GM Alice's Wrath of the Righteous

Game Master Alice Margatroid

Reiko appears to be a reasonably tall, slender, and young Tien woman with jet hair and dark eyes. Her aasimar heritage is many generations back and well hidden (Scion of Humanity). In battle, she prefers the light armors of her native lands and carries a well-tended katana. More often than not, she wears silk robes. She is most often seen in a midnight blue robe wrapped with a rich blue obi around which is knotted a long red woven rope which secures her blade scabbard.

Reiko is well-spoken, thoughtful, and quiet - rarely using ten words when five will do. Her temperament is placid - very little seems to upset her. Some people assume she is passive but that is a mistake. She acts as she needs to, without hesitation. Rarely does she telegraph her actions by revealing her mood. At heart, Reiko is a poet-warrior (though she sees herself as more poet than warrior) and her goal is to achieve mastery in both fields - the quill and the katana (Sword Saint).

Despite her sober nature, Reiko laughs easily and is just a bit quirky. She is fascinated with hats - the larger and more ostentatious, the better.

Reiko was raised a slave, working the rice paddies (Trait: Rice Runner) of a large estate. Years spent wading through the mud flats in oppressive heat strengthened her physically and emotionally. And it likely would have been all that could be said of her life, but for a trick of heritage and a turn of fate. Reiko was tough but also clever, and her one leisure passion was crafting poems (Racial: Azata-Blooded Muse-Touched). Being illiterate, Reiko worked on her poems aloud while she worked. One day, Yi Sun, the estate's master, overheard the girl while he was visiting the fields. Much as slaves were beneath his notice, he was also an active patron of the arts. Something in the girl's poem intrigued him enough to alter her fate. While she still worked the fields in the summer months, in the rainy season she was tutored along with his son, Yi Qin, in the arts.

Reiko proved to be more than an adept student and a good companion to Yi Qin. When he struggled with other subjects, Reiko was given the opportunity to study those subjects and work with the boy. Over the course of years, their friendship grew as did Reiko's skills as a poet. Eventually, with a little pressure from Yi Qin, Reiko was given her freedom.

As a free woman, Reiko had greater opportunities but some doors were still closed to her. So it was a good thing that her aasimar blood gave her longevity because some changes only happen through dogged persistence... and Reiko had years to work towards her goals. Over several years, she studied under several masters to learn the way of the sword and the code of Bushido. With more years, she earned a reputation as a skilled warrior, worthy of respect. With still more years invested, she earned the Dai-sho - the two swords of the Samurai - in the service of the Daimyo Murakama.

Reiko would have been content to serve her daimyo, write poems, and practice her calligraphy. But war came and Murakama was not on the winning side. After his execution, his surviving samurai were given a choice: change their allegiance, suicide, or accept banishment. After some debate, Reiko accepted banishment and became Ronin. Seeing no appeal in trying to find a quiet corner of the empire in which to vanish, Reiko set out to see the world. It wasn't a hard choice, really, she had always felt the touch of Shizuru, the Empress of Heaven, on her shoulder (Touch of Divinity) calling her to do something glorious. Regrettably, Shizuru wasn't more specific. Reiko consulted a legendary seer and paid handsomely for the privilege, offering up nearly all her money and even selling her wakizashi and bow (Avg Cash :P). But the sage's advice was worth it.

On the banks of the Sellen River, Kenabres the Damned sits... Demon-haunted glory and death await.

Delighted, Reiko now had a course and something of a mission.

Reiko
Female Azata-Blooded Aasimar (Musetouched) Samurai (Sword Saint) 1
NG Medium outsider (human, native)
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +2

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Defense
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AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 13 (+3 armor, +3 Dex)
hp 11 (1d10+1)
Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +2
Defensive Abilities resolve; Resist acid 5, cold 5, electricity 5

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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee katana +3 (1d8+3/18-20)
Special Attacks iajutsu strike, challenge
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 1st; concentration +1)
. . 1/day—Glitterdust (DC 12)
. . 1/day—Shield of Faith (Touch of Divinity)

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Statistics
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Str 15, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 10
Base Atk +1; CMB +3; CMD 16
Feats Power Attack
Traits rice runner, touched by divinity
Skills Acrobatics +7, Bluff +4, Climb +5, Diplomacy +6, Perform (oratory) +2, Profession (Poet) +6, Ride +6, Sense Motive +6;
Racial Modifiers +2 Diplomacy, +2 Perform (oratory)
Languages Common, Tien
SQ orders (ronin), scion of humanity
Other Gear studded leather, katana, adventurer's sash, backpack, bedroll, flint and steel, grappling hook, silver holy symbol (Shizuru), inkpen, rice paper, rope, waterskin, whetstone, 3 gp, 7 sp, 3 cp

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Special Abilities
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Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only).
Energy Resistance, Acid (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Acid attacks.
Energy Resistance, Cold (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Cold attacks.
Energy Resistance, Electricity (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Electricity attacks.
Iajutsu Strike +1d6/-4 AC (Full-round) (Ex) Draw sword as strike challenged foe for extra dam, but take AC penalty for 1 rd. You can use this once per foe, each day.
Power Attack -1/+2 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Resolve (1/day) (Ex) Your resolve can remove effects or reroll saves.
Ronin's Challenge +1 (1/day) (Ex) +1 to damage target, -2 AC vs. others when used, +1 attack/dodge AC vs challenger when returning a challenge
Scion of Humanity Count as a human for any effect related to race. Pass as human without using disguise.

Clothed in the green and brown robes of his order, he is marked by his height, his bow, and his elvish features. At just under 2 meters tall, Shoka stands out among his brothers in the Monastary of Erastil's Cellar. While not the only non-human in their ranks, he is certainly one of the very few. His dark hair and complexion are betrayed by a hint of elven features. Known colloquially as the 'Monks of Mead,' the brothers tirelessly pursue the hearts, minds and welfare of the Mendevian people .

Since the First Crusade, the monks have have training in the art of war in order to protect the people of Mendev from the demon hordes of the Worldwound. Likewise, they maintained libraries of theology, history, and sciences - but they are best known for their ales, meads, and various brews. In addition to bolstering the morale of the people, the brothers use the proceeds of each sale to supply Mendev's refugees with food, clothing, and shelter.

Shoka was one of these poor war orphans of Kenabres, running errands for a middling gang from the Gate District. Urged by his fellow urchins to ply his street-learned craft, the half-elf boy and his friends snuck into the Brothers' cellars. Shoka was through two locked doors before they were caught - the benevolent monks gave the boys a choice: Come to the monastary, and apprentice in their ways, or face the authorities and the mercy of the streets.

For twelve years Shoka studied with the monks. While the libraries held valuable knowledge, it was the brew and the bow that the boy excelled at. He was vigilant in his practice, and as he came of age, he took up the vows without hesitation. After a season of prayer, service, and fasting, the time arrived for his first war ministry.

While the monks have no proper army, or even militia, their battle prowess make them well suited as guards and mercenaries, protecting refugees and other travelers from the demonic war machine, and cleansing the land of the dark beasts' foul taint. With his only possessions a shortbow and the threadworn robes of his order, Shoka goes among the people of Kenebres as a beacon of light in the darkness.

While certainly devoted to the mission of his order, Brother Shoka comes from a 'colorful' past, and is not easily unsettled by the lifestyles and motivations of those outside the monastary. In general, he has a very easygoing nature - while ministry is his duty, he is not pushy or zealous. He has committed to speak no word that is untrue, as both penance for past sins, and as commitment to his holy mission. His knowledge of the Worldwound and the demons that infect the region, however, do not go far beyond the books of the brother's libraries. His fervent desire to correct the abomination of their existence is at odds with the brother's teachings of patience and calm - One of the many ways he struggles to reconcile his old life with the new.

Sum-up: Ranged support with some sneak. Bringing utility in the form of disable device and... did I mention he makes BEER?

Brother Shoka | Male | Qinggong Zen Archer Monk 1
LG Medium Half Elf

Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Perception +14
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Defense
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AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 13 (+2 Dex, +3 untyped)
hp 9 (1d8+1)
Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +5; +2 vs. enchantments
Immune sleep
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee unarmed strike +2 (1d6+2)
Ranged shortbow +2 (1d6/×3)
Special Attacks flurry of blows
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Statistics
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Str 14, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 17, Cha 8
Base Atk +0; CMB +2; CMD 17
Feats Alertness, Improved Unarmed Strike, Perfect Strike, Precise Shot, Skill Focus (Perception)
Traits Vagabond Child (urban), Chance Encounter
Skills Acrobatics +6, Craft (Brewing) +5, Disable Device +7, Escape Artist +6, Perception +14, Sense Motive +9, Stealth +6; Racial Modifiers +2 Perception, silent hunter
Languages Abyssal, Common, Elven
SQ ac bonus, elf blood, monk vows (vow of truth), unarmed strike
Combat Gear cold iron arrows (50); Other Gear shortbow
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Special Abilities
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AC Bonus +3 The Monk adds his Wisdom bonus to AC and CMD, more at higher levels.
Elf Blood Half-elves count as both elves and humans for any effect related to race.
Elven Immunities - Sleep You are immune to magic sleep effects.
Flurry of Blows -1/-1 (Ex) Make Flurry of Blows attack as a full rd action.
Improved Unarmed Strike Unarmed strikes don't cause attacks of opportunity, and can be lethal.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.
Perfect Strike (2d20) (1/day) With certain weapons, roll twice, higher is attack, lower is confirmation roll.
Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.
Silent Hunter Reduce Steath penalty for moving by -5, can make Stealth checks while running (at -20 - includes reduced penalty).
Unarmed Strike (1d6) The Monk does lethal damage with his unarmed strikes.
Vow of Truth (+1 Ki)

In many ways, Tahuk is what you’d expect from a Kellid. Tall, lean, well-muscled frame covered in wind-buffeted and sun-browned skin crisscrossed with the scars of a rugged life. His long, black hair falls loose except for four braids hanging down the right side of his face. One long and three short, all decorated with twine and stone as some kind of fetish.His clothes are furs and leathers.. practical, durable. But in some ways… ways that are immediately apparent… he is very different than his brethren. His tan skin is thickened into a slightly-scaled hide. His eyes are completely black. And his teeth… well, you’d expect to see such fangs on a mountain cat or hunting wolf. And a tail follows him around, flicking about when he becomes angry.

Altogether, it leaves you with a single impression.. demon-kin.

He wears used but serviceable Kellid armor, a piecemeal affair of hardened furs, leathers, and metal. His weapons are the marriage of hunter and warrior. Shortspears, battleaxe, and a heavy shield.

Tahuk is a hunter driven by a single instinct. The destruction of his prey. Demons. It is a drive that shapes his every waking decision and one that tinges his every sleeping nightmare. They are not an enemy to find truce with. They are a plague. An abomination. A rabid animal to be hunted and put down at all costs.

Beyond this singular motivation, Tahuk is a bit of an outsider. He is naturally quiet, a quiet reinforced by the natural way people hold him at arm’s length due to his demonic appearance. But it’s also the quiet of men most comfortable in their thoughts. The combination of his quiet and his appearance generally make people uncomfortable. Among those few he calls friends, he is easy to talk to, with a genuine—if often jokingly cutting—style of humor. He holds dearly to the memories of his little family. It leads him to be compassionate and generous with his time and resources, especially when children are involved.

Tahuk had a good Kellid life. His family. The Tribe. Good Hunting. These were what mattered to him. He wasn’t any great leader of the tribe. Nor was he some renowned artisan or warrior for his people. But he was a good hunter. A good tribesman. And a loving father and husband who lived and breathed for his little family. Isak was his firstborn. A young boy nearing his third winter. A quiet, serious child who flowed like a stream. Abi was his second. A smiling girl who was one part summer fae and one part avalanche… much like her other, Selka. His wife. His sun and moon, and big with their third.

It was a simple life. And to Tahuk’s eyes, as close to a perfect life as a Kellid man could seek.

Tahuk was the Second for his tribe’s hunting party. The Chief would choose the Tribe’s paths. The First Hunter would choose when and where they hunted. And it was the Second, Tahuk, who would lead the hunt as often as not. And when the hunt was finished, Tahuk removed, scraped, and dried the skins for trading or for use for the many ways leather is used by his tribe. A simple, rugged, happy life.

Then they came. Tahuk’s memories of that night live on in his mind as nightmares that plague his sleep nightly. The hunters were on their range, stalking a herd of deer across a plateau, driving them to the cliff to be killed. That’s when Tahuk heard it, carried on the wind. A scream. The next minutes of the nightmare are a blur, the hunters rushing back towards the ever-louder screaming. Back to camp. They arrived at a of slaughter. To this day, Tahuk doesn’t know how or why, but demons roamed the camp, butchering his people. They were supported by men and women who likewise reveled in the blood of his family and tribe. His hunters fought like warriors… like Kellids… but they were unprepared for demons. In the fighting, Tahuk finally found his family. The image is forever burned into his mind’s eye. Isak and Abi lay butchered and forgotten near the back of their tent. Fallen even as they held each other. Eyes wide with fear, mouths open in a scream. Their tiny bodies ripped, broken, and bloody. Selka dominated his view. She lay in the entrance of their home, even in death her hand clenched the blood-tipped shortspear in a determined death-grip. The demon who ended her life, and the life of her unborn child, stood over her… claws and teeth dripping with the lifeblood of Tahuk’s reason for living. As the primal part of his mind took over, Tahuk remembers one clear thought… pride in his wife. She had bled the demon badly before it had killed her, and it’s own blood slicked the furs of their home’s ground.

His final memory of the fight was the pain of the demon’s claws tearing his flesh, and the world turning on its side as he fell dying to the ground … face-to-face with his beautiful sun and moon.

— time spent as a demon play-thing, fuzzy, pailful, indistinct memories of torture —

And then the Crusaders arrived. Tahuk wasn’t conscious for their arrival or their killing of the demons, but he’s forever grateful for the woman who saved him. He doesn’t understand why (he didn’t ping on her Detect Evil, despite his new appearance), but she spared him… saved him, really. He slowly became aware of his new reality. The tortures of the demons and cultists had forever changed him… warped him. The blood of the demons flowed in his veins. Their fury thundered in his heart and mind. And he wore aspects of their blood on his skin, in his teeth, and as a tail. As he slowly recovered, he knew his old life was done. Memories. His new life would be one with a new purpose. A purpose of pain, but not for everyone. For demons and those who side with them.

Since then, Tahuk has been a lone hunter, ranging the hills, plains, and mountains along the wardstones seeking prey. Small targets at first, to train. But always with a single-minded focus. Like a lone wolf stalks a bear, knowing it must bleed the beast to take it down. He has hardened himself and sharped his claws.

Now he comes to Kenabras, to Armasse. To trade, restock, and pick up some new trails. The Crusaders always had a few leads on recent demon activity. Plus, they often hired him as a tracker and guide. Truth is, he’d do the work for free, but weapons didn’t make or repair themselves.

So he wanders the celebrations, hood up and demon-traits hidden so as not to scare the locals as much as possible… seeking the next job or, better yet, word of a new demon-scent to hunt.

I actually have two builds I like for Tahuk, and I’d be happy to go either direction (based on what the group needs) if he makes it into the game. Both have similar conceptual thematics, they’d simply play slightly different roles.

The first is a Evil Outsider hating Duel-weapon Ranger, with skills supporting his role as a hunter, guide, trapper, and leather-worker. He’d take a level or 2 of Barbarian to boost his mobility and damage output on demand, but would stick primarily to Ranger levels. He’d be an excellent tracker, guide, and mobile melee damage-dealer.

The second option is more of a tank build. Sticking with his fury-angle, he’d be an invulnerable rager barbarian, with a single level dip in Unbreakable fighter for Diehard. He’d rock a solid AC (even while raging) and would be angling towards the Stalwart > Improved Stalwart feats to boost his DR up to impressive levels. He’d still be a tracker, guide, and demon-hater, but would be less “scouty” and “huntery”.

I’d be happy either way, and would likely choose based on the party’s needs.

Bear (as folks call him) is a large man. Ulfen in heritage, he stands taller than most, wider than most, and hairier than most. Long brown hair stands wild and unkempt, small twigs and needles continually caught in it as well as his massive beard. Obviously more at home in the wild than the stone of the city, you wonder what could have brought this man so far from his home.

Bear is a short tempered man, who tries to abide by the tenets of his druidic faith but doesn't seem to succeed as often as he'd like. He's most comfortable outside of civilization, with his bear companion that has the same personality. A brown bear named Kuma. Bear rarely tries to talk things out, preferring action to reaction, fists to words. However, he's fiercely loyal to those friends who demonstrate an appreciation for the natural order and refuse to judge others based on what they look like.

Yaddan had a hard time grasping the finer points of paladinhood, which was somewhat of a disappointment to his parents who were retired crusaders. His size and stamina would have made a fine paladin, but his temper always seemed to set him back in his training. He fought with his parents frequently, and during his 15th year became increasingly belligerent to their desires. That all ended when Untamaketh found them. A babau demon sent past the wardstones to retrieve something from Bear's retired parents, the demons spent 3 days torturing the family, slowly feasting on the living child before the parent’s eyes. Eventually tiring of his sport, Untamaketh killed Bear's parents before leaving the child for dead and returning to his superiors deep in the Worldwound. Days later, as Yaddan somehow clung to the border between life and death he was found by a looter. Not a man capitalizing on the empty house, but a bear who could smell the cured beef over the fading scent of human habitation. The bear knew the youth was alive, and by the luck of the gods the bear was also a companion to Hyglak Vargson, the current leader of a druid cabal. Nursed back to health over many months, Bear eventually grew close to the druids. Here his natural size was also a benefit, but his love of the wilds and winter could blossom without the driven discipline of his paladinic upbringing. Still, lingering guilt over his parents last moments seemed to hold him back. Eventually, Hyglak knew that Bear could learn no more without coming to terms with his childhood. Sending the cub of his own companion (the same one who rescued Bear so many years ago) to keep him safe, Hyglak sent Bear to the Worldwound. Thoughts of revenge bubbled to the surface of Bears mind, but deeper down was the need to see and understand why his parents were so adamant about Yaddan's paladinic training. Maybe by seeing and experiencing what they did he could become a bit closer to what they wanted without becoming someone he wasn't. Eventually he plans to push deeper into the Worldwound, but for now there appears to be a festival of some sort…