Jens-Christian Ambrosius Bodilsen's page

From the 'sacred prostitute' Wikipedia page that two people have googled at me now:

"...there is a great multitude of women coming and going; passages marked by line run every way through the crowd, by which the men pass and make their choice. Once a woman has taken her place there, she does not go away to her home before some stranger has cast money into her lap, and had intercourse with her outside the temple; but while he casts the money, he must say, “I invite you in the name of Mylitta” (that is the Assyrian name for Aphrodite). It does not matter what sum the money is; the woman will never refuse, for that would be a sin,"

That passage is based upon "The Histories" by Herodotus and in order to understand the context of Babylonian temple prostitution, what follow that passage is very important. Herodotus goes on to explain how women would show up at the temple with their lovers or favorite slaves in tow. They would then hand over money to their selected partner, assume their place in front of the temple and immediately be “selected” by their lover. In effect Babylonian sacred prostitution became a way for the youth of the city to evade the prohibition on premarital sex, by making their affairs into a religious obligation.

Devil, Jezabeli (Infernal Concubine)
LE Medium outsider (devil, evil, extraplanar, lawful)

The devil-woman is stunningly beautiful, her gorgeous appearance only heightened by an undercurrent of menace. Raven tresses tumble down past a flawless face, set with a pair of glowing lavender eyes.

Init +2; Senses darkvision 60ft., see in darkness; Perception +1
AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 13 (+2 Dex, +3 armor)
hp 22 (3d10+6)
Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +2
DR 5/good or silver; Immune fire, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10

Speed 30ft.
Melee 2 claws +3 (1d4) or whip +5 (1d3)
Ranged volley of nails +5 (3d4)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 3)
At will – Disguise Self, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Message, Touch of Fatigue (DC 14)
3/day – Hypnotism (DC 15), Lesser Confusion (DC 15), Sleep (DC 15)
1/day –Touch of Idiocy (DC 16)

Str 11, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 20
Base Atk +3; CMB +3; CMD 15
Feats Weapon Focus (Whip), Whip Mastery
Skills Acrobatics +7, Bluff +13, Diplomacy +10, Disguise +10, Performance (Dance) +10, Profession (Courtesan) +7, Sense Motive +7
Languages Celestial, Common, Infernal

Environmental any (Hell)
Organization single, pair, harem (3-10)
Treasure standard (masterwork whip, studded leather, other treasure)

Volley of Nails (Su) A Jezabile may fire a volley of razor sharp nails as a standard action. His attack has a range of 30 ft. with no range increment. Once the Jezabeli has fired her nails in this fashion it takes 1d4 rounds for them to regrow. Until they do so she cannot use her claw or volley of nails attacks.

The Jezabeli are a race of lesser devils, often found as the slaves of more powerful infernal lords. Uniquely skilled in the arts of deception and seduction, they are often end up working as concubines and spies for their masters. Due to their unique talents they are also often summoned by young male wizards with more power than wisdom or common sense.

Here is a ranger I am planning on using as a major NPC in Rise of the Runelords:

Thulfrik the Storm-Tossed; Ulfen Merchant Captain

Thulfrik is the captain of a small merchant ship, usually plying the waters between the Lands of the Linnorm Kings and Varisia. He mostly deals in furs, amber and iron from the north and cloth, jewelry and wine from the south. He is known as an honorable man and a good friend in all the ports he frequent.

In his young days he sailed as far south as Taldor, Osirion and Katapesh on trading expeditions with his father and spent a good many years in those distant lands. Those experiences have left their mark on Thulfrik and he is much more cosmopolitan than most of his fellow Ulfen. His stay in those southern lands have also left him with a marked devotion to the goddess Sarenrae, in addition to his ancestral faith in Gorum, Torag and Gozreh.

He is currently affiliated (though nor a member of) the Pathfinder Society and will usually offer to take on Pathfinders as passengers, for a nominal fee or the promise of a future favor. He is also willing to buy strange and unusual items recovered by Pathfinders, as his travels will most likely eventually bring him in contact with a prospective buyer.

Human Male (Ulfen); Lawful Good; Ranger 5
Strength 13
Dexterity 8
Constitution 15
Intelligence 12
Wisdom 16
Charisma 12

Cosmopolitan (Appraise; Diplomacy), Great Fortitude; Power Attack; Endurance, Weapon Focus (Longsword); Sea Legs

Appraise 5 (+9), Climb 5 (+11), Craft (Carpentry) 5 (+9), Diplomacy 5 (+9), Knowledge (Geography) 5 (+9), Perception 5 (+11), Profession (Sailor) 5 (+11), Swim 5 (+11)

Animal Messenger, Endure Elements

Combat Style (Two-Handed), Favored Enemy (Dragon +4, Giant +2), Favored Terrain (Water +2), Hunter’s Bond (Companion Bond), Track, Wild Empathy

Skjald; Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Kelish

Masterwork Cold Iron Longsword, Chain Shirt, Explorer’s Outfit, Merchant’s Scales, Golden Holy Symbol of Sarenrae (250 gp); Ship and trade goods

Ambrose of the North
Human Male; Lawful Good; Expert 1

Abilities:
Strength 10 (+0), Dexterity 8 (-1), Constitution 11 (+0), Intelligence 14 (+2), Wisdom 10 (+0), Charisma 11 (+0)

Skills:
Appraise +6, Diplomacy +4, Knowledge (Geography) +6, Knowledge (History) +6, Perform (Comedy) +4, Profession (Sailor) +4, Sense Motive +4, Swim +4

Feats:
Great Fortitude , Martial Weapon Proficiency (Longsword)

Languages:
Common; Dwarven, Giant

Gear:
Longsword, Studded Leather Armor, Explorer’s Outfit, Merchant’s Scales, Scroll Case, Maps; Small trading vessel loaded with ceramics, cloth and metal tools

This is of course the fantasy version of me. I think I am about average in most respects, with a slight advantage in Charisma and Constitution, as I usually get along well with friends, family and strangers and rarely is sick and can work hard for hours. I test at the low end of the genius range on IQ test, so that should qualify me for at least an Intelligence score of 14. I am the part owner and chief of sales for my family’s import business (mainly ceramics and tools). I also have a master’s degree in political science and am very well read in history and international affairs. I served in the army and know how to use several different weapon systems. Finally I am an avid swimmer and enjoy sailing with my girlfriend on her family’s sailing boat during the summer and speak several languages (Danish, Swedish, English, some French, German and Dutch).

If a non-Divine-spellcaster character uses the Use Magic Device to cast a divine spell from an external source (wand, scroll or staff) do he then qualify as having cast a divine spell and can thus use the capabilities of a Strand of Prayer Beads, which was in his possession at the time of the spellcasting incident?

Summon Monster spells are some of the spells which gain the most from the Extand Spell feat, especially at low to mid levels, where there is a real chance the standard duration might not last an entire combat. Augment Summoning is a must, I would say, especially when summoning melee combatants such as celestial or fiendish animals. Other than those two feat I would recomend Great Fortitude, since that feat would help shore up one of the Wizard class's weaknesses and reduce the chance of you being affected by your own Stinking Cloud or Cloudkill spells.

Here is my go at a Nobleman character class

The Nobleman

Role: The Nobleman excels at social interaction, where his natural confidence earns him respect and deference. He is also a very tenacious combatant and a skilled and fearless leader of men. On the battlefield he is usually one of the first to charge the opponent, leading his men from the front and inspiring them to live up to his example.
Alignment: Any (usually lawful)
Hit Die: d12

Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special
1 +1 +2 +2 +2 Composure +2, Inspire Courage +2, Inheritance
2 +2 +3 +3 +3 Bonus Feat
3 +3 +3 +3 +3 Dreadful Mien
4 +4 +4 +4 +4 Inspire Courage +3
5 +5 +4 +4 +4 Composure +3
6 +6/+1 +5 +5 +5 Leading from the Front
7 +7/+2 +5 +5 +5 Inspiring Presence 1/day
8 +8/+3 +6 +6 +6 Bonus Feat
9 +9/+4 +6 +6 +6 Inspire Courage +4
10 +10/+5 +7 +7 +7 Composure +4
11 +11/+6/+1 +7 +7 +7 Improved Charge
12 +12/+7/+2 +8 +8 +8 Inspiring Presence 2/day
13 +13/+8/+3 +8 +8 +8 Bonus Feat
14 +14/+9/+4 +9 +9 +9 Inspire Courage +5
15 +15/+10/+5 +9 +9 +9 Composure +5
16 +16/+11/+6/+1 +10 +10 +10 Poise
17 +17/+12/+7/+2 +10 +10 +10 Inspiring Presence 3/day
18 +18/+13/+8/+3 +11 +11 +11 Bonus Feat
19 +19/+14/+9/+4 +11 +11 +11 Inspire Courage +6
20 +20/+15/+10/+5 +12 +12 +12 Composure +6

Class Skills: The Nobleman’s class skills are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (History) (Int), Knowledge (Local) (Int), Knowledge (Nobility) (Int), Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), and Sense Motive (Wis).
Skill Ranks per Level: 6 + Intelligence modifier.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Nobleman is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with all armor (light, medium and heavy) and shields (not including tower shields).

Composure (Ex): A Nobleman’s upbringing instils him with a confidence in his abilities and rightful superiority. This translates in him receiving a +2 competence bonus to all Diplomacy, Intimidate and Sense Motive skill checks, as well as to Will saves against Fear, Compulsion and Charm effects. At level five and every five levels beyond that, this bonus increases by and additional point, to a maximum of +6 at level 20.

Inspire Courage (Ex): This ability is identical to the Bard ability of the same name, with the following changes. The Nobleman can use this ability for a number of rounds per day, equal to 8 + his Charisma modifier. Also he can activate this ability only using Perform (Oratory).

Inheritance (Ex): A Nobleman’s starting wealth is 10d6 x 10 gp.

Bonus Feat (Ex): The Nobleman gains a bonus feat at level 2 and again at level 8, 13 and 18. His must choose these feats from the following list: Alertness, Deceitful, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Improved Iron Will, Improved Lightning Reflexes, Iron Will, Leadership, Lightning Reflexes, Persuasive, Skill Focus or Toughness. The Nobleman must live up to the normal prerequisites to the feats to qualify for them.

Dread Mien (Ex): At level 3 the Nobleman may add his Charisma modifier (if any), to his AC as a dodge bonus, as a swift action.

Leading from the Front (Ex): Whenever a character aids the Nobleman in combat, using the Aid Another action, the Nobleman receive a +4 bonus to his next attack roll or his AC instead of the normal +2.

Inspiring Presence (Ex): As a standard action, the Nobleman may remove from all allies with 25 feet + 5 feet per two levels, all Confused, Cowering, Dazed, Fascinated, Fatigued, Frightened, Panicked or Shaken effects. This ability can be used once per day at level 7 and an additional time per day at level 12 and 17.

Improved Charge (Ex): When a Nobleman charges in combat, he adds his Charisma modifier to his attack roll (in addition to the bonus from the charge action) and his Class Level to the damage roll.

Poise (Ex): The Nobleman adds his Charisma modifier to all saving throws, as well as his CMD.

JC quickly assessed the situation. Since he wasn’t carrying anything remotely usable as a weapon, he decided that this was one of those instanced where prudence would be the better part of valour. As silently as possible he backed back into his room at the Holiday Inn hotel and closed the door, locking it and fastening the security chain. The very moment the metal holding pin clicked into place, the reeking corpse outside the room began to throw it self against the door. Casting a glance across the room his eyes locked on the flimsy pinewood desk against the far wall. The zombie would probably be able to bash its way through the door in only a few minutes, so barricading it seemed the best option.
The desk was predictably light and it took him less than a minute to drag it across the room and tip it up against the door, which by now was beginning to splinter around the lock. Realizing that the desk alone would do little good, JC tumbled the closed by the door down on top of the table, pinning it place.

Panic beginning to rise in his mind he cursed under his breath, as he quickly packed all his belonging and the entire content of the minibar into the Burberry bag, which was the only luggage he had brought on the trip; “G'd d'mn, why the f’ing h'll did this sh't have to happen while I was abroad”. His thoughts leapt to his family and girlfriend at home. He had been unable to get through on the phone for several days. The last time he talked to his mother back in Denmark she had told him that his brother had moved in with their parents, in the summer house, which was fairly isolated. His girlfriend on the other hand was heading for her family’s house in the remote forests of Sweden, north of Jönköbing.

Long before the rotting corpse had bashed its way through his makeshift barricade, JC had climbed out the window and down the fire escape to the street below. It was deserted. Running at full speed, he crossed it to the parking lot on the other side and got into his rental car. He rummaged through the glove compartment and found the map he had bought a few days ago and quickly located Fox River Mall on it. He was lucky. It was less the three miles away and the route was very strait forward. Flooring the speeder, the tires screeched as the 2004 Ford Taurus raced from the lot. ‘G'd d'mn, I really need to get my self a gun’ he thought as he passed two zombies feasting on what was once probably a person. ‘A really big gun’.

Male
187 cm
Age 25
91 kg

Average build, brown hair and blue eyes. Wearing sneakers, cargo pants and a sweater.

Skills:
Language (Native) (Danish)
Language (Fluent) (English)
Language (Basic) (German, French)
Drive (Automobile)
Military Training (Medic, Light Machine Gun, Assault Rifle, Camouflage, Squad Tactics)
Scout (Map Reading, Camping, Meteorology)
Hunter (Shotgun, Field Dressing)
Academic (Economics, History, Political Theory)
Practical (Cooking, Woodworking)

Drawbacks:
Bossy, Headaches

OT:

** spoiler omitted **

It is - and thank you.

Sorry to derail this thread, but there is no PM-function on the site.

How do I get in touch with your GM? I can't find any Ebbe from around Viborg.

Might be because we both have moved to Århus a couple of years ago. He is actually visiting me in London tomorrow. I talk with him about dropping you a line on the e-mail you left on the notice board on rpgforum.dk.

Who is your GM in RotRL, Jens-Christian?

His name is Ebbe, why?

Actually my plan is to have five different adventures all revolving around how the Shoanti became what they are today. The players are initially hired by an eccentric scholar-gentleman from Magnimar, who has develobed the heretical theory that the Shoanti actually are direct descendants of the Thassilonians. He hires the players to accompany him on an expedition to excavate an ancient proto-Shoanti grave site.

Here he uncovers a grave unmistakably belonging to a nomadic proto-Shoanti warlord, but containing grammatically flawless Thassilonian writing, not only on artifacts (which could have been looted from Thassilonian settlements, but also on the walls which are obviously of Shoanti manufacture.

This proves at the very least that the Shoanti at one point spoke fluently Thassilonian or used it for their written language. Moreover the text on the tomb wall keep referencing ‘the lost towers of Shalast’, indicating that the people who buried the warlord clearly felt a strong connection to that Runelord dominion. They also uncover artifacts in the tomb, showing a ‘missing-link’ in the evolution from Thassilonian esthetics to the more primitive Shaonti decorations on both pottery and in jewelry.

Their patron believes that he can prove that not only are the Shoanti the original Thassilonians who after their exile mixed with the Kellid people of the Storval Plateau, but that using Shoanti he might be able to reconstruct how Thassilonian sounded, when it was spoken. However before he can publish his works he is murdered and his house is burned to the ground.

The players are sometime later contacted by his cousin, who lives in Korvosa. He informs that he received a package from his now deceased cousin, along with a letter explaining that in the event of his death, he should contact the player and hand over the package to them. The package turns out to contain not only his research notes, but also several important artifacts, strongly supporting his theory. It also includes a letter explaining why he has been murdered.

Magnimar has long been a cosmopolitan city. But the Chelish-descended immigrants have always had a preferential social and political position in the society. The single most important argument used to exclude the Shoanti and to a lesser degree the Varisians from political power, has been that neither people have ever contributed anything of importance or value to ‘civilization’. This has been viewed as manifest evidence of their inferiority to the Chelish and as the justification for limiting their rights. Since ability is assumed to lie in the blood, these two people are condemned already from birth, to a second-class citizen status. His research disproves these claims. If it became public knowledge that the Shoanti and Varisians are in fact the direct inheritors of the Thassilonian culture and language, it could sway the delicate balance on the Council of Ushers in favor of granting these people equal rights.

This would in turn greatly harm a small clique of politicians, who have been charging the Shoanti and Varisians dearly in order to speak on their behalf at the Council. If these people were granted a greater representation at the Council they would have no further need for these services, and those providing them would lose a large portion of their income. So in order to prevent this, they might try to have him murdered.

They players end the story arc, by travelling to Magnimar and through political dealings, bribery and backstabbing gain an audience with the Council of Ushers, where they have to convince the body of the veracity of the deceased nobleman’s claims.

So it would be reasonable to say that scholars of Varisian history generally know and agree on:

1: Long before being settle by the Chelish, Varisia was rule by an empire or alliance of nations, collectively called Thassilon.

2: The people of Thassilon spoke Thassilonian, a language closely related to Azlanti in grammatical structure and vocabulary (with the marked innovation of three grammatical genders). Thassilonian is also unique in that it utilizes three separate sets of characters, apparently used simultaneously in time, although each text appears to be written exclusively using one set of characters.

3: The Thassilonians were great builders of monuments. There is general agreement that they utilized a now forgotten type of ‘magic’ to create their impressive monuments.

4: Thassilon was ruled by a number of kings or governors, collectively called the Runelords. Most presume that these Runelords were great wizards or sorcerers, and many legends abound of the magnificent cities they build and the treasures they gathered. In fact little concrete is known about them. At most, scholar agree that they were between 4 and 12 in number and that at one of them was called ‘Xin’ or ‘Kyn’.

5: Thassilon was destroyed or collapsed around the time of the arrival of the Starstone.

6: Around the same time, the people which in time would become the Varisians and the Shoanti migrated into the area, most likely from the wilderness to the north and east of Thassilon. Through warfare they destroyed what little remained of the Thassilonians, weakened as they were by the collapse of their societies. The Thassilonian language more or less died out at this point, only a few of its word and grammatical conventions surviving, as they were adopted by the conquering barbarians. At the same time the people of Thassilon were subsumed in the bloodlines of the invading peoples. It is generally assumed that the Thassilons were more like the Varisians, than the Shoanti in appearance and that the rate of intermarriage was greater in the areas dominated by Varisians, than on the Storval Plateau or other areas dominated by the Shoanti.

I am currently playing through ‘Rise of the Runelords’ as a player, so if the answers to any of my questions will spoil the surprise of that Adventure Path, please don’t answer those questions. I am however also writing a short series of adventures, strung together by the theme of discovering the origins of the Shoanti people. Now on to my questions:

1) In ‘Pathfinder Chronicles: Campaign Setting’ they seem pretty open with information on the Runelords, giving not only the names of several of them and their master (Xin), but also information on their background, fall and capitols. What however confuses me is sentences like “Rumored to lie hidden somewhere deep in the Kodar Mountains, the legendary city of Xin-Shalast has long haunted the dreams of romantics and historians.” So it seems that at least some fairly detailed information on the Runelords are openly available to historians living in Varisia. So how much? Are the names of the Runelords known by sages? Their associations with the seven sins? Is it common knowledge that Thassilon were a descendent culture of Old Azlant?

2) In the same section in ‘Pathfinder Chronicles: Campaign Setting’ it is mentioned that the Shoanti are descendents of the people making up the warrior castes of Thassilon. How much is printed about their history? Is it known that they once served the rulers of Thassilon? Would it be against anything important in the setting, if I in my adventures decided that all modern scholars are convinced they are a Kellid people, who migrated to the region after the fall of Thassilon and only then adopted certain cultural and ethnic traits associated with the Thassilonian culture?

3) Where can I find more information on the Shoanti, besides what little is written in ‘Pathfinder Chronicles: Campaign Setting’?

4) How easily can Thassilonian be deciphered? Could an eager student simply seek out someone who can read it and learn it? Or is proficiency in the ancient language a tight-kept secret, which scholars hide, keeping it out of the hands of common men?

5) In the ‘Varisia’ entry in ‘Pathfinder Chronicles: Campaign Setting’ it states ‘Shoanti’ as among the primary languages of Varisia, yet in the ‘Languages’ section of the same book, no mention is made of it. Is Shoanti an independent language? If it is, is there any printed information on it?

Thanks in advance.

Marion Zimmer Bradley writes some pretty interesting female characters. Her portrayal of Morgan le Fay in "The Mists of Avalon" was great.