About Lucina TilernosSmite Evil: 1/1
----------- Appearance:
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Lucina is an attractive young woman whom most recognise for her perpetual cheeky grin and twinkling green eyes. Her shoulder-length dark brown hair is meticulously kept, and she takes care to avoid seeming dirty; heaven forbid she's unable to take a bath for more than a couple of days at a time! She's relatively tall and fit, with a definite swagger to her ever-confident step, always quickly and nimbly moving about. Lucina tends to wear functional albeit attractive clothes, although she rarely leaves home without her trusty brown cloak—better to hide beneath it to not attract unwanted attention. She tends to go out wearing her tough leather vest at the very least because the streets are so dangerous nowadays. Though not fond of wearing too much jewellery, she always wears a golden locket, one that she's had since she was a child. The front is engraved with the heraldry of House Tilernos; inside, there's a much cruder carving of Cayden Cailean's holy symbol—a beer tankard—and a tiny painting of her two brothers and herself from many years ago. Personality:
Lucina is an outspoken and driven young woman, as skilled with the blade as she is with her silver tongue. Highly tempestuous and prone to both shouting and tears, Lucina wears her emotions on her sleeve; they tend to be like a flaring candle, quick to light but just as quick to go out. She rarely holds a grudge, however, and strongly believes that dealing with problems at the source as soon as they are spotted is much healthier than letting them fester in bitterness. The young Chelaxian loves to laugh and express her joy, and likes to encourage others to do the same—the shy and quiet one is her favourite target to bother and annoy until she 'breaks' them and gets them to smile.
Lucina cannot stand to see people suffering injustice, and she is a forever friend to the downtrodden and the oppressed. Of course, in Westcrown that describes just about everyone. Stubborn and irreverent, she doesn't take crap from anyone, and will stand up to those she views as bullies even in cases where it may not be wise to do so—that said, Lucina isn't stupid, and knows not to press the point in cases where it might lead to her getting arrested or killed. (She'll be fiercely bitter and angry for some time afterwards, though.) Keenly aware of her abilities and her limits, Lucina is not afraid to be proud of her skills and display her talents whenever needed—whether that is the cut of her rapier or merely the coy smile of a pretty girl. Some may think her arrogant in this regard, but she's rarely fussed by the opinions of others, always with a strong independent streak about her. She has a tendency to make spontaneous decisions and deal with the fallout as it comes rather than think ahead, and in general is a fairly impatient and impetuous person. Background:
Once upon a time, in what seems like a lifetime away to Lucina, she was once a lucky child born into a side branch of House Tilernos of Westcrown. Though not in any position to succeed (even in the bizarre circumstance that Kajen Tilernos' direct descendents were not fit to rule, she had two older brothers that would take precedence before her) in the House itself, she was raised in a grand vira with all the furnishings a young noblewoman could hope for. Her mother lectured her on the ways of speaking and presenting oneself, while her father insisted that she learn some "self-defense" and receive a broader education than merely court manners. With two older brothers in the family, Lucina's younger childhood was thus fairly rough-and-tumble, and she was quite the tomboy for much of her life (much to the chagrine of her mother).
Raised on a diet of patriotism and love of the city of Westcrown, Lucina was long absorbed in the stories of how Cheliax used to be before Aroden passed away. She was shown the crumbling churches of Rego Sacero and lectured in the theology, architecture, and history contained therein. But there was one thing Lucina could not reconcile: why, in a nation this brilliant (as her family had always told her), were all these things just that—history? Why did Hellknights walk the streets so openly? Why did they have to attend services to Asmodeus that she knew her family detested? Whenever she asked, her parents would make some vague excuse about House Thrune's rules and that this was the way of life now and yada yada yada... none of it made sense to the young Lucina, and as she grew older, the more frustrated she became. At the ripe age of sixteen, with the streets of Westcrown becoming increasingly restricted and the recent disappearance of a beloved neighbour to the inquisitorial forces of Cheliax, Lucina confronted her parents, demanding to know why they implicitly supported the perversion of their city by not taking a stand against it. They tried to explain to her how difficult it was to do so—just look at what had happened to the Marconis across the road, they explained patiently, or that Salvaggi boy who dared to be open about his Iomedaean faith. The armies of Hell that House Thrune commanded were too powerful for anyone to stand up to. It wasn't really that bad, they said, if everyone just kept their heads down and stayed quiet... Lucina, of course, was having none of that. Disgusted with her parents after the long argument, she stormed up to her room, shoved a handfull of belongings into a bag, and stormed from the vira. Her parents pleaded with her not to go, but she ignored them and disappeared into the streets. Of course, as a noblewoman, she had no idea how to survive on the streets. Lucina spent a few awkward weeks slumming it, quickly losing half her possessions to unscrupulous thieves who took advantage of her naive expectations of people's goodness and honesty and very nearly getting thrown in jail by the dottari for breaking curfew or loitering laws. She was forced to wise up quite quickly in her couple of weeks of living on the streets, and probably would've gotten into some truly awful situations if not for a chance meeting of one middle-aged man by the name of Nicomede. Nic Goretti came across the young girl quite by chance one late afternoon—she'd been desperately trying to find a place to hide indoors overnight, conscious of the curfew, but all the regular places were either full or otherwise not interested in housing her tonight. Desperate, Lucina stumbled inside a worn-down tavern by the name of the Sleepy Hound and asked the barkeep if he would mind if she stayed the night. She'd clean the kitchens or something, she said—won't be any trouble, and she'll be gone by dawn the next morning. Nic had smiled at her, offered her a much-needed bath and change of clothes, and sat her down at the bar with a warm mug of mead and a meal on the house. "Tell me your story," the older man had said in a voice that was smooth like honey. "A pretty little girl like you wouldn't normally be out on the streets like this. Where's your family? You run away from home?" Perhaps it was the mead that made her talk, or the offer of such kind hospitality, but Lucina opened up to Nic, who thoughtfully and quietly listened to everything that had happened to her in the last month—her run-in with the dottari, her experience with awful tiefling thieves who very nearly assaulted her, her argument with her parents... her realisation of just how privileged she was up in the ivory tower of nobility, and just how awful it was down here on the streets of Westcrown. How her experiences had merely solidified her desire to help people and restore the city to what it must surely have once been in the past. The words just kept tumbling out of her mouth, and in the end Lucina wound up crying in the old barkeep's strong arms. He put her to bed, and in the morning, he offered her a job there at the Sleepy Hound. "You obviously need to get stuff sorted out. You'll have a bed here—small one, mind—and the work's not gonna pay too well... but I'm sure it'll be enough for now." Over the next year and a half, Lucina grew to love her time working a honest day's job at the Sleepy Hound. Some time into her work there, she realised that there was more to the place than just a simple tavern—rather, it was a hidden shrine to Cayden Cailean, and a meetingplace of those of the faith or those who would hope for liberation from the shackles of Cheliax She started to attend the small gatherings of Caydenites where Nic would tell sermons and provide some breif fun and joy in the lives of the oppressed; drinking was never her forte, though, and the ex-noble's weak constitution resulted in many a blackout and a strong hangover the next day. Though the tenets of Cayden Cailean are few, Lucina found herself identifying with the core concept of the religion: do good, enjoy life, have a drink now and then, and stand up for what you believe in. Now that she's a relatively stable member of Wiscrani society once more, and has even come to terms with her new faith in the Lucky Drunk, Lucina has started to feel her previous itchings of incredible dissatisfaction. Down here in the dregs of society, life was even worse than it was back in the high life of the Tilernos family home. Recently, she's started spreading words of dissention amongst those who come to the secretive religious meetings every week or two. For most, it's too dangerous to consider; but some have echoed her sentiment, telling rumours of some individuals who are trying to start up something similar... Lucina has begun a covert search for information, believing that a group working together could certainly affect the sort of changes she's wanted to see for many years now. Paladin of Cayden Cailean - Code of Conduct:
The paladins of Cayden Cailean are brave-hearted defenders of the weak and the disenfranchised. They throw themselves into danger to shield those who suffer the most, and tear down the chains that bind the oppressed at any cost to themselves. Their tenets include: * I will stand with those who fight for the cause of good and freedom, no matter the danger to me. My companions will never bear the weight of their chains on their own. * I will work to abolish both slavery of the body and slavery of the mind, whether it is in the form of indentured service, mind-controlling magic or substance addiction. Those who support and encourage such institutions shall be shown no quarter. * I will never abide that which disenfranchises another. There is no justice in a law that oppresses one person to benefit another, and human misery is never a worthwhile price to pay in the name of any goal. * I will never make excuses for my decisions and behaviour. I will own both the successes and failures of my actions. My life's path is my own to forge--it is not the result of heavy inebration or mere coincidence. * I will not shy away from meeting life's challenges and danger head on, but neither am I a fool who charges mindlessly into an impossible battle. A wasted beverage can never be savoured. Stat Block:
Lucina Tilernos Female human (Chelaxian) paladin of Cayden Cailean 2 CG Medium humanoid Init +5; Senses Perception -1 -------------------- DEFENSE -------------------- AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 14 (+3 armor, +4 Dex, +1 shield) hp 22 (2d10+6) Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +4 -------------------- OFFENSE -------------------- Speed 30 ft. Melee rapier +6 (1d6+1/18-20) or . . cestus +6 (1d4+1/19-20) or . . dagger +6 (1d4+1/19-20) Ranged shortbow +6 (1d6/x3) Special Attacks smite evil Spell-Like Abilities (CL 2nd; concentration +4) . . At-will—detect evil -------------------- STATISTICS -------------------- Str 12, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 14 Base Atk +2; CMB +3; CMD 17 Feats Step Up, Weapon Finesse Traits Reckless, Westcrown Firebrand Skills Acrobatics +8, Diplomacy +7, Knowledge (nobility) +4, Knowledge (religion) +4; Armor Check Penalty -2 Languages Common SQ aura of good, lay on hands Favoured Class paladin (2 hit points) -------------------- SPECIAL ABILITIES -------------------- Detect Evil (At will) (Sp) You can use detect evil at will (as the spell), or against a single target instantly as a move action. Lay On Hands (1d6, 3/day) (Su) You can heal 1d6 damage, 3/day Smite Evil (1/day) (Su) +2 to hit, +2 to damage, +2 deflection bonus to AC when used. Step Up When a foe makes a 5 ft step away from you, you can move 5 ft to follow them. Westcrown Firebrand +1 Initiative, +1 attack rolls during a surprise round. Possessions:
31 GP, 8 SP, 8 CP Rapier
Studded leather armour
Belt pouch
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