Celi Wordsmith's page

Blended View: Low-light vision and darkvision 60 ft
Eternal Hope: +2 racial bonus on saving throws against fear and despair effects. Once per day, after rolling a 1 on a d20, the gnome may reroll and use the second result.
Gnome Magic: +1 DC to illusion spells cast. (Cha is too low for racial SLAs)
Illusion Resistance: +2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusion spells or effects.
Student of the City: +2 racial bonus on Knowledge (local) checks, and can use that skill to gather information in place of Diplomacy.
Dimdweller: Whenever this character benefits from concealment or full concealment due to darkness or dim light, they gain a +2 racial bonus on Intimidate, Perception, and Stealth checks.
Favored Class Bonus: +1 skill point
Spellbook
Cantrips: 3/day
Spells: 1st 1+1
Arcane Reservoir: Max points = 3 + wizard level (4). Points gained each day = 3 + 1/2 wizard level (3).
Exploiter Exploits: Potent Magic - Whenever the arcanist expends 1 point from her arcane reservoir to increase the caster level of a spell, the caster level increases by 2 instead of 1. Whenever she expends 1 point from her arcane reservoir to increase the spell’s DC, it increases by 2 instead of 1.
Effortless Magic: A pact wizard can prepare all of his spells in only 15 minutes, and his minimum preparation time is only 1 minute.
Patron Spells (Shadow): At 1st level, a pact wizard must select a patron. This functions like the witch class ability of the same name, except the pact wizard automatically adds his patron’s spells to his spellbook instead of to his familiar. In addition, the pact wizard can expend any prepared spell that isn’t a spell prepared using the additional spell slot the wizard receives from his arcane school in order to spontaneously cast one of his patron’s spells of the same level or lower. Spell list: 2nd — silent image, 4th — darkness, 6th — deeper darkness, 8th — shadow conjuration, 10th — shadow evocation, 12th — shadow walk, 14th — shadow conjuration (greater), 16th — shadow evocation (greater), 18th — shades.

Cantrips: all

1st level:
Mage Armor
Grease
Magic Missile
Color Spray
Incessant Buzzing
Disguise Self
Shadow Trap

Cantrips:
Detect Fiendish Presence
Detect Magic
Prestidigitation

1st level:
Mage Armor
Color Spray

Celi is a young gnome woman of average height and weight, just over three feet tall. She has light skin with bright pinkish-purple hair and large turquoise eyes. Her hairstyle varies with her mood, but it's always something big and extravagant. When it comes to clothing, Celi favors comfortable shirts, trousers, vests and longcoats in eye-catching colors. Before Barzillai Thrune's decree on embroidery, she liked fanciful embroidered designs. Now she wears patterned scarves (printed, not embroidered!) and big, gaudy costume jewelry to add interest to her wardrobe.

Until recently, the most weaponry Celi carried was a dagger, more for utility than combat. Now she has a gnome-sized light crossbow, quiver of bolts, and a backpack full of odds and ends that might come in handy.

Celi is not an experienced combatant or rebel, but she's no coward either. The gnome is bound and determined to find out what happened to her friends, and save them if she can. May the gods have mercy on anyone standing in her way, because Celi won't. She's lived among humans long enough to know and follow human manners regarding things like pranks and jokes on one's friends and allies (i.e., don't do it). Enemies are fair game though. Celi tends to see the world through a narrative lens and will continue her writing during whatever downtime the rebels have. A rebellion will make for an amazing story! She's an optimist with a penchant for drama and (mostly non-malicious) gossip. People are just so interesting, can you really blame her for wanting to know all about them?

Most gnomes are collectors, and Celi is no exception. She is a book collector, a true bibliophile. Her collection contains everything from novels to engineering manuals to cookbooks to rambling travelogues. Some of the Gnomish volumes with innocuous titles on the cover are actually Celi's own translations of forbidden Chelaxian history tomes borrowed from the Sacred Order of Archivists.

Celi was born into privilege in the gnomish town of Brastlewark, the only daughter of a wealthy mage-weaver, Siv Brightweave, and a renowned alchemist, Tolliverdon Zerumbet. Her parents saw to it that she had the best education available, including the study of wizardry to make up for her lack of innate magic. But Celi was a dreamer and a storyteller, fascinated with the written word and particularly novels. When she reached adulthood, her father had begun to suffer the effects of the Bleaching and left to find renewed wonder in foreign lands. Celi decided that she wanted to attend a university and study literature. Not in Egorian, though. The center of Thrune power is far too law-abiding for a gnome's comfort. She opted for Kintargo's Alabaster Academy instead. Sure, it had suffered a decline in reputation ever since Professor Mangvhune went mad and started murdering people, but it's still a good school with an extensive library.

The Alabaster Academy welcomes any student with money and enough ability not to embarrass them, and Celi had both. She discovered a talent for languages and minored in linguistics, majoring in literature as planned. The library was even better than she had hoped; Celi saw no reason to limit herself to the subjects she was formally studying. She made friends with Dr. Kirenna Palamindi, a professor of linguistics, and eventually Kirenna introduced her to the Sacred Order of Archivists. While many of the Irorans didn't appreciate the gnome's energy and unique viewpoint, a few did. Ayrlin Manar, a Chelaxian/Garundi bookstore owner, and Lukas Vidoc, a tiefling paralegal, both enjoyed Celi's company. It can be difficult to make friends in a new city, especially given gnomes' reputation for capriciousness and tricks. Celi deeply appreciated the few who were willing to give her a chance.

After university, Celi worked as a research assistant for Kirenna, writing her first novel in her off hours. To everyone's surprise, a local publisher bought the finished manuscript! Celi knows what sells; her work tends to be formulaic adventure/romance, but it's well written with engaging characters and surprising plot twists. The first book sold well enough that the publisher contracted several more books, and her career as an author was off.

Once she had a comfortable nest egg saved up, Celi began secretly working on something very different from the light reading that paid her bills. She wanted to publish something deeper. Something that would make people think, make them reevaluate viewpoints and prejudices that they took for granted. Not that she could publish something like that in Cheliax, of course. It would never get past the Thrune censors that haunt every Chelaxian publishing house. No, Celi found a Druman merchant and arranged to have him take her manuscript to a publisher in Druma. The Prophets of Kalistrade will happily publish works that would attract unwanted governmental attention in Cheliax, Isger, or Nidal. To be extra safe, Celi submitted her work under a pen name, Teressina Darel. Ms. Darel's novel, 'Finding Grace', sold well in Andoran and Taldor, enough that Andoren smugglers (who may or may not be Eagle Knight agents trying to encourage rebellious thought in Cheliax) started selling it on the Chelaxian black market.

(Celi's mom Siv greased some palms to get her daughter's first novel published. It sold on its own merits, though, and the publisher commissioned more books on their own.)

Everything was coming up roses for Celi. Until Barzillai Thrune came to town, and every member of the Sacred Order of Archivists vanished overnight. Since Celi isn't an Iroran and thus couldn't be an official member, nobody came after her. That was their mistake. Celi didn't have many friends in Kintargo, and she was not about to sit idly when they were in danger. So she dusted off her old spellbook, but the spells there were frankly unimpressive. She knew all too well how long it takes for a wizard to achieve real power. There was no time for that. She needed better magic right now! Fortunately, she had acquired a book of arcane rituals a while back. One of them purported to call a 'great power from beyond' with which a wizard could bargain for power. Celi had no idea what kind of power it would call, or if it would even work, but it was her best shot.

Somebody answered- the Redeemer Queen, Nocticula. The goddess was intrigued by Celi's creative spirit, and she wanted more mortal worshipers to spread the word of her apotheosis. She offered Celi the magic of darkness and shadow. Naturally the gnome accepted, despite Nocticula's warnings of a price to be paid later. As long as the price wasn't her life or that of other people, she was willing to take the risk. After all, Nocticula isn't evil anymore, so Celi probably won't end up insane or damned to the Abyss. Totally worth it for the power to find her friends!

Since that night, Celi considers Nocticula to be her patron deity. She was never very religious, but gods like prayers and offerings, right? It's only polite to thank Nocticula for her gifts. She doesn't know much about the faith yet, but she's doing her best with the little she does know.

There's a protest coming up, and Celi received a mysterious message offering information on the fate of the Sacred Order of Archivists. It could be a trap, but if it's genuine, she has to be there.

Siv Brightweave, mother: A magewright in Brastlewark, specializing in enchanted textiles. She is quite wealthy and well respected in Brastlewark. Siv is happy that her daughter is happy in Kintargo, but she worries about Celi getting caught up in human politics.

Tolliverdon Zerumbet, father: A skilled alchemist, not married to Siv. He stuck around long enough to raise Celi to adulthood, then left Brastlewark for new experiences. Last Celi heard, he was studying advanced alchemy in Nex.

Dr. Kirenna Palamindi, LG female half-elf university professor: A member of the Sacred Order of Archivists, as well as a professor of linguistics at the Alabaster Academy. Despite their differing views, she and Celi are close friends. Kirenna frequently proofreads Celi's manuscripts.

Ayrlin Manar, N female human (Chelaxian/Garundi) bookstore owner: A member of the Sacred Order of Archivists and owner of Serenity Books. She and Celi are friends, and she keeps Celi's novels stocked in her store. Ayrlin has a hidden back room with the "special" (aka illegal) books for trusted customers.

Lukas Vidoc, LN male tiefling paralegal: A member of the Sacred Order of Archivists and friend of Celi. He appreciates the fact that Celi finds his red skin, solid black eyes, and hooves pleasantly unique in a sea of humans who all look similar to a gnome. Lukas is a devout Iroran who relies on the faith's meditation and exercise regimen to help him maintain control over his fiendish urges.