It was 150 years ago that a band of Karakhani marauders spilled over the border to raid the outskirts of Tarantis. The response was quick and severe: only two Karakhans survived, to be taken as slaves. An elven woman took one of the men as a stablehand, to groom and exercise her horses. It wasn't too long before he would be joining her on her rides. After twenty years, she freed him; after another eight, they wed. Two years later, Gashelle was born. Her favorite memory of her father is him teaching her how to ride. (On horseback, he was the master of his surroundings; at home, he was still shackled in the role of a former slave, attending to his aristocratic, eternally-lovely wife.)
Gashelle began to stutter the week he died.
As the daughter of a freeborn elf, Gashelle was entitled to be trained as a Duskblade, and found, to her surprise, that she never stuttered when casting spells. She progressed rapidly through the apprentice ranks until she had mastered all the basics of the Duskblade form. Her "graduation" gift would have been a masterwork Elven Courtblade, but when the High Marshal in charge of the ocaission asked her a ceremonial test question, her speech impediment caught her.
She couldn't reply. The High Marshal was affronted, and she was "dismissed in disgrace", expelled from the elven community to live among the engebi (A word for non-elf, it's conjugated in high elven like the terms for companion animals or trained pets).
She travelled for a full seven years, eventually making her way to the strange little town of Lepas fifteen years ago, and there she has made a living as a brass- and silver-smith, detailing decorations for the furniture the town sells. She rarely spoke about her past, did good work, and earned a reasonable income.
Along with the elves Etariel and Avinar, she was a founding member of the adventuring team assembled by the mayor of Lepas, and she now patrols the dungeons outside Dismas. As a result of an encounter in a temple of Athena, Gashelle is currently absolved of her feelings of self-doubt, and her stutter has abated.
Her father's stock contributes a dark shading to her complexion, and exotic features as compared to the local Mannish folk. She wears a okepa, a headscarf-and-sash traditional among the Karakhan, but otherwise her day-to-day wear is simple workclothes. when on patrol with the party, and out of armor, she wears an embroidered tunic, rugged black (denim-like) pants, and her okepa.
Stats
Spoiler:
Neutral-Good Medium humanoid (half-elf)
Init +2; Perception +3
Languages Common, Elven, Gnome, Goblin, Karakhani, Sylvan, Undercommon
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AC 18 , touch 13, flat-footed 16
hit points 62 (6 HD)
Fort +8 Ref +5 Will +7, +2 saves vs enchantments
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Speed 30 ft (6 squares)
Melee Glaive +11/+6 (1d10+5 damage, +2 attack +2d6 damage to chaotic, x3 critical)
Melee Longsword +9/+4 (1d8+3 damage, 19-20)
Ranged Javelin +9 (1d6+3 damage), ammo: 10
Space 10'
Base Attack Bonus +6/+1; CMB +9
Attack Options Quick Cast (1/day)
Special Actions Spell-like Abilities: Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Flare, Ghost Sound, Read Magic (a total of 6/day)
Combat Gear+1 axiomatic glaive, longsword, 10 javelins,+1 chain shirt, cloak of resistance +1, wooden buckler
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Feats Combat casting, Master Craftsman, Short Haft, Skill Focus (spellcraft), Weapon Focus (glaive); Spell Power +2
Skills Acrobatics (3 ranks +8), Craft silversmith (6 ranks +12), Decipher script (4 ranks +10), Knowledge arcana (4 ranks +10), Knowledge dungeoneering (4 ranks +10), Knowledge geography (1 rank +7), Knowledge planes (1 rank +7), Linguistics (2 ranks +7), Ride (4 ranks +9), Spellcraft (4 ranks +13)
Spells Known
0 level (at will): Acid Splash, Disrupt Undead, Ray of Frost, Touch of Fatigue;
1 level (5/day): Blade of Blood, Cause Fear, Shocking Grasp, Swift Expeditious Retreat, Tripping Hand, Truestrike;
2 level (3/day): Animalistic Power, Detect Invisibility, touch of idiocy Possessions backpack (containing a crowbar, grappling hook, 50' rope, 2 pints of oil, a hooded lantern, 2 sunrods, and artisan's tools) belt pouch (containing 500 gp and a signal whistle), waterskin, fine clothing (red and white silk, with gold jewelry), journal of a diplomat
