Zeitgeist: The Gears of Revolution

Game Master Celeador

For most of Makala’s life she was raised by her father, Ammon, due to her mother dying many years ago of an unknown lung disease. Her father always blamed her illness on the city full of smoke, as well as a dire lion that lamed her prior to Makala being born. He often alluded to the event that crippled Makala’s mother, “If it weren’t for the damned lion we’d still be out in the open adventuring and having a grand time.” But he never explicitly told Makala what exactly happened on that day. Her father always had a passion for guns, and always tried to keep up with the latest inventions, but this came at a high price… They barely had enough money to eat from day to day, commonly relying on pitiful ration meals that her father was strangely fond of. Item: Wandermeals/Rations

At the age of eight Ammon began to train Makala in the ways of the pistol: How to draw the gun and aim effectively and quickly, proper reloading technique, and repairing, even off-hand shooting. Feat: Gunsmithing, Weapon Proficiency (Pistol), A Man with Two Guns is God A bit more than a year later her father left saying she was ready to take care of herself for a bit while he was gone on an “errand.” Makala knew her father had gotten the taste of adventuring in him again, she also knew how dangerous it was, still she let him go without too much fuss confident she could take care of herself. Upon his return she was ecstatic to see he came back unharmed and even brought back a super fancy looking pistol that had a large solid cylinder connected to the barrel. He explained that the pistol worked well enough but he was positive that the cylinder opened up and a person could put multiple bullets inside, though he wasn’t sure how it worked. He constantly worked on it for many years, never unlocking the secret he believed to exist. One day he tried loading multiple bullets into the barrel to see if that worked. However, the gun severely misfired and all but rendered it useless. After that Makala’s father lost a great deal of interest in the gun and usually kept it in a hidden compartment in the house, occasionally taking it out to look at it. Item: Broken Pistol

As Makala developed into a young woman she found that she could use her good looks and wily charms to manipulate others to her whim, this prompted her to be around as many people as she could, usually at parties or other gatherings. Bardic Performance This allowed her to hear all the local rumors going around and all the trends that pop up, as well as which people were trustworthy. Ability: Eye for Detail. Skills: Diplomacy, Bluff, Sense Motive, Knowledge (Local) Makala was able to connect pieces of information quickly and earned a few favors for the information she found out. However, she had a tendency to jump headlong into situations without contemplating the consequences. Ability Scores: Int 13, Wis 9 This has gotten her into a sticky situation more than once; one sticks out as particularly bad though. Makala was pursuing a lead on a love triangle, when she found herself in the back room of a slave brothel being whipped into submission. She was terrified of the whip; how much range it had, the crack of impending pain, the versatility of its movement. Makala vowed that she would master one if she ever got out of there. Luckily, one of her current hooks, Gaven, (she enjoys leading men on) had followed her to the place and managed to pay for a night with her. Gaven had connections in the watch and always had a scroll of Message with him in case he ever got into trouble. He called in a favor and had the watch storm the brothel and escaped with Makala in all the commotion. She hated owing anyone anything but she had no way of repaying Gaven at this point in time and eventually broke of connections with him because she felt so guilty about leading him on the entire time.

Several weeks after the ordeal with the brothel Makala called in a favor of the son of a weapon master to train her to use whips effectively. There she fell in love with the Scorpion whip. It provided a far superior to the normal whip and gave her a much more dominating attitude because of the sting that the whip was able to provide. She carried it on her as often as she dared, especially when she was on one of her nightly romps through the city. Item: Scorpion Whip

Her father continued to go on adventures leaving Makala behind to take care of herself from time to time. It was during this time of “survival” that she began to manifest arcane powers to help her get along easier. Well more or less get her out of trouble she was so fond of finding. Most of these powers revolved around getting out of the sticky situations that she found herself in time and time again, and a couple that were useful for day to day mundane activities. Spells: Dancing Lights, Ghost Sound, Mage Hand, Presdigitation, Grease, Silent Image Her father also had many books on the subject of magic which she studied during her boring days when the gossip wasn’t enough to keep her interested. Skill: Spellcraft From here she learned her most useful spells, her illusions; very useful for getting away from those she has been caught by during her “investigating.” Soon Makala began to gain a reputation as a legitimate private investigator, she had several people come up to her asking to find out about the secrets of love interests or of competing business “ventures” (generally illegal activities). She always loved the game of hide-and-seek when it came to people's secrets and she loved it even more now that money was falling into her lap.

Ammon seemed happier than ever since he had begun adventuring, even going into great detail about his travels and all the new experiences that he had. Skill: Knowledge (Geography) Makala always listened and was very intrigued by her father’s stories. In particular he loved talking about his travels to Drakr, and how amazing dwarves were. Always saying that you could always count on a drawven friend to help you out in dire times. He was so enamored with the race the he spent many nights teaching Makala the language of the Dwarves because he believed it would come in handy one day for her. Language: Dwarven Though every time that her father tried to get her to go with him on an adventure she would decline saying she wasn’t ready yet. In truth she just enjoyed the city too much with all of its backstabbing rumors and speculation. She also knew times were changing and her father had already gotten the rapport of being a crazy adventure who was too far gone to be of any real use to society.

One day she came home early one morning after a particularly boring social event to find her house ransacked. Everything was torn apart. Paper everywhere, a few blood spatters on her father’s desk. She could tell he was looking over something because there were large spots of missing blood where maps and notes would have been, but they were all gone. She searched everywhere for her father’s notes but everything not of mundane use was taken from the place. Her father’s gun collection was missing as well as nearly every other item of value. Underneath her father’s desk she found a cracked vial of invisible ink. She immediately began running her hand over the desk heating it up (Presdigitation). She was shocked at what was written in her father’s writing, “ Captured seek You - Gun.Safe, findOut – ganbatte Anata o aishite (meaning “You got this! Love you!") As a tear fell from her eye she walked over to the secret safe her father kept the special gun in and opened it. She a few of the special ink vials that her father had stored in there for his maps and notes, as well as the gun and a sketch of her with her mother and father when she was still a little girl. Makala vowed she would find her father and figure out why someone would ever want to take him.

She asked around the neighborhood if anyone saw anything. The only thing she got was three cloaked figures the evening before, though two people thought one of them had a mechanical arm. She called in what favor she had trying desperately to find out anything she could about what happened to her father, but to no avail, every time she thought she had a lead the people would wind up missing or going quiet for no particular reason. After a while her funds began to run dry and she had to put her father’s search on the back burner and begin working to find out other’s secrets to sell again. From what she could gather the people who took her father were using experimental technology and were likely after the gun her father had acquired, assuming he was correct on his hunch about it. She really had no idea who or where the people were based out of. Danor and Risur were likely the two most probable, but they could be an underground organization based just about anywhere.

Over the next several years Makala expanded her information network eventually dubbing it “eve.” She had several key informants that she liked to use, but more often than not she liked getting her business done herself which definitely honed Makala’s skills. Her contracts began to get more difficult and dangerous, several involving traps and others requiring specific magic items to complete with competence. Skills: Disable Device, Use Magic Device These were Makala’s favorite though, not only were they challenging but they also paid well or got her a high end favor.

Eventually she crossed paths Athril Denton, a member of the local branch of the RHC in Slate who specializes in local smuggling. At first Denton didn’t know exactly who Makala was, but as months passed and she proved indispensable to Athril she bagan to get cautious about why she knew so much. Agent Denton talked to her superiors about finding out who Makala really was and why she had so much information. Makala came back as “eve,” a person of interest regarding information trading and a possible spy, but until now nobody was able to pin exactly who she was. Denton was instructed to watch her and give her as little information as possible while seeking out what she knew and who she was working for. After a while Makala began to get suspicious because Athril was being particularly nosey and asking about information that did not seem pertinent to anything she was suspected to be working on.

Makala had her favorite informant, Tull Lepere, start looking into who Athril was but as he searched for information on her he was confronted by the RHC and interrogated on why he was looking so hard into Agent Denton’s past. But before he was captured he was able to tell Makala that Athril had some connection to the RHC. He didn’t give up Makala and was eventually sent to a labor camp. Makala again for the second time in her life had ever felt guilty, she didn’t know what happened to Tull but she did know that people tended to disappear when the RHC were involved.

Makala stopped providing Athril valid information just as Athril had to her, but not before Athril made her report to the RHC. ”eve is an information gatherer and seller. She poses no threat to our homeland and has only been involved in local and noble personal business. eve has not spoken with any known associates against Risur. She has a surprising solid network connection that she created and has been running without RHC knowledge for at least three years. I strongly recommend a follow up background check on Makala Yvka for possible employment.”

In the following months the RHC checked into Makala and found out about her history and many of the people she has crossed paths with as Makala, very few of them had anything bad to say about her, most saying she was extremely nice and beautiful, probably one of the nicest people they have ever met. Looking over Makala’s file Assistant Chief Inspector Stover Delft had (what he thought) was an ingenious idea on how to gain Makala’s confidence. Through her father. (even though the RHC had no knowledge of Ammon)

Makala walked into her favorite lounge and was quickly greeted by the serving staff, but instead of being led to her usual place the hostess brought her to the back room and handed her a letter saying this was dropped off for her earlier saying it was urgent. In quickly scribbled writing Makala read, We have information about your father. Contact the RHC. And give them the name Voltr De’Fest.(anagram of Sotver Delft). Makala knew exactly who to contact and headed immediately to Athril Denton’s hotspots looking for her.

-Independent to the point of fault. Makala absolutely hates asking for help, even when she is in dire need of it. And will go to great lengths to not owe anybody any favors, preferring the balance always to be one or two favors in her favor.

-Enjoys playful banter and is very fond of innuendos.

-Loves to lead men on and string them for a long time and get as much as she can out of them. She never feels guilty about it either, justifying it as their own stupidity for not realizing they weren’t in her league earlier.

-Well-versed in the current religeons, but doesn’t practice any… but many men do.

- Always carries around her father’s strange pistol. Not only is it a great conversation piece but it makes others think twice before attacking her

-Ammon was a huge influence on Makala, not in the way of adventuring but in the way of recording events. She commonly uses invisible ink to write down notes and keeps a log of her various activities around the town.

-Loves whips and always carries her scorpion whip on her belt, she also carries a much smaller hand whip tucked into the back of her blouse for “just in case” purposes.

-Works on her father’s pistol every night she isn't busy, trying to get the damn thing to work again.

Five background and concept elements important to Alastair Rayne.

1) Alastair Rayne, or Rain as his friends called him, fought in the last of the Yerasol Wars as part of a unit of advance scouts and infiltrators, men and women with a skillset focusing more on stealth and guerilla warfare, as well as the capture or assassination of high profile targets, rather than the more traditional ways of fighting. It was a close knit group, with its members becoming fast friends, due to the hardships and challenges they faced together and also in part because there was no other choice; they ate together, they slept together, they lived and died together during those last three years of the war. And that is why, more than anything else he endured in that war, the decimation of his unit in the last days of the conflict, which left only Alastair and one other member of that group alive, almost broke him beyond repair.
2) Alastair used to be an angry man and a fervent patriot before enlisting and going to fight for Risur. And he even manage to keep both of those traits at first, because the fighting gave him a way to use both his anger and his abilities in service to his country, a country that was in the right, as far as he was concerned at least. But witnessing the things one sees in times of war, he changed slowly and steadily, going from angry to bitter and jaded during the war and, thankfully, to calm and at peace in the years after it, though the latter was neither an easy nor a fast process. And though he still loved his country, it was the people, the common folk living in it that he cherished more than anything, especially those that could not defend themselves.
3) Despite going into the war with certain thoughts that he would find glory while at the same time serving Risur once everything was over, Alastair found himself avoiding the spotlight and preferring anonymity and a low profile, at least as much as that was possible for a "Yerasol Veteran" and a "Hero of the Last Yerasol War". The titles mean nothing to him and although he will not shun the company of anyone who wants to share a drink or a joke with him, he never talks of his days in the war, though his refusal to do so is always very polite and accompanied by a smile. And, as one observant enough may note, by a vaguely sad and tired look in his amber eyes.
4) Nowadays, Alastair uses his skill with unarmed combat mostly in defense of others if he finds himself a witness of such situations, such as when making a mugger reconsider his career choices, or to prevent certain "misunderstandings" from escalating, such as when he "escorts" inebriated people who become a little too bold with their fists or their hands outside when he happens in a tavern or inn and such a thing starts taking place. Still, he does hire himself out on occasion, usually as an escort guarding a merchant on a short trip to another city or jobs of a similar nature, though he makes certain first, at least to the best of his ability, that there is nothing illicit or immoral about it.
5) Alastair's family consists of his mother, Lisbeth, and his younger brother by three years, Breden. Joshua, the patriarch of the household, was killed in the war when Alastair was eight and Breden five years old. His death had a profound effect on both boys. The younger son grew up with an aversion to war and fighting, while the older boy got into fights often, seeking an outlet for his growing anger, an anger that was a vague thing at first but after a while came to find a target: Danor.

Two goals that are important to Alastair Rayne.

1) As mentioned, even though he no longer holds his country, as in its ruling body and those who make the decisions about peace and war and who gets to live and die, in such high regard as he used to, as far as their infallibility is concerned anyway, Alastair still cares deeply for it and its people. And he would very much like to be a part of defending those people and, if the opportunity arises, to make a difference. Knowing that he is one man, however, he realizes that the only way to do that is by working with or for those with the power to make changes happen, such as those establishments who rule from the light or even pull strings from the shadows.
2) Alastair has always suspected that there was something more than simple bad luck involved with his unit's disastrous last mission. Whether it was bad intelligence or outright betrayal or something in between, he is not sure. Although he has put such thoughts in the back of his mind during the last seven years in the interest of leaving the war behind him and healing, he has not forgotten about it. After all, he feels that he owes his fallen comrades and friends to some day find out the truth and make sure some justice is done.

Two secrets about Alastair, one that he knows, and one that he is not yet aware of.

1) Alastair feels responsible for his friends' fate. Although he would not admit it to anyone and even has trouble admitting it to himself, he believes that he could have done something to have averted the massacre. Deep down, he feels that if he had been more suspicious or more capable or more outspoken against that mission, his friends would still be alive. It is an irrational guilt, of course, for there was nothing really he could have done considering the circumstances and the odds against them, but it is there, even if it buried deep within him nowadays and almost -almost- forgotten.
2) There is, or at the very least was, a third survivor from Alastair's group. A young woman, whom he regarded as a younger sister, so close were they during those days of battle and blood. The last time he saw her it was in that fateful last stand and she was cut off from him, surrounded by close to a dozen enemy combatants. And then, like the others, she was gone. But she did not in fact die, though she came very close to it. She was found by the enemy hours later when they came to retrieve their dead, buried under close to a dozen dead bodies, and she was taken. Alastair and the other survivor were long gone by then, having no other choice. Whether she is still alive or not -and if she is, what her state and allegiances are now- is a mystery.

Five people tied to Alastair, two are family, one is a friend, one is not, and one is unknown.

1) Lisbeth Rayne (female human commoner, 51): Alastair's mother, Lisbeth is a kind woman, though there is an almost perpetual sadness in her eyes, having lost her husband in the war and almost losing her firstborn son as well.
2) Breden Rayne (male human bard, 24): Alastair's younger brother, Breden used to have a strained relationship with his older brother due to their differing views on war, a relationship which has improved greatly since the latter's return. A docker by choice, Breden is sometimes joined by Alastair, the younger brother entertaining the passing crowd with music and sleight of hand and the older one with acrobatics.
3) Jared Vorris (male human rogue, 30): The other survivor from Alastair's unit, Jared is the archetypical jovial fat innkeeper, though both his girth and his job nowadays are owed in no small part to his losing his right leg in that last fight. Back then, Jared was especially proficient with a knife and a crossbow and he still keeps one of each under his bar just in case.
4) Markus Kherev (male human fighter, 43): One of Alastair's commanding officers during the war and by far the one he most often butted heads with over the treatment of captured enemy combatants, due to the man's propensity for treatment of them bordering on brutality. Since then, he has risen quickly through the ranks, in part because of his status as a veteran of the Yerasol Wars and in part because of ingratiating himself with the right people.
5) Elena Corridan (female human ranger, 25): The third survivor from Alastair's unit, Elena was taken by Danoran soldiers. She and Alastair used to be very close in a brother-and-sister way rather than a romantic relationship. Her fate, as well as her allegiances and how she would view Alastair nowadays -friend or foe, brother or something else- are a mystery.

Three memories, mannerisms, or quirks.

1) Alastair's usual stance can be characterised as relaxed, his hands usually in his pockets and his expression friendly, a smile never far from his lips. The main reason for this is because he truly is an amiable, easy-going person, at peace with himself nowadays, unlike his earlier life. Yet, there is a secondary reason, one having to do with his training: this way, he appears non-threatening enough, perhaps even unprepared for a fight, putting a potential opponent at ease and in a position to perhaps underestimate him.
2) Owing to the hardships and stressful situations of war, a part of his shoulder-length black hair has turned greyish-white, a physical trait which many a man or woman asks him about. Instead of revisiting those days, he simply answers that he was born this way, usually adding with a wink and a smile: "Not quite so exciting, yes?"
3) He does not pay so much attention to fashion or dress as impeccably as his younger brother does. That is not to say that he does not care what it is he wears, but he shows a distinct preference to comfortable fitted clothes that do not restrict his movements rather than overly complicated outfits, no matter how fashionable they may be.

1)To clarify Valarian is not insane, damaged yes but not insane. The closest RL equivelant is a soldier coming home from the bloodiest battlefields of WW2.
2)Valarian is unsure of what he intends to do with any knowledge of the "True Ancients", what he currently thinks is that the rise of the "True Ancients" can be forstalled indefinately but it will be a battle the mortal races can never truly win.
3)He has no contacts in the skyseer's, as skyseers being trained by druids and other nature worshippers are by default suspicious of technology and telescopes qualify as that.
4)Valarian Dantios has no friends of indeed family, he is a foundling and has survived of the tablescraps of society.
5)Valarian has learned through painstaking trial and error the value of being observant, he can find the best books with an almost supernatural accuracy and speed. Indeed he is something of a minor merchant of occult lore, not as famous as say the "shop" and it's owner Dracius but he can still get by. In fact he is now working for Dracius, acting as a sort of "occult knowledge magnet". For while his dream are disturbing they can reveal powerful, if dangerous secrets that most mortals have forgotten.
6)Why he is LN, Valarian isn't LN in the sense that he has problems breaking the laws, he is LN is the monk sense of the alignment. He is focused determined and isn't just going to take pinpricks of lore and use them immediately, he is going to read the entire thing for every scrap of knowledge.
7)Valarian's "gift" has changed his mental faculties and his body while he is strong and more agile then before, his mind has suffered in the form of seeing things that aren't there. Hence the 8 wisdom

and a note gm to describing spells as they are used, for instance don't describe mage armor as just a glittering screen of armor. Describe it as Valarian's chest seeming to grow a carapace of bone and sickening, purple flesh. Indulge your inner lovecraft.

lvl 1 sorcerer (abberant bloodline), LN
ac 11(15 with mage armor), hp 6, Initiative 4+, fort 0+, reflex 1+ and will 0+
str 14
dex 12
con 10
int 14
wis 8
cha 18 (16+2)
feats Spell Focus Evocation and Improved Initiative
spells cantrips Message, Dancing Lights, Mage Hand and Detect Magic. lvl 1 spells Shocking Grasp and Mage Armor.
skillpoints per lvl 6, Knowledge Arcana, bluff, intimidate, spellcraft, use magic device and knowledge dungeoneering.
favored class bonus 1 extra skillpoint per lvl
equipment 70 gp, scholar's outfit(free outfit for each class), morningstar (8 gp) and a dagger (2 gp).

• Ammon Yvka (Father) – Ammon raised Makala as a single father but went missing when Makala was about 19 years old. Makala suspects an underground organization likely based out of Risur or Danor but has no solid leads.

• Gaven (Owes her life) – Gaven saved Makala from brothel slavery, but was heartbroken when Makala “broke-up” with him. Makala still thinks about that night and hates herself for being week and needing Gaven’s help. She wants to repay her debt to him somehow, but currently has no idea where he is, nor the ambition to find out.

• Tull Lepere (Ally, Missing) – Tull was Makala’s favorite informant and investigator, however recently she unknowingly sent him on a “suicide” mission against the RHC and now he has disappeared. She also feels personally responsible for this and has been using some of her resources to try and locate him.

• Athril Denton (Frienemy, RHC Contact) – Athril is an Agent for the RHC who crossed paths with Makala and eventually found out she was “eve” a person of interest by the RHC. She has recommended Makala for Employment.

• Stover Delft (Voltr De’Fest, Frienemy, Liar?) – Stover is currently overseeing employment at the RHC and had the ingenious plan of luring Makala in with a lie about information of Ammon.

• Aias Bran (Enemy) – Before Makala undertook the alias eve, Aias was dealing in the underground sales of Fey Pepper, but Makala put an end to that with some evidence planting with the help of Kay Krios. He has recently been let out of jail and would like either vengeance or forced help into getting his trade back.

• Kay Krios (Friend) – The real reason Kay helped Makala was because she was competing with Aias for customers. Ever since Makala helped her she has provided valuable information on some of her customers as well as the local scene.

• Orion Silvius (Enemy) – Another one of the people that Makala pissed off early in her life. Orion was the head to the Silvius noble house until Makala exposed several scandals in the house, which brought the family out of nobility status.

• Makala keeps records of all of her previous employments written in invisible ink as well as a work-in-progress cypher. However she had Tull hide them and isn’t sure of where they are currently.

• Ammon is correct in his assumptions, the gun he found is a primitive revolver but is badly damaged. Nobody Makala has asked (which is very few people) knows anything about it and she can’t seem to figure it out.

• Stover Delft has no idea where Ammon is, but through his Intelligence on Makala he knows that she has been searching for him since he disappeared.

• eve is still a secret to everyone except the RHC (but that could easily change) but has pissed off too many people to count.

• Tull Lepere is still alive and is in Slate. He is planning an escape from the RHC.

*Debriefing room RHC headquarters.*
Constable Elks "So how bout you tell me why we should trust a Danoran like you mister Delacroix."

Delacroix "For that we will have to get some misconceptions out of the way miss Elks. For one I am not a Danoran, my father was and I would thank you very much not to bring him up ever again. My mother lives here in Risur and is a hard working patriotic woman. Two and the more important reason for all of this I am too useful for you to let go anywhere else."

Elks "While it is true that you have certain skills we would find useful, why do you think we would ever associate with a man with such a long history of murder."

Delacroix "Oh come now constable, we both know every man I ended deserved what they got. There ends were good. I allowed each of them time to put their affairs in order and when I took them it was quick. Most were enemies of the state or at least an impediment to our national progress. I do not accept any contract I do not consider in our best interest. I am a professional after all"

Elks "That still doesn't..."

Delacroix "Let me stop you right there my dear. I will tell you a little story and you can decide whether or not you will trust me."

"When my mother was young she met a man from Danor, a minor functionary attached to the delegation of Diplomats from that accursed land. He was smooth and exotic and important. She was poor and young and naive. She believed he would take her away from her hard life, making dresses for noble ladies to wear that she would never be able to afford for herself. He used her and led her on, and nine months later I was born. It seemed for a little while my mother's sad little dream could come true, that fairytale where happy endings come to those who deserve it and true love makes everything better."

Delacroix stops to take a drink of water from the glass on his left "I truly wish that world existed. But Heid teaches all things come to an end, and happiness is no exception. My father didn't even leave a note before he left. One day my mother was happy, the next week she was worried, and then eventually angry, and finally depressed. A bad ending to what everyone around would have told you was a love meant to last the ages. This is not the way the world should work."

Delacroix places the glass back down on the table "Many years later I was old enough to understand the world. I watched the world through the eyes of a young boy. I saw a bright world filled with rainbows and sunshine and little kittens. This too would come to an end. Broken, beaten, bleeding on the floor. My mother crying over me and the man who had done this to me walking away with our life savings. All I had done was stand up for my mother. I woke many weeks later still sore and quite angry. I swore that he would be punished."

Absently Delacroix runs his fingers along the edges of the glass "I worked hard but was never all that strong a child. I have my mind and my speed, that is my greatest strength. I tracked down a man to teach me how to turn that strength into power, a dwarven magic maker of some talent who was getting on in years. I started pestering him day after day. I would show up in the morning and ask him if there was anything he needed help with. He would give me some chore or task and I would get it done. Each day this would happen and each day I would ask for nothing in return. After many weeks of this the old man finally asked me why I came and never asked for things from him like the other people who bothered him. And do you know what I told him?"

Elks spoke up "Let me guess, you asked him to train you."

Delacroix smirked at her as is listening to a small child tell him her idea of where children came from. "No my dear, I told him that I was trying to learn if he was good enough to be my teacher before I allowed him to give me training. I quite believe he didn't know what to think. Oh don't look so shocked, it makes you look like a deer right before a bullet takes it's life. He took me on of course, and he taught me more than the powers of mystical power. He taught me of Heid and the end of the world. It was this that finally made sense of the world. Everything ends my dear. This is the only truth. Oh yes everything ends. So to did my tutorship. My teacher passed on, oh I had nothing to do with that, it was old age not my hand that struck him down. Having no heirs he left his estate to me. I could have lived well off of this long enough to take over his business, but that wasn't for me. I turned his fortunes into more training, this time in something more progressive. I started to learn the way of the gun. A power that can give everyman the power of a wizard without the years of training. Oh this was a power I found intriguing. It took me some time to master the use and it was during this time I stumbled on a breakthrough. I could focus my magical might through the barrel like must wizards use a staff."

Delacroix pulled a worn Musket from beneath the table. Arcane power swirled around his hands as he pulled the trigger. "You shouldn't have looked so deeply into the death of poor miss Arms my dear. I know it is your job and all, but your masters needed her to disappear. She was impeding the flow of progress."

Delacroix reached down and closed the poor constables dead eyes. "A shame, you had such a bright future ahead of you. But as we know, all things end my dear. All things end." He walked slowly and with purpose out the front door and looked at the man standing on the other side. "I do hope you will remember this the next time you risk your sterling reputation. Next time you should spend your time with a woman paid for her discretion and not your wife's chamber maid. Now for my fee, have you gotten me in?" The smile on Delacroix's face as he was handed the letter of introduction held no warmth and in the end Sir Benson had to look away for the shame growing in his heart.

1. Anselm Hates the very idea of his father and by proxy all things Danoran. He blames him for everything that has ever gone wrong in his life.
2. Anselm has been a killer for hire for most of his adult life, but he only takes contracts he believes are in the interest of keeping Risur running or are just in his eyes for some reason.
3. Anselm is a devoted believer in the Eschatol philosophy, if a somewhat twisted version. He believes the fact that everything ends gives purpose to his profession. He will routinely give a target notice and time before he ends them even though it will often make his hits more difficult.
4. Anselm has routinely taken the lives of people who abuse their spouses or children, he will then leave a small sack of coins and a note explaining why he did what he did and expressing a hope that they will take this end as a way to create a new beginning.
5. Anselm holds on to his fathers last name as a reminder of his hate, and hopes one day leave it on his father's grave.

1. It would be fitting if Mr. Delacroix had a final conflict with his estrange father.
2. I would love to see Delacroix rise to a high place within the workings of the RHC

1. Delacroix does not so much hide that he is only attracted to men as much as no one has ever asked.
2. Delacroix does not know that his father's last name was not Delacroix but was in fact Jierre.

1. Delacroix's Mother is Angela Prim, a dressmaker's assistant.
2. Delacroix's latest employer is Allister Benson is a knight of the realm and one of the heroes of the latest Yerasol war.
3. Delacroix has a single friend from his childhood. A gunmaker he employed with his mentor's estate by the name of Bartholomeo Pennsworth. He will without fail call upon his friend for lunch whenever his business brings him to Flint.

1. Anselm keeps a small patch of dress material that he has tied multiple knots in. Before bed he runs this through his fingers and recounts to himself those he has ended and the reasons they were ended.
2. Anselm takes pleasure in discussions and debates on the nature of Eschatoly and will find it hard to not be drawn in to such conversations.
3. Anselm takes a perverse pleasure in ending the lives of those who have been unfaithful to their duty.

1)Valarian Dantios is a new breed of wizard, one who has seen the power that will come when technology and magic are unified. However he goes even further then most and is judged by many of his collegues to be insane. Only history will tell whether or not Valarian Dantios was insane or brillant...or perhaps both. For Valarian has seen a "pattern" in the world, the dwarven doomsday is raising itself to new heights of power in the mind of the masses. At the same time more and more "sighting" and "occurences" have happened in the last few years. Valarian suspects that the dwarven doomsday is a prediction of the planar fabric that governs the universe degrading, slowly but surely. However this reality is at least in Valarian's view not the dwarven doomsday, indeed it is a chance to gain power beyond even the imagining of the gods. For what if you could harness and bend the planes to your will? What could one do with such a limitless source of energy? Valarian Dantios intends to answer those questions...one way or another.
2)Valarian's intellect is undeniable but many of his peers question his sanity. Dantios is a assured and confident wizard, arrogant as well but that is trait shared by many conjurers.
3)Valarian is a student of many sciences and arts, his knowledge spans from the planes, religion and even engineering.
4)Valarian relies heavily on his spellcasting and has an active distaste for melee weapons, viewing them as crude and inefficent. By the same token he will give gunslingers a measure of grudging respect. They did use their brains after all to assemble the clusmy, if powerful weapons.
5)Valarian is exceptionally progressive and favors unorthodox solutions when faced with the unknown. He is also constructive and focused, few things can cause him to abandon the reading of an exceptionally engrossing book of planar lore for instance.
6)The reason he was picked by the HRC is because Valarian while disparaged by many is still an expert in planar lire. And such a person is vital considering the fact that the number of planar "incidents" is increasing each year. And while they are wary of his reputation the HRC knows that an expert in planar magic is hard to come by.

Secrets
1)Valarian received training not from a traditionalist conjurer, but from a sputtering "mad" wizard who lurked in a underground bunker where he studied all sorts of crazed but powerful magics. As such Valarian was taught not to draw power from the world and the normal planes, but to draw power from the Far Realm itself. This reflects itself in the magic he uses, for example when he casts the spell "grease" he doesn't just summon a black puddle under someone's feet. he summons a purple sheet of slippery, disgusting flesh.
2)Valarian has been experimenting with using his magic to fundementally alter the nature of magic items. His ultimate goal is to by the use of the ever changable magic that comes from the Far Realm, create a way to "mutate" magic items. Allowing him to say create a magic item that could at least in theory transmute it's magical charges at the user's whim, for instance a wand that could say cast grease, could be "mutated" to cast ray of sickening.

"Friends" and enemies
Calvont, the "mad". The "insane" wizard that taught Valarian how to draw upon the power of the Far Realm is still living and is still quite mad by most standards. He often and regularely spouts mad and incomprehensable gibberish. However there is a method to his madness and the wizard can cast spells in way most don't even comprehend and in a battle would surely defeat most enemies.
Circe, a traditionalist druid. Circe has long been a thorn in Valarian's side. She has repeatedly sent fey and beasts of the wild to attack his lab and has done everything in her power to stop his "madness" as she calls it. If there is a way to end her permantently Valarian will give it a try.
Master Mage Norgin. A traditional conjurer who views Valarian with great disdain and disgust. Norgin has in every way possible done everything in his power to ensure that Valarian's ideas are discredited and that Valarian himself never acheives any power in the wizard academy of Flint. Valarian has plans to create a magic item that will completely upstage Norgin, showing who the true fool is.

Goals
Valarian seeks to learn everything he can about the planes in general and the Far Realm in particular. With this knowledge he plans to eventually gain control of the energy those planes radiate and turn it to his own desires and plans.
Valarian seeks to make alliances and deals with planar beings and scholar's of planar lore. As the more knowledge he ha the more likely his plan will succeed.

lvl 1 wizard (conjurer), LN
opposed schools, aburation and enchantment
ac 10, hp 6, Initiative 4+, fort 0+, reflex 0+ and will 2+
str 10
dex 10
con 10
wis 10
int 20 (18+2)
cha 13
feats Improved Initiative and spell focus (conjuration)
theme feat (technologist)
skillpoints per lvl 9
skills knowledge the planes 6+, knowledge engineering 6+, knowledge dungeonering 6+, knowledge religion 6+, knowledge history 6+, knowledge nature 6+, appraise 6+, spellcraft 6+ and use magic device 2+.
spells cantrips, Message, Mage hand, Detect Magic and Dancing Lights. lvl 1 spells 2 grease, mage armor and color spray.
Familiar scorpion. Dantios favors the scorpion thanks to it's strange body and it's stealthy nature.
equipment 70 gp Scholar's outfit, wizards kit (21 gp) and a dagger (2 gp).

Ten Minute Background

Five Backgroun and Concept Elements important to Ifris
1) Ifris Lanvaldan was trained to be a competant leader by two veteran soldier parents. This upbringing instilled a sense of responsibility, courage and determination in Ifris. Trait: Natural-Born Leader; Cha 14
2) Ifris rigorous training at the Battalion School honed her body into a well-rounded instrument of war. Strength 16, Con 14, Dex 14
3) During a trying battle in the Yerasol War, Ifris manifested latent psionic powers to conjure armor and weapons necessary to survive.

Armored Blade/Shielded Blade archetypes
4) Having seen her entire squad defeated and forced to fight alone for her life, Ifris finds few other situations as dire or frightening. Trait: Corageous.
5) For her service to Risur and her accomplishments during the end of the war, Ifris was recognized with several medals of disinction in battle and has become well-known among the Risuri people. Theme Feat: Yerasol Veteran

Two goals that are important to Ifris.

1) I would like to see Ifris become a leader again, be it among the party or among those maintained with a leadership score. Leading others and inspiring soldiers in a time of crisis is a goal I would like to see her achieve.
2) Innovating and advancing her training helps define her from other members of her prestigious family and from other cadets that she graduated with. Ifris seeks to expand her study of her own psionic power and refine it to the point where she cannot be compared to any other that has ever lived, and that after she passes, all others who learn from her teachings are compared to her and her accomplishments.

Two secrets about Ifris, one that she knows, and one that she is not yet aware of.

1) Ifris resents herself for the death of her first squad when she was a cadet. She feels personally responsible for all four lives lost, and the four scard on her right forearm are a tally of the lives she has lost under her command that she has cut into herself with her mindblade. This tally will continue to grow as the campaign progresses.
2) Only three of Ifris' squad died that day. One cadet, Halmon Dabrand, was captured by the Danor and held captive for two years. Following his imprisonment, Halmon joined a band of mercenaries raiding merchant vessels up and down the coast. He has heard of Ifris' fame and resents it, feeling that she achieved her fame by crawling up on top of the corpses of the fallen.

Four people that are tied to Ifris, three are friends and one is an enemy.

1) Major Catherine Sinclair-Lanvaldan: Ifris' mother and former soldier. She is a strong-willed and ferocious woman who was a front-line combatant in the Yerasol War much as her daughter was. Catherine has a strong "act first, ask for forgiveness later" attitude that had often gotten her in trouble with her superiors in her youth, but fortunately she was able to achieve great results in spite of this recklessness. In retirement she privately tutors swordfighting lessons to wealthy families.
2) Lieutenant Colonel Garret Lanvaldan: Ifris' father and retired lieutenant colonel of the Risuri navy. He is now a member of the Board of Trustees for the Battalion School and was instrumental in getting Ifris an appointment at the school. Classically trained, Garret was a graduate of the Banhaman Academy in Slate and wrote the book, Deconstructing Naval Tactics in the Age of Our Stagnation, a biting criticism at the failure of naval tacticians to innovate in centuries.
3) Corporal Maralon Tyne: A fellow graduate of Battalion, Maralon is the only other psionic individual that Ifris knows. While she did not serve within him in the Yerasol war, she is familiar with his exploits and made an effort to converse with him about his (admittedly limited) talents on several occasions. The two had an on-again-off-again relationship after the close of the war, but nothing ever came of it. Ifris sees him as a contemporary, if not somewhat lacking in motivation to climb the chain of command.
4) Halmon Dabrand: A survivor of Ifris' squad at the Battle of Sirai, Halmon has become little more than a pirate in the years since his capture by the Danor navy. Ashamed of his failure and refusing to return to Flint, he threw in his lot with a group of raiders that have been hitting merchant vessels heading into Flint and Slate over the last two years. If he ever crossed paths with Ifris, he would make it his most pressing goal to make her pay for his imprisonment (which he unjustly blames her for.)

Three memories, mannerisms or quirks John possess.

1) Ifris keeps a tally of lives lost under her command as a series of long scars on her right forearm. Currently at four for her four (believed) KIA cadets in her squad at the Battle of Sirai.
2) Despite being a marine and having spent much of her life on ships, Ifris still occasionally gets seasick, a fact that she will fervently deny at any opportunity.
3) Ifris has her mother's temper, and when slighted or provoked her bull-headed attitude turns into downright reckless indignation that typically results in someone walking away with bruises, if they can even walk away at all.