Laori Vaus __'s page

About Laori Vaus __

Laori Vaus
Female elf cleric of Zon-Kuthon 11
LE Medium humanoid (elf)
Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Perception +5
Aura destructive aura (30 ft., +5, 11 rounds/day)

DEFENSE
AC 24, touch 13, flat-footed 21 (+8 armor, +2 Dex, +1 dodge, +3 natural)
hp 108 (11d8+55)
Fort +11, Ref +5, Will +10; +2 vs. enchantments
Immune sleep; SR 23

OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft.
Melee +2 spell-storing spiked chain +13/+8 (2d4+6) or armor spikes +7/+2 (1d6+3)
Special Attacks channel negative energy 2/day (DC 14, 6d6), destructive smite (+5, 6/day)
Cleric Spell-Like Abilities (CL 11th; concentration +14)
6/day—touch of darkness (5 rounds)
Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 11th; concentration +14)
6th (1+D) — blade barrier (DC 19), harm D (DC19), shadow walk D (DC 19)
5th (2+D) — summon monster V D (summons 1d3 shadows), flame strike (DC 18), spell resistance
4th (3+D) — shadow conjuration D, air walk, cure critical wounds, greater magic weapon
3rd (5+D) — deeper darkness D, dispel magic(3x), invisibility purge(2x)
2nd (5+d) — blindness/deafness D (blindness only) (DC 15), delay poison(2x), cure moderate wounds, lesser restoration, silence (DC 15)
1st (5+d) — true strike D, cure light wounds (2), remove fear(2), protection from evil
0 (4) — create water, detect magic, mending, stabilize
D domain spell; Domains Darkness, Destruction

TACTICS
Before Combat Every morning, Laori casts greater magic weapon and magic vestment on her spiked chain and armor. If she has a chance before combat begins, she also casts the following spells as well: air walk, bear’s endurance, bull’s strength, and spell resistance.
During Combat Laori’s first act in combat is to cast sadomasochism on herself (see the sidebar on page 451). Next, she summons 1d3 shadows with summon monster V; on the second round, as her shadows appear, she hits the thickest concentration of her enemies with blade barrier or flame strike. She moves into melee against foes on the third round, using her destructive smite and unleashing the inflict serious wounds from her spell-storing spiked chain on her first attack. As she fights, she hums or whistles as if she were merely doing some pleasant chore, periodically punctuating a particularly solid blow with a giggle or wink.
Morale Laori enjoys pain, but would rather not give up her life before she has a chance to see Kazavon’s relics recovered. If brought to fewer than 20 hit points, she flees (via shadow walk if possible), returning at her convenience to finish unresolved business.

STATISTICS
Str 17, Dex 14, Con 18, Int 12, Wis 17, Cha 8
Base Atk +8; CMB +11; CMD 24
Feats Blind-fight, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wand, Craft Wondrous Item, Diehard, Dodge, Endurance
Skills Acrobatics +9 (+5 when jumping), Knowledge (religion) +15, Perception +5, Spellcraft +15
Languages Common, Elven, Shadowtongue
SQ elven magic, eyes of darkness (5 rounds/day)
Combat Gear wand of cure moderate wounds (11 charges), wand of sending (6 charges), wand of sound burst (19 charges); Other Gear +2 spiked chainmail, +2 spellstoring spiked chain (currently contains inflict serious wounds), amulet of natural armor +3, headband of inspired wisdom +2, scrap of Neolandus’s uniform, silver holy symbol of Zon-Kuthon, 31 gp, 6 sp, 7 cp

Laori displays her allegiance to Zon-Kuthon openly in her choice of weapon and armor (a spiked chain and spiked chainmail), yet her demeanor and attitude are anything but grim. Laori is chronically cheerful, always brimming with delight and quick to laugh. This affectation has somewhat damaged her reputation among the church, as many of the more conventional worshipers of Zon-Kuthon find her attitude to be irreverent or even sacrilegious, yet none deny her contributions to the faith. Even when she’s discussing the finer methods of skinning a living man, self-flagellation, torture, or her open admiration of all things diabolical, her plucky attitude remains. As a result, Laori can be unsettling to be around, for both her fellow worshipers of Zon-Kuthon and those who see her faith as a horror to be stamped out.

As with many Forlorn elves, Laori never knew her birth parents. She grew up on the rough streets of Riddleport, and although she suspects her family dwelled in the nearby town of Crying Leaf, she never bothered to contact them. She first learned of Zon-Kuthon in Riddleport, and the Midnight Lord’s teachings quickly grew into an obsession for her. Armed only with her indomitable optimism and an appetite for pain, she made the pilgrimage down to the shadowy nation of Nidal, and over the course of several decades, became an accomplished priestess of Zon-Kuthon, despite the other priests finding her attitude grating. The culmination of her work saw her induction into the Brotherhood of Bones, and her familiarity with Riddleport and Varisia made her a natural choice to take the search for Kazavon’s relics there.

Despite her sadistic outlook on life, Laori values allies, if not friends, and has endless patience when dealing with those who consider themselves good or seek to spread kindness through the world. Her methods of conversion to the faith of Zon-Kuthon are not those normally utilized by the church—she views the torture of sentient creatures as a way to pass the time or to share the intimacy of pain rather than as a method to extract confessions or secure alliances. Her cheerfulness and generosity may seem to be born of an inner kindness, but in fact they are among her greatest weapons, and many would-be enemies of the church have been wooed away from their beliefs to the worship of Zon-Kuthon after spending time in Laori’s company. She is always eager to share her favorite spell with others, and while she can’t create scrolls herself, she’s quick to volunteer her time to others who can scribe scrolls so that she can teach them the wonders of sadomasochism.

Her cheerfulness is certainly unusual for a worshiper of Zon-Kuthon, yet it is not a weakness other than in the way it distances and annoys would-be supporters in the church. This ostracization from her brothers and sisters has merely encouraged her to seek companions beyond the church—inevitably, these friendships end when the companions either grow tired of her (and sometimes attack her out of loathing) or when the allies fully convert and begin to see her cheerful attitude as a liability or even sacrilegious. Laori’s constant upbeat attitude may well be a long-standing defense mechanism against crippling and overwhelming loneliness, but to date, none have managed to penetrate her armor of smiles.

This could well change if Laori survives the events in Castle Scarwall and takes on the role of the Ally during Chapter 5. If one of the PCs has been particularly friendly toward or understanding of the elf, this marks the first time in Laori’s life that she’s managed to maintain a friendship for any significant duration. She may even finally begin to consider that, perhaps, worship of Zon-Kuthon isn’t the best choice for her and could abandon her faith for a new deity. In such an event, she is likely to seek comfort in the teachings of a goddess who promotes individuality, such as Calistria or even Desna. Certainly, the support of a PC (and perhaps a PC-sponsored atonement spell) can aid her redemption, but whether or not this is just a passing phase or a true new step in her life depends on her allies.