Dread's Carrion Crown

Game Master Dread

male orc brawler 1
CN Medium humanoid (orc
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft; Perception +5
DEFENSE
AC 14, touch 11, flat-footed 13 (+2 armor, +1 Dex, +1 natural)
hp 12 (1d10 (10) + 2)
Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +1; +2 vs fear effects
Defensive Abilities ferocity
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft
Melee unarmed strike +5 (1d6 + 4)
Special Attacks martial flexibility (4/day)
STATISTICS
Str 18, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 11
Base ATK +1; CMB +5; CMD 16
Feats Improved Unarmed Strike (bonus), Ironhide
Skills (3 ranks total)
Acrobatics +5 (1 [rank] + 1 [Dex] + 3 [class skill bonus])
Perception +5 (1 [rank] + 1 [Wis] + 3 [class skill bonus])
Profession (mercenary) +5 (1 [rank] + 1 [Wis] + 3 [class skill bonus])
Sense Motive + (1 [rank] +5 1 [Wis] + 3 [class skill bonus])
Languages Common, Orc
SQ brawler's cunning, dayrunner, weapon familiarity
ABILITIES
Dayrunner-Balruk lacks the light sensitivity racial trait of most orcs, but takes a -2 penalty on ranged attacks due to his poor eyesight.
Ferocity-Balruk remains conscious and continues to fight even if his hit points fall below 0. He is still staggered at 0 hit points or lower and loses 1 hit point each round as normal.
Weapon Familiarity-Balruk is proficient in greataxes and falchions, and treat any weapon with the word "orc" in its name as a martial weapon.
Brawler's Cunning-Despite Balruk's Intelligence score being under 13, it counts as 13 for prerequisites of combat feats.
Martial Flexibility-For a number of times per day equal to half Balruk's class level + 3, Balruk can take a move action to gain the benefits of a combat feat. This effect lasts for 1 minute.
Unarmed Strike-Balruk gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. He uses his full Strength modifier for damage, and all unarmed strikes can be lethal or nonlethal of his choosing.
Ironhide-Balruk's skin is tougher than typical for orcs. He gains a +1 natural armor bonus to AC.
GEAR
105 gp
Leather (10 gp)
Brawler's kit (9 gp)
Backpack
Bedroll
Belt poucc
Flint & steel
Rope
Torches (10)
Trail rations (5 days)
Waterskin
TRAITS
Chance Savior (Campaign)-Fate smiled on you and Professor
Lorrimor one day in the not so distant past. Through a
matter of pure chance, you were in a position to save the
late scholar’s life and did so. His gratitude was effusive,
and he promised that he would never forget you. You are
unsure of the nature of the summons in his will, but
believe he may have listed you as a possible heir in thanks
for saving him from an untimely demise. (Effect-+2 Initiative)
Courageous (Combat)-Balurk's childhood was brutal, but he prevailed and is nearly fearless (Effect-+2 save roll vs fear effects)

Carla is a Hedge Witch, which means she can trade out prepared spells to spontaneously cast Cure spells. She is a great support character. In terms of roleplaying, she is an optimistic, spirited person, ready to make the mood lighter when things get to horrible.

STR 10, DEX 14, CON 10, INT 19, WIS 12, CHA 10

Female Human
Medium Size
NG (Hedge) Witch 1
BaB +0
Init +2; Senses: Perception +1, Sense Motive +0
CMB +0 (0BaB)
CMD 12 (0BaB +2dexterity)
Favored Class Witch
FC bonus: +1 HP

Defense
AC 12, touch 12 flat-footed 10 (+2 Dex) (Consider Mage Armor)
HP 7 (6 + 1 (1*1FCbonus))
Fort +3 (+0 base +0 Con +2 Familiar +1 trait)
Ref +2 (+0 base +2 Dex)
Will +3 (+2 base +1 Wis) (add 2 vs fear effects)

Offense
Speed 30 ft
Ranged touch attack +4
Space 5 ft, Reach 5 ft

Arcane magic
Patron: Healing

CL 1
Concentration (CL + Int): +5
Familiar: Rat

DC: 14+spell level

Prepared (slots):
Cantrips (3): Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Daze
1 (2): Burning Hands, Charm Person

Spells known
Cantrips: All
1 (7): Bungle, Burning Hands, Charm Person, Comprehend Languages, Ear Piercing Scream, Mage Armor, Obscuring Mist

Hex
Healing
Misfortune

Other abilities and SQ
Spontaneous Healing (Su):
A hedge witch can channel stored spell energy into healing spells that she did not prepare ahead of time. The witch can “lose” any prepared spell that is not an orison in order to cast any cure spell of the same spell level or lower, even if she doesn’t know that cure spell.

This replaces the witch’s hex gained at 4th level.

Empathic Healing (Su):
A hedge witch can minister to a diseased or poisoned target, redirecting the affliction into herself. For a poisoned target, the witch must tend to him as a standard action; he makes his next saving throw against the poison as normal, but the witch suffers the effects of the failed save instead of the poisoned creature. For a diseased target, the witch must tend to the sick person for an hour; he makes his next saving throw against the disease as normal, but the witch suffers the effects of the failed save instead of the diseased creature. The witch does not actually become poisoned or diseased (and is not contagious and does not need to be cured), but suffers the effects of the affliction as if she had been. The witch normally uses this ability to extend the life of someone near death, giving him time to recover. This ability has no effect if the witch is immune to disease or poison.

This replaces the witch’s hex gained at 8th level.

Traits:
Making Good on Promises
Resilient

Feats:
Lvl 1 - Extra Hex
Human - Accursed Hex

Skills:
Heal +5 (1 Ranks +1 Dex +3 CS)
Knowledge (arcana) +8 (1 Ranks +4 Int +3 CS)
Knowledge (nature) +8 (1 Ranks +4 Int +3 CS)
Knowledge (planes) +8 (1 Ranks +4 Int +3 CS)
Perception +2(4) (1 Ranks +1 Wis (+2 Alertness when Familiar is within arm's reach))
Spellcraft +8 (1 Ranks +4 Int +3 CS)
UMD +4 (1 Ranks +3 CS)

Background skills:
Knowledge (history) +8 (1 Ranks +4 Int +3 CS)
Knowledge (nobility) +5 (1 Ranks +4 Int)

Languages: Common, Sylvan, Skald, Varisian, Undercommon

Equipment:
Wealth: 29gp 7sp
Common items
Dagger, Backpack, Bedroll, Winter blanket, Ink, Inkpen x2, Parchment sheet x5, Belt pouch, Trail rations x10, Hemp rope, Sewing needle, Soap, Waterskin, Spell component pouch, Healer's kit (10)

Familiar:
Rat - Lawrence
1HD (3 HP)
Melee Bite +4 (1d3-4)
Saves +2 +4 +3
AC 15
Abilities: 2 15 11 6 13 2
Alertness, Improved evasion, Share spells, empathic link, Store spells

Carla Hiibus always felt it was unfair that the people in Ustalav had to suffer so much. Since she was a little girl she tried helping others and learned how to treat the wounded and sick. She was always trying to learn how she could do more. Not identifying herself with any temple, she could only pray to the air and continue to apply the bandages and practiced care. She and her brother Stephan became an incredible duo, and together they managed to organize the care of entire communities.

One day before sleep, she was very tired after treating a family of woodworkers who had had an accident in their workshop. Without thinking, she uttered a prayer to any entity that would listen. She asked for the ability to do more for those in need. That night she slept very badly, despite being very tired. She had fevered dreams of her hands bearing life and fate. She woke up feeling as if she had no sleep at all. However, she felt empowered. For some reason her brother Stephan could not fathom why she was talking to a rat, but Carla knew the rat understood him.

This is when a drift began between the two siblings. Although Carla was satisfied with her new powers of healing, Stephan felt she wasn't interested in working as a team anymore, putting everything on powers she didn't even understand. Carla, on the other hand, begged her brother to let her take point and use powers that were proving reliable. Eventually they stopped working together. Stephan continued taking care of people on his own. Carla, on the other hand, grew increasingly worried about her brother's words. She did, in fact, not understand these powers fully.

Carla wanted to understand what was happening to her. After asking around for help, she was able to finally get help from a certain Professor Lorrimor. They met day and night, trying to understand the nature of her new powers. After much work, the two managed to determine that Carla's power came from a patron that provided her with healing powers. She was happy, albeit a little worried that she had enlisted herself in the service of another without her knowledge. Still, she felt that Lorrimor was going to ask something from her in return for all the time they spent piecing the puzzle together. However, the request never came. Only one day, she received a letter telling her of his death and that she's mentioned in his will by name. She was afraid that she'd have to pay her debt in some big manner. But she could not just ignore his request. She packed her things to go to Ravengro, wary of what expected her.

Helmund Rieger was born in the north of Vieland, a land balanced on the edge of the Holds of Belkzen and the Worldwound. His father was a wandering Kellid warrior, a relic of a dying tribe, and his mother an provincial peasant—a woman who feared the dark with good reason. Helmund grew up in a household where monsters were not bedtime stories, but a very real threat.

One fateful winter, a wandering hedge-witch came to their village, offering trinkets and charms in exchange for odd favours. The fields had been unkind to the Rieger family; the cold nights were almost unbearable on an empty stomach, and Helmund's father had been absent on a hunt for weeks. Desperate to change her fate, Helmund’s mother turned to the witch for aid. At first, the magic seemed to work—fortune smiled, and hope flickered anew. But soon after the witch vanished from town, darkness took root. She began to wither, her strength slowly fading. The villagers whispered of misfortune, but his father knew better. This was no mere twist of fate—this was the price of dealing with something that should never have been trusted.

One night, Helmund awoke to the sound of steel rasping against stone, his father sharpening his greatsword by firelight. The old warrior’s face was carved from fury and grief as he muttered, “That witch stole from us. But she will pay her price in blood.” Together, father and son tracked the hedge-witch to a decrepit roadside hovel. His father confronted her—Helmund still remembers the way the fire cast her shadow too long on the stones.

The fight was brutal. His father cut the witch down, driving her to her knees with steel and fury—but he did not grant the final blow. Instead, he thrust the bloodied sword into Helmund’s hands, his voice a low growl: “Finish it. This is the price of dealing with monsters.”

They never went home. The village was a memory, swallowed by the past like footprints in the mire. Instead, Helmund and his father became wandering hunters, stalking the things that lurked in the dark. His father trained him in the only lessons that mattered—how to fight, how to kill, how to survive.

But it was never enough. No matter how many monsters they cut down, his father was never satisfied. He took greater and greater risks, as if trying to outrun something unseen.

In the end, the darkness caught up. One hunt went wrong, the kind that leaves no second chances. Helmund could only watch as his father fell, dragged into the abyss by the very horrors he had spent his life fighting.

Alone, Helmund carried on. Because that was what his father had taught him. Because if he stopped, the monsters won.

Helmund first met Professor Petros Lorrimor in the back alleys of Lepistadt, on a night thick with rain. The scholar had taken a wrong turn, and the desperate men who surrounded him had no interest in books or reason—only blood and coin.

Helmund stepped from the shadows before the first knife could fall. What followed was quick and brutal—bones breaking, bodies hitting the mud, and the professor left standing, bemused but unharmed. Lorrimor, ever the inquisitive mind, did not look at Helmund with fear, but with fascination. He saw something beyond brute force—a hunter’s instincts, a disciplined rage honed for a purpose.

Curious, the professor offered work. Helmund, wary of scholars and their endless fascination with things best left buried, nearly refused. But Lorrimor sought knowledge not to wield it, but to use it as a weapon against the dark. That, at least, Helmund could respect.

Over the years, their paths crossed again. Lorrimor aided Helmund in preparing for all manner of hunts, while Helmund protected the professor on some of his more dangerous investigations where able. Though he distrusted magic, he trusted the professor’s wisdom.

Now, with Lorrimor dead, Helmund has come to Ravengro—not out of sentiment, but out of duty. He owes the man that much.

Superstitious but Pragmatic: He loathes magic but knows when it must be used.

No Blind Faith, Only Steel: He places no trust in gods, clergy, or noblemen—titles and prayers do not make a man just. The world is cruel, and only those willing to stand against its horrors can carve their own justice.

The Shield Between Darkness and the Weak: He does not fight for glory, but because someone must. The things that lurk in the shadows do not care for prayers or laws—only for prey. Helmund ensures that, where he stands, the innocent will not be hunted.

A Hunter’s Mindset: He fights with cold, methodical fury. His rage is not mindless—it is a calculated storm that strikes with ruthless efficiency.

Tariq Vestgeir is a former wandering paladin of Torag, who is now consumed by guilt over the death of an entire village of local peasants, whom he could not save from the clutches of ghouls. A descendant of the dwarven generals* who participated in the Shining Crusade, Tariq hoped to gain fame as a fighter against the undead worthy of his ancestors, but in the end he let down the people who asked him for protection. Completely disappointed in himself, this young (by dwarven standards) holy warrior decided to devote himself to the peaceful profession of a blacksmith and no longer put other people's lives at risk with his protection... So he led his secluded lifestyle, until recently he received a letter inviting him to the funeral of that strange professor whom he once almost accidentally saved at the very beginning of his travels and who promised to repay him... on occasion**.

*By the way, this is part of the lore, and it was the dwarves who later defended one of the Seals that restrained the Whispering Tyrant. For more information, see the Crown of the Kobold King.

**Chance Savior campaign trait.

Background Info:

Born a bastard of a Succubus tiefling mother and a elven father.
Once her father found out about her, well it put him in a tough spot.

As after a few years later her mother died, and her father felt some responibility, so he reluctantly took her in.
She was trained in some basics of elven combat as she grew up learning how to use Elven Leafblades, but her father also wanted her to get a bit of an education.
So she undertook some of Professor Lorrimor's lectures and got some decent grades in those courses even though she was a bit of a teacher's pet in one of them.

After that she got two jobs in a small town, given various factors in her life.
One job is that of a simple gate guard, the other a barmaid for when rush hour happens.
She got her guard job due to her combat skill and their being so few that can do guard duty.
The Barmaid one, she got cause she meets the physical requirements of the job,
but that is is also perceptive of things no matter how dim of dark the room is.
That and she has an attractive face and figure that attracts the male customers and keeps them there until closing time.

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Complexes/Fears/Quirks

She has a bit of a complex about her looks.
As her looks have brought her both good and bad fortune.
As it also bring pros and cons in her life.

Another complex she has is her more muscular tone from her combat training and daily exercises.
She thinks they make her look a little too butch and would like a more feminine like muscle tone.
But at the same time those big muscles helped her out a few times.

She has a fear of certain Paladin orders, as she did see some treat some tieflings badly while in education.
One of them from a more "grey" order and was quite the terror during those days, and it stuck with her.
Thankfully that student lost what ever divine grace they had left, becoming a simple fighter just as she finished her education.
Any paladin she mets, she hopes is a "Ask Questions" first type, and not a "I'll beat you first cause your this and then ask questions" type.

She has a bit of a quirk in that when she drinks, she can tell lies better then when sober,
but also the calories from those drinks will never touch her waist line.

Marin Grigore
Background (10-Minute Style)
1) Marin is a Royal Accuser working for the royal house of Ustalav. He is of mixed elven and Varisian heritage, though he usually disguises himself as a human to get along.
2) Marin is a cheerful, friendly, and trusting varisian male from the County of Varno in Ustalav. Marin is handsome, with a close-cropped black beard and a scruffy head of similarly colored hair. His complexion is tanned, and his eyes are hazel.
3) Marin was raised without a permanent home in a Varisian caravan that travelled around Varno, and never knew his elven father. His mother kept details on the matter close, only saying that his father was a traveler from far away. He tended to commit crimes with some frequency as a consequence of this abandonment, he became a con-man and charlatan with just enough credibility to justify his cons.
4)Marin is a follower of Desna, and has “itchy feet” if he stays in one place for more than a short time, though this is usually sated by a few days travel. Marin got a thrill from scary stories that his parents told him about the history of the country, and constantly tried to explore nooks and crannies to find odd creatures and unexplained phenomena, sometimes with life-draining effects. He’s also a fortune teller and sometimes will make money tricking gullible nobles that they’re haunted in some way.
4) Marin managed helped Prince Aduard Ordranti III when the prince was visiting the county on one of his tours. The prince found his caravan stuck in a rut on the road, a rut that was caused by a haunt that Marin had become familiar with. This haunt liked to play jokes on nobility that used the road. Marin and his family were camped in the woods nearby and Marin spotted the prince’s wagon. He convinced the haunt to let the Prince go, who noticed and appreciated the teenage Marin’s help. Whether this was a real haunt or an invention is not clear.
5) Marin was conscripted for a “scholarship” by one of Aduard’s advisors to train at Lepidstadt university as a thanks for helping and to conscript a recruit with a different perspective than some of the typically dour Pharasmans into the Royal Accusers. Realizing that a Desnan with a touch of the divine would not easily fit in with the science and logic oriented populace of Lepidstadt, the advisor had Marin’s education supplemented by the occasional teachings of Azra, the wandering Desnan priestess.
6) Marin dropped out of the university before accomplishing much in the realm of medicine or arcane magic, but he learned enough to appreciate the knowledge that is required to be an Accuser. He learned much of his monster lore from Professor Lorrimor when the traditional teaching methods did not sit easily with Marin. Lorrimor came across a valuable book cursed with a haunt, and it was only Marin’s natural expulsionist abilities that managed to repel the ghost long enough for Lorrimor to seal the haunt away. Lorrimor said that he was forever in Marin’s debt for Marin’s help and they finished their tutoring.

Goals
1) Marin would like to explore the haunted and dangerous parts of Ustalav and meet to as many creepy undead and other monsters as he can. He gets a thrill from danger and fear.
2) It would be cool if Marin could gain the Prince’s favor.

Secrets
1) Marin has gotten into some fights with hellknights and has a poor reputation among the lawful societies in the western part of Ustalav. His sponsors in the palace are not aware of this.
2) Marin is less brave than he thinks he is, he puts on a good front for his companions but he has been recently worried that his positive outlook may not be enough. Lorrimor opened up Marin’s eyes to the true extent of the horrors of Golarion, and it’s shocked Marin.

NPCs
1) Marin knows Azra, the priestess of Virlych, and learned a great deal about Desna from her.
2) The minor chancellor to the Prince, Nicolaj, is frustrated that Marin wasn’t able to finish the university education, but is supporting Marin’s endeavors as a Royal accuser, even though Marin has yet to do much more for Ustalav beyond dealing with minor possessions and trickster haunts.
3) Marin’s father was an extraterrestrial elf, who’s purpose was unknown

Other
1) Marin tends to treat the undead in a friendly way, as all of the undead and haunts that he’s happened to meet have appreciated it.
2) Marin has a small stone ball that he rolls on his fingers absentmindedly when thinking. He found the stone while exploring his home county. The stone is extremely cold to the touch, regardless of the amount of ambient heat, and seems to tire most people who handle it.
3) Marin has a crush on Azra and has no way to express himself nor any way to easily travel to Virlych. He tends to ignore any romantic overtures as a consequence of this unrequited crush.

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Paladin Code
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The paladins of the Dawnflower are fierce warriors, like their goddess. They provide hope to the weak and support to the righteous. Their tenets include the following adages.
- I will protect my allies with my life. They are my light and my strength, as I am their light and their strength. We rise together.
- I will seek out and destroy the spawn of the Rough Beast. If I cannot defeat them, I will give my life trying. If my life would be wasted in the attempt, I will find allies. If any fall because of my inaction, their deaths lie upon my soul, and I will atone for each.
- I am fair to others. I expect nothing for myself but that which I need to survive.
- The best battle is a battle I win. If I die, I can no longer fight. I will fight fairly when the fight is fair, and I will strike quickly and without mercy when it is not.
- I will redeem the ignorant with my words and my actions. If they will not turn toward the light, I will redeem them by the sword.
- I will not abide evil, and will combat it with steel when words are not enough. I do not flinch from my faith, and do not fear embarrassment. My soul cannot be bought for all the stars in the sky.
- I will show the less fortunate the light of the Dawnflower. I will live my life as her mortal blade, shining with the light of truth.
- Each day is another step toward perfection. I will not turn back into the dark.

The paladins of Shelyn are peaceable promoters of art and beauty. They see the ugliness in evil, even when cloaked in the form of beauty, and their mission is to defend those who devote their lives to the creation of beauty, bring it forth themselves, and prevent the weak and foolish from being seduced by false promises. Their tenets include the following adages.
- I see beauty in others. As a rough stone hides a diamond, a drab face may hide the heart of a saint.
- I am peaceful. I come first with a rose rather than a weapon, and act to prevent conflict before it blossoms. I never strike first, unless it is the only way to protect the innocent.
- I accept surrender if my opponent can be redeemed—and I never assume that they cannot be. All things that live love beauty, and - I will show beauty’s answer to them.
- I live my life as art. I will choose an art and perfect it. When I have mastered it, I will choose another. The works I leave behind make life richer for those who follow.
- I will never destroy a work of art, nor allow one to come to harm, unless greater art arises from its loss. I will only sacrifice art if doing so allows me to save a life, for untold beauty can arise from an awakened soul.
- I lead by example, not with my blade. Where my blade passes, a life is cut short, and the world’s potential for beauty is lessened.

==========Description==========
Picture of Briar Rose
Height: 5'3" | Weight: 145 lbs. | Hair: Red | Eyes: Light Brown
Briar Rose is on the short side for a human, with an athletic build. Her eyes are dark brown and her red hair hangs nearly to her waist, her face heart-shaped with an angular jaw and small, pointed nose. Her complexion is tanned.
She usually dresses in loose-fitting brown or black cotton trousers and brightly colored, loose-fitting, sleeveless silk blouses. The sleeveless tops not only display her impressive musculature but also the tattoos – songbirds all colors of the rainbow are tattooed from the tips of both her fingers and running the lengths of her arms up to her shoulders. The birds turn to kaleidoscopic leaves near her shoulder blades, forming the canopy of an oak tree that covers most of her upper back. The trunk of the oak tree runs down the center of her back where it meets a pool of water at her lower back; Briar Rose's nymph mother lounges in the pool. The tree’s roots plunge below the surface of the water, down her buttocks and snaking down her legs, turning into multicolored ribbons, tapering off and ending at her toes. This large tattoo is not visible under her normal clothing, but she dresses to show it off when she can. She carries herself with confidence and moves in a way that suggests both grace and power.

==========Personality==========
Briar Rose is confident, patient, and kind. Outgoing and extroverted, she has a huge circle of friends and acquaintances. She quickly flits from one group of friends to the next, not favoring any groups or individuals over any others. She takes the tenets of her faith seriously, promoting ideals of peace, forgiveness, love, and acceptance to those she meets. She can often be found counseling quarreling couples or business partners. While she often comes off as naïve due to her insistence that all conflicts can be solved peacefully, she was raised in circles of duplicitous nobility and is more than capable of sussing out those with ulterior motives.
Briar Rose adores all forms of artistic expression. Very often she is late to appointments because she stops to enjoy any street performance she comes across. She spends a probably foolish amount of coin attending theater and the opera. Never one to take things too seriously, Briar Rose is quick to laugh. Free-spirited and bubbling with positivity, she always offers a bright spark of hope in dark times. She has a burning passion for all forms of art and loves to sing and dance, even if she is not very skilled at either.

==========Story==========
Dandelion Honeywood, nymph of the Sanos Forest in central Varisia, was used to the little gnomes of the forest bringing her petitions from outsiders. Most of the petitions implored her to save failing crops or relocate dangerous magical beasts. Lord Cornelis Lukas Applestar of Magnimar’s request was unique: sit for a year as a model for a marble sculpture. Magnimar was far further afield than she had ever been and the idea of leaving her secluded spring for a whole year frankly terrified her, but the flowery prose of lord Applestar’s petition and the rough sketch of the finished sculpture, as well as the adventure of traveling to and from the city, convinced her.

Lord Cornelis Lukas Applestar of Magnimar was the youngest son of lord and lady Applestar. With many older brothers and sisters to fulfil the families’ noble obligations, Cornelis was free to pursue his own desires in life. His passions turned out to be the arts, primarily painting and sculptures. In a vivid dream one night he was inspired to create a sculpture of a nymph standing in her pond. Cornelis decided to pursue the dream and create the statue. It was to be the largest sculpture he had ever produced and, in keeping with his dream, he sought out an appropriate nymph to be his muse, and a muse he found.

Dandelion Honeywood was the most beautiful being Cornelis had ever seen or could even imagine. It took him some time to acclimatize to working with such a stunning subject, but eventually work on the sculpture began in earnest. Despite having no other obligations to distract him from his work, the sculpture, made to be twice as large as Dandelion was, took over a year to complete. The artistic duo got to know and enjoy each other’s company over the months and were sorry to part ways as the project was finished. The pair were not romantically inclined towards each other but, perhaps with their passions fired by the long-awaited completion of the sculpture, they spent Dandelion’s last night in Magnimar together. Dandelion returned to her spring and Cornelis returned to smaller artistic projects.

Some months later, Dandelion surprised Cornelis at the family manor. She had not written that she would be visiting and, even more surprising, she carried an infant swaddled in oversized leaves in her arms. Their one night together had been more productive than they had planned. Dandelion, a flighty fey who lived in the woods and oft fought with owlbears and werewolves, had no desire to raise a child and she left their daughter with her father.

Briar Rose had a typical childhood for the daughter of a noble artist. Her education was focused more on the arts than practical knowledge and her father, who absolutely adored her, gave her free run of the manor and grounds. It was clear from early on that the girl was favored by the Radiant Prism; songbirds flocked to the half-nymph, announcing her presence wherever she went. Briar Rose spent much of her time traipsing through the expansive yards of the noble district of Magnimar, drawn to nature by her fey ancestry. Her skill with traditional arts surpassed most children her age, but there was one art she excelled at: martial arts. Her family was not entirely pleased that Briar Rose was traveling the path of a warrior, but it was obvious Sarenrae was calling her to something bigger than sculptures and paintings.

As an adolescent, Briar Rose was sent to the far side of the Inner Sea region to Oppara, the capital of Taldor, to be trained at the Golden Rose and House of Dawn's Redemption, the oldest and largest known temples to Shelyn and Sarenrae. Her father traveled with her to experience to art scene of the Taldane. It took much grooming and gentle but firm guidance from the priests, but Briar Rose learned to tame her wild, fey nature; she was molded into a warrior of strong morals, reflecting the virtues of the Radiant Prism. She was no stick in the mud, though, and enjoyed the city life.

Years passed and Briar Rose entered adulthood and completed her training. She was finally ready to set out on the missions Shelyn intended for her. Guided by her Muse and the scholars of Shelyn and Sarenrae's temples, Briar Rose was to delve in to forgotten crypts and temples and recover lost artworks to be catalogued and displayed as they were intended.

After many successful missions for Shelyn, Sarenrae called Briar Rose far to the north, to the haunted lands of Ustalav. Fragments of a powerful artifact, posited to be related to the Whispering Tyrant, had been uncovered deep in an old salt mine in the county of Barstoi, on the northeastern edge of Ustalav. The artifact was too powerful to be destroyed by the three temples of Pharasma the small county boasts, and needed to be transported to the Grand Cathedral of Pharasma in Korvosa to be properly disposed of. Many paladins and clerics of Sarenrae and Iomedae, led by a rather unpleasant paladin of Ragathiel, were drafted into the important move, and Briar Rose was included. The Sarenties were to meet the procession of Iomedaean in Caliphas to aid in moving the artifact through the treacherous Gravelands and then on through Varisia to Korvosa.

On her way to Caliphas, somewhere betwixt Grayce and the capital at a long forgotten and grown over cemetery, Briar Rose met professor Lorrimor, his scream through the fog drawing the young woman's attention. Using the haft of her glaive, she vaulted over the rotten wrought iron fence that bordered the lost collection of graves, sprinting over fallen headstones and cracked sarcophagi exposed by erosion or something more sinister. The sight of the two ghouls circling the scholar, hopelessly throwing various instruments of archeology and surveying at the undead, may have been enough to halt most people, but not Briar Rose. She had spent plenty of time in old necropoli searching for lost artwork and she was familiar with the monsters that haunt dark tombs and, being part fey, she was not threatened by the terrible diseases ghouls and their ilk carry. She quickly cut down one of the monsters, her polearm keeping her safe from its reaching claws, but lost her glaive when she struck an overhead tree branch. Quickly shifting to her shield and scimitar, she called upon the purifying holy flame of Sarenrae and cut down the second ghoul.

As it happened, professor Lorrimor was also headed to Caliphas once his research in the graveyard was finished. Briar Rose helped him, then the two made their way to Caliphas. the professor promised he would never forget what she had done for him. True to his word, months later, long after she had left Ustalav behind, a courier found her at a roadside chapel. He bore a letter sealed with wax—the crest of Petros Lorrimor. A summons from beyond the grave.

Briar Rose the Warrior
Female human (Varisian) warrior 1
LG Medium humanoid (human)
Init 4; Senses low-light vision; Perception +3
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Defense
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AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16 (+6 armor, +2 Dex)
hp 12 (1d10+2)
Fort 4, Ref 3, Will 0; +2 vs. death
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee dagger +4 (1d4+3 P or S/19+) or
. . glaive +4 (1d10+4 S/×3) or
. . scimitar +4 (1d6+3 S/18+)
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Statistics
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Str 16, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 9, Cha 16
Base Atk +1; CMB 4; CMD 16
Feats Fey Foundling[ISWG], Power Attack
Skills Acrobatics -3 (-7 to jump), Diplomacy +4, Linguistics +2, Perception +3, Undead Slayer! +3
Languages Common, Necril, Sylvan, Varisian
Combat Gear oil; Other Gear four-mirror[UC], dagger, glaive, heavy wooden shield, scimitar, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, blanket, canteen[UE], flint and steel, hooded lantern, wooden holy symbol, 3 gp, 3 sp
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Special Abilities
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Fey Foundling Magical healing works better on you
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color and detail.
Power Attack -1/+2 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.[/b]
Trait - Chance Savior: +2 Init
Trait - Sacred Conduit: +1 Channel Energy DCs.

In Belzken, and especially in Urgir, orcs are expected to know how to battle-all are raised with the familiarity of beheading with a greataxe, cleaving foes with a falchion, trampling enemies while on top of a war beast, or even with the aim of a bow and arrow. Balurk was different; he felt uncomfortable holding a weapon, and did not have the balance for mounted combat. No, what was the orc's true calling in combat was martial arts-he was well ahead of all of his fellow classmates in the art of war, and all he needed was his senses and his iron fists.

But he learned the hard way that different is not a good thing to orcs-he was seen with disdain and distrust, for what orc is willing to go to battle without a weapon? Thus, while he wasn't fully outcasted by his fellow orcs, he never truly belonged in his home city, or even his homeland of Belzken. So, when he became of age, he packed his things and left without saying goodbye-he had no friends, and his family barely acknowledged his existence anyways.

He had been traveling across Belzken and Ustalav as a mercenary for hire-whether it was to assist in killing some corrupt mayor or protecting a caravan from raiders, it did not matter, for money was money, and all Balurk cared about was getting enough coin for food and necessities. It was when he was hired by a particularly odd man by the name of Petros Lorrimor that something changed. Needing a bodyguard while exploring a particularly dangerous area within Ustalav, the orc didn't think much of the eccentric professor, until they were ambushed. Whether they were simple bandits or ravenous undead, it did not matter, as Balurk's fighting instincts took over, and he quickly killed a few of the attackers and sent the others packing, despite suffering severe wounds in the process. Balurk expected to die there, but when he opened his eyes, he found the Professor tending to his wounds. The man was grateful for the orc's act of bravery, even though Balurk expressed that he was only doing his job. The orc also expressed remorse in having to lose his payment due to the wounds, but to his surprise, when he brought the Professor back home, not only was he still paid, his payment was tripled, and Petros expressed great sincerity when he wished to hire Balurk as his personal bodyguard. The orc, baffled by such an offer, declined, but did tell the professor that he would like to travel a bit more before returning. The Professor obliged, saying all Balurk had to do was send a letter requesting his job as a bodyguard, and the orc can consider his abode his own.

A few years passed, and Balurk has sent half a dozen letters to the Professor with no response. He felt betrayed-the orc thought the Professor was his first true friend, and yet that seems to not be the case. Regardless, he still continues his work as a mercenary for hire, working diligently to protect his clients to the fullest of his abilities. It's what the Professor would want, at least.