Striding Into the Gates of Hell - a Wrath of the Righteous Campaign (Inactive)

Game Master Mark Sweetman

Insufferable Genius Though he doesn’t brag about his education directly, he can be argumentative about certain issues, particularly ones in which he feels he has superior knowledge. When arguing, whether philosophy or the next course of action to take, he makes his points with reason, but can sometimes refute his opponents in a way that belittles them.

I plan to play this as Theodric acting disinterested when some decisions are made, only to become animated and argue fiercely one way or another—I understand this is a cooperative game and I don’t intend to break up the group or bog things down with constant arguments. I just mean that if certain issues arise that Theodric is passionate about, religion, for example, he will give his opinions without regard for hurting another’s feelings. So if there is a preachy paladin in the party, Theodric will not simply accept everything he says as truth. Since Theodric is pretty anti-religion (though he acknowledges the existence and power of the gods), I think it could create some interesting RP opportunities in a place like Mendev.

Student of Philosophy Theodric delights in rhetoric and philosophical debate, the only type of “battle” he can win on a consistent basis.

Magical Knack Much like his other academic pursuits, Theodric took to arcane endeavors quickly and skillfully. If you want me to stick to the original flavor of the trait, you could say that he conversed with magically bound creatures while studying extraplanar beings (which I want to be his main focus).

Pride Drawback--As I’ve said, he’s prone to anger and impatience at the misunderstanding of his views and at any insults to (or ignoring of) his intelligence.

”What do I have to offer?” Gregori chuckles softly. ”I was raised in the church of Saranrae and trained in the ideals of Ragathiel. I was born in the light. I am filled with the light. In my hands, the light is both weapon and shield.”

”People follow me, honestly I couldn’t tell you why, but around me they feel…better, stronger, protected. As long as there is life in my body, there will be light beating back the darkness, burning away the shadows.”

”It’s what I do.”

Tania
Tania was the love of Gregori’s young life. Brilliant, beautiful and filled with a wild lust for life, she was unlike most of the other recruits of the order. From the moment he met her Gregori’s heart was lost.

Their ability resulted in them excelling in their training, becoming the leaders of the unit composed of the most promising recruits, trusted above the others because of their ability. Each made the other burn brighter, their love a thing of passion and intensity, making them stronger in battle rather than weaker.

For a time it felt like the perfect life. Love, purpose, duty. All that would end the day their squad found themselves facing the advancing column of a horde of orcs. With two of their number injured it fell to Gregori to get them a cross a narrow bridge while Tania held, blocking the path to their escape.

He still dreams about it, watching as they came, the first three bodies falling with ease, the fifth enemy slashing her before falling, the 6th landing a blow that left her shield arm hanging limp as he made it to the other end. He dumped his friends on the other side and turned in time to see the head leaving the shoulders of another as she looked back over her shoulder.

She smiled, a special smile she had only for him. Their eyes met, and in that moment he knew. He screamed as she cut the rope supporting the bridge, stranding herself on the other side as blades of her enemies entered her body. She smiled because she had saved him.

• What exactly was the cause of Rakeesh’s fall from grace?
  
• How do you reconcile his Guardian temperament with the sour and dour nature?
  
• How did he come to be a descendant of Ragathiel?
  

• How do you reconcile his extroverted and people oriented nature with a below average Charisma?
  
• The background suggests a deep connection to the earth, but he venerates the Sky Lord. How would you characterize the ley lines he taps into?
  
• What stake does Gozreh have here to speak directly to Orin and call him?

• Strangely enough… there actually is an ability for possessed by an emo angel… the Ritual of Possession in Chronicle of the Righteous. Is that something you’d be willing to consider? (specifics tweaked if selected)
  
• How did the taint to the bloodline come about (the devilish part)?
  
• Why was Asara bound and broken?

• How did a tribe of halflings survive in the harsh climes of the Realm of the Mammoth Lords?
  
• Why a leopard?

• I take that he is a follower of Calistria?
  
• What happened to Jill?

• How do you reconcile the Headstrong drawback with your melancholic temperament?
  
• To what purpose does he consume the sins of the fallen?
  
• You’ve taken the Armor of the Pit trait, but your skin is described as smooth?
  
• Given his ingrained hatred and pursuit of the servants of Baphomet… why does the vision of Ragathiel instruct him to hunt the servants of Deskari?

• Why do you see him going Inquisitor in the future?
  
• Does his father live? – if so where and what is he doing?
  
• How does he relate to other people? – is he a solemn loner, or are there certain types of people that he does engage with?

• Its not so much happy-faced optimism, but instead I envision more of a confidante and almost confessor-like position for her. She's the one anyone can talk to, who will never judge you. The faith of Groetus teaches that in the end, even multiverses have to die. Nothing can persist forever. To her, that is the ultimate call to relax, and face life in the moment. No consequence is truly eternal, no damnation can never be repealed.
  
• Creepily. I imagine her prayers to be half sing-sang and half talking to herself in a near-psychotic episode. Groetus doesn't really call for much in the way of ritual, and grants great leeway in his clerics (probably because being at least slightly deranged is enough of a price to pay ;) )

  Further, deeper worship is irregular. Usually when she encounters the demonic in strong force, and feels a "wrong apocalpyse" approaching. If that can be averted, she gives a kind of thanks that everything dies as it is supposed to die - in due time and with things settled or unsettled as they need to be. She sheds a measure of her own blood, and any willing participant,
  

• Wisdom is going to be strong for both mechanical reasons, and because I imagine her to have an intuitive insight into situations beyond her ability to really put into words. I also expect to put points into charisma and dexterity, maybe taking an int penalty to represent her problems with linear thinking.
  

• How did Melchesiech come across his familiar? – and is there anything of note about the hawk?
  
• Does he still worship Calistria? – or has he put that behind him for the now?
  
• Which languages will he know… and why?

• His first familiar was a scorpion, which served not only as his familiar but also as a prop in some of his trysts with Soumral. (He has a lot of very interesting scars, all of which are covered by his usual clothing.) After his change of heart and dismissal by Soumral, the strength of his tie with the scorpion suffered greatly due to his emotional turmoil, and he had no idea what to replace the scorpion with. However, a chance meeting with a member of the court of Queen Telandia Edasseril led to his receiving an egg from the queen's hawk familiar...sort of a tacit endorsement of his self-chosen mission from the highest levels. And, though he doesn't at the moment worship Ketephys, he thinks of himself in a way as a hunter of demonic prey.
  
• The worship of Calistria is something he's not emotionally able to handle at the moment; he's walled away that part of himself. He reveres Nethys as a patron of destructive magic, and because the god's dual nature is a thing he deals with himself.
  
• By the book, elves don't get a lot of choice in their additional languages. His book choices would be Draconic (because it's the closest thing to a language of magic) and Gnoll (since gnolls are among Lamashtu's favored ones); and if possible, he'd have learned Hallit (the preferred language of Mendev), and Abyssal (for obvious reasons).

Also, between the first and second posts, and after the second post, the character began to go off in a rather odd direction in my head (mostly because of further recollections of _The Iron Dragon's Daughter_ and how that interacts with the worship of Calistria). Although he's currently a Spock, he used to be a far more emotional individual, preferring to mix his pleasure with pain, both inflicting and receiving. (I don't know if you've read _The Iron Dragon's Daughter_, but one of the elflords there has some unusual uses for fishhooks...never described in detail, but given the reactions by those who encountered them they didn't really have to be.) His present asceticism brings him no particular joy; as noted before, what he enjoys most is mastering magic, particularly destructive magic, and he wants very much to bring that destruction to the creatures of the Abyss.

• Why did Aaliyah follow the words of the exile?
  
• What happened to her sisters?
  
• How did she get over her addiction to pesh milk?
  
• How were the Pactmasters convinced to not seek proper punishment against Aaliyah?

• What is in the letter? – and why was it given to a novice to carry?
  
• Is there a particular martial art that you envision Shou-Pu most closely following in his fighting style?
  
• Does he view his arrogance as a failing?

• Given Araevel’s vision… why did he only send his son?
  
• Does he follow the usual Kyonin elven philosophy and outlook?
  
• How did Vaenathis react and feel when his father essentially exiled him to the Worldwound?

• Why did his father flee the field of battle?
  
• How do you see Michael utilizing his detect evil and smite abilities? – is he a scan everyone sort of person, or would he need be given cause for suspicion before acting?

• Does Harrol have a beserk button? – if so, what triggers it.
  
• Why did the Knights of Ozem laugh him away? From Knights of the Inner Sea Adventurers who volunteer to join the Knights of Ozem are always welcome, as the order’s need is great and their threats ever-present.

• Does Lenn share any of Chaldira’s habit of getting in a little too deep and needing to be rescued?
  
• Apart from his appearance, does Lenn derive any other habits or expressions from his bralani heritage?

• Her patron is Demogorgon, who gives her power through the mask… yet there is a desire to reject your patron at some point. How would you view that affecting the tie to the mask and source of power?
  
• Given that Demogorgon isn’t part of Golarion canon – is your view of him identical to his presentation in D&D? – or are there some differences?
  
• If Maeve was chosen by the Storm King… who was her opponent? – and why would the Storm King have chosen such a lowly human to represent himself?
  
• Given the symbolism of the mask, I assume Vorlesh recognized it? – regardless, what relationship is there between Vorlesh / the Storm King and demogorgon?

Does his father live? – if so where and what is he doing? His father is alive, he is a Paladin of Iomedae serving in Kenabres on the Worldwound border. He is spending most of his time trying to recenter the garrisons focus on the Worldwound itself and less on the populace, though quietly as he doesn't want to be charged as a maleficar.

How does he relate to other people? – is he a solemn loner, or are there certain types of people that he does engage with? When Kaledin first meets people he is fairly lonerish, he remains reserved and on point. As he gets to know a group or person he loosens up, mostly around those who have similar outlooks or a empathetic enough to understand his outlook. Those he trusts completely are the only ones with whom he speaks of his inner most anxieties and troubles.

Strangely enough… there actually is an ability for possessed by an emo angel… the Ritual of Possession in Chronicle of the Righteous. Is that something you’d be willing to consider? (specifics tweaked if selected)

Sounds interesting. I'd have to take a look at it, but yes, it's definitely something that sounds interesting. I hadn't planned on Asara being anything but Fluff for quite a long time. The idea originally came about as a very brief playtest for the Mythic rules and I liked the idea of a Mythic character who's powers were from being a host to a powerful outsider. I really haven't planned that far ahead in terms of how to make the mechanics fit my theme. (you may remember that I have a bad habit of doing that) Any advice or tweaks you'd like to use are very welcome.

How did the taint to the bloodline come about (the devilish part)?
Kel's parents were both Tieflings, outcasts who found each other and were able to accept and love each other. They both died before being able to tell him which grandparents were demons, or what kind, or how it all came about. Kel is Devil-Spawn, but he doesn't really know that, and because he's a mix of two Tiefling lineages, he's a bit difficult to classify as one particular bloodline.

Why was Asara bound and broken?
She was supposed to be a weapon. There are a lot of very powerful deabolists out there. One of them (you can decide who, as best fits the plot) used Trap the Soul on a powerful celestial, and then used powerful magic and torture to warp her mind and essentially forced her to Fall from Grace. They stripped her of her body, reduced her to a broken and trapped soul and made her into something that can't exist without a host.

She's different from other Fallen though because, essentially, she was pushed. At it's most fundamental level, what happened to Asara was something akin to rape. It wasn't her fault or her choice, but she has so deeply internalized the pain and guilt and shame that it has changed who and what she is.

The whole ordeal was designed so that the bad guy was going to be able to bind a broken angel to somebody and that being bound to an evil soul would finish the process and create a very powerful soldier for the armies of hell. (this is kind of an extension of the whole antipaladin concept. The only thing Devils like more than killing good guys is turning them into bad guys)

She was being transported in a Crusade caravan, which Kel was helping to guard. In the chaos, Kel ended up trying to save the cargo, and accidentally made contact with Asara. She became bound to him, but because he isn't evil, the last shred of goodness in her wasn't destroyed.

Kel thinks that she was transported in a Crusade caravan because there is a traitor in the Crusade ranks, and getting Asara to the traitor would have given the traitor a huge increase in power. Instead, the Crusade's enemies inadvertently handed over their secret weapon to someone who now has a really good reason to get directly involved in the fight.

• Well, that's exactly what he also asked himself, once he had the time to think on the long, long voyage.
  I deliberately didn't state it in case you would like to enter some surprise there (he hasn't opened it after all), but I would have envisioned it along those lines:

  Dear Master De-Ming,
  I hope your mission goes well and the path to enlightenment became more clear. Around our parts everything goes is well and mostly unchanged, though it both saddens and delights me to inform you that old Master Shin finally passed over into Iro-Shus Realm. Her wisdom and compassion will be sorely missed.

  The bearer of this message is a promising young novice, but, as of the beginning of his journey, still far to hotblooded and outward focused, even somewhat arrogant, to continue on his path.
  I sincerely hope those months on the frozen planes of the north give him a chance to temper and find meaning in himself.
  In case that you require his service or believe you can guide him further, feel free to ask him to stay for a while. Otherwise let him return to Goka to continue his studies.

  Best Regards,
  Master Lu Pong-Chi
  

  So, yeah, not purely a task only to humble him, but also nothing more important than a courtesy letter. Nothing even a novice would have been required for, just sending it with some caravan would have probably been enough.

• 
  I have to admit that I'm far from an expert on Martial Art, but stylistic I would go with something along the lines of Taekwondo.
  So combining hand and foot techniques for more or less direct assault of the enemy.
  While the hands are usually held in a defensive position near the body to deflect incoming blows and to counter if the enemy opens himself, kicks are the main offense, used to get around the increased reach of weapon-users and keep up his mobility.
  Jumping kicks, especially against larger enemies, are common, flying kicks (aka moving while jumping) not.
  Other parts of the body or grappling are usually not utilized.

• 
  He himself still has a hard time even seeing himself as arrogant, for in his eyes he is just good (and subconsciously loves to be reassured of it by others). But the long journey did its intended part and gave him some first doubts. Thus at least self-awareness about his arrogance (as a bad thing) is likely to come soon, if he actually manages to overcome it is to be seen (kinda depends on the influence of the group/how (long) the adventure goes).
  His teachers at home did already see it as his greatest failing.
  

How do you reconcile his extroverted and people oriented nature with a below average Charisma?

Well for me your charisma score reflects how others see you, not how you see yourself. So I think it's possible to be cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, and confident and still be undiplomatic and not have any real leadership qualities (he's a nice guy with suspect credibility and you wouldn't let him lead you into battle). He is also unkempt, dirty and malodorous.

The background suggests a deep connection to the earth, but he venerates the Sky Lord. How would you characterize the ley lines he taps into?

Gozreh is a primordial God of Nature and the sky lord is just one aspect of his/her nature, so I would imagine that having a connection to the land shouldn't be a major issue. Also the earth related trait reflects an earlier point in Orin's life that shouldn't necessarily be negated by later events.

That being said, I see ley lines as lines of force that run around the planet, connecting all things and holding everything together. All things should be connect to them, sea, land and sky. I see Orin as able to feel these bands of power and tap into their power. Technically, there should be situations where that is impossible, but that would have to fall under your domain.

What stake does Gozreh have here to speak directly to Orin and call him?

Well as Gozreh is pretty much the only pure nature God in the pantheon, I imagine that he/she has a vested interest in preserving nature and preventing corruption and could see it calling out for champions. I would say that the worldwound is the greatest threat to the natural order in Golarion and I imagine that druids and priests of Erastil and Gozreh would be actively working to combat the demonic influence and to prevent the spread of their corruption.

As such, I wouldn't say the Orin is particularly special and the he is simply one of many who have answered the call. Whether he knows that is another matter.

Well, to tackle in order.

1)I realize I only sort of covered this, but it was basically a combination of feeling a genuine need to atone herself even though she really escaped 'official' punishment and a sense that she's really got nowhere better to go.

2) As far as she knows, they survived and were probably resold. Barring access to magic to find out otherwise, she really has no way of finding out the truth either.

3) Basically, she hasn't, and given that pesh milk spoils she's probably going to be forced to move on to raw pesh to feed that addiction. At the start of the campaign my intent is for it to be mild, whether she ends up getting off it or not will depend on a number of factors. Basically, right now she's at the "I don't have a problem" phases of addiction, and probably not yet far enough that anyone is willing to argue the point as long as she can keep off it during 'duty hours.'

EDIT: Also, the main reason she doesn't have any in her inventory is that I can't quite figure out how to get Hero Lab to enable Katapesh, and haven't added it since I haven't put in the few hours it will probably take to work out the bug.

4) How else does one evade the "judgment" of the pactmasters? Money changed hands, and in the end it was over one slave who may or may not be controllable. As long as she's not their problem and restitution has been met, they don't really seem like they'd care. It was probably done out of the personal fortunes of one lone priest of Saerenrae, who also gifted her with her holy symbol. While Aaliyah felt some resonance with the teachings of the Goddess, she's not entirely convinced her savior's belief in some kind of destiny isn't just proof that long hours "coning with the goddess" in the desert sun haven't finally addled his brain.

I saw the seven days thing but was hoping for a date, I guess that means Tuesdayish. Apparently you're also in GMT+8 so that's good.

How do you reconcile the Headstrong drawback with your melancholic temperament?

Not all of the melancholic type fits Ruarc. I've bolded the parts that do. The rest not so much.

Introverted and task-oriented. These characters can be extremely passionate and have high ideals. The intentions and longings found in this temperament are mainly to be mannerly and follow the rules and to see justice and goodness done, being the community's moral compass. These characters focus on the world of internal thought and the best way to apply those thoughts. Independent, courteous, organized, hard-working, analytical; but also a detached, neurotic, obsessive perfectionist whose insanely high standards can lead to depression. Rather than forgive, tendency to withdraw and brood; tendency to blame others, self, and "all of the above" — sometimes all at once. Prone to greed or gluttony. Often The Sneaky Guy or a very serious form of The Smart Guy. Can often hide in a sour shell and, if female, be a more brooding loner type Ice Queen, Dark Action Girl, Femme Fatale or Mysterious Woman. Those melancholics who have taken to lives of action can be the Byronic Hero or a Magnificent Bastard. I Work Alone may also come into play.

Unfairness and injustice are intolerable to Ruarc. Whenever he witnesses them, he feels compelled to act or speak out. When he's personally wronged, he requires appeasement—or revenge if he doesn't receive it.

So, while Ruarc is normally introverted, the one thing that's garaunteed to bring him out of his shell is unfairness/injustice. When he sees injustice his passion (read: anger at his own "unfair" life) and high ideals break through his introversion. So if he saw a man beating a little child he might just walk up and say a simple, "Hey." If the man didn't stop immediately he would probably just grab the guy and restrain him. So he's acting against the injustice, without being particularly vocal or outgoing. In the case of someone wronging him, he might not say anything (depends on the situation). He'd simply internalize it and hold a grudge until he was either appeased or he found a way to get back at them.

To what purpose does he consume the sins of the fallen?

Well there are two reasons. Ostensibly, to remove the sin from the world and prevent it from being reborn or the evil deads' souls from becoming demons in their afterlives. This is the reason Ragathiel wants him doing it.

The second reason is it makes him high, and it tastes wonderful to the Oni part in him. So it's a constant struggle for him to not give in and just start killing people indiscriminately and eating their sin.

You’ve taken the Armor of the Pit trait, but your skin is described as smooth?

Yes, smooth and golden (but not shiny). As in metallic. It's hard to the touch like metal (at least much harder than normal skin), and warm like flesh. I will add a better description of that in my appearance section.

Given his ingrained hatred and pursuit of the servants of Baphomet… why does the vision of Ragathiel instruct him to hunt the servants of Deskari?

Well, according to the Worldwound book Deskari is the head honcho and Baphomet is his underling/ally (thus he's included in servants of Deskari). So while Ruarc's personal grudge may be against Baphomet and his followers, Ragathiel can see the big picture. I can easily change the name to Baphomet if that works better for you.

****

If you have any other questions please let me know, I'll be happy to answer them.

After building this guy, I realised that Lacsar is sort of a Doc Holliday type character - learned, lethal, and driven by the disease that is slowly killing him.

Note: Cosmopolitan is not the most efficient use of a feat for an archer but I think it works well for demonstrating how educated he is and provides some useful team skills (gaining a couple of useful Know skills and speaking both Infernal and Abyssal). It makes sense to me that a Chelaxian hunter of outsiders would really know his prey.

Note: I'm not a fan of Rich Parents but to equip Lacsar well enough to make him a very competent bowman requires serious coin... and the 60GP max for a Monk character just wasn't making it. :) Also, the history of his Noble House producing fine archers seemed to dovetail well with the story as constructed. If you consider 'Rich Parents' a cheat, let me know and I'll choose another one while re-writing Lacsar as a pauperized noble.

Long, narrow fingers wrapped in a calf-skin glove swirl the wine goblet slowly. The pursed and motionless lips of the ornately decorated silver mask reveal little of the wearer's emotions. Only his dark eyes - active and discerning - are visible from behind it. The red hemmed white robes and bandage-like leper's shroud drapes over the tall, slender archer as he slightly lists in his chair - the portrait of a man wrestling with fatigue.

In answer to the Captain's question, the masked man produces a Harrow card from within his robes and flicks it across the table for the military man's inspection. It is the Fiend. The place where the demon's face should be is replaced with a ragged hole - the stamp made by a broadhead arrow and shaft. His warm, mild voice, echoes ever so slightly from behind the mask. "One arrow at 160 paces - more or less - at dusk in the Whisper Woods."

The Captain grunts, unimpressed, and flicks the card back. "Demons don't stand still waitin' on arrows to find them."

The crinkle around the masked man's eyes suggest a rye smile beneath the mask. "Neither did this one. This card was sewn to the chest of a Lemure - note the ichor stain on the back. It evaded me as best it could... But more than skill with a bow, I offer knowledge. I've studied my quarry. I know the ways of Demons and Devils. I know their weaknesses. And I know how to hunt them. I even speak their languages. Besides, Captain, you have little to lose. This disease will likely kill me before the Demons get their chance."

If you like the Leprosy idea, we need to figure out how far the disease has advanced and what permanent effects it may have. I left Lacsar with a base 10 CHA as I'm not a fan of min/maxing. You'll need to decide how much lower than that my character's CHA is hovering at currently. Feel free to put it as low as you like. So if my temporary CHA at the start of the game is 5 - no problem. I don't mind starting out at a disadvantage. Assuming Lacsar gets cured by Iomedae, we'll need to figure how much of that CHA comes back. According to the write up, "leprosy can permanently disfigure" yada yada yada. I interpret that to mean that you can choose to leave his CHA at some lower level. I have no objection to this. My only request is that IF you feel his CHA should receive a permanent ding, to not blow away my 25 point build parameter on a MAD class like Monk, I'd like to be able to tweak my build with that penalty in mind.... so if your plan is to have my CHA 10 'healed' with a final CHA of 8... I'd like to be able to build him with a CHA of 8 and put those points elsewhere. So the fluff would be he is 'Joe Average' in terms of CHA and the disease permanently disfigures him, even though I'd build him on the lower CHA 'end result'.

I'm happy to go with whatever decision you make even if it means my 25 point build really isn't one. I'm just making these suggestions for character parity and storyline considerations.

Crusade Worthiness. “I can certainly prove helpful. I am a healer by trade. No, my divine lord Abadar doesn’t grant me his power directly, but I can heal through bandages and mortar and pestle. I take pride in the vigilance of Abadar, and can keep watch long and reliably. And when it comes down to it, I can land an arrow with the best of them.”

Belongings and Wealth. With her olive skin, brown hair and brown eyes, it is obvious to most that Tauni is of Varisian descent. Further proof of this can be seen in the traditional, colorful scarf she wears about her shoulders and sometimes pulls over her head like a cowl. At first glance, her only weapon is a dagger at her side. But a closer look reveals that the handle of the bindle over her shoulder is an unstrung longbow, with a bundle that can easily be slide off of it if need be. Across her chest, she wears a bandolier or alchemical weapons, a gift from her mentor.

Tucked into her tunic are two very valuable items to her, wooden holy symbols of Desna and Abadar. The holy symbol of Desna is a gift from her parents, given when she was taken from them as the price to save her family. The holy symbol of Abadar is a gift from her gnomish mentor; it serves as a reminder of the long road she’s been on, her new faith and duties, and the new life she now has.

Skills Borne of Experience. The background in her profile gives more details, but her association with a travelling gnome healer and his guard have given her years of experience herself as a guard and healer.

Channel Divinity. Despite her Varisian upbringing, Tauni has found herself to be a follower of Abadar. Each morning upon rising, Tauni stands and faces the four cardinal directions (or her best guess of them) and watches for a minute in each, scanning for any threat or opportunity. When this is done, she takes an accounting of her material wealth, coins and goods alike. Once that is complete, she quietly prays in thanks to Abadar for the opportunities she has been given, the opportunities that have yet to come her way, the challenges that have made her strong and independent, and those to come that will make her stronger if she can overcome them.

#1: Her patron is Demogorgon, who gives her power through the mask… yet there is a desire to reject your patron at some point. How would you view that affecting the tie to the mask and source of power? As I said before, eventually I want Maeve to reject her patron. I see it as a slow process that builds over time and as Maeve becomes more and more decided, I see the mask and by implication Demogoron trying to manipulate her. Cause doubt where there was none, plant ideas via magic, or eventually deny or warp her spells in a way that she does not intent. Long term, I would like her new patron to be Vildeis. I think among the empyreal lord, Vildeis, The Cardinal Martyr and lord of devotion, sacrifice, and scars is the most suitable candidate. I would like to see a scene come about where perhaps she is attacked by her sister. During the battle the woman manages to cleave through Maeves mask, perhaps partially blinding her or giving her a wound that both sunders the mask and marrs her scar from her Patron. This also makes sense because followers of Demogorgon are prone to infighting. After the battle, Maeve would have her head wrapped in bandages that would be blood stained, similar in fact to the bloody wrappings worn by Vildeis. In time this would become her new mask. Her scars would also warp and become marked with celestial runes. At that point, I might want to switch patron lines to something more appropriate. I figured mechanically we could use the rules for retaining from "Ultimate Campaign". Endurance or Devotion would both seem fitting.

#2: Given that Demogorgon isn’t part of Golarion canon – is your view of him identical to his presentation in D&D? – or are there some differences? Demogorgon is specifically mentioned in two Pazio products. The "Book of the Damned Vol 2", on page 8 and the "Bestiary I" on page 56. Little however is mentioned about him aside from the title "The Maw of Madness". He does exist in Golarion, but he has yet to make any major appearances. (James Jacobs has stated that the reason why he has not appeared is because of such a large involvement during the Savage Tide AP) My personal thought is that he is likely waiting for the right moment to act. I specifically chose this Demon Lord because I felt that it would allow you as the DM to be able to bring in personal elements. I also like the dual nature of the creature and how it wars against its other self. I could see Demogorgon wanting to take advantage of any upsets in the status quo of the Worldwound. Because of this I pulled a lot of my information from Pazio's "Savage Tide" AP, rather than use wizards cannon. If I was selected we could talk more about how I see him. Pazio has not published at lot outside of the ST AP about him. We know that he is at war with both Orcus and Graz'zt. We know he is among the most powerful of the Demon Lords and that he is a planner. Unlike other demons he will set plans in motion that will take thousands of years to develop.

#3: If Maeve was chosen by the Storm King… who was her opponent? – and why would the Storm King have chosen such a lowly human to represent himself? A two part question and I will start with why the Storm King would select Maeve. There are several powerful reasons for why Maeve would have been selected, and each of them regardless of the outcome would have worked in the Storm Kings favor. In the scenario I provided there were two possible outcomes. A. Maeve survived and by dint would have forced the decision in his favor, or B. Maeve would have died, and inturn it would have denied Vorlesh access to one of her kin, who would have been used in a bid for her full ascension to demonhood. Either would have been a positive outcome and denied something important to a rival. By selecting such a weak opponent it forced Vorlesh to have to show her hand. Would she choose one of the Storm Kings strongest retainers and thereby show that she cared little for her ascension, or would she have chosen someone of weaker stature that might give a chance for Maeve to survive and later be used towards her goal? Ultimately for Vorlesh it was a catch 22, and the irony that such a weak woman would be able to play such a pivotal role gave the Storm King a bit of cruel amusement. As to how the Storm King learned that Maeve existed, I implied in my backstory that this was the doing of her Patron.

As to her opponent, Vorlesh selected from the Storm Kings retinue a tiefling scout named Arktul Taresh. The man was a skilled tracker and familiar with the Worldwound but relied on brute strength rather than ingenuity. Vorlesh also knew he was also addicted to Daemon Seed from her spies within Iz. This infact was what led to his eventual downfall, when his small cache of the drug ran out and he became blind from withdraw.

#4: Given the symbolism of the mask, I assume Vorlesh recognized it? – regardless, what relationship is there between Vorlesh / the Storm King and Demogorgon? Vorlesh is aware that Maeve's patron is Demogorgon and this is deeply troubling to the woman as her own patron is Deskari who is in turn the son of Pazuzu who Demogorgon has warred with in aeons past. Based on what I have read, I see within the Worldwound there exists a power structure that is carefully arrayed based on reputation, prestige and power. The two most powerful beings within the Worldwound are Khorramzadeh and Zuhra Aponavicius, I would rank Areelu Vorlesh slightly below the other two, but a true force in her own might. She commands one of the three major cities within the wound and inturn is acknowledged as the most powerful spellcaster within the area. The introduction of Demogorgon is worrisome to all of the other lords of the Worldwound. He has remained distant and far from the current events, but each knows that he can lay plans within plans that will stretch out for thousands of years. By marking Maeve and Sorkana as his followers, he forced Vorlesh to reconsider her situation. Simply killing them might rouse the anger of the Prince of Demons, but to do nothing might be just as disastrous. Furthermore when Maeve was selected, this placed Vorlesh to become more protective of Sorkana due to her personal greed. Vorlesh is however nothing if not intelligent and with almost unlimited resources at her behalf. She is mentioned as being a Witch 10 / demoniac 10 / archmage 8. The sheer amount of power the woman holds is staggering. Because of this, I think that Vorlesh would have done everything in her power to determine what Demogorgon was planning and either attempt to stop it, aid it or acquiesce depending on the outcome. Maeve on the other hand is young and while she's not stupid she knows that there are great and powerful forces that have taken an interest in her.

On the topic of the Storm King and his relationship to Vorlesh and Demogorgon, I intentionally left it hazy. There is no mention of what Demon Lord the Storm King follows, if any at all. Nor is there mention of the relationship between the Vorlesh and Khorramzadeh. We know that Vorlesh does handle the majority of the slave's within the Worldwound and that they are sometimes used as chattel for the Storm Lords armies. We also know she holds the favor of Deskari. Personally I see the two locked in a game of oneupmanship. Each has striven in their own way to control their holdings. Vorlesh knows that she will never truly be accepted by the demons until her ascension into their ranks is complete, and this is something that the Storm King would want to prevent. It would cause a huge swing in power towards her favor. As to Khorramzadeh relationship with Demogorgon, the Savage Tide AP does make mention of Balor named Dingoslat who was in service to Demogorgon. We know that other Balors have been in the Prince of Demons service before. Perhaps he has knowledge of Demogorgon that others within the Worldwound are unaware of. Demogorgon is know to work through proxies to accomplish his goals. It personally seems odd to me that a Balor, despite how powerful he is might be the true power within the Worldwound.

On a side note, I am planning to buy the pathfinder companion for the Worldwound to see what cannon specifically states as both Vorlesh and the Storm King are mentioned in the book, so I hope that you will forgive me for shooting from the hip here.

Although Araevel would probably not keep his vision a secret and would start trying to bring this matter to the attention of Kyonin's ruling powers, there were several reasons behind his decision to send only Vaenathis at this moment.
Firstly, to mobilise a large enough force, he would have to give adequate evidence why such a thing should be done, and Morathil's entire story is not known outside of House Konnal, for the change that came upon the sword after the witch's death could be viewed by more than a few elves as corruption, which would also mean a vision granted by it could very well be a deception. And until the veracity of it would be proven, precious time would be lost.
Secondly, Kyonin has its own enemies that are quite close by, such as Razmiran and the River Kingdoms, as well as the demons of Tanglebriar. Even were Araevel to convince the elven ruling powers of the importance of the danger at the Worldwound, it would still require some time and preparation on their part before sending a force there, so that their enemies do not see such an act as a sign of their defenses weakening and thus an opportunity to strike.
Thirdly, House Konnal does not have that large a number of battle-ready members and most of those that it does have are at the southern edge of the Fireani Forest. Withdrawing them would cause more than a few questions, not to mention more than its share of panic if they were also seen to depart Kyonin.
Finally, he also saw that just as the tide of darkness would rise, so too would champions of light. If he trusts his vision, he must trust all of it, not just the dark parts. Furthermore, he knows of the crusader city of Kenabres and its defenses and, unlike most of his elven brethren, he does not so easily disregard the younger races and what they can do in times of trouble.

Does he follow the usual Kyonin elven philosophy and outlook?

Although Vaenathis does possess the pride and general outlook that comes with belonging to a race that measures its lifespan in centuries rather than decades, he does not particularly share in their more isolationist philosophy or the disregard some or many of them seem to have for the "younger races", which is also the reason he finds Queen Telandia Edasseril with her progressive ways much to his liking as a ruler. Having been born and raised in Greengold, he has been around humans and dwarves and halflings and others most of his life and has found them to be just as interesting and capable as any elf. Mayor Selwyn Vanaidorl has visited his father on more than one occasion, less often to talk about politics and more often to play a game of chess or talk about philosophy over a glass of wine or two, and the talks Vaenathis has had with the Taldan man have helped shape the way he thinks of the world outside Kyonin and its many races.

How did Vaenathis react and feel when his father essentially exiled him to the Worldwound?

At first hearing what his father had to say, Vaenathis accepted the news with a certain disappointment, even though he did not show it, his usual control firmly in place. Nevertheless, it did sadden him, as he had just returned home and he was to leave again, and this time for so far away. However, he saw it in his father's expression and heard it in his voice; this was not a decision Araevel had taken lightly. He was chosen to go to a dangerous place far from home because his father knew both the importance of the task and the measure of his son's character and skill, a fact that was further made clear when he was presented with the Witch's Bane. And at that moment, though the sadness that he would have to leave his home behind still remained, Vaenathis also chose to see things differently and not see it as exile, at least not truly. He saw it as a way to make a difference, to help defend people against an evil not unlike the one plaguing his own homeland and to meet and overcome great challenges.

Michael doesn't know. His father never told anyone, including him. Iomedae never answered him either when he asked in his prayers -- because it's a test of Faith, and one that Michael is struggling with somewhat. He's still somewhat young and more than a little angry and he wants to know "why?"; once he accepts that whatever it was, Iomedae still favored his father and Her judgement in this matter should be enough for him, he'll be well on the way to finding his own path.

(NOTE: The lesson here isn't unquestioning obedience so much as "You may ask questions, but if I decline to answer, such is My prerogative, and your duty is to have faith in My reasons even when I don't share them with you." as well as an inversion of Doing Good Feels Good -- sometimes, doing the Right Thing comes at great personal cost and you may hate yourself for it, but it still needs to be done.

Yes, not entirely fair to the poor lad but as another LG deity is fond of saying, the hottest fires forge the strongest steel, and She needs Michael to be strong indeed -- because, well, Worldwound erupting, legions of demons breaking out... It's not going to be a good place to be if you only ever see black and white; She needs Her champions to be able to hold on to their faith even things go gray and murky all around them.)

My basic plan for Michael's development as a character (as opposed to development in terms of stats and levels) involves the realization that everyone has burdens to bear, and that you shouldn't let the chip on your shoulder get in the way of doing what's right; once he realizes that here he's not accountable for his father's actions he'll be able to make his peace with it, having grown stronger from the tempering. This may take some time; I fully encourage people calling him on it when he's being a sulk or a jerk as neither of them are very Paladin-like behaviors and he needs to snap out of them (and he will acknowledge his behavior as such and apologize if someone calls him on it).

2) The way the paladin variant of the Detect Evil ability is written, it indicates it takes him about as much time to scan as it takes to glance at someone, so I suspect he'd pretty much include the scan in the usual 'sizing someone up' glance people tend to give anyone they haven't met before.

That said, he's not the "See Evil, Smite Evil" Lawful Stupid variant of Paladin -- and he's very well aware that a single look rarely tells the whole story. Sure, detecting active malignant Evil on someone will put him on his guard, and if it's bad enough he'll challenge them to explain themselves (and/or surrender to judgement), but he's very much in favor of talking first, as long as no innocents are in danger.

3) Looking over the background again I realize I hadn't made it as clear as I thought that the current temperament is very largely due to Michael being in something of a low point in his life right now; The build I'm working on (when I'm home; I can't access my Hero Lab files from my work comp) has both the Natural Born Leader and the Ethical Leader traits picked. Note that even despite a social environment that could probably be best described as 'toxic' he did well enough to lead a squad...

Why did the Knights of Ozem laugh him away? From Knights of the Inner Sea Adventurers who volunteer to join the Knights of Ozem are always welcome, as the order’s need is great and their threats ever-present.
Acolyte Harrol isn't an adventurer. Hell, I'd go to say that the Harrol at the start of the adventure isn't an adventurer. Not yet. The Harrol that wants to join up is a civilian, and while the Knights were willing to take him on in the capacity of a stablehand, surgeon or healer, there's really no place for a knock-kneed halfling on the front lines.

The Paladin code of Iomedae in Faiths of Purity demands that her followers strive to emulate the goddess as the ultimate symbol of knightly virtue. But Harrol is far from a knight, he's a young, unlearned halfling that's greener than a blade of grass. It's something I really want to play up. While he can't spend his days campaigning for honour and glory, he can strive to emulate her in word and deed.

The only thing I'm adamant on is that this is his second pilgrimage and he has at least SOME medical and theological experience, however narrow. Whether or not they actually refused him or simply denied him access to the front lines I'm up in the air about. Something else, whether prophetic dreams, a sudden realization or watching his fellow acolytes flock to battle while he is cooped up in Vigil made it clear to him that his place was in Mendev, not Lastwall.

Jill probably just continued on with her life. She is Red hands Jill from the kingmaker adventure path. I was a playing in a the first three books of that campaign where she was a bandit, and we didn't kill her, and instead mad her our assassin.

Usually in our group when we write backstories, if there is snag or character in it who's fate isn't decided, whoever is GMing might have them appear in the Camp at some point.

On the note in your background – if selected I’m sure we can work something out.

Great, thanks.

Does Lenn share any of Chaldira’s habit of getting in a little too deep and needing to be rescued?

Some, but less than many Halfling adventurers might, due to habits consciously cultivated in order to survive in such an unforgiving locale.

Remembering the decimation of their guerilla band, the guiding outlook of his mother's generation is the (atypical for halflings) constant reminder of the need for caution. They teach of Desna with pure adoration. When they teach of Chalidra it's with love and respect, but also often as a cautionary tale. Unlike the traditional moral of his need for rescue being a showcase for his luck, Loredne teaches that no such rescue can be expected here in the Worldwound.

Lenn has had Loredne's (understandable) caution drilled into him since before he could crawl, but he's also inherited Emna's brave optimistism and Aestellon's wild passion, and he sees Chalidra's virtue more than his flaws.

In the end he reminds himself over and over, by force of will, that he must be cautious or face the consequences...but still too often finds himself getting lost in the thrill of sneaking into a cultist settlement, or the challenge of disabling a trapped lock -- betraying a nature with ties to Chalidra's recklessness curiosity beneath his learned caution.

Apart from his appearance, does Lenn derive any other habits or expressions from his bralani heritage?

In a way Aestellon's wild, Choleric Bralani intensity was an easy compliment to the Halflings' optimistic passion for discovery and newness. It's not a coincidence that the band made him an honorary Halfling. Many of Lenn's traits are simultaneously rooted in both sides of his heritage: his driving passion, his love for newness, and his tendency to live in the moment could easily be attributed to either Emna or Aestellon.

That said, there are a few traits that Loredne could clearly see Lenn got from his celestial grandfather. Most notably his Bralani heritage fuels his itch to test his skill against any lock (a desire that he'll constantly curb while he's in Mendeleev, lest it get him into trouble) and to test his stealth against the cultists and demons his family have otherwise avoided for a generation. And of course while his passion for intense experience may come from both sides, his taste for fiery abyssal chilies and other dubious plants native to the tainted Worldwound is distinctly Bralani.

One area where he's decidedly more Halfling than Bralani (and halfway between Loredne and Emna) is in battle, where he tends to be nervous, and much more cautious than ferocious...though it's possible that will change somewhat over time.

”Never heard of them? The Hammers are a special group of Torag’s faithful. Get special training to defend the faith and the Citadel. Torean’s one of the Spellbanes though, that’s a tough thing. Lots of the Hammers try for it, but not many of them can make it through the training. Aside from learning the faith and studying our enemies’ tactics, the Spellbane face trial by fire, literally. It’s their job to walk through whatever dark magic hell gets unleashed and still protect our hides. They say magic washes off them like dirty river water. And it better too. The Spellbanes get every sort of spell cast at them, trying to train their body and minds to resist the dark magic. Those who don’t make it...sometimes they don’t turn out so good.”

”Torean knows the dangers of dark magic better than anyone. His dad was killed by a sorceror-witch along with his whole patrol out in the Mindspin Mountains. Torean was in the patrol who found them. Horrible thing. They had fallen under some mind spell and started fighting each other. It looked like a few resisted it, but they were just mowed down by their mates. When word got back, a group of Spellbanes and Paladins set off and tracked the sorceror-witch down. Spellbanes can sniff out the spells and track ‘em like bloodhounds. He wasn’t any match for them. Whatever he tried to cast on them just washed away. They were the Hammers and the Paladins the Anvils. See why they like the name? Anyway, Torean signed up the next day. He was a little old to begin the training, but no one was getting in his way. Plus, his Uncle Boren is a Cleric of Torag. People say he pulled some strings for his nephew, but Torean went through the training like all the others. Came out on the other side and now he’s here with us. His dad would be proud.”

”Ah, hell here he comes now. Hey, if you’re a mage, you’d better not mention it. Torean don’t like any mages. Probably on account of his dad. Says Wizard magic will corrupt you.” Another Dwarf walks up. He’s clad in chainmail and a warhammer is slung on his back. He’s got rich brown hair hanging in dreadlocks and a full beard like all the dwarves here. You can see a sturdy chain with the symbol of Torag and a golden amulet shaped like a shield showing from under his beard. ”Are you sitting here yapping like a kobold with this one? All while we wait for the ales? Get over there and hand the boys some drink. They’re liable to start a fight in this place otherwise.” He kicks the other Dwarf, though not a drop of ale is spilled. The first Dwarf hurries off to the table and Torean eyes you for a long moment before he grunts. ”Yeah, I thought so.”

Torean is one of the the dwarven contingent from Janderhoff who has come to reenforce the Worldwound. The dwarves have a long memory and they have sent an advance group of soldiers in anticipation of a Fifth Crusade.

Choleric and Melancholic - Torean has been raised and trained in the highly ordered and dedicated dwarven society. He holds the traditional values and the rigid teachings of his people highly. He has also been trained to distrust arcane magic, resist it, and destroy those who use it for evil. These combine to makes him judgemental and naive, especially when it comes to using magic for good.

All Dwarves are the same - Mostly playing this straight, highlighting the distrust of magic and non-dwarves. I hope to lighten this up as the game goes and Torean learns that magic can be used just as much for good as evil. You will not, however, hear me use a Scottish accent and Torean can be fairly introspective.
Lawful Stupid - Will eventually subvert this one. Torean is initially going to fairly Lawful Stupid when it comes to arcane magic (see below). He only sees the corruption and destruction it can cause. In fact, the Worldwound is example #1 for him, since he assumes some idiot called the demons to the world in the first place. That the world placed its trust in the Wardstones and now they’ve failed is example #2 for him. It’s over the course of the AP and his experiences with good arcanists that will get him to open his eyes.
Magic is Evil - Arcane magic, specifically. Divine Magic is fine. Torean’s father was killed by an evil sorceror, and he’s devoted his life to overcoming spells like what took his father away. The whole core of his duty to protect against evil spellcasters. As with Lawful Stupid, he will grow here, but it will always be a part of him. Even when he respects and thinks highly of the spellcaster, he will still view it as playing with the most dangerous thing in the world.

Torean just stares at the man. ”You’re kidding, right?” He looks around at the other dwarves who made the journey with him from Janderhoff and then back at the man. ”Listen, fool. They call me Torean Spellbane. We’re not talking some weird plant here. I’m trained so that magic doesn’t affect me, hear? Mages don’t realize it until I’m grinning in their face and smashing their teeth with my hammer or cutting their fingers off with my axe. Both are good ways to stop a mage. Death magic, Fire, Mind control; it doesn’t matter. It’s all crap to me. Now, if you think you could use someone like that, how about you just mark me down on your paper there.”

Torean’s identity is wrapped up in his training to be one of the Torag’s magekillers. His duty is to protect his people from arcane magic. Normally, he wouldn't be venturing far from home, but the threat of the Worldwound is too much. So now instead of protecting Janderhoff, he’s been sent to help protect the world from the demons.

Torean stands about 4’ 2” with a full beard of deep brown hair, which also covers his head in long dreadlocks. He typically is seen with a warhammer which comes up to his chin and a battleaxe strapped to his belt. Both seem like they've seen some use, but are still new enough to belie the dwarf’s inexperience in true combat. As he walks through the staging area, Torean looks around all the larger races with a mix of contempt and distrust. However, it’s when he spots a pair of mages practicing their art that a snarl reaches his lips. He spits on the ground and walks away.

Torean bears his father’s protective amulet and his uncle’s holy symbol. He wears both on a chain around his neck, one of them being the Hammer of Torag and the other being a golden shield that his Father had worn for dozen of years. It was forged by one of the Master Dwarven smiths as a thank you to his father for a deed done in the past.

During Torean’s training, he studied tactics and the defense of the Sky Citadels. He understands and prepares for surprise attacks and unexpected shifts in the battle. Defensive Strategist. The second part of his training was for him to be able to fight and overcome the spells of his enemies. He was subjected to spell after spell, not to become accustomed to them, but to train his body and his mind to resist them. He was burned with magical fire, showered with mind-affecting enchantments, and even felt the chilling touch of death magic. Slowly over the years, his body and mind developed natural defenses above even those of other dwarves. Glory of Old Steel Soul

Torean worships Torag and draws his powers and spells as an Inquisitor from him. He prays to Torag each morning and before and after every battle to thank him for the protection he bestows on the Dwarven people.

To be more powerful (20 point buy) – tell me of your character’s personality and state which aspect of the Four Temperament Ensemble is closest to your character's outlook.

Leukine. Aduard tries to avoid extremes of emotions “Emotions are like a powerful horse - they’ll carry you further than you dreamed if you guide them, and dump you on the ground if you don’t”. He’s had a long and eventuful life, and he’s learned to moderate his responses. “Show a man your emotions and you show him your reigns.” He still feels emotion but he believes in controlling it when he’s acting in his military persona. When at home, away from the war - something not likely to happen - he tends towards Sanguine. When his family are in danger he tends towards Choleric. Religion sometimes berings out his early, Melancholic side.

To further hone your strength (25 point buy) – describe a few other tropes that apply to your character, and whether you play them straight or subvert them.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AFatherToHisMen: His primary trope. A good commander who takes a fatherly (or more grandfatherly) interest in his troops. Very Erastil, but with less sexism.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OldSoldier: He might be reincarnated but he’s a very, very old soldier. Reincarnation lost him some skills, but he is still very competent.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SympatheticMurderBackstory: More sympathetic torture backstory. This is important because he chose to walk away from his code to save the woman he loved. To do this he tortured a cultist. He can’t atone because he’d do it again. He knows it is a stain on his soul and regrets it was there, but he would still do it to save Rhyla.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheStoic: “When the boss panics, everyone panics”. He’ll do his best to keep his fear and pain understated.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TooHappyToLive subverted: He has an amazing home life in a wonderful village where everyone is happy.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HeroicSafeMode subverted: He understands the necessity to remain human.
To choose one’s class – state what you have to offer the crusade (imagine you were responding to a recruiter).
His head cocks slightly as he replies calmnly “What do I have to offer? Son, I’ve been a soldier for 37 years. I’ve led men, in the Worldwound, in a crusade. I’ve fought demons. I know tactics, strategy and logistics. I have more experience than damn near any human soldier, and I’ve got it in a body that hasn’t hit middle age. Give me a group of misfits and I’ll turn them into a unit. Give me a bunch of talented misfits and I’ll turn them into heroes.” a quirk at the side of his mouth might have been a smile “Also, I have my own horse and armour and you can stop paying my pension.”

To be a Cavalier / Cleric / Inquisitor / Paladin – ensure that you tie in your character’s personality and conduct to your code or deific edicts.
Code: Order of the Dragon. Edicts: The cavalier must remain loyal to his allies and must always work to further the aims of the group. He must protect his allies from harm and defend their honor when called into doubt.
As a military man he understands he has a certain loyalty to his forces, needs to obey the orders of his commanders and, most importantly, his troops are his children. He eats after they eat. He sleeps after they sleep. “If I expect them to follow me into hell, they have to expect I’ll get them out again.”

To gain belongings (average wealth for your character class) –tell me what your character looks like, and how they comport themselves.
Around thirty years old, but walks carefully and looks older somehow. His equipment may not look the greatest, and it may have seen some wear, but it is carefully maintained and every piece is chosen to do its job well.
Vaclav talks a little like an older man in a western (Son, damn, ain’t, etc). Vaclav is polite to people by default. Anything other than generic politeness means he likes you. If he doesn’t like you he’ll avoid you, sabotage you or kill you. Exception is when lecturing someone, at which point he will tend to good naturedly patronise them a bit. He knows he’s not the best at fast talking, and he’ll get a party face to do that if needed.
Vaclav is all about delegation.

To be richer still (max wealth for your character class) – describe one item you bear that was inherited from someone important to you, and how it came to be yours.
Vaclav’s grandchild Alexandryu had a shield designed when he went off to war. He spent a years wages on it. It is the only thing of Vaclav’s grandchildren to survive the war. Vaclav uses its insignia so to bring honour to the name of the man who didn’t have a chance to gain some of his own.

To have skills borne of experience (two traits) – weave the skills into the background that shapes your character.
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/traits/faith-traits/reincarnated. He’s been reincarnated - see background. While a chance to be young again is definitely a boon he’s still in love with a woman now far his senior. Needed reincarnation because I wanted a veteran of the second crusade and it was just too long ago for a human.
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/traits/regional-traits/demon-slayer. Fought demons in the second cursade.

To gain the bonus trait Channel Divinity below – state your patron deity and how you venerate them in daily life.
Not going to qualify. Patron deity is sort of Erastil, but Erastil isn’t a great fit. Vaclav does honour his committment to Erastil, but doesn’t really venerate him. As time has gone on, however, he has more and more become like Erastil. “Man spending all day on his knees whippin’ himself for his god - well, seems to me he’d be better off out in the world doing the things his god thinks needs doin’.”