Ankova Schwarz's page

About Ankova Schwarz

Female Half-elf Investigator (mastermind) 1
NG Medium humanoid (elf, human)
Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Perception +6

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Defense
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AC 15, touch 13, flat-footed 12 (+2 armor, +3 Dex)
hp 9 (1d8+1)
Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +2; +2 vs. enchantments
Immune sleep

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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee Aldori dueling sword +3 (1d8/19-20) or cold iron dagger +3 (1d4/19-20)
Ranged cold iron dagger +3 (1d4/19-20)
Inspiration 1d6 (Pool: 3/3) [Favored Class Bonus: +1/4 to all rolls]
• (Free)—any Diplomacy, Intimidate, or Knowledge skill check
• (1)—any skill or ability check
• (2)—any attack roll or saving throw
Investigator Extracts Prepared (CL 1st)
• 1st—cure light wounds, shield

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Statistics
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Str 11, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 16, Wis 10, Cha 12
Base Atk +0; CMB +0; CMD 13
Feats
• Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Aldori dueling sword) [racial] - Gain proficiency in the Aldori dueling sword
• Weapon Finesse - Use Dex modifier instead of Str for melee attacks with certain weapons
Traits
• Civilized - +1 trait bonus on all Knowledge (local) and Knowledge (nobility) checks
• Rostlander - +1 trait bonus on all Fortitude saves
Skills (6 base, +3 Int)
• Bluff +5 (1 rank, +3 trained, +1 Cha)
• Craft (alchemy) +7 (1 rank, +3 trained, +3 Int)
• Diplomacy +5 (1 rank, +3 trained, +1 Cha)
• Knowledge (geography) +7 (1 rank, +3 trained, +3 Int)
• Knowledge (local) +8 (1 rank, +3 trained, +3 Int, +1 trait)
• Knowledge (history) +7 (1 rank, +3 trained, +3 Int)
• Knowledge (nobility) +8 (1 rank, +3 trained, +3 Int, +1 trait)
• Linguistics +7 (1 rank, +3 trained, +3 Int)
• Perception +6 (1 rank, +3 trained, +2 racial)
Languages Common (Taldane), Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Hallit, Skald
SQ
• Ancestral Arms [racial] - Gains Exotic Weapon Proficiency as a bonus feat at 1st level
• Elf Blood [racial] - Counts as both an elf and a human for any effect related to race
• Keen Senses [racial] - +2 racial bonus on Perception checks
• A Quiet Word [class] - Once per day, spend 10 minutes to grant an ally use of ranks in Diplomacy or Intimidate, and optionally a use of Inspiration
Combat Gear Aldori dueling sword, cold iron dagger, lamellar cuirass
Other Gear alchemy crafting kit, backpack, bandolier, belt pouch, canteen, chronicler's kit, explorer's outfit, flint and steel, formula book, mess kit, signal whistle, signet ring
Wealth 33 gp, 4 sp, 5 cp

Formula Book
1st Level Extracts ant haul, crafter's fortune, cure light wounds, heightened awareness, shield

Background
Ankova is the only daughter of Irina Aldori and Varliss Morne, a human from one of the minor Swordlord families of Restov and Kyonin's ambassador to Restov respectively. Though she has never actually met her much older half-sister, Ankova never lacked for companionship when growing up, having a wealth of cousins, as her uncle, the patriarch of the family, fathered half a dozen children. Anticipating Ankova's longer lifespan and natural preference to help others succeed rather than seek glory for herself, she was groomed and tutored for an eventual position as counselor to the family, expected to advise her hot-headed cousins and guide the success of the family by dealing with diplomatic concerns in the background.

For years, her family's plans for her never conflicted with Ankova's own desires, as she enjoyed whiling away days in the private libraries of Restov's aristocracy, and never feeling any special need to prove her skill with a blade. She trained with the traditional Aldori dueling blade, but only so that she could provide a competent sparring partner for her cousins. Far more intriguing were the bubbling potions and other alchemical concoctions she learned to craft, because it was something she truly excelled at and set her apart from her cousins. The most common demand was mere curatives for hangovers, but it was hard to remain annoyed when a cousin thanked her profusely for not having to fight a duel while under the influence of the previous night's heavy drinking.

Today, however, Ankova finds herself effectively exiled from Restov, condemned to service with an expedition into the Stolen Lands to the south, exploring dank forests and rugged hill country infested with brigands. She has no experience with the outdoors, has never spent a night without a roof over her head, and can only imagine what sort of monsters might infest the wilds, but she takes heart that her punishment wasn't far worse. Her crime was to fall in love with her own cousin, and it's all the family can do to keep the maid who caught the two together from spreading rumors all over Restov and causing a major scandal. She resents being sent away, and no amount of logic can quell her feelings, but she knows perfectly well just how much she screwed up by getting caught.

Description
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 170 lbs
Age: 31
Exceptionally tall, athletically built, and possessing the graceful features of an elf, mixed with the bronze skin of a Taldan, Ankova keeps her medium blond hair cropped short, leaving her slightly pointed ears on display. Her eyes are a brilliant shade of violet, matching the violet trim of her outfit. She wears a lamellar cuirass over her outfit, the leather dyed to resemble the white scales of a wyrm from the far north.

Family
Irina Aldori (Mother) - 54 year old human duelist of House Schwarz. One of the few members of her generation of the family to earn the right to call herself Aldori, Irina has always been more interested in practicing swordplay, attending balls, and going hunting for deer with her husband than in any sort of responsibility, and was a poor mother at best, leaving the matter of raising Ankova to the household staff. She feels quite betrayed by her daughter's recent scandal, berating Ankova endlessly for wasting all the effort the family spent on her.
Varliss Morne (Father) - 168 year old elven ambassador from Kyonin to the city of Restov. Varliss has represented Kyonin's rather limited interests in southern Rostland for most of four decades now, an assignment which suits his temperament perfectly, as he's managed to marry into one of the local noble families and rather enjoys the fine life of luxury afforded. He has another half-elven daughter somewhere in the River Kingdoms, about ten years older than Ankova, whose unexpected birth necessitated his hasty relocation to Restov, where he took care to actually marry the object of his affections the second time around. He finds the whole matter of Ankova's recent scandal quite amusing, and would likely offer her assistance if he thought he could do so without Irina catching on.
Luther Aldori (Maternal Uncle) - 59 year old human patriarch of House Schwarz. Long retired from active dueling, unlike his younger sister, Erich spends most of his time managing the family's finances and enjoying the company of his four grandchildren at the family estate. Only four of his six children are married off so far, which vexes him as he tries to find suitable matches for his remaining son and daughter. Though upset by Ankova's scandal, especially because he has been grooming her to take over important responsibilities for decades to come and it was his own child she was caught with, but he's withheld personal condemnation and chose that her 'punishment' would be to find a place in an expedition into the Stolen Lands.

Friends
Mardetta Rivers - 27 year old human opera singer. Ankova's family makes generous contributions to Restov's orphanage, which is where she met Mardetta when both were still teenagers. Ankova has barely an ounce of musical talent, but she still has Elven hearing, and it was clear to her that Mardetta had a wonderful singing voice and was wasted on mere laundry work at the orphanage. She called in one of her uncle's favors to get the proprietor of one of Restov's playhouses to give an audition... and gained both a friend and a debt of more favors from the proprietor. Mardetta is well-aware of Ankova's secret trysts with her cousin, as the usually sober and level-headed Ankova had a tendency to drink heavily and then confess her sins to her good friend.
Uldem Travan - 72 year old halfling librarian. An elderly man who oversees the personal library of Lord-Mayor Ioseph Sellemius, Uldem has seen Ankova grow from a small child interested in fairy tales into a young woman whose voracious appetite for learning has never abated. Restov's present lord-mayor has one of the most extensive personal libraries in the city, and Ankova has been visiting it for most of her life. That she's been able to befriend the caretaker of such a wonderful repository of knowledge is a nice bonus, and she often will spend hours discussing the finer points of a treatise with the aging halfling.

Rivals
Banker Devian - 36 year old human priest of Abadar. Ankova first butted heads with Father Devian a decade ago, the same year he was officially ordained and began serving at Restov's cathedral, and shortly after the Vanishing. She believes that the Church of Abadar should ally with Restov against the Surtovans in seeking independence for Rostland, and that the church's wealth would assure the Swordlords of victory. Father Devian all but banned her from the church after several long tirades, and cut her off from Restov's Bank of Abadar, as he considers her the worst sort of firebrand, and wants to isolate her from the rest of the faithful. If he were to learn of Ankova's affair with her cousin, he would surely capitalize on the scandal to further discredit her.

Ambitions/Goals
While Ankova certainly desires to be reunited with her cousin, regardless of what her family and the rest of Restov might think, she also has several more personal ambitions. For one, she has long hoped to acquire enough wealth to build a library rivaling the one possessed by Restov's Lord-Mayor Sellemius, though her intention to actually read each and every book first might stymie that goal slightly. For another, she wishes to either see Regent Noleski Surtova deposed and replaced with a Lebeda or other far more palatable choice for king of Brevoy, or for Rostland to break away and become an independent nation.

As reluctant as she is to travel into the Stolen Lands on this expedition, it still provides a unique opportunity for her to acquire wealth and prestige, and possibly even found a new home for Rostlanders chafing under the iron boot of the Surtovas.