With a Single Step (Inactive)

Game Master Bill Dunn

During his time at the school he had learned how to use every simple and martial weapon to their fullest ability however he liked how he could make people fall with certain weapons and decided to use only those weapons when he finally got out of school. He also was able to figure out how to get more flexibility out of every type of armor the school threw at him because of his knowledge of “useless” object his parents had taught him. He grew stronger than most of his other peers at the school and was quite proud of himself, so proud that when he came back home he thought that he could take care of his family and himself if anything were to happen.

Well that first day provided the challenge he was looking for, goblins attacked the town and his house was among those hit. He fought off two goblins but before too long he was overwhelmed. Each passing second felt like an eternity as he saw his parents slain before his very eyes. He knew his time had come and that his arrogance had been his undoing so he closed his eyes, laid down and hoped for a quick death. But as the eternities passed, he wasn’t dead nor did he feel any pain. When he opened his eyes he saw an elven female over the bodies of dead goblins. Then she turned to him and helped him up saying “I’m sorry I couldn’t get here sooner”. He blinked, stunned by what he had just heard thinking Who is this chick? After a moment longer he responded “If you hadn’t come at all I wouldn’t be here talking to you”. From that moment on he decided to follow her where ever she went hoping to repay the debt he now owes her for saving his life. Now that he has heard that she is going to be on this caravan he decided that he could follow in his parents footsteps and provide an engineers’ touch to make sure nothing falls apart.

As he grew older he would talk with Sandru about his life as a caravan guard and as an adventure. It filled William’s head with fantasies and a want of that life. Whenever William would ask Sandru about why he gave up adventuring Sandru always changed the subject, mostly with combat lessons. Sandru encouraged William to learn how to defend himself and William took that to heart learning how to use every type of weapon he got his hands on. Due to Williams’ small size as a kid he always would try to trip Sandru in their practice sessions using wooden weapons of the real thing. Every once in a while Sandru would fake tripping just to give William some encouragement and to keep William focused on combat training to never stop attacking until the opponent is dead, this was a concept that William learned very slowly as Sandru never died in their training.

When William came of age Sandru took him to the Rusty Dragon and bought him a celebratory drink. “To William for turning 15!” he bellowed to the whole tavern and everyone cheered and drank. William taking his first sip of ale ever, spat the drink back into his mug, coughing, he asked Sandru “What is this vile drink?” Then Ameiko piped up saying “Kid that is my best stuff if you don’t like it don’t buy it.” With that Sandru retorted “Give the kid a break Ameiko it was his first time drinking. Don’t worry William you will get used to it.” William replied. “Well you haven’t sent me down the wrong path before.” and took a giant swig of the drink. After he swallowed he coughed and everyone just laughed.

Three years later William set out on a journey hoping to achieve something similar to what Sandru told him in his youth.

These deeds are not simply written down and remembered, but displayed for all to see. It is customary for a member of the Mission of Gold, when on the road, to dye a strand of their mane with a colorful stripe whenever they live through an interesting experience. Seeing a new unique sight, for example, warrants a green stripe, while meeting a foreigner will allow a blue one. The proudest warriors of the tribe, slayers of would-be invaders and hostile beasts, bear a plethora of crimson stripes, while clever spellcasters mark themselves with purple, one strand for each spell learned. The more strands an individual bore, the more experiences they had lived through, and the more they would be revered.

One of these chiefs, a tall, proud male by the name of Oppacham, begat many children with several wives. One of them was Pacchu, a young male, full of energy and curiosity. Oppacham's many children filled him with pride, and Pacchu was no exception. Unlike many of his brothers who found talents in the staff or the axe, Pacchu proved to mirror his father's own enthusiasm for the art of archery.

As each of his children came of age, Oppacham would speak to them of the world outside the colony, and how they were to discover it if they desired to one day be a chief such as he. The other elders would do the same for their own progeny. The chiefs would pick several successors from deserving youth, both inside and outside their own family These children would be sent on a journey into the land of men, so that they may earn the many stripes that would bring them honor and authority.

Of course, not all of them would return. Some would find a life they enjoyed beyond the tribelands, or meet an unexpected end.

Still, Pacchu was not one to choose the easy life over the adventurous one. This was only made more true after he was chosen as a future leader not just by his father, but also by two other chiefs. After being painted with the white strand of those who chose to undertake the quest, he did as his father instructed while pointing to the northeastern sky:

"Go that way."

And so, Pacchu set out through the jungle, in search of lands unknown, sights unseen, and folk unmet.

He would prove himself a worthy successor when he returned, full of stripes and beautiful colors.

At first, his journey proved simple. One day, he would run into a group of explorers, make some friends, share a good meal and earn a blue stripe. The next, after slaying an agressive wolf in self defense, he would mix some of its blood with the red dye, and earn a mark of combat. The next day, perhaps, the discovery of a colony of rare birds might bring him a green one.

Still, going straight that was was proving to be rather uneventful, and though he ventured far and long, the stripes only added up so quickly. He needed something bigger, something more special.

As the road stretched forward, the jungle trees were soon replaced by their more temperate kin, and the juicy oranges and mangoes of his homeland were in turn replaced by sweet pears and apples, much to Pacchu's delights. (New flavors, new stripes, how wonderful.)

Until, one day, Pacchu broke out of the forest entirely, into a very big clearing. So big, in fact, that he couldn't see the trees on the other side. What an unusual sight!

He ventured through the open lands, meeting more men than he could ever believe existed. How far he had gone from home, he could not even tell. His quest to go "that way" would lead him to all kinds of unusual adventures, especially when he had to hitch a ride on something the humans called a "boat" in order to cross an astoundingly wide stream. (Pacchu would one day learn that the humans called such a thing "ocean".

Then, finally, one day, his journey brought him in the general vicinity of Sandpoint,

There, on the road to the quiet town, Pacchu encountered Sandru's caravan. Intrigued by the large convoy of humans, he agreed to follow them for a time, in exchange for pay, only to discover that they were not on the great adventure he had assumed they were one. He left on friendly terms, and with more than a few good bits of advice.

Pacchu has stopped for a few days' rest in Sandpoint, prepared to continue on "that way", but he does not expect that a much bigger opportunity is about to present itself.

A young Vanara in his prime, Pacchu appears ever energetic, grinning and chuckling as he leaps about. His fur, a deep burnt orange with just a touch of gold reflection, sways in the wind as he bounces from one branch to another. A mane of longer fur frames his face, strikingly decorated with several dyed strands. One striking white brand ornates the fringe at the top, while strands of blue, green, red and purple are interpersed about. The low number of dyed strands, as well as the lack of a second white strand, are something one familliar with his culture would recognize as the signs of one in the beginning steps of his coming of age journey. A long tail follows his every movement, swishing about the air as he leaps once more.

Pacchu prefers to wear simple clothing: Knee-length pants and an unbuttoned vest are all the clothing he chooses to wear, and he prefers to go barefoot, conserving the remarkable foot dexterity of his kin. Only one weapon can be seen on his person; a longbow, clearly handcarved from the branch of a solid tree.

An observant eye would notice that the fabric of his clothes are the wood of his bow do not match anything from the nearby region, further identifying the Vanara as originating from distant lands.

For you more visual people, picture a humanoid Golden Lion Tamarin.

Melee
Unarmed Strike +1 (1d6+1; B)
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Statistics
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Str 13; Dex 16; Con 12; Int 10; Wis 18; Cha8
Feats

• Point-Blank Shot
  
• Precise Shot (Zen Archer Bonus)

• Caravan Guard
  
• Wisdom in the Flesh(Climb) : The cities of the Golden Mission are built upon the canopies of very tall trees. As such, climbing quickly becomes second nature, instinct even, to their citizen.

• Low-Light Vision: A vanara can see twice as far as a human in dim light.
  
• Nimble: Vanaras have a +2 racial bonus on Acrobatics and Stealth checks.
  
• Prehensile Tail: A vanara has a long, flexible tail that she can use to carry objects. She cannot wield weapons with her tail, but the tail allows her to retrieve a small, stowed object carried on her

  person as a swift action.
  

• Flurry of Blows (Ex) : Starting at 1st level, a zen archer can make a flurry of blows as a full-attack action, but only when using a bow (even though it is a ranged weapon). He may not make a flurry

  of blows with his unarmed attacks or any other weapons. A zen archer does not apply his Strength bonus on damage rolls made with flurry of blows unless he is using a composite bow with a Strength rating.

  A zen archer’s flurry of blows otherwise functions as normal for a monk of his level.

  A zen archer cannot use Rapid Shot or Manyshot when making a flurry of blows with his bow.
  

• Perfect Strike (Ex) : At 1st level, a zen archer gains Perfect Strike as a bonus feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites. A zen archer can use Perfect Strike with any bow.
  
• Vow of Truth: The monk is not allowed to deliberately speak any lies, including bluffing, stating half-truths with the intent to deceive, exaggerating, telling white lies, and so on. This applies to all

  forms of communication. If presented with circumstances where telling the truth would bring harm to another, the monk remains silent. Many monks of this vow also take a vow of silence to show their

  commitment. A monk with this vow increases his ki pool by 1 ki point for every 5 monk levels (minimum +1).
  

• Acrobatics +9 (+10 to jumps, Racial +2 Bonus)
  
• Climb +16 (Wis instead of Dex because of wisdom in the flesh, Climb Speed (30)
  
• Perception +8
  
• Survival +8 (Student Survivalist)
  
• Stealth +9 (Racial +2 Bonus)
  

Fiendish blood, in rare cases, can lie dormant. Several generations can pass before it makes itself evident. Such was the case with Liera.

Born in Sandpoint to Chelaxian parents, Liera had a relatively normal childhood, even if she wasn’t quite a normal child. She was outgoing, friendly, eager to please. She looked just like her parents – smooth pale skin, straight black hair, a cunning smile. She seemed to lack empathy, but her parents decided that would develop in time.

As Liera grew older, her parents grew more and more worried. She would spend hours in the dark, saying she could ‘see better’ and ‘felt more comfortable’. She frightened small animals – not through any ill intent, but simply with her presence, as if they smelled something foul on her. And as she grew older, other children grew frightened – she ‘gave them the creeps’.

Liera still tried to be a normal child – it was just difficult when the others played in sunlight, while the shadows felt safer to her. And when not everybody had imaginary friends lurking in the darkness.

When she shifted from childhood to adolescence, it began to make more sense. When two small bumps formed on her forehead, and her spine began to lengthen into a tail, her parents started to panic. When they couldn’t keep the shameful truth hidden any longer, they abandoned their tiefling child in the nearby woods, and left Sandpoint for good.

Lost and alone, Liera wandered through the woods for days, following only the whispering in her mind. She ate roots and berries whenever she could find them, and stayed hungry when she couldn’t. She fell into a crude trap left (and presumably forgotten) by goblins, broke her arm, and kept wandering in pain. She found a rabbit, and would have eaten it in desperation, had it not stayed put as she approached. It was the first animal in her entire life to not flee as she approached. As she cautiously picked it up, she felt a strange stirring in the back of her mind, as if something had awakened – and it was then that she passed out.

When she came to, she was inside. A woman was leaning over her, tending her broken arm. Something soft and warm was at her side, and when she turned her head, she could just make out the rabbit she’d picked up. Healing magic was flowing through her body, and she let herself drift off again, not into unconsciousness, but restful sleep.

The woman, she learned next time she awoke, was Koya Vhiski, a local cleric. She’d passed out not far from Sandpoint, as it turned out, and Koya found her while gathering herbs. The rabbit had stayed with her, refusing to leave, even when the old woman tried shooing it away. She’d been out for three days, but would be fine in a couple more.

All alone in the world, Liera begged Koya to let her stay. After much begging and pleading (and a bit of encouragement from her adopted son, Sandru), Koya agreed. But the girl would have to earn her keep (Liera eagerly accepted). And the rabbit would be her own responsibility (she agreed immediately).

Finding a job was hard, but eventually, Liera found work at the Rusty Dragon, helping Ameiko serve meals and drinks. She got on well enough with Ameiko – she wouldn’t consider her a close friend, but she was a kind employer, and didn’t judge Liera based on her fiendish appearance. And she enjoyed living with Koya – the old woman was sweet and kind, and helped her develop her own magic power, which had awakened in the woods. While it was of a more sinister nature than her own, she taught the young tiefling to use it to her advantage, and to avoid the whispered temptations it brought with it.

And that’s the way it’s been for some years now.