About Menedemus AultorBackground:
Menedemus was born in Goldenmeadow, a little village in the countryside, as the only child of a couple of farmers. His birth caused quite a ruckus: his mother, a perfectly normal woman married to a perfectly normal man, gave birth to a child who was born covered in scars from head to toe, as if someone slashed him while he was still in his mother's womb. This was thought to be a malformation the child was born with and, while no one luckily understood it was caused by a fiendish heritage, he was shunned by the rest of the village for his whole childhood. He wasn't old enough to understand it, but people usually talked behind his and his family back, making assumptions and false, never spoken-aloud accusations of the cause of the child appearance. His parents, too, could only look at him with a mixture of pity and unexplainable fear, never giving him the love that parents usually give to their son.
While most of the other children of the village didn't even talk to him, nonetheless Menedemus had one friend: Valeran, the son of the miller, was the only one who would play with him, and even Valeran's parents were one of the few that taught of him as only “Poor sick Menedemus”, and not some divine retribution for supposed sins his family had never committed. All that changed on that fateful night, the same night that Menedemus would have desired again and again to have been his last...
He wished he would have never awoken: he had still his life, but it turned into a living hell.
One day, a group of crusaders of Iomedae rested near the village for one night. Menedemus had heard stories about them: men and women who went to the Worldwound, to fight the monstrosities that it spawned. He saw that as the chance to redeem himself. He couldn't heal the deformities of the other. He couldn't bring Valeran back to life. But by fighting for others, maybe, he could outbalance his sins with righteous deeds. And if he would have not been able to do that, he would find in battle the end to an existence of guilt and despair...
Menedemus left, and joined guard duty in Kenabres, the city near the worldwound where he was training under the Iomedaeans. He helped keep the order and patrolled the streets day and night, night and day, giving all of himself to make the city a peaceful place( as much as a city near the Worldwound could be, at least). He became a little famous, part for the deserting of his training as a crusader, part for his singular appearance, but mostly for his seemingly continual patrols of the streets: someone even said that he didn't even need to sleep... Menedemus himself was happy of his job: he truly felt joy when he was able to help someone, and his devotion to his guard duty helped to keep grim thoughts at bay.
Appearance and Personality:
Menedemus is an extremely charming man, but his beauty is impaired by the unsettling amount of scars that run all over his body. Most of them were provoked by his Kyton heritage, but a fair amount are also from the numerous wound he suffered at the hands of the village' frequent stoning. His sleek tail, covered by spiraling scars, lashes right and left when he's distressed, something that usually happens when he's trying to force his self-doubt out of his head.
Indeed, Menedemus's scars run far more deeply than on his skin. What happened to him, his nature and his upbringing deeply influenced him: torn between the thought that he's helping people only to find respite from his guilt, he desperately struggle against the desire to end his own existence, one that the village brought him to think to be a misfortune to all that are close to him. Crunch:
Menedemus Aultor
Male Kyton-Spawn Tiefling Paladin (Hospitaler) of Vildeis 2 LG Medium outsider (native) Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +1 -------------------- Defense -------------------- AC 16, touch 10, flat-footed 16 (+6 armor) hp 23 (2d10+6) Fort +9, Ref +3, Will +5; +2 vs. death Resist cold 5, electricity 5, fire 5 -------------------- Offense -------------------- Speed 20 ft. Melee greatsword +4 (2d6+3/19-20) Special Attacks smite evil Spell-Like Abilities (CL 2nd; concentration +5) . . At will—deathwatch, detect evil -------------------- Statistics -------------------- Str 15, Dex 10, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 9, Cha 16 Base Atk +2; CMB +4; CMD 14 Feats Fey Foundling Traits sacred conduit, suicidal Skills Diplomacy +8, Escape Artist -2, Intimidate +5, Knowledge (planes) +2, Knowledge (religion) +5, Perception +1 Languages Abyssal, Common, Infernal SQ tiefling paladin, aura of good, lay on hands Combat Gear potion of cure light wounds (2), potion of restoration, lesser; Other Gear breastplate, greatsword, backpack, bedroll, waterskin, 75 gp, 9 sp -------------------- Special Abilities -------------------- +2 when using Lay on hands for yourself. Add +1 to the amount of damage the paladin heals with lay on hands, but only when the paladin uses that ability on herself. Aura of Good (Ex) The paladin has an Aura of Good with power equal to her class level. Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only). Detect Evil (At will) (Sp) You can use detect evil at will (as the spell). Energy Resistance, Cold (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Cold attacks. Energy Resistance, Electricity (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Electricity attacks. Energy Resistance, Fire (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Fire attacks. Fey Foundling Magical healing works better on you Lay on Hands (1d6, 4/day) (Su) You can heal 1d6 damage, 4/day Smite Evil (1/day) (Su) +3 to hit, +2 to damage, +3 deflection bonus to AC when used. Suicidal (1/day) Shame and horror fill your subconscious, and you never stop looking for ways to grant yourself the peace of the grave. Once per day, as an immediate action, you can make yourself the target of any attack originally directed against a creature occupyi Slice of Life:
Sarah the midwife wept the sweat off her forehead as she went to take some air. The labour was long, but Annah's son, Meniv, was an healthy boy. She stopped to look at the starts, when she heard a cluttering of armor coming from down the street. She didn't even need to turn her eyes away from the sky, as there could be only one person walking the streets in breastplate at that time of the night. "Good evening, Menedemus"
"Good evening, Miss Sarah." the tiefling greeted in return with a very faint smile. "Is Annah all right? Is it a boy or a girl?" Menedemus asked. "Boy. Meniv, she called him. Oh, and she and Levran,her husband, would like to thank you for what you did before: it all happened so fast, but you brought her here on that carriage as fast as possible." she laughed, remembering the scene from some hours before. "Only duty, miss. There was a pregnant woman and a child who was about to be born, and her husband wasn't at home at the moment. I only did what everyone would have done. Now I'm sorry, but I have to continue my pat..." "Now come on!" the woman interrupted him with a smile "Enter and have a cup of tea. You ought to rest, too, I presume? Or are the rumors that you don't sleep are true?" she added with a laugh. "They are" the tiefling responded as he looked at her with rings under his eyes. "What, dear?" she managed to say, puzzled. Menedemus turned his gaze away, up to the stars. "It's... I can't sleep. Every time I'm about to pass out, there's like...a voice, that tells me that what I'm doing it's not enough, that I should be doing way more. As soon as I lay down to rest, as soon as I close my eyes, I start thinking of what I could be doing. There are so much people that could need my help. How can I have the right to sleep, while others are struggling, or suffering? How can I bear the guilt of not doing anything?" He stopped for a second, almost on the verge of tears. "I...I'm sorry, Miss Sarah. I have to go." and he left without saying another word. Sarah watched as he disappeared in the dark of the night, and sighed "Poor child, he's suffering so much. I hope he learns to take care of himself, too." Paladin Code(Still to be used):
By Mikaze |
