Kotsi Tel'Metsaka's page

Reselia isn't hell, but it's a close second. Paranoia being a necessary survival trait rather than a malady to be treated will do that to a nation.

Kotis always felt something was wrong with her clan. It was all so senseless to her. The murder wasn't morally repugnant so much as it seemed wasteful. Inefficient. A mark of a weak and failing society that chaos was considered the norm.

While most Reselians viewed murder and betrayal as a first resort (and sometimes an end to itself), Kotsi came to view it as something to be undertaken only when other plans failed; resorting to violence was in itself considered a failure in her eyes. Not that it was always avoidable.

Being in the information trade meant you often made enemies. Most could be played against each other, ensuring a stalemate by holding political leverage over all of them at once, or hiring someone to send a message to the right people at the right time, but some were persistent, afflicted by the murderous shortsightedness so often apparent in her people's up and comers. These could be dispatched coldly, when she was assured there were no other viable options.

Still, even though her position was relatively stable, Kotsi was never comfortable in Reselia. Always tense, always looking for the knife in the back or poison in the tea. So she made plans to leave, putting out feelers in other nations.

It was years before she was trusted enough by anyone, but eventually she created a foothold in Clan Mintakia lands. The self-appointed peacekeepers of the island were always in need of agents, and the contacts she'd made on various parts of the island were a resource they could make fine use of.

She left Clan Reselia lands gladly, and resettled in Mintakia. While not fully trusted, the coming weeks and months afforded her time to settle in, begin strengthening her network of contacts around the island, and slowly start feeding information to the Mintakians in return for safety and a not inconsiderable flow of money. After nearly a year, she allowed herself to relax.

Allowing her paranoia to lapse was an error. One of her former enemies had apparently kept enough of a grudge to pursue it across the breadth of a country, and she awoke one morning to find one of the Mintakians she'd been working with murdered in her parlor, apparently poisoned by her morning tea. All evidence, both mundane and clairvoyant, pointed to her as the culprit.

Naturally, protests that she'd not been the one to do the deed fell on deaf ears. Everyone knew Reselians couldn't be trusted, and appeals to logic ("What would I even stand to gain by this?") were shrugged off as well. Treachery is in her blood, she was told, why would she need a reason?

So for years she languished in a cell. Until...

Kotsi is tall and lithe, as well as relatively pale for a Reselian. She keeps her hair in a long braid at her back, bound with silver. Her eyes are intense and usually in constant motion, scanning for any usable information form her surroundings.

While kind by the standard of her people, Kotsi was twisted by her upbringing and would be considered a near-sociopath by most other standards. Empathy is often beyond her, and while she does not usually perform acts most would consider evil, it is not out of squeamishness of a moral disdain for things like murder or torture but a view of them as unreliable, inefficient, or simply inelegant.

Other than that, she is affable and prone to humor (though just as often possessed of an acerbic tone) and she is nearly obsessed with being correct and having all of the facts straight before embarking on any endeavour.

Inspiration: 10/day pool, as Free action spend to add 1d6 to a skill check. If trained, do not expend Inspiration on any Knowledge, Linguistics, or Spellcraft check.
--Can use 2 Inspiration as an Immediate to add 1d6 to an attack roll or saving throw.

Ceaseless Observation (Empiricist Archetype): Add Int to Disable Device, Perception, Sense Motive, and Use Magic Device plus Diplomacy to Gather Info.

Unfailing Logic (Empiricist): +4 Insight to Will vs Illusions. Can spend one Inspiration as an Immediate to use Int mod for Will on these checks.

Trapfinding: +1/2 level to Disable Device checks (can disarm magical traps) and same bonus to Perception to find traps.

Keen Recollection: Can make all Knowledge checks Untrained.

Trap Sense: +2 to Reflex and AC vs traps.

Studied Combat: Move action study opponent I can see. Add 1/2 level (4) to attack and damage for Int mod rounds (6). Is precision damage and not multiplied on a crit. Same target cannot be studied twice without expenditure of Inspiration.

Studied Strike: Expends Studied Combat to deal 3d6 extra damage. Not multiplied on crit. Must be able to see. Does not work on creatures with Concealment.

Quick Study: Use Studied Combat as a Swift action.

Expanded Inspiration: Use inspiration on trained Diplomacy, Heal, Perception, Profession, and Sense Motive without expending inspiration.

Numerical Alchemy: Can expend one Inspiration to mix an Extract in 1 round instead of 1 minute.

Forbidden Knowledge: Can roll Kn. History or Religion in place of Kn. Planes.

Student of Philosophy: Use Int instead of Cha for Diplomacy checks to persuade or Bluff to lie (not Diplo to gather info or Bluff to feint).

Assuming common gear (big six and such) is self explanatory:

Investigator's Spectacles: +2 Competence to identify monsters, when use Inspiration (always, it's free) to identify bank the roll. Within next minute before rolling an attack roll, skill check, or saving throw vs that creature, add the banked die to the roll. Must choose before die is rolled. Can only bank one die at a time.

1st level: Chameleon, Inertial Armor, Thicken Skin, Sense Minds, Force Screen, Skate, Detect Psionics, Biofeedback, Minor Metamorphosis

2nd level: Body Adjustment, Energy Adaptation (Specified), Cleanse Body, Concealing Amorpha, Heightened Vision, Natural Linguist, Object Reading, Psionic Scent, Thought Shield, Sustenance, Sensitivity to Psychic Impressions, Everyman

3rd level: Body Purification, Greater Concealing Amorpha, Resist Death, Dimension Slide, Escape Detection, Touchsight, Ubiquitous Vision, Metamorphosis

1st level: Inertial Armor, Thicken Skin, Sense Minds, Chameleon, Skate, Force Screen

2nd level: Natural Linguist, Thought Shield, Empty Slot x4

3rd level: Escape detection, Empty Slot x2

1st level: Inertial Armor, Thicken Skin, Sense Minds, Chameleon, Skate, Force Screen

2nd level: Psionic Scent, Energy Adaptation (Specified), Heightened Vision, Empty Slot x3

3rd level: Escape detection, Metamorphosis, Empty Slot x1

Masterwork Alchemy lab, giving a +2 Equipment bonus, as well as a +2 Circumstance bonus, to any crafting check for Alchemy or Golem production. Additionally, it provides a +2 Equipment bonus for any Knowledge checks to research Alchemy, Golems, Biology, or Supernatural creatures (such as vampires, werewolves, zombies, and so on). Finally, the lab doubles the crafting rate for alchemical items (2000 gp per day, instead of 1000 gp), and removes the limit on how many alchemical items you can work on per day. That is, normally if you're creating only 500 gp worth of potion A, then that's all you can craft in a day. However, in the lab, you can craft 500 gp of potion A, 1000 gp of item B, and 250 gp of Potion C, and 250 GP of Potion D, all in a single day.