Bluebottle's page

All cantrips.
1st level –

Appearance
Bluebottle dresses plainly, but fashionably, usually in a palerel gray wool sweater and several skirts over leggings (she thinks it's way too cold up north). She has a sharp jaw, long curly black hair, and large, startling red eyes. Her skin is a deep, dark umber. Aside from her eyes, she actually tends to avoid dressing in a lot of color—the color only spills out when she opens her satchel and reveals the paints and inks stored within.

When casting, Bluebottle tends to get quite messy, with paint all over her clothes, face, and hands. She prestidigitates this away as soon as possibly, obviously.

Personality
To strangers, Bluebonnet is in many ways your typical wizard—sardonic, arrogant, and a little bit of a coward. She's a bit wittier than most wizards, granted, and easier to get along with most of the time, but it's always easy to tell when she wants a conversation to end. She's bad at admitting when she doesn't know something, and very sensitive to being embarrassed or rejected. Bluebonnet makes enemies easier than friends.

Once Bluebonnet is used to someone, on the other hand, it's a different story. Bluebonnet just finds prolonged social encounters mentally taxing, and she's used to getting picked on or made fun of. Once she's sure someone isn't going to mock her, she can be very pleasant to spend time around.

Just don't expect her to admit it. Bluebonnet is very, very bad at emotional intimacy, retreating behind her joking and grumbling at the first sign of actual sincerity. She won't say she likes spending time with someone; she'll just come up with thin excuses to be around them.

Nzi wasn't exactly popular as a child. Her parents both perished when she was quite young, and growing up alone taught Nzi to never admit weakness to potential enemies. This led to her becoming known primarily for her loud mouth, brash threats, and constant refusal to admit when she was wrong. Her knack for magic made her useful to the Bandu, but it also set her further apart—and she refused to act like she was on her peers' level the second she had something they didn't. When she declared that she was actually a girl at the age of 12, she was renamed Nzikitah: Loosely translated, Housefly. "Nzi" was also the word meaning, "I know that." It became a cruel nickname.

All this meant that when her relentless and reckless experimentation went awry, killing her mentor, cursing her body, and releasing a terrible fiend upon the Mwangi, staying in the tribe wasn't an option. Waiting for a fair exile with the traditional pouch of food and walking stick wasn't an option. And because of how hated the Bandu were among the Mwangi Expanse, fleeing to a neighboring tribe was not an option. In fact, because the Bandu were the sworn enemies of the invading ex-colony Sargava, even Eleder was not an option.

At least, all of this is what was going through Nzi's head as she looked down at the body of her mentor. That the Bandu truly would have been so harsh with a 15-year old is, perhaps, unlikely. But Nzi didn't think so. She ransacked the wizard's home, stole all the food she could carry, took her master's own walking stick and fled into the night.

After a long and arduous journey, Nzi ultimately made it to an Osiriani port and took a ship to Magnimar. From there, she wandered, practicing her magic and using what she knew to survive the savage wilds of Avistan, until she encountered a friendly native: A man named Sandru who could tell, despite her brusque insistednces, that she was desperately lost.

Sandru persuaded Nzi to "let him travel with her a ways" as his caravan took her to the peaceful village of Sandpoint, and Nzi has basically inhabited the Rusty Dragon common room ever since. Since her arrival, Nzi has become quite the homebody, rarely venturing out except to seek materials for her "peculiar" magical techniques. To many visitors, she appears as much a fixture of the Rusty Dragon as the furniture. People call her "Bluebottle", both because of the true meaning of her name and the many colorful glass bottles she carries with her. She doesn't have a lot of friends, and claims to need no help, but as her curse continues to worsen, her studies only accelerate.

She's getting worried. Scared, really. But Nzi would sooner admit to killing Abadar himself than admit that she thinks she's in trouble.

Sandru
Nzi is intensely grateful to Sandru for getting her to Sandpoint, even though she hates feeling indebted. He checks in on her from time to time to make sure she's doing okay, a habit which she hates even more. She banters a lot with him, but enjoys his company, and trusts him absolutely.

Ameiko
When Nzi first arrived in Sandpoint, the Rusty Dragon had a different owner, but Nzi got to know Ameiko when Ameiko kept showing up to check the Help Wanted board for adventuring jobs. Ameiko liked to see if she could draw Nzi out of her shell a little, efforts that were consistently unsuccessful. Ameiko gave up trying after a while. Nzi, though, secretly appreciated the efforts, and she was a little devastated when Sandru and Ameiko left town to go adventuring.

Since Ameiko's return, and purchase of the bar, Nzi has spent more time around Ameiko than just about anyone. They don't talk much, but Nzi likes hearing Ameiko play—the bardic music seems to help a little, sometimes, with Nzi's colorlessness, and Nzi often asks Ameiko for her thoughts on the pigments and paintings she's working on.

Koya
Koya is the one person who can get away with correcting Nzi when she's made a mistake—or rather, who can weather Nzi's prickly response to the correction. Nzi considers Koya a friend, and has been working on a Harrow deck for her for several years now. Koya is the only person who knows that Nzi's curse is getting worse.

Shalelu
After her arrival in Sandpoint, Nzi began to focus more on her studies than ever before, seeking to discover new pigments from the wealth of new natural resources growing around the town. Shalelu was just some brawny outlander elf to Nzi, but when the ranger noticed a sketch Nzi had drawn of a flower she needed, she off-handedly offered to bring some back from her next outing—she'd be in an area where hundreds grew. Bluebottle was delighted.

Nzi hates the great outdoors. She always has. She was delighted at the offer. But Bluebottle was caught off-guard when a couple weeks later, in addition to the goblin woad, Shalelu brought back some pretty blue flowers. "Cornflowers," Shalelu explained, were also called "bluebottles", and she thought it was a funny thing that "bluebottle", in the Taldane tongue, referred both to such lovely flowers and common houseflies. She thought Nzi would think it was funny.

Nzi was taken deeply off her footing. However, she was ready with another request—this time for for midgeroot. And then it was brinethistle, and then an obscure species of katydid. It was no trouble for Shalelu, and Shalelu thought the paints Nzi was creating were intriguing. To Nzi, though, these exchanges began to take on a much more... intricate meaning.

Over the course of their meetings, Nzi has fallen hopelessly, head-over-heels in love with Shalelu. She's started making up plants she scarcely even needs, plants that she can easily find in town. Any excuse to ask Shalelu for something.

As pathetically obvious as Nzi's crush is to everyone else, Shalelu so far seems to have no idea. It's hard to say.

Nzi, on the other hand, definitely has no idea.

The Rusty Dragon
This tavern has been home to Nzi for six years, and she's become deeply attached to the place. It's more home to her than anyplace she's ever known. She doubts she could ever bring herself to leave.

(I scrubbed the "other PCs" bit for now—honestly, I was starting to get the sense it was annoying people, and it was really only for my own creative prompting, anyways.)

Curse Visible Effects
Bluebottle bears a strange tattoo-like mark on her hand—some sort of symbol or brand. It is pitch black, but turns white when she casts spells, and it manifested after the incident. Under certain conditions, it begins to "flow", oozing and dripping and even traveling along her body as if the ink is running. She isn't sure what it signifies, and her studies have been inconclusive, but her current theory is that some manner of fiend has taken an interest in her.

Bluebottle's eyes are a vivid bloodred, and are getting more and more like those of a housefly all the time, the irises growing to encompass the pupils whenever she does magic (or, indeed, even thinks very hard about magicl theory). She pretends this doesn't scare her, but she's increasingly incapable of seeing any colors at all.

Alignment (Chaotic Neutral)
Bluebottle tries very hard to be a good person these days. However, she resents being controlled or restricted by anything other than her own tarnished conscience. She might be Chaotic Good if she could stop obsessing over her own problems for a second, but in fairness, she has some pretty frustrating problems. It's something to work on.

Heirloom Weapon/Greatclub
Bluebottle acquired her hefty walking stick from her mentor, Soskar, and it, along with many of her current possessions, are from him. Crafted from a dead baobab tree from the Mana Wastes and topped with a weighty sphere of iron, the staff is a treasured heirloom. She's not much of a fighter, but Bluebottle will not hesitate to hit someone over the head with it if she's in danger. The Bandu have a tradition for exiles: an exiled clanmember is given a bag of food to last a few days and a walking stick before being sent away. As such, Bluebottle regards the walking stick as, if not a legitimate hand-me-down, her legal right as an exile.

Ability Scores
Str 11 - Bluebottle isn't out of shape, but she doesn't exactly exercise, either. Still, she can handle herself.

Dex/Con 14 - It's easy to underestimate Bluebottle, but the homebody can be quite quick when she needs to be, and she's hardier than she looks.

Int 19/Wis 7 - Bluebottle is brilliant, which makes her arrogance all the more frustrating. However, she's a terrible read on people and situations, and can be terribly reckless and brash at the worst possible times.

Cha 14 - Despite her brusqueness, Bluebottle has a nimble personality and a quick wit. She just doesn't apply them towards making friends.

Morning Routine
Every morning, Nzi wakes up early, does her morning stretches, takes a bath, styles her hair, and shaves, making judicious use of prestidigitation all the while. She doesn't like to do any of this in front of others, of course—not just out of modesty. She doesn't like people thinking she cares how she looks, but a lot of effort goes into keeping her hair "stylishly messy".

Spellbook
In contrast to many wizards' messy or utiliarian spellbooks, Nzi's spellbook could be considered a work of art itself. It closely resembles an illuminated manuscript, with every spell written and drawn into being in a multitude of colors, both abstract and realistic illustrations accompanying the elegant script. This isn't just to look nice—Nzi's magic is deeply tied to pigments, and she's indicating which paints to use, and how, when casting one of the spells in the book.

Nzi's Paints
Nzi's magic is intrinsically tied to color, and when she casts, she dips her fingers into the paints in her bag and draws elaborate designs, sometimes in the air, sometimes on the things around her, and sometimes on her own form. By the end of a particularly spell-intensive fight, Bluebottle might be quite covered in ink and paint, but it's nothing a few cantrips can't clean up.

Feat (Endurance)
As stated, Bluebottle is a lot tougher than she looks, and despite her prissiness about outdoorsy activities, she's pretty good at handling herself out there. When she has to be.

Feat Wishlist: Diehard, Extra Arcanist Exploit, Combat Casting, Improved Counterspell, Brew Potion, Scribe Scroll, Metamagic Feats, Improved Initiative, Spell Focus (illusion)

Traits: Childhood Crush (Shalelu), Desperate Resolve/Heirloom Weapon

Drawbacks
Color Blindness: Most of the time, Nzi is totally unable to see color, though she has a 15% chance of gaining an accurate glimpse at any given time. On a natural 01, she thinks she sees the right color and actually gets it totally wrong. These chances improve to 50% and 5%, respectively, when Nzi is under the effect of a bardic performance or similar morale effects.

Skill Point Management
1st level – 7 +2 (2 + 4 int + 1 human + 2 background)

Hit Point Management
1st level – 9 (1d6 maxed + 2 Con + 1 FCB)

Skill Bonus Calculation
Artistry (painting) 8 (1 rank + 4 int + 3 class)
Craft (pigments or alchemy) 8 (1 rank + 4 int + 3 class)
Knowledge (arcana) 8 (1 rank + 4 int + 3 class)
Knowledge (geography) 8 (1 rank + 4 int + 3 class)
Knowledge (nature) 8 (1 rank + 4 int + 3 class)
Knowledge (planes) 8 (1 rank + 4 int + 3 class)
Linguistics 8 (1 rank + 4 int + 3 class)
Spellcraft 8 (1 rank + 4 int + 3 class)
Use Magic Device 6 (1 rank + 2 cha + 3 class)

Nzi
Female human arcanist 1
CN Medium humanoid (human)
Init +; Senses Perception
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Defense
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AC 12, touch 12, flat-footed 10 (+2 Dex)
hp 9 (1d6+2+1)
Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +0
Defensive Abilities
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee Greatclub +0 (1d10, 20/x2)
Ranged
Special Attacks
Arcanist Spells Prepared
Cantrips (DC 14)—Detect Magic,
1st Level (DC 15)—Color Spray; #/#
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Statistics
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Str 9, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 19, Wis 7, Cha 15
Base Atk +0; CMB -1; [b]CMD 11
Feats Endurance, Extra Arcanist Exploit/Scribe Scroll
Traits Childhood Crush (Shalelu), Heirloom Weapon (greatclub); Drawbacks Color Blindness
Skills ; Conditional
Languages Polyglot, Taldane, Varisian, Abyssal,
SQ
Other Gear
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Special Abilities
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