Revekka Verusya's page

About Revekka Verusya

Female human (jadwiga) witch (ley line guardian) 1
NG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +2; Senses Perception +1

DEFENSE

AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 natural)
hp 11 (1d6+5)
Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +3

OFFENSE

Spd 30 ft.
Melee dagger -1 (1d4-1/19-20)
Ranged dagger +2 (1d4-1/19-20)
Special Attacks hexes (conduit surge [5/day])
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 1st; concentration +2)
Constant - endure elements
1/day - prestidigitation (DC 11)
Witch Spells Known (CL 1st; concentration +4)
1st (4/day) - burning hands (DC 14), cure light wounds
0 (at will) - detect magic, resistance, spark (DC 13), stabilize
Patron Healing

TACTICS

Before Combat Revekka always begins her day by placing an iceplant hex on herself to ward off the summer heat of Taldor (or the wintry cold of Irrisen). The hex also has the added benefit of hardening her frail body against weapons and other dangers.
During Combat Revekka knows better than to fight toe-to-toe against anyone, and relies on her hexes, spells, and alchemical weapons to hinder or frighten away her opponents. Ideally, she always seeks out a stronger protector which she can aid with timely healing magic to win a battle together. She uses her dagger only as a last resort.
Morale Revekka has a heart of gold and goes out of her way to save others from danger. She refuses to leave anyone behind, either aiding their escape and survival with her magic, or negotiating for their shared safety in the event of surrender.

STATISTICS

Str 8, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 12
Base Atk +0; CMB -1; CMD 11
Feats Extra Hex, Toughness
Traits Affable, Failed Winter Witch Apprentice, Magical Talent
Drawbacks Attached
Skills Craft (alchemy) +7, Diplomacy +5 (+7 to gather information), Heal +5, Knowledge (arcana) +8, Knowledge (local) +7, Knowledge (planes) +7, Spellcraft +7 (+8 to identify spells or magical effects with the cold descriptor), Use Magic Device +5
Languages Aklo, Common, Draconic, Skald, Sylvan
SQ hexes (iceplant [+2 natural armor, constant endure elements), ley line powered
Combat Gear acid (2), alchemist’s fire (2)
Other Gear dagger, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, everburning torch, spell component pouch, trail rations (5 days), traveler’s outfit, waterskin, whetstone, 45 gp, 3 sp, 8 cp.

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Affable (Ex) People find Revekka trustworthy, and often prove willing to share information with her. She gains a +2 trait bonus on Diplomacy checks to gather information, and can do so in half the normal time. In addition, Diplomacy and Knowledge (local) are always class skills for her.
Attached (Ex) Revekka has a strong emotional attachment to a family heirloom that she's terrified of losing. The GM chooses the object of the attachment. Whenever the heirloom is either threatened, in danger, or in someone else’s possession, she takes a –1 penalty on Will saves and a –2 penalty on saves against fear effects. If the object is ever lost or destroyed, exchange this drawback for the Doubt drawback.
Conduit Surge (Su) At 1st level, a ley line guardian is adept at channeling energy from ley lines to enhance her own spells. As a swift action, Revekka can increase her effective caster level for the next spell she casts in that round by 1d4–1 levels. After performing a conduit surge, she must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC = 10 + level of spell cast + number of additional caster levels granted) or become staggered for a number of minutes equal to the level of the spell cast. At 8th level, the caster level increase becomes 1d4. Revekka can use this ability up to 4 times per day (3 + her Charisma modifier). This ability replaces familiar and the hexes gained at 1st and 8th levels.
Failed Winter Witch Apprentice (Ex) - As a child, Revekka was apprenticed as a winter witch in the frozen north, but did not complete her training. After disagreeing with the politics of the white witches, she had an altercation with one of her teachers and left their ranks to travel south. Continuing her training on her own, Revekka still retains knowledge of witchcraft and the magic of the icy north. She gains a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (arcana) and Spellcraft checks to identify spells or magical effects with the cold descriptor. In addition, she gains Skald as a bonus language.
Ley Line Powered (Su) - A ley line guardian is a spontaneous spellcaster. Instead of preparing her spells each day, Revekka draws her power directly from ley lines. She knows the same number of spells and receives the same number of spell slots per day as a sorcerer of her witch level. Bonus spells granted by her patron are added to her total spells known at the appropriate levels. This ability alters the witch's spellcasting.
Magical Talent (Sp) - In an effort to turn away from the witchcraft of the White Witches of Irrisen, Revekka obsessively studied strange arcane tomes for several years and eventually mastered the use of the prestidigitation cantrip. She may cast that spell once per day as a spell-like ability at her highest caster level gained. The save DC is Charisma-based.

BACKGROUND
Revekka Verusya came of age in the very capital of Irrisen, the ice-walled city of Whitethrone. She was born to a pair of laborers and servants to the ruling class, though her mother always claimed the Verusya line could trace its heritage all the way back to the first queen of Irrisen, Jadwiga, the daughter of Baba Yaga. Even so, the history and politics of the White Witches were often lost on Revekka in her early years, but when she turned 15, she began to develop signs of an inborn, arcane talent. This discovery was initially assumed be some kind of latent sorcery, perhaps from a fey or elemental bloodline that intermixed with her family long ago. But, a visiting apprentice to a winter witch deemed otherwise when he took time to speak with Revekka and test her ability with crafting hexes, as well. He took that information back to his mistress who subsequently had her parents send her to study under the White Witches.

The next several years of training took a toll on Revekka. She missed her family terribly, but knew that stealing away to see them again would result in the harshest punishment...not just for her, but for her loved ones, as well. Even more vexing, her talents seemed ill-suited for the ways of the winter witches. Her power continued to be drawn from elsewhere...as if she could feel the lines of magic that criss-crossed Golarion and call upon them as needed...but the wintry cold magic of Irrisen proved beyond her ability to perform. She also found it impossible to bond with a familiar, though she cared deeply for animals of all kinds, and never had to commune with one to prepare her spells. But, perhaps most importantly, she rejected the cruelty and cold calculations of the true jadwiga who ruled in Whitethrone. She could never see herself as a White Witch while staying true to the beliefs her parents instilled in her.

Nearing the point where Revekka knew her failings would lead to terrible retribution from the White Witch who invested so much time in her, she decided to abandon her training and depart Irrisen at great risk to herself. Slipping away from the tower of her mistress, she visited her parents' home only briefly to leave them a note and claim a cherished heirloom to take with her to remember them by. From there, she bartered passage downriver thru the ice flows until she could reach the border towns to the south. With each step into the warmer regions, she knew she'd made the best decision for herself, but a gnawing doubt always stayed in the back of her mind that the White Witches might come looking for her.

As a result, Revekka always used her witchcraft sparingly...typically, only to defend herself or help someone in need. Her inborn talents were best suited to healing the injured, though she also made time to practice fire magic as a powerful defense against any winter witch she might encounter. Even so, she feared that using such power too often might draw unwanted attention and word might somehow get back to her mistress of her whereabouts. Thankfully, her path crossed that of a kindly old wizard named Valis who sensed the nature of both her arcane talents and her plight. He offered her a position as a servant in his own school of magic, where he could shelter her from prying eyes inside the abjurations protecting the school grounds. She gratefully accepted his offer, and her years there have become some of the happiest times of her life. When free of her duties, she could read as many books as she liked in the school library, including arcane tomes to better understand the differences between wizardry and witchcraft. Some of the writings were penned by Valis himself, and over time, she came to the conclusion he had encountered the White Witches of Irrisen before, possibly even countering their schemes, though he would say little of how he knew so much about their culture. Instead, he kept her employed as a school nurse, of sorts, seeing to the minor injuries or ailments of his students.

More recently, Valis has even asked Revekka to take a more active role in the school, occasionally helping teach a small class on witchcraft and hexes to help his students expand their curriculum. In addition, Valis sometimes sends her on errands to gather reagents or collect fees for his services as a sage and arcane counselor to the lords and ladies of southern Taldor. At such times, he makes sure she's protected against scrying in case the northern witches are still looking for her. And, he's also asked for her to gather information on anything suspicious that might herald another of their schemes. Her most recent mission brought her to the tiny town of Heldren where an unusual winter has settled over the nearby Border Wood and Revekka has sought to investigate it in case it has an arcane origin drawn from Irrisen.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Like many jadwiga of Irrisen, Revekka has sky-blue eyes and a pale complexion that sunburns easily in the southlands. She wears her long, platinum-blonde hair pinned up with multiple tortoise-shell combs, and two long tresses hang free to frame her face. At 23 years old, she stands 5'6" and weighs 130 pounds with a lean physique and soft quality to her appearance. She dresses in a northern traveler's outfit with wool-lined boots, dark blue breeches, and a light purple tunic with a stylistically high collar. A sturdy belt draws the tunic tight around her narrow waist, and several pouches and a sheathed dagger hangs from it. She often adds a light gray cloak to her ensemble with a hood she rarely draws over her head unless she's trying to avoid notice.

PERSONALITY
Revekka has a genial personality and makes a point of befriending and helping people wherever she goes. In her travels, she stops to aid others, tell interesting stories, and often buys rounds of drinks for patrons at the local taverns. She brings good cheer to those she encounters, and for this reason, she often finds herself attending important events or fruitful gatherings, and has even become an honorary member of many families in Taldor, despite keeping her past life as a witch of Irrisen secret from everyone.