About SlenkBackground:
Slenk was born a slave in the Great Empire Cheliax, as were most of his kind. It was what he knew, what he expected, and his life was not unpleasant. His Master was a wizard of some reknown, enough to have patronage from a minor noble house, and while he was dismissive of Slenk and his compatriots he was never cruel or inappropriate with the slips he owned. Slenk knew that other slips had it much worse, and so he was quite pleased. He served as a scribe and sometimes as the back valet for his Master and his skills were such that he had considerable free time and was quite comfortable. While he heard the rabble about freedom and oppression, he was suited to his tasks and likely would be employed with the same work if he were a free slip – but then he would be expected to pay rent, cook, clean, make repairs, and all sorts of other tasks he knew little about instead of having those expert in those tasks provide for the household. The order of his existence appealed to him, everyone who excelled at their tasks accomplished it well and each benefited from the expertise of each other. This was all upended one fateful evening. Slenk was filling in as valet, and he tried to be as perfect as he could at the task as he was not as familiar as Welin who was the actual valet. Welin was visiting his mother who had fallen ill, and the Master had actually given Welin silver to make the trip home. The Master liked a cup of watered wine later in the evenings, and Welin knocked and entered the Study as usual and dropped the platter and wine on the floor in shock at what he saw. The Devil, for it surely was that with the with the rust-colered skin and crown of horns jutting from its alien skull, was clearly straining against an unseen force towards the Master, a unfurled scroll thrust forward in its hand. ”The terms are clear and agreed, and you are in breach Fistantus. Your soul and life are forfeit under the standard takings clause. This resistance does not become one of your stature after all these years of amicable relations.” The unearthly voice spoke with clipped precision and a cold politeness that was in stark contrast to the strain and longing apparent in its visage. The master was sweating profusely with an apparent overwhelming effort of concentration, looking not at the devil but at the glowing circle of runes on the floor surrounding the devil. A dark red light flickering like flames was occasionally slipping between the blue glowing runes, and where the red light passed the runes the blue glow dimmed for a moment. And it was clear, even to a slip with no natural magic that the blue glow was slowly fading. The circle would fail eventually… soon actually. The shock of the seen was replaced by guilty panic at the spilled wine and broken cup on the floor. Notably, however neither the Devil nor his Master had noticed that Slenk was there, let alone that he had failed so miserably in his duties. And he did still have duty to his Master. Slenk knew how fortunate he was to be owned by Fistantus, and within the unclear future of who his papers might fall to if his Master died the idea that he would be as fortunate again was simply not very likely. Duty then. ”Master, may I be of assistance in any way?” His voice seemed small, resolute, and polite as if there were nothing at all amiss, a total contrast to the obvious unseen struggle occurring in the room. Oddly, the struggle lessened greatly almost immediately as the Devil’s focus shifted to Slenk. The Master’s struggle eased, but he did not shift his gaze. ”Interesting.” the Devil said. ”Loyalty is such a delicious smell, especially when blended with actual innocence. Rare to find in this city. Fistantus, who is this who joins us?” ”This is Slenk, one of my House Slips.” Slenk bowed deeply as he always would when graced with an introduction by his Master, and he saw a gleam of hope in his Master’s eye. A look of disappointment appeared on the Devil’s face. ”Ah… a slave then. One who cannot bargain freely on his Master’s behalf. One must be free to choose to have their contracts be valid.” The Devil turned back to the Master, ready to renew the struggle. ”A moment!” the Master stated. ”Terms can always be arranged…. Slenk, do you desire your freedom?” ”Well… not really Master, I am happy in your home. I have seen what happens to my kind on the streets, I do not have the power to survive what is there.” A rueful laugh came from the Devil. The Devil spoke again, ”Perhaps there is room to bargain here… interesting. Tell me slip, would you have your freedom if you had the power to protect yourself, power not unlike your Master, would you then desire your freedom to forge your own greatness, your own destiny?” The slip looked at his Master. He could barely conceive of the power that his Master wielded, the magics he could perform – even binding the Devil before him. The thought of such power had never been something he dreamed of, but the concept was immediately intoxicating. ”Yes, I would.” What remained of the struggle between the Master and the Devil ceased and the room was silent for a moment until the Devil’s unearthly voice rose in a conciliatory, almost friendly manner. “My good Master Slenk, I have made many bargains with your Master and he has a significant debt to me. A debt that you might be able to repay on his behalf. Would you like to help your Master?”[/b] The slip looked at his master, as if seeking permission to speak. His Master smiled, somewhat eagerly. ”This you must do on your own, Slenk, with no pressure or guidance from me. You are entirely free to make this decision, and the decision must be entirely yours. You are your own Master for this discussion, and in this bargaining we are peers.” The idea was almost incomprehensible to Slenk. A peer with the Master? Even only for this day… And power of a kind with the Master? It was almost too good to be true. “What do I have that is so valuable to be bargained for in such a way? To gain my freedom from one of you and the power to enjoy it from the other?” Slenk asked. The Devil spoke over the Master’s attempted reply. ”It is simple, you cannot freely repay your Master’s debt if he is your Master, for what it would take is a Pact between you and I that to save your Master – and that must be done of your own free will. If your Master ordered you, the Pact would remain with him, not between you and I. So your Master must free you for you to repay his debt to me. The debt owed is significant – a life or a soul. But your soul is more valuable than your Master’s, for his has been bargained away many times and each time it becomes less pure. Your soul however has real value, and I will give you value in return as should be done in all contracts. Consideration must always be paid for a service or debt. And the consideration I offer is considerable. I will plant within you the seed of arcane power, and grant you a familiar to teach you to nurture this power and to use it. For this you will enter a Pact with me that binds you to provide life or soul to me, similar to the debt your Master has now. Your Master has a reprieve for today, the ability to repay his debt to me on another day. And for your Master, he will give you your freedom both legally and functionally so that you may pursue this power to your own ends. A three-way bargain, a contract between us all. What say you?” Finally the realization came to Slenk that this was a moment that he could not pass. ”Very well, let us talk of the details…” Slenk had scribed many agreements for his Master over the years, and he had come to understand their functioning. ”First, my power and so my Familiar, must be unobstrusive. It would be unbecoming for a halfling to appear to be rising above his station by wielding such power openly…” Slenk had never used the term “halfling” about himself, that was for the free and foreign. But then he would always be a good slip, in appearance at least. It is always best to remain below notice, attention was never what he sought… But with this power and freedom, who knows what he might eventually become. And so began the negotiations of terms for the Pact that would come to define Slenk. Description:
The slip stands calmly and attentively, with his brown hair pulled back and his servants garb well kept and clean. He displays no crest of ownership, but his demeanor and dress are that one would expect from a slave of a minor noble house. He wears a satchel over one shoulder and, oddly, the head and ears of a white, pink-eyed rabbit seem to be peaking out.
Personality:
Since his Pact, Slenk's personality has significantly changed. For decades he willingly accepted his place and position within society, almost grateful for the simplicity of his life. Now, he understands the desire for power and has some contempt for those who do not strive for it themselves. More importantly, he realizes that power often comes not just from his magics, but perception and manipulation as well. If Slenk is to get the most out of the Pact he entered into, using all tactics to gather power without attracting too much attention is essential. And eventually, Slenk knows he will need to find another to substitute for payment in his own Pact, lest he find himself in his former Master’s compromised position. Slenk also recalls the lessons learned in his days as a slip slave. Slips can be almost invisible in society. Slips are consistently underestimated. Playing on such prejudices can be very beneficial, and Slenk commonly plays the role of the stereotypical slip, hiding his power and biding his time.
Stat Block:
Slenk Halfling pact witch 3 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide 65, Planar Adventures 16) LE Small humanoid (halfling) Init +6; Senses Perception +6 -------------------- Defense -------------------- AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 11 (+2 Dex, +1 size) hp 23 (3d6+9) Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +2; +2 vs. fear -------------------- Offense -------------------- Speed 30 ft. Melee dagger +4 (1d3-1/19-20) or . . mwk dagger +5 (1d3-1/19-20) Special Attacks hexes (cackle[APG], evil eye[APG], fortune[APG], misfortune[APG]) Pact Witch Spells Prepared (CL 3rd; concentration +7) . . 2nd—glitterdust (DC 16), web (DC 16) . . 1st—charm person (DC 15), ear-piercing scream[UM] (DC 15), sleep (DC 15) . . 0 (at will)—daze (DC 14), detect magic, light, message -------------------- Statistics -------------------- Str 8, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 8, Cha 10 Base Atk +1; CMB +2; CMD 11 Feats Agile Maneuvers, Alertness, Combat Expertise, Deadly Aim, Extra Hex[APG], Extra Hex[APG], Power Attack Traits good slip, outcast's intuition Skills Bluff +6, Fly +8, Knowledge (arcana) +8, Knowledge (history) +8, Knowledge (local) +5, Knowledge (nature) +8, Knowledge (planes) +8, Linguistics +5, Perception +6, Sense Motive +8, Spellcraft +10; Racial Modifiers +2 Perception Languages Abyssal, Common, Dwarven, Elven, Goblin, Halfling, Infernal SQ adaptable luck[ARG], finesse weapon attack attribute, witch's familiar (rabbit named Minion) Other Gear dagger, mwk dagger, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, chalk (2), flint and steel, ink, inkpen, mess kit[UE], pot, soap, spell component pouch, trail rations (5), waterskin, 422 gp, 102 sp, 8 cp -------------------- Special Abilities -------------------- Adaptable Luck +2/+1 (3/day) +2 to one ability check, attack, save, or skill check, +1 after the roll. Agile Maneuvers Use DEX instead of STR for CMB Cackle (Su) As a move action, extend the duration of other hexes by 1 rd. Combat Expertise +/-1 Bonus to AC in exchange for an equal penalty to attack. Deadly Aim -1/+2 Trade a penalty to ranged attacks for a bonus to ranged damage. Deliver Touch Spells Through Familiar (Su) Your familiar can deliver touch spells for you. Empathic Link with Familiar (Su) You have an empathic link with your Arcane Familiar. Evil Eye -2 (7 rounds, DC 15) (Su) Foe in 30 ft takes penalty to your choice of AC, attacks, saves, ability or skill checks (Will part). Familiar Bonus: +4 to Initiative checks You gain the Alertness feat while your familiar is within arm's reach. Fearless +2 bonus to save vs. fear (stacks with halfling luck). Finesse Weapon Attack Attribute Finesse weapons use Dexterity on attack rolls. Fortune (1 round) (Su) Ally in 30 ft can roll 2d20 for an attack, save, ability, or skill check (and take higher) once/rd. Misfortune (1 round, DC 15) (Su) Foe in 30 ft must take the lower of 2d20 for rolls (Will neg). Power Attack -1/+2 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage. Share Spells with Familiar Can cast spells with a target of "You" on the familiar with a range of touch. Witch's Familiar (Ex) Gain the services of a special familiar that stores spells. Spells known by Minion:
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