#tortheadcanon

[tortulja]

[Hugh the Guar]

Tortulja was given a baby Guar as a gift from grey mages. She raised him as her own - purchasing books for research and utilizing every connection she had to gather what necessities he would need.

As the Guar grew closer and closer to adulthood, however, Tortulja was overcome with a worry that she was not doing enough. Skyrim would never be the Guar’s native land.

It wasn’t until Dalamus introduced Tortulja to a friend of his - a young Dunmer named Olyn - that a potential solution was discovered. Olyn came from Solstheim, though he had been born and adopted from Skyrim, and his mother, Sursa, raised Guar. At first, he offered his personal knowledge and expertise to help Tortulja increase Hugh’s enrichment and quality of life before finally Tortulja asked the tough question - would Sursa be willing to take in Hugh as her own? 

After meeting with Sursa in person and the Dunmer giving Hugh a thorough examination, Tortulja was given relieving news: Hugh was in good health, but was slightly stunted in his growth due to a lack of nutrients and space that Tortulja could not have known to provide.

Sursa was, however, willing to take Hugh back to her ranch so he could continue to live out his life not only on his native land but with his own species. Although it was heartbreaking, Tortulja knew it was what was best, and agreed to let Hugh go.

Sursa and Tortulja are penpals of sorts, with Sursa sending updates on Hugh’s wellbeing and adventures and even inviting Tortulja to come stay to see how much the Guar has grown.

[tortulja]

[The Hall of the Dead]

Tortulja was always acutely aware of death and mortality. It’s part of the reason why she tries to appreciate life as much as she can as well as the people in it.

Even from a young age, she was always drawn to the Hall of the Dead and it’s graveyard. It was a collection of those who had once lived and it fascinated and saddened her. 

The cemetery itself wasn’t always in the best of shape, and so when she had the time and the means as she got older, she would handle the general upkeep for the caretaker. She cleaned the headstones, planted flowering bushes along the fence line and decorated the graves with flowers. She spoke to the dead as well, telling them stories and secrets.

When the Hall came under the possession of a new caretaker, Tortulja was officially offered a position and was even given training and trust as a caretaker herself. 

Now the graves are never without flowers and the dead are no longer forgotten.

[tortulja]

[Horst the Draugr]

When Tortulja first became aware of her talent in Conjuration magic, she was enamored with a necromancer by the name of Will. He helped teach her to increase her skill and challenge herself and the last thing they did together before his death was find Tortulja a suitable thrall for her to utilize as protection.

That thrall was a Draugr named Horst.

Horst was like any other draugr, but he did have some distinguishing features.  He was missing his lips, had a few patches of sandy-colored hair, a bit of a scruffy beard if the light hit his face just right, three missing toes (both pinkies and the middle toe on his right foot), and the ring finger on his left hand was also missing.

Tortulja treated Horst like any other living person: she made sure his body and clothing were clean, she held conversations with him (as one-sided as they might have been) and she even provided him his own room and custom-made armor. With her magical focus and practice solely on Horst, Tortulja got to a point in which the draugr moved and behaved like a living being - he mimicked breathing, he would sway on his feet as if eager to get moving - this was unique to their relationship as Tortulja did not have this sort of control over any other corpse she had raised - and she never raised another corpse outside of practice prior to gaining Horst as a companion.

Over the course of nearly a decade, Tortulja held onto Horst as a protector... and a reminder of who she had lost. For almost half that decade, Horst had remained inanimate and although she still made sure his body was kept in good shape, Tortulja realized she was being selfish and unfair.

Horst deserved peace and Tortulja was finally at a point in which she felt like she could let him - and all he had embodied for her - finally rest.  Tortulja went back to the tomb in which she and Will had journeyed into so many years ago and she led Horst back to his original resting place. 

With a final goodbye, Horst settled into his crypt and was released from Tortulja’s magical hold for the last time.

[tortulja]

[The Thieves Guild]

There weren’t many jobs to pick up in Riften if you didn’t have the skills already. If you weren’t strong enough, you couldn’t work at the fishery.  Not devoted enough and the Temple or Hall simply weren’t for you. Not rich enough and the better-paying jobs were out of the question.

Many youngsters were lured in by the Guild - fast track your way to riches beyond your wildest dreams and be accepted for who you are. Why wouldn’t you be interested? The guard was in the Guild’s pockets and overall you were really sticking it to the world that rejected you in the first place: steal from the rich to help the poor and all that jazz.

Tortulja was already indoctrinated to the Guild’s ways as a young child: her mother and uncle were talented thieves who saw no issue with what they were doing. It was a way of life. In a place like Riften, this was easy to accept without much critical thinking.

The Guild was Tortulja’s way of spending time with her mother and her uncle and supporting her family and friends in the process. Taking items or coin wasn’t a terrible thing - at least she wasn’t killing people for profit.

Tort specialized in lockpicking and sweep jobs. In and out before anyone knew what had happened. Her friendly demeanor was good for making lasting connections within the various Holds and this coupled with her knowledge of an item’s worth made her a valuable fence in her later years.

Eventually, as she came to adulthood, she would leave the Guild behind, not fully satisfied with the career as she gained more outside perspective and formed her own moral decisions.

[tortulja]

[Necromancy & Conjuration]

Tortulja appears to have an innate talent for the study and use of Conjuration magic as it pertains to weapon conjuration & reanimation. While these are both skills she was encouraged and intrigued to explore and hone when first discovered, more recently she has attempted to distance herself from the use of magic in this manner, especially necromancy.

While she will still conjure a weapon if necessary, she prefers pacifism to aggression and tries to avoid fighting when able. She does defend herself and others if the situation calls for it, but no longer spends her free time trying to learn new spells or increase the amount of time she is able to wield a conjured weapon - preferring to utilize her magicka as a last ditch effort only.

[tortulja]

[Scars]

The major (i.e. most noticeable) scars Tortulja has accumulated.

The claw trap that Will tripped when the pair were finding Tortulja a thrall. Slightly raised.

The Pit. The most raised of all her scars.

The werebear attack. The claw marks on her side are barely raised. The canine teeth marks are sunken in, the incisor teeth marks (all others) are somewhat faded.

[tortulja]

[Houses - Riften & Solitude]

Riften

Tortulja had lived in Riften long enough (and was on Maven's good side) to purchase property without having to gain the title of Thane. This house is basically Honeyside, with the same general layout but with a few differences.

There is no "bedroom" upstairs. Instead, there is a "work space" and various chests filled with things Tort likes or needs. There are four chairs and a small table in the middle for when she has guests. She also has a small garden space near the back door, but hasn’t had time to properly cultivate the area.

Downstairs, in the "basement" area, Tort has three bedrooms. Bedroom one is in the closed off area where the Housecarl would be in game (furnished with a bed, night stand, lantern, wardrobe, small table and single chair).

Bedroom two is located next to the first room, but is smaller. A small bed, nightstand, lantern, and a small wardrobe are tucked inside. This room is usually stuffed full of random things Tort currently has no place for.

Bedroom three (the “master”) is next to the area where the in-game Enchanting table would be. The room is closed off via standing shades that Tort commissioned Balimund to make for her. Behind the shades there is a large bed, a wardrobe, two nightstands on either side of the bed, a few bookcases, a chest, and a chair for when she feels like reading.

Solitude

Tortulja does own a smaller home in Solitude, but has since left it practically abandoned - especially since Shadrach moved in with her.

Tort was able to purchase it after a rather lucrative job for the Guild, accompanied by a few extra coins from Delvin. The home has three floors - a 'main' floor, which houses a dining room, cooking area, and small library; an upper floor that has three bedrooms; and a lower floor which was used for storage, though left remotely empty.

This house was mostly used during her time as a fence with the Guild, and has since been left mostly abandoned unless she is visiting Solitude. She has plans to potentially sell this location.

[tortulja]

[From the Beginning]

Tortulja was born to a thief and a bandit. They were not the worst of parents, but they were not the best either. More often than not, Tort was left to her own devices and spent more time alone at “home” than with either parent. 

The city of Riften was who really raised Tortulja.

It is fortunate, then, that she held a steadfast optimistic view of life and the people within it in general. Despite witnessing how greedy and cruel life could be firsthand, she was also blessed with moments of acceptance and the beauty of life as well. 

Many of her friends growing up were orphans or street urchins. There were few well off families in the town and so the children were typically one big group of friends. It was quite literally them against the world and this taught Tortulja that family never had to be strictly blood and also not to judge based on outward appearance. Character was valuable. Morals were valuable. Hope and love were the most valuable traits of all.

Tortulja was friendly, outgoing, and naïve at times. She thrived despite her circumstances.