Morrigahn's page

My name is Morrigahn…. And I was once a witch of Irrisen, but no longer.

I was born some twenty-eight years ago upon the summer solstice, a day either greatly auspicious or one of ill omen, depending on whether you were from the peasantry or the ruling class. I was the third daughter to a family in the latter group, and because of this superstition, my parents always told others that I was born the day after. I likely only know the truth because my older sister once confided it to me.

As is the custom amongst some of the Jadwiga, I was given into the ‘care’ of a coven to be raised and taught the ways of magic. The coven gained in me an apprentice which could be molded and shaped as it saw fit. What my family gained from the arrangement, I do not know. It may be best that I never do.

Life in the coven was very…. disagreeable. I do not believe all witches to be evil, in truth I know it is not so - but for Lydilia, head of my coven, there is simply no other word to describe her. She was hateful, vindictive, vile, and above all cruel. Things soured greatly between us one day when a slave spilled wine upon Lydilia’s ermine coat.

As punishment for her, and good ‘practice’ and ‘hardening’ for me, I was to follow her around, repeatedly hexing her and bringing misfortune upon her. Whenever she failed or made a mistake at a task or duty, she was then punished. This I did for a day and a half, until at last I would stand it no longer and defied the witch.

The results were considerably less than pleasant. Yet it was one of life’s many lessons. I believe it was that event that first opened my eyes to the reality of the world I lived in. The nature of power, and its use and its abuse over others. My hands crossed unlikely paths with a book, a philosophical work from Andoran which would likely be labeled subversive in most places. I began to see and to notice the plight of the Ulfen around me, how, whether slave or free alike, they were treated as chattel, their lives farmed for the gain and power of the elite. It sickened me, and I unwisely began to react to that sickness. I spoke out against what I saw, and I was declared ‘disloyal’.

I was seized and exiled by my own coven; a ritual stripping me of my power and leaving me literally as helpless the commoner I defended (or so it felt) was performed and I was exiled. I suppose I should be thankful. Death is a more common result of my ‘crimes’. So it was, that I lost my name, my title, and most hurtful, my abilities and strength of power which I had spent years crafting under the tutelage of the witches.

I wandered for some time until, about seven months or so ago, I happened to cross paths with a gentleman with ties to Liberty’s Edge. After hearing some of my story, he seemed intrigued and we began speaking at great length. He indicated there may be a place and undertaking perhaps suitable for one such as I.

At his direction, I booked a spot with a caravan heading in the direction I was to go, as that was and is likely the safest means of travel for a woman alone. It was as I was traveling with this group that my life took its latest unexpected turn. I woke one morning to see an odd little lizard perched on my chest and staring intently at me. It gave me quite the fright! Not the least that it was a creature I was at the time quite unfamiliar with, as they do not live in my homeland. I brushed it off me and headfirst into a patch of grass with a nearby stick, then rose to prepare for the day. A few minutes later I noticed it again, watching me, and again, and so on throughout the day. No matter what I did, it would always return.

The next morning, I awoke to the same sight: that of the lizard staring down at my face as it sat atop me. This time I could swear I felt whisperings at the edge of my mind… that and something else. I felt stronger, more… whole. Like some part of what I had lost in that ritual was slowly seeping back into me. Strangely, it always feels strongest when the creature was within reach.

It was the fourth day after this began that I met Jarx, and since I am not at all sure what to make of him. We came across him lying beside the trail, he appeared wounded. I insisted we stop and tend to him.
He has proven a friendly fellow, and a surprisingly good company on the road. At times he is brilliant and surprisingly knowledgeable, explaining the arcane in ways I never thought of before. I told him my suspicions regarding my own power, and together we worked, the lizard perched on my shoulder, until I could coax a spell from my fingertips. A spell! It was very different than what I could do before, but still! I have since grown considerably. My power is indeed tied to my mysterious morning lizard. It is similar to the relationship of a witch and her familiar, though I believe the spirit behind my own is of a different sort than those found in Irissen.

As I said, at times Jarx is brilliant. At other times, I am convinced he is mad.

Yes, quite mad. Today one of the teamsters with the caravan was smiling and making idle chit chat with me when the little wizard broke in, pointing his claw at the poor man and lecturing him about staying with his own kind and leaving his daughter alone – that if he caught the boy sniffing around again, he’d turn him into a cricket and eat him. Puzzled and taken off guard, it took me some moments to realize that I was being ‘defended’. I shot the poor boy an apologetic look and a shrug and stared bemused and nonplussed as Jarx stood there between the two of us, hands on hips and glaring ominously as he watched to ensure his warnings were heeded. What oh what had I gotten myself into?

The consensus is that we should reach our destination in four or five days depending on weather. And then? Well we shall see what else fate has in store for us.

Note for DM: Unbeknownst to either Morrighan or Jarx, Morri's spirit animal is actually tied to the spirit of one of Jarx's original family, now deceased - the exact manner of this connection I'll leave to you and/or Jarx to do with as you see fit. While neither Jarx or Morrigahn understands the truth, some subconscious part of Jarx nonetheless senses something of his lost past about Morrigahn, which is why he has latched onto Morrighan as he has, even now in his addled state, going so far as to confuse her as being one of his brood.

A shaman casts divine spells drawn from the shaman spell list. A shaman must choose and prepare her spells in advance.
To prepare or cast a spell, a shaman must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell's level. The saving throw DC against a shaman's spell is 10 + the spell's level + the shaman's Wisdom modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a shaman can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given onTable: Shaman. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Wisdom score.
Shamans commune with their spirit animals to prepare their spells. Each shaman must choose a time when she must spend 1 hour each day in quiet contemplation with her spirit animal to regain her daily allotment of spells. A shaman can prepare and cast any spell on the shaman spell list, provided that she can cast spells of that level, but she must choose which spells to prepare during her daily communion.

A shaman forms a mystical bond with the spirits of the world. She forms a lasting bond with a single spirit, which grants a number of abilities and defines many of her other class features.
At 1st level, a shaman gains the spirit ability granted by her chosen spirit. She adds the spells granted by that spirit to the list of spells that she can cast using spirit magic. She also adds the hexes possessed by that spirit to the list of hexes that she can use with the hex and wandering hex class features.
At 8th level, the shaman gains the abilities listed in the greater version of her selected spirit. At 16th level, the shaman gains the abilities listed for the true version of her selected spirit.
If the shaman takes levels in another class that grants a mystery (such as the oracle), the spirit and mystery must match, even if that means one of them must change. Subject to GM discretion, the shaman can change her former mystery or spirit to make them conform.

At 1st level, a shaman forms a close bond with a spirit animal tied to her chosen spirit. This animal is her conduit to the spirit world, guiding her along the path to enlightenment. The animal also aids a shaman by granting her a special ability. A shaman must commune with her spirit animal each day to prepare her spells. While the spirit animal does not store the spells like a witch's familiar does, the spirit animal serves as her conduit to divine power. If a shaman's spirit animal is slain, she cannot prepare new spells or use her spirit magic class feature until the spirit animal is replaced.
Spirit Animal
By communing with the incredible powers of her spirit, the shaman forges a cherished bond with one specific servant of that spirit—known as a spirit animal. A spirit animal is a creature chosen by a shaman to serve as a conduit, allowing her to more fully access the magic of her spirit on a daily basis. The shaman's spirit animal also grants her special powers. This ability uses the same rules as the wizard's arcane bond class feature and is treated as a familiar, except as noted below.
A shaman uses her level as her effective wizard level when determining the abilities of her spirit animal. A shaman can select any familiar available to wizards to serve as her spirit animal, although her spirit animal is augmented by the power of her chosen spirit. Once selected, the spirit animal cannot be changed. Although a shaman's spirit animal uses the statistics of a specific animal, it is treated as an outsider with the native subtype for the purposes of spells and abilities that affect it.
Levels of different classes that are entitled to familiars stack with shaman levels for the purpose of determining any spirit animal abilities that depend on the shaman's level. If a shaman possesses such levels in other classes, her spirit animal always uses the shaman rules for spirit animals, not those used by familiars of other classes (such as witches, wizards, or sorcerers with the arcane bloodline). If the shaman has witch levels, her spirit animal also serves as the conduit to her patron and stores her witch spells. The shaman's spirit animal is treated as a familiar for the purposes of all spells, effects, and abilities that affect familiars.
If a spirit animal is lost or dies, it can be replaced after 24 hours through a special ritual that consumes material components worth 500 gp per shaman level. The ritual takes 8 hours to complete. The new spirit animal must be of the same sort of creature as the previous one.

A shaman can spontaneously cast a limited number of spells per day beyond those she prepared ahead of time. She has one spell slot per day of each shaman spell level she can cast, not including orisons. She can choose these spells from the list of spells granted by her spirits (see the spirit class feature and the wandering spirit class feature) at the time she casts them. She can enhance these spells using any metamagic feat that she knows, using up a higher-level spell slot as required by the feat and increasing the time to cast the spell (see Spontaneous Casting andMetamagic Feats).

Monstrous Insight (Su): The shaman can identify creatures and gain insight into their strengths and weaknesses. As a standard action, the shaman can attempt a Knowledge skill check to identify a creature and its abilities (using the appropriate skill for the monster's type) with an insight bonus equal to her shaman level. Whether or not the check is successful, she also gains a +2 insight bonus for 1 minute on attack rolls made against that creature and a +2 insight bonus to her AC against attacks made by that creature. These bonuses last for 1 minute. The shaman can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier.