GM Lithrac's Shattered Star (Inactive)

Game Master Cyril Corbaz

Bellis awoke early in Heidmarch Manor, with the dawn. Even before stepping out of bed, she opened the shutters on the small window above her, allowing the dawn's rays entry and illuminating the room. She had lobbied hard for an east-facing room, just so she could receive the maximum amount of light from the morning's start.

After dressing in her apron, she struck a tindertwig and lit an oil lamp, heading down the corridor to the kitchens. Checking the hearth, she noticed that the fire had died down low at night. "No, no no no!" she exclaimed quietly, as she set about stoking the flames and getting the hearth ablaze again. She stared into the flames for a while, contently.

If there's one thing she can do, Bellis thought to herself, it's start a fire. Fire had been her sole comfort for a long time, and she learned early the value of being able to have fire. Its heat, its light. But that's what happens when you start out life in the slave pens of Nisroch.

At this point, that was years ago, a different time, a different place, but still the effects of living in Nidal linger in her memories, her anxieties. When she was smuggled out on a merchant vessel bound for Absalom, she signed up with the Pathfinders, if only to get her out. She accepted her apprenticeship with vigor, and started exploring all the possible ways to make fire. Fire was the one thing that could keep the darkness away, keep the dizzying infinite cold of her masters at bay, and so she took to learning various alchemical ways to produce fire. Alchemy suited her.

After confirmation, she asked to be placed somewhere... Somewhere other than Nidal. So, she took a position in Magnimar, as cook to the Heidmarches. And this is where she starts, very happy to be a Pathfinder, always willing to serve, constantly exploring heat and light and fire and their manipulation, and still nursing a debilitating fear of the dark.

Mostly a bomb-throwing kind of character, with the Exchange Agent trait. Not yet finalized, but here's Bellis Eisen.

Vandilo had learned to detect magic from an assortment of sheisters fortune tellers and thieves, hardly ideal, but in the end it had proved sufficient. All he needed was to be able to see magic, wizards were famously arrogant and trusted in their magics too much, they were also renowned for their collections of valuable magic items spell components content in the fact the mere knowledge of their power.

While not the most accomplished thief Vandilo made up for it with intelligence and patience, information was more valuable than the quickest fingers. It had taken a week for him to acquire Master Nivlandis's schedule, another to survey his home, a bribe to a dismissed servant, and even a visit into the building pretending to deliver a message he had had Jonis swipe from its actual messenger. And so it was easy for him to break into the Master wizard's home.

Nerris expected him to return with something worth in excess of 100gp. Vandilo had spent a little over a thousand hundred gold pieces, borrowing from three of his sisters and extorting the rest from Lerro - who did not wish the Princess to know he had been behind the burning of a rival's storefront.

Getting into the wizards study was simple requiring only picking the door to the servants quarters and brazenly taking the back stairway. But entering the study set off the alarm, which was what Vandilo counted on. He snatched up the crystal ball smeared it in the costly oil that would conceal its magic and plonked it into his special backpack popping the nonmagical replacement into place before reaching towards the books freezing and going wild eyed.

"Can I help you young man?" Said the wizard as he appeared in the corner of the room staff in hand.

"Ah, I just..."

"It takes a very foolish or a very braze man to rob a wizard, which are you boy?"

"I just wanted to know..."

"Oh, so you are a scholar, and here I was thinking you a thief..."

Now the scroll of glibness, that had cost him a small fortune and required the services of a half dozen helpers to ensure he could use it properly, had to pay for itself,

"Please Master I just wanted to learn, you would never have someone like me at your academy and I've mastered a few cantrips... I want to see, I need to! I don't want to be a thief all my life, but I can feel everything closing in around me and if I don't find a way out I am going to... dwindle. I want to be a wizard! I haven't taken anything I was just going to read..."

Nilvandis looked at him for a long time, every second seeming an eternity as Vandilo counted off the seconds left on his glibness spell, knowing he had to get the timing just right....

"I am always on the look out for talent boy, if you do indeed possess it we might be able to take you even if you cannot pay. but for that to happen you would need to impress me, and you are off to a poor start. Come to the school tomorrow and we shall talk, but first kindly empty your pockets, own up now if you have taken anything everything in here is magic and I will be able to detect it."

Vandilo complied meekly opening his pack and turning it upside down to shake it, thankful that his secret compartment held up to the job. He turned out all his pockets, stripped off to his skivvies and then endured ten minutes of interrogation, lying like a politician, before being kicked out with a note he was to present at the academy on the morrow. He dismissed his glibness spell as soon as he heard the mage began to cast detect magic.

It had worked, he ought to be able to get fifteen thousand gold pieces easy for a crystal ball. It was all about expectations, nobody expected a thief to utilize expensive magics, especially not a young one. He would be the greatest thief in history, he would rise to rule the Sczarni!

The next day at noon his mother woke him with a slap and dragged him out half naked into the street where Master Nivlandis waited,

"You are a precocious young man it seems. I had to utilize some powerful magics to see you. I still do not know how you managed to conceal your theft from me, but if anyone could track you down it would be a Diviner, knowledge is power my boy and divination is a ready key to knowing. You had best pray you still have my magic ball else you will be spending the rest of your days upon a lily pad."

Negotiations ensued and half an hour later a befuddled Vandilo found himself indentured as Master Nivlandis's Page for the next decade. Fortunately the Wizard had little need for a Page and was unable to resist teaching an inquiring mind...

I had pictured the character as Varisian, but your question got me thinking and I think Cheliaxian would be even better for him although I still picture him as a Magnimarian native.

I fixed the extra feat, I've never used the drawbacks before and misread your post as an extra feat rather than an extra trait. I still want to keep doubt as I think it fits really well. I'll figure out a 3rd trait when I get a chance.

One of your traits, "Teacher's Pet", is a campaign trait from the wrong campaign. Please choose one from the Shattered Star Player's Guide.

Chelaxian ethnicity doesn't necessarily mean you come from Cheliax. In fact, most of the "civilized" (read "settlers and bringers of civilization") people in Varisia are of Chelish origins - including most Magnimarians. So there aren't any problem in combining Magnimarian native with Chelish ethnicity.

Thanks for the submission! Interesting background, but I'm not sure that Nemesis story feat goes well with it. Would you consider the Vengeance one instead? That's to say, unless you have another Nemesis than the One-Eye tribe. The fact is that a Nemesis is a person (or a group of people) that seek to destroy what you build, to thwart your plans. In your background, it's you who seek vengeance from them.

I was thinking The One Eye tribe would be her Nemesis as a whole.. I would imagine they would be plenty mad at her for escaping and then getting a entire scouting party killed by the Shoanti.. Although i certainly could see the Vengeance feat working as well.. Ill go with whatever you think fits better.. I thought about the Liberator one being all antislavery but i didnt know if she would ever even have a chance to use it..

I somehow have a hard time picturing a whole tribe being set on foiling the plans (as in, moving to Varisia specifically for that matter) of one slave who escaped twenty years ago or so. Vengeance would seem more appropriate to me.

Lol yea i hadn't figured the whole tribe would com after me.. I was thinking more of a few elite soldiers being sent after me, but I'll change it to vengeance instead.. A shame though, the Nemesis payoff is so much better than Vengeance lol.. I mean +1 vs a single orc tribe we may or may not ever encounter is rubbish lol..

Hello! This is one of my first times applying for a PBP campaign, so I'm unsure as to the format that you would like for the character to be submitted in. I have a character written up already as my PFS (never played them yet), is there any particular format you like for sheets? And do I have to submit a sheet before introducing the character?

Bellis is a relatively unassuming person, slight, eager to please. She always seems to be slightly anxious, but she tries to push aside her concerns in order to keep the peace. It would be easy to overlook what she wants, as she is used to never having her opinion considered. She visibly relaxes in the presence of fire, and has a clear fear of the dark. Although she would not call herself a freedom fighter, she always acts against slavers without question, and bears an instinctive loathing of Kuthites.

I understand that, it's just that Nemesis doesn't make a lot of sense with your background.

Welcome to the boards! While this campaign is aimed at more experienced people, I'll gladly give you some information on how to start. An AP is years long in terms of PbP, it may not be the most appropriate type of PbP to start with - I suggest PFS scenarios or modules.

Usually, people put their character sheet in their profile, like this one.
It's the most convenient choice to access the needed information. Some other people choose to put external links in their profile, leading to their character sheet stored elsewhere. You'll probably notice the format is usually similar, because many people use the HeroLab software to do their character sheet, then export it to their profile. While very useful, it's not a cheap solution and isn't 100% correct on everything.

PFS is a good start because scenarios are short, and you can easily play your character(s) with a lot of different groups regardless of role/class.

Submission format depends on the GM, but many ask the same thing. Usually people submit their character's statistic ("crunch") at the same time as their background, personality and appearance. Note that in PFS, background doesn't have much impact because the GM doesn't have any leeway to adapt the scenario to his players, he must run it as written. I still like to write a background for all my PFS characters because it helps me figure out how to roleplay him, but not everyone does that. Finally, people often submit their character by posting with the correct alias, thus allowing the GM to check the character's crunch and background very easily.

I hope my answers were helpful, don't hesitate to ask if you have any other questions. Besides, I'm going to run a level 1-5 PFS scenario soon (probably starting in 1-2 week(s) or so, so if you're interested in joining you can send me a private message and I'll gladly "book" a seat for you.

Sounds good! Unfortunately these rules don't fit the AP well, so I'm not going to use them, sorry.

I understand, no worries. Keep an eye out for my scenarios to come, though!

Made an alias for my potential character, added an introduction and the crunch. Essentially I'm going to be going for a Pitborn Tiefling that did some pretty bad things during his early life and is trying to gain redemption (hence the story feat) via worship of Sarenrae and serving the Osirion faction of the Pathfinders.

Suin Ko knelt before the shrine to Sarenrae, reading the holy book in front of him and attempting, and largely failing, to speak the prayers in Celestial. Growing increasingly frustrated by his self-imposed challenge of the prayers he was extremely relieved to hear other footsteps approaching him. The Tiefling rose to his feet and smiled at the approaching figure, another member of the Osirion faction and one of his superiors. "Ah, there you are. I was wondering where you had gotten off to. We have been thinking about agents of our faction to send out to Varisia to experience the frontier. There may be some ancient knowledge or artifacts that we could use to secure ourselves here. Would you be interested in enlisting for this little endeavor?" Suin Ko practically beamed to finally have the chance to prove himself to the faction, and hopefully at least let Sarenrae know he was trying to atone for his past deeds. "But of course brother! I live to serve Sarenrae and Osirion." The man offered Suin Ko a wry, knowing, smile. "In that order?" He nearly tripped over his tongue trying to get a clever response out before the superior raised his hand. "Relax, relax. You shall be leaving in the morning for Varisia, we have already dispatched some of our other agents to the kingdom and you shall be accompanying them." Suin Ko bowed deeply. "Of course, I'll start making the preparations immediately. Without another word his superior left, and the Tiefling turned, kneeling back down to pick up the holy book and his other items. He had been given a chance by the grace of the Dawnflower to redeem himself, and he wasn't going to disappoint Osirion, he had done crimes against both in the past, and now was the time to atone.

Thanks for the submission(s), the format is very original indeed! I like the background, and you definitely got my attention. I'll consider the races, but making no promises.

The manner of Rose's birth are foggy at best. Though she remembers her mother and father as she had lived with them just outside of the city of Magnimar as a child, those memories are among her earliest. Simple farmers, her father a native of Verisia and her mother a Chelaxian, are all they were, so what springs forward in her mind when she visits those memories has puzzled her for the entirety of her young life.

As most can attest to their earliest memories, they are fuzzy sounds mixed with various images of questionable content and her memory of that night is no different. Magic was everywhere unlike anything she had seen in her short life.

"Go under the bed and don't come out no matter what you hear. Promise mommy."

"I promise."

Fire, screams, and then darkness. Rose remained under that bed for nearly an entire day before she was found by a patrol of some knights of Iomedae. Bringing her into a local monastery, she was told that witches has killed her parents for what appeared to be no reason. As she grew she trained under the paladins of the monastery and shirked her studies in favor of martial training so that she could one day be a paladin and hunt the witch that was responsible for the death of her parents.

When she became a teenager it grew very clear that she lacked the discipline to become a paladin like the others. She also harbored an irrational resistance and distrust of magic and the supernatural. Slowly learning to accept that these would be a part of her, she decided to use them to her benefit before finally setting off to help the world in any way she could, especially if it involved ridding the world of wicked magic users and one day bringing vengeance down upon her parents' murderer.

After leaving the monastery, Rose found herself in need of real world training and some money to get her adventure started. Finding the mock gladiatorial fights in Magnimar a good way to achieve both of these goals and make a bit of a name for herself, she took part in the fights. It has been some time since arriving in Magnimar now and Rose is finally ready to move on.

Note: I would like to add that this story in an organized and planned campaign is the main reason I want to play. To have fun and get to know a new character. Isn't that the reason everyone plays; to have fun?

Evelyn Rose Fury
Female Human Barbarian 1
CG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +2; Senses Perception +5
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Defense
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AC 15, Touch 12, Flat-footed 13 (+2 Dex, +3 armor)
HP 14 (1d12+2)
Fort +4 (+3 during a rage), Ref +2, Will +1 (+2 during a rage) (+1 to all saves against arcane spells)
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Offense
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Speed 40 ft.
Melee Scythe +4 (+6 during rage) (2d4+9 (+12 during rage)/x4)
Ranged Sling +3 (1d4+4/x2)
Spells (Lol)
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Statistics
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Str 18, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 9
Base Atk +1; CMB +5; CMD 17
Feats Power Attack, Raging Vitality, Vengeance (Story)
Traits Serpent Runner, Defensive Strategist, Superstitious
Drawback Superstitious
Skills Acrobatics +2, Appraise -1, Bluff -1, Climb +4, Diplomacy -1, Disable Device +2, Disguise -1, Escape Artist +2, Fly N/A, Handle Animal -1, Heal +1, Intimidate +3 (+5 to demoralize, 1 rank), Knowledge (religion) +0 (1 rank), Linguistics -1, Perception +5 (1 rank), Ride +2, Sense Motive +1, Sleight of Hand +2, Spellcraft N/A, Stealth +2, Survival +1, Swim +4, Use Magic Device N/A
Languages Common
SQ Fast Movement, Rage
Combat Gear Scythe, Studded Leather, Sling , 10 Sling Bullets; Other Gear Medium Tent, 50ft Silk Rope, Sunrod x2, Trail Rations x4 5gp 9sp
Favored Class Barbarian (+1/2 bonus to Superstition rage power)
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Special Abilities
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Serpent Runner Armor check penalty is one less while wearing breastplate, when fighting with two weapons, the penalty imposed on
your primary weapon is reduced by 1. You gain a +2 trait bonus on Intimidate checks to demoralize opponents.
Superstitious As long as you do not possess any levels in a class that grants arcane spellcasting power, you gain a +1 trait bonus on all saving throws against arcane spells.
Defensive Strategist You are not flat-footed when you are an unaware combatant. This includes a surprise round that you don’t get to act in, and before you get to act at the start of a battle.
Superstitious (Drawback) Whenever you are affected with a harmless spell, there is a 50% chance that you must roll a saving throw to prevent that effect, even if it would benefit you. This does not apply to harmless spells cast by you upon yourself.
Heart of the Fields +1/2 level on Profession (Farmer) and ignore one fatigue or exhaustion effect per day.
Power Attack -1 to attack for +2 to damage (+3 with weapon in two hands). Additional -1 for an additional +2 per 4 BAB.
Raging Vitality Additional +2 to constitution during a rage, don't automaticaly end a rage when unconscious.
Rage For 6 rounds/day gain a +4 to strength and +6 to constitution, a +2 to will saves, and a -2 to AC.
Fast Movement +10 movement speed.

NOTE: My attack bonuses assume I am always power attacking. Because I am.

I was talking about the Svirfneblin. I'll PM you a bit later when I have more time to write an elaborate answer.

PM'ed you. I completely forgot to ask in the PM, but do you have prior knowledge of Shattered Star (your background seems to indicate you've at least read the first few pages), Rise of the Runelords, Curse of the Crimson Throne, Second Darkness? As I've pointed out in the orginial post, it's not a problem at all, I just want to know how you stand on that level.

Thanks a lot for your submission! 'Prideful' immediately caught my attention, for some reason you might soon discover if your character is picked. A slight remark though: you've posted her as a PFS character instead of an alias, so I just wanted to make sure if you were clear on the fact we're going to play in campaign mode (hence, not with a PFS character), but you'll be able to apply the credit to a PFS character for each module we finish. However, you may want to keep things this way and only create an alias if you're picked. I actually haven't read your submission as I'm writing those lines, so please don't think I've already got my mind set on accepting/rejecting any submission, I'm just pointing this out since some people haven't created an alias yet to avoid 'alias clutter' with rejected characters - which I completely understand.

In any case, I do appreciate the lines on your personal motivation to join!

Looking forward to reading your application, good to hear from you!

Katrina was born not of mortal flesh, but from the womb of immortal evil.

The night was black and cold when the child came into this world, this plane of existence. Her mother upon seeing her did not sigh with loving affection but rather gave a snarl of hatred and loathing. Taloned claws that had torn the still beating hearts from the chests of men reached for the delicate flesh. Her sore-covered lips pulled back to show gnarled teeth dripping with saliva. She hungered, but then she always hungered; eternally hungered. The child squalled in the cold night air, in the foothills before the mountains. The babe lived only because her mother desired to expand her power more than she hungered. For now.

Holding the baby's form in the cup of one massive hand, the hideous form of her mother was outlined on the crest of the hill as she tossed back her head and screamed into the night a sound normally unheard on this plane. Her burning eyes swept the valley below taking in its hamlets and villages. Picking one of the homes at random the creature sped off into the night. Animals of the night fled before her oncoming. Even the wolves and creatures of the air avoided her out of fear. She could have passed unseen and untouchable through this domain but she delighted in spreading terror. Let the beasts know of her coming and beware.

It was a few hours before dawn when the creature reached the tiny home. She could smell the stench of humans, their offal, their animals, and the smells of civilization. She could have killed all the mortals in this house within moments but this was not her plan this evening. The door to the house proved no challenge to her as her form became ethereal and insubstantial to the mortal realm. Once inside she placed the child in a basket atop a pile of fruit. Then she dropped a bit of cloth over top of the babe, not out of kindness but in the hope of propagating her wretched species. With one last longing look in the direction of the bedrooms, the creature vanished once more into the places between the planes.

The child was raised by her simple family though the morning she was discovered it was a close thing between life and being left out in the woods. Life was hard on the farm and every hand would be needed to keep it running. Over the years her fiery red hair grew long and full and her body grew tall. Her eyes drew the most attention, some of it unwanted. One eye was a deep emerald green while the other was nearly the same color as her long hair. Villagers would make signs to ward off evil when she passed and the other girls in town would mock and shun her. She let her bangs grow long over that side of her face to hide her unusual birthright, though even she did not guess at its origins. She was no fool, she knew that in all the branches of her family there were none with hair and eyes like her own. Her real mothers influence ended there however, as her heart was light and carefree and as untainted as new fallen snow.

When the call came she was in her teens. Her dreams filled her with dread that the villagers and even her own family were against her. She was too different. She was unnatural. A changling. A monster. Her dreams always ended with her leaving the village behind her and finding something amazing in the mountains above the valley. One night she stole away from her farm with a sack of food and a few precious supplies and made for the hills. She made her bed beneath the bows of sagging boughs of evergreens while wolves howled among the peaks. By the third night the call was like the pounding of her own heart. She could feel it deep in her blood. The ground was rougher the higher she climbed. Gentle slopes gave way to granite crags and spindly trees where only the strongest survive. The mountain she fought so hard to climb had a name she knew, one uttered with quiet respect by hunters and travelers who had braved its heights. She heard a diffrent name on the wind as it whipped through her thin clothes unsuited to these heights. The skin of her hands tore and bled as they clung desperately to rocks, and the stones left marks on her hands spelling its hidden identity.

At last, somewhere just below the snowline, she found herself in a narrow crag. Rounding a bend a horrific sight met her eyes. Bones and flesh had been stitched together with vines and saplings in a twisted caricature of a man. It moved in the wind, but not under its own volition. Drawn onward now by a force stronger than her fear she moved forward past more macrabe forms crafted by an insane and evil being. The setting sun through the crags made stark shadows that visibly moved across the ground. She moved slower now, hearing the chanting pierced by cackling cries. Three figures stood around the dying embers of a fire. They turned to face her as she approached timidly.

"Ahhh, your child at last. Look at her. Isn't she... just like her mother." the one to the left said with a mad grin. Across from her another form spoke up "Hardly a scrap of meat on her, thin like a bean pole. I bet her bones crunch like a chickens." The tallest figure leaned closer over the fire and Katrina saw her clearly at last. Her face was that of a young, beautiful woman. To Katrina's surprise she looked just like her! The same hair, the same eyes, everything! An overwhelming feeling of confusion, hope, and fear welled up in her all at once. She had so many questions about her origins, she had known all along that she wasn't like the others. The other hooded figures were indistinct in the gloom but she got the impression that they were older women. The tallest figure, her mother, leaned over the fire and smiled richly at her.
"For many years I've longed to look upon you. My Daughter." Katrinas heart soared at this. "You've finally made the arduous journey, for your frail form, to claim the knowledge of your birthright. It is now time for your questions to be answered."
She approached slowly towards the fire. Her eyes were drawn to the glowing embers and they widened at what they beheld. Amid the coals were bones. By themselves they could be anything, but several nestled amid the coals were skulls and hands that clearly human once. She snapped her eyes back up to her mother as she spoke again.
"You have no idea as to what power that is your heritage. You are not like the mere fleshling mortals you were raised with. Untold strength, mystical energies, and even immortality. All this and more is yours my precious. But now though.. you are tired and in need of rest. Sleep." Her red eye flashed as brightly as the coals. "Sleep... Sleep".

Katrina crumbled to the ground and slept deeply.

The sun was once more sliding down past the peaks when she awoke. Had she slept moments? An entire day? Longer? She did not know. She arose from a bed of pine branches and walked slowly out from under the overhang she had been lain underneath. The fire still burned with its macbre fuel. She saw the crags around her were riddled with caves and dark openings from which emenated light of various colors giving the crevice an otherworldy feel. A scrabbling sound came from one of the caves. For the briefest moment Katrina had the impression that the figure before her was a hideous monster. It turned away, but when it turned around it was just one of the hags that she had seen when she first arrived. The old woman came up before her and grinned toothlessly.
"Oh my dear, its good to see you awake at last. We thought you might sleep... forever!" She cackled. Katrina smiled uneasily.
She spoke for the first time. "This place.. what is it? Why are you here on this mountain?" The old woman continued to grin at her. "Why, this is where we meet when we are called. Your mother calls us here. We come to pool our strength. Together we are all more powerful than any one alone. Except maybe your mother of course." She corrected herself as Katrina's statuesque mother strode into view from the gathering shadows.
"Katrina, my dear, at last you awake. Our preparations are underway to bring you into the fold"

"Into the fold? You mean to join you?"

"Yes my dear. One of us. Like me. But first we must awaken the latent powers in you blood. Tonight the stars are positioned favorably for our purpose. Look up dear, see Cascius? It is in the house of the raven. And there, the star of Dagon rests in the center of Aquarius. You can almost feel the power of those distant cold stars." For a moment the woman seemed lost in reverie as she raised her hands to the sky, her hands clutching at those far away lights. Coming back to terrestial concerns, her mother shook her long red locks and refocused on her daughter. "My Katrina, reach deep inside yourself. Do you not feel more akin to something far from this world than you do of those who tread this soil?"

Katrina frowned as she tried to sort out the mix of emotions churning below the surface of her thoughts. "I... I'm not sure. I don't think like everyone around me. So many thing are obvious to me that they don't seem to understand. I'm not like them. Not at all".

Her mother smiled at her like a cat. "Good. You see now that your path lies not with them but with me. I will awaken in you a flame that will burn for all eternity. You will have the strength of the mountains and the wisdom of the stars. Let the ceremony begin!"

Whirling the still confused girl before her, Katrina's mother swept about the ravine finalizing preparations. Bowls and cauldrons were brought forth to heat around the central cauldron. The girl stood out of the way while the others rushed about. Flames roared as handfuls of unknown substances were flung into the fires. Songs in strange tongues were sung to call the minds of beings of the outer dark between the stars. A great cauldron was brought forth and filled with dozens of objects, most unknown to her. As each piece was added the coven of women cried out in near ectasy. It was a heady event and she felt caught up in the excitement, though something inside her at the back of her mind still screamed. One of the three women approached her and led her forward to the firelight. "Now we prepare the final part of the ritual of joining. You see young Katrina, there is no force in the multiverse stronger than the life force of living beings. Even the burning light of the sun is nothing compared to the energy of a soul. Powers beyond the ken of mortal minds can be had once you control and channel this force. Sometimes you must burn up the source in order to work great wonders. Tonight, we must burn up one in order to bring you fully awake. YOUR BLOOD CALLS FOR IT!" She screamed!
Katrina cowered back. Out of the corner of her eye she saw one of the women dragging a bundle forth. It struggled, but she moved it easily. The wrappings were torn away by strangely powerful hands revealing the sweat and foam flecked face of a young man. Katrina did not recognize him, but knew his clothes as those of a hunter. With one hand, her mother grabbed the man by his throat and lifted him clear of the wrappings. Such strength! Beyond that of even the largest man she had ever seen. Her mother held the man near the cauldron and leered at him.
"This one dared to hunt on our mountains. Little did he know he was hunted as well. A poacher. A thief. A man. Worthless to his fellow men but he can serve one last purpose." Twisting him about in mid air, she plunged his head into the boiling cauldron. He surfaced long enough to scream in agony through his gag, only to be forced under again. Upending the body, Katrinas mother pushed the rest of the body into the cauldron. It seethed and frothed with great violence as the body was consumed. Katrina's mother reached into the boiling liquid and pulled the fleshless skull clear of the liquid. The body arose with it, cleaned of meat but retaining bone and ligment. The skeleton was tossed to the side while she sampled the brew.

The voice in the back of Katrinas mind rose in pitch as it vented its paniced cry.

Katrinas mother spoke to her, beckoning her closer. She was powerless against that pull. She moved closer. Her mothers advisors approached closer and stood on either side of the fire.

"Here we have gathered for untold years as we gathered fire from the souls of men who roam the valley and the mountains." Her mother intoned.
"Here are our roots and our power. From here we can influence kings and bishops while they cower in their stone citadels. Here is power. Rooted in the mountain. Rooted in the stone. Rooted in the blood that flows over the rock at our feet. None can challenge us in the heights. None can match us. We three hold the keys to all that is and ever will be. We are ETERNAL! We are greater than the Land. Greater than the Sea. All that crawls and swims and walks on this plane are ours to command! This power is yours Katrina! You are one of us!"

Her mothers visage began to shift as she became more fervent, more fiery.

"My blood flows through your veins!"

Spiraling horns, that must have been there all along, showed through her hair which was no long red but black as the deepest cave.

"MY legacy is your future!"

Delicate fingers faded to reveal talons soaked red in the blood of her victims

"You and I are One!"

Beautiful no longer, her illusion had slipped fully. Katrinas beauttiful mother was replaced by a visage of utter horror. Horned with scraggly black hair sprouted from a wrinkled and warty head. Her face was not one of welcome, but that of a crazed creature so beasitial in its bloodlust that it could not be called human or even mortal. It shared no features with those of mortal beings. It utterly lacked compassion and other virtues that even the meanest of mortals felt at some point in their life. Compassion had never roosted in this heart. Kindness was a foriegn word. Love was lower than the excrement from its bowels.

This was her mother, finaly revealed.

Katrina could only stand in mute horror as her mother continued.

"At last your power will join with ours. We will spread a blight upon this land. The mortals are our playthings! We will live on like the stars while they die below us like the sparks from a campfire!"

She turned her head ever so slightly to look at one of her companions, the one that had said she was too skinny on the first day of her arrival. The old woman, no, no longer an old woman but a hideous hag. Green of skin and hair and dripping with the muck from the bottoms of swamps she was. Her eyes were the yellow orbs of the waiting reptiles. Those cold blooded creatures that see everything as prey. Her predatory eyes turned to those of shock as the clawed fist burst through her abdomen. The hand dripped with gore and clutched the black and red mass of flesh that was her heart. The green hag had time to look upon Katrinas mother with surprise at this betrayl before death stole over her. She tried to utter some curse but before her lips had uttered two syllables the second hand tore out her throat. With little ceremony the body was added to the boiling cauldron.

Katrinas mother held out the heart before her over the cauldron. Her arms were long, they reached to the far side with ease she noticed. The heart still beat with a slow pulse, she also noticed.

"There can be only three. Three is the proper number of power. Joined together we are unstoppable. We will destroy those who mocked you. Devour those who hated you. There will be only us and the burning cold stars in the end. You can be that pinpoint of light in the sky of the blood soaking into the stones. You will join us now."

The command sent shivers through her body. She could resist. The pull was too strong. The lure of power called her. She could be stronger. Better. Beautiful. Eternal. She knew what she had to do. She had to eat the heart of her mothers companion. The third hag. She must join the coven. Blood called her. Blood and death and the cold burning stars. Her heart beat louder than a drum as she reached out for the heart beneath the cold and distant stars watched by those minds that dwell between in the void.

She looked up into her mothers face.

Then she kicked the bowl of powdered minerals into her face.

Her mother howled in surpised rage! Another kick sent a pottery bowl forward to shatter against the stone cauldron and spill its contents into the flame. Smoke and sparks filled the air to burn the eyes and lungs. Whirling about, Katrina ran.

The trip down the mountain should have killed her. Cliffs and steep descents lay all about her and by all rights she should be dead now. Her feet however found only firm stone instead of empty air. Behind her the hags screeched their rage to the stars as they set out in pursuit. They were faster than her, she knew that. More powerful and faster and stronger and closer with every heart beat. It would be her before the cauldron, she knew, with her heart beating its last beats as it was exposed to the air in a taloned hand. So she ran. She ran as hard as she could knowing still that it would not be enough. This hunt ended one way. She would not return to the cauldron to join the uncounted others in death. Her mother would try again, and why not if she was eternal, with another daughter on another night when the void of the sky pressed in close again. She would not go back. There was only one way. The light from the gibbous moon showed her the way. She would fly.

Something grabbed her shoulder as she ran with all her might towards the edge of the world where stone gave way to sky. It spun her about and she saw the crazed, hideous face of her mother.

"Who are you?" She gasped.

"Sithin, b!+&$ child." She switched hands to hold her up by the throat. "I should have consumed you and the after birth the night you were born! You were a waste! Time wasted!" Those powerful hands threw her against the bow of a tree stunning her with the force. Sithin stalked towards her. "Wasted time, so much wasted! There is no time where I come from! But here it flows like a river. I want to return to the place without time! I tire of feeling its tug!" Picking up the girl she flayed her chest with one taloned hand leaving five bloody rivulets down from bosum to navel. "I want to leave! You should have joined us! The power of the daughters of hades would have strengthed our coven beyond anything imagined!" The other hag, her sister, stood off to one side in the darkness safely out of reach. "Now I must start again! More waiting! More time on this hated plane! I rule the plane of hades girl!"

Katrina realized she was close, so close to the edge of the world. She just needed a moment, the briefest of seconds to finish it all. Strangely, in the midst of the fear and pain and iminent death she remembered what her mother had said. That she had power. That she was strong. That she was eternal.

Raising one hand she cried out the song of the stooping eagle upon the lamb. She brought her hand down in a talon strike on her mothers face. Those long fingernails, hard as steel, tore through flesh down to the bone and scoured it as well. Sithin shrieked in amazed pain, that anything mortal should be able to inflict harm, and released her grip to hold her wounded face. Katrina hit the ground, rolled, gathered her legs under her, and lept. She passed beyond the edge of the stone into the realm of the air. The enraged cries of mother and daughter swiftly were replaced by the rushing of air past her face. She felt as if she could fall forever.

Eternity was a dark place. She moved upon a featureless expanse with no desire to depart. The world felt mutable, that she only needed to reach out with her will and shape a new world. She imagined light, and stars, and moons, and worlds. A world like the one she left had to be added. She plucked one green and blue world from a grape-like cluster and placed it just so amid the swirling chaos of existance...

Then she awoke to light shining in her eyes.

The light streamed in from a dirty window, small and high in the wall. The light was cut with shadows from hanging herbs from the rafters. The room she was in was thick with the plants, each giving off a distinct aroma. Some strong, some light, but all strange to her senses. Turning her head she regarded the rest of the room around her. It was a simple place with rough furiture and antiquated design. Stairs near one wall led upwards to a loft she could see somewhere above the drying plants. She felt warm, comfortable, and safe. Her eyes closed once again and she slept.

When she awoke again a strange woman sat near the bed. Her heart clutched in her chest before she realized that this was not her mother nor her sister. The old womans face was kindly without the powermad look in Sithins face. She did not look on her like a comodity, but rather as a welcome guest. She spoke low and slow to her in soothing tones that eased her fearful mind. The old woman spoke of finding her in the water in the bend of a river. A long way away tall cliffs that she must have fallen from after being mauled by that bear. A bear, of course, she agreed as yet unwilling to reveal her secret. The old woman studied her face but did not indicate whether she knew the truth or not. She checked the compresses on her chest and ensured that she was comfortable before bustling away.

That night was terrible. Her dreams were haunted by the hulking, hunting form of her mother. She clung to Katrinas back and harried her to exhaustion all throughout the night. She ran and ran through black forests of clinging branches and choking mists. As her strength began to flag and she felt a chill stealing over her body, another figure emerged from the darkened mists of her dreams. A silvery fox shining like the full moon lept from the forest and stood in her path. Katrinas dark rider shrieked in rage and pain as she shriveled away from that brilliant glow. The fox stood by her side transforming the twisted forest in her mind into a gentle meadow where moonbeams kissed whispering brooks and green growing things. The dream faded with the dawn and she did not dream of the dark hag, mistress of the night, again.

Days passed before Katrina could leave the bed. She and the old woman, Othira, came to know each other well. The woman was a herbal healer, called the white witch of the hills by the locals. She made the rounds of the villages healing the sick and birthing the children. She was not paid in gold but rather in goods and services by the locals who were grateful for her service if a little fearful of her power. But then, in this place, everyone feared the unknown. Katrina had no doubt that Othira had secrets, but she did not press her. When she grew strong enough she began to help the old woman mind the garden and the cookfire. She swept and cleaned the goat pen while Othira taught her the ways of plants, roots, and animals.

Some of her mothers bloodline still coursed in her veins. She could feel its power and even tap into it. But what cost would these powers claim? Would she one day become a twisted mockery like her mother? Or could she hold on to her humanity while channeling the might of the distant planes?

Name: Katrina
Class: Witch (DreamWeaver) 1
Race: Changling
Size: M
Gender: Female
Alignment: CG
Patron: Stars

Str: 14 +2 (05p.) Level: 1
Dex: 14 +2 (05p.) BAB: +0 HP: 7 (1d6+1)
Con: 10 +0 (02p.) CMB: +2
Int: 14 +2 (05p.) CMD: +14
Wis: 13 +1 (01p.) Speed: 30'
Cha: 14 +2 (02p.) Init: +2

Base Armor Shld Dex Size Nat Misc Total
Armor: 10 +0 +0 +2 +0 +1 +0 13
Touch: 12 Flatfooted: 11

Base Mod Misc Total
Fort: 0 +0 +0 +0
Ref: 0 +2 +2 +4
Will: 2 +1 +0 +3

Weapon Attack Damage Critical
Fingernails +2 1d4+2 20x2
Sling +2 1d4+2 20x2

Languages:
Common, Draconic, Elven, Giant, Aklo

Abilities:
Race : Ability
Changling : +2 to Cha, Wis. -2 to Con
Changling : Darkvision 60'
Changling : Object of Desire - +1 to Caster Lvel when casting Charm Person or Charm Monster
Changling : Fingernails - Deals 1d4 lethal damage, 2 claw attacks
Changling : Favored Class Witch - Add 1 spell to familiar 1 level lower than highest level you can cast.
Witch : Familiar - Mr. Nibbles - Weasel, +2 to reflex saves
Trait : General : Charming - +1 to Bluff and Diplomacy vs characters of the opposite sex. +1 to DC of language dependent spells vs same.
Trait : Campaign : Exchange Agent - +1 to Linguistics

Hexes
Minor Hexes
Level 1 - Slumber - Target falls asleep per sleep spell for 1/round per level. DC13 Will

Feats:
Feat - Location - Description
Level 1 - Accursed Hex - Attempt a hex a second time against a target that saves against it
Story Feat - Nemesis - Katrina must face and defeat her mother Sithin the Night Hag. +1 hp per level.

Spells Known
0st Level / DC12 3 Day : Touch of Fatigue, Detect Poison, Stabilize (All Spells Available)
1st Level / DC13 2 Day : Charm Person, Enlarge Person

Skill Points: 2+2(int)
Skills Ranks Mod Misc Total
Acrobatics 0 +0 +0 +0
Appraise 0 +0 +0 +0
Bluff 0 +0 +0 +0
Climb 0 +0 +0 +0
Craft(Alchemy) 0 +0 +0 +0
Diplomacy 0 +0 +0 +0
Disable Device 0 +0 +0 +0
Disguise 0 +0 +0 +0
Escape Artist 0 +0 +0 +0
Fly 0 +0 +0 +0
Handle Animal 0 +0 +0 +0
Heal 0 +0 +0 +0
Intimidate 1 +2 +3 +6
Knowledge (arcana) 0 +0 +0 +0
Knowledge (dungeoneering) 0 +0 +0 +0
Knowledge (engineering) 0 +0 +0 +0
Knowledge (geography) 0 +0 +0 +0
Knowledge (history) 0 +0 +0 +0
Knowledge (local) 0 +0 +0 +0
Knowledge (nature) 0 +0 +0 +0
Knowledge (nobility) 0 +0 +0 +0
Knowledge (planes) 1 +2 +3 +6
Knowledge (religion) 0 +0 +0 +0
Linguistics 0 +2 +1 +3
Perception 0 +0 +0 +0
Perform 0 +0 +0 +0
Profession 0 +0 +0 +0
Ride 0 +0 +0 +0
Sense Motive 0 +0 +0 +0
Sleight of Hand 0 +0 +0 +0
Spellcraft 1 +2 +3 +6
Stealth 1 +2 +0 +3
Survival 0 +0 +0 +0
Swim 0 +0 +0 +0
Use Magic Device 0 +0 +0 +0

Equipment: Cost Weight
Bedroll 1sp 1.25lb
Silk Rope 10gp 5lb
Grappling Hook 1gp 4lb
Masterwork Manacles 50gp (EA DC35, Str DC25)
Explorers Outfit
Waterskin
Trail Rations
Backpack 2gp

Total Weight:12.0lb Money: 119gp 0sp 0cp

Lgt Med Hvy Lift Push
Max Weight: 00.00 00-00 00-00 000 000

Age: 18
Height: 5'04"
Weight: 100lb
Eyes: Black
Hair: White
Skin: Pale

It looks great, that works for me. I hadn't seen it at first because it's in Quests & Campaigns (hence not on the PRD), but now that I'm reading it, it seems indeed to be a perfect match!

I've just noticed that you picked "Defender of the Society" as a campaign trait. While the player's guide mentions the "... of the Society" feats, they are not campaigns feats per se. I would like you to pick a campaign trait as one of your two traits. If you want to keep both traits you've chosen so far, you can pick a drawback to get that third trait.

On another topic, I was wondering what equipment you picked beside your falchion (especially armor)? Your background mentions a strange kind of armor, so my curiosity was piqued.

Finally, what's the definitive name for your character? Sheila names her Morrigyn, I assume that was her former name which you changed later on?

A changeling, most interesting! Your background is very exciting, I loved reading through it. Thanks for your submission!

Hello, and welcome! I'm looking forward to seeing your submission, though as you pointed out, the competition is going to be very tough indeed.

Not that I have an idea formed yet, but how would you feel about a Thassilonian Specialist wizard? I've no clue whether I'd make one, even if they were fine.

Given the right background, I'd gladly accept it. If brought in properly, you can't be much more spot-on with the campaign theme and mood flavor-wise. Interested in a Dhampir Cruormancer/Thassilonian Specialist (Necromancy)/Bloatmage? :p