About AlessandraIntroduction:
“If I've got a flaw,” Alessandra said to herself while running full-tilt through the crowd “- apart from scrimshawing people's bones (which frankly I see as more of a character quirk) – it's that I tend to over-complicate things...” The half-orc girl had been offered a tidy sum of gold by one of the local gangs to take out their rivals, and afterward had then had the idea of turning her erstwhile “employers” in to the City Watch for their bounty. Needless to say, it hadn't gone well – the Watch had blundered in and now Alessandra was being pursued by both the gang and the Watch sergeant, who was convinced that he had been tricked somehow. “Hm.” Alessandra realised she was running toward a part of the city she rarely visited – the docks; she had grown up there and had few fond memories of the place. “On the other hand, perhaps this is a sign that I need to leave this dump behind me and move on.” The girl gave a wry, lop-sided smile at the sight of the nearest inn – the Formidably Maid. “ok, ok, I'll take that as a sign; rub it in, why don't you,” she addressed whatever patron was Up There. Pushing her way through the crowd, she satisfied herself that she had indeed lost her pursuers before entering the tavern. She glanced ruefully at her purse – so much lost – but she had long ago learned that money may come and go, but mayhem lasts forever. Sizing up the rest of the bar, she headed for one of the less repellent males and flashed her lop-sided grin: “Care to buy a girl a drink?” In hindsight, Alessandra's first mistake that evening was to lose track of how many drinks the nice man with the apparently bottomless purse had bought her. Her second mistake was to put this down to the adrenalin rush from escaping both the Town Watch and the gang in the same day. Her third mistake was to talk too much:
The detached part of Alessandra's mind - the part that keeps an eye on and comments about what's going on; the part that Tor taught her to develop - tried desperately to get through to her; but the combination of the spiked drinks and the memories brought back by the smell of the nearby docks was just too overpowering.
The half-orc teenager slurred curses in a mixture of Orc and Common as she reached for her twin blades. Sadly, she seemed to have misplaced her hands; by the time she sorted out her co-ordination and grasped the sword-hilts, she had been hit several times on the back of the head. The last thing she remembers is a pair of strong arms lifting her - not unkindly - and carrying her out the tavern... Background:
Alessandra is what is euphemistically known as a 'child of the streets': her mother was one of the many women who sell themselves at the docks for sailors' favours. Alessandra's mother always insisted that Alessandra's father was a famous orc pirate, but the name changed on each telling and Alessandra finally settled on "Orcbeard" as apparently (unusually for an orc) he had a great deal of facial hair. When Alessandra was 11, her mother was beaten to death by a "client" - the girl brought herself visibly to the attention of her peers by tracking the man down and savagely cutting him apart (she still has a few bones of his in her collection). After this, some of the dockside gangs employed her as an enforcer (and occasional murderer) - she would doubtless have lived a short and violent life had they not one day sent her to collect a gambling debt from Torquin "Tor" Strathpride, one of the younger sons of the (minor) nobility. Impressed by her direct approach, Tor instead offered to hire her on the spot as his assistant; while keeping him safe, he taught her some of the more subtle arts that she would never have learned in the docklands: forgery, fencing, card-sharping and (most importantly of all) how to dress so as not to look like a street urchin. Alessandra has since that time stayed away from the docks, uncomfortable with the reminders of her former life - she has acquired a taste for nice things and comfort, but always with the knowledge that everything breaks, and everyone dies. Since Jored's death from a broken neck (he fell from a roof while making a getaway) 18 months ago, Alessandra has drifted through the city from one scheme to the next, until her final escapade resulted in pursuit from both a powerful gang and the City Watch (unfairly in her view). She still doesn't know whether her retreat back to the docks was deliberate choice on her part or just a memory, or just chance. The name of the tavern - the Formidably Maid - was just too enticing... Not knowing either of her parents' last names, Alessandra tends to adopt a surname as required, but has defaulted to using Tor's last name as a way of remembering him - they were never lovers: this is a rare instance of sentimentality on her part. Whether his family would approve, she neither knows nor cares.
Appearance & Personality:
At 16 years old, Alessandra has the confidence of youth and the assurance that she knows it all. Her acquaintance with a younger son of the nobility has taught her a better way of speaking than the street lingo she grew up with, and she occasionally entertains herself by offering a detached, amused comment on her predicament, replete with subordinate clauses (and parenthetical statements). In keeping with this detachment, she has a light-hearted contempt for most people but occasionally finds someone she respects. In her view, everything breaks, everyone dies, so you might as well go with the flow. Fundamentally chaotic, she enjoys creating mayhem and complexity for their own sake, but is prone to over-complicating things and thereby landing in further trouble. So far, she has been able to talk, threaten, or fight her way out of anything. Not religious, but slightly superstitious, Alessandra follows no deity but occasionally thanks (or swears at) her "patron" while being unsure whether they exist or what their name might be. If she finds out about Besmara, she might be tempted to become a follower in due course. At 5 ft. 10 inches tall, Alessandra looms over most of the women she knows (and some of the men), but is careful not to do so obviously; she often converses while kneeling down or squatting, in order not to appear out of the ordinary - unless of course she's trying to intimidate. Her crooked smile is the result of many hours' practice in front of a mirror, training herself not to show her teeth and thereby give away her half-orc ancestry too obviously. Her appearance changes depending on her whims: her coarse, black hair is frequently dyed with streaks of colour, or even bleached completely; and her long-sleeved garments and leggings tend to be dark hues of crimson, purple, or midnight blue, with the occasional pink scarf or belt sash thrown in for contrast. The one colour she avoids wearing is green. Alessandra carries a variety of items in her cloak and at her belt: in addition to the usual assortment of weapons and thieves' tools, she carries a small box of carving implements and spends her free time scrimshawing decorative patterns into bones (usually fingers, knuckles, toes) of assorted people she has collected over the years (where there has been time to 'harvest' them after the kill, of course - sometimes the need to run is more pressing). Advancement choices:
Lvl 1: Slayer +1 hp Lvl 2: Slayer +1 skill point Lvl 3: Slayer +1 hp Lvl 4: Slayer +1 hp Lvl 5: Slayer +1 hp Lvl 6: Slayer +1 hp Lvl 7: Slayer +1 hp Crunch:
Female Half-orc Slayer 7 CN Medium Humanoid (human, orc)
AC 19, touch 15, flat-footed 14 (Dex +5, Armour +4)
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Speed 30 ft.
PLUS Sneak Attack 2d6
Str 14, Dex 20, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 14
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Acute Darkvision: Some half-orcs have exceptionally sharp darkvision, gaining darkvision 90 feet. This racial trait replaces orc ferocity. City-Raised: Half-orcs with this trait know little of their orc ancestry and were raised among humans and other half-orcs in a large city. City-raised half-orcs are proficient with whips and longswords, and receive a +2 racial bonus on Knowledge (local) checks. This racial trait replaces weapon familiarity. Intimidating: Half-orcs receive a +2 racial bonus on Intimidate checks due to their fearsome nature. Studied Target: A slayer can study an opponent he can see as a move action. The slayer then gains a +1 bonus on Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival checks attempted against that opponent, and a +1 bonus on weapon attack and damage rolls against it. The DCs of slayer class abilities against that opponent increase by 1. A slayer can only maintain these bonuses against one opponent at a time; these bonuses remain in effect until either the opponent is dead or the slayer studies a new target. At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th levels, the bonuses on weapon attack, damage rolls, and skill checks and to slayer DCs against a studied target increase by 1. In addition, at each such interval, the slayer is able to maintain these bonuses against an additional studied target at the same time. The slayer may discard this connection to a studied target as a free action, allowing him to study another target in its place. Track: A slayer adds 1/2 her level (minimum 1) to Survival skill checks made to follow tracks. Slayer Talent (Lvl 2: Ranger Combat Style – Rapid Shot; Lvl 4: Ranger Combat Style: Precise Shot; Lvl 6: Ranger Combat Style: Manyshot) Stalker (Ex): At 7th level, a slayer gains her studied target bonus on Disguise, Intimidate, and Stealth checks against her studied opponent. _________________
Rapid Shot (bonus Slayer Talent feat - lvl 2) Precise Shot (bonus Slayer Talent feat - lvl 4) Manyshot (bonus Slayer Talent feat - level 6) _________________
Armour Expert: When you wear armor of any sort, reduce that suit’s armor check penalty by 1, to a minimum check penalty of 0. Buccaneer's Blood: +1 to Intimidate; +1 to Profession (sailor); +1 Disrepute; +1 Infamy _________________
Acrobatics 15 (7 points, Class, 5 Dex)
Sleeves of Many Garments
Masterwork Chain Shirt (+4 AC, Max Dex +4, -1 ACP) +2 Composite Longbow (+2 Str)
Masterwork Backpack
Birthday list:
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