Sharaya Solistar's page

11 skill points [6 + 2 int + 1 favored class +2 background]

Acrobatics +3 |+3 Dex
Appraise +2 |+2 Int
Artistry +2 |+2 Int
Bluff +8 |+4 Cha + 1 rank + 3 class skill
Climb +2 |+2 Str
Craft +2 |+2 Int
Diplomacy +8 |+4 Cha + 1 rank + 3 class skill
Disable Device* +7 |+3 Dex + 1 rank + 3 class skill
Disguise +4 |+4 Cha
Escape Artist +3 |+3 Dex
Fly +3 |+3 Dex
Handle Animal* +5 |+4 Cha + 1 rank
Heal +1 |+1 Wis
Intimidate +4 |+4 Cha
Knowledge: Arcana* +7 |+2 Int + 1 rank + 3 class skill +1 Eidetic Memory
Knowledge (Dungeoneering)* +3 |+2 Int +1 Eidetic Memory
Knowledge (Engineering)* +3 |+2 Int +1 Eidetic Memory
Knowledge Geography* +3 |+2 Int +1 Eidetic Memory
Knowledge History* +7 |+2 Int + 1 rank + 3 class skill +1 Expert Explorer Trait +1 Eidetic Memory
Knowledge Local* +3 |+2 Int +1 Eidetic Memory
Knowledge Nature* +3 |+2 Int +1 Eidetic Memory
Knowledge Nobility* +5 |+2 Int +2 Scion Trait +1 Eidetic Memory
Knowledge Planes* +3 |+2 Int +1 Eidetic Memory
Knowledge: Religion* +3 |+2 Int +1 Eidetic Memory
Linguistics* +6 |+2 Int + 1 rank + 3 class skill
Lore: House of Asgavan +2 |+2 Int
Perception +5 |+1 Wis + 1 rank + 3 class skill
Perform +4 |+4 Cha
Profession: -- |+1 Wis untrained
Ride +3 |+3 Dex
Sense Motive +1 |+1 Wis
Sleight of Hand* -- |+3 Dex untrained
Spellcraft* +6 |+2 Int + 1 rank + 3 class skill
Stealth +3 |+3 Dex
Survival +6 |+1 Wis + 1 rank + 3 class skill +1 Expert Explorer Trait
Swim +6 |+2 Str + 1 rank + 3 class skill
Use Magic Device* -- |+4 Cha untrained

Traits
Expert Explorer [Campaign Trait: +1 Survival and Knowledge (History) and Machete counts as simple weapon]
Heirloom Weapon [Grants proficiency in specific weapon]
Pathfinder Society Scion: Sheraya Solistar [Knowledge: Nobility +2, Wayfinder grants +2 Dex, +2 Charisma, and she never needs to eat or drink.]

Feats
Eschew Materials [free class feat]
Point-Blank Shot [+1 to attack and damage within 30 feet]

Special Abilities
Armor Proficiencies [Light and Medium]
Darkvision 60 feet
Eidetic Memory (Ex) [Adds 1/2 level to all knowledge skills, and allows untrained use.]
Field Agent Training [Access to various abilities]
Immortal [Does not age, can still be killed]
Immune to Undeath [Cannot be turned into an undead]
Past Life Knowledge [All Knowledge skills are class skills--moot for this campaign because we all already have that.]
Resist Level Drain [no penalties from energy drain effects, can still be killed if more negative levels than Hit Dice. Any negative levels disappear after 24 hours.]
Seaborn Bloodline Arcana [When in water, effective caster level +1]
Seaborn Bloodline Power [Gives Water Blast]
Shattered Soul [Hard to bring back to life if killed.]
Spell-Like Ability [Suggestion 1/day]
Water Blast (Sp) [Water bolt 7/day knocks prone, can choose to push 5 feet, reflex save (DC 10 +1/2 your sorcerer level + your Charisma modifier) negates the effect]
Wayfinder Upgrade [Access to upgrades]
Weapon Proficiencies [Simple and one-handed Martial]

3rd level -- Aquatic Adaptation (Ex)
9th level -- Aquatic Telepathy (Su)
15th level -- Raise the Deep (Sp)
20th level -- Deep One (Ex)

Zero Level
Acid Splash
Detect Magic
Mage Hand
Prestidigitation

First Level
Burning Hands
Hydraulic Push
Magic Missle

Bandolier (2) [1 gold]
Bedroll [1 silver]
Belt Pouch [1 gold]
Blanket (2) [1 gold]
Canteen [2 gold]
Composite Longbow (+2) [story item so far / 300 gold (or more) when I can afford it, depending on whether I make it some special material] (Heirloom weapon: currently broken, will add the cost when I can pay for and use it. Probably the bow she took to the Mammoth lands, but has a connection to her family (well designed, engraved with something?), and she can't let it go and buy a new one. Needs to be *this* one.)
Explorer's Outfit [Free starting outfit]
Grooming Kit [1 gold]
Ink [18 gold]
Inkpen [1 silver]
Journal [10 gold]
Leather Armor [10 gold]
Longsword [15 gold]
Machete [10 gold]
Signet Ring (Asgavan) [3 gold] (Mostly flavor here--another keepsake/emotional connection to her origins. She still feels that connection, and her house will always be part of who she is. I guess if someone gets close enough to notice it and understands what it means it could have storyline potential as well.)
Silk rope (100 feet) [20 gold]
Spell Component pouch [5 gold]
Zoic Fetish -- Fish [story item, will be 7,500 gold if I ever want to make it real] (Flavor item, not actually functional. A gift from her Kellid husband; to her more valuable than jewels. She believes that it still has power, and it may on some emotional/spiritual level that connects her to her lost love, but not one that affects gameplay. If I can ever afford it, I may upgrade it to something real.)

--Wooden Holy Symbol of Desna (haven't looked up cost yet)
--Book on Thassalonian ruins (haven't looked up cost yet)
--Western Star (Ioun Stone) [also should add Sharaya's wayfinder and other three stones to the list]

Current Wealth: 22.8

Owe the company 300 gold (to "fix" my bow)

Starting Wealth: 120 gold
Starting Equipment: 97.2

I would have used this picture if it were available: Sharaya, although of course she now dresses like an explorer/traveler.

Sharaya is tall and deeply beautiful, and though she doesn't do anything to call attention to herself or flaunt her beauty, it's a stunningly obvious fact. Even if you study her closely, you can find no blemishes or physical imperfections. It's like artwork--the kind of beauty that doesn't knock you over with lust, but which gets into your head, and you can't help comparing others to that ideal.

She carries herself unconsciously like a noble, not in an overly snobbish way or anything... she is just supremely confident, and doesn't question whether other people will listen to her or take her seriously. It's assumed.

Her speech is grammatically correct, pleasant, and precise. She strikes people as very knowledgeable and well-traveled, although she looks relatively young to actually be as experienced as she seems.

Sharaya Solistar, the last heir to the Chelaxian Imperial House of Asgavan, is still alive... at least technically. Thought lost in a Pathfinder Society expedition to the Realm of the Mammoth Lords, which she led, she apparently disappeared in the caverns below Tusk Mountains in 4638 AR.

However, the story is more complicated than that. The princess, a very powerful noble, had been working with her wizards to create a Shabti--a being that would take her place in any challenges of the afterlife. The process was explained to her, and she agreed, fearful of mortality and judgement. The decision troubled her however. A Shabti body was created, but before the process was finished of implanting memories and bringing it to life, Sharaya took some time alone with it, considering the implications.

As she pondered, she realized that the facsimile that had been created was better and more beautiful than the original... idealized by fawning followers, and built to be effectively immortal. Perhaps because of her vanity and hope for immortality, or perhaps because her conscience could not bring itself to accept the likelihood of another creature so much like her suffering for her choices, she began to wonder why they should only put part of her into this creation... why not all?

Her wizards, hoping to deter her, explained that it would involve her original body's death, and a brief trip to the afterlife, which she agreed to, after having them help her understand some of the magical principles involved, and trusting that she would still be herself. (During this process they discovered that she had a knack for magic.)

They performed the ritual. Although the wizards almost immediately pulled her back out, Sharaya's glimpse of the afterlife troubled her, and caused her to make some dramatic changes to her life, so much so that her handmaiden wondered if the wizards had cast a mind-control spell on her. Sharaya shared the secret with her rather than allowing rumors to spread, and soon after planned an expedition to the far-away Realm of the Mammoth Lords.

Her trip to the Realm of the Mammoth Lords was kind of a cover for what she had done, as well as an escape. She took along everyone who knew of the substitution, they faked a disappearance, then traveled a little bit farther and just stayed, happy and comfortable with the solid financial resources that she had provided them all.

Sharaya married a Kellid, had children, and when her husband and everyone who had known her secret had died (except her good elven friend Lothenlieth Brightwater, a fellow Pathfinder, and the man she had allowed to marry her oldest daughter and heir), she left her grandchildren and great-grandchildren to live their own lives, and started traveling... everywhere, seeing everything.

She heard of this opportunity to discover the new and uncover the old, and it drew her as nothing else had in quite some time, since her roots were Chelaxian, despite everything. She wished to know more of the ancient Azlanti who were her first ancestors, and decided it was time for a new start. It was also well past time for her to start examining her magical talent.

Decemvirate Representatives wrote:
1. What kind of experience do you have studying objects and structures recovered by excavation to identify, date, and authenticate them and to interpret their significance?

Sharaya laughs.

That is not my expertise, but I have some talent at almost everything. I have participated on many archaeological digs throughout Golarion, and have a lot of support experience in those roles.
She mentions 3 digs that have happened in the last 10 years that she was a part of.

Decemvirate Representatives wrote:
2. What skills do you possess that would be an asset to a colony with no readily available resources?

I'm an explorer and survival expert, and have many skills in that regard that would help the colony. I can help survive, and becuase of my expertise at diplomacy, I can also convince people to make do with what they have. I am never a burden on a colony's basic resources, because of a particularly useful ioun stone. I personally need no food or water to sustain my life (although I do thank you for your tasty buffet outside. It is still enjoyable to eat, even when it is unnecessary).

Decemvirate Representatives wrote:
3. Provide an example of a time when you successfully organized a diverse group of people to accomplish a task.

Why just last year when I was traveling near Lake Encarthan, I discovered a group of bandits that was poisoning one of the waterways and then selling a "cure" to many of the downstream villages. Knowling I couldn't handle it alone, I went to the downstream villages, collected volunteers, and we captured the bandits and were able to cure everyone. There were unfortunate deaths on both sides, but the evil was undone, and unlikely to be repeated.

Decemvirate Representatives wrote:
4. What experiences have you had surviving in tropical climates?

Well, we don't have time to go into the details, but one word: Nagajor. It was especially difficult to survive there, not just because of the climate, but that was definitely a factor. Definitely glad to be back.

Decemvirate Representatives wrote:
5. Share an experience you had in dealing with a difficult person and how you handled the situation.
Sharaya laughs again.

Oh, isn't everyone difficult sometimes? The approach will be different depending on the person and the circumstances. If a man approaches you inappropriately once, then you politely decline, and smile so he just thinks that you are taken. If he approaches you again, then you say no, thank you and you don't smile, and you look him in the eye so that he gets the message that you are not just being demure. If he comes back the third time, you either leave, or you confront him depending on how safe your situation is and whether you have backup. I have to deal with that almost daily. Or just now, out there talking to people, a man I was sitting with started talking about chopping limbs and heads off people and how much he enjoyed it. Crazy? Who knows, but a wise move to move away and not encourage psychopathic tendencies. In other circumstances though, a man like that might be useful on the front lines or as a bodyguard, as long as he was under control and on your side.

Decemvirate Representatives wrote:
6. Tell us how you organize, plan, and prioritize your work.

Well, if one thing is time-sensitive and one thing is not, then of course, you do the time-sensitive thing first, and then do the other so that you can get both done. Conflicts only arise when you cannot actually accomplish all of your tasks and you have noone else assisting you to which you can delegate. Then, you have to look at some main things like which thing is most helpful, which is least harmful, and what might offend the gods. If you are trying to protect a group of people who are being hunted by the Red Mantis for instance, and you are in a town where you have no idea who is or isn't affiliated with them, one answer would be to destroy the entire town. Obviously, that would be not only harmful, but offensive to the gods that I personally revere. So, you have to do something less dramatic and still keep them safe. All choices include risk, but you can never overcome evil by giving in to it. You have to make the good choice, and trust that good will triumph. In my experience, it always does, eventually.

Decemvirate Representatives wrote:
7. Name a time when you identified strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions to problems. What was the impact that your insights had?

A few years ago I was working with a mining company that had a conflict with the Munavri. They wanted my advice on how to destroy them in order to continue their mining operations and avoid losing so many miners. I worked the numbers for them about how much it would cost to try to fight the Munavri, and projected a death toll on both sides, talked about the pros and cons of the process, and the likely outcomes. Then I suggested that they find someone to talk to the Munavri instead, find out why they were fighting the miners, and consider alternate solutions. Looking at the bleak numbers, they agreed, and asked me to attempt the diplomatic solution. It was difficult of course, but the primary hurdle was trust and communication. Once we overcame those, the two sides came to an agreement, and now the Munavri deliver gems to the mining company for an agreed upon payment each month, and the miners do not encroach upon what the Munavri see as their territory. It seemed to work out well on both sides.

Decemvirate Representatives wrote:
8. In your experience, what is the key to developing a good team?

In my experience, people who are in some way personally invested in the outcome are the best and most motivated members of a team. If you have someone who is brilliant and skilled, giving that person a personal reason to be there can often get them more involved. And, of course if there are racial or gender tensions, you have to address them up front. If the team can't respect each other, then you have to remove the problem, no matter how talented that individual is. No one person is ever worth losing team unity.

Decemvirate Representatives wrote:
9. How are you affiliated with the Pathfinder Society?
You already know the answer to that or I wouldn't be here.

Decemvirate Representatives wrote:
10. As you will NOT be able to answer the previous question truthfully in the interview at Almas, explain how and why you are qualified to be accepted on this Expedition for reasons that have nothing to do with your Society Affiliation.

While I value my membership in the society, my qualifications and value have never had anything to do with the Society. I am qualified because of who I am--who I have chosen to become through my own choices. ...I'm qualified because I know people, how to get them to work together, I know exploration and survival, have exceptional experience in a vast variety of circumstances, and because I am creative and can come up with solutions in almost any circumstances.

Decemvirate Representatives wrote:
11. Provide a time when you were able to identify a complex problem, evaluate the options, and implement a solution.

I think the story I already told you about the situation between the miners and the Munavri probably answers this one too. It was an incredibly complex problem, we looked at the options, and we found a solution that didn't start a war or continue butchery on both sides.

Decemvirate Representatives wrote:
12. Finally, why do YOU want to be a part of this Expedition?
Personally?

Sharaya, for the first time, seems for a brief moment as though she is at a loss for words. Instead of having something prepared for this question, you can see she is thinking about it.
...I want to start over. ... And, of course, learn of the ancient Azlanti, my ancestors, and perhaps find the origins and secrets that matter so much to this world. ... If you are asking whether I have a personal commitment to this journey, I do. I am motivated to make this journey successful... and of course to represent the society in whatever way the Decemvirate deems necessary. Do we have specific instructions in that regard?