PlayerName: Cee-Chan, Cee, or just “C” will work.
Age: I am 15 years old!
Personal Journal: https://cee-thetruename.dreamwidth.org/Contact: Cee-Chan#0536 on Discord.
Other In-Game Characters: N/A
CharacterName: Tressa Colzione
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Canon: Octopath Traveler
Canon Point: After Chapter 4 of Tressa’s story. AKA, the end of it.
History: Tressa is the daughter of 2 merchants in a small town in the Coastlands, named Rippletide. She is often regarded as the best employee by her father, due to her haggling skills and knowledge about being a merchant, something she likely picked up being raised in a family of barters. For eighteen years, she remained in her hometown Rippletide, working at her parents’ shop for as long as she could remember. Other times, however, she couldn’t help but wonder what she truly wanted in life, besides working at the lodging house.
One day, as Tressa was in town restocking the shop, a merchants ship had pulled into town. Curious, Tressa approached the ship, and ran into Captain Leon Bastralle, the… well, captain of the merchant's ship. Though he was formerly a pirate, and at the time Tressa did not know his true identity. The two talked for a spell, with Tressa asking if she could see what wares Leon had on his ship, although he refused, saying he only let those he trust aboard his vessel.
Suddenly, the two heard a loud crash, with Tressa running off to investigate, only to find that pirates were pillaging the town! Tressa stood up to them, attempting to reason with Mikk and Makk (the two who were in charge of the pirate gang), but only had the rainbow wine she recently purchased stolen from her. Outraged, she immediately began to make her way towards the Cave of Maiya.
On her way out of town, Leon inquired the lass as to where she’s heading off to, although he already knew she was heading off towards the pirate’s den. The captain claimed it was an awfully rash decision, going there without a plan or a weapon. Tressa acknowledged this, but she couldn’t stand by and simply do nothing! Those poor people might starve if they don’t get their belongings back! She simply had to get everything back, on her honor as a merchant!
Leon admired Tressa’s courage and offered his aid. He would lend her some of his wares if she thinks she may need them, for a price, of course. While browsing Leon’s selection of items, she had noticed he carried sleepweed, an herb for insomniacs. The gears in her mind were set in motion as a plan formed in her mind. After all of that pillaging and plundering, those poor pirates must be exhausted, right? Perhaps she should help relax a little bit. Slipping the herb into a barrel of wine, she set off for the caves.
Upon arriving there, one of the lackeys was keeping watch at the entrance, where Tressa offered the barrel of wine to them. The pirate eagerly eyed the “gift”, quickly taking it inside without saying anything more to the young merchant. Tressa patiently waited outside for a while, before walking into the cave to retrieve the stolen wares, to find out that her plan had worked!.... Mostly. While retrieving everything, Mikk happened to wake up, catching Tressa in the act, where he quickly alerted his sleeping friend Makk that there was an intruder. Tressa chastised the two for claiming all of their stolen good were “hard-earned”, saying they didn’t truly know the meaning of earning anything. After a short-lived argument, the pirate duo engaged Tressa in combat. While she was able to hold her own for a while, the duo had eventually called in backup, where she became overwhelmed. Luckily, captain Leon had shown up just in time to save her.
It was here that his true identity was revealed, as former-pirate-now-merchant Captain Leon Bastralle, who with the strength and swiftness of a viper, was feared across the seas. Although he was a pirate no longer, of course. He told Mikk and Makk one thing before they fled: “Dead men tell no tales.”
After the encounter, the captain had invited the lass aboard his vessel, where Tressa’s keen eye is further demonstrated as she is able to recognize the value of a painting she has never seen before. Leon allowed Tressa to pick anyone treasure off his ship that she desired, where she had ended up selecting an unknown person’s journal. As she read about this person’s travels, it inspired her to venture out on her own to gain experience as a merchant, and record her own journey.
Following in the anonymous author's footsteps, she first found herself in the town of Quarrycrest. Rumor had it that there was gold in the hills the town was built upon, though upon first glance, Tressa began to have her doubts, at least until a man cried out “EUREKA!”, and boasted that he had struck gold. Although sadly, a man named Morlock had an iron grip on the mine in the town, so she wouldn’t be dealing in gold here. Though, she had a feeling the town held something else of value.
While walking through the outskirts of the town, she took notice of a man who had been having poor luck in finding any gold and had ended up bankrupt from funding his trip here. The man instead had dug up a fair amount of dull, black stones, which Tressa thought may have more to them than meets the eye. Although the man was hesitant to sell them in good conscious at first, Tressa insisted and was able to make a deal. Upon polishing one of the rocks, it was revealed that it had a beautiful gem underneath!
“You’ve quite the eye, young lady”, said an unknown voice. This man was Ali, another Travelling merchant, who possessed the same stones Tressa herself had just bought. The young man explained to Tressa that what she had just bought were skystones, which were rather rare. Ali then proceeded to call her a “green pea” for purchasing all of those stones, despite not knowing what they were, which had offended Tressa greatly.
It wasn’t long before Tressa set up shop, selling skystones to the locals in the plaza. Practically selling themselves, she went out to gather more to sell, and later returned to sell even more. Although this time, Ali immediately sets up a skystone shop next to her and takes all of the customers away with his sales pitch, using cheap tricks such as flattery.
Tressa would later meet Ali in the marketplace, where he had offered her some food he just bought since he stole all of her customers. Tressa refuses, not wanting to take pity food from a rival. Ali then inquires her as to why she took up her current line of work, to which she replies that since both of her parents were merchants, she assumed it just came naturally. Ali reveals that his father, too, was a merchant, and a rather famous one in the south at that, claiming that he was such a smooth talker he could sell sand in the desert. But he never once told a lie, and all of his customers were able to feel genuinely happy about their purchase, and it inspired Ali to follow in his father's footsteps. When Tressa asked if he had taken up the family business, he said that he hadn’t and instead ran away from home. This shocked Tressa, though Ali spared her the details, simply saying that's how things played out.
The two are immediately confronted by Morlock and his assistant, Omar, where they state that the skystones now belong to the former due to his ownership of the land. When Ali attempts to argue against it and fight against Omar, he is subdued and brought to Morlock's Manse. There, he is physically and mentally beaten and wounded until Tressa arrives to confront them over their swindling of the townsfolk and their treatment of Ali. Tressa emerges victorious, forcing Morlock to apologize for mocking Ali’s father, and forcing him to leave town and never return. Before departing, Ali tells Tressa of the Merchant's Fair in Grandport, where the wealthiest and most influential people come to feast their eyes on treasure beyond one’s imagination.
Further following the path of the journal’s author, Tressa made her way to Victors Hollow. The owner of the book found what he was looking for here, so hopefully, she would be as lucky as he was!
While Tressa was window shopping, she had noticed a map that was laid out on one of the stalls. She inquired about the map, though the stall owner had claimed he didn’t know what it was, and he initially considered throwing it out. Upon further inspection, she noticed there were some scribbles, which revealed the map once belonged to Baltazar, the dread pirate of the Eastern Seas. Shocked, the antique dealer quickly snatched it back, giving Tressa some candy in return. She was mildly annoyed at this but walked away regardless.
Whilst taking a break outside of the tavern, she once again ran into Captain Leon, who had recently hired Mikk and Makk. Although she was surprised, Tressa was certainly happy to see them singing a new tune. After the two set off, Tressa informs Leon of how she wants to sell something incredible at the merchant's fair and inquires him as to why he’s in Victors Hollow. Leon wishes her luck and explains that his old friend Baltazar recently passed away, and he decided to pay a visit. Shocked that Baltazar was a former friend of Leon, she informed Leon that she found a map by his deceased friend earlier. Interested, the captain asked if he could show him to where she had found it.
The merchant refused to part with the map for free, however, claiming it was a precious family heirloom, despite his earlier claims of not knowing where it came from. This angered Tressa, causing her to set out in search of Edbart’s shield, an Antique who the merchant requested in trade for the map. Luckily it was for sale in town, so it didn’t take too long.
Upon returning the map to Leon, Tressa had asked if he was truly alright with leaving it behind, as she had noticed his forlorn gaze upon looking at the map earlier. Leon told her a story about him and Baltazar, where Baltazar said that he never wanted to be a pirate, and instead, he had dreamt of being a merchant ever since he was young. Later that day, the two had a wager, and if Leon won he’d get the eldrite, a one-of-a-kind gem that he had always wanted. But if Baltazar won, Leon would have to hand over his most precious treasure. Sadly, Baltazar never emerged from those stormy seas, and several days later, Leon had found his shipwrecked on the coast.
Leon explained that the Eldrite is what the map leads to, but since he lost the wager against his friend, he feels he doesn’t have the rights to it. Since Tressa made a fair trade for the map, he feels it belongs to her now.
Tressa felt that Leon should have a memento of his friend to cheer him up, and of course, she was interested in getting a closer look at some more pirate treasure, so she set out to find the eldrite. Luckily it wasn’t far, just in a grotto nearby, so it wasn’t too bad of a trip. Within the chest that contained the luxurious eldrite, there was a letter addressed to Leon.
Upon returning both of the items to Leon, he simply wished to keep the letter. Leon explained that he believed that there is only enough room in one's heart for a single, truly precious treasure, which to him was Baltazar’s ship. He inquired as to what Tressa’s most precious treasure was, to which she replied that she wasn’t sure, but she’d find it one day. After Leon set off, Tressa headed out of town with the eldrite in hand, ready for the auction.
Arriving at Grandport, Tressa overheard talk of an auction in town, hosted by the incredibly wealthy aristocrat Mr. Wyndham. The reward for the contest was one billion leaves, which would catch the attention of nearly anyone, so of course, Tressa was interested. She wondered if the eldrite would be enough to win.
Later, Tressa ran into a young girl named Noa, who was born with weak legs and thus struggled with traveling anywhere on her own. Despite that, however, Noa has always longed to see the world, much like Tressa herself. While the two were talking, Gill, a man in service of the Wyndham family who had been searching for Noa, ran up to the Duo. After thanking her for assisting Noa after she had fallen due to her weak legs, the two left to attend to their business.
Tressa herself headed for the markets, where she was absolutely blown away by the vast selection of wares available. From House Sennedi tableware to golden coins from Belmond, there really WASN’T anything you couldn’t find at the fair!
While Tressa was writing in her journal, a woman came up behind her, claiming that the notebook looked familiar to her, and asking if she could see it for a moment. Tressa complies, only to be attacked by the mysterious figure, who promptly walked away with her notebook, telling her to forget she ever saw it.
Outraged, Tressa set out to find the woman immediately, only to run into Ali once again. Ali offered his assistance, claiming he had a debt to repay to Tressa for saving his life. Tressa, of course, is grateful for the assistance, and it isn’t long before she spots the woman who mugged her. The two give chase, only to find her with another mysterious figure, who is currently inquiring her about the notebook she had stolen.
Passing through the bazaar, Ali asks if Tressa is going to be entering the auction. She says she is and shows Ali the Eldrite she plans to enter. Ali, of course, is shocked that she had somehow gotten her hands on something that rare. He jokingly inquires about purchasing the gem, though Tressa refuses. The two then continue their search for the two figures, and once again find them discussing something. Ali distracts the mysterious man, while Tressa follows the girl, who’s apparently named Esmeralda.
Tressa followers her to the end of the Sewers, where Esmeralda offers to give the book back, claiming it’s useless to her, and that because Tressa is so attached to it, she’ll let her take it to her grave. Tressa is mildly afraid at first, but summons enough courage to face Esmeralda in battle, and emerges victorious. Esmeralda is confused as to why Tressa would go through so much trouble just for a stupid book, to which Tressa replied that the book is her treasure. Meeting up with Ali, Tressa finds the mysterious man in custody of the guards, as Ali had learned that he was a dangerous and wanted criminal, and handed him over.
Soon enough, it’s time for Tressa to go onstage for the auction. However, instead of entering the eldrite, she becomes determined to enter her notebook in the auction, despite its lack of monetary value, in hopes that it will make a difference in Noa's life. Tressa is ridiculed during the auction, but Noa chooses her entry as the winner and continues the diary where Tressa left off. Upon being offered the cash prize, however, she is too overwhelmed to accept it at the current time, and instead asks for a memorandum.
After the auction had ended, Tressa set off for her Hometown, Rippletide, to show her parents how far she had come.
Personality: Cheerful, savvy, and full of curiosity and ambition, Tressa seeks adventure and discovery of all sorts of things on her journey. She's typically the kind of person to trust someone right away, as she uses an unknown person's journal to lead her in her adventure. Despite that, however, she is a force to be reckoned with and is willing to do almost anything in her pursuit of various items, and to continue on her journey. She also despises thievery in any form and wants nothing more than to put a halt to such acts.
Tressa is also said to be a natural haggler and a born merchant, due to her innate talent of talking down prices and seeing the worth in items she has never seen before. This goes noticed by the previous-pirate-now-merchant Captain Leon Bastralle. Her natural talent for being a merchant, as well as her tenacity in doing the right thing, gave Leon enough reason for him to let Tressa board his vessel. The fact that she had spent her entire life growing up in a merchant’s family only adds onto her already astonishing innate talent. She also appears to be willing to take the risk of venturing out alone to gain experience of being a merchant, for both her travels and for her to discover the best bargains in the continent.
Tressa can also be crafty, and while she would never do so with malicious intent, She’s very good with trickery. A good example is when she had noticed her Apothecary friend, Alfyn, was feeling down in the dumps, and she was able to raise his spirits a little by teasing him about how his medicine shapes up to his rivals. Another thing worth noting is how she tricked the pirates that had been terrorizing her down, by drugging a barrel of wine with Sleepweed and offering it as “compensation.”
Not to say she is without any flaws, however; as that is far from the truth. Tressa’s trust in others has landed her in trouble before, such as when she allowed a stranger to view her notebook, only to be attacked and have said notebook stolen. Tressa also can be angered rather easily, even by mere insults, such as how her merchant friend Ali refers to her as a “Green Pea” and that she’s like an “Unpolished Skystone”. These two weaknesses could potentially be her greatest downfall, as it could very well lead to her being easily manipulated.
+ Tressa is Trusting. As stated earlier, she is willing to follow in the footsteps of an unknown author, and lend one of her most precious possessions to a total stranger.
+ Tressa is Empathetic. Tressa cares about the feelings of others, and highly values the satisfaction of her customers.
+ Tressa has Integrity. Tressa despises the use of cheap tricks such as flattery and embellishment to make her sales and has shown reluctance in claiming the Eldrite as her own, as it was something important to Leon’s deceased friend.
- Tressa is Sensitive. Childish insults can make her easily miffed, and being as young as she is, Tressa isn’t too emotionally stable.
- Tressa is Stubborn. There have been multiple situations where simply backing down would be a better option, but she refuses to do so out of pridefulness.
- Tressa is Blunt. She's the most outspoken amongst the cast and never shows restraint when speaking her mind.
Samples: Example #1Example #2:
[Sitting behind the counter of a shop, Tressa bade her time attempting to balance her diary on one finger. The day was rather slow, a lot more than she was used to, as most of her days spent as a merchant were rather busy. The line of work was fun for her and she certainly had a knack for it, but when she barely received any customers, that's when it begins to become a lot duller. Setting her diary aside, she let out a small grumble, praying to the gods that someone would walk through those doors soon enough.
At least she would get paid for this.]
VaikunthaMoogle Name: Peswera
Moogle Gender: Female
First Job: Ranger
Second Job: Dragoon
Melody: Bifelgan's Bounty, a massively powerful attack that hits a single target, and gives Tressa money equivalent to the damage dealt.
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Name: Tressa Colzione
