About Calia PevanazeeBackground:
Calia was found near Kassen as a young child of about eight, wandering the edges of the Fangwood - she may have been small, but the bright orange hair made her hard to miss. She has only vague memories of where she came from, though her strongest memories are of the sounds of battle, and many assume she was resident of a village near Kassen that was burned down in the conflicts between Nirmathas and Molthune. A human couple, Garrad and Doreen Benartha, took Calia in and raised her as their own. ------------- Though the Benarthas were warm and loving to her, Calia was acutely aware that she was different. Her childhood friends began to age and outgrow her, beginning families and jobs while she was still barely a teenager. Garrad and Doreen, who were not young when they adopted the girl, began to age and wither as well, and Calia watched as first Doreen, then Garrad passed away of old age, Calia still in the throes of adolescence. ------------- After her parents' death, Calia's behavior began to change. She told rude jokes at her former friends' expense to ingratiate herself with the new group of teenagers, the children of her old compatriots. She was loud and disruptive at her apprenticeship in Roldare's shoe shop, insulting patrons as they tried on their wares and sneakily cutting away edges of the cut shoe components so the resulting shoes wouldn't fit or sew together properly. At night, she would sneak from Erastil's church, where she had been taken in after her parents' death, and scribe crude graffiti on walls in chalk or create the setup for cruel pranks, with members of the guard, such as Guard Captain Wissio or Guardsman Kir her favorite targets. Her new friends aided gleefully whenever they could join her, and parents began to notice a rash of surreptitious late-night disappearances. She even began to steal from stalls and pockets in the market; nothing of value, just trinkets and coppers to prove she could. ------------- One day, she was caught yet again in the act of grabbing a tin-and-glass costume necklace from a stall, and Guard Captain Wisslo's patience had reached its end. He sentenced Calia to an entire day in the stocks, hanging a sign around her neck detailing her long list of petty crimes and disruptions. The people of Kassen stared as they walked through the square on their business. Some of the more unkind began to mock her, their jeers ringing through the busy crowd. With her head and hands in the stocks' vise grip, the sign around her neck weighing her down, and the afternoon sun beating on her, Calia had had too much. She began to cry, tears streaming down her quickly sunburning cheeks as hundreds of eyes watched. ------------- A traveling performers' caravan was in town, and two gnomes from the caravan took an interest in the spectacle. They began to read the list hanging from her neck, then turned to the guard captain as he watched from a few feet away, a confused look on their face. What's all this for? they asked quizzically. It seems awfully cruel to do this to someone just for being sad. Wisslo stared at the gnomes, confused. What, the crying? She's...it's not for being sad...didn't you see? This girl's a thief, a hooligan, a bad influence on all our children. That's why she's in there. The pair exchanged a look, rolling their eyes. These humans, they never get it, do they? They turned back to Wisslo, speaking slowly and enunciating carefully. If she's so rotten, why's she crying up there now? She's not bad - she's sad. Or angry. Or bored. She's just trying to tell you that, and doesn't know how. The travelers had noticed what the mostly human residents of Kassen had missed - that Calia's misbehavior wasn't malice or ill intent, but simply a way to try and get eyes back on her. Losing her friends and family both, she craved the attention and approval she had once enjoyed, and her recent antics were the best way she had found to get it. ------------- Calia left that day with the caravan, to travel and learn with them. The gnomes, Fenashretan and Orena, took her into their care, and under their tutelage, she began to flourish. She already had a flair for theatrics, and in her travels, she learned how to use it to great effect, wowing crowds with her humor and charm. The road was not without its dangers, and so she studied with the caravan's guards as well, learning how to use her grace and quickness to defend herself. She even learned how to execute some daring feats of sleight of hand - she will still boast to anyone who will listen that she can switch out a man's sword in the heat of combat and he won't notice until the stick in his hand snaps over his foe. But what the gnomes taught her first and foremost is that her gifts were for a reason, that they should be used to build up and protect others, not tear them down. Her jokes took on a kinder bent; her combat abilities were used only against those who would threaten her newfound family. Calia had never meant to hurt anyone, but as Fenashretan and Orena gently guided her, she began to see how she had hurt everyone, and began to dread the caravan's upcoming return to Kassen. ------------- When she returned after two years of travel, she indeed discovered that some had a hard time accepting that she had finally changed. Calia has been home a year now, and Golfond Kir still glances sideways at her every time she passes, as if expecting a mean joke or a foot in his path. Guard Captain Wissio watches like a hawk as she shops at the market's stalls, and Roldare glares in disgust every time they cross paths. But others give her hope that perhaps opinions will change. Father Prasst and his new acolyte Dimira have been kind since her return, offering her a nod or wave when she passes. Trelvar and Asina Silvers have offered her a job performing and waiting tables in the Seven Silvers inn in exchange for a room, and her and Asina have become close friends. She and Jocyn Elmaran have become close as well - he traveled with Fenashretan and Orena before his tragedies struck, and they recommended him to her as a mentor and a good man. Her dextrous hands have begun to earn her laughs instead of punishment, and she anxiously offers help to all who need it. Yet still she fears what will happen as she finally transitions into adulthood. Will everyone be willing to overlook her misdeeds and see what she is becoming? Or will they see only the cruel joker, the disruptive influence, the thief?
Appearance and Personality:
Calia is 40 years old, just coming into adulthood by gnomish standards. She stands 3'1" and weighs 32 pounds - small even for a gnome. Her bright orange hair ensures that she stands out in a crowd, and the costume jewelry and heavy makeup she favors only serve to enhance the effect. She prefers form-fitting clothing that allows for a wide range of movement, and loves the color black for the striking contrast it makes with her pale skin and bright hair. Her favorite piece of clothing, however, is her shabby cloak, covered from hood to hem in a widely varied array of patches. She holds tightly to her cloak - it was what she was wearing when she was found, and is the only piece of her former home she has left. When it began to show signs of wear, she began patching the holes with interesting bits of fabric she came across in her apprenticeship. Now, the collection of patches is an heirloom in its own right to her, and she adds new pieces even when no repairs are needed. Each is a memory to her, of an exciting place, a great joke, a funny song, or a new friend met on the road. Most of her travelling has been done as part of a large caravan, complete with wagons - when she travels under her own power, she tends to do so heavily laden, unable to leave behind any of the comforts she is accustomed to. Her coffee pot and riotously decorated clay mug may draw raised eyebrows when she is making camp in a forest clearing, but her morning cup (or three) of coffee is a long-entrenched habit, and helps get her ready for the day ahead. She has mellowed somewhat from her wilder teenage days - she is kind and helpful, although still keeps her penchant for humor and benign trickery. With that new maturity comes insecurity, however. She is nervous that everyone at home will judge her solely on her history, and is anxious to prove otherwise. Regaining the approval of the people of Kassen is her biggest goal in returning home. She especially wants to mend fences with the younger adults (who were, after all, the childhood friends she snubbed trying to fit in with their children). Basics:
Name Calia Pevanazee Basics Female Gnome Prankster Bard 2 Alignment, Size, Type CG Small humanoid (gnome) Speed 20 feet (15 with all equipment) Senses:
Initiative +2 (+2 DEX) Perception +7 (2 ranks, +0 WIS, +2 racial, +3 class skill) Special senses: Low-light vision Defenses:
AC 17 (touch 13, flat-footed 15) (+2 dex, +3 armor, +1 shield, +1 size) HP 17 (2d8+4) Fortitude +2 (+0 class, +2 CON) Reflex +5 (+3 class, +2 DEX) Will +3 (+3 class, +0 WIS) Offenses:
Melee attacks Rapier +2 (1d4-1/18-20 x2) Prickle (+1 dagger) +2 (1d4-1/19-20 x2) Ranged attacks
Statistics:
Strength: 11 STR +0 Dexterity: 14 DEX +2 Constitution: 14 CON +2 Intelligence: 10 INT +0 Wisdom: 10 WIS +0 Charisma: 16 CHA +3 Base Attack Bonus: +1
Traits:
Trap Finder: +1 and class skill to Disable Device, can disable magic traps Collector: +2 to Perform (dance) when patchwork cloak is within five feet Helpful: grant +3 bonus instead of +2 when aiding another Dependent (drawback): shaken for one hour when Diplomacy check is failed
Feats:
Lingering Performance: bonuses and penalties from performance continue for two rounds after performing ends Skills:
(6+2/level; 6 class, 0 INT, 0 race, 2 background) Diplomacy +8 (2 ranks, +3 CHA, +3 class skill) Disable Device +8 (2 ranks, +2 DEX, +1 trait, +3 class skill) Escape Artist~ +3 (+2 DEX, +1 trait) Knowledge (arcana) +6 (1 rank, +1 INT, +3 class skill, +1 bardic) Knowledge (local) +7 (2 ranks, +1 INT, +3 class skill, +1 bardic) Knowledge (religion) +6 (1 rank, +1 INT, +3 class skill, +1 bardic) Perception +6 (2 ranks, +0 WIS, +2 racial, +3 class skill) Perform (comedy) +8 (2 background ranks, +3 CHA, +3 class skill) Perform (dance) (use for Acrobatics or Fly) +8 (+10) (2 ranks, +3 CHA, +3 class skill, +2 trait when cloak is within 5 feet) Sleight of Hand~ +7 (2 background ranks, +2 DEX, +3 class skill) Armor check penalty: -1 (-4 with all equipment)
Languages:
Common, Gnome, Sylvan Racial Characteristics:
Eternal Hope: +2 on saves v. fear and despair, once per day reroll a 1 on a d20 and use second result (replaces defensive training and hatred) Fey Thoughts: Climb and Swim class skills (replaces weapon familiarity) Illusion Resistance: +2 on saves v. illusions Keen Senses: +2 on Perception checks Obsessive: +2 on Craft or Profession skill of choice Gnome Magic: +1 to DC of illusion spells cast, 1/day dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation, and speak with animals spell-like ability Special Abilities:
Bardic Knowledge: A bard adds half his class level (minimum 1) to all Knowledge skill checks and may make all Knowledge skill checks untrained. Bardic Performance 8 rounds/day Prankster-specific Performances Versatile Performance: use score in Perform (dance) for Acrobatics and Fly checks Well-Versed: +4 to saves v. bardic performance, sonic effects, language dependent effects Spells:
Spells Known/Spellbook 0th (DC 13)
1st (DC 14)
Gear/Possessions:
Light load maximum: 28.5 lb Medium load maximum: 57 lb Heavy load maximum: 86.25 lb Lift off ground maximum: 172.5 lb Drag maximum: 423.75 lb Current weight carried: 70 3/4 lb Money: 10 GP 0 SP 0 CP Always worn/in hand:
Luggage (carried by Gus):
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