Satinder Hawkes's page

Satinder was born in the region now known as Droaam. His mother, Denala, was a local tribeswoman, and his father was a Brelish military officer stationed there. When Satinder was 6 years old, the territory fell to hags and monsters, with Denala's tribe rioting against Brelish troops in support of their new monstrous masters, and the family fled back to Breland proper. Unfortunately, Sharn society rejected his refugee wife and son, seeing them as evidence of unpatriotic sympathies. In order to provide for and protect his family while pursuing his political goals, he bought a share in the Sandpoint lumbermill and established Satinder's mother as a part owner of the mill, but from that point on had very little contact with them, going so far as to ask Denala to never speak his name to Satinder again.

Satinder grew up in Sandpoint a known bastard, with some money but no title. His mother told him that his father was an important Brelish official who loved them both very much, but had to send them away to safety while he "fought" in the King's Court to make Breland a better place. It wasn't long before he became friends with Sandpoint's antiquarian, Aemon Grahame. Grahame saw in Satinder a bright young mind, and became Satinder's tutor and mentor through his adolescence. When Satinder was 14, Grahame arranged for him to have an unconventional apprenticeship with the Sharn Inquisitive, Victor Saint-Demain. Satinder went away to Sharn for five years, learning to think like an inquisitive under Saint-Demain's aloof tutelage. During this time, he also fell in love with the schemes, scandals, and intrigue of Sharn's upper crust. He distanced himself from his tribal and provincial roots, altering his dress and mannerisms to fit in with Sharn high society.

He also surreptitiously began digging into the backgrounds of Sharn's elite, searching for any clues that might give him the true identity of his father. In his searching, he accidentally unearthed evidence of criminal activity that implicated many of Sharn's most rich and powerful. Within days of his discovery, Satinder was politely but firmly invited to return to Sandpoint and offered an official position as an aide to Mayor Deverin, with subtle but dire threats of the consequences if he should ever divulge what he had learned.

Satinder's return to Sandpoint was infuriating. After everything he had learned, the skills he had developed, the contacts he had cultivated, to be reduced to nothing more than a glorified clerk was nothing short of galling. He has tried to make the best of things, but his relationships are beginning to strain under the weight of his bitterness. He recently moved out of his mother's home, taking a permanent room at the White Deer instead. More than anything, he wants to find a way to prove that he deserves to be back in Sharn, rubbing shoulders with the elite and searching for his father.

Since coming home, his best friend has been young Tsuto Kaijitso. Satinder sees Tsuto undergoing much of the same torments that he endured as a child, with the added blessing and curse of a present father who happened to despise his existence. Lately he has found himself stepping into an older brother role for Tsuto, which has also brought him into closer contact with Tsuto's sister Ameiko. Ameiko is one of the few people in town for whom he tempers his bitterness, and while his motives may be impure he is undeniably a better person when he's around her. Denala, while initially mistrusted and shunned for her nationality and circumstances, has become well-liked by most of the town, her genial nature and fair dealings overcoming the town's early perceptions of her. She currently has Satinder's old room available to rent.

What does your character lie about?
Satinder lies about who he is, but the lie changes depending on who's listening. When he was a young boy in Sandpoint, he made up extravagant stories about his father's exploits--partially to combat the cruelty of the other children, but also to comfort himself. In Sharn, he lied about his roots entirely, glossing over his mother's heritage and his origins in first Droaam and then Sandpoint. Since his humiliating return to Sandpoint, he obscures the circumstances of his ejection from Sharn.

What is your defining strength?
Satinder's greatest strength is undoubtedly his keen mind. Despite his character flaws, he truly is brilliant, and he chafes at not being able to put that brilliance to use.

What is your motto?
"Power is a function of perception."

What is your most treasured possession?
At this time, his most treasured possession is a cane given to him as a parting gift by his mentor, Victor. The shaft is black-stained walnut, with a silver hawks-head for the grip. As much as he loves it, it usually stays in his room at the White Deer. He knows that such finery would be grossly out of place in Sandpoint.

Race: Human
Class: Investigator (Psychic Detective)

Multicassing:
No
Prestige Classes:
No

New Years Drink:
Belatedly, I wasn't really celebrating New Years, so I was having a Dew. Satinder enjoys a good glass of wine, though he feels that he hasn't actually found one since coming back to Sandpoint.

Who are your characters heroes? Did they love the stories their mum read them as a kid of Matthias the blackhanded, who was redeemed from his wicked ways when he sacrificed himself to save the city of Tellmoradon? Or was Tira Yronforged, the champion of battle of the rails, your favorite hero to read about in the news prints during the Last War?
Satinder's most obvious hero is his recent mentor, Victor Saint-Demain. The master inquisitive lived up to his legend in every way, and then some. A little deeper, though, lies the hero that he hopes for--his father. Despite years without contact and being unable to find any solid leads in Sharn, a part of him clings desperately to the hope that his father is an amazing man who has a perfectly understandable reason for abandoning him. Finally, when he was young, his mother told him tales of witches and monsters, and the heroes who fought or outsmarted them. These legends have faded in his memory, though something of them still remains, buried deep.

What kind of clothing do you wear? And what kind of clothing do you wear when you have to dress up?
Satinder sold most of his clothes when he left Sharn, but what he kept is quite fine by Sandpoint standards. His usual outfit is double-breasted dark vest over a long-sleeved shirt, tucked into dark trousers, which are then tucked into short boots. He also wears reading glasses when he needs to do bookwork.
If he feels like dressing better, he adds a long dark coat and a bowler hat, along with one of three silk cravats. He also has a particularly fine outfit given to him by his mother when he left for Sharn that he's never worn. He was going to wear it when he finished his apprenticeship with Victor, but since that apprenticeship was truncated he feels that he will probably never wear it.

What is your personal greatest failure? What is your personal greatest success?
As far as Satinder is concerned, his greatest failure was failing to maintain his place in Sharn. He often thinks to himself that if he'd managed to become a little better-connected, or made more of a name for himself, that he wouldn't have been dismissed so quickly.
His greatest success, though, was realizing how quickly he could rise in society, once he understood the game. He realized that people are essentially puzzles, and once you solve them, you can have all kinds of things.

And lastly, What is the sin that your character is the most susceptible to?
Definitely pride. It is, in fact, his pride that is keeping him trapped in Sandpoint--if he were willing to let go of some of his mannerisms and use his skills to make Sandpoint better, he would undoubtedly find himself with all manner of fantastic opportunities. Because he refuses to "lower" himself, though, he can do nothing to change the town's perspective of him as a selfish egotist.

AC +3/+4, Defense +3/+4, FF +0 (Dex +3, TWF Battle Cane +1)
HP 32/32 Reserve Hit points 32/32
0 to -2 disabled; -3 to -22 unconscious
Stabilize 22%
DR 0/armor; SR 0
FRW +2/+6/+3 (+2 vs mind-affecting effects)
Immunity None
Armor None

Spd 30 ft/x2 (6 squares)
Melee
-Battle Cane +4 (1d6, 19-20/x2) (S or P)
-Battle Cane +4 (1d6, 20/x2) (B)
Ranged
- # +# (#, #/#)
Special Attacks +1 to reactions with bladed weapons from Fencer
+1 to attack and Combat Maneuvers with battle canes from Student of Saint-Demain

-0- 4 Known
Daze DC 14
Open/Close
Sift
Stabilize

-1- 2 Known, 2 slots per day
Detect Secret Doors
Telempathic Projection DC 15

Str 10, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 12, Cha 8
Bab +0, CMB +3, CMD 13
Feats Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Battle Cane), Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Feint, Combat Reflexes
Flaws Magically Inept, Restricted Sorcery (Evocation, Necromancy)
Skills [Occult Skill Unlocks] Appraise[Psychometry] (BG) +8, Bluff +5/+10, Diplomacy[Hypnotism] +5/+10, Escape Artist +7, Kn(Engineering) +8, Kn(Geography) +8, Kn(Nature) +8, Kn(Nobility)(BG) +8, Perception[Read Aura] +5, Sense Motive[Prognostication] +5, Sleight of Hand +7, Stealth +7
Traits Extremely Fashionable, Fencer, Latent Psychic, Student of Philosphy, Student of Saint-Demain
Drawbacks Attached (Mother), Vain
Languages Common, Aundair, Cyrene, Goblin, Thranic
Special Qualities Silvertongued (Human ARF), Inspiration 2/4

Gear Exceptionally fine clothing (three sets, each worth about 50 gp), ornate battle cane (gifted from Saint-Demain)
Dragons 0 Galifars 30 Sovereigns 0 Crowns 0