Seas of Blood: Skull & Shackles

Game Master Darth Maximus

When he was 5 years old, he lost both his parents to the Beast of Bloodcove, a froghemoth of immense size who killed 204 victims before being eventually killed. When the Aspis’s debt collectors came to his home and found him almost starved a week later, he was taken to the city along with everything the Aspis’s agents were able to pilfer and sold as a slave as soon as he was healthy again. His first master was Kargal Nucc, an incredibly fat half-orc who traded on hallucinogenic and poisonous mushrooms. Baolus’s job was to clean him, for his size was too big for him to move towards the latrine. Luckily for him, Kargal died a year later of a heart attack.

Baolus enjoyed a couple months of freedom before he was captured by Bekyars of the Bandu tribe. He was then brought to Neruma and sold to Cousotta Shald, the city ruler. Along the next five years, Baolus was sold again and again to different owners, always returning after the death of each one, even if he had part in any of the deaths… one simply choke with a chicken bone, other died at the sea, and so on. When Baolus returned to Shald for the fifth time, she finally sent him to Port Peril having sold him to a slave ship with the distant Okeno in Katapesh, imagining that the boy was cursed or something like this. In truth, he was equally lucky and unlucky.

At 14 years old, while sailing around the Devil’s Arches island, the ship that held Baolus was attacked by the Seagull, Captain Tarrian Limberth’s ship and when he was given the opportunity to join the crew, he did not think twice, for he would be ‘free’ for the first time in many years. In truth, Baolus was far from free, but at least he was getting something from his work. With the pirates of the Seagull Baolus learned how to work on a ship and how to fight, even if no one was willing to teach him. He fought the way he could… using his fists, boarding pikes, fish knives, knotted ropes, grappling hooks and even an oar and an anchor! There were no rules and only one goal: to live.

Since then, Baolus had served under a couple other different pirate captains. He has grown into a large man, even if he never had really learned the fine arts of more civilized weapons. And he is actually proud of it, for his opponents are often caught off-guard when facing him. Currently Baolus is unemployed and just arrived back in Port Peril after having smuggled himself aboard a merchant ship that had anchored in the island he was marooned to wait for a storm to pass. He was really lucky. Now, with a bottle in his hand, he is simply looking for a table at the Formidable Maid tavern, even if it looks like a brawl is about to start…

Baolus is a practical and systematic man, even if with a sometimes a soft heart. He knows all too well how it is to have nothing in his stomach and not a roof to sleep under so he tries to help those in need when he can spare a coin.

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DEFENSE
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AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 13 (+3 armor, +2 Dex)
hp 11 (1d8+3)
Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +2

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OFFENSE
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee boarding pike +3 (1d8+4/x3) or
Melee dagger +3 (1d4+3/19-20) or
Melee brass knuckles +3 (1d3+4) or
Melee unarmed strike +3 (1d6+3) or
Melee improvised weapon +5 (xdx+4/+5)
Ranged dagger +2 (1d4+3/19-20, 10 ft) or
Ranged improvised weapon +4 (xdx+4/+5, 10 ft)
Special Attacks sneak attack +1d6

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STATISTICS
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Str 16 (+3), Dex 15 (+2), Con 14 (+2), Int 10 (+0), Wis 14 (+2), Cha 8 (-1)
Base Atk +0; CMB +3; CMD 15
Feats
H: Dirty Fighting
1: Unarmed Combatant
R: Catch Off-Guard
R: Deft Maneuvers
Skills 8 ranks; 2 background
Acrobatics +5 (1 rank, 3 class skill, 2 Dex, -1 ACP)
Bluff +3 (1 rank, 3 class skill, -1 Cha)
Climb +6 (1 rank, 3 class skill, 3 Str, -1 ACP)
Disable Device +7 (1 rank, 3 class skill, 2 Dex, +2 circumstance, -1 ACP)
Escape Artist +5 (1 rank, 3 class, 2 Dex, -1 ACP)
Perception +6 (1 rank, 3 class skill, 2 Wis)
Profession (sailor) +6 (1 rank, 3 class skill, 2 Wis)
Sleight of Hand +5 (1 rank, 3 class skill, 2 Dex, -1 ACP)
Stealth +5 (1 rank, 3 class skill, 2 Dex, -1 ACP)
Swim +6 (1 rank, 3 class skill, 3 Str, -1 ACP)
-1 Armor Class Penalty
Traits Dockside Brawler, Surprise Weapon
Languages Common, Polyglot
SQ aquatic ancestry, improvised weapons

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EQUIPMENT
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Weapons boarding pike, brass knuckle, dagger [3]
Worn bandolier, hide shirt, pocketed scarf
Slotted Items -
Wands, Rods, Etc -
Backpack concealable thieves' tools, grappling hook, rope [50ft]
-Consumables: none
Belt Pouch 4 gp, 5 sp

Race: Human

Classes/Levels : Alchemist 1

Gender F

Size F

Age 30

Special Abilities :

Alignment: CN(G)

Deity : Besmara

Location : In Trouble

Languages : Common

Occupation : Cook, Stitcher, put upon mother figure

Strength 10
Dexterity 14 (+2)
Constitution 14 (+2)
Intelligence 16 (+3)
Wisdom 14 (+2)
Charisma 10
Height: 5'6" Weight: Secret Hair: Brown Eyes: Brown
Favored Class: Alchemist (Skill)
EXP:
Hit Points: 10
Spd: 30
Init: +8
AC: (armor shield)/Touch /FF )
BAB: +0
CMB:
CMD:
Saves: Fort +4 Ref +4 Will +2

Weapons:

Skills: 9/level (4 Class 3 Int 1 Human 1 FCB)
Perception (1+2+3) 6
Heal (1+2+3+1 Trait) 7
Swim (1) 1
Disable Device (1+2+3) 6
Knowledge-Nature (1+3+3) 7
Knowledge-Arcana (1+3+3) 7
Spellcraft (1+3+3) 7
Sleight of Hand (1+2+3) 6
Craft-Carpentry (1+3+3+1 Trait) 8

Background Skills 2/Level
Profession-Sailor (1+2) 3
Profession-Cook (1+2) 3

Feats:Precise Shot,(No penalty firinginto melee)Improved Initiative(+4 Init)
Traits:Ship's Surgeon(+1 Heal and Craft:Carpentry),Reactionary (+2 Init)
Special Abilities:Alchemy (+1/Level to alchemy skill), Bomb (1d6+3 Fire 4 Splash DC 14 4/Day)
Brew Potion
Mutagen ( 10 Minutes +2 Natural Armor, +4 Chosen Stat -2 Penalty Stat)
Throw Anything (Int bonus to splash weapons)

Extracts per day 2/////
Known
1. (14) Cure Light Wounds,Touch of the Sea,Monkey Fish,Disguise Self,Obscure Poison,Shield
2 (15)
3 (16)
4 (17)

Prepared
1.Empty.Empty
2
3.
Equipment
Healer's Kit

Description:Liz looks older than her 30 or so years .Overweight, with a face that always looks tired and unkempt hair. She looks quite
jaded and tired like one who has come tor resentful terms with the death of their dreams and a life a mediocrity. Her pants and shirt are worn
and she smells like oatmeal and ale but her hands still move quite deftly and at times she can be roused to show the intelligent
gleam in her eye.

History: Liz Ardoc was originally from the City of Strangers, Kaer Maga. The unfavorite daughter of the family, she had to endure both
the indignity of being in a such a horrible family and not being allowed to use her intellect and got shuffled into the kitchens to
make herself useful as a potential wife.
Liz endured it for a while, but stole moments to study in the library and scraped together a working knowledge of alchemy before
she stole enough to get her out of the city and hopefully somewhere were she could finally grow. Alas, instead of finding a
wonderful opportunity, she ended up making slop in some tavern. Her skills as an alchemist were ignored and even a hope of being
a fantastic cook was drowned out in a chorus of voices demanding oatmeal and ale.
Sooner or later, the whole town is going to go up in flames. Mark her words!

The bar was crowded tonight. That seemed like a good thing, in a place like the Formidably Maid a larger crowd often meant a rowdier crowd, which meant Aloch might get to have some fun as the night wore on. His leg was still sore from last night when the jagged ale stein slashed across his thigh, but he always found that getting into a good brawl was the best way to shake the aches from the previous good brawl.

Sitting at the bar, staring at the ale low in his tankard, he considers calling for another. He wanted to be loose enough for the distractions of later in the night, but not so loose to lose his focus. His gauntleted hand clinks at it raises the tankard and drains the last.

There is a waft of heavy floral in the air as someone sits next to him. His green eyes meet dark grey in the face of a raven-haired beauty. Is it true? You're Aloch Suryo? My friend tells me that your family used to head a grand navy before your father lost it all convinced that he had found a navigable path through the Eye.

Aye, that's me. Who's your friend? Sounds like a bloke that wants a lesson in minding his own.

Nobody important. Not as important as you at least. Let me buy you a drink and you can tell me about your grandfather, Suryo the Firebrand.

The woman lays a hand on Alochs forearm and twitches it ever so slightly. The sting of the needle is the last thing Aloch remembers feeling from that night.

The Ten-Minute Background

Step 1: Write 5 background and concept elements that you feel are important to your image of the character. These can be a concept overview, a list of important life events, a physical description, a personality profile...whatever you need to get an image in your mind. 5 is just a minimum...more elements are encouraged!

(1) Aloch is a bruiser of a character. He is not one for much talk and is more likely to settle differences with violence than words. He enjoys looking for fights and testing himself against others that look to be his superior at first glance. That said, he doesn't fight recklessly. For someone that has been punched in the head so many times, he has an impressive ability to take a few blows to size his opponent up and then change his tactics in just the right way to bring them down.

(2) Before learning his trade on a boat with his family, as a boy Aloch enjoyed hiding and nicking things that weren't tied down securely. He has never pursued outright thievery as a profession, but there is a certain natural talent there if he should ever decide to develop it.

(3) Not being the brightest aboard ship, Aloch knows he probably does not have leadership in his future. He is content being the muscle that earns a fair cut of the action and the loot that follows. He's not sure which he enjoys more?

(4) 2 generations ago the Suryo family was wealthy, like unto pirate lords. At least until his father decided to make an honest living and started a legitimate import/export business. He became obsessed with finding faster navigable routes through previously uncharted or dangerous waters. This brought the Suryo family to extreme poverty and ultimately brought about the death of Aloch's father when his ship went missing in the Eye of Abendego.

(5) Aloch is a tan skinned human with a bald head. Short stubble of red hair betrays the fact that he shaves his head regularly to keep it shorn. His green eyes pierce out of a face that is scarred and bulging from bar brawls that are too many to count. His arms and legs are likewise scarred; telling a tale of a man not afraid to fight when the time comes and always ready to find a time to fight if it hasn't come in a while.

Step 2: List at least two goals for the character. At least one of these goals should be one that the character has, while another should be one that you, as a player, want to see developed over the course of the game.

(1) Prove himself to be a loyal and worthy member of the crew. Shake both the fame of his ancestors and the shame of his father's misfortune.

(2) Challenge himself against any and all comers. Aloch does not care if he wins or loses, he is interested in testing his limits and then finding ways to exceed them.

Step 3: List at least two secrets about your character. One is a secret the character knows, one is a secret that involves him but that he is not actually aware of yet.

(1) Aloch has sent his mother away to Kokutang. There no one knows that she is married to the Suryo house and she can live a quiet existence for the rest of her life. He sends money to her when he has the opportunity.

(2) Unknown to him, Aloch's father is still alive. He sucessfully navigated to the center of the Eye 2 years ago, but has been unable to get out. He has been living off of the supplies and drift that make it to the center from other shipwrecks.

Step 4: Describe at least three people that are tied to the character.

(1) Taleb Suryo - Aloch's Father - A notable captain in his own right, Taleb desired making an honest name for himself, rather than following in his father's footsteps as a brigand and ne'er-do-well. Once his business was established he found secret routes that gave him an advantage in trade against his competitors. Becoming obsessed with discovering as many such routes as possible ultimately led him to a prison of his own design in the middle of the Eye of Abendego on a piece of drift wood that used to be his ship.

(2) Natalya (Nat) Suryo - Aloch's Mother - Once the promiment wife of a wealthy business man, Natalya's lot in life has fallen since her husband went missing. Unable to bear the ridicule of the community at her husband's apparent stupidity at thinking he could navigate the Eye, Natalya fled to Kokutang to start a new life. She now works as a barmaid at a tavern called the River Barge. No one there knows her true identity.

(3) Augustus Van Wesselhiem Strutenberg IV - The financier that fronted the money for Taleb Suryo's export ventures, Augustus lost large sums of money when the ship vanished into the Eye. While not physically imposing himself, the head of the Strutenberg house is determined to use all of his resources to ensure that no Suryo ever captains a ship again.

Step 5: Describe three memories, mannerisms, or quirks that your character has. They don't have to be elaborate, but they should provide some context and flavor.

(1) After a particularly bad brawl aboard ship years ago, Aloch has a slight twitch in his left eye and a ringing in his left ear. It does not bother him much, he sees it as the cost of living the life he wants to live.

(2) Aloch speaks well enough, but letters have always been hard for him. His handwriting is atrocious, characters are often missing or malformed. When forced to read, he does so very slowly and deliberately. When signing his name he simple draws AS with a swiggle aferwards.

(3) Aloch's warmest memories are of his mother and him at home while his father was at sea. They were wealthy enough and quite comfortable. He remembers caring for horses and sparing with the other boys of the town. Some of his happiest days were when his father set sail.

Ability Score Racial Traits: Undines are both perceptive and agile, but tend to adapt rather than match force with force. They gain +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, and –2 Strength.

Type: Undines are outsiders with the native subtype.

Size: Undines are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.

Base Speed: Undines have a base speed of 30 feet on land. They also have a swim speed of 30 feet, can move in water without making Swim checks, and always treat Swim as a class skill.

Languages: Undines begin play speaking Common and Aquan. Undines with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Auran, Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Halfling, Ignan, and Terran. See the Linguistics skill page for more information about these languages.
Defense Racial Traits

Water Sense: Undines with this racial trait can sense vibrations in water, granting them blindsense 30 feet against creatures in contact with the same body of water.

Magical Racial Traits

Spell-Like Ability (Sp): Undines can use hydraulic push 1/day (caster level equals the undine’s level).

Hydrated Vitality: An undine with this racial trait gains fast healing 2 for 1 round anytime she submerges completely within a body of natural salt water, fresh water, or brackish water. Stagnant, poisoned, or trapped water (such as an artificial pit or a bag of holding) does not activate this ability. The undine can heal up to 2 hit points per level per day with this ability, after which it ceases to function.

Darkvision: Undines can see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet.

Grippli male, Oracle 1 (Waves Mystery)

STR 12
DEX 12
CON 13
INT 12
WIS 12
CHA 16

Alt Racial Trait - Princely - Proficient with rapiers, and +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy and Intimidate checks.

Speed 20, Climb 20

HP 9

AC 15
T 12
FF 14

Fort 1
Ref 1
Will 3

CMB 0
CMD 11

Skills - Climb +8, Diplomacy +9, Heal +5, Intimidate +5, Know. (History) +6, Know. (Local) +6, Perception +6, Profession (Sailor) +5, Sense Motive +5, Stealth +4, Swim +4

Traits
Ancient Explorer [Know. Local] [Polyglot] - +1 to Know. History and Know. Local rolls. Know. Local is a class skill for you. Gain Polyglot as a bonus language.

Seeker - +1 to Perception, and it becomes a class skill.

Feats
Extra Revelation (Water Sight)

Revelations
Fluid Nature - +4 to CMD against Bull Rush, Drag, Grapple, Reposition, and Trip. -4 to Crit confirmation rolls against me.

Water Sight - I can see through fog and mist without penalty as long as there is enough light to allow me to see normally.

Curses
Tongues - In Combat, can only speak and understand Aquan

Attacks
Rapier +2, 1d4+1, 18-20x2
Dagger +2, 1d3+1, 19-20x2

Spells
0 - Purify Food and Water, Create Water, Mending, Detect Magic
1 - Read Weather, Obscuring Mist

Spontaneous - Cure

Languages - Common, Grippli, Aquan, Polyglot

Galessa grew up in the town of Greenblood. The infamous town is home to the bloodiest, most ruthless pit fighting within the shackles. The town itself grew out of the need to make money off of the brigands and pirates who came to participate and watch. Galessa's parents were merchants, in the truest sense of the word. Galessa's mother ran the shop, which sold everything from rum to illicit drugs. Her father 'procured' the items. Galessa spent many a night washing the blood off of the goods which 'fell off the back of a ship' so that they could be resold.

The town itself was as rough as a human settlement could be. The first gift that Galessa could remember was her starknife, given to her by her mother to keep her safe from their clientele. In time, she earned herself something of a reputation as a knife fighter, and as someone that didn't allow unwanted advances.

While there was, of course, a life for her in Greenblood, it was not for her. Galessa had the spark of the divine in her, a strange quirk of fate for one born in such a horrific place. The need to travel was tugged at her very soul. And seeing the monsters of the pits, as well as hearing the tales of the bloodbards, merely made her all the more insistent on leaving home.

Luckily for her, her divine blood provided her with everything she needed to be useful on a ship. She could summon water, purify food, heal the wounded, and she could even see in the darkest depths of night. Her father, worried for her safety, even went so far as to call in a few favors to give his only daughter lessons in sailing.

Now, she has left home. With little to her name besides her beloved dagger and the will to travel, she doesn't have any place in mind. If she can get her way, she will be joining a pirate crew. Having grown up surrounded by pirates, they are a known quantity to her, and judging by the monsters that they brought to fight, the perfect way to see all that the world has to offer.

While barely an adult, Galessa's hair is as white as snow. Evidence of her divine heritage. Having seen what an impudent tongue can do to one's lifespan on many an occasion, she has learned to be both polite and proper. But, beneath that exterior, there is always a knife ready to come out if needed.

Galessa is by no means evil. If anything, she would err towards the side of good if given the choice. But having grown up in Greenblood, she has seen far too little of that to ever think that it would be a sustainable practice to follow. Rather, she seeks to follow her passion, which is that of discovery. And if she can make a coin or two along the way? All the better.

If she has one weakness though, it is that she relies on her divine gifts far too much. From casting her spells to fighting with her blade, Galessa's talents have come easy to her. She is, however, far from athletic and is slow in her reactions. 25ft movement speed and +0 initiative These have not been an issue while tending to a shop, but now that she is on the open sees, they are weaknesses that could prove deadly if not remedied.

Lvl 3: Arcane Pool: At 3rd level, she gains the arcane pool class feature as a magus of her character level – 2. This lets her add enchantment bonuses to her starknife

Lvl 3 Revelation-Lorekeeper: Cha for knowledge skills instead of Int (over lvls 3 and 4, will get 1 skill point in all knowledge skills. This will give her +9 on all knowledges, before items are added in that might boost Cha)

Lvl 5: Skill Focus (Perception)

Lvl 7: Magus Arcana: At 7th level, she gains one magus arcana. She treats her character level as her effective magus level when determining whether or not she can select an arcana. (Flamboyant Arcana)

Lvl 7 Revelation-Arcane Archivist: Lets her cast wizard spells, but at spell lvl +1

Lvl 9: Extra Arcana: Precise Strike! (+lvl to damage!) Close combat gets alot better.

Lvl 11: VMC (Can spellstrike like a magus, but only with magus spells. Can use this in conjunction with Arcane Archivist when damage just needs to be done)

Lvl 11 Revelation-Mental Acuity: +2 Int, gains further +1 every 3 levels. Help get back those skill slots spent on knowledge skills)

Lvl 13: Eldritch Heritage Arcane (Acane Bond...+1 spell per day!)

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That's as far as I have planned it out. But, as can be seen from this. By lvl 9, as a swift action she'll be able to increase the enchantment bonus on her starkife. Assuming Cha24, and a normal +1 enchantment, she will have +15 to hit and will do 1d4+18 damage. That's not half bad for an oracle.

On top of that, her spell slots will go heavily to healing. But I also plan to make great use of control type spells. Starting off with spells like "command" to get enemies to drop their weapons or even walk off their ships. Then as she gains spells, she can do things like "boneshaker" to do damage and again, control the battlefield.

When he awoke on the shore, his fellow traders were no where to be seen, and he felt an inexplicable pull toward the deep reaches of the ocean. He has spent the years since this experience searching for the mysterious force that might have saved him. His investigations had led him to the dark rites of the lost Ghol-Gan Empire before he found himself in Port Peril.