Karinna Porphyria's page

When Domina Arabasti declared King Chadris Porphyria a pretender to the throne and murdered him and his whole family to take it from him, her strike missed his two youngest sons who had been switched with a pair of common boys against that very danger by the former spymaster of the city. They were all spirited away to Kaer Maga and grew up in exile sheltered by one of the powerful gangs there. They arranged marriages for the princes to suitable Chelish noblewomen and plotted to restore the rule of their father's disgraced House.

About twelve years later the eldest heir had a daughter, who they named Karinna, after the famous victor in a battle of two monarchs in Cheliax. Her mother had come from a line of witches and soothsayers, and they declared that she was "marked by the gods to bring about the end of House Arabasti's reign." With the support of their hosts in Kaer Maga (who sought to have a grateful and sympathetic ruler in Korvosa) and the expertise of the city's disgraced spymaster, she grew up well-versed in the arts of espionage, diplomacy, warcraft, and all other skills needed to be a good queen.

When Karinna came of age, they decided it was time to begin the next phase of their operation. The omens foretold that the end of the king's reign was fast approaching, so they made arrangements to send Karinna to Korvosa to establish herself there. Through a network of contacts they would help Karinna build trust and goodwill in the populace, to hopefully stage a bloodless coup when the king died. From their divinations they knew that the king had no legitimate heirs, and they counseled Karinna that the best way to take the city would be to ride out the chaos that would inevitably follow his death, distinguishing herself with her heroic actions, and then step forward to help rebuild.

Her cover is a young nouveau riche noblewoman named Lady Fordyce. Her supposed father is elderly and senile, and doesn't remember that his real daughter died several years ago, allowing Karinna to easily take her place. She lives in his townhouse, a small and modest home in the Midland District with no servants. Her family has arranged for her to take a junior position with the Korvosa Guard, and she believes one of the senior officers is a secret ally who knows her identity (possibly Field Marshal Croft). Thus, she faithfully sticks to her story around the other guards and whenever she is at court.

During the year she has been living in the city, she has often been called upon to deal with complaints about a low-life drug dealer named Gaedren Lamm. In particular, she has been looking into a missing child named Rose who was abducted during a trip to her neighborhood market, and she suspects that the girl was taken by Gaedren to serve as one of his "Little Lamms". Karinna also has reason to believe that her former mentor, Cardoña, is also in the city and has some relationship to Lamm. It is very important to Karinna that she discover what has happened to Cardoña, however she can obtain that information.

Karinna keeps her true identity hidden, and disguises herself as a minor noblewoman called Lady Fordyce. Karinna has contacts in House Fordyce who have provided her with a believable cover story. Lady Karinna Fordyce is known to be a bit of an idealist and a loyal follower of the king who is occasionally seen gossiping with other ladies at court, reputed to be quick to respond to challenges with her rapier, and a respected junior member of the Korvosan Guard.

Karinna dresses in a practical uniform when on duty and in eye-catching finery at court. She seems equally at home in either context, although perhaps she is a bit more careful not to draw negative attention than others in her circles. She remains friendly with people she considers her enemy, and more likely to ignore personal slights and criticisms of Korvosa or the nobility. Her features are disguised to make her appear to come from more common stock, to match her cover story. She cannot hide her powerful voice and inspirational bearing, so she endeavors to use it to her advantage by representing herself as a scrappy and ambitious underdog who is anxious to move up in the aristocracy. In this persona, she is extremely likely to go out for a drink with professional friends and colleagues in the Guard, or host a glamorous party for all of the important personages in the city that she can convince to attend.

Her true appearance is much more symbolic and regal. Her noble features are on full display, and she wears a crimson gown beneath her armor that Korvosans might recognize as being inspired by the coronation dress of Queen Domina Arabasti. Her hair is held back with a small silver crown-like tiara. Her voice takes on an almost otherworldly resonance, giving her speeches and commands an air of indisputable authority. When she dresses as the Rightful Queen, she is less likely to bend the rules or let things like insults to her station or her city go. It is emotionally draining for her to occupy this role, however. She feels keenly the wounds that Korvosa suffers, the class divides that pit everyone who lives there against each other, and even the hatred that many citizens have for its kings and queens who have not fulfilled their duties and done nothing for their people for so many years.

Karinna fervently believes in her cause, and strives to be the best she can be. Her eyes shine with unshakeable confidence for the future.

Karinna's fondest memories as a child were time spent with her fencing instructor Cardoña. The woman's fiery temper was influential to Karinna's developing personality, and Karinna had always admired her. Recently, just before Karinna came of age, Cardoña had been growing strangely morose and depressed. She didn't usually keep secrets from Karinna, but whatever was bothering her wasn’t something she shared. Then she disappeared. She left Karinna a brief note, begging her to forget about her and to get on with her life. But something about the note bothered Karinna—something in the way she phrased her words seemed forced. Karinna suspected that she left to protect her from something—that was ever her way.

Several months later, in the course of her guard duties, Karinna discovered a ring for sale by a Korvosan merchant that once belonged to Cardoña. Because of her deep feelings for Cardoña, she was immediately concerned and began to investigate. She found that the ring had been sold to the merchant by a criminal named Gaedren Lamm. She now has a passionate desire to find Lamm and discover what he knows about Cardoña, whether he has her imprisoned or knows where she is.

Although Cardoña was a fighting adventurer when she was younger, as an advisor later in her life she had always encouraged Karinna to seek her own path, and her support was the primary reason that Karinna became an avenger vigilante. Vigilante is always a favored class for Karinna, and her dedication to it is such that every time she takes a level in the class, she gains +1 hit point and 1 additional skill point over and above what she would normally gain.

Renown: The vigilante becomes known for deeds and abilities regardless of his current identity. This renown grants him favorable treatment in civilized company and lends him an air of menace while facing down his enemies. While he is in his social identity, a vigilante can spend 1 week gaining renown among the locals of any community of no more than about 200 individuals (a village, if using settlement population ranges on page 203 of the Pathfinder RPG GameMastery Guide). This could be the entire community or a smaller neighborhood in a larger settlement. He must spend at least 4 hours each day socializing and making contacts. After spending 1 week doing this, whenever he is in his social identity, all NPCs in the community have a starting attitude toward him that is one category better, as long as each person’s initial attitude would have at least been indifferent (see the Diplomacy skill description on pages 93– 94 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook for more information). While he gains renown in an area using his social identity, he also spreads rumors and tales about his vigilante identity. Once he has gained renown in a community, he gains a +4 circumstance bonus on Intimidate checks whenever he is in his vigilante identity. This bonus applies only while he is near the community in which he has gained renown; he must be within a number of miles equal to his vigilante level.

A vigilante can hold renown in a limited number of communities (normally one, with other social talents allowing two). If he gains renown in a new community, he must decide which one of his previous communities to lose. These effects are subject to GM approval. For example, the GM might rule that an NPC or monster has not heard any tales about the vigilante. Or, a foe may have a starting attitude toward him that’s one category worse, rather than one category better.