 About Lady KarneliaLady Karnelia Meline Varnos of Traegoh
True Name:
Esme Female Changeling Haunted Oracle of the Occult Mystery / Spiritualist LG Medium Humanoid(Changeling) Init +6; Senses Darkvision 60ft ------- Appearance ------- Appearance: -------
Age : 23
Size : Medium, 4'8", 105 lbs. Type : Humanoid (Changeling) Lady Karnelia appears as a frail, almost gaunt woman with raven hair and deep green eyes. Like most changelings, her left eye takes on a purple tint though, thanks to her hag mother's careful magical ministrations, this merely appears as a natural quirk, rather than a dead giveaway. On average, Lady Karnelia appears eternally worried, and as though she wished she could disappear and never be seen again. At her most confident, she appears dour and easily displeased. She is generally dressed in luxurious, expensive clothing and elaborate jewelry, clothes only fitting for a lady of her social standing, and though she prefers not to be seen carrying weaponry, her scythe and crossbow, both family heirlooms, are of exquisite make.
Background
Background:
Lady Karnelia Meline Varnos of Traegoh is a figure shrouded in rumors. The eldest daughter of Toldar Varnos, a high-ranking Lord of house Traegoh and his wife, Elerina Finn, a rich local merchant, Karnelia, is groomed by her father to be his successor, for though Toldar and Elerina sired no less than five children, none of them were sons. Despite this promising future, Karnelia was never a very good fit to her family. From a young age, she appeared sickly and clumsy. In childhood, she often complained of nightmares, claiming that an evil witch was trying to eat her, or that a ghost lurked in her closet. She frequently appeared distracted and lost in thought, staring down empty hallways or chasing unseen beings. Toldar made no secret of his disappointment towards his eldest daughter but, to the irritation of her younger sister, he insisted that she was to be his heir. Tradition was tradition, and snubbing his eldest daughter, strange as she may be, would have made a laughingstock out of him. Still, for all of her strange behaviors, Karnelia was undoubtedly a descendant of the Varnos family. She shared her family's dark hair and traits, and their passion for gardens and the exterior, a passion inherited from the family's most distant ancestors, settlers and farmers involved in the founding of Ambervale. She had learned, occasionally reluctantly, everything her parents had sought to teach her, from the realities of an Ambervale noble lady, to the use of the family's traditional weapon, the scythe. It was not too long after her thirteenth birthday that the truth would be revealed to Karnelia. One night, feeling restless and agitated, she sought peace amongst the shrubberies of the Varnos Estate's gardens. To her passing consternation, she heard a rasp yet melodious voice echoing in the night. "Esme... Come to your mother, Esme..." Esme? She had never heard that name, and yet it seemed... so familliar. Before she knew it, her feet were taking her to the nearby beach, and away from her home. "I have waited for so long for you to be of age, and now, here you are..." This was her destiny, her salvation. A vile grin traced itself on Esme's face, erasing Lady Karnelia's frightened expression. Her true mother was here to give her what she truly deserved, the power that she wanted so much. Yet, she stopped in her tracks when a second voice called to her. "Please, miss, wait!" A young girl, perhaps of eight years at most, stood in her path. She was deathly pale and emaciated, clad in tattered nightclothes not unlike Esme's current, pristine ones. "Please, you're the only one I can turn to..." The child, frigthened and injured, dragged herself to Esme's feet. She bled profusely from a deep neck wound, staining the white satin of her night dress. A deep, horrifying bite wound. "Ignore her! She's just a figment! Come to me, my child!" The sultry, booming voice insisted. Esme hesitated a moment, and the figure made itself known. Her mother stood before her, a hag of great power, the flows of magic itself twirling around her hands. The changeling smiled and turned away from the ghost, stepping to take her mother's outstretched hand. "Sister! No!" The ghost feebly dragged itself to her, growing fainter by the second. "That is not who you want to be... is it?" Esme turned, and saw the child's shaky finger indicating the hag. This time, Esme noticed her mother's teeth, and thought of the ghost's wound. It was a simple connection to make. She eyed one figure, then the other. "It looks like you have a choice to make, daughter." The hag cackled. In the end, Lady Karnelia made the right choice. Cradling the phantom in her arms, she ran, as her furious mother gave chase. "Ungrateful child! I'll show you what the coven does to traitors!" Yet, as it all seemed lost, and as the hag's tough nails grabbed her collar, Lady Karnelia felt inspired, empowered. The phantom was nowhere to be found, and yet she felt its presence. Ectoplasm surrounded her, biting at the hag's hand, forcing her away. "I won't be like you! You may be my mother, hag, but I will not become a monster such as you!" Her voice roared through the night, and the hag faltered and stumbled back. "We'll meet again, child," the crone smirked, before vanishing into the night. "The coven will yet wait for you." In the morning, Lady Karnelia was found standing in the local graveyard, staring into space, lost in thought. From that day forth, her night terrors had forever stopped, yet the ill omens around her had only increased. From that day forth, Lady Karnelia had someone to care for, and something to take her mind off of her unwanted titles. What she found out from the specter, in the days to come, would truly change her world: Lady Karnelia was not who she had believed to be. She was Esme, daughter of the hag known as Frinna, and originally destined to inherit the same horrifying monstrous power. As was common for hags, she had been substituted, shortly after birth, for a human child, to be raised by human parents without their knowledge. The replaced child, the true Lady Karnelia, perished not long after to the hag's horrid hungers. This short, terrifying existence, had left the infant's spirit clutching wildly for some form of meaning. It had found an anchor in its replacement amongst the living but, weak and inconsequential, had not truly manifested until years later, at Esme's moment of truth. Its presence, of course, was the cause of the bizarre manifestations that had surrounded her all her youth. Now bonded by the debt of a lifetime, a shared destiny, and a most unusual sisterly bond, they had made a pact. As guardian and protégé, they would seek, together, the means for Esme to return Little Sister her name. As luck would have it, some years from now, a path to these means would trace itself for them. New friends and allies, perhaps, would be what they needed. -------
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Statistics:
Str 10; Dex 14; Con 11; Int 10; Wis 20; Cha 18 Feats
Traits
Racial Traits:
Revelations:
Curse
Spiritualist Abilities
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Skills:
Trained Skills: +1 favored class bonus
Spoken Languages: Common -------
Equipment:
Wealth: 365 gp |
