About Thisbe CormorantCharacter Sheet:
Thisbe Cormorant
Female human (Taldan) investigator (mastermind) 7 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide 30, 101) N Medium humanoid (human) Init +4; Senses Perception +10 -------------------- Defense -------------------- AC 20, touch 15, flat-footed 15 (+5 armor, +4 Dex, +1 dodge) hp 52 (7d8+14) Fort +3, Ref +9, Will +5; +4 bonus vs. poison -------------------- Offense -------------------- Speed 30 ft. Melee +1 rapier +11 (1d6+5/18-20) Special Attacks studied combat (+3, 3 rounds), studied strike +2d6 Investigator (Mastermind) Extracts Prepared (CL 7th; concentration +10) . . 3rd—marionette possession[UM], seek thoughts[APG] (DC 16) . . 2nd—enshroud thoughts[OA], focused scrutiny[ACG], invisibility, perceive cues[APG] . . 1st—heightened awareness[ACG] (3), invisibility alarm[ACG] (2) -------------------- Statistics -------------------- Str 8, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 17, Wis 10, Cha 16 Base Atk +5; CMB +9; CMD 19 Feats Agile Maneuvers, Combat Expertise, Deadly Aim, Dodge, Extra Inspiration[ACG], Extra Investigator Talent[ACG], Fencing Grace[UI], Power Attack, Weapon Focus Traits Affiliated Agent, For The Money Skills
Languages
SQ a quiet word, alchemy (alchemy crafting +7), finesse weapon attack attribute, inspiration (1d8, 9/day), investigator talents (amazing inspiration[ACG], expanded inspiration[ACG], intelligence inspiration[ACG], underworld inspiration[ACG]), keen recollection, mastermind defense, poison lore, rules changes Other Gear +1 mithral chain shirt, +1 rapier, belt of incredible dexterity +2, glowing glove[APG], alchemy crafting kit[APG], backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, ink, inkpen, investigator starting formula book, mess kit[UE], pot, soap, torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 40(7/20: -3 gold, -1 silver)=36 gp, 9 sp Loot Attained: Courier's Secure Pouch [7 Bloodstones (50 gp each), 5 platinum, 35 gold, 100 silver] -------------------- Special Abilities -------------------- A Quiet Word (Diplomacy or Intimidate, 3/day) (Ex) With 10 minutes of prep, an ally can use your skill ranks on a Diplomacy or Intimidate check later. Agile Maneuvers Use DEX instead of STR for CMB Alchemy +7 (Su) +7 to Craft (Alchemy) to create alchemical items, can Id potions by touch. Combat Expertise +/-2 Bonus to AC in exchange for an equal penalty to attack. Deadly Aim -2/+4 Trade a penalty to ranged attacks for a bonus to ranged damage. Expanded Inspiration (Ex) Free Inspiration on Diplomacy, Heal, Perception, Profession, Sense Motive (if trained). Fencing Grace Use Dexterity on rapier damage rolls Finesse Weapon Attack Attribute The “light weapons” category has been renamed to “finesse weapons.” Characters can choose to use either their dexterity bonus or their strength bonus to hit with these weapons, no feat required. “Finesse” is also now a weapon attribute li Inspiration (+1d8, 9/day) (Ex) Use 1 point, +1d6 to trained skill or ability check. Use 2 points, to add to attack or save. Intelligence Inspiration (Ex) Free Inspiration with Knowledge, Linguistics, Spellcraft even when untrained. Keen Recollection At 3rd level, an investigator can attempt all Knowledge skill checks untrained. Mastermind Defense (Ex) 2 inspiration: penalize an attack roll against you by your inspiration die Poison Lore (Ex) After 1 min can use Know to ID poisons, 1 min more to neutralize with Craft (alchemy). Power Attack -2/+4 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage. Studied Combat (+3, 3 rounds) (Ex) As a move action, study foe to gain bonus to att & dam for duration or until use studied strike. Studied Strike +2d6 (Ex) As a free action on a melee hit, end studied combat vs. foe to add precision dam. Underworld Inspiration (Ex) Free Inspiration on Bluff, Disable Device, Disguise, Intimidate, or Sleight of Hand (if trained). Weapon Focus (Light Blades) Choose one weapon group. You become better at using that type of weapon. Prerequisites: base attack bonus +1. Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on all attack rolls you make using weapons from the selected group. The bonus only applies Brief Intro:
Thisbe Cormorant is a savant in the game of power, as ruthless in her tactics as she is fixated on her goals. In the calculus of her schemes, all ledgers must be balanced, and the price of liberation paid in full. After living rough on the streets of Isarn throughout her formative years, she watched as her family and community suffered at the whims of ongoing coups. Her country, her home, her people, were merely pawns in the games of the power hungry. What credit should she give to governments unable to pay the costs of keeping its people from starving? Thisbe watched the slow death of her own Mother, preyed upon by the Vice and given a loan she could never repay. First they took a few of her fingers, then her whole left hand. Eventually her Mother stopped coming home altogether, losing herself to the mindlessness of pesh addiction, and dying alone in the Warehouse District. From that moment, the young Thisbe vowed to claw her way up, to the heart of the Vice, and destroy it, piece by piece, from within. Working now at a mid-end gambling den owned by the Vice as a bookie & lender, Thisbe has found opportunities to cook the books and pass her profits back into her community. Thisbe’s life is constantly on edge, always vigilant in keeping one step ahead of the Vice, or else she’d find herself on the wrong end of knife. Claire’s Kitchen, Cayden’s Home, Rosa Bohneur and the Galt Gazette have all received dubious donations from disguised do-gooders with a red handprint glowing on their left cheeks. Each with a signed note from Thisbe herself, Complements of the Scarlet Hand. While the climb is slow, Thisbe maintains her fervent patience. She'll swallow her hate, prove her talent, and officially join the Vice. She will learn the secrets of their empire. She’ll be exactly what they need. And she'll seize any opportunity to work her way high enough up the rungs of power to set her people free. History:
A daughter of Galt, Thisbe grew up as many children in Isarn did: scrappy and hungry. Thisbe was only 8 when her Mother sent her with 5 copper to the bakery to stand in line for bread. Close to the bakery, she met a group of kids throwing dice on the street. It only took a tongue in cheek comment and the promise of fortune for Thisbe to put her coins down on the next roll. With a smug grin and a “sorry kid”, her 5 copper was gone. Her family went hungry that week and it was her fault. Thisbe vowed never to gamble again. And, being a cunning kid with a head for numbers, knew she had to learn how to get on the other side of that game. After the Twelfth Decree, her mother lost her job as a lamplighter. When the notice came, without severance and long after the fuel supply went dry, it called her mother “irrelevant”. From then on the streets were dark, and Thisbe went hungry. To give her some credit, Thisbe’s Mother didn’t give in immediately. She found a few odd jobs, but it never added up to much. Then, one day out of the blue, Thisbe came home to a feast: a roasted hen, vegetables, bread and butter on the table. There was even sugar for the tea! Suddenly, the Cormorant family’s fortune turned for the better. Her Mother paid a small clerk’s office in the Wine Quarter to take Thisbe on as an apprentice for 2 years. Thisbe quickly mastered figures and proofs, demographics and statistics, much to the surprise of the Head Clerk. A quick study and devoted worker, Thisbe found immense pleasure in manipulating and understanding numbers. She began applying what she learned in all areas of her life, thus discovering that with data came the power to make better choices and do more with less. Numbers didn’t lie. For the first time in her life, Thisbe felt empowered. And she liked it. At first, Thisbe wasn’t sure where the money was coming from, until a pair of goons started showing up to their apartment in the Cider Vault, threatening her Mother and ransacking their home. Once she followed them back to the Lucky Iris, a gambling den & lending house known to be ran by the Vice. Not long thereafter, Thisbe’s Mother began to decline. She came home from a day of working in the bakery without 2 of her fingers on her left hand. The next day, 2 more were gone, the bloody stumps remaining untreated and turning black. Thisbe watched her Mother disappear before her eyes. Not only did the Vice eventually take her entire left hand, but her Mother had given into a deep despair that lead her to the daily use of pesh. Thisbe realized that the Vice clearly knew her Mother would never be able to repay their loan. They made a calculation and took the risk of her Mother either dying, or becoming their indentured servant. They weighed her life in the balance and set a fire in Thisbe’s bones that has yet to be extinguished. On a day that seemed like any other, Thisbe went to the Warehouse District to find her Mother and bring her home. This day, however, Thisbe found her cold body slumped in the dilapidated building she frequented to get high. Her Mother was alone when she died and, only 14 at the time, Thisbe lost the only family she knew in this world. Thisbe’s rage and despair led her to cursing the system in Galt that would allow this to happen. She vowed that her Mother, and all victims of the Vice, would be avenged. It was then that Thisbe started on the path into the heart of the Vice, where she planned on burning them down from within. Unable to pay the tuition to finish her clerk apprenticeship, Thisbe had to find a way to survive. It started out as a dice game on the streets. Expanded to back alley card games and, eventually, she was hired by the Vice as a dealer at the Lucky Iris. No one ever got too lucky at Thisbe’s table and the bosses took notice. Two loquacious leg breakers were complaining about their boss, a collector for the Vice who managed his affairs violently yet relied on them to do the grisly deeds. Mysteriously, the collector ended up dead a few days later. At their recommendation, the Vice promoted Thisbe and she now does runs a small team of racketeers, sending out the two thugs as needed for muscle, but usually relying on her meticulous planning and reputation instead of overt force.
Current Affairs:
Thisbe has made covert maneuvers in her current position to funnel funds away from the Vice and back into the organizations which serve the people of Galt. Thisbe is one of the Vice’s racketeering team-leads. She and her two goons, Little Boy & Fat Man, shake down businesses and individuals to collect on their protection agreements with the Vice. Thisbe uses a subtler approach with her assigned clientele, often using diplomatic means instead of violence to keep the peace. For situations which require a more confrontational approach, she may direct Little Boy & Fat man to accomplish those tasks as she’s uninterested in getting her own hands dirty if at all avoidable. Of course, keeping up appearances is important. Should a member of the Caydogs run through Vice territory, she makes very public spectacles in seeing that the opposing gang members don’t return. While trying to avoid bloodshed, she does look for alternate, humiliating solutions to get rid of the rabble. However, she’s not always lucky, and winds up in the midst of a bloody charade. In her work, Thisbe finds ways to circumvent the Vice and add to her fund for the suffering of the city. Whether that be underreporting her collections or convincing clients to pay a little extra to avoid violence, Thisbe utilizes the best tool for the task. She’s careful to avoid patterns and very slowly builds her fund. Thisbe stringently avoids alerting Little Boy & Fat Man to her schemes. While they both report to Thisbe, it’s the Vice that pays their wage, and can’t be trusted. Her next step is to eventually replace her boss, who manages multiple teams of collectors. As her affiliation with the Vice must be hidden, Thisbe’s deliveries to her beneficiaries are made through proxies. In disguise, she recruits homeless volunteers who submit themselves to her marionette possession extracts in exchange for coin. This allows Thisbe to control her donations, directly deliver them into the right hands and ensure her mark, the Scarlet Hand, is seen. While Thisbe has barely scraped the surface of understanding the inner workings of the Vice, including where the vast amounts of gold goes, she knows her game is a long one and she keeps sharp for potential opportunities to dig deeper. When Thisbe isn’t working for the Vice, she keeps her razor focus on her goals. Not allowing herself many distractions, she perfects her calculations, practices her rapier and keeps abreast of current events in Isarn and Galt. Preferring unfiltered data, Thisbe makes a point to attend significant political events where she can keep her profile low. She still lives in the same dilapidated apartment, where she grew up, in the Cider Vault. Political Orientation:
Thisbe is careful and methodical in her words and actions. With so many eyes and ears in the Vice, she keeps her political views held close. She refuses to allow her personal feelings to be used against her. Thisbe sees potential value in connections to all groups, so she doesn’t take any cards off the table with the hopes she can play them all to achieve her goals. However, in the true Galtan spirit, she would much rather throw the game in its entirety. Her work as the Scarlet Hand over the years displays a strong lean towards the charitable and egalitarian works in the city. Those who might blunder into her apartments would find Galt Gazette issues and stolen books on Galtan revolutionary history. Although kept close to her heart, Thisbe’s true orientation to the various groups in Isarn follows: The Revolutionary Council
By her estimation, the people have done the work in providing for their welfare with sparse and happenstance assistance from the Councils. The people of Galt don’t need the Council system. And, even worse, it’s a grotesque waste of resources to keep it in place. The Grey Gardeners
Senate
Court of Bees
Milanite Factions
Erastil’s Commune
Pathfinder Society
Related NPCs:
Thisbe works heavily with the toughs she was assigned by the Vice. They seem to trust Thisbe, or possibly fear her; as long as they do as their told, Thisbe doesn’t particularly have a preference. Fat Man - Fat Man came to the Vice by way of pit fights. Thisbe knows little about his time before he was put on her team, yet she suspects that he's got a debt to pay. Fat Man speaks little, but is an intimidating 300 pound strong-arm that Thisbe relies on from time to time. He doesn’t say much and takes orders well: the perfect man. Little Boy - Little Boy, a grown man who is a few inches shorter than he would like, is the fast-talking swindler who gets their targets talking. Thisbe often uses him as her go-between, allowing her presence to hold more gravitas. Sure, he might take the opportunity to swipe a few coins off the top of their collections, but Thisbe doesn’t blame him for that. His most notable feature is his unnecessary vocabulary, of which, he constantly employs. “A partisan who lacks in fecundity and grace is of no consequential caliber!”
Appearance & Personality:
Thisbe isn’t a striking woman, being slim in the wrong places due to years of lack of nutrition. She’s taller than most of her gender and the severe bone structure of her face lends itself to her air of superiority. She keeps her dark hair long, though when working at the Iris, puts it in a tight bun to dissuade any disgruntled losers from pulling it. She carries a few light scars on her brown skin, the remaining evidence of scrapes with her rough neighbors in the Cider Vault. She can usually be found wearing worn clerk’s attire, outgrown and mended as it’s the same suit from the apprenticeship in her youth. She keeps a pair of gloves in her pocket, one of which leaves the scarlet hand mark known to her beneficiaries. One wouldn’t call Thisbe friendly, although she is confident in her communication. She mostly keeps to herself and only develops those relationships which assist her goals. Logical to a near fault, Thisbe uses her methodical mind to convince and disarm those she works with. She’s yet to lose a logical argument. Overall, an outsider would view Thisbe as cool and detached, even boring. The mask Thisbe wears has succeeded in hiding her fervent hatred for the Vice and the burning fire of revolution that builds inside.
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