About Christoph MetzgerCristoph Metzger, Speaker of the Voices of the Spire
Defense
Offense
Ranged [+1 adaptive composite longbow] +11/+6 (1d8 + 3) x3 P 110'; [mwk dagger] +11 (1d4 + 2) 19-20/x2 P/S 10'; dagger +10 (1d4 + 2) 19-20/x2 P/S 10' Ranged [mwk shortspear] +11 (1d6 + 2) x2 P 20'; [shortspear] +10 (1d6 + 2) x2 P 20' Melee - 2H [mwk silver morningstar] +9/+4 (1d8 + 3) x2 B/P; [mwk shortspear] +9/+4 (1d6 + 3) x2 B/P; Melee - 1H [mwk silver morningstar] +9/+4 (1d8 + 2) x2 B/P; [mwk shortspear] +9/+4 (1d6 + 2) x2 B/P; Stats
Combat-Relevant Gear
Mundane:
Active Effects on me
Casting stats
Known Spells and Spells used per day -
Special Attacks -
Special Abilities -
Traits
Languages (s) are starting languages:
Common (s) Varisian (s) Skald (s) Elven Feats:
Armor Proficiency (Light, Medium) (Inquisitor starter) Shield Proficiency (Inquisitor starter) Simple/Inquisitor Weapon Proficiency (Inquisitor starter) Point-Blank Shot (L1) Precise Shot (L1 Human bonus) Rapid Shot (L3) Shake it Off (L3 Teamwork) Deadly Aim (L5) Outflank (L6 Teamwork) [can be changed as a standard action] Improved Monster Lore(L7) Adventuring Skills:
Acrobatics +3 (0 ranks + 4 DEX - 1 ACP) Climb +5 (1 rank + 2 STR + 3 class - 1 ACP) Heal +10 (4 ranks + 3 WIS + 3 class) Intimidate +11 (4 ranks + 3 class + 4 morale) Knowledge(Arcana) +8 (4 ranks + 1 INT + 3 class) [+7 to identify monsters] Knowledge(Dungeon) +7 (3 ranks + 1 INT + 3 class) [+7 to identify monsters] Knowledge(Nature) +8 (4 ranks + 1 INT + 3 class) [+7 to identify monsters] Knowledge(Planes) +5 (1 rank + 1 INT + 3 class) [+7 to identify monsters] Knowledge(Religion) +12 (8 ranks + 1 INT + 3 class) [+7 to identify monsters] Perception +14 (8 ranks + 3 WIS + 3 class) Ride +7 (1 rank + 4 Dex + 3 class - 1 ACP) Sense Motive +18 (8 ranks + 3 WIS + 3 class + 4 morale) Spellcraft +9 (5 ranks + 1 INT + 3 class) Stealth +14 (8 ranks + 4 DEX + 3 class - 1 ACP) Survival +10 (4 ranks + 3 WIS + 3 class) [+4 to track] Swim +5 (1 rank + 2 STR + 3 class - 1 ACP) Background Skills:
Craft (alchemy) +10 (6 ranks + 1 INT + 3 class) Craft (bows) +12 (6 ranks + 1 INT + 3 class + 3 circumstance) [mwk tools] Profession(cook) +7 (1 rank + 3 WIS + 3 class) Profession(scribe) +7 (1 rank + 3 WIS + 3 class) Profession(soothsayer) +7 (1 rank + 3 WIS + 3 class) Detailed Gear:
Cash: 4gp 0sp 0cp Carried with Christoph
Mundane -
Kits purchased
Christoph Encumbrance: Medium (53.6/200 lbs) (light to 66 lbs; medium to 133 lbs and heavy to 200 lbs) Left in a 'safe' location
Jitters (Heavy Horse):
--- Jitters - heavy horse --- Heavy Horse (combat trained) N Animal Str 20, Dex 18, Con 21, Int 2, Wis 17, CHA 11 Initiative +4; Senses low-light vision, scent, Perception +8 Defense
Offense
Special Attacks
Special Abilities
Languages
Feats
Skills
Carried by Kipina
Encumbrance: light (106.5/1200 lbs) (Light at 340.1 lbs when Turiel is mounted) (medium at 399 and heavy at 798) ------------------------
Background:
It is the echoing screams that haunt him the most. The blood, viscous and cold by the time he saw it, was always there lurking behind his eyes. The frozen, staring eyes as well. Looking back at him accusingly. You fled, they said. Never mind that he was just a boy. He fled. And he fled while those aching screams echoed in his ears and tore his heart out leaving only a shell behind. His sisters, his father, and his mother had all died on that awful day. And he had left them. Christoph is the orphaned son of Varisian travelers who were killed by 'dark monsters' which were almost certainly undead. His family was camped, traveling through Ustalav towards Lepidstadt where his father had business. An eight-year-old Christoph was gathering wood, when he heard terrified shouting back at his family’s camp. Running back, he arrived in time to see his father fall to the ground under a swarm of ‘dark monsters’. The next moments were a blur for a boy, and if he were pressed to recount it, he would say only that he fled from the horrible scene. A few miles up the road, the young boy was found by a Pharasmin pilgrimage on its way to Caliphas. Breathless and shocked into incoherence, he could only point and scream. The rest of the night, including the return to the camp, are a blur in Christoph’s mind. After seeing that their new ward’s family had as fit a burial as could be managed in the wilds of Ustalav, Christoph was taken to a Pharasmin orphanage in Caliphas. He was a troubled child, lashing out in anger for the unfair hand that fate had dealt him and still beset by nightmares from that awful night. Despite his best efforts to flee the church, he was educated as befits a ward of church. He would come to learn of the Lady of Graves and her devotion to seeing mortals into the proper afterlife. He learned of her role as the Mistress of Fate as inheritor of Aroden's prophetic domains. He also learned of Pharasma's hatred of undead abominations. This would prove the spark that lit a fire in young Christoph's heart. Still haunted by the nightmarish recriminations of his slaughtered family, he sought to serve the One whose hatred of the undead echoed his own. His turnabout was quick and he was soon seeking out his tutors to learn more and more. As he grew into adulthood, he served as a scribe in the Church. He earned his keep by copying The Bones land in a Spiral and other Pharasmin texts. But it was a Voice of the Spire on which his mind was set on becoming. This militant wing of the Pharasmin priesthood are the elite slayers of both the undead and those who would create them. Every waking moment he devoted to becoming a Voice. Every night, however, still was haunted by his failure those long years ago. In time, he would earn his place as a trainee in the Order. Already well versed in the Pharasmin theology, his time was instead spent learning how to fight the undead. Strong and swift, he soon would show an aptitude with bow and arrow. His fierce devotion to this learning, in particular, alarmed some within the Church. There was quiet talk of directing him to pursue a less destructive path. Sensing the pain and anger in his trainee, one of the Voices, Kjell Sjogunsson, took him under his wing. Kjell is one of the veteran Voices in Ustalav and has served the Church for decades. Whenever it was possible to do so, he would take Christoph away from Caliphas on his missions. Though he never directly involved him in the fighting, he would bring him when he interviewed villagers certain they’d seen a ghoul and nobles whose villas were ‘haunted’. He trained him to fight, to track, and know what to look for. He gave Christoph his wish and trained him to be a Voice of the Spire. Kjell became the closest thing that the young man had to a father figure and, in turn, Christoph became like a second son to the Ulfen Voice. On the first mission where Christoph was to be allowed to accompany Kjell, things went wrong. Kjell and Christoph were investigating the ominous rumors of fleeting shapes in the mists outside of a lonely village in Versex county. Dogs and livestock had been found dead and partially eaten and the villagers were certain that something monstrous was stalking them from the mists. Having found sign pointing towards a number of ghouls, the Voices began their search in the damp and dark of a misty glen. They were separated in the confusion of the search. Christoph continued to pursue his quarry, doing his best to spot some sign of his master’s whereabouts. Fighting back his rising terror, he was ambushed by something large and clawed. Tumbled to the ground and stunned, he reacted instinctively and threw a bottle of holy water at the beast. With only enough time to gather an impression of the rotting stench of death and a maw worthy of nightmares, he fled. Again, he fled. After a few moments of panicked running, he found himself again caught off his guard. This time by the worried face of his mentor and friend, Kjell. Having first calmed his ward, then scolded him for attempting to continue on his own, Kjell began to doubt his choice to train the boy he'd begun to think of as a son. Still badly shaken, Christoph was adamant that he WOULD become a Voice and that he would prove himself. Shamed and shaken at having fled a second time in the face of the undead, Christoph doubled down in his training and his devotion. Kjell could only look on in worry. Time would prove this worry to be (mostly) unfounded. Christoph's redoubled efforts bore fruit, and he began his service as a voice with distinction when he helped in the capture of a budding necromancer and the woman's blasphemous undead. Time and time again he succeeded, but for the young voice it was never enough. He had fled, not once, but twice. The mark of shame and the echoing of his families screams drove him on relentlessly. Nearly ten years have passed since his first encounter with the undead since that first fateful day and Christoph has risen through the ranks of serve as a Speaker for the Voices of the Spire. One of the elite within an elite, he is a veteran who is sent after the most difficult and troubling reports of necromancy that reach the ears of the Pharasmin church. Sent to investigate trouble rumors along the edge of the dank and unwholesome swamps of Soddentimbers, Christoph seeks to pay penance for his past failures. He will stop at nothing to quiet the screaming of his family that still echoes in his mind.
Appearance:
Christoph stands five feet and ten inches tall with a stocky build that belies his speed and grace of movement. He has a swarthy complexion and violet eyes which are characteristic of his people. His hair is brown, though dark enough to be readily mistaken for black. He tends to keep a beard, though it can grow wild if he doesn't have the time to keep it neat. He wears practical, battle ready gear and the red and black clothing of the Voices of Spire. The only ostentation to his otherwise practical gear are the silvery spirals that mark his rank as a Speaker of the Voices of the Spire. Personality:
Raised in the church of the Lady of Graves after a childhood marked by horror, Christoph is often taken to be cold, aloof, and serious. He may be studiously polite (as befits a former ward of the church), but the cold in his voice is enough to overcome any softening of his words. He wears the stern demeanor of a Voice as a mask, hiding away his emotion as best he can. The effect, particularly on strangers, can be disconcerting. His blood red tunic and cloak -the uniform of his order- does not help alleviate their discomfort. The mask hides the roiling emotion that mark his existence. Shame at having fled, both as a child and on his first outing as a Voice, lurk ready and waiting in the back of hind. It springs at the worst time, leaving him short of breath and shamed to bone. A slayer of undead terrified by the undead, worthless. His doubts and fears disturb his sleep. He is intent to prove that he is worthy of his rank as a Speaker of the Voices, and that he can perhaps right some of the wrongs that took his parents from him. The gnawing doubt at the back of his mind never rests for long, no matter how many of the undead he lays to their proper rest.
Prized Possessions:
A tattered copy of The Bones Land in a Spiral that was gifted to him by his mentor in the voice, Kjell. A worn and ripped scarf that belonged to his mother. Its embroidery is faded and tattered, but he still can remember her spending happy hours working on it on warm summer nights as they traveled.
Plot hooks/motivations/random thoughts for the GM:
Here are a few ideas I had for things that would be good hooks as a GM: Who and/or what attacked his parents? Neither he nor his savior know. Do they have ties to the Big Bads of this adventure path? Was his father/family killed intentionally? He knew his father was a scholar of some sort, but not what he studied. How will he overcome his self-doubt and/or fear? He's panicked twice now at critical times. When will he become the hero who can avenge his parents? Will he rise higher in the Voices hierarchy? To the rank of Speaker or above (a name of my own devising)? Will he run into Kjell again and finally feel that he can look his beloved mentor in the eye as an equal? Or at least without feeling a secret surge of shame after he fled when his friend may have needed him?
Horror Aspects:
Goal: If possible, Christoph would like to determine who and/or what killed his parents and see justice done. Reputation: As a Voice of the Spire, he's a member of the Pharasmin church and is generally respected for his station. Friend: Kjell Sjogunsson is an Ulfen Voice of the Spire who was Christoph's mentor as a trainee. He's a friend and father figure to the otherwise lonely Christoph. Home:Caliphas' Church has been where Christoph has lived since his parents were killed. He doesn't feel like he has a home, however. Signature Item: On completing his training, Kjell gave Christoph a copy of The Bones Land in a Spiral. The Pharasmin holy text is where Christoph stores the worn and tattered scarf that is his only memento of his mother. Problem: Despite devoting himself to being an undead hunter, he's fled twice in the face of danger and he's not sure he can stop himself doing so again. Secret: His memory of life before his parent's death is shaky at best. He's not even sure if he had other family (siblings, aunts, uncles, etc) and he's never sought them out. Reason to be Brave: By facing his fear and killing the undead, he saves others the pain that he has suffered. Old stuff:
Background It is the echoing screams that haunt him the most. The blood, viscous and cold by the time he saw it, was always there lurking behind his eyes. The frozen, staring eyes as well. Looking back at him accusingly. You fled, they said. Never mind that he was just a boy. He fled. And he fled while those aching screams echoed in his ears and tore his heart out leaving only a shell behind. His sisters, his father, and his mother had all died on that awful day. And he had left them. Christoph is the orphaned son of Varisian travelers who were killed by 'dark monsters' which were almost certainly undead. His family was camped, traveling through Ustalav towards Lepidstadt where his father had business. An eight-year-old Christoph was gathering wood, when he heard terrified shouting back at his family’s camp. Running back, he arrived in time to see his father fall to the ground under a swarm of ‘dark monsters’. The next moments were a blur for a boy, and if he were pressed to recount it, he would say only that he fled from the horrible scene. A few miles up the road, the young boy was found by a Pharasmin pilgrimage on its way to Caliphas. Breathless and shocked into incoherence, he could only point and scream. The rest of the night, including the return to the camp, are a blur in Christoph’s mind. After seeing that their new ward’s family had as fit a burial as could be managed in the wilds of Ustalav, Christoph was taken to a Pharasmin orphanage in Caliphas. He was a troubled child, lashing out in anger for the unfair hand that fate had dealt him and still beset by nightmares from that awful night. Despite his best efforts to flee the church, he was educated as befits a ward of church. He would come to learn of the Lady of Graves and her devotion to seeing mortals into the proper afterlife. He learned of her role as the Mistress of Fate as inheritor of Aroden's prophetic domains. He also learned of Pharasma's hatred of undead abominations. This would prove the spark that lit a fire in young Christoph's heart. Still haunted by the nightmarish recriminations of his slaughtered family, he sought to serve the One whose hatred of the undead echoed his own. His turnabout was quick and he was soon seeking out his tutors to learn more and more. As he grew into adulthood, he served as a scribe in the Church. He earned his keep by copying The Bones land in a Spiral and other Pharasmin texts. But it was a Voice of the Spire on which his mind was set on becoming. This militant wing of the Pharasmin priesthood are the elite slayers of both the undead and those who would create them. Every waking moment he devoted to becoming a Voice. Every night, however, still was haunted by his failure those long years ago. In time, he would earn his place as a trainee in the Order. Already well versed in the Pharasmin theology, his time was instead spent learning how to fight the undead. Strong and swift, he soon would show an aptitude with bow and arrow. His fierce devotion to this learning, in particular, alarmed some within the Church. There was quiet talk of directing him to pursue a less destructive path. Sensing the pain and anger in his trainee, one of the Voices, Kjell Sjogunsson, took him under his wing. Kjell is one of the veteran Voices in Ustalav and has served the Church for decades. Whenever it was possible to do so, he would take Christoph away from Caliphas on his missions. Though he never directly involved him in the fighting, he would bring him when he interviewed villagers certain they’d seen a ghoul and nobles whose villas were ‘haunted’. He trained him to fight, to track, and know what to look for. He gave Christoph his wish and trained him to be a Voice of the Spire. He also introduced him to Professor Petros Lorrimor. On the first mission where Christoph was to be allowed to accompany Kjell, things went wrong. Kjell and Christoph were investigating the ominous rumors of fleeting shapes in the mists outside of a lonely village in Versex county. Dogs and livestock had been found dead and partially eaten and the villagers were certain that something monstrous was stalking them from the mists. Having found sign pointing towards a number of ghouls, the Voices began their search in the damp and dark of a misty glen. They were separated in the confusion of the search. Christoph continued to pursue his quarry, doing his best to spot some sign of his master’s whereabouts. Fighting back his rising terror, he was ambushed by something large and clawed. Tumbled to the ground and stunned, he reacted instinctively and threw a bottle of holy water at the beast. With only enough time to gather an impression of the rotting stench of death and a maw worthy of nightmares, he fled. Again, he fled. After a few moments of panicked running, he found himself again caught off his guard. This time by the worried face of his mentor and friend, Kjell, in company with an older gentleman. Having first calmed his ward, then scolded him for attempting to continue on his own, Kjell would finally introduce Professor Lorrimor. Still badly shaken, Christoph was sent back to the village in the Professor’s company while Kjell continued on his own. Shamed and shaken, Christoph found himself numbly answering a fierce battery of questions. The Professor served as a distraction from the pain of his failure, and Christoph found himself liking the kindly old man. When the two parted, the Professor asked if he might correspond to ask more about the mysterious creature and Christoph readily agreed. The two continued to speak through the rest of Christoph’s training. He shared his experiences with the Professor and was in turn the recipient of a vast array of useful knowledges about how best to combat the undead. Both Lorrimor and Kjell became something akin to father figures to the young Voice, in addition to respected teachers. It was thus with great sorrow that Christoph heard of Professor Lorriomor’s death shortly after his graduation to full membership as a Voice of the Spire. His moment of triumph marred by the death of his friend, Christoph has travelled to Ravengro to hear the reading of the Professor’s will. Appearance
Personality
The mask hides the roiling emotion that mark his existence. Shame at having fled, both as a child and more recently, lurk ready and waiting in the back of hind. It springs at the worst time, leaving him short of breath and shamed to bone. A slayer of undead terrified by the undead, worthless. His doubts and fears disturb his sleep. He is intent to prove that he can be a Voice, and that he can perhaps right some of the wrongs that took his parents from him.
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