About Jakob MulleBackground, Appearance and personality:
Personality and Background. Baqckground. The Mulle family is well established in Sagava. They are a trading family with interests from the inner sea to the deep interior. They do not have the best reputation. They are known to deal with the Apsis consortium and are closer to several leading shackled pirates than the Sagavan government likes. Most suspiciously they pay their taxes on time and correct to the copper. Jakob is not an ornament to the family. He is not a drunkard, or a womanizer or incompetent or trying to sell his soul to demons. The family could deal with that, Gorzeh knows they have in the past. No Jacob is honest, upright, friendly and has no head for business. Luckily the family noticed this flaw and kept him from becoming aware of anything too upsetting, but Jakob was getting brighter. He was asking questions. Something had to be done. So they sent Jakob to a school in Magimar. They hoped it teach him how the world works, or at least keep him quiet while he learned something useful. The reports sent back by the investigator the family hired to keep an eye on Jakob were exactly what the family had hoped for. Jakob was doing well in classes, making friends and contacts, even getting in a squabble with the local law. The family was happy. But in the last year the reports changed. They told of Jakob focusing more on his studies following a relationship gone sour. They told of him starting to excel at history , ethics, and Natural philosophy. They even mentioned private tutelage under Abraxes, a prominent thinker and powerful druid. That was the last straw. The family would not have one of theirs hanging around with those green blooded rabble rousers. They were the cause of half the security and labor problems up country. Jakob was pulled home fast. Not knowing what to do with him the family sent him to Kalabuto to inspect a date plantation the family was buying. Jakob enjoyed the trip. It was good to get out of the city. More and more of what Abraxes had spoken to him about on their long walks was making sense; the need for a balance between the urban and the wild, between different peoples, between the parts of the self. The date plantation was in a bad shape. The orchards were salvageable with work but the buildings were badly overgrown the guide who led him to the remote station warned him to stay out of the main warehouse but Jakob felt he needed to make a full inspection. The rotted floor gave way. Jakob never felt himself hit the ground because the cellar was a breeding ground for dream spiders. It took two days for the guide to smoke out enough of the spiders to get Jakob free. It was a clear week before Jakob could talk again. Since then Jakob has taken to wandering. Taking long walks in the forest surrounding the city; meeting with tribal people in strange taverns and road houses. At least he seems disinterested in family business but he is becoming an embarrassment. The Trials of Gallus were an answer to the family’s prayers. They are applying some gentle persuasion to see Jakob is chosen. If he dies, it is unfortunate but an acceptable loss. If he wins he may yet make a profit. I see the family as something like a proto-mob. Closed, conservative to fascist politically, profit oriented, prone to violence but under strict internal rules. Jakob is someone with strong liberal ethics who received half a druidic education and a massive dose of hallucinogens. He is a hippy raised by the Cosa Nostra. Appearance. Average height. Not bad looking more supporting cast than leading man if you know what I mean. Skin tan from the sun. Favors dusty reds and browns. You could pass him on the street except there is something that catches your eye. He always seems relaxed . Attitude and Motivations Attitude. Jacob is not as stupid as his family thinks he is. He is aware that his family business is frequently well over any conceivable line. He has even started to do something about it. Some of the people he meets work for the government or have ties to the more active resistance movements. The information he is passing is not very important but it is useful. Jakob knows that Sargava has problems. The 'fees' paid to the Shackles pirates make normal commerce and government very difficult. Jakob sees this as the main force driving the exploitive relations with the native population and the rising role of crime families in the government. Up until now though he didn't know what to do about it. He hopes the Trials will open up more options. Jacob knows the government has an agenda in sponsoring the trials he just hopes it is an agenda he can agree with. Motivations. Long term. Jacob wants to see a strong Sargava.; one not as dependent on the shackles for defense and not as fearful of, nor as rapacious towards the interior. He knows this is an ideal and like all ideals something that can never be reached but he hopes in spite of that. He sees adapting to the land as key to the future. The government is trying to force the jungle to act then way they want it to. This is dooming the former colony. Only by living with the jungle can Sargava prosper. Northern methods can be adapted to these southern climes but they cannot be imposed. Short term. Jakob wants to complete the Trials and whatever real mission lies behind it. He hopes this will be a quick path to influence or at least a way out from under the families thumb. To do this he will need help. So his first priority is to find friends and comrades among the others competing in the trials or among those he knows in the adventuring community. His family contacts with the Apsis might be useful here or they might lead him to the wrong kind of people. Once the trials begin though Jacob's main goal will be to see that everyone survives. He will work with people he disagrees with in pursuit of long-term goals. Personality. Friendly. Open. Outgoing. Jakob actually enjoys helping people. He can take a joke and prefers to trust people until they betray him. Appearance. Combat stats:
Perception +0
Saves,
Armor Class: AC{10+5(shirt)+5(cha)} 20. Flatfoot AC 15 Touch AC 15
CMB +5
Hit Points: 35 BAB +3 Caster level 4.
Spells, Mystery, and Curse abilities:
Nature Mystery
Haunted curse.
Spell DC 15+ spell level
Spells.
Orisons:
First Level:
Bless 50' burst on caster. +1 morale to hit and vs fear. 1 min/lvl
Second level
Barkskin (m) +2nat armor, touch, 10min/lvl +3@6th
Traits and Feats:
Traits:
Feats:
Skills:
5[4+1 human skills/level] *class skill. -armor check(-0) -Acrobatics III, +3
Weapons:
Club +5 1d6+2 20x2 B
Dagger +5 1d4+2 19x2 P/S
MW Light Crossbow +4 1d8 19x2 P 80'
+1 Longspear. +6 1d8+4 20x3 P reach brace Unarmed. +4 1d3+2 20x2 B nonlethal Touch spell +5 Ranged touch +3 Armor and Shield:
Mithral shirt+1 +5 ac max dex +6 check -0
Expendable items:
Alchemists' fire I Acid I Alkali I Anti Plague I Lamp oil III Torch IV Wand of Cure Light XLVIII Potion of lesser restoration Potion of enlarge person II Magic gear:
Wand of cure light wounds Headband of alluring charisma +2 Shield cloak +1 long spear +1 mithral shirt Boots of the cat Mundane gear:
Total Weight Carried: lbs, Light Load (Light: 66/76lbs, Medium: 133/153lbs, Heavy: 200/230lbs) Explorer's Outfit
Masterwork Crossbow, Light 4lbs
Club 3lbs
Pouch, belt black leather. Right side
Pouch, belt brown leather. Left side
Backpack, Masterwork
Cash:
359gp 3sp 6cp Unassigned party loot
Level by level:
1. Extra skill rank taken. Feats: Cosmopolitan, Extra Revelation: Natural Divination. Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Handle Animal, Heal, Kn. Nobles, Swim. Revelation: Nature's Whispers. Orisons: Guidance, Light, Resistance, Stabilize. First level spells: Bless, Cause Fear, Cure Light Wounds (free). HP {8 +3 Con}11 2.Extra skill rank taken. Orisons:Detect Magic. First Level spells: Charm Animal(mystery).
3. Extra skill rank taken. Feat: Lightning reflexes. Skills: Bluff 3, Diplomacy 3, Climb, Heal 2, Sense Motive, Spellcraft. Revelation: Friend to the Animals. Spells: Summon Nature's Ally I. HP {19+(5+3con)}27 4. Extra spell taken. +1STR. Skills Acrobatics 3. Linguistics 1(Azlant). Use Magic Device 1. Spells: Barkskin. Cure Moderate Wounds. Summon Nature's Ally II. Divine Favor. Purify Food and Drink. Exchanging Cause Fear for Obscuring Mist. HP {27=(5+3con)}35 Notes
Overheard on the boat:
... Jaren the Jinx reckons they've stopped paying, but I thinks they just wanted to keep 'em on their toes- we get a cut of the Chalice money, looks like the Sargavans wanted to keep the money from these Trials to themselves... we... ... her. Next time we're in Port Peril, i'm gunna do it, I swear... ... Cap'n says no one's to disturb 'im and his mistress for the rest of the night unless the prisoners escape. Well i'd say thats more in his bloody hands than in our own, because... ... said he swears he heard one of them trying to pick the lock somehow, but I think he just had too much of the good stuff. We searched them all and all their stuffs down below, no way we missed something like that with them all in their smallcloths... ... miss him, in a weird way. Sure, he smelled funny and was always giving me the crazy eyes, but he always had a good story to tell. Shame hes shark food now.
research at the palace:
In addition to the indegenous song'o halfling of the jungle, you can expect the wild, thoroughly untamed jungle to be full of predators, both exotic animals and magical beasts. As you previously mentioned, exposure to both disease and poison is likely. The jungle tribes are likely to make use of Kaava musk to drive you out if you are seen as a threat too strong to directly tackle. Such a musk has an incredibly potent smell and is likely to draw predators to you like flies to honey; the best defense is to have an even stronger scent on hand to apply to an area or person or have the affected wash themselves as fast as possible in a stream. Though rare, dinosaurs have been known to thrive in Sargava's jungles and plain. If there is heavy flooding of the jungle's rivers and streams, giant army ants displaced from their home will also be a very real threat. The heat itself will be a deadly enemy at times- you expect the caravan will rest during the hottest part of the day (midday) but anyone wearing medium or heavier armour may be in trouble even in the hours around it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Expeditions into the jungle are rare but historically the Song'o usually give such trips a wide berth, retreating from their very homes if they come into proximity with colonials. There are no recorded grand expeditions into the jungle, only minor trips by hunters or over-curious clergy of Desna or Gozreh. Despite it being such a huge area of Sargavan territory, the jungle is unmapped and mostly unexplored by Sargava. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- You don't glean much from your research; you can surmise that many in the Government would rather see your mission succeed than fail. Utilinus is a very popular and seasoned governor, even managing to out-negotiate the Hurricane King with regards to the amount Sargava pays for protection several years ago. He no doubt has enemies, but they escape your research. The military are a powerful presence in Sargava but Utilinus has them under his thumb, hand-picking many Generals himself. One potential enemy of Utilinus is General Alban, an aged colonial veteran chosen by Grallus, who is noted to have had some dispute with Utilinus in the past in his position as Praetor of Eleder. You can't find what the disagreement concerned, but many speak of Alban's 'promotion' to Governor of Kalabutu as a cunning maneuver by Utilinus to keep him out of Eleder's affairs. Eleder's current Praetor is Ezio Egorius, a firm friend of Utilinus and a skilled guard commander who promotes based on merit rather than just family and racial background.
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