Celad Karthis's page

AC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 18
hp 12
Fort 4, Reflex 1, Will 3
CMD 15

Speed 20 ft
CMB 4
Mwk. Longsword +5 (1d8+3 19-20/x2)
Cold Iron Heavy Mace +4 (1d8+3 x2)
Dagger +4 (1d4+3 19-20/x2)

STR 16 DEX 13 CON 14 INT 10 WIS 12 CHA 16
BAB 1 CMB 4 CMD 15

Noble Scion (Scion of War); Armor Proficiency - Light, Medium, Heavy; Shield Proficiency

Acrobatics -5, Appraise 1, Bluff 3, Climb -3, Diplomacy 7, Disguise 3, Escape Artist -5, Fly -5, Heal 7, Intimidate 3, Knowledge (nobility) 7, Knowledge (religion) 4, Perception 1, Profession (Healer) 5, Ride -5, Sense Motive 1, Stealth -5, Survival 1, Swim -3

Holy Symbol of Iomedae (Steel), Masterwork Longsword, Cold Iron Heavy Mace, Dagger, Paladin's Kit, light warhorse, breastplate, heavy wooden shield, healer's kit

Detect Evil - At will, a paladin can use detect evil, as the spell. A paladin can, as a move action, concentrate on a single item or individual within 60 feet and determine if it is evil, learning the strength of its aura as if having studied it for 3 rounds. While focusing on one individual or object, the paladin does not detect evil in any other object or individual within range.

Smite Evil (1/day) - Once per day, a paladin can call out to the powers of good to aid her in her struggle against evil. As a swift action, the paladin chooses one target within sight to smite. If this target is evil, the paladin adds her Cha bonus (if any) to her attack rolls and adds her paladin level to all damage rolls made against the target of her smite. If the target of smite evil is an outsider with the evil subtype, an evil-aligned dragon, or an undead creature, the bonus to damage on the first successful attack increases to 2 points of damage per level the paladin possesses. Regardless of the target, smite evil attacks automatically bypass any DR the creature might possess.

In addition, while smite evil is in effect, the paladin gains a deflection bonus equal to her Charisma modifier (if any) to her AC against attacks made by the target of the smite. If the paladin targets a creature that is not evil, the smite is wasted with no effect.

The smite evil effect remains until the target of the smite is dead or the next time the paladin rests and regains her uses of this ability. At 7th level, and at every six levels thereafter, the paladin may smite evil one additional time per day.

Aura of Good (1) - The power of a paladin’s aura of good (see the detect good spell) is equal to her paladin level.

Taldan is his home, and he wants to see it whole and prosperous, not torn by war, or held by the wrong people. As a member (even a semi-disgraced one) of a Noble House, he could be used symbolically, and the fact that he is an active member of the faith of Iomedae could also be used to stir up pro or anti-Aroden factions.

Celad was born and raised in Oppara as a member of House Karthis, by his father, Lord Beran Karthis. He does not recall his mother, and was given minimal information about her. Despite being an Aasimar, he was a lesser son of the House, and while he received excellent care and a solid education, he was trained from birth with the idea of spending a few years as an officer in the Taldoran military (perhaps even receiving a knighthood), before taking over as the Captain of the House Guard (a position currently held by his cousin, Northan). He grew up reading stories about famous knights and generals, about Aroden and Iomedae, and it was always the stories of the Lady of Valor that stuck with him the most. In his religious learning, he absorbed all he could about Her, and the more he learned, the more he felt a sense of peace and well-being inside.
After mulling things over, he had a talk with Lord Beran and explained how he felt. His father reminded him that the family were devout followers of Aroden, but Celad made it plain that his heart was not there. Lord Beran came up with an idea... he would offer the boy to be fostered as a ward by the Church of Iomedae. He figured it would be a few weeks, at most, before Celad would come running back, missing the creature comforts of nobility, and fall back into worship of Aroden. He made the arrangements, and provided a fair sum to cover the costs of the boy's room and board, with some left over in trust for when he came of age.

Celad took to life as a church ward easily. He excelled in his studies, worked hard on his chores, and began to train as an assistant to the healers, learning about bandages, herbs, poultices, and splints. He was popular with his teachers and the clergy, and with the other boys and girls. His noble upbringing meant that he had some advantages over the other children, but he never exploited it, instead spending time trying to help them whenever he could.

Celad's background had given him skill in riding, weaponry, tactics, history, an understanding of the nobility, and the ability to read and write in Common and Elven, as well as his innate understanding of the Celestial tongue. It was not long before the boy was chosen as a page, and he spent only a year in that role before being chosen, at age fourteen, as a Squire to Sir Dartien Neguer, a paladin of Iomedae.

Lord Beran kept discrete track of all of this, and at first he was angry that his plan had backfired. Over time, however, he grew to be proud of the man Celad was becoming, and accepted that his son had found a different, unexpected place in the world. The other members of the family, however, saw the boy as a stain on the family honor, and made it clear that he would not be welcomed back to the fold.

In the meantime, Celad loved being a Squire. He traveled to different places, met new people, and worked hard to make sure Sir Dartien's needs were met, and this his weapons, armor, horse, tack were always well-maintained and cared for. In exchange, his education deepened, focusing on combat, proper etiquette for a variety of situations, and horsemanship. Much time was spent learning not only of Iomedae and Her ways, but also of other Gods and Theirs.

In his sixth year as a Squire, Celad was aiding refugees from a goblin skirmish while Sir Dartien rode with members of the local militia to put down the goblins, when something unusual happened. He was touching the head of a man who'd been badly burned rescuing his family from their house after it was hit by an alchemical grenade and caught fire, asking Iomedae's mercy for the fellow, when his hand suddenly started to glow. When the glow passed, the man's burns remained, but they were not as bad, and his fever had broken.

Celad told Sir Dartien what happened, upon his return, and the kindly older knight told him that he was to spend a night in prayer, under the stars, wearing only his smallclothes. That night, they went outside, away from the hut they'd been sharing to a quiet, isolated spot. Sir Dartien took Celad's longsword, and shoved the tip of the blade into the earth, so that the hilt stood upright, like a cross. He watched as Celad removed his armor and overclothes, and took the equipment, saying only that he would return in the morning.

Celad took a knee and began to pray. As he did, images flashed through his mind of his life to that point. He saw his family, remembering fondly his father's smile, and the scratch of his beard upon Celad's cheek. He saw old Arock, his childhood arms tutor, and Benn, his closest friend from the Temple where he'd been fostered. As he thought of all of them, feelings of love and light bloomed in him. At last, his mind went back to his mother, she of whom he remembered so little. In that moment, for the first time that he could ever recall, he saw his mother in his mind's eye, in all of her otherworldly beauty. She smiled at him, and he was suffused with
a feeling of warmth and comfort. He heard a voice, then, say, "Child, you are of Mine, and will serve Me." There was a bright flash, and when it receded and he opened his eyes, it was morning. His sword, still in front of him, had changed. It was razor sharp, and gleaming, with a hilt and crossguard of intricately worked gold. Hanging from the hilt by a golden chain was a medallion, of a silver sword surrounded by a golden rays. Celad heard a voice behind him. "Wear your medallion, Paladin of Iomedae.", Sir Darien said, pride in his voice.

Not long after this, Celad made his way back to Oppara. His grandfather, High Lord Tremen Karthis, announced publicly that House Karthis was favored to have a paladin of Iomedae among its members, and Celad was offered the chance to return to the wealth and lifestyle he'd known as a boy. He refused, saying that he now owed allegiance to only one master. For this perceived insult, Lord Tremen told him there would be a reckoning, but so far this has not happened. Lord Beran privately congratulated the young warrior, and told him he was proud, but that he would need to publicly support the family. Celad was understanding of this, and went on his way, eager to see what Iomedae had in store for him next.