 About Brown RobesRobes has been a resident of the World Serpent Inn for several weeks, and in fact works for the establishment as a dealer for many of their various gambling games. He is friendly, personable, well-spoken (if a bit taciturn), and somewhat mysterious-- most people can only see the red glow of his eyes through the gloom of his shadowy brown cloak. His voice is chirpy and high-pitched, and he is not much taller than about four feet when he stands, though he still somehow seems as bulky as a short human. His hands are small and pink, and he wears an expensive-looking gold ring with a dozen tiny gemstones arranged in a geometric pattern on his right hand. Background (Secrets! Do not read!):
TEN MINUTE BACKGROUND
Step 1: write five things about your character’s concept and background, five things that you think are the most essential parts of your character. You don’t have to stop at five, if you like…this is just a minimum. 1. Robes is a member of the ratfolk race: small, rodentlike humanoids that thrive underground and in underworld settings. His family originated in Golarion, or so the legends say, but spread out into the multiverse once interdimensional travel via space ships became common. Robes grew up on a sandy, desert planet where most of his kind survived as scavengers and thieves. To endure the harsh climate beneath the hot suns, they traditionally wore brown robes and lived a nomadic life in large communities on moving transports. They did not typically show themselves to outsiders, and were regarded (and cursed) as excellent tinkerers, traders, and trackers. 2. Robes was born the sixth child of the leader of their tribe, himself the sixth child of his own line. Among his people, he was called Prince Heximus Javatat. According to ratfolk custom, ratfolk are led by a ratfolk king, and when the king dies, their descendants fight over who is to follow him. The oldest living child inherits the crown, and their first act is to execute all of their siblings to secure their rule. But Robes hated this system, and did not want to fight for a throne he didn't want. Everyone knew that he was likely to be the first in his family to die when the old king passed on. But his father called him into his solar to tell him he was ill and would soon be gone, and gave him his ring. "Take this," he insisted. "You must follow me, Heximus, for you are the most worthy." Robes took the ring, touched by his parent's trust in him, but rather than murder or wait to be murdered he fled that very night. 3. Robes made his way to an old temple in one of the larger cities and hid there. Being exceptionally good at remaining unseen, he could have remained undiscovered for years, but he was also unusually gregarious for a member of his race, and became curious about what the monks believed and why they believed it. He began attending their services as if he was interested in trading with them. They worshipped a force that they referred to as "The Light," and preached nonviolence, charity, owning only what one needed to survive, and seeking non-technological solutions to one's problems. This philosophy opened Robes's eyes, for it was the opposite of everything his former family had taught, and that he had always hated. Eventually, he gave up his ruse and came clean with the abbot, and was welcomed into their community. He adopted the name "Robes" because both he and the abbot felt it was unsafe to reveal his true identity, knowing his family would one day come looking for him. 4. Robes lived at the temple of light for about two years. During that time he was surprised to learn he was not the only ratfolk who followed the teachings of the path. A few had broken away from other families for their own reasons, like him, and come to the temple on their own. Over time, too, some ratfolk had heard about a charismatic leader of their race who lived there, and had come seeking out Robes to learn from him. Within the temple a small community of ratfolk formed, with Robes as their de facto leader. It was as if he was the rat king for this group of less than a dozen, and he tried to set a good example for them. They studied nonlethal martial arts techniques, and ways to live together in harmony. 5. Being the sixth child of a sixth child, Robes was curious about family legends that he could work magic. When he meditated, he felt as if the Light was with him, and he began to envision a version of himself at his best. He prepared a holy summoning circle and prayed for an angel to help guide him closer to that glimpse of perfection he imagined. When he finally succeeded, what emerged from the ring of candles was a mirror image of himself, but perhaps unsullied by the past that Robes had hoped to leave behind. The priests called this outsider spirit his "eidolon," a word they said meant "reflection of the soul," and encouraged Robes to bond with it. 6. Eventually Robes's family caught up to him, and he was attacked in his bedchamber one night by Septimus, his younger brother. He had learned where Robes was and laid a trap for him, but fortunately it was sprung by Robes's eidolon. Hearing the commotion, several of Robes's followers came running to help. Together they defeated Septimus and left his unconscious form in a nearby cantina. But they had a problem: Septimus would keep coming, they knew, and would not stop until one of them was dead. The abbot suggested they go off-world instead, and arranged a ship to take them to a distant port-- the abbot had seen a vision of a cantina there where Robes and his followers would be welcome. He cautioned them to remain in disguise as much as they possibly could, perhaps by hiding with each other. He gave them a special magic cloak and hood to make this easier: as long as they stayed together beneath it, they would appear to be one creature. Step 2: List two goals for the character that you, as a player, think would be cool to see accomplished in-game. 1. I would love to have Septimus track Robes down and attempt to kill him, and for Robes to have to convince him to give up. Because of the rules of the Inn, trying to kill Robes might cause problems for poor Septimus, but perhaps they could negotiate a compromise-- or battle to the death in other ways. 2. I want lots of opportunities for Robes to use Change of Heart, which is such a gonzo-powered feat for basic Pathfinder. I basically built this character around it as a finisher. Step 3: List two secrets about your character. One is a secret the character knows, one is a secret that involves him but that he is not actually aware of yet. This will help me in creating plots that center around your character. I will also be creating a third secret which you as a player will not be aware of, so expect some surprises! 1. Robes swore to keep his true identity secret, to protect his followers and himself from his former family. His true name is Heximus of Clan Javatat. He also vowed to remain in disguise with his followers whenever he is in public, squeezed together beneath his magic cloak, so that no one would know what he really looks like. Granted, no one but their own family generally knows what ratfolk on his planet look like anyway, but other ratfolk often have ways of identifying each other that normal ratfolk robes can't hide (e.g. their scent, their shape, the sound of their voices). By creed, Robes must keep himself disguised from nonbelievers at all times. He also tries to keep secret how many followers he has crowded beneath his cloak. (I suspect that when he began working for the Inn, some of these secrets had to be revealed to Mitchifer at least.) 2. The abbot of Robes's order had a vision that his ratfolk acolyte would "wield light like a scimitar." This sounded like the legendary Knights of the Order to him, ancient holy warriors who wielded magical blades of light against the scions of the darkness. As far as the abbot knew, all of these champions were dead and gone, so there was no one left to teach Robes about his destiny. The abbot did send a message to the hierophant of the temple asking for guidance, however. Meanwhile Robes was sent into hiding. The hierophant eventually responded that the order still existed and that they would send someone to interview Robes, but before the abbot received the reply, Septimus attacked again and burned the temple to the ground, taking the abbot prisoner and killing everyone else. Step 4: Describe three people that are tied to the character though blood, romance or honor. Two of them are friendly to the character, one is hostile. 1. Soren is one of the ratfolk that follows Robes. He believes in the Holy Light, and hopes to learn the way from his spiritual leader. He is scruffy and somewhat unkempt, and often takes a watchful role looking after Robes when they retire to their room, acting as bodyguard and scout. Robes often talks to the rats that he has trained to follow him around, and so Soren has been trying to befriend them as well. He feeds them treats he saves from his own meals. He is gruff for a ratfolk. 2. Tabitha is another one of Robes's followers. She believes Robes would make an excellent mate, and she would love to become the mother of a royal family of ratfolk who do not murder their siblings. But she doesn't want to pressure Robes by telling him how she feels, so she tries to get his attention in other ways, such as by dressing in colorful clothing and fluttering her eyelashes at him. She has also started painting her nails. While hiding under the cloak, she sometimes pets Robes's fur. 3. Septimus, Robes's younger brother, is cunning and ruthless. He's grown up as an assassin ratfolk, and it's always been his plan to kill off all of his siblings so that he can take his family's throne. He cleared the way of most of the rest of them as soon as the previous king died, using poison at the funeral feast. It made him crazy angry when Heximus disappeared three days before, and he is convinced that his brother must also have their family heirloom ring that he believes should rightly be his. Step 5: Describe three memories that your character has. They don't have to be elaborate, but they should provide some context and flavor. 1. Robes can recall being a young ratfolk child, watching his parent the king in council with the other ratfolk advisors. Both suns were shining into the land-ship through the large window in the roof, and they made the ring shimmer and glow. He stared in rapt fascination. As the king gestured, a bright multifaceted light moved around the room, reflecting the king's hand as it emphasized their words. It almost seemed to the child that the rat king had an aura of holy light. They looked down at Robes, and winked as if to say "One day, this will be you." 2. Robes went on a scavenging expedition when he was still young, not quite an adult, at one of his older siblings' insistence. He watched a group of ratfolk distract the pilot by throwing stones from afar, to lead him out of sight. As soon as he was over the rise, their leader directed everyone to steal as much as they could carry, tearing apart the ship with crowbars and screwdrivers. Robes refused to do it, feeling sick, and his older sibling beat him bloody. "I can't kill you yet," they said, "but I can get close!" Then they leaned closer and whispered "I would have done it anyway, but thanks for giving me a good reason." 3. It was moving, though slightly disappointing, when Robes finished the sacred magical ritual that he thought was going to purge the bad parts of himself from his body and leave someone completely pure and good behind. Instead of changing him, it had brought another version of himself into existence-- his better half, for lack of a better description. It was strange talking to it (him?), because it was just like talking to his reflection in a mirror. He didn't think he could talk to it about the fears and other ugly thoughts he had, because he didn't think it had them-- and it occurred to him that perhaps that was the point, that it would discourage him from dwelling on those thoughts, because his reflection wouldn't understand them. Or I could keep them inside and let them fester unspoken, he thought.
Stats (Secrets! Do not read!):
Robes, Acolyte and Lost Heir
Male Noble Ratfolk commander 8///conscript 8///summoner (Mirrored Soul) 8 NG Small humanoid (ratfolk) Init +10* (+7[DEX]+1[item]+2[trait], [*Trade Initiative]); Senses darkvision 60', scent; Perception +21 Defense
Offense
Statistics
Additional Stats (Secrets! Do not read!):
Still have to do stats for 4 cohorts, eidolon, and tamed rat swarm. |
