Elena Voritzova's page

As an infant, Elena Voritzova was found on the doorstep of the house of a village priest in a small hamlet in the Gronzi forest near the Icerime Peaks. The priest adopted and raised her and she grew up with a loving family.

But the fact that her eyes did not match (one is green while the other is amber) caused the local villagers to whisper. Many said that she was "cursed" and had the "evil eye." As a child Elena suffered at the hands of the other children when he adoptive parents weren't around.

At puberty, Elena began to blossom into a beautiful young woman, but she began hearing "the Call," a spiritual voice beckoning her to leave home and find her true parents. She began having horrible nightmares, in which she would turn on her family, murdering them in their sleep, and always she was watched by an evil unblinking eye.

Confessing her fears to her father, her father gave her counsel:

"Child, you are special, and by now you know that your mother did not bear you from her own womb. Out there is a witch who seeks to claim you for her own. But remember this: your family is the people who love you, and care for you. You are my daughter and I and your mother will always be here for you."

"Now, for protection from dark magics like this one, the answer is simple. Pray to father Erastil for help. He watches over us, and it is for such things that he watches and gives us aid."

Elena took his advice, and clinging to the love of her family she prayed fervently to Erastil every night. Gradually the Call faded, and the nightmares passed. She took to wearing an eyepatch to conceal her discolored eye and to deny her inhuman heritage.

Grateful for the protection offered by Erastil, she became more and more devout, until it seemed natural that she should enter the priesthood. She excelled in her studies and took to the way of a Cleric of Erastil quite naturally. She also excelled at hunting and woodscraft. Her prospects seemed very good.

But then the nightmares began to return.

Startled and afraid, she could not understand why Erastil no longer protected her from them. But she began to fear that the "evil eye" she saw in her dreams might one day take over, and she would turn on that which she loved and cared for. She decided she needed to get away from those things she held dear, for their protection.

And then she met a wandering priest, who was recruiting for priests to travel to the sparsely populated Stolen Lands and bring the light of Erastil there. She chose to join this cause.

The tall woman moves slowly through the garden, running her hand over the tops of the taller flowers. She walks carefully towards a young man with boysh good looks and a sunny smile. But if he is the sun, then she is the moon, pale and quiet and thoughtful.
The young man hears her, and turns around. He smiles, but it is a bittersweet smile.

"Is it time?" he asks.

"Almost. Everything's packed," she answers. "Old Jole will give us a ride in his wagon as far as Wildermarkt. We'll walk from there."

He nods, looking at the ground. There is silence for a moment.

"I'll miss you, Brandon," she says, quietly.

"Elena, you don't have to go!" the young man starts, earnestly. "What's out there that we don't have here? Why not build a home here?"

"Come, Brandon. You know how the villagers see me. I'll always be the ugly duckling."

"I'm sure Mother and Father could find something. Perhaps they could find you a husband in the next village. One with land and some livestock. Everyone wants to do favors for Father."

She shakes her head. "No, Brandon. I need to be far from here."

"But why? Your family is here!" The young man's voice is heavy, almost sobbing.

She nods, and touches his face. "That's why I have to go, Brandon. You know I'm not like the others here. It's more than just my eye and my fingernails. Something is... looking for me. And it will be very bad when it finds me."

He looks up. "Yet you go away from where you have help! You know we will help you. We don't care about those things."

"I know you would try, Brandon. You, and Father, and Mother, and all our family. But the cost could be too high." She shakes her head. "No. Out in the Stolen Lands I can't hurt any of you. No one I care about is there. I've told you all this before."

He nods, quiet for a time.

"Well, sister, I suppose this is goodbye then," he says.

She smiles, and embraces him warmly. "Perhaps I'll see you again someday. When I've worked things out."

"There will always be a place for you here, you know that."

Their embrace ends, and she smiles at him warmly. "I know, little brother, I know. You look after yourself. And stay away from that Olga; she flashes her ankles like some Varisian hussy. Find someone respectable."

"Maybe I like ankles," he smiles. "Safe travels."

"Thanks, Brandon. 'Till we meet again..." she lets the thought drift off as she turns back through the garden. She pauses, looking around for one last time. Then she sets her chin, and strides confidently through the garden and out the gate.

Elena is a caring and giving person. As a devout follower of Erastil she places the needs of the community above her own, and as a cleric she sees her role as that of a caregiver and protector. However, she tends to seem cool and aloof. This is because she fears to get too close to others.

Partly this is because she doesn't want others to know about her frightening heritage. Since she was a child she was treated with hostility by those who thought she was 'hag-cursed,' and even when dealing with those who are friendly and polite to her she assumes that underneath they fear and suspect her and are just masking their feelings.

But this is also because she fears her heritage herself. She is afraid that her hag side will one day take over and cause her to turn suddenly and violently against those she cares about. So she keeps her distance from others for fear that she will betray them if she becomes too close. While she is a devout servant of Erastil, part of her zeal comes from the fact that she sees the church as a refuge from her darker side.

Her distance from other people has caused her to draw towards nature, and she has a love of animals and plants and things natural. Animals end up being her surrogate 'friends' in place of the people she pushes away.

Among strangers she is friendly and polite, but she seems distant and demure. She often has a disapproving frown. Among men she usually lets the men speak first. Once she gets comfortable around people she becomes much more lively, and she can be quite chatty among other women.

Elena gets most of her values from her Erastilean faith. She has a strong sense of community and believes in the value of hard work and living simply. As a priestess she sees herself as a caregiver for her community, and the needs of others are her needs. While she is not pushy and does not need to be the center of attention, she won't stand for things she sees as wrong and will be surprisingly fierce in her protection of the innocent or her stand against evil.

Elena is a tall slender woman whose wavy raven-black hair contrasts with her pale skin and delicate features. The one eye that is visible is an emerald green; the other eye is covered by a buckskin eyepatch with an embroidered pattern that looks like a pair of antlers. From around her neck hangs a simple holy symbol of Erastil. She keeps her hands balled into fists most of the time, but when she doesn't, one might notice her fingernails are unusually long and hard-looking.

She wears simple but durable clothing in muted colors; greens, greys, and browns, which are worn but clean, and are long and heavy enough that she she shows little of her skin or figure. At her belt is a dagger with a handle made from elk antlers. When travelling or hunting she carries a longbow and wears armor made of studded leather.

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+2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma, –2 Constitution: Changelings are frail, but are clever and comely.

Medium: Changelings are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.

Humanoid: Changelings are humanoids with the changeling subtype.

Normal Speed: Changelings have a base speed of 30 feet.

Hag Racial Trait: The changeling inherits one of the following racial traits, depending on her mother's hag type:

Hulking Changeling (Annis Hag): The changeling gains a +1 racial bonus on melee damage.

Green Widow (Green Hag): The changeling gains a +2 racial bonus on Bluff checks against creatures that are sexually attracted to her.

Sea Lungs (Sea Hag): The changeling may hold her breath for a number of rounds equal to three times her Constitution before she risks drowning.

Claws: Changelings' fingernails are hard and sharp, granting them two claw attacks (1d4 points of damage each).

Natural Armor: Changelings have a +1 natural armor bonus.

Darkvision: Changelings can see in the dark up to 60 feet.

Languages: Changelings begin play speaking Common and the primary language of their host society. Changelings with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Aklo, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Gnoll, Goblin, and Orc.

Plant Domain
Granted Powers: You find solace in the green, can grow defensive thorns, and can communicate with plants.

Wooden Fist (Su):

Bramble Armor (Su): At 6th level,
Powers replaced by archetype ability.

Domain Spells: 1st—entangle, 2nd—barkskin, 3rd—plant growth, 4th—command plants, 5th—wall of thorns, 6th—repel wood, 7th—animate plants, 8th—control plants, 9th—shambler.

Feather Subdomain
Granted Powers:

Replacement Power: Add Fly to your list of class skills. In addition, whenever you cast a spell that grants you a fly speed, your maneuverability increases by one step (up to perfect).

The following granted power replaces the speak with animals power of the Animal domain.

Eyes of the Hawk (Ex): You gain a racial bonus on Perception checks equal to 1/2 your cleric level (minimum +1). In addition, if you can act during a surprise round, you receive a +2 racial bonus on your Initiative check.

Animal Companion (Ex): At 4th level, you gain the service of an animal companion. Your effective druid level for this animal companion is equal to your cleric level – 3. (Druids who take this ability through their nature bond class feature use their druid level – 3 to determine the abilities of their animal companions).

Domain Spells: 1st—calm animals, 2nd—feather fall, 3rd—fly animal, 4th—summon nature's ally IV (animals only), 5th—beast shape III (animals only), 6th—mass fly, 7th—animal shapes, 8th—summon nature's ally VIII (animals only), 9th—shapechange.

You have long lived along the southern border of Brevoy, in the shadow of wilderness known as the Stolen Lands. Life has been hard, but through hunting, trapping, trading, and coaxing crops from the freezing earth, you’ve learned how to survive on the rugged frontier. With the wilderness ever at your door, you’ve also learned much about its denizens and the wild creatures that lurk in that unwholesome land. Your family might even claim holdings in the Stolen Lands, with elders telling stories of being driven from or robbed of a lost ancestral homestead, fertile farmlands, bountiful orchards, or a hidden mining claim. Whether because of your personal expertise and familiarity with the borderlands or in order to reclaim your family’s land, you’ve joined the expedition into the Stolen Lands. You begin play with a horse. Also, choose one of the following skills: Climb, Handle Animal, Knowledge (nature), Perception, Ride, Survival, or Swim—you gain a +1 trait bonus on this skill. GM Permission: replace horse with skill as a class skill.