Aerianna Flametongue's page

The story of the Silver Maiden begins not in 4679 when she was born, nor even in 4710 when much of her family was slain during the upsurge in demonic activity when Yath rose from the Abyss. Strangely, it truly begins in far away Korvosa, during the rise and fall of Queen Ileosa; it begins not with Aerianna, but with the fallen paladin and swordmistress Tala Mateev.

Tala Mateev had been a devotee of the archon Falayna (known as Warrior's Ring) and trained as a paladin in the Tempering Hall of Absalom to master the longsword, favored weapon of the empyreal lady of femininity, rings, and martial training. When the end of a quest left her in Korvosa just after Queen Ileosa Arbasti (see Curse of the Crimson Throne) began establishing the Gray Maidens, Tala (female human LG paladin (tempered champion) 3) was enticed into the group by way of the temptation of being able to improve her skill with the longsword. Pushed mercilessly by Kordaitra Destaid, the group's second-in-command and de facto commander, magically manipulated by the group's wizard Vavana Dhatri, Tala's pride, ego, and eagerness to learn at any cost eventually led to her fall as a paladin -- which in turn was a crack that would later widen into a major psychological disorder bordering on a split personality.

With the fall of Queen Ileosa and the disbanding of the Gray Maidens in 4707, the thoroughly-dishonored Tala Mateev (LE cavalier (sister-in-arms) 5) left Varisia with a half-dozen others of the squad she'd led; aimless, they travelled east with no purpose other than to stay together and get as far away as they could from the life they were leaving behind. The long journey took them through Lastwall, threaded between Ustalav and Razmiran and, reaching the River Kingdoms, led them to inadvertently hiring on as caravan guards heading north on the West Sellen river, up the Crusader Road. Reaching Nerosyan in 4708 with only two of the squad remaining, their path as sell-swords was not to last, with the final two of Tala's companions dying in skirmishes with Worldwound demons soon thereafter.

But Tala herself survived and, after drifting for a short time, found a retreat only a mile or so away from the town of Vala's Gift, and retired -- or tried to. Her psyche was in strong conflict with itself, aspects of her 'paladin self' clashing with the 'maiden self', her loyalty to her cruel 'sisters' in a strange conflicted lock-step with her once-paladin's ideals of honor and loyalty. Her skill with a longsword and her intimidating visage (or lack thereof, behind her maiden's helm) was undeniable and uncompromising, and thus grew for a time rumors of a swordmistress living in seclusion near the town.

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Let us return, however, to the crusader city of Kenabres, wherein was born, was raised, trained, and lived the young maiden Aerianna. Taking after her father as a healer, admiring her mother, two uncles, and multiple siblings and cousins as soldiers, and with hundreds of other family supporting the defense of the town and the people against the abyssal invaders, she watched from afar as Khorramzadeh the Storm King attacked Kenabres and cracked the wardstone, only to be nearly brought down by the silver dragon Terendelev. What is rarely mentioned in those tales is the cost to the soldiery and town folk, and Aerianna lost multiple family members that day.

Still, for the next fifteen years Kenabres was active, first fiercely, then less so as the energy devoted to the Fourth Crusade wore away. To say that Aerianna was a bright, inquisitive young woman is to be honest; to say that she was less beautiful than she was charismatic, just as honest. She could still find cousins in all areas of the city, in all trades and levels of the government; to call her extended family one of the backbones of the city would not be too far off the mark. Aerianna managed to learn a little bit about almost everything, occasionally getting into trouble due to her curiousity (and, very occasionally, finding herself in places she really ought not to have gone, for the exact same reason). It was the inquisitiveness of an innocent, however, which her parents turned to good use, and Aerianna followed her father into the healer's trade, and the plain-faced seven-year-old aasimar girl who watched from shelter as the vast balor smashed through stone walls learned her trade as a woman's healer and midwife. By the time the Fourth Crusade petered to a halt, the sturdy young woman had reached her twenty-second year. That was the same year that Queen Ileosa was dethroned, and Tala Mateev began the long, strange path that would lead her to Vala's Gift.

Less than a handful of years later, however, in 4710 Aerianna was with her father on one of their typical circuits about Kenabres, visiting the villages and hamlets behind the city which still provided it with some food; guarding the pair was a troop in which several of her family, siblings and cousins, were enlisted. For them, it was less a military escort than a family road-trip. It turned into a family disaster, as several score demons descended on the hamlet of Partoch while they were there, bloodily slaughtering the troop, the inhabitants, the livestock -- everyone but Aerianna herself. The commander of the demons, having pointed her out at the very beginning of the slaughter as someone not to be harmed, watched her agony as she failed in every attempt to defend her patients, to strike back at the abyssals, to do anything that would make a difference. As the demons left her as the sole surviving witness, the leader laughed cruelly in her face, kicked her weeping form over, and left her behind him, broken in spirit.

Not broken; furious at her own impotentcy.

With the defenders already stretched to their breaking point, Aerianna's report of the massacre at the Partoch hamlet was received with glum acknowledgement, but no action. Still furious, now at the crusader forces in Kenabres crippled with an impotency equal to her own, she left the city to find someone, anyone who could teach her to defend herself, to strike back at the demons. And when she came across the rumor of a battle-maiden whose zeal and skill kept the town of Vala's Gift clear of the foul things, she headed north -- well, north-east, anyhow.

A decade older than Aerianna, Tala Mateev (now cavalier (sister-in-arms) 7) had seen far more of the world -- and at first she refused to have anything to do with the midwife. Several weeks' persistence exposed the fact that Aerianna was going nowhere until she learned something, however, and so giving the woman burdensome scutwork, Tala expected to run her off and that right quick. But Aerianna was used to hard work, and grimly carried or dragged every load Tala gave her, ran every road and hill and ravine over and through which Tala sent her, did every filthy tedious chore with diligence and detail. Impressed despite herself, the ex-Gray Maiden started to see in Aerianna the potential for the perfection of her own ideal -- and, possibly, the renewal of her sisterhood.

And so she took Aerianna as a student, teaching her everything she could of the basics of her skills: the art of the sword, the reliance on her shield-sister, dedication and zeal and above all others, loyalty. Her instruction swung wildly from cruel to compassionate, her personality imperatives whipsawing Aerianna back and forth and inadvertently ensuring that loyalty would become an intense part of Aerianna's being. The scars she laid on the younger woman were those of hard work and combat training, however; Tala was a firm believer in 'spare the rod, spoil the child', as well as 'the more I bleed sweat in training, the less I bleed in combat', and though she typically trained Aerianna with weighted, bated (dulled) blades, they were not that dull, and every mistake in Aerianna's form was immediately punished by Tala's sword snaking through the gap and creasing her skin.

Learning everything Tala cared to teach her, doing absolutely everything the swordmistress demanded of her no matter how degrading or grimly cruel, Aerianna was -- compared to many others -- a fast and focused study, in part because she knew that she had a lot to catch up on, and not much time in which to do it if she were to begin taking the fight to the demons that had taken her family. After most of a year of this training, including several desperate fights against lesser demons which came through, Tala decided that Aerianna was ready to be given the honor of the facial scars of the Gray Maidens and be fully inducted into her order.

Iomedae had other plans.

A paladin of the goddess crashed the very start of the mid-morning two-woman ceremony; her sword surrounded with a glow that kept its edge from damaging either student or master, the woman faced Tala blade-to-blade. As the two clashed, the paladin pleaded with the cavalier to turn away from the darkness within her, that redemption was possible, that the people around her, both Aerianna and those in Vala's Gift would better served -- far better served -- if she would only return to the Light that still struggled to shine inside her. Tala was slow to enrage, but as the paladin fell to one knee, then spoke a few words and rose again healed of the worst of her wounds to continue to seek Tala's redemption, her fury broke free of her self-restraint. Using the paladin as, essentially, a practice dummy, the ex-Gray Maiden gave her student a display of weapon expertise, pointing out every error she saw in the paladin's defense and morality, until finally the Iomedaean lay out on the ground, half-senseless and helpless.

"Here," spoke Tala, snatching the paladin's quenched longsword from the ground and thrusting the grip into Aerianna's hand, which now-instinctively closed about it. "Finish her."

Aerianna stared down at the holy warrior who, after all, had done neither her nor her instructor any lasting harm. "What??"

The flat of Tala's blade smacked against the flat of the paladin's, fine steel ringing against fine steel; Aerianna's grip tightened against the vibrations raised. "Did I stutter? Did you somehow misunderstand what I ordered you to do, initiate?? Finish her."

Slowly, as if under a compulsion, Aerianna moved to the fallen woman's side, lowering the tip of the paladin's own blade to press against her throat. There she froze, staring down at the woman who had regained senses, though not her vigor; she was exhausted from channelling the goddess's blessings, and could do it no more. There she stood, the paladin meeting her gaze without fear, with a hope deep inside her eyes that strove to communicate itself to Aerianna ...

... and which finally did.

"No."

Tala's head rocked back in shock. "What do you mean, no??"

Aerianna's gaze lifted, but quailed at what she saw in her teacher's visage; the flicker of compassion was not enough to stand against the bonfire of Tala's anger. "I ... I can't."

Furious and impatient, Tala's blade struck aside the paladin's blade which Aerianna held, lifted, fell. "Little worm, you are giving me serious reason to reconsider!!" She gestured at the paladin's headless corpse. "Get rid of that. I don't want to see you until tomorrow; I have a lot of thinking to do, to decide whether or not you were just a waste of my fvcking time." She stalked off into the overgrowth behind the small cabin the two of them shared, lashing out at branches and vines as she went.

Slowly, Aerianna did as her swordmistress had ordered her; it was not the first time she'd been told to stay out of sight, and the penalty for being seen had always been painful. It was the first time she'd ever had to dig a grave, however, and she did so with care, whispering a tearful apology to the paladin for her death, for the ill way in which she was being buried. Not knowing many of the specifics of the Iomedean faith, she nonetheless stripped the woman of her armor and items, placed eleven stones as a small cairn at her head to mark the grave, then pulled on the armor (which, though chain mail, still fit her ill), took up the sword and, keeping out of Tala's sight and hearing, crept off before dinner-time to begin the thirty-mile trek back to Kenabres.

Luck was with her; the paladin's horse (entirely mundane, fortunately) was tied up a half-mile away in the direction she was headed; having some instruction in handling such a beast, she mounted up and turned for her long-abandoned home. The horse let her get to Kenabres before Tala even knew her to be gone, and that night she was turning the paladin's sword, armor, holy symbol, and gear in to the church of Iomedae, where it was recognized.

So, too, was Aerianna, and early on in her interrogation as to where she'd been for the last year and the circumstances of the paladin's death, she broke down entirely. Despite her weeping, she was able to hiccup her way through a reasonably coherent explanation of her last months, and told the woman who had waved the others out of the room everything she could remember of the unnamed paladin's battle to redeem herself and Tala Mateev. After listening gravely, the other woman -- herself a paladin of Iomedae -- told her that not all is lost, for the other paladin (whose name she revealed as Herris Terrin) had the victory, for had not Aerianna returned to the church? Aerianna's weeping only increased, and she begged the woman for forgiveness, for mercy, if only she herself might be allowed to be the least servant in the church, were it only to be scrubbing floors for the rest of her life as her penance for her life being traded for that of a paladin's.

"Oh," said the woman softly, steel in her quiet voice, "I think you're going to have to do a bit more than that."

The weeks following were a scourging and scouring of her spirit, as a white-hot forge-fire to a misshapen blade of finest steel, correcting and reshaping the twists placed in her by her previous instruction. Much of Tala's work was sound, including -- especially -- her passion for the art of the blade, but the reasons behind each action, the morals and ethics which grounded her, had to be set once again in Iomedean ideals. But Aerianna's spirit was finally pliable, given up in service to the Inheritor, and eleven weeks after her return, she was consecrated as paladin by Herris Terrin's +1 cold iron longsword 'Gloomcutter', then was sent forth to go as the goddess willed her.

Tala, being paranoid, had left by nightfall the day after Aerianna's own flight, but the cabin was Aerianna's first stop, to review the lessons she'd learned there, both good and bad. There she swore an oath to herself and upon the grave of the paladin who had saved her, that she would finish Herris Terrin's work and redeem the spirit of Tala Mateev. She also hopes to perhaps redeem the Gray Maidens, or at least the idea of them, and create what they might have been had they a good, honorable leader: Silver Maidens.

Aerianna typically works as a woman's healer and midwife, for only the pittances necessary for her to restock her kit or for free if they can't afford that; she believes that bringing life and hope into the world is as important, if not moreso, than taking demons out of it, and would far prefer to put her talents to use that way. Even so, she knows that her skill with a sword is better than others at this point in her career, and so she pursues the crusade with determined zeal.

Though she has lost family to the Worldwound, including both parents, at least one sibling, and several cousins, she still has more that serve in Mendev's armies and who work behind the scenes in support roles. Her nickname 'Flametongue' is likely from the discovery of her continual flame ability (wherein she kisses the place or item to which she is granting the eternal flame), but has also earned with her ability to inspire allies and persuade neutral parties (Diplomacy +6/+7), as well as her ability to intimidate opponents (Intimidate +8). The continual flame ability is one she always, always, always uses before resting for the night; this often results in her creating a stockpile, but since she gives away for free the stones upon which she normally uses the gift, she rarely has many. She does prefer to place the enchantment on portable objects, such as stones or on the nubs inside lanterns. She will, when asked by her nominal superiors, place a continual flame on a stable physical location such as a castle wall, but she does prefer to be able to give the light to people to carry with them 'in all the dark places they must go.'

Physically, Aerianna is a close-coupled short woman, 5'2" and 115 lbs, with a body trained to exert accurate power instead of agility. About 28 years old with a plain face, she has copper red hair with flame-red highlights, brilliant emerald green eyes, and warm golden skin. Her halo, when manifested, reflects this physicality, and is primarily a warm gold, with copper, flame-red, and occasionally emerald filaments radiating out from her like holy fire. Her voice is an upper alto/low soprano (a mezzo-soprano), and she is well-trained in projecting her voice through the din of battle or against the rising passion of a mob; if she was trained, she would make an excellent singer or orator.

The paladins of Iomedae are just and strong, crusaders who live for the joy of righteous battle. Their mission is to right wrongs and eliminate evil at its root. They serve as examples to others, and their code demands they protect the weak and innocent by eliminating sources of oppression, rather than merely the symptoms. They may back down or withdraw from a fight if they are over-matched, but if their lives will buy time for others to escape, they must give them. Their tenets include the following affirmations.

-- I will learn the weight of my sword. Without my heart to guide it, it is worthless -- my strength is not in my sword, but in my heart. If I lose my sword, I have lost a tool. If I betray my heart, I have died.
-- I will have faith in the Inheritor. I will channel her strength through my body. I will shine in her legion, and I will not tarnish her glory through base actions.
-- I am the first into battle, and the last to leave it.
-- I will not be taken prisoner by my free will.
-- I will not surrender those under my command.
-- I will never abandon a companion, though I will honor sacrifice freely given.
-- I will guard the honor of my fellows, both thought and deed, and I will have faith in them.
-- When in doubt, I may force my enemies to surrender, but I am responsible for their lives.
-- I will never refuse a challenge from an equal.
-- I will give honor to worthy enemies, and contempt to the rest.
-- I will suffer death before dishonor.
-- I will be temperate in my actions and moderate in my behavior.
-- I will strive to emulate Iomedae's perfection.

Never suffer an evil outsider to live if it is in your power to destroy it. Banish fiends you cannot kill. Purge the evil from those possessed by fiends. Oppose demonic influence in all its forms and seek a way to close the Worldwound.

Aerianna Flametongue G1
Female archon-blooded aasimar (lawbringers) gestalt: paladin (oath of the mendevian crusade, tempered champion) 1/unchained rogue (phantom thief) 1
LG Medium outsider (native)
Init +0; Senses Perception +5
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Defense
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AC 18, touch 10, flat-footed 18 (+6 armor, +2 shield)
hp 13 (1d10+3)
Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +3
Resist acid 5, cold 5, electricity 5
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee longsword +3 (1d8+2/19-20)
. . dagger +1 (1d4+2/19-20)
Special Attacks smite evil 1/day (+2 attack and AC, +1 damage)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 1st; concentration +3)
. . At will -- halo
. . 1/day -- continual flame
Paladin Spell-Like Abilities (CL 1st; concentration +3)
. . At will -- detect evil
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Statistics
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Str 15, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 15
Base Atk +1; CMB +3; CMD 13
Feats Gray Maiden Initiate (Faceless Maiden, Gray Maiden Endurance), Weapon Finesse
Traits child of the crusades, crusader, good influence
Skills Acrobatics +0 (-3 enc., -7 ACP, -11 to jump), Diplomacy +6, Disable Device +1 (-3 ACP), Handle Animal +6, Heal +7 (+11 dealing with humanoid pregnancy or birth), Intimidate +8, Knowledge (nobility) +6, Knowledge (religion) +6, Perception +5, Profession (midwife) +5, Ride +1 (-3 ACP), Sense Motive +7, Sleight of Hand +1 (-3 ACP), Stealth +1 (-3 ACP), Swim +2 (-1 enc., -5 ACP); Racial Modifiers +2 Intimidate, +2 Sense Motive
Languages Celestial, Common, Draconic, Dwarven
Combat Gear healer's kit; Other Gear lamellar (steel) armor (-5 ACP), heavy steel shield (-2 ACP), dagger (2), dagger, knife (3), longsword, backpack, bedroll, canteen[UE], common meal (per day) (2), flint and steel, hemp rope (50 ft.), holy symbol, cold iron, mess kit[UE], midwife's kit[UE], mug/tankard, pot, pouch, belt, soap, thieves' tools, thread (50 ft.) (2), trail rations (2), whetstone, winter blanket, 7 sp, 3 cp
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Special Abilities
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Bravery/Valor Variant Channeling (±1 Sacred) Additional save vs. fear/AC bonus, or standard channel
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Detect Evil (At will) (Sp) You can use detect evil at will (as the spell).
Energy Resistance, Acid (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Acid attacks.
Energy Resistance, Cold (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Cold attacks.
Energy Resistance, Electricity (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Electricity attacks.
Gray Maiden Initiate (Faceless Maiden, Gray Maiden Endurance) Trained by a Gray Maiden, gain two benefits of your choice.
-- Faceless Maiden (Ex) Gain +2 Intimidate bonus when wearing Gray Maiden plate.
-- Gray Maiden Endurance (Ex) Sleep while wearing Gray Maiden armor without becoming fatigued.
Halo (20', 40', at will): Light as spell, +2 Intimidate vs. evil, saves vs. blind/dazzle.
Smite Evil (1/day) (Su) +2 to hit, +1 to damage, +2 deflection bonus to AC when used.

Child of the Crusades 1/day, may reroll failed save vs. demon influence/possession.
Crusader +1 trait bonus on attack rolls against chaotic-subtype outsiders.
Good Influence +1 trait bonus on Diplomacy to persuade nongood/nonlawful to benefit good/law; +2 if both.

Light Levels
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