Shang runs a little apothecary shop hidden in the cramped alleyways of Little Tian Xia, a neighborhood of Korvosa for far-traveling and misplaced Tiens. He was born to a local Tien human family and has lived in Korvosa all his life, but he spent his childhood staying most closely connected to his little neighborhood. Thanks to his blue skin and white eyes, most Korvosans don't know what to make of him, and consider him something of an oddity. The Tiens know what a Samsaran is, however, and have been happy to raise him in the community.
Shang relies on the community to supply him with his vast array of spices, teas, herbs, reagents, and other, less savory substances. More often than not he speaks with his community in an odd patois of Common, Tien, and Varisian, allowing him and everyone else to converse in relative secrecy.
Shang is pragmatic and seems oddly mercenary, very willing to take on new tasks for a promise of coin. However, he is also very possessive of his shop, and will drop everything to defend his home and livelihood. Most recently, these came to his attention when a stranger entered his shop one evening and requested a paste that would prevent the supernatural character of the sun. First happy to accept a request for sunscreen, he hunted down some of the rarer ingredients like mandrake root and Worldwound blood fungus before he had a flashback--from a previous life, when the village he lived in was plagued by Xin the Glutton, a gaki who wore the stranger's face. When the stranger returned for the business, Shang called him Xin. The hungry ghost screeched to know his secret was out, and threatened to destroy the shop and eat Shang. Something snapped in the frail little man, and he fought back, long enough that a passing hunter joined the fray and helped drive Xin away. Shang knows Xin is still out there, but is preparing himself for their next meeting.
Shang is a scrawny man, his blue skin and long white mustache and hair and eyes doing as much to push people away from him as earn their prejudice. He dresses in simple linen robes over wooden armor, as befitting his station as a knowledgeable tradesman. He prefers to maintain a quiet presence, but maintains a sarcastic view of life and death.
Medium, 30' speed
Low-Light Vision
Lifebound: +2 save vs. resist death, negative energy, removing negative levels, stabilization
Samsaran Magic: 1/day comprehend languages, deathwatch, stabilize
Shards of the Past: Bluff and Knowledge(Religion) get +2 and are class skills
Vivisecionist Internal Alchemist Class Abilities:
Sneak Attack +2d6
Breath Mastery: hold breath for 10 minutes or with a full move prep, 10 hours, survive twice as long without food or water, enter suspended animation as a move action
Alchemy: +3 Craft(Alchemy)
Mutagen: +4 Str/Dex/Con and +2 natural armor, -2 Int/Wis/Cha
Poison Resistance +2
Poison Use
Disease Resistance +2
Discovery: Improved Initiative
Cruel Anatomist: Use Knowledge(Nature) in place of Heal
Acupuncturist: In addition to his skill with medicines and herbal treatments, Shang also has studied acupuncture and the flow of life through an individual. Through meditation and practice of the ancient Tien art on himself, Shand receives a +2 Fort save vs. poisons.
Canter: Having grown up in a small, tightly-knit community, Shang has learned lots of slang, idioms, and tells that locals use to explain situations to each other without outsiders knowing. Other people receive a +5 bonus to Bluff attempts to send Shang a secret message, and Shang receives a +5 Sense Motive to intercept coded messages.
Apothecary: Shang's store might not be the go-to apothecary in Korvosa, but he still does well for himself, and there's no harm in ordering a surplus for his own use. When using Craft (Alchemy), Shang pay only 1/4 the cost instead of 1/3. In addition, he can buy alchemical items, herbs, and other substances at 75% the listed price. He has also learned almost entirely forgotten secrets of alchemy, and can make Holy Water using Craft (Alchemy) at Craft DC 20.
The Cycle of Life: Shang isn't sure exactly how many lives he has lived, but sometimes information creeps through that he didn't realize was there. Once per week, Shang may add a +5 to any Knowledge check other than Knowledge (Local). He must use this ability after rolling, but before knowing the result.
