Eben MacTeague's page

Wow, more than six hours since submissions closed and nobody created this thread yet? C'mon, people, this is a TRADITION. Well, even if I can't submit myself this year I can contribute to the contest by getting this particular annual waiting period entertainment rolling.

So, for those unfamiliar, this is the place to post the items you wrote up and didn't submit, either for display, or for discussion and peer review. The good, the bad, the ugly and the charismatic. Give people something to worry about! Or make 'em laugh with examples of how far off track your brain might have led you. Or, sometimes, both at once!

Just to reiterate: this is to discuss items NOT submitted. Do NOT post your actual submitted item here, it will get you disqualified. As the title says, this is a place for items YOU rejected before the judges ever had a chance to.

Hi, Charles. Pardon me for embarrassing you by singling you out, but, well, you deserve it, so too bad. I would have done it sooner, but didn't want to be accused of sucking up to a voter. (Even though you are on record as having a non-voting policy this year, the point still stands.)

I'm not sure exactly why you chose to abandon your former critiquing style from years past; I know you took some flak for it, but personally I always appreciated the unvarnished honesty. That said, there are other blunt and/or brutal reviewers out there, so it's not like we lost anything irreplaceable there, and instead we gained your delightful alter ego.

Even in the most nervewracking weeks of this contest, when my nails were bitten down to the bone and I was in danger of becoming addicted to nicotine by virtue of the many 'no, it's just for the stress!' cigarettes I found myself purchasing, I always looked forward to the point in the voting when a certain succubus would get around to doing her reviews, with her rather... different way of evaluating things. I'm sure I'm not the only one who felt that; I know other competitors felt the same, and I'm sure a good chunk of voters did as well. So I just wanted to make sure you knew that it was appreciated.

Put simply: you made this contest more fun. Thanks for that.

Among the Gears of Madness

Among the Gears of Madness is an adventure for 4th level characters who should advance to 5th level by the adventure’s end. It is set near Korvosa, but can be placed near any city without issue.

Adventure Background
Twenty years ago, two cities joined hands across continents, hoping to awe the world. The Grand Duchy of Alkenstar sought to open its markets by displaying the possibilities of its engineering prowess to nations everywhere. The Mana Wastes being an uninviting location, however, they wished to stage this display somewhere accessible to the rest of the world. Korvosa, hungry for recognition and long wishing to promote its own standing on the international field, offered to host. Not as grand a locale as Alkenstar had hoped for, but many major cities were unwilling to provide land or funding. Acres of arid land a day’s ride from the city were cleared, fairground construction done, and the Exposition of Progressive Wonders was born.

It ran for months, a miniature city showcasing Alkenstari design, displays glorifying Korvosan history, and arrayed entertainments. Ultimately, in spite of fairgoers traveling from across Golarion, it was a tepid success, at best. Visitors considered the clockwork and steam displays only amusements, and left without thinking Korvosa more than a backwater with cosmopolitan delusions. Profits barely recouped construction expenses; in the end, dismantling and transporting all exhibits back to Alkenstar was deemed cost inefficient. The place was abandoned whole, with numerous displays left intact within.

It still stands, a crumbling ghost town not thirty miles from civilization. Built on rocky ground, farmers and settlers never bothered to reclaim it, but it is far from deserted. On the outskirts of Varisian soil, any abandoned structure is a beacon for monstrous squatters, and given the size of the fairgrounds, various tribes of humanoids and other beings have come to reside here. While these uninvited inhabitants are known to Korvosan authorities, the grounds are far enough from farmlands and trade routes that the situation is ignored.

The region has grown more sinister in the past year, however. An exhibit that once astonished crowds with controlled visions of the night sky is now the laboratory of a deluded Lergeni astrologer named Pavorhu. He uses a mixture of magic and decaying Alkenstari technology to explore star configurations, believing the salvation of his homeland lies in the false dome above. He is convinced that if he can only find the correct sky, position the stars as they were the moment before the Eye of Abendego formed, reality can be rewritten and Lirgen restored. He is incorrect, but his experiments have nonetheless produced unexpected results. Somehow, his madness and stellar conjurations have caught the attention of entities from beyond the Dark Tapestry. Pavorhu’s experiments have become a window into the world-- one they only peer through for now, but their gaze focuses daily, and eventually the gulf between the abandoned fairground and the other side of the sky may be bridged. A shroud of unease has fallen over the area, as the other inhabitants begin to be infected by the madness from beyond.

Part 1: Winding the Springs
The adventure begins at the fairgrounds. How the PCs get there is up to the GM, but some possible hooks include:

• A contact in the Korvosan Guard sub-contracts the party to investigate the fairgrounds. Reports of the inhabitants stirring are filtering in, and while there isn’t enough of a threat to mobilize armed forces and rout the place, more detailed information is warranted.
  
• The party is contacted by a scholar from Absalom. A graduate of the Clockwork Cathedral, he wishes to examine whatever abandoned Exposition technology there may be. A noncombatant, he hires the party to scout the area and, if it is unsafe, retrieve any portable devices they find.
  
• A scion of a noble family is kidnapped. The kidnappers, a Sczarni gang, contacted his family arranging a ransom exchange at the old fairgrounds. The remote, unpatrolled locale has served them well in the past. Unfortunately, they didn’t anticipate the current restlessness of the fairground inhabitants. The party is hired to rescue the victim from his kidnappers; however, when they arrive at the designated meeting point, all they find are dead Sczarni. (The victim was taken for sacrifice by the boggards of Callistria’s Tunnel and may still be rescued.)

Whatever the reason, before entering the fairground, voices are heard coming from an outlying building. Upon investigation, this proves to be a gibbering mouther, a new arrival, only having bubbled up from the ground some days back after being attracted by the growing disturbance in the region.

Part 2: Dwellers of Rust and Dust
The adventure is openly structured; once the PCs enter the fairgrounds they can explore at their own pace. There is no strict order for encounters-- the meat of the adventure comes from discovering and interacting with the various groups of monsters that live here. The fair is laid out in a rough circular plot nearly a mile in diameter, with eight main lanes sectioning it like wheelspokes, and numerous side streets and alleys off these.

The majority of the fair buildings are deserted and empty, but assorted creatures control regions of the fairgrounds, usually headquartered in one building, though some groups spread out further. Pavorhu’s planetarium is at the far end from the entrance, and is the intended climax of the adventure, but if they fight him earlier they can still go back and encounter the other dwellers. Likewise, their interactions with the inhabitants are open-ended. While the party may be uninterested in playing diplomat between monstrous factions, the option exists. Otherwise, they are likely to see the PCs as just another group of rivals to attack.

As they investigate, the party encounters strange phenomena stirred up by Pavorhu; these are mostly subtle manifestations, such as whispering patches of darkness, mirrors empty of reflections, or breezes that feel almost gelatinous. The most sinister is the appearance throughout the fair of the alien spies known as watchweirds.

Other residents of the fairground, and their lairs, are as follows:

The Lake of Progress
This reflecting pool is in a plaza near the center of the fairground, filled with several feet of algae-laden water. It acts as a barrier between factions, as most creatures avoid the plaza due to the mutated crystal ooze inhabiting the pool. Once a garbage disposal for an alchemical exhibit, after the fair was abandoned it escaped and found a home here. The various reagents and chemicals it was fed caused it to slowly transform, until it became an id ooze. It floats hidden in the pool until it is in range to begin confusing the party. If someone stumbles into the pool, it goes right for them.

The Hall of Captured Light
Near the fair entrance, this windowless pavilion once demonstrated the nascent Alkenstari science of image-binding; capturing images using nothing more than light and alchemy. Still primitive, it nevertheless entertained fairgoers, who stood before specially-treated walls and had their silhouettes preserved there. It is still decorated with these, each room lined with posed shadows. As the party explores the building, these shadows seem to move and follow them. The PCs might assume these are undead, but this would be erroneous. The gang of skulks that lays claim to this swath of the fairgrounds uses this building as a lair, the simple black-and-white images on the walls being exceptionally easy to camouflage themselves among. Of all the fairground groups, they have the most knowledge about their rival’s bases, as they have spied upon (and stolen from) them many times. Allying with them is difficult, though, as they are relatively unaffected by the changes. They likely see the party as merely a new source of supplies. If the party has taken up residence on or near the fairgrounds, a group might track and steal from them at night, slitting sleeping throats being optional.

Temple of the Chess Dragon
The western central area is the ‘Avenue of Automata’, lined with buildings dedicated to specialized clockwork constructs. Many have gone missing or rusted to uselessness, but one remains. A kobold tribe claims this street, guarding the home of their ‘god’: a dragon-headed bronze humanoid seated at an ornate chess board. Originally, this construct played games against fairgoers-- frequently winning. The kobolds clean and care for the Chess Dragon’s mechanisms, and their tribal leader interpreted its will from the movement of pieces around the board. This ended months ago when the Chess Dragon grabbed their leader’s head and crushed it like overripe fruit. It then spoke to the awed kobolds who have directly obeyed it since. This once mindless device has become ‘possessed’ by a cog-geist, itself a manifestation of the forces Pavorhu toys with. Thus, the entire kobold tribe now effectively serves the planetarium’s interests. Negotiation with them is therefore difficult, and they are likely to actively begin hunting the PCs once alerted to them.

Calistria’s Tunnel
Among the amusements of the eastern central fairgrounds is this simple mechanical ride, where boats once traveled on an underground waterway through a darkly romantic environment. The boats have sunk and the chains that pulled them no longer work, but the water-filled tunnel still exists, now home to a boggard tribe. They are territorial rivals with the kobolds, whose greater strength versus the kobolds' larger numbers made disputes a stalemate, eventually settling into a truce, of sorts. Recent events in the area has caused hostilities to resurface, and the boggards have found to that under their new leader, the kobolds are frighteningly competent at ambushes and guerrilla attacks. The boggards have suffered significant losses and are desperate to curry Gogunta’s favor to even the odds. Once alerted to the PCs presence, the boggards first thought is to capture them for sacrifices. In spite of this, they are the inhabitants of the fair most in need of allies, although in their demented perversity they do not think to approach the PCs as such.

The Windup Ballet
The central attraction of the northwestern grounds, this theater is essentially a giant music box-- the understage is a system of cylinders and gears which produce a variety of music. Automated ‘dancers’ wait offstage, gliding in intricate formations when the music plays. This theater is inhabited by Glathnik, a clockwork-obsessed gargoyle who has collected many inactive constructs from the fairgrounds. These are arranged in the audience, glass and metal eyes fixed on the stage. Years among these figures has caused Glathnik to adapt and resemble a stonecrafted machine itself. It desires the Chess Dragon for its collection, but the kobolds have fended it off for years. It might ally with a party that steals it this toy. Otherwise, it simply sees the party as a fun murder game, waiting for them to climb onstage before springing the music mechanism and diving from the rafters to attack, darting in and out from behind the moving dancers. Glathnik carries a personal treasure found years ago: a device crafted as proof that technology and magic are not mutually exclusive.

The Crystal Arboretum
This great glass greenhouse once showcased agricultural improvements engineering could bring. Automated harvesters, advanced irrigation, and specially focused hothouse windows stood among lush vegetation from distant locales. Now most of the glass is broken or missing, the exotic plants mostly dead, and native weeds have crept in . This display of orderly horticulture gone to seed is the residence of Merellda (forlarren blight druid 5), and has been for years. Tormented by a chaotic mind, like all forlarren, she sought refuge in nature only to find wildlife as infuriating as all living things. Not until finding the fair-- a place neither wilderness or city, with structures slowly collapsing and the wild gradually creeping in around the edges-- did she find contentment. It is dual-natured, like her, and she calls it home. She is willing to coexist with other fair residents, so long as she doesn’t have to interact with them, but recent events have made it a literally alien place. Of all the longtime fair inhabitants, only she has some understanding of the cause. She knows she isn’t strong enough to confront Pavorhu, nor diplomatic enough to form a coalition with other fairground residents against him. Once aware of the PCs, she seeks them out to see if they can be of any use to her. While she cannot claim to be friends with the other residents, she has in-depth knowledge of them, and can advise the PCs in whatever course of action they choose. That advice is hard to come by, however-- her forlarren nature makes her difficult to deal with, as she is prone to hurling insults and epithets along with any words of wisdom, and is prone to fly into a rage and attack if things go poorly.

The Cursed Carousel
The southeast of the fair is remote from conflict. While an optimist might claim the innocence of the children’s amusements that still remain here fend off the monsters, the truth is other fair inhabitants find the creatures that live here disturbing and dangerous. Alkenstari pride was at play even here: while there are remnants of man-powered games and rides, the centerpiece of the area is a magnificent double-tiered carousel. It seems in good shape, even slowly turning with a wheeze of calliope music when approached. It has been maintained by a mob of vexgit gremlins, who have also rigged it to be a deathtrap. Once approached, it spins faster and faster, quickly flying apart in a mass of shrapnel and sharpened gears. The vexgits themselves are uninterested in the goings-on with the rest of the fair, and after the carousel ‘attacks’, they try and lure the party through other mechanical hazards they have rigged in the area.

Part 3: Eyes in the Darkness
Ultimately, through exploration or communicating with other inhabitants, the party finds themselves investigating the domed building upon a hill at the far end of the fairground. This planetarium is the residence of the mad diviner Pavorhu. It is constructed with a series of antechambers, each devoted to an aspect of astronomy. Eventually they lead to a large, enclosed circular rotunda and theater. Here, Alkenstari science amazed crowds with mechanical and alchemically powered lights that allowed them to spin galaxies of stars on the overhead dome.

Tales of this theater of the stars drew Pavorhu here. He repaired the aging devices as best he could, using magic to patch over anything he didn’t understand. Once ready, he had a starfield he could use in his astrological calculations year-round. His efforts have slowly cost him his sanity as both his stellar magics and his growing desperation acted like a beacon for actual beings from beyond the stars.

Pavorhu is alone here, except for the dread attention of the things that observe him, but getting to him is no easy task. Being a microscope for these entities has suffused the entire building with reality-warping energies, and while Pavorhu’s madness somehow keeps him safe, the party is not so blessed. A number of areas in the building are haunts. They are charged by cosmic horrors rather than dead spirits, and while still suppressible with positive energy, special knowledge of the beyond is also required. PCs attempting to neutralize them must either make or be aided by someone making a Knowledge (arcana) or Knowledge (planes) skill check. Some of the forms these haunts take are:

• Light sources dim, affected by darkness; this persists until leaving the building. Outside the dim light area snarling and rending can be heard-- anyone stepping outside this area begins to take damage from unseen sources.
  
• A spot on the wall swells, becoming a gaping pit of blackness. Gravity in front of this horizontal hole inclines towards it, allowing PCs to ‘fall’ sideways into this darkness, which otherwise acts as a create pit spell.
  
• A room distorts in size, with PCs suddenly separated from each other by geometrically increased distances; simultaneously black tentacles erupt at their feet.

At the heart of this madness Pavorhu (half-elf Diviner 8) is in his theater waiting, alerted to the PCs approach by watchweirds or other means. His distorted view of the universe means that he sees them as interlopers, agents of the chaos that took his homeland from him a century ago. He will not negotiate, seeking the destruction of those who would halt or delay his experiments.

Concluding the Adventure
With Pavorhu’s death, the link to the Dark Tapestry is severed. All manifestations stop, and haunts and watchweirds vanish. The party can continue exploring the grounds, though with Pavorhu’s death any deals they brokered with residents may end. The fairgrounds themselves might still prove a rich source of surprising Alkenstari treasures. Also, Pavorhu’s notes indicate he has been corresponding and sharing results with other Lergeni astrologers. Somewhere one of them may be drawing the eyes of the sky down upon themselves....

The Rotting Kremlin
==========
In the south of Irrisen, between the Marbleflow River and the Hoarwood, a walled hilltop tower overshadows a small thatched village. Even at a distance, the tower looks decrepit beyond measure, yet it still stands, as it has since the time of the villager's grandfather's grandfathers. The once-gilded dome rises a hundred feet; below, three shorter minarets cluster in the courtyard. These smaller towers hold carillon bells beneath their eaves, and occasionally bright pealing rings through the valley. The sound brings no joy to the villagers; rather, every parent weeps. For here, the sound of bells means that Koschei the Deathless has chosen a new bride.

Centuries ago, the powerful ogre mage Koschei raised this tower with the aid of his twelve druid sisters, collectively called the Scarlet Doves. Tales proclaim him a general in the Winter War, granted this feif for his services; other stories promote him as an upstart, puissant enough to defy even Baba Yaga and her spawn, who claimed his own dukedom. Whatever the truth, he enjoys semi-autonomy; paying taxes to Whitethrone, but otherwise rarely bothered by the queen or white witches. His serfs fail to appreciate this; many would prefer being beholden to the jadwiga rather than Koschei. More than half of what food they can produce goes to the tower; taxes are crippling; all lawbreakers are given to the Scarlet Doves as sacrifices for their rites in the Hoarwood. Worst of all, every few years Koschei selects a bride from the fairest daughters of the village. They are lavished with gifts and finery for a month-long engagement before being brought before their groom- and never seen again. Their exact fate remains a mystery, but days or weeks later Koschei drapes his tower with black crepe, announces himself a widower, and mandates a year of mourning.

Koschei is called 'Deathless' because he has removed his life from his body and hidden it far away, granting immortality until it is found. His sisters seem unaging as well, though rumor says they can be killed. The tower itself seems to reflect the decay that should long ago have claimed the family; it looks thrice its age, the walls crumbling. Those who have been inside report chambers and furnishings mouldering with grime and dust. This persists until Koschei walks into a room; in his presence, the halls are filled with finery; tapestries mend, air clears, and surfaces shine with gold and polish. Koschei seems unaware of this effect, or of the true condition of his home; strangely, mentioning either to him invites a bone-shattering rage. The learned of the village suggest his immortality preserves the original condition of the tower in his presence while hastening the decay of the rest. Regardless, the tower defies expectations, showing no inclination to collapse, simply deteriorating where it stands.

Freedom eludes his vassals; attempting escape is certain doom. High among Koschei’s servants is a huntsman of great skill who enjoys little more than tracking down fleeing subjects and presenting their heads to his lord. Heroes who come intending to overthrow Koschei must first get past this guardian; he has yet to fail. Hoarfrost Throat-Tearer is his name, and no less than threescore adventurer’s heads adorn the tower walls.

The Courtyard Maze (CR 9 or 12)
==========
The gate’s hinges cry out their age as it swings open onto a vast courtyard, the flagstones crumbling as much as the kremlin walls. The three bell towers stand at the center of the yard, surrounding a dirty white fountain. Beyond, a flight of stairs rise to the tower doors. The view is suddenly obscured as vines spring up across the bailey, instantly growing and forming themselves into dense hedgerows. They are in as poor a state as the rest of this place; their leaves are withered and frost-coated, their roses brown and dry. They still bear long, sharp thorns, however. Regardless of their condition, they look well-tended, forming neatly squared walls around a flagstone path. Wolves begin to howl somewhere beyond the hedges.

The courtyard walls are 20 feet tall, with a climb DC of 25. The hedge maze is described under Hazards. It forms automatically when uninvited guests pass through or fly over the courtyard walls. It is dismissible with a password which Koschei, his sisters, and Hoarfrost know. It will otherwise last for 9 hours before fading away.
The fountain (1A) is sculpted of bone, depicting twelve ogre women clustered together, a steaming red liquid splashing from the carved hearts they each hold in their hands. Contrary to expectations, this is not blood, but wine. Wine mulled with bone marrow and spices, but wine nonetheless, with a distinctly meaty flavor. The marrow-wine acts as a potion of false life (CL 14th) and also has additional effects upon the imbiber’s movement through the maze. The vines shift aside for anyone who has drunk marrow-wine in the past day, allowing them to pass without taking damage. Moving through the hedge in this fashion only counts as moving through difficult terrain. The fountain fills daily with enough marrow-wine for up to twenty draughts, but only one draught will affect a creature in a 24-hour period. Marrow-wine removed from the fountain loses all effect if not consumed within a minute.
The minarets (1B) are 50 feet tall, and hollow inside; a spiral staircase leads up to the carillon. At the top of each, unseen servants hold the bell ropes and watch the courtyard.

Creatures:
Hoarfrost Throat-Tearer (R3) is in the kennels (area 2) with his pack; as soon as the maze forms he releases them and begins hunting. He and the worgs all drink marrow-wine daily; the temporary hit points are counted in their statistics. Using scent, the worgs track the party, making an effort to keep hedges between themselves and their quarry. If the party becomes separated by one of the traps, the pack use this as their cue to attack, focusing on whichever group has smaller numbers. Otherwise, they wait for an opportune moment, preferably tyring to catch the party moving around a corner. The pack splits and runs through the hedges, half attacking the front of the party and half attacking the rear. Hoarfrost himself waits a round to attack, casting magic fang on himself before bursting through the hedge in the middle of the PC’s formation, attempting to savage spellcasters in action. The worgs coordinate their attacks, flanking opponents where possible; both worgs and Hoarfrost will gleefully attempt to bull rush an opponent into the thorns if the opportunity presents itself. If two worgs die, the pack breaks off the fight and retreats; continuing to harry the party with hit and run attacks. If all else fails, they make a last stand in the center of the yard, attempting to hit the party from all sides before they pass into the open area. Hoarfrost fights to the end here; death being kinder than the punishment for failing Koschei.

Tier 7-8 (CR 9):

Hoarfrost Throat-Tearer CR 7

Worgs (6) CR 2
XP 600 each
hp 41 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 280)

Rage Worgs (2) CR 4
XP 1,200 each
hp 82 each (NPC Guide 39)

Tier 10-11 (CR 12):

Hoarfrost Throat-Tearer CR 7

Rage Worgs (6) CR 4
XP 1,200 each
hp 82 each (NPC Guide 39)

Advanced Winter Wolves (4) CR 6
XP 2,400 each
hp 85 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 280)

Hazard: All hedges are 10 feet high. They are identical in most regards to a wall of thorns; magical fire will burn away a hedge, but will only burn as many squares as the spell would affect; the fire will not spread to adjacent hedge squares. (Minimum one 5-foot square for spells without an area.) The hedges are persistent magical effects cast at 9th level. A successful dispel magic removes a 10-foot section of wall.

Trap: Locations marked on the map create additional hedges when a creature passes through them. These are designed to separate large groups; they are primed when a creature enters a square containing one and activate the moment that creature leaves the square. These walls are 10-by-10-by-5, completely filling the pathway they intersect. Anyone standing in this space, or walking five feet or less directly behind the one who triggered it, is caught inside, as per a wall of thorns spell. Unlike the normal hedges, these walls only last 90 minutes.

Thorn Trap CR 7
Type magic; Perception DC 30 Disable Device 30
===Effects===
Trigger proximity (alarm) Reset none
Effect Spell effect (wall of thorns, 25 minus AC damage); multiple targets (all targets in a 10-by-5 foot area marked on map)

Development: If Hoarfrost dies the unseen servants in the minarets have instructions to sound the carillon bells for ten minutes. This alerts the inhabitants of the tower; of immediate concern to the party, Veslana and Lubschile, the two Scarlet Doves from the third level, move down to the balcony overlooking the entrance hall (area 16) and wait for intruders.

Now that everyone's entries are in and there's no chance of contaminating a contestant's creation, I'm curious to know who the actual established characters are from the 32 character art pieces. I recognized some, others not so much, but I figure there's enough people on the board that we can assemble a list of who they are and what product they're from pretty easily.

Disclaimer: This is, obviously, not a place for the 16 contestants to talk about what piece of art they chose, what pieces of art they didn't use, what ideas they got, etc. In fact, being properly paranoid, it might be a good idea for contestants not to post in this thread (well, at least not past this first post) just because even saying which ones we recognized might be seen as commenting on our entries, somehow. (Yes, like I said, being paranoid.) But if other people want to speak up and start filling in the blanks, hey, it might help pass the time this weekend. And I am curious who these folks were before we got our sadistic little hands on them and gave them personality overhauls. :-)

Lady Rosiline Mistandre
Portrait: 32
Description: In youth, Rosiline was considered 'plain'; a benefit of age is that she is now politely deemed 'handsome'. Once, she embraced cosmetics and elaborate coiffures; now she simply sweeps her hair back, and only uses rouge on formal occasions. Nevertheless, she is well-dressed and matronly, as befits a Taldan noblewoman. Her face rarely betrays her inner thoughts; only when dreaming do her features show passion.
Her eidolon is a slender, tall, near-human biped in dark robes and a broad-brimmed hat. Six sickle-wielding hands rise from the shadows of his cloak.
Motivations/Goals: The murderer known as 'Longrazor Thom' stalks Oppara's Crownsgate district, preying on streetwalkers and vagabonds. What none know is that he kills for love.
As Taldan nobility, Rosiline's life followed a fixed course: genteel education, arranged marriage, endless social niceties, gossip and ennui. Stifled and bored, she never dared escape; a spontaneous midlife magical awakening changed that. Long dreaming of a soulmate to replace her loveless marriage, now when asleep that dream becomes flesh. Unable to coexist with her dream-lover, she seeks a solution. Thom strengthens with each murder; Rosiline reasons that enough will enable his manifesting even during her waking hours. She regrets the deaths, but love trumps all. Besides... only the lower class suffers.
Schemes/Plots/Adventure Hooks:

• Investigating the killings, Longrazor Thom battles the party, vanishing when defeated. A lace handkerchief monogrammed 'R.M.' is left behind.
  
• Should they have a reputation for discreet inquiries, Lord Mistandre contacts the party. Servants report a man leaving his Lady's chambers at night. They are hired to investigate this possible cuckolding.
  
• If known as heroes in Oppara, Rosiline may become enamoured of an male PC, or Thom of a female. A surreal love triangle erupts, as summoner and eidolon try to protect this new obsession from their jealous other.

Lady Rosiline Mistandre CR 4
Female middle-aged human aristocrat 1/summoner (dreamer, R2) 5
NE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +5; Senses Perception -1
===== Defense =====
AC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 18; (+4 armor, +1 dexterity, +4 shield)
hp 45 (6d8+18)
Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +5
===== Offense =====
Spd 30 ft
Melee mwk dagger +3 (1d4-1)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 5th)
7/day--summon monster III
Summoner Spells Known (CL 5th, concentration +9)
2nd (3/day)--create pit (DC 17), glitterdust (DC 17), slow (DC 16)
1st (5/day)--alarm, grease (DC 16), mage armor, shield
0 (at will)--acid splash, daze (DC 14), detect magic, light, message, read magic
===== Tactics =====
Before Combat Rosiline casts mage armor daily. If combat is imminent, she summons an aurochs using summon monster III, then casts extended shield.
During Combat Rosiline opens with create pit while her aurochs attacks. Slow, glitterdust, and grease follow. If harmed, she uses her wands to turn invisible, summon reinforcements, and heal, reusing summon monster III as needed.
Morale Rosiline flees after losing half her hit points, or when hit for 15 or more damage from a single attack.
Base Statistics Without mage armor or shield, Rosiline's stats are: AC 11, flat-footed 10
===== Statistics =====
Str 9, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 9, Cha 18
Base Atk +3; CMB +2; CMD 13
Feats Augment Summoning, Improved Initiative, Magical Aptitude, Spell Focus (Conjuration).
Skills Bluff +13, Craft (Embroidery) +5, Diplomacy +12, Knowledge (History) +5, Knowledge (Nobility) +5, Perform (Keyboard) +8, Spellcraft +11, Use Magic Device +15
Languages Common, Jistka
SQ bond senses, eidolon (Longrazor Thom), life link, wandering dream
Combat Gear wand of cure light wounds (25 charges), wand of summon monster II (10 charges), wand of vanish (16 charges); Other Gear embroidery sampler, rod of lesser metamagic (extend)

Evangelist (Bard)
Evangelists are bards devoted to any deity; sometimes even dead or false gods. Often living as itinerant preachers, they use charisma and magic to sway the masses. Evangelists may be fierce zealots, humble ministers, or crafty charlatans. Regardless, their power comes not from divine sources, but rather from calling upon the belief of an audience.

Bardic Performance
An evangelist gains the following bardic performance:
Faith Healing (Su): At 1st level, an evangelist calls upon an audience's fervor to heal them. This ability requires three rounds continuous performance. Upon finishing, all allies within 30 feet are healed an amount dependent upon a perform check. Base healing is 1d4; every 5 points by which a check exceeds 10 adds another 1d4. An evangelist using glossolalia (see below) for all three rounds adds an additional number of hit points equal to his class level. This does not channel positive energy or harm undead. Faith healing relies on audible or visual components; an evangelist chooses which when beginning his performance. Affected creatures must be able to see or hear the evangelist during the performance, but do not need to be within 30 feet until the final round.
At 5th level, an evangelist can heal an individual rather than a group. The evangelist must touch the creature for all three rounds. This increases each healing die to 1d8, with additional points equal to double his level if glossolalia is used.
At 9th level, an evangelist using either form of faith healing can select one of the following conditions: blinded, deafened, fatigued, shaken, or sickened. This condition is ended in those healed.
This performance replaces inspire competence and soothing performance.

Convincing Faith (Ex): Evangelists gain a bonus equal to half their level on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (religion), and Linguistics checks. This ability replaces bardic knowledge.

Glossolalia (Su): A 3rd level evangelist can, as a free action while performing or spellcasting, use glossolalia, a primal pseudo-language resembling a stream of gibberish with hauntingly familiar syllables. Language-dependent effects produced using glossolalia affect all language-using listeners, even those not sharing a common language with the evangelist. Those sharing a language are more susceptible; +1 is added to the DC for saves versus the effect. This improves as the evangelist gains levels; +2 at 11th level, and +3 at 17th. Glossolalia may be used a number of rounds per day equal to evangelist level. This ability replaces versatile performance and lore master.

Mysterious Ways: The following are added to the evangelist's spell list:
1st- command
2nd- castigate, lesser restoration
3rd- remove disease
4th- greater command, restoration, breath of life
5th- mass castigate, raise dead
6th- heal, greater restoration
This replaces jack of all trades.

Singing Bowl of Redoubled Clarity
Aura moderate transmutation; CL 5th
Slot -; Price 17,000 gp; Weight 4 lbs.
Description
This small, unadorned bronze bowl is accompanied by a leather wrapped mallet. When set upon a solid surface and the mallet drawn around the rim, the bowl resonates with a pleasant, multitoned hum, conducive to meditation. A monk who sounds the bowl for an uninterrupted minute can expend a ki point, storing it within the bowl. A bowl only holds one point at a time. A filled bowl looks no different, but continues to softly hum as long as it holds ki, causing a -2 penalty to stealth checks by the bearer.
As a move action, a filled bowl may be struck like a bell by the mallet, producing a clear chime. The bowl empties of ki, which returns to the monk who stored it if he is within 30'; otherwise it dissipates. This ki is enhanced by its time in the bowl and returns as two points. They remain separate from the monk's ki pool and may not be combined with or spent in the same action as regular pool points. They may otherwise be spent as normal, but must be used within one minute of the bowl being struck or be lost. Abilities powered using this ki are faster than normal: standard actions become move actions, move actions become swift, and swift become immediate. Full-round and immediate actions are unaffected.
A bowl may store ki three times per day; unused stored ki dissipates after 8 hours. A bowl within an area of magical silence cannot be sounded to either store or retrieve ki, though any currently within it is not lost.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, ghost sound, haste, owl's wisdom; Cost 8,500 gp

Rictus
Description: Undead spawned from and haunting sites where great cannibalistic feasting took place, a rictus appears as a toothy smile unattached to any body, floating in midair. Wispy tendrils of negative energy slowly curl around the teeth. They are also sometimes created as scouts and guardians by necromancers. When not servants to a greater power, they exist solely to feed; not to satisfy any hunger, but to inflict pain and suffering on the living. Individually they are little threat, but sufficient numbers will form deadly swarms. The combined negative energy auras of a swarm dims the lighting in the vicinity- the rictuses themselves seem to be traveling within a dark cloud. Being grouped also transforms them from being near-mindless to possessing a communal intelligence that proves a dangerously cunning hunter. Those who encounter rictuses individually learn to be destroy them before they begin to cluster, or else the last thing they see may be a mass of shadows rushing towards them, dotted with chalk-white teeth grinning and gnashing.
Powers and Abilities: Rictuses have the ability to unerringly hunt and combat prey, even though they lack sensory organs. They are capable of flying at high speed, even outpacing a rider on horseback. The negative energy cloud they generate both shields them and weakens opponents, making them easier prey. They are capable of delivering vicious bites which chew right through solid matter; anything bitten off disappears into a void, though the wounds they leave behind on flesh are real and bloody enough. Upon killing, a rictus swarm usually takes the time to devour their victim right down to the bone and beyond, frequently leaving no more than the teeth and jaws behind—which soon rise into the air and join the swarm that created them.

Cacophonous Monkey
Aura moderate transmutation; CL 16th
Slot -; Price 18,800 gp; Weight 1 lb.

Description
A cacophonous monkey is a fur-covered, grinning, clockwork monkey with brass cymbals stitched to its hands and a key welded in its back. When wound, (a full round action), it animates and jerkily attempts to climb and perch upon the winder's shoulder.

It clings tenaciously and cannot be accidentally dislodged, and will resist removal, requiring a DC 13 strength check to be pried off. If left unmolested, it will do little aside from occasionally chittering, peering around, and pawing the winder's cheek. It remains animated in this fashion for a full day before winding down.

It will only change this behavior if the winder begins a bardic performance using Perform (keyboard, percussion, wind, string, or sing.) After the bard plays for a round, the monkey accompanies on the cymbals. The bard may then cease his performance and the effect will be sustained by the monkey's playing. Rounds in which the monkey maintains the effect are not deducted from the bard's daily rounds of bardic performance, and while the monkey plays the bard may take any other actions he desires, including starting a second performance. The monkey's performance is treated in all other respects as originating from the bard.

The winder can command it to cease playing at any time, and it can play for up to ten rounds per day, though these need not be consecutive. Once the monkey has played for ten rounds it winds down, becomes inanimate, and may not be rewound until the next day. Stories tell of similar devices that function for other performance types, such as a sinuous serpent that aids dancers.

Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, animate objects, sculpt sound; Cost 9,400 gp