Selka Widowknife's page

Selka Widowknife
N Medium Humanoid (Human)
Druid (Feyspeaker) 1
Init +4; Senses; Perception +6
----- Defense -----
AC 12, touch 11, flat-footed 11 (+1 armor +1 dex)
hp 8 (1d8+0)
Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +4
+1 will vs Fey
DR 3/- vs arrows (quilted armor);
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee Dagger (-1, 1d4) Fragile
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Memorised Spells (CL 1; concentration +5)
At will—Create Water, Enhanced Diplomacy, Guidance
1/day—Commune with Birds, Scarify
----- Statistics -----
Str 8, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 18
Base Atk +0; CMB -1; CMD 10
Feats Conciliator, Noble Scion (War)
Skills Bluff +10, Craft Alchemy +6, Diplomacy +10 (+2 vs Fey), Perception +6, Handle Animal +8 (+2 bear), Heal+6, Knowledge Nature +6, Perception +6, Profession Herbalist +6 Ride +5 Survival +6 Knowledge Nobility +4 Wild Empathy +5 Wild Mischief +5
Traits Noble Birth, Rich Parents, Alchemical Intuition
Languages Hallit, Skald, Druidic, Draconic, Sylvan
----- Special Abilities -----
Silver Tongued +2 racial bluff and diplomacy, can adjust attitude with diplomacy three steps.
Alchemical Intuition You are often struck with epiphanies about alchemical processes and substances. Once per day as a free action, you may gain a trait bonus equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 0) on a Craft (alchemy) check you make. You can apply this bonus after you roll the check, possibly turning a failure into a success.
Noble Scion You gain a +2 bonus on all Knowledge (nobility) checks, and that chosen Knowledge skill is always considered a class skill for you. Use Charisma instead of Dexterity for Initiative checks.
Conciliator (Story Feat) http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/story-feats/conciliator-story
You can attempt a Diplomacy check to make a request of an enemy even if he is unfriendly or hostile, but only to request a pause in combat (which requires you and your apparent allies to take no attacks or hostile actions for 1 round prior to the request) or to request that he uses only nonlethal attacks (which requires you and your apparent allies to have made no attacks or used only nonlethal attacks against him for the past 24 hours). The DC is equal to 15 + the target’s CR + the target’s Wisdom modifier; it is modified by any other factors that would impact a Diplomacy check to make a request.
Additionally, your allies within 30 feet who can see or hear you gain a +2 bonus on skill checks to analyze individuals while attempting to gain influence or assess an audience before a verbal duel.
Once an ally benefits from this feat, that ally can’t do so again for 1 day.
Goal: Thwart an appropriate number of challenging foes with dialogue, nonviolent favors, and verbal duels.
Completion Benefit: Your allies can benefit from this feat any number of times per day.
Wild Empathy
A druid can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check made to improve the attitude of a person. The druid rolls 1d20 and adds her druid level and her Charisma modifier to determine the wild empathy check result.
The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly.
To use wild empathy, the druid and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time.
A druid can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but she takes a –4 penalty on the check.
Fey Magic (replaces spontaneous casting, changes Wild Shape)
At 1st level, a feyspeaker allows the strange idylls of the fey to guide her magic. The feyspeaker uses her Charisma score instead of her Wisdom score as her key spellcasting ability score (to determine her spell DCs, bonus spells per day, concentration checks, and so on).
At 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, and 18th levels, a feyspeaker adds one enchantment or illusion spell from the sorcerer/wizard spell list to her druid spell list as a spell of 1 level higher (for instance, at 4th level, she could add color spray as a 2nd-level druid spell). In order to select a spell, she must be of a level high enough (including the increased spell level) to cast it. Once selected, the spell cannot be changed.
A feyspeaker loses the ability to spontaneously cast summon nature’s ally spells. She gains the wild shape ability at 6th level and gains all benefits related to wild shape 2 druid levels later than usual. She can never use wild shape to transform into an elemental.
This ability alters wild shape and spellcasting.

Fey Speech (Ex)
At 1st level, a feyspeaker’s words carry a tiny fragment of the otherworldly power of the fey’s voices. She gains Bluff, Diplomacy, Disguise, and Sense Motive as class skills. A feyspeaker also learns Sylvan as a bonus language. In addition, the feyspeaker gains a number of skill ranks at each level equal to 6 + her Intelligence modifier, instead of 4 + her Intelligence modifier. The feyspeaker’s base attack bonus from her druid levels is equal to half her druid level (much like a sorcerer’s base attack bonus is calculated), rather than the usual druid base attack bonus.
This ability replaces nature sense and alters the druid’s base attack bonus, class skills, and skills ranks per level.

Wild Mischief (Ex) (+5)
At 1st level, a feyspeaker can fool an animal into thinking there is food, a potential mate, or a predator nearby. This ability functions just like a Bluff check to deceive a character. To determine the result of the wild mischief check, the feyspeaker rolls 1d20 and adds her druid level and her Charisma modifier. As with Bluff checks, wild mischief checks are modified depending on the believability of the false information. A typical domestic animal is not particularly suspicious of the feyspeaker (no circumstance modifier), whereas wild animals are usually suspicious (–5 penalty on the check).
To use wild mischief, the feyspeaker and the animal must be able to study each other, which means they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal conditions.
Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute, but as when influencing people, it could take more or less time. A feyspeaker can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but she takes a –4 penalty on the check.
This ability replaces the druid’s proficiency with medium armor.
Noble Born
Medvyed: Your family has long a deep respect for the wilderness and is superstitious about the creatures that dwell therein. You gain a +2 trait bonus on all Diplomacy checks made to deal with fey creatures and a +1 trait bonus on Will saves made against their spells and supernatural abilities. Your family motto is “Endurance Overcomes All.”
Druidic Herbalism
Druidic herbalism is a nature bond option that can be taken by any druid at 1st level except those with archetypes or alternate class features that alter or replace nature bond or mandate a specific nature bond choice.
Instead of granting access to a domain or an animal companion, a druid’s bond with nature can take a third form: access to druidic herbalism.
A druid who chooses to learn druidic herbalism can use combinations of nuts, berries, dried herbs, and other natural ingredients along with appropriate containers to create herbal concoctions or magic consumables that function like potions. This acts like the Brew Potion feat, but only for spells on the druid spell list. Herbal concoctions are typically thick and sludgy, and their creation time, caster level, spell duplication capabilities, and all other variables and properties are identical to those of potions created using Brew Potion. Herbal concoctions created with herbs that cause special effects when ingested retain those effects as well as the appropriate spell effect.
A druid can create a number of free herbal concoctions per day equal to her Wisdom modifier. Additional concoctions cost the same as creating an equivalent potion using Brew Potion. Druids can sell their herbal concoctions just as if they were potions (though NPCs unfamiliar with druidic herbalism may need some convincing before purchasing these wares).
At 4th level, a druid’s increasing skill with herbalism means that she can disguise the effects of her herbal concoctions. When a creature attempts a Perception or Spellcraft check to identify one of the druid’s concoctions, the concoction appears to be a different herbal concoction of the druid’s choice unless the creature exceeds the identification DC by 5 or more. The druid must designate this false result when creating the concoction. If a creature exceeds the identification DC by 5 or more, it correctly identifies the concoction, though not that the druid tried to fool it.
Additionally, at 4th level, when the druid creates additional concoctions, she need pay only half the normal cost to create them. It takes her only half the normal time to create her concoctions, and she can create concoctions of spells from any spell list, as long as she can cast the spell.
At 7th level, when the druid creates concoctions with potential false identification results, a creature attempting to identify the concoction must exceed the identification DC by 10 or more to determine the concoction’s true identity.
Additionally, at 7th level, a druid can create any herbal concoction in 1 minute. She can also create a special concoction of any spell higher than 3rd level that she can cast, but to do so, she must expend a spell slot of the same level. These special concoctions do not cost her anything to create and function like extracts created by an alchemist with the infusion discovery.
----- Initial Equipment -----
Possessions:
Grizzly Bear (740gp)
Obsidian Dagger (2gp)
Mess Kit (.2gp)
Spell Component Pouch (5gp)
Quilted Armor (100gp) designed to be worn along with an outer skirt
Alchemy Kit (25gp)
Training Harness (Bear) (10gp)
Boline (10gp)
Alchemical Ingredients (6)
18 silver pieces
----- Plan -----
2:Woodland Stride
3: Trackless Step Feat:??
4: Resist Nature’s Lure
5: Feat: Stylized Spell

I’ve carefully balanced the Princess tropes with the Evil Witch tropes. She has more Princess, but Evil Witch who looks like a beautiful princess is close enough that people could well decide that is what she is. She could totally rock a poison apple and (soon) a magic mirror. That said, I want to try to keep the reality gritty-ish.
I’d’ve loved to start Selka off with Stylized spells, but the pre-reqs are too high.
She wasn’t that powerful before she lost most of her memories, but she knows enough to know that she needs her enemies to think she’s powerful and playing weak. I think that is done through Bluff, rather than intimidate.
To fit with the fairy tale princess I didn’t want her to use weapons - the only fairytale I found with a weapon wielding princess was one who used a gun - so needed a way for her to be useful from day 1. I looked at soldiers, but they looked too awkward to use, so I grabbed a pet. Of all pets Bear is the one with the right mythological ties. This is not an animal companion, it is an independent NPC. Not sure it knows any tricks yet (though Ride makes sense) so it’ll have to be pushed as a full round action with a roll to do anything. I think enforcing that at the start will help with game balance.
I know the story of Sir Bearington and am not trying to duplicate it - but the princess-bear fairytales are usually a beauty-and-the-beast scenario. I'm hoping that having her fiancee with the nickname "The Bear of Medvyed" gets close enough that stories in 200 years conflate them.

Mum: Her mother was with the circle that became Saibrae. Possibly she was killed, but I like the idea that having lost her family, her husband and her home she became a monster to get revenge. If so; can she be saved?
Dad: Up to you, but a hundred-fifty year old red draconic blooded sorcerer with noble blood is a heck of a loose canon.
Widowknife clan: a bunch of the clan survived. This can have cousins, nephews, neices and so on.
Betrothed “The Bear”: if you’re okay with him existing it’s a nice political marriage in the setup. I’d be keen that his kids are appalled at the idea of an evil witch stepmother.
Fey: the Fey she made a deal with must have some power to cut the deal it did. Probably not Eldest, but maybe close to that. Fey play long games. What was this one playing too?
Gurev: she’s both a danger and an asset. She’s also arguably family to a family man.
Surtova: even rumours of someone with a claim to the throne could end up with agents to investigate.
Demons: Demons might have an interest in sending someone to stop her if she starts to pull the Sarkorian refugees together.
The Vanishing thing: whatever did the vanishing might want to do something if she starts asserting a claim to the throne. I think she certainly would worry about this.
Daggermark: totally up to you, but I like the idea that the “Widow’s Knife” was once a slang term for poison. She’d make a great poisoner. The guild might be interested in recruiting, getting a secret (she doesn’t have) or removing a competitor.

Summary
* Born in 4952 Sarkoris.
* Prestigious family (immediate ties to Widowknife, Medvyed, Rogarvia, Circle of Druids).
* Trained as diplomat, druid, magic. Became a herbalist then alchemist then healer during the war.
* Cut a deal with a Fey to move Widowknife people to Iobaria - was supposed to be Brevoy
* Spent 100 years in the First World, but was reincarnated and has very patchy memories.
* Saved a bear.
* Brokered a peace deal between Widowknife Refugees and Medvyed.
* Engaged to an old Medvyed guy. (Would like to use “The Bear of Medyved” as his nickname, given heraldry) as a political move.
* Sent to Stolen Lands.
* Travelled a hundred miles in a day.
Details
Selka Widowknife was born in 4952, in the period where Golarion believed the prophesied Age of Humanity was nigh. The belief that wars among the human kingdoms would be stopped had led to a rash of inter-kingdom political marriages in the decades leading up to the incipient date.
Selka was born of one such marriage. Her mother was Kala Widowknife, fourth daughter of the Widowknife Clanliege and war-druid of Sarkoris. Her father was Svalk Medyved of Brevoy, himself the child of Ragnar Medyved and Yala Rogarvia, a talented draconic sorceror.
Selka's youth contained training in magic, diplomacy, and the Green Faith. She spent some time with her father visiting relatives in Brevoy each second year.
Canon notes that pre Choral the Houses were originally more tribal. I think that given the similar religion and political structure they would be much like the clans in the nearby country of Sarkoris. At this point only "recently" has things started to go more formal I believe?
In 4606 Aroden died, and Sarkoris was plunged into war. Selka's parents both made for the front line of the war. Selka's elementary training had her working as a Druidic Herbalist in the Widowknife Clanhold, desperately trying to stop the spread of demonic plagues, and treating those sent home from the front lines.
Canon: in 4610 the wards broke. The crusade would not be called for years.
In 4610 the witch Areelu Vorlesh assaulted Clanhold Widowknife with an army of winged fiends. Selka had enough military knowledge to realise that the populace of the city was doomed.
She commandeered a number of druidic items and made contact with a powerful local fey. This fey agreed to open a way through the First World from the doomed clanhold to the closest congruent point to her paternal relatives. Selka managed to strike a reasonable deal, but at the cost was that Selka would serve the fey for a hundred years, as well as turn over the vast majority of items and treasure she had saved. Sadly unnoticed was the "to the closest congruent point" clause.
A great many of the non-combatants of Widowhold were led through the First World to safety, but the closest congruent point to the Medyved lands was on the other side of the Icerime peaks in Iobaria.
Canon: Clanhold Widowknife fell in 4610.
Canon: the influx of refugees to Iobaria caused the collapse of the Iobarian kingdom during the period 4606-4626
Selka served her hundred years, aging despite the promise of the fae she'd "not be a day older at the end". Finally, after a century she was reunited with her tribe in 4710, just a few months ago. They fey fulfilled his bargain by killing and reincarnating her - wiping out almost all her memories of time among the fey but leaving her strangely changed. His promise to reunite her was fulfilled by simply summoning the tribes together.
When they first stepped out of the frozen cave high in the Mountains that was the congruence point Selka realised things had gone badly. Her ‘guide’ took her down the mountains to where the tribes gathered in Iobaria, but they were confronted by a mountain bear. The guide provoked it to attacking, and quickly dispatched the Bear, but Selka insisted on saving it, using up some of the last dregs of her stolen healing magics. This bought enough goodwill that the Bear accompanies her, the scars of his wounds forming “antlers” on the neck above his head.
Canon: Medvyed heraldry is an antlered bear.
Canon: the Vanishing happened while Selka was in the First World
All had not gone well for the refugees. There had been no warm welcome, and Iobaria collapsed. The Widowknife clan had scattered into disparate families only loosely affiliated. Over the next hundred years they recovered and became a thorn in house Medyved's side, raiding through and eventually colonising the icerime peaks. In the mountains the frequent plagues abated and populations boomed on stolen grain.
The tribal stories of Selka's deal (and leading to the 'promised and') meant they were poised for her to return. Stories grew in the telling until Selka stood off the demonic forces long enough for her people to flee. The Fey's summons were taken as proof of her power, and confirmed Selka's identity. If taken aback by her age, they quickly attributed it to "immortality". They expected her to lead them to war against their enemies the Medyved and claim the promised land for the Widowknife.
The Medyved realised a lot of the disparate Iobarian barbarians along the Icepeaks were coming together, and feared an offensive. To prevent this they launched their own assault. Hurried, and through poor terrain, this assault ran into a great deal of poor weather and consequent disease that the superstitious (which is to say the soldiers) chalked up to the return of the Widowknife witch the few barbarians they caught raved about. Now they camped just outside bowshot of the barbarian camp.
This was the situation Selka, a recently reincarnated teenager with the memory and power of a barely trained druid found herself in.
With the optimism of the young she took a small honorguard and approached the Medyved camp the night before the battle. She talked to the silver haired and injured Medyved general (somewhat startled to discover his great-great aunt looked younger than his granddaughter) and they talked into the night.
He wasn't sure how much power she had. The barbarians obviously thought a serious amount, but he knew enough to know that even without her (if he broke ettiquette and managed to kill her there and then under a flag of truce) injured and sick as it was his force was they would do badly the next day. That would in turn leave Medyved weak in the future, which largely ensured that when civil war came the Medyved would do badly. On the other hand retreat would simply cause the barbarians in front of him to taste blood, unite into a serious force, and Medyved would have to station the bulk of their forces at their rear during the civil war. She presented her (compelling) credentials as a Medyved, but this was strange enough to be largely unprovable without extensive genealogy and magic.
For her part Selka knew that her people had descended into barbarity. If they managed to wipe out the Medyved, there would simply be more Brevoy attacks. They needed a homeland, a homeland better than the icy wastes of the Iobarian peaks.
She reluctantly proposed a standard noble solution; a political marriage. The general (recently widowed and brother to Lord Gurev) would engage to marry Selka (a woman forty years younger and sixty years older than himself). The tribes would put their common cause away until after harvest, and the Medyved forces would return to Stoneclimb. A small force would accompany Selka and the General back to Lord Gurev for permission to marry.
Lord Gurev is head of the Medvyed
Lord Gurev was pondering who to send to the Stolen Lands when his brother rocked up with Selka.
* A member by blood of his own Family, proven by magic and a knowledge of family secrets.
* Once heir, now last Clanliege of Sarkoria. A banner or the disaffected refugees that haunted the lands of Avistan.
* Defacto ruler of the barbarian raiders that plagued his land.
* An apparently powerful druid, the last scion of the Clan known for powerful casters, child of two other powerful casters, and apparently over a century old.
* Lastly - and this was the most dangerous - arguably with a claim to the throne of Rogarvia better than that of Surtova. Her father may have been 78th in line for the throne, but with the Vanishing that made her 1st. Assuming she was that Selka. Assuming that her father moving to Sarkoris hadn't invalidated his claim. Assuming that the Surtova didn't just kill her. Assuming the force behind the Vanishing didn't come back for her.
Lord Gurev had a big long thought, and then came up with an answer to everything.
He told her to keep her claims quiet, and sent her to the Stolen Lands. A show of support - If she was so powerful, she could use that power to pacify the lands. As a family member - and Lord Gurev was a family man - she had ties of blood on her loyalty. She could pull the barbarian raiders from his flank down to pacify the bandit kingdoms that didn't border Medyved anyway, hopefully turning enemies into allies. While there was little he could do about the force behind the Vanishing, it would be easier to keep the secret and harder for Surtova agents that far from civilisation.
Selka used much of her last reserves (a healing wand, longstrider wand and some goodberries, two potions of Nature’s Path) to ride her bear from Stoneclimb to the stolen lands in a day to be part of the expedition. She lost no time and is still wearing the remains of the outfit she was wearing to speak with Lord Gurev - but there is no way it could be considered Courtier’s clothes anymore. Mechanics: 24 hours, hustled 10, travelled 6, slept 8. Nature’s Path means everything counts as a road. Healing wand means bear can do the Hustle without dying of damage.