Rafikki's page

About Rafikki

Rafikki is a Rainkin, a jungle half-orc from the Mwangi Expanse. His skin is a deep olive tone and his hair black & wiry. His body is lean, his arms seem unnaturally long for his smaller stature. He has a single working eye, the other clenched closed to protect the empty socket. He wears a leather cuirass and bracers onto which have been sewn rows of bones. Over his shoulder is a falchion. He carries a spear carved with animal skulls and adorned with feathers. His movement and mannerisms are distinctly ape-like.

Rafikki was born in the Mwangi Expanse. The womenfolk of his tribe would voluntarily breed with the orcs of the jungle in order to strengthen the collective bloodline. While still an adolescent he was captured and enslaved by the minions of Ruthazek, the Gorilla King. Although horribly mistreated he managed to survive and grow stronger. Rafikki learned the ways of the charu-ka and how to blend in to avoid drawing attention. Years of captivity followed. While Ruthazek and his followers worshiped the demonlord Angazhan, many of the slaves rejected the patron of their masters. The other humanoid slaves taught Rafikki of Lamashtu, the Mother of Monsters. They held secret rituals under the noses of their charu-ka masters. To demonstrate his devotion, Rafikki put out his own left eye (Deadeye trait). As a reward Lamashtu has granted him profane power (Mother's Rage trait).

Rafikki eventually escaped from the Gorilla King's clutches and made his way back home, only to find his village empty of life. There were signs of a recent battle, but no bodies--only bloodstains and a trail that ended at the river. He had almost no leads to follow, his life seemed without purpose. Wandering the jungle, Rafikki searched for any trace of his missing people. He was hired on several occasions as a guide, porter and interpreter by foreign agencies. Once when working for the Aspis Consortium he was betrayed. Rather than pay him for his work, he was set upon and left for dead. He learned to be very cautious about who he turned his back on.

While acting as a guide for a Pathfinder Society expedition Rafikki was ambushed by a pack of deinonychus and would have died save for the intervention of the Society agents. A cleric of Nethys restored his health. Later, after entering a deep cave the expedition was overcome by ulat-kini. Rafikki was able to escape due to his climbing skills. He later returned and retrieved the body of the same cleric who came to his aid. After a week of travail Rafikki was able to make contact with the Society and inform them of the disaster. When the cleric, Khalilah, was raised from the dead, Rafikki revealed his real motive. He demanded payment for his services! She was the only one who could vouch for the work he did for the Society. The cleric countered with an offer--work for the Pathfinder Society as a field agent. Rafikki refused. He did not believe the Society could offer him anything he was interested in besides payment for three weeks of trailblazing.

He returned to the Mwangi Expanse to look for any trace of his vanished kin. He heard rumors the Aspis Consortium had raided jungle villages for slaves in the past. This brought him to Bloodcove, an Aspis Consortium stronghold in the western reaches of the Expanse. Discovering more about the Consortium's slaving activities put Rafikki out of his depth. He knew not the ways of skulking or bluffing his way into locked offices. Although it galled him, he once again took work with the treacherous Consortium. In time he was able to suss out that a large consignment of slaves was shipped from Bloodcove to the markets of Sothis in Osirion. Unfortunately his interest in the matter brought him to the attention of a Consortium guard who recognized Rafikki. This same man was responsible for the attempt on Rafikki's life several years earlier. In order to keep his cover, Rafikki murdered the guard but was forced to flee when the alarm was raised. Rafikki was now a known enemy of the Aspis Consortium. He could never show his face in Bloodcove again.

For the first time in his life, Rafikki left the Mwangi Expanse in order to travel to Sothis in search of his people. The trail was cold, but the embers of hope still glowed in his heart. He foundered around Sothis in a stupor, overwhelmed by the crush of humanity around him. He was confused by the alien laws and customs. To this day Rafikki remains embittered against cityfolk for the humiliations he suffered. He was also bilked out of his money by con-men who claimed they knew where the slaves he was seeking had been taken. The false leads only took Rafikki to dead-end after dead-end. When he retaliated with violence against those who cheated him he found himself imprisoned, a sentence pending of hard labor.

At the end of his rope, he grudgingly reached out to the only person he trusted in Osirion. For once he was lucky; Khalilah of Nethys was in residence at the Sothis Lodge and she visited him in prison. She listened to his story and offered him a chance at freedom if he agreed to serve the Pathfinder Society. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but she reminded him of the alternative. A couple of days later at his sentencing Amenopheus appeared to speak on his behalf. Rafikki was released to the Pathfinder Society. Before being transported to Absalom for training, the Sapphire Sage told Rafikki that he must put his family matters behind him. If his kin were not yet dead, they would be before he ever found them. The Society would be his family now, and Osirion was where his loyalties must lie. Rafikki greatly disliked Amenopheus but he held his tongue, for he knew that if he spoke his mind he would be back in a reeking prison.

Rafikki is quiet and withdrawn in most social situations. He does not like cities or the mixture of law and chaos that infuses what others call 'civilization'. He tends to get angered by anyone who points out his naïvety, and can be explosively angry if ridiculed. He tries not to put himself in that position, happily allowing others to talk while imagining choking the life out of them. He sometimes has been complimented for being 'such a good listener'. He has never given up on finding his family, despite what Amenopheus told him.

He sees the Pathfinder Society as a shield against the civilized world that otherwise would try to cage him like an animal. A few of his companions have earned his trust with their deeds, but overall he feels scorn for most of the Society. He hopes to locate the Diamond Sage in order to hold it over Amenopheus so he can get the Society to track down his missing family. He performs missions apathetically except for when there are opportunities to maim or kill without consequence.

His current companion is a mandrill named Mdengue, a scarred male who was defeated by a young rival and driven from his harem of mates. They are both outcasts without a place to call home.