warm brown, with faint crow's-feet earned from years of smiling at people he distrusted. He moves with the controlled grace of a dancer crossing a wet factory floor, never hurrying and never quite standing where anyone expects. His hands are immaculate, but the fingertips of his left hand are permanently stained with blue-black contract ink. The unexpected contradiction is that his polished elegance conceals a slight stoop in his right shoulder, the result of an old injury that aches whenever the canyon's pressure engines change pitch. His smile suggests effortless confidence, while his body is constantly bracing for impact.
“His voice is smooth, resonant, and deliberately intimate, with the cadence of a practiced courtroom advocate. He speaks slightly more slowly than the people around him, forcing others to either match his rhythm or seem agitated.”
Ability Scores
Alignment
Distinguishing Features
Silver at both temples despite his relatively young age
Blue-black contract ink permanently staining the fingertips of his left hand
A barely visible scar beneath his right ear from the Foundry Steps flood
A concealed silver signet ring bearing a subtly falsified corporate seal
A habit of smiling a fraction too early when someone mentions trust
Voice
“A velvet tenor with a faint rasp beneath it, like polished brass dragged across stone. His laughter is warm and perfectly timed, but his private sighs sound exhausted.”
Clothing
A tailored, high-collar merchant-envoy doublet in deep forest green and charcoal, fastened with polished brass clasps. His gloves are pale gray kid leather, his boots are black and mirror-polished, and a narrow mantle bears the embroidered silver reed of the Verdant Sluice Wardens. Hidden inside his sleeve is a silver signet ring bearing a manipulated corporate seal. He carries a fine rosewood case containing diplomatic credentials, blank contracts, coded correspondence, and three different versions of his own biography.
Body Language
Cassian keeps his shoulders open and his palms visible, but his thumb repeatedly rubs the hidden signet beneath his glove. He tilts his head when listening, mirroring the speaker's posture just enough to feel intimate. When frightened, he becomes motionless rather than fidgeting, with his smile fixed too neatly in place.
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