 About Aemilia KarthisFemale half-elf mesmerist [vexing trickster] 2/sorcerer [tattooed sorcerer] 1 | AL: CG | HP: 22/22 | AC 12, T 12, FF 10 | F +3, R +5, W +12 | Init: +6 | Per: +9 (low-light vision) Stats:
Aemilia Karthis
Half-elf mesmerist [vexing trickster] 2/sorcerer [tattooed sorcerer] 1 CG Medium humanoid (half-elf) Initiative +6; Perception +9 -------------------- Defence -------------------- AC 12, touch 12, flat-footed 10 (+2 Dex) HP 22 (2d8+1d6+3+2) Fortitude +3 (+0 base + 1 Con + 2 familiar) Reflex +5 (+3 base + 2 Dex) Will +12 (+5 base + 1 Wis + 2 race + 4 towering ego) [additional +2 vs enchantments] -------------------- Offence -------------------- Speed 30 feet Initiative +6 (+2 Dex + 4 improved initiative) Melee sword cane +0 (1d6-1/x2), (+1 BAB - 1 Str = +0) Ranged touch acid splash +3 (1d3), (+1 BAB +2 Dex = +3) -------------------- Statistics -------------------- Str 9, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 18 Base Attack Bonus +1 CMB 0 (1 BAB - 1 Str + 0 size) CMD 12 (10 + 1 BAB - 1 Str + 2 Dex + 0 size) Height 5 ft. 7 in. Age 29 Languages Common (Taldane), elven, sylvan SA bloodline arcana (+2 save DC on compulsion spells), consummate trickster (+1), familiar, hypnotic stare (-2), low-light vision, painful stare (+1), towering ego (+4), tricks (5/day, compel alacrity, gift of will) -------------------- Skills and Feats -------------------- Skills Bluff +12, Diplomacy +11, DIsguise +5, Escape Artist +6, Intimidate +9, Knowledge (arcana) +5, Knowledge (history) +6, Knowledge (nobility) +6, Perception +9, Sense Motive +9, Sleight of Hand +8, Stealth +7, Use Magic Device +9 The mesmerist’s class skills are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Fly (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (nobility) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perception (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Cha), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Stealth (Dex), and Use Magic Device (Cha). Skill Ranks Per Level: 6 + Int modifier + 2 background = 6 + 1 + 2 = 9 Detailed skills
Feats
Traits
Sorcerer
Save DC = 14 + spell level (10 + 4 Cha)
Abilities:
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Abilities -------------------- Weapon and armour proficiency A mesmerist is proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, sap, sword cane, and whip. She is proficient with light armour, but not with shields. Armour interferes with a sorcerer’s gestures, which can cause her spells with somatic components to fail. Consummate trickster (Ex)
Hypnotic stare (Su)
Mesmerist’s tricks (Su)
Gift of will: A small portion of the mesmerist’s vast mental power buttresses his ally’s mind. The mesmerist can trigger this trick when the subject attempts a Will saving throw, a Sense Motive check, or is targeted by an Intimidate check to demoralise her. For a saving throw, the subject uses the mesmerist’s Will saving throw bonus instead of her own. For a Sense Motive check or Intimidate check, she adds the mesmerist’s Charisma bonus as a morale bonus on the check or to the DC. The mesmerist can’t implant this trick on herself. Compel alacrity: A dash of mental speed lets the subject push past her physical limits to avoid an enemy. The mesmerist can trigger this trick when the subject begins her turn within an enemy’s reach. The subject can move 10 feet as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity. The distance the subject can move increases by 5 feet for every 5 levels the mesmerist possesses, to a maximum of 30 feet at 20th level. The subject can’t move farther than her speed in this way. The movement from this trick doesn’t count against the subject’s movement speed for that round. Painful stare (Su)
Towering ego (Ex)
Fey bloodline
Familiar tattoo (Su)
Varisian tattoo (Ex)
Appearance:
Aemilia Karthis is a beautiful young half-elven noblewoman. Her sleek brown hair is usually worn up, perfumed, oiled and artfully arranged in line with the latest Taldan fashion. Her complexion is lighter than the tawny common to most Taldans as a result of her elven heritage, resulting in a smooth creamy tone. Large green eyes flecked with gold draw attention and simultaneously cause the watcher to both avert their gaze and get sucked into their hypnotic depths. The comely elven features her mother gifted her are obvious in the pointed ears, though the angularity of her face is rounded out from her human side. Similarly, her trim figure is fuller than the standard elven slender one.
Her dress is as well appointed as her elegantly coiffed hair, whether a blouse paired with a skirt or a full dress, they are always well tailored and cut flatteringly. Aelmilia takes pride in her appearance, carefully choosing colours and designs that complement her natural colouring. She particularly enjoys garments in turquoise, white, sunshine yellow and rich burgundy. These outfits are inevitably enhanced with tasteful jewellery and subtle scents, a marker of both wealth and status. Aelia stands proudly, both obviously part of the Taldan nobility yet at the same time her non-human status marks her out as not truly of the class at all. For too long in her plain, tragic childhood and her weird, awkward youth she was bullied, trodden on and ignored in equal measure by much of her family but the half-elf has bloomed and grown. Now she looks squarely in the eye of anyone willing to meet her gaze and lock wills with her, ready to exert her many charms or her cutting tongue in the service of her goals. Backstory and personality:
There was an unexpected burst of laughter from outside and then the door opened. Heads turned as the woman walked into the room, as heads tended to do in a dive like this. Many of them stared a second, for that is usually the case when the walker is possessed by a rare beauty. Some were busy calculating, weighing her up as a mark. Others, wiser, and perhaps aware of her reputation, looked away. She walked upright, clad in yellow, a ray of bright sunshine in a dingy tavern. It was mid-afternoon outside, the full heat of the day beating down in Bloodcove, not that you’d know it in the room. Stepping past the bar, she nodded a greeting to the hulking barkeep and disappeared into a small backroom. “You must be Lady Karthis,” the man seated in the room says. “Thank you for the correct form of address,” she replies. “Nice to see someone show some manners. You may call me Aemilia - I find that titles don’t count for much here so I rarely enforce it unless I feel someone needs to learn a little respect.” She looks the man opposite up and down as she seats herself, draping the lightweight silk scarf she had wrapped around her shoulders over the back of the chair, exposing slim shoulders and bare arms. “I’m guessing that the “Silver” in Silver Connah isn’t a hereditary title?” The man chuckles as he takes in the half-elf’s visage. Her brown hair is glossy and expensively arranged, an impressive feat in the jungle heat, and her face is just as pretty as he’d heard. Perhaps more so given people’s natural inclination to exaggerate in a place full of tall tales and cheap rumours. He finds his eyes unerringly drawn to a large bead of sweat slowly making its way down her shapely neck towards her decolletage. “Pardon me for saying but you don’t look much like my normal clients,” he says. “And you don’t look dressed for heading into the jungle.” Aemilia smiles. “Probably not. You, however, look exactly like I pictured.” She leaves the man to work out whether that was a barb, a compliment, or a bit of both. “And I’m not heading into the jungle. I dressed for a meeting.” She leans forward, past the cheap and almost certainly nasty glass of wine the man had supplied for her. “Let me tell you something about myself. In fact, seeing as I like you Connah, I’ll tell you three things.” “First, I’m a naturally giving person. Most people in life are takers. Your man on the door, for example. Not the one outside, he’s loyal enough, but the one with the broken nose. He got a little overfamiliar as I was coming in so I gave him a little tickle and would you believe what he coughed up to my wandering hands?” She lays an emerald of not insignificant size and a bundle of papers on the table. “I believe these are yours. You should be more careful with them.” The man’s eyebrows rise in surprise but he nods his thanks and gathers up the stolen items. Leaning back again, she continues. “Relatedly, don’t play me at cards. I’ll probably beat you.” From somewhere she has conjured a pack into her hand and fanned them out. It’s a cheap and flashy trick and one Connah has seen many a gambler do, though such feats are usually achieved through a combination of manual dexterity and hiding the deck about your person. Doing it wearing a sleeveless dress is admittedly quite impressive. “You’re confessing to cheating now?” “I usually don’t have to. For some reason people see me as an easy target - a bit too pretty, perhaps a touch naive - ready to be fleeced. It’s a lesson some people are surprisingly slow to learn. In fact it’s one thing that has made me feel at home here - this place is every bit as full of swindlers, cheaters and braggarts as the Opparan nobility.” “Finally,” she says, grinning, feeling the man’s eyes still on the bead of sweat, now trickling onto her neckline, “my eyes are my best feature. Don’t get me wrong, I have other assets and it’s an effort to maintain them. But every so often all I want is a man to stare deep into my eyes and tell me how pretty I am.” She bats her eyelids flirtatiously. Connah raises his glance to meet her gaze, gulping as he looks into her gold-flecked green eyes. Infinite pools, more than one lost soul has drowned in them. “It’s alright, I don’t bite.” As a look of concern crosses the man’s face, Aemilia laughs lightly. “Oh. Yes, I’ve heard those rumours too. Surely you don’t believe everything you hear. No, of course you don’t - you’re good at your job. But I will point out that while you did invite me here to meet, the sun is blazing down outside and you’re welcome to take a look.” She pulls out a small compact mirror and lays it on the table. Realising that the gossip is pure fiction, Connah declines to pick it up. “Ok,” he says slowly. “I know a bit about who you are - what you’re choosing to tell me at least. And what I’ve heard.” He knows that she is aware he has done some research on her so there’s little to be gained by pretending it’s a secret. “Naturally. I would be disappointed if you were unprepared. You’re a professional, or so I was led to believe.” Aemilia’s smile is teasing. “But do go on.” Connah considers for a second before posing his question. “What I don’t understand is what in the hells a lady like yourself is doing in a place like this? Far as I can see you’ve got the deck stacked in your favour - looks, smarts, money and a name. How many people did you kill to run half the world away?” he blurts out. Aemilia chuckles as the man inadvertently stumbles on the truth of the matter. In a way, at least. “You’ve never been to a noble’s ball, have you? Trust me, the words can be just as dangerous and the murders no less real, even if the wounds don’t usually bleed. It can be tricky world to navigate, even for seasoned nobility. And while I am not unskilled in such matters - indeed, I am very good at getting what I want - I have a number of black marks against my name, not least among my own family.” “The Karthis family has a long and proud military history. Every other ancestor seems to be a proud knight, famed swordsman or naval captain. Imagine their disappointment when I barely know which end of a sword is which.” Connah points at the cane that leans against her chair. “Yet you carry a fine blade on you. Surely that’s an exaggeration, I’d wager you know which end to hold.” “Perhaps,” she concedes, quietly impressed that he has recognised her weapon for what it is. “Though I would wager you’re a man used to holding your own weapon.” He chuckles, appreciating both the joke and how the half-elf’s tongue could both cut and land her in trouble. “On top of that crushing disappointment, you have to understand that for all its magnificence Taldor is a very traditional society. No queen can ascend the throne and bloodlines matter a great deal. My blood is very much not fully human and that is a problem. Or at least it’s a problem for much of society and therefore my family. I’m hardly the first dirty little secret knocking around, lift the sheets too high and who knows what kinds of filth will be visible.” She glances around the room. “It’s funny but in many ways Bloodcove is more welcoming - or at least less bothered - that I’m a woman and a half-elf.” “As it happens, I am quite fond of myself and I am not content to live a quiet life of luxury on the family estate, an embarrassing secret never seen or heard. Life is simply too much fun for that.” Aemilia grins. “And change is coming - the king’s daughter means to succeed him and while I am a subtle soul, pure kindness and generosity, some might say, I have not been particularly quiet in my opinions on the matter.” For all her lighthearted tone, there is an obvious earnestness to her words. “You will be unsurprised to hear that my family are staunch traditionalists. And despite my many issues - their words, not mine - I still think I’m quite the catch. Sadly they may be right though, as yet they have failed to marry me off and make me someone else’s problem,” she adds drily. “So here I am. A disappointment, an embarrassment and a troublemaker too. Little old Aemilia being all of those things - just imagine! So they packed me off on a ship and sent halfway round the world. Problem solved as far as they’re concerned.” “Makes sense,” he admits. “Doesn’t it just? I, however, am not content to sit and sweat out the rest of my days here. I intend to make a name for myself. Find a lost city, uncover vast riches or holy relics, write my name in the histories. Maybe have bards write songs about my unparalleled beauty. You get the idea. Then I return home, impossible to ignore and free to live my life the way I want to. Probably rub a few noses in it,” she adds as an afterthought. “And so you come to Silver Connah,” he says. “I get you and I can get you what you want.” Then, “Before we get down to proper business, can I ask a question?” She shrugs, an elegant movement. “That’s what we’re here for.” “Begging your pardon but, well, a rat seems like a strange choice for a tattoo. For a high class lady, that is.” He gestures towards the inked design around Aemilia’s wrist. “An itinerant Varisian did it for me, Hawkren Hargraves. Charming man. Lots of colourful tales and good at his work.” Yes, she had enjoyed him. She smiles fondly in reminiscence. “But yes, that doesn’t really answer your question. Allow me to pose one of my own in response. What animal would you most associate with Taldor?” “Can’t say I know anything about it. Sorry,” he adds. “Most people would say a lion. It’s on the flag, the Grand Prince sits atop the Lion Throne,” she explains. “And no doubt most proud Taldans envisage themselves as somehow resembling that noble beast. Me, I think the rat is more emblematic. We are travellers but above all, survivors. The glorious empire would not have lasted for 6000 years if it were not so.” Aemilia looks directly at Connah, locking her bold green eyes with his. “Sometimes, however, survival is no longer enough. You either adapt or you die. And I assure you I have no intention of dying.” The man nods slowly, finally feeling like he has the measure of the woman sitting opposite. It wasn’t that he underestimated her - he wouldn’t be long in this line of work, or probably this world if he did that on the regular - but it is no longer a challenge to imagine this noblewoman venturing into the wilds of the Expanse. And, perhaps more to the point, returning. “I believe you,” he says. “Good. I’m glad we understand each other. Since you now have my life story - not to mention a fair amount of my coin - perhaps you would care to uphold your end of the bargain? Tell me about this forgotten city…” |
