Chelios Norvegicus's page

Chelios represents perfectly the bloodline of a race that owes its heritage to the descendents of Azlanti refugees whose blood mixed with that of pale-skinned Ulfen raider merchants from the northern climes.

He has dark hair, dark eyes, and pale skin. He could also be described as having sharp features — a slightly narrow jaw; a strong nose; and thin, arched eyebrows. And he carries this look well – and he knows it (but more of that later).

What is not evident at first glance is that his body is almost entirely covered with burns – only his face and hands are free from scarring – but once more we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

To understand Cheliax you have to know that there isn’t just a desire for power, it’s a need. For centuries, the people of this land have paid tribute to the notion that power in any form is the highest achievement in life – even to the point of believing in the goal of power for its own sake.

And when power becomes the goal, concerns about the way one achieves it fall by the wayside. Those outside Cheliax accuse the country of serving Hell – and up to a point they’d be right (Chelish would maintain that Hell serves it!).

Against this perceived backdrop of twisted evil all Chelish are “ambitious.” The lower classes yearn to better themselves so that they can lift themselves from the muck of the ghettos and slums and live the life of the wealthy, free from care or want. The wealthy want to be wealthier; to acquire more power, more land, and more holdings. Those with power want to make their mark on history and let the world know that they have trod upon its surface.

Chelios’ parents were merchants. Somewhere in the middle of the social ladder. And later we’ll find out how that proved to be Chelios’ undoing. His parents had ambition – there’s that word again – and wanted more for their only son.

Born and raised in Corentyn, it is primarily a military town. Central to the rise of the diabolic Chelish Empire, Corentyn is an occupied ruin, a major trade centre and a host to the busiest shipping lane in the known world all rolled into one.

The people of Corentyn see little of the wealth their city generates. The nobles in the capital look down their noses at the very people responsible for their prosperity and security, and the residents of Corentyn grudgingly accept this condescension.

Chelios’ parents were fortunate enough to live in Mercanto – the largest and richest trading houses have shops here on the waterfront, selling gems and jewellery, rugs, furniture, fine clothes, perfumes, spices, magic items, spells, and more. Chelios’ parents traded in artefacts – items recovered from abandoned ruins and long-forgotten dungeons – and there’s the first clue as to his choice of vocation.

From a young age, Chelios was fascinated by knowledge – particularly ancient knowledge. He’d read any book or manuscript to develop his knowledge of languages (arguably his first love) and ancient lore. And so, at the tender age of ten he decided to become a Pathfinder.

In Cheliax there was only one faction that you were allowed to join openly – the Cheliax faction. Despite his lack of comfort in much of what he saw around him (the worship of Adsmodeus and the keeping of slaves seemed at odds what all that he had learned) – the promise of power and riches lured him in and met the approval of his parents. For Chelios it was a means to an end – money and position equalled access to knowledge.

Finding patronage in the factions’ leader Paracountess Zarta Dralneen, Chelios started life as a Pathfinder at the tender age of fourteen.

They say a Pathfinder’s training is his true testing. For the next few years, he lived a spartan life but literally worshipped the ground the Master of Lore walked on.

By the time he was ready for confirmation, Chelios was truly in two minds. He loved the life of a Pathfinder in theory but in practice his learning now made him at odds with the aspiration of the Cheliax faction. Fortunately he was quick-witted enough to always be able to bluff his way out of awkward conversations when his allegiance was in question – he never truly lied but he didn’t tell the whole truth either.

We’ve already seen what drives Chelios and this manifests itself in many ways. In two minds over his life as a Pathfinder, he has lived his life balancing opposing thoughts and ideals. You could argue this makes him a fatalist and perhaps you’d be right. He never fights what fate has to offer but that doesn’t mean he just takes what life throws at him. His ambition is typically Chelish. And that means making choices – not waiting for others to make them for him.

He knows when to challenge and when to hold his tongue – every Chelish still alive has learned this most cardinal of rules.

There was poignancy in calling languages Chelios’ first love. It was his second love that resulted in him ending up in Magnimar.

As a newly appointed Pathfinder, Chelios got to travel all over Cheliax. While Imperial Cheliax disapproves of Society interference on its own soil (as they consider investigations into the history of the empire prior to the ascendance of the Thrice-Damned House of Thrune a cultural insult), outside its borders the empire enthusiastically supports Pathfinder activity.

So his early activity was relatively mundane, cataloguing this and translating that. And at the house of a Chelish Lord, Chelios met Portia. Their love was clearly unacceptable to her father – his daughter was his primary asset and would be used to prop up his failing finances with a marriage to a richer house. Love simply didn’t enter into it.

But as young lovers are prone to do, they ignored parental advice and the Lord used his influence to both arrange a swift marriage for his daughter but also to ensure the noble’s son he betrothed her to was aware of the relationship.

Keen to nip this dalliance in the bud, the noble’s son pulled some strings of his own and Chelios was assigned to a dig nearby (hoping that being away from Portia would cool the relationship). Offering the prospect of uncovering long-lost manuscripts, Chelios threw himself into the new assignment and invited Portia to join him at the site, to show her what true Pathfinders do ‘for a living.’

The new assignment was a trap – but oddly not of the noble’s son’s doing. The Aspis Consortium had planted bogus artefacts in the underground caves – oddly something rivals of the Pathfinders do, just to distract them.

And so Chelios and Portia were together in a makeshift office, poring over documents when Chelios realised the ruse. The papers were written in an ancient hand but the syntax was modern. These were clearly forgeries. As he shared this knowledge with Portia, an Aspis mage, posing as a humble digger overheard his discovery and sent a terrible fireball into the room – engulfing the pair. Chelios threw his hands up to his face instinctively. At that very moment a beam fell from the ceiling and passed between the fireball and his head – protecting it from the force of the blast. Half-dead, he carried his beloved from the dungeon, his tears evaporating before they could fall onto her dead body.

Chelios instantly suspected the noble’s son and predicted what would happen. His life would now be forfeit. And so he made his way slowly to the faction’s headquarters. Gaining a clandestine audience with Paracountess Zarta Dralneen, he told her the truth (as he knew it) and awaited his fate. He was shocked when she took pity on him and arranged for him to move abroad – offering a letter of recommendation to the Grand Lodge, and surprisingly recommending a change to his faction.

Slowly and painfully, Chelios travelled to Magnimar. The physical scars healed but not the mental ones. Life in Magnimar was wonderful in comparison to his home. He could discuss his thoughts freely and debate without fear of reprisal. Careful to cover his burns (he still recoiled subconsciously from open flames), he found that in this relatively classless society, he received a lot of attention from women and although his heart would never surrender to any of them, he enjoyed their company – so much so that he gained a reputation as a lothario – something he played up, so as to avoid telling the truth.

And so he settled into life at Heidmarch Manor and spent as much time with its owners Sheila and her husband Sir Canayven Heidmarch, soaking up their stories of travel around the world. And he has learned so much from them, from how to disable traps to the best techniques for sneaking around dungeons undetected.

Rarely do things appear as simple as they seem. The forged documents were planted by the Aspis Consortium – that much is the truth. The spider’s web that emanates from this single fact is less well known.

First of all Paracountess Zarta Dralneen knows it was the Aspis Consortium – which is why she took pity on Chelios. Having him in her debt and in the bosom of the Pathfinder Lodge in Magnimar was an opportunity too good to miss. He doesn’t know it, but at some point in the future, she’ll call in that favour.

And the noble’s son does blame Chelios for Portia’s death. A blame that would go so deep as to consume the young man in his desire for retribution. And hints and rumours have reached Chelios’ ears to this effect and the young Pathfinder knows that – sooner or later – one of them must die. For you see Chelios blames the young noble for Portia’s death with an equal passion (not realising it was the Aspis Consortium who were to blame).

Male Rogue 1
CN Medium Human / Humanoid (Human)
Init +6; Senses Perception +4
==DEFENSE==
AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+2 armor, +2 dex)
hp 9 (1d8)
Fort +0, Ref +4, Will +0
Armor Leather, Light
==OFFENSE==
Spd 30 ft/x4
Melee Rapier +2 (1d6) 18-20/x2
Melee Melee Dagger +2 (1d4) 19-20/x2
Ranged Cold Iron Thrown Dagger +2 (1d4) 19-20/x2
Ranged Shortbow +2 (1d6) 20/x3
Special Attacks Sneak Attack [1d6] (PFCR 68)
==STATISTICS==
Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 14
BAB +0, CMB +0, CMD +12
Feats Armor Proficiency (LIGHT) (PFCR 118), Improved Initiative (PFCR 127), Nemesis (PFUCgn 71), Weapon Finesse (PFCR 136)
Skills Acrobatics +2, Appraise +5, Bluff +6 [w/ persons attracted to you +7], Diplomacy +6 [w/ persons attracted to you +7], Disable Device +7, Disguise +2, Escape Artist +6, Intimidate +2, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +8, Knowledge (history) +5, Knowledge (local) +8, Linguistics +9, Perception +4 [Find Traps +5], Perform (act) +2, Profession (researcher) +4, Ride +2, Sense Motive +4, Sleight of Hand +6, Stealth +6
SQ Trapfinding (PFCR 68)
Traits Charming (Social) (PFAPG 330), Exchange Agent (Campaign: Shattered Star) (PFCo: VBoL 31)
Languages Celestial, Chelish, Common, Draconic, Elven, Goblin, Polyglot, Thassilonian