Five things to know about Alliszah right now:
- Alliszah is a tiefling woman, formerly of one of Kintargo's noble houses. As of the Night of Ashes, though, she is estranged from her family, living in an inn near Yolubilis Harbor after running away and taking whatever she could with her. Too long, she'd been forced to force others under her thumb; that night, she'd decided she was tired of being surrounded only by those made to tolerate her.
- While she was looked down upon by the rest of her household (her parents included), she was nevertheless given all the trappings of society expected of the heir of a noble house. This has left Alliszah with a strange, somewhat incongruous mix of arrogance and insecurity. She derives a great deal of confidence from her fine clothing and jewelry, as she's been taught her entire life that her nobility is her most redeeming trait. So great is this effect that she actually finds that her latent magical abilities are stronger and easier to use when she wears her finery.
- Most of the things Alliszah carries are high-quality and meticulously cared for, but one of her most closely guarded possessions is a crumpled-up piece of parchment that she keeps folded in a piece of cloth in a hidden pocket of her dress. Though the paper is rough and abused, the lettering is meticulous and elaborate, and the text illuminated in places. This paper is an infernal contract for possession of a human soul - her soul, owned by a devil whose name isn't familiar to her and to be claimed upon her death.
- Having stolen from her family in order to fund her disappearance and realizing that the devil who owns her might come looking, Alliszah rarely goes out without a mask over her eyes and a hood over her hair, horns, and fine clothing. Her fiendish abilities allow her to shroud her mind from detection as well, and she meditates each morning to assume the mental smoke screen of a diplomat from Magnimar, come to Kintargo to broker a trade deal for silver in order to mint coinage and wearing a mask to cover the aftermath of a horrific childhood injury. The disguise isn't perfect, she knows, and she's far more learned in drawing attention rather than deflecting it, but it's the best she has to protect herself.
- Having grown up in a world where the necessary things were readily available, Alliszah is radically unprepared for life outside the noble sphere. Looking after herself and doing menial tasks for herself is something she's unaccustomed to, and she finds herself subconsciously ordering about servers and maids as if they were her family's purchased slaves. (She is quick to apologize when she realizes it's happened; it's realizing it that's the trick.) Strangely, though, this same circumstance has made her almost recklessly generous - the concept of her money running out is something that hasn't quite impressed itself upon her mind.
Four people in Alliszah's life:
- Currently, her only real companion is a pseudodragon named Lydir, and even that relationship is slightly strained. Lydir came into Alliszah's life as an exotic pet, essentially a slave given as a birthday gift. While Alliszah has realized that the pseudodragon is not a pet or a slave, but a sentient being entitled to his own will, old habits are hard to break. At times, she finds herself demeaning him or bossing him around almost subconsciously, and the master/subject dynamic their relationship started with still chafes some. She tries to treat him well, though, offering him choice morsels ordered with her own meals and leaving a window cracked enough for him to come and go.
- Alliszah's parents, Lord Marcius Ranaxis and Lady Antonia Ranaxis, are furious at their daughter's disappearance, and even more so at what she's taken. Her own clothes, the expensive gifts from her social debut, even her pet pseudodragon from the menagerie...these they could understand. But the heirloom candelabra and rare books taken to pay her way has Lord Ranaxis seething, and Lady Ranaxis is terrified that with her hidden contract gone, its author will no longer be bound to its terms...
- And that author, the cabal devil Ekolasaina, is most displeased of all at the young woman's disappearance. The uniila has posed for years as Alliszah's aunt, caring for the young tiefling woman and showering her with gifts, mentoring her in magic and social mores. If Alliszah is gone, years of work go for nothing - and if the young tiefling woman works up the will to turn her abilities against Hell, the disgrace among Nisha's fiendish hierarchy will be unbearable...
Three of Alliszah's most prominent memories:
- A doll. Not even a particularly fine one - probably purchased in a junk shop, and even then it would have cost the better part of a week's allowance for the servant who'd bought it for her child Essa. But Alliszah liked the way the dyes intermingled in the linen of the dress, and the way the string hair curled. So she invited Essa to join her in her opulent nursery, set up her small ebony play table and chairs. Essa's linen-and-string doll sat among Alliszah's porcelain-and-silk ones, all dining on illusionary biscuits and imagined tea as equals.
Isn't that a lovely dress, Alliszah? Aunt Lyssa had crooned, leading the young tiefling's eyes. Wouldn't it look lovely on one of your dolls? Why don't you tell Essa that?
And the words, punctuated with a small flash of red in Alliszah's eyes, was all it took. Essa's rag doll had stayed with Alliszah that day, enjoyed for a few hours and then forgotten among the multitude of other distractions the young noble's life offered. This was the way of it, her aunt had explained. What you want, you claim for yourself, she'd advised the young tiefling. Don't let anyone say no. But when she'd found that rag doll years later, a troubling thought had snuck into the now-teenager's mind.
This was all Essa had, wasn't it?
- The mood at the coming-of-age party had been more funereal than celebratory. The drawing room was filled with the greats of Kintargo society, but the best expression anyone could muster was one of long-suffering. Gifts had been presented, of course - an elaborate set of hair combs, an enameled mask, a tiny dragonling in a gilded cage - but they were presented with eyes turned not to the debutante, but to Lord and Lady Ranaxis, those whose favor they truly sought with the offerings.
For a moment, she had started to reach for the warmth her aunt had shown her in the back of her mind. Why should they have to tolerate such boredom, she wondered, when I can make them enjoy themselves? But then she'd stopped herself, fighting the urge to glance toward her mother and aunt gossiping at her right hand. That was her parents' way of thinking, her aunt's. It may have been kindly meant...but happiness forced into someone's mind was just as false as the pretense swirling around her now.
So she'd feigned a headache, graciously turned away the rest of the dances she'd planned on, and waved well-wishers into the celebrations with a small smile as she simply watched. She'd seen the whispered conversations in the corner, the furtive glances toward whoever the current subject of derision was. She'd watched smiles of greeting turn into smirks of ridicule when the newcomer's back turned. Even her own parents sat stiffly apart, barely glancing at each other as her mother finished yet another glass of wine.
Is anything real here?
- Payment to be determined by the Recipient, freely offered upon receipt of services from the Grantor and satisfaction concerning the quality thereof. Once made, offer of payment is binding and irrevocable. Payment received this 20th day of Arodus, 4700 AR, in form of first child of Recipient, given over body and soul to Grantor by free and willing offer of Recipient. Child given over to shared custody with Grantor during minority; soul to be allotted to Grantor at final judgement.
The foundations of Kintargo's landmarks were crumbling - and so was the foundation Alliszah had built her life on. It wasn't enough that her station and the weight of expectation had bound her since her birth; it seemed this piece of paper, found in a hidden drawer of her mother's desk, had as well. Her life had never been her own, and neither, it seemed, would her death. She'd crumpled the paper and thrown it against the wall, retrieved it and held it over a candle flame. The paper hadn't burned, of course. Devils were too clever in their craft to let a simple thing like fire ruin their agreements.
She would spend an eternity in torment, then - or worse, being the tormentor.
The parchment had lain open as she sat back, fiery tears beginning to pool in her reddening eyes. Beads on the skirt of her dress began to drag downward as tiny claws used them for purchase to climb. A tiny, scaly head had poked above the tabletop, glancing from the forming tears to the crumpled contract. And, for the first time, she'd heard a tiny, almost chirping voice in the back of her mind.
Is it that bad?
She was the first he'd seen show any remorse about anything in this noble house. And that was enough to pique his curiosity, enough to get him to reach out to her. She read him the words, and he had the one answer she, in all her intelligence, hadn't figured out. What about now? It doesn't say what you have to do in the meantime.
Two of Alliszah's goals:
- Alliszah wants more than anything to find a way to break out of the contract binding her soul to Hell. She keeps it close that it may serve as a reminder of her bondage, and she pores over it constantly in order to find a loophole or an inconsistency to exploit. So far, there has been nothing - her education to this point has lacked study of the finer points of infernal contract law. Now she wonders if this was intentional.
- With everyone she knew now a part of a world she's cut herself off from, Alliszah has grown lonely. (Not that her world was ever a warm place to begin with - her aunt was the only person who ever seemed to do more than tolerate the "devil girl".) Thus, she is campaigning for Lydir's friendship with an insistence bordering on zeal. To her, gaining the pseudodragon's trust is her first step on the road to "recovery" from her selfish, pampered upbringing.
Alliszah's motivator:
- If she can't get out of the contract, Alliszah is hoping for some kind of cause to make the time she has left worthwhile. Condemnation wasn't her choice - she was traded away even before her birth, according to the contract. The power she has over the minds of others scares her, and she rankles at the idea that her fate is not her own. But the contract doesn't say anything about how she must spend her time on the Material Plane, and the idea of joining herself to a force for good in her world is intoxicating. But with her sheltered upbringing, she hasn't the faintest idea where to begin. Lydir has brought back news of a protest happening at Aria Park - she's hoping to come across some sign there of anyone of like mind.
In-character background:
Payment to be determined by the Recipient, freely offered upon receipt of services from the Grantor and satisfaction concerning the quality thereof. Once made, offer of payment is binding and irrevocable. Payment received this 20th day of Arodus, 4700 AR, in form of first child of Recipient, given over body and soul to Grantor by free and willing offer of Recipient. Child given over to shared custody with Grantor during minority; soul to be allotted to Grantor at final judgement.
At that, I crumpled up that piece of parchment and threw it across the room. For the child it discussed could be no other but me.
I was born of the Ranaxis line, one of Kintargo's wealthiest families, though we lacked the prestige of the Tanessens or Sarinis. I grew up in my family's home in the Greens, every material need met and exceeded, every luxury provided. But I saw the looks that came my way, from Mother, Father, my brothers, even the servants and slips...I bore the unmistakable signs of devil blood, and it was a sin no one could forgive me.
As I grew and their stares weighed more and more upon me, I retreated further into Aunt Lyssa's lessons. She was the only one who would look into my eyes without fear; indeed, she was nothing but warm to me, affectionate like my mother never was. Her gifts were lavish: a fine lace shawl from Casmaron, a hand-lacquered masquerade mask for the theater, a pair of gold shoes so soft you could barely feel them. And her lessons were fascinating. She had vast knowledge of so many things - arcane theory, abjurative rituals, the diabolical hierarchy and the nuances of Hell itself - and her instruction in shaping my own inborn arcane gifts proved invaluable as well. I had few points of comparison (after all, who truly wished the company of the devil girl?), but what I knew confirmed that I received the best magical instruction Kintargo could provide, perhaps all of Cheliax.
But nothing in my lessons or my endless perusal of Father's library could teach me anything about gaining true companions, instead of servants or reluctant chaperons or lesser ladies tolerating my presence in the name of maintaining social niceties. Those around me cared nothing for the triumphs and tribulations of their fellows, or even less those they saw as subordinate - all was ambition and vanity, endless scheming on how to gain more, more, more. Our manor wasn't a home to me; it was a gilded cage, a prison.
On our outings, I would watch the world pass by and wonder at the multitudes crowding the streets or puttering through shops and stalls. From time to time, I would even put a coin in the cup of a beggar or in a bard's cap, though my mother and aunt scolded me. It didn't seem fair that I should have so much and they so little - I had no need of the coins. The Opera was enjoyable, with the beautiful music and the pageantry, but the Theater of the Real repulsed me, and I dreaded our visits there. How is human suffering meant to be entertainment?
On my sixteenth birthday I had the customary coming out ball in my honor, though the atmosphere was more funereal than celebratory. A Tien diplomat attempting to improve his status gave me a beautifully embroidered robe, worked with silver and gold strands throughout that he claimed would offer some protection from blades should the need arise. A merchant trader from Korvosa gave me a pseudodragon for my parents' menagerie, one he said he had caught himself on the seaside. But my favorite gift was my aunt's, a beautifully worked platinum ring bearing the Ranaxis crest in onyx and opal. My Alliszah, it had engraved on the inside; it stays still on a chain around my neck.
A couple of months after the ball, the Night of Ashes befell the city. Unable to sleep for all the noise in the streets, I was in Father's library, as was my custom. I'd brought my little Lidyr with me, the pseudodragon I'd received for my birthday, to try and teach him a few words. As I sat at Mother's writing desk to take down notes, my knee slid beneath the desk's edge and hit a catch I'd not noticed before. The carved trim of the desk's front slid forward to reveal a secret drawer, and I found the contract that had signed my life away before it had even begun.
Mother had made a pact, it seems, with a cabal devil, an uniila. The devil had offered her status, wealth, arcane might, a marriage that would make her the envy of all - and best of all, the devil required nothing in advance. Payment was not to be made until after she received everything she ever desired, and the coin for her payment was of her choosing. And I, her despised first born, her low, tainted, despicable fiend-blooded daughter, was what she offered. She was probably glad of the chance to be rid of me, and disappointed when it turned out the devil's plans had kept me here.
A devil had watched over and guided my entire childhood from afar. That was why it had been Hell on earth to me.
I departed that very night, taking only what I could carry; my fine Tien robe, Aunt Lyssa's gifts, my least ostentatious gown, a purse of gold from the coffer in my father's library. I even brought Lidyr's cage with me. The note I left for Mother denounced every iota of their vainglorious, selfish, wasteful, grasping existence - I'll not be welcomed back there again, I wouldn't wonder. I brought enough coin to keep me in an inn for a while, though the one small room is nothing like my chambers at my parents' manor. And I brought one more thing as well - the contract, still crumpled and creased from my rage. Devils are nothing if not legalistic; perhaps someday I'll manage to tease a loophole out of it. It's been done before.
For now, I stay in one of the smaller inns near Yolubilis Harbor. Lidyr says the view reminds him of Korvosa - I never realized his silence was protest and not mere animal dumbness. I never even spared it a second thought...just assumed he was beneath me... My window stays unlatched for him now, and he slips out from time to time to hunt. I always order an extra slice of fruit-studded cheese with my breakfast and leave it on the windowsill for him, and a cup of wine at night if I haven't seen him. I think we have an understanding, but every time he leaves, I worry that he's gone for good...
He says there's to be a protest against the new lord mayor, a Thrune cousin. The Thrunes remind me sickeningly of my own family - indeed, my parents were staunch supporters of Queen Abrogail's regime, and they celebrated when Barzillai arrived and restored order after the Night of Ashes. Lidyr's excited - he thinks it'll be fascinating to see. Perhaps I should go with him, voice my disapproval of the whole wretched institution of nobility, diabolism, cruelty, all of it. I've nothing else to do...and if I'm to be damned to an eternity in service to Hell, I want to do something to make this world better before that time comes...
Antonia Ranaxis' story:
Antonia Varess was an arcanist of little talent, though she had the finest arcane education her family's money could buy. But one area she had excelled in was her study of the hierarchies of Hell and of binding rituals, and though she had little skill, she attempted the calling anyway. To her delight, the uniila that arrived was more than willing to take an apprentice under her wing. Under Ekolasaina's tutelage, Antonia quickly began to blossom, and she found herself drawing the cabal devil closer and closer into her counsels.
Soon Antonia was rarely seen without her friend, the stunning and remarkably charismatic girl Lyssa, who had arrived in Kintargo to escape from the conflicts that had reached her home in Galt. Jokes and gossip began to name the two practically sisters, and they certainly acted it. When Lyssa received word that her far off family had passed in the uprisings, Antonia pleaded with her parents to make Nisha her sister in truth, and Lord Varess agreed to take Lyssa as their ward. A few months later, the nobility of Kintargo was rocked when the young heir of the Ranaxis line asked for Antonia's hand, though he had hardly acknowledged her through their childhood among Kintargo's elite. Soon they were wed with much celebration.
A few weeks after the wedding, Lyssa came to Antonia in her sitting room with a smile. See, Antonia? Is it not as I have told you? You have received your noble marriage, just as I promised you, and your skill grows daily. None even recognize the charm that binds his favor to you. It pleases me that you can enjoy my Prince's gifts. For Nisha was, in fact, the very cabal devil that Antonia had called upon long before, maintaining the guise of a human companion.
Oh, Lyssa, you're right! It's so wonderful! Antonia gushed. Lord Ranaxis is just as charming as I had always thought, and he is as fine-looking without his grand clothing as he is with it. And someday we'll have his family's manor as our own. I'll be one of the great ladies of Kintargo, and bear his beautiful children - and I owe all to you.
Lyssa's smile grew, and her eyes grew cold. Indeed, you owe me all. I believe just this one will be sufficient, though.
What? Antonia gasped out. No - I didn't mean -
You said it yourself - you owe all to me. And this is the price I choose. A soul damned from birth - how sweet, and your soul damned for this cruelty will be the piece d'resistance. Ekolasaina placed a hand on Antonia's stomach and the cold of the devil's touch burned even through Antonia's gown. Intricate infernal symbols began to glow in writhing patterns over the devil's skin; with a single word, the symbols sank through Ekolasaina's hand and seeped into Antonia's skin with a cold like ice.
It was 20 Arodus, 4700 AR.
Alliszah Ranaxis
Tiefling silksworn occultist 1
N Medium outsider (native)
Init +2; Senses darkvision,; Perception +4
----- Defense ----- AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+2 DEX, +1 natural, +1 armor)
hp 10 (1d8+2)
Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +2
Defensive Abilities distortion (15% miss chance); Resist fire 5
----- Offense ----- Speed 30 ft.
Melee Bite +2 (1d6), dagger +2 (1d4)
Ranged Dagger +2 (1d4)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks Occultist Spells (CL 1st; concentration +5)
1st (2/day)—disguise self, heightened awareness, charm person, vanish
0 (at will)—detect psychic significance, read magic, daze, ghost sound Implements divination, enchantment, illusion, performer's accoutrements panoply
----- Statistics ----- Str 10, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 17, Wis 10, Cha 12
Base Atk +0; CMB +0; CMD 13
Feats Extra Mental Focus
Skills Bluff +1 (+2 with resonance), Diplomacy +5 (+6 with resonance) (1 rank), Disguise +1 (+2 with resonance), Intimidate +8 (1 rank), Knowledge (arcana) +8 (1 rank), Knowledge (nobility) +9 (1 background rank), Knowledge (planes) +8 (1 rank), Perception +4 (+5 with resonance) (1 rank), Perform (wind) +2 (+3 with resonance) (1 background rank), Spellcraft +8 (1 rank), Use Magic Device +5 (+6 with resonance) (1 rank); Racial Modifiers +4 Bluff when lying
Traits Child of Kintargo, Bruising Intellect, Tempter's Tongue, Tainted Spirit (drawback)
Languages Common, Infernal, Draconic, Elven, Shadowtongue
SQ prehensile tail reflavored as extra arms to fit cabal devil heritage Gear 14 gp, noble's outfit (trait, counts for four implements), signet ring (trait), pseudodragon named Lydir (trait), enameled gold-filigreed mask (implement, 10 gp), carved quartz pendant ocarina on gold chain (implement, 10 gp), haramaki (3 gp), gold-plated dagger (6 gp), 3 regular daggers (6 gp), ioun torch (75 gp), small chest (2 gp), scrivener's kit (2 gp), journal (10 gp), average invisible ink (10 gp), full set of colored chalks (1 gp), 2 pieces charcoal (1 gp)
----- Special Abilities ----- Divination Implement - Resonant Power The implement allows its bearer to notice that which can’t easily be seen. The implement grants a +1 insight bonus on Perception checks per 2 points of mental focus stored in it, to a maximum bonus equal to the occultist’s level. If the occultist is 3rd level or higher and stores at least 3 points of mental focus in it, the implement also grants lowlight vision. If the occultist is 5th level or higher and stores at least 6 points of mental focus in it, the implement also grants darkvision 60 feet. (If the bearer already has darkvision, the implement increases the range of the darkvision by 30 feet.) If the occultist is 7th level or higher and stores at least 9 points of mental focus in it, the implement also grants the effects of see invisibility. If the occultist is 13th level or higher and stores at least 12 points of mental focus in it, the implement also grants blindsense 60 feet. If the occultist is 19th level or higher and stores at least 15 points of mental focus in it, the implement also grants blindsight 30 feet.
Divination Implement - Base Focus Power As a swift action, you can expend 1 point of mental focus to gain an insight into your immediate future. You can use this foreknowledge as a free action before you roll any ability check, attack roll, or skill check to gain an insight bonus on that roll equal to 1/2 your occultist level (minimum +1). You can use your foreknowledge only once per turn, and if it’s not used by the end of your turn, the insight fades and you gain no benefit.
Enchantment Implement - Resonant Power The implement invokes the presence of those who have worn it in the past. The implement’s wearer gains a +1 competence bonus on all Charisma-based skill checks and ability checks for every 2 points of mental focus invested in the implement, to a maximum bonus of 1 + 1 for every 4 occultist levels you possess.
Enchantment Implement - Base Focus Power As a standard action, you can expend 1 point of mental focus to cloud the mind of one foe within 30 feet. That foe is dazed for 1 round if the number of Hit Dice it possesses is less than or equal to or your occultist level. If it has more Hit Dice than your occultist level, it is staggered for 1 round instead. The foe can attempt a Will saving throw to negate the effect. Whether or not it succeeds at the save, the target is then immune to this effect for 1 day. This is a mind-affecting effect.
Illusion Implement - Resonant Power The implement allows its bearer to distort his form and location, protecting him from harm. As a standard action, the bearer can gain a concealment miss chance equal to 5% for every point of mental focus invested in the implement (to a maximum of 5% + 5% for every 2 occultist levels you possess) until the next time the bearer makes an attack. If this miss chance reaches 50%, it doesn’t increase further, but the bearer gains all the benefits of invisibility. Creatures with see invisibility, true seeing, or similar abilities ignore the miss chance from this ability.
Illusion Implement - Base Focus Power As a standard action, you can expend 1 point of mental focus to create a minor figment. This can function as either ghost sound or minor image. In either case, the effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to your occultist level. If you are 7th level or higher, the figment lasts for a number of minutes equal to your occultist level, and you can cause the figment to change once during its duration when a specified condition occurs.[/b]
Performer's Accoutrements - Resonant Power The panoply grants a +1 bonus on Bluff, Disguise, and Perform checks for every 3 points of total mental focus invested in all of the associated implements, to a maximum bonus equal to half the occultist’s level. The panoply also grants an equal bonus on saving throws against divination effects.
Performer's Accoutrements - Base Focus Power By spending 1 minute in meditation and expending 2 points of mental focus, you can create a psychic mask that obscures your identity. When you create this false persona, you choose the nature of the persona’s alignment and magical auras, and can create a simple background of up to four basic facts about the persona. All divination spells that reveal information about you instead reveal information based on the false persona’s background and aura information. Additionally, attempts to scry or magically locate you work only if the creature making such attempts knows that you and your current false persona are the same individual. Otherwise, the spell has no effect, revealing nothing but darkness, as if you did not exist. This effect lasts up to 24 hours or until you next refresh your mental focus (whichever occurs first), though you can dismiss this false persona at any time before then as a full-round action. This effect fools only magical attempts to discern your identity or background, and has no effect on mundane means of gathering information about you.
False Confidence - Panoply Focus Power By taking a standard action and expending 1 point of mental focus, you can instill incredible, boundless confidence in a single living creature with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher within 60 feet, granting that creature a +2 morale bonus on ability checks, attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks for 10 minutes. As a move action, you can shatter the feeling of confidence, leaving the target feeling hopeless and distraught. If you do, the target can immediately attempt a Will save to negate the effect, with a cumulative –1 penalty for every 2 minutes the creature benefited from the morale bonus. If the target fails this save, it takes a –2 penalty on ability checks, attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks for the remainder of the effect’s duration. If the creature then fails an ability check, attack roll, saving throw, or skill check by 10 or more while subject to this penalty, the penalty changes to –4.
Mental Focus 8 points (2 points divination [**], 3 points enchantment [x**], 3 points illusion [x**)
