Absalom Abberations - A Pathfinder Society Tale

Game Master Brian Minhinnick

He was raised for battle. The black jackets of Perth were world renowned for their ability to defend wealth through vigilance and ferocity. Crime was a veritable myth in the capital city for the past few hundred years. He traveled the country as soon as he was able to draw a bow with his family in their protection of trade routes. The pay was excellent and the jobs were varied. They had a good life.

Mattera favored the weapons of the east, settling on a particular Tetsubo his great uncle used to use. A viciously heavy weapon, he was able to build his strength to great extent just by training with the thing. He became quite adept at it as well, since he fought off some bandits and some hobgoblins when they attempted a raid on a caravan he was using.

That was until he laid eyes on Mae Icethorn. She was a prodigy of business acumen and had spun circles around anyone she worked with. She was so unbelieveably successful that some believed she fulfilled some sort of prophecy of Kalistrade, and some believed she was just a pompous girl who kept getting lucky.

Regardless of this, at the ripe age of fifteen, she had already amassed as much wealth as many of the members of the Resplendent Bureaucracy, and had used Sun Orchid Elixirs to regress her age back to nine, because she preferred her dresses from back then, and because it really threw off her business partners. Having heard of the Blacks, she used a back end deal to nab one from the High Prophet’s payroll, and she had strolled through their estate without warning to pick one she liked. Seemingly at random, she picked Mettera, who was none too pleased about the appointment at first, but due to his upbringing and his desire to do his family proud, he did his duty.

Eventually, the two became quite good friends, with her calling him her big brother despite the obvious racial differences. Within the year, she spent time on the Resplendent Bureaucracy, the youngest to ever do so, and left as the custom after five years. The two of them, along with a fair amount of other people in their entourage, headed for Absalom to explore business opportunities there. Which was where the trouble really began, and Mattera’s keen eye exposed the secret. The closeness of their working relationship, he as a tough but capable and exotic young man caused Mae to desperately fall in love with Mattera, but the Kalistradian Cult forbade her to ever touch him. So she kept herself under the age of puberty with the Sun Orchid Elixirs she could easily afford in order to subdue her passions. But it was still difficult for her in that and other ways.

He had also succumbed to something like love for her as well. He was a young man, and though there were interested parties, the fact that her mind was so sharp and eloquent, every other woman he met paled in comparison to Mae’s tremendously powerful capabilities. He was in awe of her, like a sunset, like a dragon’s hoard, but the repressed feelings he kept for her religious beliefs and for her far too young body had to be released in some way. So at night, he’d often escape her estate to pick fights with ruffians in the street. He fought with the fury of a demon, and so well represented his heritage that he began to be known as the Black Oni on the streets. He’d come back bloody in the middle of the night, have her alchemists fix him up and be ready for a full day of whatever she desired for him to do.

New wealth in Absalom goes through some more rigorous testing than it does in Perth. Several times they had to fight off attempted robbers and thieves. There was even a concerted effort by several vendors to muscle the retired Bureaucrat from Druma out of her chosen field, Antiquities. Realizing she needed a more of an insider voice, she bribed a few people to allow Mettera to receive a field commission to the Pathfinder Society. Keeping that a secret wasn’t a priority, as she wanted people to know how wealthy actually was, and Mettera was able to keep an eye on the Scarni and the Exchange through his contacts there.

When the Freaks began their reign of competence, Mae Icethorn easily and quickly procured a sample of the mutagen and offered it to Mettera. He could tell by the look in her eye that she was hoping that him being different would allow her to let him go and think of him as something other than what she did. To spare her heart, he took it immediately, without thought. But very little happened to him physically that could be seen. Mae ran to her room and wept alone.

That night, when he went out to fight, his opponents sometimes would break their weapons on his skin, and when they managed to make him bleed, his blood was like some sort of liquid metal. His insides felt like they were on fire, but he never felt more powerful. In the morning he put together a letter.

Dear Mademoiselle Icethorn

It is my intention to take a leave of absence. I will still come and be here when you need me, but I’ve trained your staff, and I know you are so well protected that you really can afford to be without me for some time. I have nine years of vacation time I still have rights to take, and it may be time for me to actually take it.. I can’t bear to make you cry, so allow me to let space between us for a time so we can sort our priorities.

Sincerely,

Mettera Black

Skills (28 -- 21 [Ranks] + 7 [Int])
+2 Acrobatics (2 [Ranks] + 1 [Dex] + 3 [Class] +1 [Trait] - 5 [ACP])
+18 Intimidate (7 [Ranks] - 1 [Cha] + 3 [Class] + 9 [Str])
+21 Perception (7 [Ranks] + 1 [Wis] + 8 [Racial] + 5 [Enhancement])
+9 Profession: Merchant (5 [Ranks]+1 [Wis] + 3 [Class])
+22 Sense Motive (7 [Ranks] + 1 [Wis] + 3 [Class] + 1 [Trait] + 8 [Racial] + 2 [Feat])

Languages Common, Tian
SQ Traits (Reckless, Suspicious)
Racial Abilities Bonus Feat, Skilled
____________________
______EVOLVED_______
Base: +3 Str; +3 Dex; +6 Natural Armor
Skilled: Perception, Sense Motive
Improved Natural Armor: +4 natural armor
Ability Increase: Strength (+4)
______________________
______EQUIPMENT_______
Starting Gold: 24000
Combat Gear:
Adamantine Tetsubo +1 [5020 gp; 10 lbs.]
Full Plate, Glamered +1 [5350 gp; 50 lbs.]
Swarmbane Clasp (Full damage to swarms, Immune to distraction) [3000 gp; 1/2 lbs.]
Belt of Giant Strength (+2 Strength) [4000 gp; 1 lb.]
Cloak of Resistance +1 (+1 Resistance to Saves) [1000 gp; 1 lb.]
Other Gear:
Wayfinder [500 gp; 1 lb.]
belt pouch [1 gp; 1/2 lbs.]
Eyes of the Eagle [2500 gp; -- lbs.]
Explorer's Outfit [0gp; 8 lbs.]

Coins 2628Gp 10Sp
__________________________________________________
Carrying Capacity:
Light (466 lbs. or less); Medium (467-933 lbs.); Heavy (934–1400 lbs);
Current Load: 62 lbs [LIGHT]
______________________________________
_________________MISC_________________

He was raised for battle. The black jackets of Perth were world renowned for their ability to defend wealth through vigilance and ferocity. Crime was a veritable myth in the capital city for the past few hundred years. He traveled the country as soon as he was able to draw a bow with his family in their protection of trade routes. The pay was excellent and the jobs were varied. They had a good life.

Mattera favored the weapons of the east, settling on a particular Tetsubo his great uncle used to use. A viciously heavy weapon, he was able to build his strength to great extent just by training with the thing. He became quite adept at it as well, since he fought off some bandits and some hobgoblins when they attempted a raid on a caravan he was using.

That was until he laid eyes on Mae Icethorn. She was a prodigy of business acumen and had spun circles around anyone she worked with. She was so unbelieveably successful that some believed she fulfilled some sort of prophecy of Kalistrade, and some believed she was just a pompous girl who kept getting lucky.

Regardless of this, at the ripe age of fifteen, she had already amassed as much wealth as many of the members of the Resplendent Bureaucracy, and had used Sun Orchid Elixirs to regress her age back to nine, because she preferred her dresses from back then and because it really threw off her business partners. Having heard of the Blacks, she used a back end deal to nab one from the High Prophet’s payroll, and she had strolled through their estate without warning to pick one she liked. Seemingly at random, she picked Mettera, who was none too pleased about the appointment at first, but due to his upbringing and his desire to do his family proud, he did his duty.

Eventually, the two became quite good friends, with her calling him her big brother despite the obvious racial differences. Within the year, she spent time on the Resplendent Bureaucracy, the youngest to ever do so, and left as the custom after five years. The two of them, along with a fair amount of other people in their entourage, headed for Absalom to explore business opportunities there. Which was where the trouble really began, and Mattera’s keen eye exposed the secret. The closeness of their working relationship, he as a tough but capable and exotic young man caused Mae to desperately fall in love with Mattera, but the Kalistradian Cult forbade her to ever touch him. So she kept herself under the age of puberty with the Sun Orchid Elixirs she could easily afford in order to subdue her passions. But it was still difficult for her in that and other ways.

He had also succumbed to something like love for her as well. He was a young man, and though there were interested parties, the fact that her mind was so sharp and eloquent, every other woman he met paled in comparison to Mae’s tremendously powerful capabilities. He was in awe of her, like a sunset, like a dragon’s hoard, but the repressed feelings he kept for her religious beliefs and for her far too young body had to be released in some way. So at night, he’d often escape her estate to pick fights with ruffians in the street. He fought with the fury of a demon, and so well represented his heritage that he began to be known as the Black Oni on the streets. He’d come back bloody in the middle of the night, have her alchemists fix him up and be ready for a full day of whatever she desired for him to do.

New wealth in Absalom goes through some more rigorous testing than it does in Perth. Several times they had to fight off attempted robbers and thieves. There was even a concerted effort by several vendors to muscle the retired Bureaucrat from Druma out of her chosen field, Antiquities. Realizing she needed a more of an insider voice, she had Mettera go through Pathfinder training and join The Exchange faction. Besides the information he was able to relay to her, this had an ulterior motive behind it as she found it increasingly more difficult to keep him near her and continue to keep her mind on her money. This did not pass by without his notice, and one day he showed up with an extended Leave of Absence form when he realized that she had gotten as much from the Pathfinder Society as she was going to get. She had become much more established and she was no longer in desperate need of his services. She accepted the form without so much as a word, but cried in her chambers for days.

Eventually he was sent off on a few assignments around the area, making a name for himself as an extremely competent, if not somewhat unpleasant bodyguard and muscle for expeditions. Having saved the lives and fortunes of several influential Pathfinders in his years of service, and earned the enmity of some others, for whatever reason it pleased the Decemverate that as a person who’d proven himself loyal to the Society, he would make an excellent test subject. He had minimal physical alterations, but actually became better at the very things he was already quite good at, with some minor side effects.

When the Freaks began their reign of competence, he’d kept an eye on them. Unlike him they were not supposedly good enough on their own to become Pathfinders, but as he kept gathering information, he discovered this was likely a ruse to get them to be more willing to take the experimental drugs. Before he was able to meet up with them directly, he was sent to Magnimar on a mission that required his particular expertise. He returned to Absalom in the last couple days and thought to see in on them.

Dear Mademoiselle Icethorn

It is my intention to take a leave of absence. I will still come and be here when you need me, but I’ve trained your staff, and I know you are so well protected that you really can afford to be without me for some time. I have nine years of vacation time I still have rights to take, and it may be time for me to actually take it.. I can’t bear to make you cry, so allow me to let space between us for a time so we can sort our priorities.

Sincerely,

Mettera Black