“Auntie, below you!” Nahoa’s spear crackled, lightning scouring its barbs free of blood and gristle as he pulled it from a spined skull. The boat rocked under his feet as the creature spasmed and slid below the waves.
Samo shifted her feet in response to Nahoa’s warning. The spirits of Valmdas Bay, each a tiny wrasse made of water, responded so quickly that it was almost like they’d predicted her signal, and in a spray of mist, they carried her across the seafoam. A second set of needle-sharp jaws erupted right where Samo had been, but they caught only water.
Nahoa sighed in relief. He’d seen the wise practitioner rend undead under blades of light and convince the very earth to spit its burning blood forth, but Nahoa had been taught to always take care of his elders. It was why he’d insisted they splurge on a boat across the bay instead of hiking the long way around—less to save time, more to make sure that the ferryman and his grandson would be safe in these monster-infested waters. Nahoa looked down to check on them, only to find the pair clearly in their element, the old man with a hand on the tiller and the boy bailing water from the boat.
As he turned back to the ocean, Nahoa found himself facing the sea serpent’s maw. Oh. His next thought was of how beautiful the clouds looked, his body turned skyward as he skipped across the water in the wake of the serpent’s blow before he crashed into a rocky outcropping. Nahoa’s head reeled a bit from the impact… no, not the impact. Nahoa looked at where the beast’s fangs had sunk into his shoulder, and even through his tattoos, he could see his veins begin to darken with venom.
Nahoa wasn’t worried. He’d been wounded before, by something much greater than this, and he’d left the encounter not just with his life, but something more. He reached deep into his soul, drawing forth his spark of divine power, and pushed it into his body, the scar on his chest beginning to glow with light. That had been a wound, one that would stay with him forever—this was barely a scratch by comparison. The scar blazed, and as light rippled outward from it across Nahoa’s skin, his wounds closed, without even a break in his tattoos where the fangs had been.
In the distance, the sea serpent reared its head back to strike at the boat. Samo danced in the air, her magic growing into roots and vines to pull the boy to safety. The old ferryman was left on the boat, though, and Samo wouldn’t be able to reach him in time.
Illustration by Oleksii Chernik.
The spark pulsed as its energy coursed over Nahoa before coming to illuminate the eyes in the stone owl mask at his waist. Be brave it said, pulling the young man forward. The waves between him and the serpent were too broad to cross, but he crossed them anyway. The serpent was too large for him to possibly grab, but he grabbed it anyway, his belt filling his body with divine strength as he wrestled the beast away from the ferryman. Was this how it felt, to be above mortal concerns? Like all you needed to do to cut an enemy down or to be where you wanted to be was simply to will it, to simply make it happen and have it be done? Nahoa flung the serpent back into the water as Samo’s vines pulled the ferryman to safety. Then, the moment of transcendence passed, and Nahoa was mortal once again.
The waters went still. Nahoa flipped his spear underhand and watched the waves. A spine cut the surface and Nahoa lashed out, but the serpent dove below before he could pierce it. A tail emerged on the other side of the boat, and once again Nahoa’s arm was too slow. Coils began to surround it from below the water, out of reach, and without the steady hand of the ferryman, the boat lurched dangerously.
Samo approached to lend aid, but Nahoa extended a hand as he dropped his spear. If he couldn’t find the creature, he’d just make sure he didn’t have to. He drew his power inwards, back from his relics, and there was silence. Like the tide drawing out far enough to leave the corals exposed, before the wave crashed down. Like the tradewinds driving up the mountain cliffs, before the rains fell. Like a voice grew quiet, before it let loose a great confession. Nahoa’s power grew and grew as it spiraled within him. He had seized that spark of gods high in the sky, and in this moment, the sky would bend to his command.
Nahoa laughed as he spun his arms, and his cry echoed like thunder as the sky opened. To the north, spring lightning seared the sky. To the east, summer monsoons churned the water’s surface. To the south, red leaves sliced in melancholy. And to the west, hail drove deep into the water. Then, Nahoa’s laugh and the storm’s howl faded, and a moment later, the serpent’s body floated to the surface, each section bearing different wounds.
Samo returned to the boat, the ferryman and his grandson in tow. As the sage returned, Nahoa had only one question for his traveling companion. He pointed to the water, where a few hailstones still floated on the surface.
“What are those?”
About the Author
James Case is lead developer for the Pathfinder Rules and Lore team and he can’t wait to hear what sort of mythic heroes that players are looking forward to making when War of Immortals releases! You can find his thoughts on game design and hyphen usage at TwittXter or BlueSka.
About Iconic Encounters
Iconic Encounters is a series of web-based flash fiction set in the worlds of Pathfinder and Starfinder. Each short story provides a glimpse into the life and personality of one of the games’ iconic characters, showing the myriad stories of adventure and excitement players can tell with the Pathfinder and Starfinder roleplaying games.
Samo and Nahoa make their debut in Pathfinder War of Immortals this October. This rulebook introduces their classes (the animist and exemplar, respectively) into Pathfinder Second Edition, allowing players to channel powerful nature spirits or become a demigod unto themselves. Within, you’ll also find mythic rules to allow characters of all classes to tell stories of legendary scope, all set against the cataclysmic event of the Godsrain and ensuing War of Immortals. War of Immortals is available for preorder now in hardcover, special edition, and pocket edition and will also be available as a retailer-exclusive sketch cover while supplies last. Read more of Samo and Nahoa’s adventures in War of Immortals and Pathfinder: Before the Godsrain, and look for their special guest appearance in November’s Godsrain novel from Liane Merciel.
