Once Upon a Time in Golarion

Game Master vayelan

Things went south pretty quickly when the both of them hit puberty. Paval was about 15 years old when he and Elena fell in love. They had been close for a very long time and the closeness turned to clumsy, teenage romance before they, and those around them, realised. It was Paval's mother who broke the spell. Paval and Elena had the same father, Domani Surtova. They were brother and sister and what they were doing was wrong. What was more, he wasn't allowed to tell anyone that he knew.

Paval, a heartbroken teenage boy, of course could not keep it to himself. It wasn't long before the supposed rumours were suppressed and both Paval and his mother were moved out of the keep and into a house far away in New Stetven. Everything was paid for, house, food and Paval's education, but they were never to show their faces in Port Ice again.

Unbeknownst to his mother, their father or anyone else, Paval and Elena kept writing letters to each other. While the situation was rather awkward they had been friends since forever and were siblings as well. Elena would write about the situation in Port Ice while Paval wrote about his life in the big city.

Then, about a year after Paval left, the Vanishing happened. Cousin Noleski became king of Brevoy and Domani became lord of Port Ice. Paval's mother received a letter from Domani that now more than ever they had to keep their heads down. The new king wouldn't want a family scandal on his hands and he might just make their existence very painful if things got out. Shortly after letters from Elena seized coming for almost a year. When they did resume not the wording was different, more careful. Domani had discovered they were still in touch and had forbidden it so sending letters was riskier and Paval could no longer simply send them to the keep's kitchen, as he had done so far. Instead he had to send them to an inn within the city and he also had to find another place she could send her letters to. Things continued to go like that till the present day, though they switched addresses a few times since.

While all of that was going on Paval did not sit still. His education continued and while he missed Port Ice he did find the teachers in New Stetven better and friendlier. He learned a lot about the land he lived in and was particlarly intrigued by the stories of Rostland and it's sword lords. Through he discovered that he, through his mother's line, was a descendant of Rostland's swordlords. In fact, his grandfather had still been a renowned swordsman.

When Paval asked his mother about him she initially wouldn't say much. Her father had indeed been a great swordsman and a minor noble but that was it. When his mother wouldn't tell any more Paval found himself digging through archives. His grandfather had been a noble, even if minor, so his life and death would be recorded. He proved easy to find, Haval Aldaar, descendant of an impoverished branch of the Aldori clan that had found it's way back to nobility under the rule of Choral the Conqueror by betraying the clan. He had married young and had had four children. The entire family, except for the youngest daughter, had perished in what the record claimed was an accidental fire. The odd thing was that in the entire death record theirs were the only cases where the fire was specifically said to be accidental. When Paval confronted his mother with this she simply broke down and cried for hours.

Paval then travelled to Rostland, both to see the ruin of their small estate and to see if he could find more there. The ruin still stood there, blackened by flames and now colonized by plants and vermin. Looking for information in the closest town didn't yield much either. People ether didn't want to talk or were afraid to, only mumbling things under their breath. Eventually Paval found a single person willing to talk about his family. She was old and drunk and claimed to have lost a daughter in the fire, the estate's cook. According to her the fire had been set by a disgruntled student of Haval who had been angry after being kicked out he tried something with one of Haval's daughters and against her wishes. She didn't know who he was other than "some noble brat from up north". She also claimed the ruin was haunted by Haval's disgruntled spirit.

To Paval it all made sense now. The noble brat was a Surtova and his mother got her job as a nanny so far from home as compensation for her loss. She had taken it because she had nowhere else to go.Only the timeline of the "noble brat from up north" and his own birth didn't make sense, he couldn't be the brat's son. Besides, his mother claimed he was Domani's and he wouldn't have been a brat, not even back then. He simply was too old for that.

It was at that point that Paval decided he'd go to the ruin at night to see if he could contact this supposed ghost of his grandfather. It was his only hope of figuring out more.

Initially his trip into the ruin was quite unsuccessful. The rats wren't happy to see him, nor was the one homeless squatter that called it home, but none gave Paval any real trouble. The ghost did not appear though. Paval spend his entire night searching through the wreckage without any success, at least not where ghosts were concerned. What he did find was a sword. It was an old blade but it had kept quite well, protected by the piles of charred wood that laid on top of it.
Only when Paval tried to leave the ruins with the blade in his pack did the spirit show itself. Initially it lurched for Paval but then it stopped, mere inches away from him. It cocked it's head and give him a long, hard look before floating around him while making approving noises. Then, to Paval's shock, it hugged him, or at least attempted to, before introducing itself as Haval Aldaar, or gramps.

The two talked for hours on end. Paval asking his grandfather question about what had happened and about the past and his grandfather inquiring about the well being of his last surviving daughter. When dawn started pressing onto the horizon Paval expressed his dismay at having to leave for New Stetven, wishing he could bring his grandfather along. It was then the ghost offered him a deal. He could come along, bound to someone of his own blood, and offer his knowledge and help Paval with his sword training, which was abysmal according to the spirit. In return his grandfather simply wanted to see his daughter, see his line continued and to, if possible, reattain glory for the family. When asked whether he wanted vengeance for his family's death his dismissed it, leaving would be the best revenge. The culprit had also perished in the fire and his soul was still tied to the rubble. Paval agreed to the deal, without much hesitation, and the ghost launched itself into Paval, settling within his sword hand.

Since then his grandfather's ghost has provided Paval with stories about the past by writing them out. It would also correct him when he argued with his mother, slapping him in the face once she was out of sight and refusing to tell more before he apologized.

How do you imagine she came to Brevoy after fleeing Taldor? There's quite a distance.

Does she know anyone on Brevoy or does she have any reasons to expect to be chosen for the Reclamation?

Is she a bit haughty and arrogant like many nobles? What's your plan for her personality?

As for the crunch I may allow a 7 but I may ask you to make a few changes if Lelouch geets in if you don't mind.

I think it would depend on the criminals. As long as they weren't the type who brutalized or raped or killed those they stole from, there would be a possibility.

In any case, Ahto would certainly voice his objections to such plans initially, and the other characters may have to present a reasonable argument as to why this would be the best course of action. Assuming they do so, he would go along with it, but grumbling all the way.

Don't be surprised if, once the cooperation is no longer necessary, Ahto attempts to intimidate or threaten the former ally/allies into walking the straight and narrow path from then on.

He would most likely warn them that their cooperation did not give them a free pass to continue lawless behavior, and that he would have no compunctions about carrying out the sentence.

Have you already got any plans about her personality abd how to RP her?

Do you have any plans about his personality?

As for being of his own ideals, he's not a religious person. You could yourself decide which god/goddess is giving him his powers, but he's not religious and has no intention of ever being religious. He's a very self-sufficient guy.

He's more a Warlock than anything else, but considering Pathfinder doesn't allow me to do what I wanted fully with him, Cleric was the best option. I looked at Bard but they don't have Command or Murderous Command on their Spell List and I could see no way of getting them on there. I then wanted Lesser Geas on his Spell List, but only Bards get that, so that wasn't possible, but because he's support but also a Leader who leads from the back with great strategy, Cleric was best for me due to the Channeling, ability to sacrifice prepared spells to spontaneously heal party members and although Lesser Geas would have been perfect, I've instead got Command and Murderous Command so he can command enemies to run away or kill each other. He's a very clever character. I played him once in one tabletop session and he worked amazingly well.

So although he's a Cleric, his concept isn't, which is one of the reasons why he's not religious. If a class existed that allowed me to speak commands and gave me access to the three spells above, I'd go with that. I guess though in a sense, it's better to look at him as how a Ranger gets their spells. They aren't religious, but they have access to a Divine Spell List. That's all the Cleric spell list does for him. It gives him access to these abilities, but he's not religious.

As for me as a player - I always make different characters. I never go with basic clichéd types, so some of my Clerics do have gods that they recognise while others have divine power but don't know where that power originated from. They just developed these powers seemingly out of nowhere and while some are interested in finding the source of said power, Lelouch isn't one of those people.

He's a very ambitious person that uses his powers to accomplish his goals and great ambitions, with little care as to where they came from. He's arrogant in thought, but is outwardly very polite and values the importance of his companions.

Anyway, I'm not expecting him to make it into the game. He's just a character I've wanted to play fully for years and haven't had the chance to, so great if he makes it, but if not I'll just have to keep waiting until someone is cool with him/likes the idea.

So, she joined the carnival and its travels, as could be expected, have taken her to Restov. The reclamation speaks to her, because she always imagined that the elves come from wild places, and so she joined the group headed out, not quite admitting to herself that she is still seeking her father.

Tzerny, on his part, has said nothing about her fool's errand, and is content to let her wander into the woods. She'll be sure to learn about what it means to be a witch when she no longer has society telling her what she must do.

Regarding her personality, Nevinia is naive and kindhearted by nature. She is not brash, nor forceful. She often seems wistful and prone to flights of fancy. Despite this, she is not some delicate flower, and quietly will do whatever is necessary to survive. She tends not to like violence, but understands when what must be done, is done. She bears the air of a maiden who is just beginning to show the strength of matronliness.

Tzerny, on the contrary, is gluttonous, jaded, and crotchety. He does half the negotiation for the two of them, always with an eye toward claiming more of the pie for himself. He regularly drops hints that he knows more about what's going on than he lets on, but whether he's truly that wise, or if it's all just a show, is hard to discern. One thing's for certain, he's a lot older than he appears to be. He was a familiar for a witch before Nevinia, after all.

As for his skills in subterfuge, those mostly come from delving archives. Many of the things he discovered about his grandfather came from New Stetven's royal archives, a place he isn't allowed to be.

So no, he isn't a thief in that he doesn't really steal but he does use his skills to reach places he isn't allowed to be. From there he gathers knowledge, though he leaves the books and ledgers where they are.

As for the sleight of hand, I intend to play him as a fan of parlor tricks, and artefact from his youth. He'll probably end up playing the occasional shell game with other people with his hand sometimes pulling a fast one on him.

EDIT: As for the Rogue's kit among his gear. Most things in there make no sense for him to have under normal circumstances but I figure he'd get what he doesn't already have when he prepares for the expedition.

Str (18) Dex (14) Con (13) Int (8) Wis (12) Cha (12) HP (12) AC (16/12/14) Saves (+5/+6/+3) Movement (30ft)

Combat
To hit: +4/+5
Damage: 2d4+9/+10 (18-20 crit)

Traits
* Fates Favored
* Armor Expert (-1ACP)

Feats
* Power Attack

Skills
* Perception: 1 skill point (+5)
* Stealth: 1 skill point (+6)
* Survival: 1 skill point (+5/+6)
* Bluff: 1 skill point (+5)
* Intimidate: (+3)

Equipment
* Falchion
* Cold Iron Gauntlet
* Shortbow with 40 arrows
* Studded leather with armored kilt
* Fighter's Kit
* 15gc

Class
* Track (A slayer adds 1/2 his level (minimum 1) to Survival skill checks made to follow tracks.)
* Studied Target (A slayer can study an opponent he can see as a move action. The slayer then gains a +1 bonus on Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival checks attempted against that opponent, and a +1 bonus on weapon attack and damage rolls against it. The DCs of slayer class abilities against that opponent increase by 1. A slayer can only maintain these bonuses against one opponent at a time; these bonuses remain in effect until either the opponent is dead or picks a new target)

He found that his place among men was roughly the same, only with less violence towards him (usually). With very few skills and even less of an ability to learn, he fell in with a group of bandits who were all too happy to put his brawn and survival skills to use. They named him Sams, stating that 'he was human now and had to act it.' After months of slim pickings and fleeing from well armed merchants, the group decided that they needed an easy target. The fools chose very wrong. They died and Sams was captured. With the choice of execution or being at the bottom of a new totem pole, the choice was an easy one.

What few know though is that Grundar, or Sams as he is known now, has always played the role of the fool to survive. But if given the chance he could be so much more.

I'll read through the IC thread now to see if I can find what Sams did before being captured and see if I can work that into the idea.

Feats: Fast Learner, Weapon Focus: Longsword, Additional Traits
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/racial-feats/fast-learner-human/
If fast learner or additional traits isn’t something you are happy with I’ll probably take Toughness or Iron Will

Skills: 6=2/Base+2/Int+1/Human+1/Favoured Class

Climb 1=1+3+3-6
Intimidate 5=1+1+3
Perception 5=1+0+3+1
Profession: Soldier 4=1+0+3
Survival 4=1+0+3
Swim -1=1+3+3-6

Equipment: Cold Iron Longsword, Shortbow, Arrows (20), Scale Mail, Armored Kilt, Heavy Wooden Shield, Fighters Kit, Fishing Kit, Small Tent, Bear Trap,Coffee Beans (5lbs), Signal Horn, Shield Sconce, Twine (50ft), Rope (50ft), Crowbar, Club, Cold Iron Dagger
148lbs= Medium Encumbrance
Money: 5gp 4sp 4cp

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OFFENSE
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Speed 40 ft., Fast Movement
Melee greatsword +5 (2d6+6/19-20)

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STATISTICS
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Str 18, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 12
Base Atk +1; CMB +5; CMD 17
Feats Aspect of the Beast (Wild Instinct) APG, Power Attack
Skills
*Climb +7 (+1 rank, +3 class, +4 STR, -1 ACP)
*Intimidate +6 (+1 rank, +3 class, +1 CHA, +1 trait)
*Perception +4 (+1 rank, +3 class, +0 WIS)
*Survival +6 (+1 rank, +3 class, +0 WIS, +2 feat
Traits Bandit PotR, Brigand
Languages Common, Hallit
Other Gear greatsword, outfit (traveler's), studded leather, barbarian's kit, 21.0 gp
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SPECIAL ABILITIES
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Bandit (Region) Your reputation as a bandit, along with your marks of shame, strike fear into the hearts of others. You gain a +1 trait bonus on intimidate checks, and it is always a class skill for you.

Brigand (Campaign) You were shamed and exiled from your community for killing your brother, leaving you to join a band of bandits. You know how to ambush travelers, bully traders, avoid the law, and camp where no one might find you. Life was pretty slow yet fair until a group of adventurers setting out into the wilderness captured you and forced you to become their indentured servitor. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sense Motive checks when dealing with brigands, thieves, bandits, and their ilk.

Fast Movement (Ex) Your land speed is faster than the norm for your race by +10 feet. This benefit applies only when you are wearing no armor, light armor, or medium armor, and not carrying a heavy load.

Shifting Rage (Su) A mooncursed can call upon an animal totem or inner curse, transforming him into a savage beast. When using rounds of his shifting rage, instead of the usual bonuses and penalties from rage, the mooncursed transforms into a Medium bear's form as if under the influence of beast shape I, treating his class level as her caster level whenever relevant. Other aspects of rage aside from the bonuses and penalties, such as the skill restrictions on skills and effects that require concentration, still apply during a shifting rage.

Surprisingly, Sams has a very happy-go-lucky attitude; according to him, he was already at his worst, and life can only change from the better from then on. He didn't for a moment have doubts about his occupation as a bandit, and is excited to see where his adventurer "owners" will take him next.

The village sages convened to select the Shaman's successor. It has to be someone with a deep connection to the spirit animal; one who exhibited the bear's traits and could prove himself a worthy spiritual leader. Sams was certain he will receive the honourable position, as he was the embodiment of the bear, born with his blessing and renowned for resembling him physically and mentally. However, the sages chose Simon as the next Shaman: he was more fit to be the village's spiritual leader and bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds.

Sams was furious. He couldn't bear the thought that his younger brother, the weak and elitist, would trump him and become the leader. That is why, one day before he was to be anointed, Samson took his brother on a hunting trip in the woods. He led him to a dire bear's lair, threw him inside and ran away as the creature tore his brother apart. Understanding what he'd just done, Sams hid in a cave, but the spirit of the Bear manifested before him and punished him: he was to bear several deformities, marks of shame to make his crime known to all; he was never to return to his village, or bears will kill him and the entirety of the village's population; and lastly, the spirit left a piece of itself as a curse within Samson: in times of great stress or rage, he will transform into a bear himself.

Devastated, ashamed of himself and without anywhere to go to, Samson decided to roam the River Kingdoms. An opportune encounter saved him from death: a group of bandits, which he managed to overpower. They invited him to join their band, and with no other choice, Sams agreed. As the years passed, Sams became used to life as a bandit. It provided food, something to pass the time with, luxuries, and a proper use for his brawn. Life was supposed to continue until retirement, but it was cut short by a group of adventurers, setting out to explore and settle the wilderness. They agreed to spare Sams' life, as long as he'd enter "indentured servitude" beneath them. Now Sams finally has a chance to do something interesting with his life, turn his curse to a positive cause, and maybe one day repent for his deeds.