Seka of the Silver Wings's page

Devout Pilgrim

While most clerics are associated with a particular temple, adventuring clerics spend much of their time away from their favored place of worship, and there are those who worship primarily on the road and during the journey. These clerics see the act of travel and the arrival at sites sacred to their religion as valuable, and perhaps more so than time spent sequestered inside a church. These pilgrims love to travel, typically on foot or with caravans.

A devout pilgrim has the following class features.

Fortunate Road

At 1st level, a devout pilgrim must select the Chaos, Community, Liberation, Luck, Travel, or Weather domain (or the Exploration, Fate, Freedom, Trade, or Seasons subdomains if available in the campaign) as one of her domains. If the cleric worships a deity that doesn’t normally grant one of these domains, she gains access to this domain but can only pick this one domain—she effectively loses the option to pick a second domain. As a result, very few clerics who worship deities who don’t grant access to one of the domains or subdomains listed above opt to become devout pilgrims. In all other respects, this works like and replaces the standard cleric’s domain ability.

Caravan Bond (Su)

At 1st level, by leading a group prayer for 1 minute, a devout pilgrim can select a number of traveling companions equal to her cleric level + her Wisdom bonus 1+3=(4). She may use her domain-granted powers on any of these traveling companions as if they were her. She can use these abilities on her traveling companions at a range of up to 30 feet, even if the ability normally requires her touch.

This ability replaces the cleric’s proficiency with medium armor and shields—she retains proficiency with light armor only.

Blessing of the Harrow (Su)

At 8th level, once per day the pilgrim may perform a harrowing for herself or another creature. This is otherwise identical to the blessing of the harrow from the harrower prestige class.

This replaces an 8th-level domain power of the devout pilgrim’s choice.

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Luck Domain

Granted Powers: You are infused with luck, and your mere presence can spread good fortune.

Bit of Luck (Sp): You can touch a willing creature as a standard action, giving it a bit of luck. For the next round, any time the target rolls a d20, he may roll twice and take the more favorable result. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier (7 times a day).

Good Fortune (Ex): At 6th level, as an immediate action, you can reroll any one d20 roll you have just made before the results of the roll are revealed. You must take the result of the reroll, even if it's worse than the original roll. You can use this ability once per day at 6th level, and one additional time per day for every six cleric levels beyond 6th.

Domain Spells: 1st—true strike, 2nd—aid, 3rd—protection from energy, 4th—freedom of movement, 5th—break enchantment, 6th—mislead, 7th—spell turning, 8th—moment of prescience, 9th—miracle.

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Travel Domain

Granted Powers: You are an explorer and find enlightenment in the simple joy of travel, be it by foot or conveyance or magic. Increase your base speed by 10 feet.

Agile Feet (Su): As a free action, you can gain increased mobility for 1 round. For the next round, you ignore all difficult terrain and do not take any penalties for moving through it. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier (3+4=7).

Dimensional Hop (Sp): At 8th level, you can teleport up to 10 feet per cleric level per day as a move action. This teleportation must be used in 5-foot increments and such movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity. You must have line of sight to your destination to use this ability. You can bring other willing creatures with you, but you must expend an equal amount of distance for each creature brought.

Domain Spells: 1st—longstrider, 2nd—locate object, 3rd—fly, 4th—dimension door, 5th—teleport, 6th—find the path, 7th—teleport (greater), 8th—phase door, 9th—astral projection.

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The world had started changing before she was born. Her birth parents, father Jarrek and mother Talen Woodarr, lived in what was once known as the River Kingdoms. They had been bandits; outlaws who broke away from their bandit lord and tried their hand at honest farming. But Jarrek drank and gambled too much and Talen did not know possess a mother’s heart or touch. Seka’s birth was not a happy event for the couple. When the bairn came, she was so fair, with silver wisps of hair on her head, soft, delicate silver brows, opal coloured eyes and nails that resembled tiny talons. Jarrek proclaimed himself a cuckold for how else could such a strange, otherworldly child be born to human parents. He branded Talen an adulteress and vowed never to love or care for the bairn. Talen swore she had not lain with another, yet Jarrek did not believe her.

As the child grew, she had such beauty and grace, yet dominant avian features – a sharper nose, long talons, and silver feathers began to grow around her hairline and sprout from her shoulders. Just out of childhood, Seka developed small, shimmering silver wings – she could not fly, they were simply a physical reminder of her mysterious bloodline. That was the final straw for Jarrek and he demanded the girl be thrown out or both she and Talen would have to go. A band of roaming druids passed by soon thereafter and the Woodarrs’ gave their only child to them without so much as a tear or goodbye. The druids could sense the girl’s distinction and potential. The Druid Elder, Geron, took Seka under his wing, raised her and began to teach her the ways of the wilds.

Seka roamed with them and developed a taste for it. It was then, that the wilds began to truly and steadily reclaim the lands developed into towns and cities – the civilised sectors. Something in the natural world was changing and quickly – spreading across the land until only pockets of civilisation remained. The roaming druids, of which Seka was now a part of, continued to guard and protect the wilds as best as they could while looking into the reasons for the reclamation. They believed something had unsettled the balance and turned the tides. Seka, now fully grown, began to develop her natural power over air. She found she could bend to her will lightning, mist and wind, call upon the air creatures and possessed a particular resistance to electricity. Her affinity with air had been with her since childhood and she could only attest to the kinship based on her blood.

Seka had crossed paths with a travelling, scholarly priestess named Tulla, who remarked upon her noble Garuda bloodline. It was finally then she uncovered her true celestial heritage and that it could lie dormant for generations – Her birth parents had been wrong – she was theirs, but a simple twist of fate had provided two common thieves with a greater child. Seka did not think much of Jarrek and Talen in the years after she was expelled her from her home and family. One of the roaming druids brought word to her that her birth parents were dead – a fire had broken out in their cottage and turned all to ash and some bone fragments. Seka did not feel sad upon the news for they meant noting to her. They had never been kind, loving or protective as parents should be. They simply sought her gone and now they were gone. That was when she formally dropped their family name and took the mantle Seka of the Silver Wings.

Seka enjoyed travelling and seeing the world, acting as messenger or scout for the druid circles still protecting the wilds and all within. In times of need, she would rush in, impulsive and determined as it was in her very nature to act thusly. Seka learned more about the wildlands and how to interact with the land and its inhabitants with a greater ease. At this time, she crossed paths with a Human male - tall, dark of hair, deep blue of eye - a ranger named Jaxon. It was not long before they were lovers. It was passionate and thrilling, but soon Seka felt stuck/chained and told him she would leave with the next travelling druid flock to roam and seek again.

When Seka was sixty eight years old, she arrived alone at the newly established port city of Greywater Hollow, located in what used to be Varisia. There was a need for druids as there were troubles and dangers in this sanctuary city or outside its very walls in the fast encroaching wilds. She had a purpose, here.

Ten Minute Background
Step 1: Write five things about your character’s concept and background, five things that you think are the most essential parts of your character. You don’t have to stop at five, if you like…this is just a minimum.

1. Seka depends only on herself. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t let people in or distrusts them wholly, but she has wandered and lived on her for some time and it can colour a person.
2. She was cast aside by her birth parents at puberty and given to roaming druids to raise and teach.
3. Ever since she was young, Seka has felt a natural affinity with nature/and the air, believing it was something in her blood.
4. Seka still sees herself as guardian over the wilds/nature and intermediary between civilisation and the wilds.
5. She believes people have forgotten the old, simple ways of living and are now reaping what they’ve sowed (via some major transgression) as the wilds have claimed dominance over the world.
6. She is of two worlds: the natural wilds and cloistered civilisation and serves as protector and educator. In times such as these, where the wilds have conquered most of civilisation, she must remain true to her purpose and continue to serve and protect and forge a new understanding. And discover the reasons for this change.

Step 2: List two goals for the character that you, as a player, think would be cool to see accomplished in-game. During any session in which you take positive action to achieve that goal, I will award you an action point that can only be used in scenes furthering that goal. These Action Points are separate from the action points you gain by resting and reaching milestones. You can change goals later, though you lose all the accumulated Action Points for the goal you abandoned.

1. Preserve the delicate balance between nature and people/civilisation, where one does not have dominance over the other.
2. Discover why the connection to the gods is diminishing.
3. Settle down somewhere – put down real roots and create a place to call home and build a family. (Additional goal)

Step 3: List two secrets about your character. One is a secret the character knows, one is a secret that involves her but that she is not actually aware of yet. This will help me in creating plots that center around your character. I will also be creating a third secret which you as a player will not be aware of, so expect some surprises!

1. Secret she knows: Seka is personable enough, but she doesn’t really like all people – preferring the wilds and animals over people. She puts on a good face when dealing with people and their foibles, machinations and vices.

2. Secret which involves her, but she is unaware of: Her birth father, Jarrek, is still alive, aged (but not as much as one would expect for a man of his age). Still, he is as nasty/vindictive as ever and would try to find a way to put down his only offspring whom he considers a bastard born from his wife’s infidelity (but the truth is she is his child but an offshoot of some celestial ancestor).

Step 4: Describe three people that are tied to the character though blood, romance or honor. Two of them are friendly to the character, one is hostile. All can do something useful for you, if you can get the situations to line up. If you like, you can include an enemy of yours here as well, so I have an instant NPC nemesis to throw at you.

1. Friendly/Romance: A past lover, Jaxon. Jaxon still loves and admires Seka even though she could not commit to him and left him. He remains her friend and she his.
2. Friendly/Colleague: Druid Elder, Geron. Geron still keeps an eye on Seka, even from a distance via other druids and messengers. She is his student but also his adopted daughter.
3. Hostile/Blood: Birth Father, Jarrek. Jarrek is in hiding - he killed his wife, Talen, and torched the family home. He has always hated Seka for what she represented (still believing that she is not his child but another's) and would remove her as he did Talen.

Step 5: Describe three memories that your character has. They don't have to be elaborate, but they should provide some context and flavor.

1. Being rejected by her birth parents because of her physical differences to them. “You made me cuckold. You lay with some bird man. Then you force upon me this creature - his bastard. I would rather kill it now than let it grow.”
2. Finding out her celestial heritage from a travelling priestess, Tulla. ”You have the blood of the noble Garuda flowing through your veins. Embrace your celestial heritage and find your true place in this life.”
3. Losing her lover, Jaxon. ”You will outlive us humans, so in the end you push us away. So, in the end, you are all alone and it suits you well, even though you are loved.”

* Seka has taken possession of the purple glass-like shard Ikkit found near the swamp/river. Description of shard: The outer part of the shard is smooth and rounded. It feels odd in the hand, almost dangerous. It feels as if it's throbbing in your grip. She's also taken possession of the shard pieces from the sphere which raised the dead in the castle ruins. There is a voice that comes from those shards and speaks/whispers into the mind of the handler/possessor. (The purple shard was a piece of the sphere/orb found on the pedestal in the castle ruin of the Thief King.)

* Seka has taken possession of the shards of the corrupted holy blade (it was crafted to eat the souls of those slain by it and to fight demons, devils and other fell monsters. The power of the blade became corrupted and in turn its wielder). Targan has the shards of the other blade (evil blade) crafted to destroy the first one. (With time, both blades faded into legend.)