The Red Minister's page

+1 leaf armor
Mask of the Mantis
Gloves of Reconnaissance
Pearl of Power (1st level)
Potion of Bull's Strength

(2) MWK Sawtooth Sabre
Wood Unholy Symbol

Composite Shortbow (+2 Str)
> (20) Arrows
> (2) Grappling Arrows

Wrist-Sheath (Spring-Loaded)
> Wand of Cure Light Wounds

Bandolier
> (1) Caltrops
> (1) Marbles
> MWK Thieves' Tools
> Flint & Steel
> MONEY: 10 gp, 2 sp, 8 cp

Backpack
> (1) Caltrops
> (1) Marbles
> Whetstone
> Spider-silk Rope (50 ft.)

Blessings (4/day) (Su) Pool of power used to activate Blessing abilities.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only).
Energy Resistance, Acid (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Acid attacks.
Energy Resistance, Cold (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Cold attacks.
Energy Resistance, Electricity (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Electricity attacks.
Fate's Favored Increase luck bonuses by 1.
Fervor (1d6, 4/day) (Su) Standard action, touch channels positive/negative energy to heal or harm. Swift to cast spell on self.
Gloves of reconnaissance (10 rounds/day) Can see and hear though up to 15 ft of solid materials.
Sacred Weapon (3 rounds/day) (Su) As a swift action, grant weapon enhancement bonus or certain powers.
Scion of Humanity Count as a human for any effect related to race. Pass as human without using disguise.
Sneak Attack +1d6 Attacks deal extra dam if flank foe or if foe is flat-footed.
Trapfinding +1 Gain a bonus to find or disable traps, including magical ones.

Red considers assassination a sacrament, a skill-set, and an art. He tries to emulate the Praying Mantis in how he strikes. He blends into his environment, watches his target patiently, and then kills in a blur of motion with precise and deadly strikes - no wasted motion. At least, that is the definition of perfection for which he strives. On the job, therefore, Red is a thoughtful, patient planner who surveys his target and looks for the opportune time and way to strike that will ensure quick success and escape.

Red takes joy in enacting the sacrament of his deity but not in the killing itself. He isn't a sadist or even particularly malicious. In the holy rite of assassination, when performed correctly, only the target dies. To that end, Red avoids collateral damage if at all possible. When not on the hunt, he is a friendly man and tries to avoid trouble. He doesn't gut mouthy shop-keeps just because they are rude or cheat him. He is quite capable of charity and kindness, both to expand the faith of his church and also - as a practical matter - to forge relationships that will benefit him in his work. As the saying goes, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

Male Garuda-Blooded Aasimar (Scion of Humanity)
Height: 5'9" | Weight: 160 | Age: 68
Red is forgettable and tries hard to be so. He's of a medium height and build with weathered tan skin - seemingly earned from working outdoors. For all intents and purposes, he appears to be a working man in his mid to late 30's. The only thing that makes him notable is his prematurely grey hair and steel grey eyes. but even those aren't so uncommon to draw much attention.

Red only stands out when dressed for work. He wears a custom-fitted set of black leaf-armor beneath the blood-red loose stole-like open-robe favored by priests of Achaekek.

Deep in the heart of Taldor, hidden in the forbidding and wind-swept Dragonscar Mountains, nestles the quiet mining village of Solwetta high above the Valley of the Azlant. The village is quiet because it holds a secret. In addition to modest amounts of coal, some minerals, and the odd gemstone, Solwetta produces and exports assassins (Raised in Secrecy). It is something of a 'cottage industry' for the four families that founded the village.

Some years ago, one of the four families produced a son whose skills and abilities suggested he would make a fine addition to the legacy of Solwetta's lucrative and murderous exports. From an early age, his gifts were apparent and his fascination with the God Achaekek appeared to destine him for a position with the Red Mantis. His training proceeded without impediment and he absorbed the skills of his art with such ease that it truly seemed as if Achaekek favored the boy. (Fate's Favored)

The training regime was as long as it was thorough, taking ten years to complete. And it was time that posed the largest hurdle for the youth. After a few years, it became clear the boy was aging far more slowly than the rest of his family, The villagers saw this as a blessing. The Red Mantis agents monitoring the boy's progress were concerned and sought to find the cause of his longevity. With some effort they discovered that somewhere in the distant past a Celestial had tainted the family's bloodline. While the boy looked human he was, in fact, Aasimar. (Scion of Humanity) It wasn't a desirable quality in an assassin or a servant of Achaekek.

On completion of his training and first kill, he adopted the name Red Minister - call him 'Red' - as his nom de guerre. The Mantises warily accepted the young man into their ranks despite their reservations about his blood. While flexible when it came to killing, the Mantises proved inflexible when it came to the behavior and heritage of their members. Their new recruit was constantly watched, subtly shunned for his heritage, and found that few mantises wanted to work with him. The ones that did were other mantises under clouds of suspicion of their own.

His behavior did him no favors either. Most holy Mantis agents were fanatical and zealous in their praise for Achaekek. Red was devout but reserved, leaving words of Achaekek's glories to others... which incidentally raised more unjustified doubts about his loyalties.

Red has been with the Mantises for many years now and time's passage has done little to assuage their suspicions or thaw their cold reception of him. He's grown used to their indifference and tries to stay at arm's length from the hard-liners in the organization. His faith in Achaekek buoys his resolve and keeps him in the Mantises to continue the holy work. As a practical way of avoiding distrustful agents, Red works almost exclusively with another Mantis pariah and fellow Solwetta villager called Blackstone, the son of one his childhood friends.

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