About Dahlia the ExileDahlia
_______________________________________________________________ Snow
[dice=Bite Attack]1d20 + 5[/dice]
Appearance:
Reference Image Height: 4' 8"
Dahlia looks quite unlike most of her Kellid relatives. While they are tall and strong, she is small and slight. While their skin is deeply tanned and heavily scarred and their features rough and rugged, her skin is pale and unmarred, and her features seem vaugely elven or feylike, especially her slightly elongated ears and almosted sculpted facial features. While most Kellids' dark hair is unkempt, Dahlia's is well groomed. Even her manner of dress sets her apart from most Kellids, Dahlia wears well cut fabric and treated leather, rather than pelts, furs, and roughspun cloth. She carries only a small backpack and an eleganly carved walking stick.
Personality:
Backstory:
Originally named ____ by her parents Belka and Dorn, the girl now known as Dahlia was born among the Bearpelt Following of Kellids in the Realm of the Mammoth Lords. While she grew up among the nomadic people, she never fit in. Her slight frame and delicate features were seen as a liability by the elders of the tribe, and when her arcane gift began to manifest at the tender age of 8 years old, ____ was labeled a witch and driven from the Following, only spared execution because exile was assumed to be a death sentence for a child. This nearly proved to be the case. After a week wandering the tundra, eating nothing, and melting snow in her mouth for water, the young girl was on the brink of death. Upon seeing a forest in the distance, ____ decided she'd rather die in the shade and out of the wind. Working her way through the unnaturally thick foliage, the young girl came upon a strange sight: a caravan of strange beings, some of otherworldly beauty, and some of otherworldly plainness. Others looked almost like blue goblins, others still with insectile forms, and finally a few that seemed to be no more than a nimbus of light. As ____ entered their encampment an extremely old woman walked towards her and spoke. "Hello, I am Agyss, and you are ____." At the young girl's astonishment, the old woman merely smiled and continued. "I knew you'd be here and I have exactly the deal for you. Food, water, shelter, transport, and companionship. However, it will cost you your name. Deal?" "What do you mean it will cost me my name?" ____ replied? "It means that you will forget your name, forget even the word," Aggys said. "You'll never be able to speak it or think it again. It will no longer exist to you, and you'll need a new name. If you accept, we shall be off, elsewise, you can make your own way here." After considering a while, ____ found she had no real choice but agree to this deal or die in the cold. "I agree to your deal," she said. "Excellent, excellent," the Crone in the Cart replied. "Now, a drop of blood each to seal the deal," she said, producing a golden pin from the wide sleeve of her smock, and holding out to ____. The young girl took the pin, pricked her finger, and handed it back to the old woman. As Aggys pricked her own finger, ____ felt strange, like she'd forgotten something important. After a few moments, the feeling passed, and Aggys said, "All right, let's be off." ____ was lead to the Crone's cart and climbed onto it, next to Aggys. As the cart wound its way through the forest, the air grew warmer, and the land ever more primal. "We are in the First World now, ____," Aggys said, continuing in a warning tone "Do not venture away from this caravan for any reason while we are here, or you will be lost. Now let's see about fulfilling our agreement." ____ was fed and given water, as well as a hammock strung between the axles of Aggys's great cart. So it went for the next two years. ____ made friends with the fey of the Witchmarket, and many of them took it upon themselves to teach the young girl a variety of skills. Aggys not only taught the girl to control her magic but also acted as a surrogate mother of sorts. One of the blue goblin things, which she learned were called Mites (and also that they really didn't like being compared to goblins), taught her to pick locks and solve extremely complex puzzles. One of the unbelievably beautiful women of the caravan (a nymph) tutored her on the art of bargaining, dealmaking, diplomacy, and seduction (though she didn't quite understand the last part). Many of the members of the caravan told her of the stories of the greatest of the Fey, those called the Eldest. Stories of Count Ranalc's exile, and the solitude of the Lost Prince. Stories of Ragadahn, the World Serpent, father of Linnorms, and the Green Mother. Stories of Imbrex, Magdh, The Lantern King, Ng the Hooded, and Shyka the Many. As the years passed, ____ came to regard the Eldest as her own deities, abandoning the faith in Gorum and Desna that her ancestors followed. Besides Aggys herself though, the most influential of the teachers was a tiny, somewhat ugly brownie named Tallymock. He taught her the ways of nature, the fey, and animals. During one of Tallymock's lessons on plants, ____ found her new name, Dahlia. During another, he introduced her to each of the animals in the menagerie that was his merchandise. Enraptured by the white tiger cub among the animals, Dahlia spent much of her time with Tallymock and his animals. The kindly brownie noticed the girl's fascination with the cat, and offered her a deal of his own. He'd give her the cub for a favor in the future. She gladly accepted the offer, and once again sealed the pact with a drop of blood each. Tallymock taugh the girl how to care for the cub and how to train it. What he couldn't teach her came from her blood. Dahlia and the cub, which she named Snow, seemed to have a deep bond. She could anticipate his moods and actions, and he, hers. As all things do for mortals, eventually Dahlia's time with the Witchmarket ended. "It is here we part ways, Dahlia," the Crone said. "This land is called Numeria and to the east you will find a city of humans called Torch. Magdh has shown me that you must go to that place. The mountain with the purple flame." "I'd rather stay with the Caravan," Dahlia replied. "Perhaps one day you can, but that was not the terms of our deal. For now you must go," Aggys said. Tears welled in her eyes, and Dahlia walked away, feeling abandoned once more, Snow trailing behind her. She turned when Aggys spoke once more. "Strange as it is girl, I actually care for you, and I might even miss you. We will meet again. Don't get yourself killed." The old woman walked to Dahlia and handed her a beautifully carved waking stick. "Keep this to remember your time with us." With that, the Crone remounted her Cart and crossed once more back to the First World. Feeling rather better about the situation, the now 10 year old Dahlia struck off to the east, toward the purple flame on the horizon. Upon reaching the town, however, Dahlia felt unsure of how to deal with normal people, and decided to stay in the wild for a time before braving the town. She survived off the food Snow hunted and brought back to her, and water from the river the town was built next to. Eventually desiring more than meat and water, Dahlia began venturing into Torch at night, picking locks to get at food and clothing. She was caught in the act a few times, but she escaped by using her magic to stun her would be captors, then running away. One night during her normal foray into Torch in search of food, she was once again spotted after breaking into a tavern. She threw her barrage of color at the man, but it didn't work. This had happened before so she tried again, and the man resisted once more. That had not happened before. The man tried to speak, and once again she cast her spell, and once again he resisted. Almost drained of her magical reserves, Dahlia tried one final time, and finally succeeded at stunning the man. With a cheer, Dahlia began to walk out of the room in no particular hurry, as the spell had always incapacitated people for at least a good twenty seconds in the past. The young girl was completely shocked when the man's hand closed on her wrist as she opened the door to leave. "Now, don't try that again, girl," the man said. "I know enough about magic to know you don't have much left in you after that. Now, tell me your name, explain to me how you got into my tavern, and just what you're doing and I'll decide what to do with you." "I'm just trying to get some food," Dahlia replied. "Your name?" he said. "Dahlia." the girl replied. "You still haven't told me how you got in," the man said. "I disabled the pit trap, then picked the lock." she said as a look of disbelief spread on the man's face. "It wasn't very hard, but I figured you must have some good food and maybe other things if you went to that much trouble to guard it. It was a better lock than most of the cruddy ones around here too." "I should turn you into the guards, but that would be an extreme waste of talent. My name is Khonnir Baine by the way." The man's brow furrowed and he seemed almost lost in thought for a moment, speaking to himself almost under his breath. "I bet you could even puzzle out some of these electronic locks, and explosives." Looking her in the eye again, he spoke in his normal voice once more, "I tell you what. If you come train under me, I won't turn you in to the guards. You can be my apprentice. What do you say?" he finished. The entire situation felt hauntingly familiar to Dahlia. Once again caught between safety and the harsh realities of life, she chose as she had before. "Deal, but one condition," she said. "And that is?" Khonnir said. "Me and Snow need somewhere to live, you provide that." Dahlia said. "And who is this 'Snow'?" Baine replied. "My tiger."
Level 4 version for Crusty:
Dahlia Female human (kellid) sorcerer (seeker, wildblooded) 4 (Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Pathfinder Society Field Guide; Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Magic 70) CN Medium humanoid (human) Init +1; Senses Perception +9 -------------------- Defense -------------------- AC 12, touch 11, flat-footed 11 (+1 armor, +1 dexterity) hp 18 (4d6) Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +5 -------------------- Offense -------------------- Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor) Melee hanbo +0 (1d6-2) Sorcerer (Seeker, Wildblooded) Spells Known (CL 4th; concentration +12) . . 2nd (4/day)—mirror image . . 1st (7/day)—color spray (DC 15), enlarge person (DC 15), entangle (DC 15), protection from evil, shield . . 0 (at will)—acid splash, detect magic, haunted fey aspect{super}UC{/super}, jolt{super}UM{/super}, light, mending, prestidigitation . . Bloodline Sylvan -------------------- Statistics -------------------- Str 7, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 19 Base Atk +2; CMB +0; CMD 11 Feats Boon Companion, Skill Focus (Knowledge [nature]) Traits cosmic caravan (the stranger), local ties, seeker Skills Diplomacy +8 (+9 on checks to gather information), Disable Device +10 (+11 vs electronic devices), Handle Animal +7, Knowledge (arcana) +7 (+11 spells), Knowledge (nature) +10, Perception +9, Sense Motive +3, Spellcraft +9 (+13 spells), Use Magic Device +9; Racial Modifiers +2 Sense Motive Languages Aklo, Common, Hallit, Sylvan SQ loner, seeker lore, trapfinding +2, woodland stride Other Gear haramaki, hanbo, backpack, belt pouch, blanket, blanket, e-pick, black, flint and steel, mess kit, soap, spell component pouch, thieves' tools, masterwork, torch, trail rations (5), waterskin, 2 gp, 2 sp, 8 cp -------------------- Special Abilities -------------------- Animal Companion Link (Ex) You have a link with your Animal Companion. Boon Companion (Animal Companion) +4 levels to calc familiar/animal comp abilities (max of your HD). Cosmic Caravan (The Stranger, Diplomacy) +1 trait bonus on Diplomacy and Knowledge (local) checks to gather information. Local Ties (Disable Device) You are considered to have the technologist feat for Disable Device Loner -1 to AC and attack when adjacent to ally or using aid another. Seeker Lore (Ex) +4 to Knowledge (arcana) and Spellcraft checks related to bonus spells. Share Spells with Companion (Ex) Can cast spells with a target of "you" on animal companion, as touch spells. Sylvan Your magic shows a kinship to that of the beast-talkers and shapechanger fey. Trapfinding +2 Gain a bonus to find or disable traps, including magical ones. Woodland Stride (Ex) Move through undergrowth at normal speed. -------------------- Snow
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