Kemras Iuvescanu's page

An antiquarian begins play with a collection of religious trinkets that functions as his formula book and weighs 2 pounds total, with each trinket functioning as a formula. Adding new trinkets has the same cost and time requirement as adding formulae to a formula book. An antiquarian can study a wizard’s spellbook or alchemist’s formula book to learn formulae, but an antiquarian’s trinket collection is too esoteric for anyone except another antiquarian to learn spells from. An antiquarian prepares spells by meditating and charging relics with supernatural power, which has the same requirements and limitations as preparing extracts. However, instead of creating extracts, an antiquarian casts spells as though he were an arcane spellcaster, which means he can affect other creatures with his spells. An antiquarian does not suffer from arcane spell failure.

An antiquarian doesn’t gain a competence bonus on Craft (alchemy) checks to create alchemical items, and he cannot identify potions with that skill. Furthermore, he cannot select alchemist discoveries as investigator talents.

This alters alchemy.

An investigator has the ability to augment skill checks and ability checks through his brilliant inspiration. The investigator has an inspiration pool equal to 1/2 his investigator level + his Intelligence modifier (minimum 1). An investigator’s inspiration pool refreshes each day, typically after he gets a restful night’s sleep. As a free action, he can expend one use of inspiration from his pool to add 1d6 to the result of that check, including any on which he takes 10 or 20. This choice is made after the check is rolled and before the results are revealed. An investigator can only use inspiration once per check or roll. The investigator can use inspiration on any Knowledge, Linguistics, or Spellcraft skill checks without expending a use of inspiration, provided he’s trained in the skill.

Inspiration can also be used on attack rolls and saving throws, at the cost of expending two uses of inspiration each time from the investigator’s pool. In the case of saving throws, using inspiration is an immediate action rather than a free action.

When Kemras was six, his father married a Varisian woman named Kvashta. Though she wasn’t his mother by blood, Kemras found that she took care of him like her own - especially once his younger siblings were born a year or two later. Despite being surrounded by a very loving family - he adored his younger siblings and stepmother, and enjoyed his father’s company whenever they weren’t trying to talk about his birth mother - Kemras couldn’t help but want to learn more about his elven heritage.

When he was fifteen (though he still looked something like an thirteen-year-old), Kemras asked his father for permission to visit Magnimar. Though the young half-elf did not say why, his father understood that it was to look for information on his mother. That was the first and only time Pesha beat Kemras, and it was the last time he was close with his father.

Kvashta heard of the dispute, and swiftly took her stepson aside and told him about her sister and brother-in-law, who lived in Magnimar. She said they would look after him while he looked for information about his mother - and told him the name she thought was the mysterious elf’s - something he keeps locked away in his heart.

Armed with this knowledge, Kemras waited until the caravan met up with another which was headed in the direction of Magnimar, and jumped ship, so to speak. Within a month, he was at the door of his step aunt and uncle, bearing his stepmother’s letter. The two took him in with as much warmth as they could - which was a fair amount, especially when Kemras demonstrated his quick wit. His uncle, Dragos, was a keen archeologist, studying the ruins in Magnimar with a passion, and Kemras was quick to learn. Together, they began studying the ruins, though Kemras never forgot his search for his mother, and began using his new skills to seek her out.

At twenty, Kemras finally was physically mature enough to feel ready to strike out on his own in the wondrous city, seeking information from elves who were living in Magnimar - though the search was relatively fruitless. One elf, however, took Kemras under his wing and began teaching the youth to harness the magic that most elves had an aptitude for. Meanwhile, he continued his investigations into the Magnimarian ruins, and began collecting various symbols and charms from all over.

To his surprise, he eventually discovered he could use the symbols to prepare and cast spells, something that allowed him to further his studies into the ruins. By the time he was twenty-three, Kemras had essentially given up on finding his mother’s trail - besides, the ruins of Magnimar were far more interesting! Some small part of him suspected she’d taken ship to someplace closer to Kyonin, but he did not wish to venture out of Varisia yet - perhaps when he had learned enough about ancient Thassilon.

He spent the following two years delving deep into the Magnimarian ruins, uncovering secrets, decoding runes, and learning as much as he could about Thassilon. There came a time, however, when he felt he had learned all that he reasonably could from Magnimar - it was time to embrace his Varisian heritage and take to the road. Having heard tell of a festival coming up in Sandpoint to the north, Kemras decided it might well be a good start to his journey - especially since he had no immediate goals.

Friendly and quick to laugh or cry, Kemras appears to wear his emotions on his sleeve, showing enthusiasm for topics that he is intrigued by and genuine interest in others. Nevertheless, he keeps a part of himself hidden, rarely speaking of any actual goals or allegiances that he holds.

One thing that is sure to quickly anger Kemras is when he feels as though he knows a subject well, but his advice and knowledge is being ignored. He expects his expertise to be respected. However, when confronted with subjects he knows little about, he is more than willing to respect others’ expertise. While he is more likely to retreat into dour silence than scream and curse, the dramatic change in his behavior is often enough to clue those who know him in to his mood.

True friends find that Kemras is reliable and instructive, willing to spend time educating them on subjects they know little about - even if he comes across as slightly patronizing when he does so.

For a half-elf, Kemras is unusually proud of both of his heritages, crediting his natural inquisitiveness and drive to learn to his human side, and his talents for magic, perception, and stealth to his elven side.

Like many Varisians, Kemras enjoys the open road and wandering lifestyle, but he takes it more seriously than many Desnans, who enjoy the freedom for what it is. Freedom means the ability to act freely, yes, but it also means one lacks a safety net as strong as there is in societies - well, many societies.

Other than his face, almost all of his visible skin is marked by tattoos, most of which are traditional Varisian fare in orange, black, and red. However, on his right wrist he has a tattoo of ivy that spells out the word “insight” in Elven.

The half-elf wears fairly traditional Varisian clothing, dressing in oranges and deep reds, along with the traditional kapenia scarf, with its odd whorls of pink, brown, and even tinges of blue - a rare extravagance. When he's armored, it is in plain leathers, a far cry from his normal colorful garb.

On his back he carries a well-worn but quality backpack, as well as a smooth shortbow of white wood.