Ironperenti's Skull and Shackles

Game Master Ironperenti

The young drow sat up straight when the old merchant raised the stakes. He was in over his head and everyone knew it. With a little naive smile he called. He looked around at the table filled with professional gamblers, they were eyeing up his stack of coins. It was about to get a lot smaller. He had started the day off with such luck. Hand after hand he won and accumulated a very impressive winning streak. Then his luck had changed over the last couple of hands. He had maybe enough money left for one more hand and it needed to be a winning one or he would be broke. The cards were dealt and he was not happy with the cards he had. His hand was not strong but was not bad either. So he went with what he had and tried his best to bluff a win out of the game. The stakes were high as raise after raise came and went by. The time came where his pile of coins was gone and he needed to make the pot right. Why not put that blade of yours in the pot and we will call it even. The merchant went on about the craftsmanship that went into such a weapon. Knowing the value of the weapon and its nature tugged at Nymz. He could walk away with enough coin to keep even him happy for a very long time. If that blade leaves my hip...someone will get hurt...and we do not want that to happen do we. Besides we are here to enjoy a simple game of cards. Nymz had two gems left that was his emergency money in case things got bad. He reach into his boot and pull forth a small diamond. He looked at it for some time before he placed it on the pile. I see your bet and raise you 200...gold The room grew quiet very quickly and the gamblers looked towards him with interest. A few of them folded and sat back to watch the outcome. Some called my bet and waited for the last person to make the pot right. You aint got the the cards and I knows it. I do not have the coin to cover all of the pot but I have this note of passage for the port in Korvosa and this note of receipt for the Korvosian pleasure barge...the Peregrine, all inclusive. 4 days travel down the coast and back. I just paid it off and was going to take the wife out for a trip so she would shut up about not going anywhere. It took me 3 years to save up enough to buy it. It will cover the pot sure enough and then some. It cost me 300 gold coin and so that would be another 100 coin to you. The merchant let his eyes wonder down to his blade again. It was obvious that he coveted the blade for his own. Nymz was nervous and wished for this game to be over. He had never gambled so much money at once. He nods his approval and reached once more to get a gem from his boot but this time he also pulled forth the cards he had secreted there. He was going to make sure he won this pot. The ruby was smaller but would cover the bet. Cards are tossed in to the pot as more players fold. It was down to the two last players the old merchant and Nymz. I call.... The merchant lays his cards down on the table and starts to laugh as the crestfallen Nymz. He can not believe that this game had turned out this way. Nymz keeps looking at the pile of coins and then down at his cards.
What am I going to do...I mean I thought...two pairs would be enough to beat you.... The old merchants reaches across the table to pull his coins towards his side of the table.
I guess if the two pairs were Gold Dragons and....Gold Dragons...then I would win...right? He tosses his cards on the table to show not one pair but two pairs of Gold Dragons. He quickly collected his winning and left right away. He was the talk of the area for the next couple of days and when it came time to head out on that boat ride, he made sure he was good and ready to leave. He knew that trouble would come looking for him soon enough. He made his way to the docks and looked all over for his boat. It was not what he expected but then again he had never been on one of these boats and it just might be different below decks. He made his way up the plank and was wondering what he was getting into when he looked on his fellow passengers. They did not fit the bill of pleasure seekers. The ship started to cast off and he took one more look at the docks and smiled. He had some good times here and was now ready to seek fun down the coast. His smile fell away as he notice standing on the docks was the old merchant holding up a pouch and a huge smile. Nymz let his hand fall to his side and there he felt the cut strings of his money pouch. All that money was gone. He was not happy but he did enjoy the time he had with such a fortune. He turned to find his cabin and prepare himself for the pleasure that await him down the coast when he felt his head explode with pain and then darkness. Waking up he finds himself without his equipment and he is in chains. Later he finds out that he not only lost all his winnings and equipment but he willingly walked onto a pirate ship thinking it would take him to a pleasure barge.

Male Fighter (Corsair) 2
LN Medium Human
Init: +2 Senses: Normal Perception: +1
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Defense
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AC 17 TC 13 FF: 14
HP 22 Fort +4 Ref +2 Will +1
Special Defenses:
+1 Will saves vs Fear (Bravery +1)
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Offense
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Melee
Falchion +6 (1d4+9/18-20,x2) (P.A., W.F)
Short Sword +6 (1d6+4/19-20,x2)
Ranged
Light Crossbow +4 (1d8/19-20,x2)
Speed 30 ft.
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Statistics
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Str 18 (+4) Dex 14 (+2) Con 14 (+2) Int 13 (+1) Wis 12 (+1) Cha 10 (+0)
Base Atk +2 CMB +4 CMD 16
Feats SF: Power Attack (-1 Att, +2(3) damage), Dodge (+1 AC), Weapon Focus (Falchion) (+1 att), Cleave (extra attack, NO -2 to AC)
Skills Profession: Sailor +6 (2), Swim +5(armor)/+9(no armor) (2), Know: Engineering +6 (2), Climb +7 (armor) (2)
Languages: Common, Giant
Traits: Anatomist (+1 Crit confirm), Touched By The Sea (+1 Swim, -1 penalty to attack underwater)
Favored Class: Fighter - +2 hp
Combat Gear: Chain Shirt (+4 AC, +4 Max Dex, -2 ACP), Falchion, Short Sword, Light Crossbow, 20 bolts
Mundane Gear: 100' Hemp rope, Bedroll, Blanket, Fishing Kit +4 fishing hooks, Signal Whistle, Lamp, 1xLamp Oil, Eye Patch, Backpack, Waterproof bag, 5x trail rations, Waterskin, Masterwork Woodworking Tools, 13 gp

Orslaw grew up in a long line of naval guardsmen from Egorian in Cheliax. While most of his time was spent on the Adivian River, he loved the weeks his ship Devil's Delight spent on the Inner Sea patrolling their borders. Still young in his service, he volunteered for a longer expedition down to the Shackles. Orslaw begrudgingly took the position of ship's surgeon, but found he didn't take to it well and had no real talent at healing. He did great at the 2 amputations he had to perform, but he was unfortunately unable to stop the bleeding afterwards on either sailor. Unfortunately, one was the second cousin (twice removed) of Captain Renfield. This led to an unfortunate dismissal from the Chelaxian ship leaving him stranded at Port Peril.
Thankfully, he was able to get some basic work doing repairs on some of the smaller vessels that regularly came through. Orslaw was at the docks and managed to get a position on a "merchant" vessel, Diver's Joy, doing repairs and gathered what little he had been able to accumulate in the Shackles and decided to stop by the Formidably Maid for a celebratory drink, and hopefully, a roll in the hay with one of the locals. However, his normal ale wasn't as kind to him as normal...

Here's a link to the beginning of one of my favorite Exalted stories as Nadak: http://www.deepwyld.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=1319

Marin was born from the coupling of an Aquatic Elf Father and a Human Sorceress mother. His mother had been an agent of the Pathfinder Society, sent to seek out signs of the ruins of Azlant. She hired a ship and it's crew from the city of Corentyn, striking a deal with the Chelaxian navy that in addition to standard monetary compensation they would map their routes and turn over any such maps to Cheliax. During the course of her expedition, she spent some time underwater, having met a charming Sea-Elf who himself took great interest in surface dwellers, arcane magic, and lost artifacts. Thus he was happy to oblige her adventurous spirit and help to search for lost ruins. Though the two never found any significant signs or remnants of Azlant, they did find adventure and passion together during the months. Eventually, with supplies and money from the Pathfinder charter running short, the captain of the Dauntless decided they had to head back to Corentyn. Marin's father and mother parted ways, with talks of her return to the area, with the father staying to do further investigations. What happened to Marin's father is a mystery.

Marin has always felt a strong connection to the Sea. His mother had him below the deck of the Dauntless, in the middle of a nasty storm, one potentially sent by Besmara herself. During the trick back the ship was set upon by pirates, during the attack his mother saved his life, along with many on board the ship, climbing high onto the Crow's Nest and raining arcane fire upon the pirates that attacked them. She went overboard and was never heard of again.

Marin was taken care of during the remainder of the trip by the Dauntless's captain, Fole Ertel, in honor of his mother. He took Marin back to Crentyn where he was put into an orphanage. Captain Ertel used what was left of Merrin's mother's gear to pay for better schooling for him, and then let fate settle the rest. All that Marin has of his mother his her adventurous spirit, a compass with her initials (ML) etched into it, and diluted arcane magic coursing in his veins.

Marin grew up in Crentyn, always drawn to the water and to the thoughts of a life at sea. He spent his education learning about ships and about the history of the area, especially the Shackles. He would spend whatever time he could at the dockside of the city, he even tried to stow away on a ship more than a few times. Mostly though he just worked to help clean the boats and went out on smaller crafts whenever a fisherman or boatman would take him. Nevertheless, he was never very successful, though many of the crewmen in the area often would treat him warily, saying that Besmara herself seemed to follow him. As Marin grow older he tried to join these same ships, though Besmara's blessing seemed as much a curse as a blessing during this time as no Chelaxian Captain wished to be associated with someone who might have been touched by the Pirate Queen.

Growing desperate Marin joined the Navy, where he managed to win a few friends and impress with the foundational knowledge he had of ships and sailing. Marin grew during his time in the navy, though he quickly became disavowed with the rigid lifestyle of being a Sailor in a navy, the Chelaxian navy no less. He sought the freedom of the open sea, and the pursuit of his own, not those of some devil worshipers. He even almost deserted the Navy earlier on, but love would stop his initial abandonment.

Marin, soon after becoming a Junior Lieutenant, he probably would have advanced further if his disregard for rules and tradition didn't irritate his superiors to such an extent. He met a striking human named Maria, a senior Lieutenant in the Navy, she found his disregard for the rules irritating, but charming, they made him stand out. They served on the ship, 'Enduring Rule' together. The 'Enduring Rule' was part of a small fleet tasked with further improving their maps of the areas. They fell in love however briefly and took a small leave inland, taking upon deskwork for the Navy when Maria became pregnant.

It was during this time that Marin started to experience a deep longing to return to the sea. What at first was desire, turned into borderline sickness, turned something more. Marin had always been an excellent swimmer and somewhat uncoordinated on land, but he found his land balance falling ever more deeply off, struggling to properly balance himself when not in the water. As this happened he found that his natural swimming abilities vastly improved, as if the Pirate Queen herself beckoned him to return to the vast ocean. Eventually, he suffered a second curse, his left leg started to shrivel, like a dried fish out of the water, becoming more peg than a leg. His inability to flex his lower calf muscles well causing his rigid walk to even produce a wooden sound when he walked. Priests and healers alike had no idea what was wrong, it was a curse unlike any they had ever seen.

After his daughter was born, Meri, Marin found the deep longing in his soul growing stronger every day, this and a feeling of being trapped, as if he would forever be stuck doing deskwork with a life he wasn't sure at all he wanted became overwhelming to him, it drove him mad. He had dreams of swimming unfettered in the sea, of waves and water, his food tasted like fish, his drink of seawater. Often he heard the voice of a beautiful siren calling out to him. Perhaps Besmara herself, as he started to manifest magic that seemed divine in nature.

Finally, enough was enough. He left one day on a whim. Using Maria's higher rank (she had become a 2nd Lieutenant not long before Maril was born, and had it not been for the duties of parenthood, likely more) and a smooth tongue to help get him papers approved for a scouting trip towards the Shackles. Marin contacted an old acquaintance by naval magic, who had come to see him once or twice, Captain Ertel and tasked the old Sea Dog with helping him one last time. The Captain, whose health was waining with age agreed to help for a small price. Having a decent summed stored, Marin paid the captain to meet him just outside Botosani. Where he would ferry Marin to Mediogalti Island. Leaving the area long before any could question his absence.

Marin diverted most of his funds to his daughters future, putting them away in Chelaxian holdings so they couldn't be touched and then left, leaving a rigid life that had never been for him, the guilt he felt buried beneath the necessity of it all. He immediately abandoned his post at Botosani, he deserted the Navy and caught passage with Captain Ertel who took him to Mediogalti. Here, Marin used the remainder of his funds to purchase basic gear and took passage again, seeking out freedom in the only place he knew where to go. Port Peril. The life of a pirate is what he saught, a life on the open seas where one could be they wanted. Law, evil, even good, what good were they? The sea was where it was at. Unfiltered and seemingly infinite.

A few years later, he arrived at Port Peril. The journey had not been easy, if not for fate alone Marin may not have made it. His lack of planning had not made it an easy journey. During this time, his fascination with the pirate life only grew. Once at Peril, Marin started to ask around, politely as he could where he met join a crew. heard the best place to join a pirate ship. He ended up in the Formidably Maid, directed there by men happy to take his coin. His fate awaiting him behind one well-placed bottle.

Marin is a man of the sea. Years spent working on ships has the man sporting a sun-baked look. Blond hair and aqua eyes find themselves on a face of a Half-Elf with sea-elven blue/green ridden features that have been softened by his human heritage. He keeps his hair long and tied behind his head typically.

His right leg is shriveled like a dried fruit, product of his lameness.

Personality wise, Marin is a free spirit with a heart driven for the sea. Once a man drowning in order, his recent escapades to escape have left him free and reinvigorated.

He has guilt that he keeps locked deep down about abandoning Maria and Maril. Though however much guilt it is, it could never compete with a heart driven for the freedom of the open sea, nor of the curse that drove him there either.

He is a free spirit, who operates upon friendliness and pleasantries when able.

He is Chaotic Neutral but leans towards Goodness.

Marin respects his allies. It is a testament of his the love and respect for Maria that Marin fought the draw to the ocean and stayed in the Navy for as long as he did.

He can be short-sighted, he sometimes makes rash decisions without the wisdom to consider the long-term implications of his actions (leaving his wife/daughter without pursuing other options and doing so with little planning, for example).
[Spoiler=Character Advancement]
I plan on focusing more on spellcasting than say damage,. At lower levels surely some metal prodding won't hurt, especially at reach. Probably will split Marin between healing, buffing, control, and aquatic utility. I am flexible to help put spells where they best serve the group. Of course, any nautically appropriate spells are going to be on that list as well. I'd like to work some metamagic in there over time.

I don't plan on being a dedicated healer, but I am happy to pick up the more useful/utilitarian healing spells and help invest in scrolls/wands of the more situational stuff as needed.

The VMC will be in sorcerer (his heritage coming from his mother). I'm not sure on what sort of familiar I'd like yet, but I was thinking maybe a Sage for some knowledge help, and perhaps some sort of flying creature.

pp 0 gp 19 sp 0 cp 0

Weight 57 (21 in backpack)
Carrying Capacity 50/100/150 (Masterwork Backpack 58/116/175)

Basic Pirate Clothes
Chain Shirt
Masterwork Rapier
Dagger x2
Iron Holy Symbol
Spell Component Pouch
Belt Pouch
-Iron Holy Symbol (backup)
-Ioun Torch
-Compass
Masterwork Backpack
-Silk Rope (50 ft) x2
-Grooming Kit
-Common Artisan's Tools (Craft (Siege Weapons))

2 (Ranks) + 3 (Class Skill) - 1 (Wisdom Mod) + 1 Trait (Besmara's Blessing) + 3 (Skill Focus- Adaptability) + 4 Racial (Child of the Sea, alt racial ability).
Mind you, I'd considered going with Dual Minded over the Skill Focus to shore up my Will Save. So if selected and the Profession Sailor is a bit much, I could even myself down a bit.

Rumlumn Ruue
Male Gripply Witch (Herb/Hedge)2
Neutral Small Humanoid, Aquatic
Init+2;
Senses Low Light Vision 60 ft;
Perception +2
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Defense
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AC13, touch 13, flat-footed 11 (+0 armor, +2 Dex, +0 natural)
hp15 (2d6)
Fort+3, Ref +2,

Will+4
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Offense
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Speed30 ft. Climb 20 ft.
Ranged
Blowgun +3 (1+2/x2) Darts (40) Net +3
Melee
Sickle +1 (1d4+1/x2)
Longspear +1 (1d6+1)

Spell-Like Abilities

Gift of Consumption (Su):

Whenever the witch is exposed to an effect that requires her to attempt a Fortitude save, as an immediate action she can curse a creature within 30 feet to share the effect. The hexed creature must also attempt a Fortitude save at the same DC as the witch’s, and on a failure it is subject to the same effects as the witch. Regardless of the outcome of the saving throw, the creature can’t be targeted by this hex again for 1 day. This hex does not function with effects that require additional types of save, such as phantasmal killer.

Witch(Herb/Hedge) Spells Prepared(CL 2):
Level 0
Create Water
Detect Magic
Dancing Lights
Guidance
Mending

Level 1
Detect Undead
Ill Omen
Mudball
Cure light wounds
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Statistics
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Str10 (+0), Dex 14 (+2), Con16 (+3), Int17 (+3), Wis 12 (+1), Cha8 (-1)

Base Atk +1; CMB-1; CMD11

FeatsExtra Hex: Gift of Consumption, Brew Potion

TraitsMagical Talent: Create Water, Iron Liver (+2 Fort vs poison/disease, +4 Fort vs alcohol), Pragmatic Activator (Int for UMD)
Drawback Sleepy: -2 vs sleep effects

SkillsCraft: Carpentry +7, Heal +7, Know Arcana +7, Know Nature +7, Know Planes +7, Profession: Herbalism +7, Spellcraft +7, UMD +7

LanguagesCommon, Grippli, Goblin, Draconic

SQJumper (Running start to Acrobatics Checks, Glider (Half falling distance, move horizontal = half distance fallen), Hex: Gift of
Consumption, Hex: Cauldron

Other GearAquarium Ball, Fishing line, Hook (4), backpack, a bedroll, a belt pouch, candles (10), chalk (10),a flint and steel, ink, an inkpen, an iron pot, a mess kit, soap, a spell component pouch, torches (10), trail rations (5 days), waterskin, Masterwork Boline (+2 Prof: Herbalism) Masterwork Healers chart (+2 Heal), Scroll box, Scroll: Air bubble (1) Comprehend Language (1) 34 GP
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Special Abilities
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Herb Lore (ex): Herb witches are masters of herbalism, and can use their herbs to duplicate many of the effects of alchemy, as well as
craft tinctures of their own. An herb witch can attempt a Profession (herbalist) check in place of any Craft (alchemy) check and gains a bonus on Profession (herbalist) checks equal to half her class level. In addition, herb witches are adept at brewing thick herbal cure-alls called remedies. An herb witch prepares her remedies while communing with her familiar and can prepare a number of remedies equal to 3 + her Intelligence modifier (minimum 1 remedy). A remedy becomes inert if it leaves the herb witch’s possession, reactivating as soon as it returns to her keeping. A witch can never have more remedies than 3 + her Intelligence modifier. As a standard action, the herb witch can administer a remedy to herself or a creature within reach. This consumes the remedy, and the herb witch attempts a Profession (herbalist) check against the save DC of any one disease or poison currently afflicting the consumer. If the check is successful, the effect immediately ends. If the disease or poison doesn’t allow saving throws, the remedy is ineffective.

An herb witch can also use a remedy to attempt to end the blinded, deafened, fatigued, nauseated, or sickened conditions. This requires a
Profession (herbalist) check with a DC equal to the spell or effect that caused the condition, or a DC 25 check if the condition was caused by an
effect that doesn’t allow for a saving throw. If successful, the condition ends. Only a single condition, disease, or poison can be removed with each application of a remedy.

Plague Patron

A low, throaty croak bellows from beneath a dirty canvas shawl which stirs from a slumped heap of slumber to an equally slumped heap rummaging for a pipe. If not for that rumbling groan, you might not have even noticed the warty, salt caked toad, as inconspicuous as a sack of refuse cast from the saloon next door.

"You're wunt sump'tin?" it grumbles up at you, bulbous yellow eyes blinking independently as it drags a sticky black smoke from a crumbling driftwood pipe. "Sumptin huuurtin?" A deeply purple bruise of a throat pouch ripples and swells with the lingering word.

The diminutive drifter shakily rises to splayed, webbed feet, shoulders hunched beneath canvas sackcloth rising no more than a foot an a half from peak to toe. You hear liquid sloshing faintly beneath the cloth as the amphibeous creature catches its unsteady footing.

"Come alung, I fix your huuurt good." He pauses, and for a moment theres a hungry gleam catching in the creatures eyes. "Bring coooin."

Rumlump Ruue may as well have never crawled from the mud as far as hes concerned, and good luck to anyone trying to convince him otherwise. His tribe, once a sprawling web of families minding the brackish mires of the central Mwangi Expanse, suffered heavy loss fleeing to the Kaava Lands where they now reside. A medicine man of a proud lineage, it seemed nothing could be done as fewer young were born year after year, until too few remained to care. The end of a family line, a plague had fallen, and no cure or power known to Clan Ruue could stave off the slow decay. A lifetime of wisdom could do little to save everything he ever knew.

Enough had been enough. Last remaining of his family, he took what little he had left and departed into the morning fog, taking the road all lost souls take when nothing left remains to anchor their life; the road to the sea.

His medicines, though unusual to those of a less toadly persuasion, proved effective enough to merit him the temporary tolerance of several merchant marine ships, and his small size kept him safely out of the way of the dangers partial to open waters. So, without a home, without a family to call his own, Rumlump drifts from port to port, sleeping in humid alleys, begging coin and curing what ails ya. Yet, beneath the surface lies the spark of anticipation. His life had suffered a great rot, this is true, but only through decay does the marsh give life. He waits now for that first bloom, that first breath of what next awaits him.

Rumlump is nothing to looks at, and he'd have it no other way. Barely standing a foot and a half at full height, the remarkably small toad boasts all the warts and leathery folds of the less intelligent tiny beasts, but with none of the charm. Thick rubbery lips often chew at the end of a driftwood pipe as strikingly yellow amphibious eyes blink lazily with no rhyme or reason. His complexion, a botched collage of muddy brown, algae green splotches and charcoal warts is broken only by the a brilliant purple bruise of a throat pouch which bulges and throbs when attempting to stymie his slurred attempts at Common tongue. Under the stained canvas sackcloth he calls a shawl, legs surprisingly powerful for one who spends to many hours asleep lay curled beneath squat mass.

His only companion, an ornery octopus hes taken to calling Slish, does his best to match the craggy and lackluster visage of its master, betraying its illustrious blue rings only when pertrubed; which these days is often.

Slumped, unassuming, wiling away the days until some new purpose strikes him on the squat nose; this is how Rumlump stays safe. Under foot is a dangerous place for a frog, but out of sight fits him just fine.

Lady Minerva Rosala, born in Cheliax into House Rosala. She was raised as a noble, A spoiled little rich girl, used to getting her own way. But the exact circumstances of her birth were not so noble.

Minerva’s mother was with child and was accompanying her husband on a discreet trade mission into the Shackles. The trip took longer than expected, and to avoid a pirate attack their ship ended up too close to the Eye of Abendego. The ship was tossed about in the raging storm but managed to pull through. It was during this storm that Minerva was born. The stories are told that the very Eye ceased when Minerva was born, allowing the ship to regain its course back to Westcrown.

Minerva grew up, never knowing the circumstances of her birth, but she always had a yearning for the sea. She would spend time at the docks, listening to the old sailors talk, hearing the tales told of pirates, and Naval officers that fought them.

At the age of 10 she was permitted on her first venture onto the sea. The ship’s name was “Imp’s Paradise” a small cutter, sturdy enough to go a good distance from shore. She learned the ropes of sailing and was getting the hang of it when suddenly a loose line gave way and the headsail caught the wind just right flailing about knocking Minerva into the sea.

By the time she was fished from the water, she was unconscious and not breathing. She was raced to Westcrown where she was taken to the healers. Minerva was presumed dead, but she managed to survive, but she was left scarred from the incident. A gash cut across her right eye leaving her partially blind in that eye.

As time went on after the incident, Minerva was different. Her connection to water was even stronger. Her family decided that she needed help, and it was requested that she be taken to a small temple on an island off the coast of Rahadoum near the port town of Botosani. Here Minerva learned the teachings of Besmara and the art of swordplay.

Upon completion of her training, Minerva was requested to remain at the temple, but her desire to be at sea was too great. She left the temple to return to Westcrown. There, she returned to her home only to find that House Rosala had fallen in status. Much of her father’s holdings had been transferred to House Thrune after her family’s warehouses were raided by a pirate flying under a Chelish flag. Wanting to restore her family’s holdings, Minerva looked to what she knew, the sea. She commandeered the last ship in port the family still owned. She set sail toward the Shackles following the charts her father had left detailing the trade agreements he had work on many years ago. She hoped to use her family name and call in old favors.

But as time passed since the first meeting her father had made, much had changed in the Shackles. Old contacts were no more, she had to now answer for debts her father had left, the pirates had swindled and stole large amounts of gold from House Rosala, raiding the warehouses and harassing merchant vessels, leaving them nearly broke. Minerva refused to accept her father’s failings as her own. She turned her small Chelaxian cutter into a pirate vessel, hunting down those that swindled her father and House Rosala, flying under the flag of a red rose over crossed sabers.

Her pirate career was very short lived, The Imp’s Paradise was attacked and taken as a prize by a group of pirate vessels known as “The Devil’s Own”, commanded by the frigate Tyrannous . Lady Minerva was pressed into service. Keeping her ancestry secret to avoid unnecessary ransoms that most likely could not be paid, especially considering the Captain that had taken her was none other than Arronax Endymion, the former Chelish Imperial Naval admiral; the very Captain that lead the pirates in betraying her family.

Lady Minerva managed to keep her heritage secret from her Captain, claiming the Chelish she commanded was captured as a prize. But each day she feared for her life, knowing that if he ever found out the truth, Arronax would kill her outright. Captain Arronax was the man that betrayed her father and raided her family’s assets in an effort to destroy House Thrune.

Minerva made her escape when the Tyrannous pulled into port Peril for a meeting of the Pirate Council. she soon found her way to the Formidably Maid, Minerva decided to seek out her former ship, she intends to retake the ship and find a way to get her revenge on Captain Arronax.

Female human (Chelaxian) cleric of Besmara 2/gunslinger*
CN Medium humanoid (human)
Init +3; Senses Perception +7
* VMC gunslinger
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Defense
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AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 10 (+3 Dex)
hp 13 (2d8)
Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +6
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee
. . dagger +4 (1d4/19-20) (+5 to hit ranged)
. . rapier +5 (1d6/18-20)
. . unarmed strike +4 (1d3 nonlethal)
Special Attacks channel positive energy 5/day (DC 13, 1d6)
Domain Spell-Like Abilities (CL 2nd; concentration +5)
. . 6/day—icicle (1d6+1 cold)
Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 2nd; concentration +5)
. . 1st—cause fear (DC 14), cure light wounds, obscuring mist[D], shield of faith
. . 0 (at will)—detect magic, mending, read magic, stabilize
. . D Domain spell; Domain Water
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Statistics
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Str 11, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 17, Cha 14
Base Atk +1; CMB +1; CMD 14
Feats Alertness, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (rapier)
Traits besmara’s blessing, cheat death
Skills
Acrobatics +4
Appraise +8
Climb +2
Diplomacy +6
Heal +7
Knowledge (nobility) +5
Knowledge (religion) +5
Perception +7
Profession (sailor) +9
Sense Motive +9
Swim +2
Languages Common, Polyglot
Gear
potion of cure light wounds (hidden in holy Symbol)
mwk armored coat[APG]
dagger (2)
rapier
backpack
bedroll
belt pouch
candle (5)
flint and steel
hemp rope (50 ft.)
holy symbol of Besmara with compartment[UE]
holy text (Besmara)[UE]
mess kit[UE]
signet ring (House Rosala)
soap
spell component pouch
4 sp, 5 cp
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Special Abilities
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Cleric Channel Positive Energy 1d6 (5/day, DC 13) (Su) Positive energy heals the living and harms the undead; negative has the reverse effect.
Cleric Domain (Water) Granted Powers: You can manipulate water and mist and ice, conjure creatures of water, and resist cold.
Empathic Link with Familiar (Su) You have an empathic link with your Arcane Familiar.
Familiar Bonus: +3 to Appraise checks You gain the Alertness feat while your familiar is within arm's reach.
Icicle 1d6+1 cold (6/day) (Sp) As a standard action, ranged touch attack deals cold dam to foe in 30 ft.
Share Spells with Familiar Can cast spells with a target of "You" on the familiar with a range of touch.

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Petunia
Female parrot (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide)
N Tiny magical beast (animal)
Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Perception +9
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Defense
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AC 15, touch 14, flat-footed 13 (+2 Dex, +1 natural, +2 size)
hp 6 (1d8-1)
Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +5
Defensive Abilities improved evasion
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Offense
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Speed 10 ft., fly 40 ft. (average)
Melee unarmed strike +5 (1 nonlethal) or
. . bite +5 (1d3-4)
Space 2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
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Statistics
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Str 2, Dex 15, Con 8, Int 9, Wis 15, Cha 7
Base Atk +1; CMB +1; CMD 7
Feats Skill Focus (Perception), Weapon Finesse
[b]Skills Acrobatics +6 (-2 to jump), Appraise +0, Climb +7, Diplomacy -1, Fly +6, Heal +3, Perception +9, Sense Motive +3, Swim +7
Languages Common
SQ empathic link
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Special Abilities
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Empathic Link (Su) You have an empathic link with your master.
Fly (40 feet, Average) You can fly!
Improved Evasion (Ex) No damage on successful reflex save; half on failed save.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color and detail.
Share Spells Spells with a target of "You" can be delivered by a familiar with a range of touch.

Nasifi is meant mainly for ranged combat, either bombs or crossbow. But she's an alchemist, so a good jack of all trades. She can backstop the party in skills, healing, traps and locks, and do some buffing.

I may consider a 1 or 2 level dip if it turns out she needs to up her combat game a little. Rogue or Swashbuckler could work to improve melee.

Her personality fit for the party would be as the clever one who thinks ahead, likes to plan for what's coming, and to keep things running smoothy. It isn't lost on me that she'd be a CG character in a crowd of CN characters. If that means what it usually means, she would be more team oriented, maybe a little "den motherly" if needed. But yeah, this is pirates so not overly stuffy or hectoring about things. A good rudder for the party I guess you could say. :)

Nasifi Calaso was born among the Mwangi neighborhoods surrounding the walls of Eleder, the capitol of Sargava. Her mother Abshir belonged to a Kalabuta family that had long lived in the area. They had for generations supplied labor and servants for Chelaxian colonials. Her father Faarax is from the Ijo fisher-folk living immediately north of the city on the coast. Her parents met, and then courted, walking into the city each day. Abshir ran a small bakery in the city. Faarax came to sell the day’s catch.
When they married, Faraax moved to live with Abshir near the city walls, rising very early each morning to walk back to the fishing boats. When she was old enough Nasifi would occasionally go with her father. Unlike her older sister, who had trouble with sea-sickness, Nasifi loved spending time out on the fishing boat, and the stories Faarax told about the sea.

Much more commonly she went with her mother and older sister to help out at the bakery. Nasifi came to alchemy through baking. Her mother was a baker of great artistry. As she taught the young Nasifi her craft, Abshir endlessly emphasized the mastery of fundamentals: exact proportions of ingredients, precision in timing and temperature. It was those things, Abshir said, that can make even the plain loaf of bread stand above the most delicious looking pastry or tart. “Baking is edible chymistry” Abshir asserted. Only after the fundamentals are mastered should one look to infuse baking with imagination, to follow one’s inspirations in creation. Nasifi is one hell of a baker as a result of her mother’s efforts.

In her teens Nasifi began looking beyond baking. She was very smart, and curious about what else in the world might follow similar rules. Using whatever texts or advice she could scrounge, Nasifi began taking her mother’s baking fundamentals, precise ratios of ingredients, careful application of heat, and exact timing, in other directions. Nasifi soon discovered she must have inherited some small spark of magic from someone among her ancestors. With practice she was able to move beyond mundane chymistry and herbalism to true alchemy.

Abshir died of a fever when Nasifi was seventeen. Her older sister Mosi, who had married by then, took over running the bakery. The place was not actually hers though. It was owned by a colonial man who left the place alone, except to come by occasionally to check the books and collect his profits. Nasifi did not want to continue working there, so she joined Sargava’s militia. The pay would be steady, and better than if she were a baker, especially since she would have to work in a colonial’s shop.

Her talents landed her a place as a sapper and grenadier, which is what she wanted. Nasifi had begun reaching the limits of what she could achieve with alchemy all by herself. At first she did learn quite a bit about the preparation and use of explosives, and she was delighted. But, before too long she found that the military was only interested in teaching her what they needed her to do, and exactly no more. Her career prospects in the militia were dim for other reasons as well. As a Mwangi, she could never become an officer.

Nasifi was perfectly willing to fight for Sargava against another Chelish invasion, treachery by the Free Captains, or Bandu raiders and slavers. She did in fact see some skirmishing against the Bandu. But as she learned more about Sargava outside the area around Eleder, she became troubled. More than anything the Sargavan militia was used internally against the increasingly restive Mwangi of the interior. It troubled her conscience as she became more aware that the colonists were not really trying to make a poor land something better. They, especially the families at the very top, were creaming off so much of a potentially wealthy land that everyone else, specifically the Mwangi, suffered.

After a little more than a year, Nasifi slipped away. Militia officers would call it desertion, but Nasifi didn’t see it that way. She had been conned into a contract that the Sargavan Militia had breached. She didn’t figure it was too serious anyway. If she stayed away for a couple of years nobody would even remember. There was some cachet in being a former officer among colonials, but not much in staying on for a career. Officers didn’t last long, and quality was low.

Nasifi went back to the coast to visit her father, who had moved back among the Ijo fishing boats after Abshir died. She told him she was taking some time away from Sargava to decide what to do next. She would try to earn enough money working aboard ships to study in another country. Thuvia was renowned by the quality of the alchemists it produced. If not that maybe something else, but regardless she would be back in a couple of years or maybe a little longer.

She went north to Crown’s End, where smugglers were common and red tape was not. She found a ship in need of a body and sailed north toward The Shackles. Over the next few months she became a Caydenite, although she had never thought much about religion before. She also began to wonder if what she has promised her father was actually true. She couldn’t see a future for Sargava that did not include much spilled blood, and she tired of trying to work out what her place there would be when that reckoning came.

My archaeologist bard Rojava gives some (appreciated?) advice in RotRL

Vigny my warpriest of Cayden Cailean argues with a party member in Jade Regent