Tristan Cadence
| Tristan Cadence | |
| Aliases | Mysterious Book Entity, Mysterious Brother Entity |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Voice of the Tower (Serpent Spire), Whisper of Tenjin, Member of the Ascension Faction of Whispers |
| Species | Human |
| Nation | Valia |
| Continent | Kaldwyn |
| World | Venaya |
| Featured In | Arcane Ascension |
| Attunements: | Sovereign |
Tristan Val Cadence is the older brother of Corin Cadence and Sera Cadence, the eldest son of Magnus Cadence and Laura Lyran. He has the Sovereign attunement at at least the Sunstone level, and was instrumental in the capture of Visage Tenjin. He is currently trapped within the Serpent Spire by a brand that will detonate should he try to leave.
Physical Description
- As the Voice of the Tower
Seemingly no physical body, just air. A hooded robe with white stars on blue cloth[1] .
- As Tristan
Tristan has long brown hair and is described as being taller than Magnus Cadence even at the age of fourteen[2]. He is an athletic physique.
Personality
Corin describes Tristan lovingly "that was Tristan to his core. He was always trying to lift me up, even at his own expense" but also claims that that Tristan had "never been the gentle sort." Tristan has a flair for dramatics and is very confident. Tristan is shown to frequently laugh. He can maintain composure even in the face of Mizuchi. Sera reveals that Tristan was cruel to her and hurt her.
History
Early Life
Tristan was born the first child of Magnus Cadence and Laura Lyran. He was put through training to succeed at a Judgement. He completed his Judgement so successfully that a Whisper of Tenjin offered to give Tristan a rare Attunement and for Tristan to become a Whisper. Tristan agreed wishing to make the spires less lethal and better. At some point he becomes bitter and disillusioned learning about how the Tyrant in Gold doesn't control the entire world and begins to view the visages as tyrants themselves. As a Whisper of Tenjin, Tristan had to set up unfair test rooms that were designed to kill the climbers but he could not stand to keep watching on. Tristan begins to work with the Whispers of Wydd, the visage of forbidden knowledge. Tenjin allows Tristan to meet with Laura and Tristan gives her a book that allows for communication. At some point, a brand is placed on Tristan by Wydd to prevent him leaving the spire. Tristan has a mysterious backer supporting his goals. Tristan also managed to help capture Tenjin which gave him a degree of importance within the Ascension faction. The goal of the Ascension faction is to raise every person to be far stronger, not just those who survive a Judgement.
Sufficiently Advanced Magic
During his judgment, Corin finds a magical book through which he can communicate with a 'mysterious book entity', the Voice of the Tower. After Vera stops Corin from taking a regular exit out of the spire, the Voice shows him a switch in a wall, leading him into a Room of Attunement. He instructs Corin to drink from the fountain in the middle of the room to receive an attunement and plunges the rusty sword Corin found earlier into the water, revealing Selys-Lyann. Telling Corin to seek Lyras Orden and explain to her what happened, he turns to leave. Upon being asked about his brother's whereabouts by Corin, he denies having knowledge of it[1].
On the Shoulders of Titans
The Torch that Ignites the Stars
The Silence of Unworthy Gods
Relations
Familial Relationships
- Magnus Cadence
- Tristan's father.
- Laura Lyran
- Tristan's mother.
- Corin Cadence
- Tristan's younger brother.
- Sera Cadence
- Tristan's younger half-sister. According to Sera, Tristan has abused her in the past under the guise of 'training' her, going so far as to breaking her arm when she was eleven years old. Even after this, he continued his treatment of her. She rationalizes this as him trying to emulate his father[3].
Friends and Associates
- Derek Hartigan
- Being around the same age, Tristan and Derek were friends before the former's disappearance at 17.
Magic
Attunements and Crystal Marks
| Name | Primary Mana | Secondary Mana | Tertiary Mana | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sovereign | Umbral | Death | Can control or draw power from other attunements. Can also absorb power from spells and enchantments, increasing their power[4] |
Abilities
Sovereign Attunement
Tristan has the Restricted attunement Sovereign which allows him to take power from other Attunements. Sovereign gives access to shadow and death mana which can be combined to form supremacy mana.
Supremacy Mana
Absorb Magic
With a touch and the words "absorb magic", Tristan can absorb magical effects. Tristan managed to absorb Mizuchi's fire breath without the words and then used the flames to surround his blade.
Mana Drain
Sera noticed Tristan draining some of Mizuchi's mana when they were grappling.
Tenjin's Key
Tristan managed to steal power from Tenjin and whilst he lost most of it he managed to keep a hold on a specific part: a mark that Tenjin had that enabled access to restricted parts of the Serpent Spire. This key gives Tristan access to Tenjin's sanctum and control over many parts of the spire. The sanctum has managed to keep out the other visages.
Magic Items
Phoenix Sigil
The phoenix sigils are enchanted items made by Corin. A sigil in the shape of a phoenix about the same size of the shield sigils. The phoenix sigil is self-recharging and has a greater capacity than the regular shield sigil. It produces a barrier of grey mana much like the shield sigil. The phoenix sigil has functions for healing injuries and helping to recover mana.
Notes
References: