Orsa

Orsolina "Orsa" Tagbuhat is a meek but hardworking blacksmith who has begun using her craft alongside forbidden magic to fight the plague ravaging her home region. Such witchcraft is not without its cost– Orsa's body is slowly turning to stone, starting from her right arm, which she protects with a metal gauntlet of her own creation. She seems to carry with her a quiet grief, and with it the self-imposed burden of fixing the world all on her own.

She is currently assisting Prince Celestio in his journey to find the other Half of a dead Goddess' broken Heart, which, when restored, would end the plague. She hopes that, in return, he can cure her of the corruption spreading through her body.

Personality

• Hardworking. She takes a lot of pride in her craft as her chosen method of changing the world for the better, bit by bit. She has a pretty deep sense of personal responsibility, which means that when something is expected of her, you can bet that not only will it get done, it'll get done to the best of her abilities, and then some. On the other hand, she's very bad about taking breaks or asking for help. She's the kind of person to whom idleness is a kind of torture.
• Reserved. Orsa is very private and reserved about her feelings. She can come across as distant or stoic, but she's really just used to internalizing all of her feelings. She just doesn't think that it's anyone's business how she feels, and if she feels bad about something that's her problem and no one else's. Interestingly, she doesn't have this same reticence when it comes to advocating for others' feelings.
• Stubborn. She is... generally not very open to having her mind changed about a lot of things. This means that she's quite steadfast in her beliefs and will stand by them when challenged, but... She's also pretty slow to accept change or admit she's wrong, and might even feel personally attacked if you try to change her mind.

Relationships

Main Party

• Celestio: The Prince of Floracio, who seeks to save his nation by making whole once  again a dead Goddess' Heart. She's helping him because their goals align– ending the plague is more important than her personal feelings. She respects his discipline and sense of Duty, and understands that, although (in her opinion) misguided, he is ultimately driven by a desire to do good. Still, she firmly keeps herself at a polite distance. She'd never admit it, but she recognizes something in him that she's long carried by herself.
• Renata: The Crown Princess of Floracio, who's also traveling with them. She tries to be civil with the Princess, she really does. But Renata herself seems to be hell-bent on pressing every one of her buttons. She's loud, entitled, and has an extremely inflated sense of self-importance. And, to make things worse, Renata intersperses her selfish demands and mean-spirited jeering with acts that might be interpreted as care. This is clearly another one of her attempts to fluster and frustrate Orsa.
• Valentin: A thief in Prince Celestio's entourage who claims he and Orsa are long lost childhood friends. Although initially tries to keep her distance from him, too, he quickly manages to melt through her defenses with his genuine warmth and eagerness for her friendship. She opens up to him  more than the others, but it comes with a protective streak that edges  into condescension. She treats him like a younger sibling who needs steering and Val, ever hungry for affection, just chooses not to call it out, even when he internally chafes at it.

Family

• Sorry, I don't have detailed names or personalities for her family yet. Her parents were doctors who died while working as front-liners when the plague hit her hometown. She has three younger siblings who are living with her grandmother right now. She writes to them frequently but is in a sort of self-imposed exile because (a) she feels weirdly responsible for her parents' deaths and feels like she can't go home until she "makes things right", and also (b) she's turning to stone. She can't let them see that.