Volkar Neska's page

Volkar Neska
Male human sorcerer 3
LN Medium humanoid (human)
Init +3; Senses Perception +0
Favored Class: Sorcerer
FCB: +3 Skill Points, +1 Spell Known
DEFENSE
AC 13 17, touch 13, flat-footed 10 14 (+3 Dex, +4 mage armor)
HP 26 (4d6+8)
Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +5
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft
Melee longspear +3 (1d8+3/x3)
Melee dagger +4 (1d4+2/19-20)
Ranged light crossbow +4 (1d8/19-20)
Ranged dagger +4 (1d4+2/19-20)
Special Attacks ectoplasmic reach, entangling ectoplasm 8/day (as tanglefoot bag, DC 15 Reflex)
Spellcasting (CL 4th, Concentration +10)
2nd-level (4/day) - glitterdust (DC 18)
1st-level (7/day) - grease (DC 17), mage armor, obscuring mist, shocking grasp, touch of gracelessness (DC 17)
0-level - arcane mark, detect magic, disrupt undead, light, mage hand, ray of frost
Bloodline - Ectoplasm
STATISTICS
Str 14, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 21
Base Atk +1, CMB+2, CMD 16
Traits Bastard, Noble Blood, Traditionalist
Feats Craft Wondrous Item, Eschew Materials, Spell Focus (Conjuration, Evocation)
Skills (ACP -0) Bluff +11, Knowledge (arcana) +9, Knowledge (nobility)* +10, Profession (soldier)* +7, Sense Motive +8, Spellcraft +9, Stealth +10, Use Magic Device +12
Languages Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven
SQ cantrips
Combat Gear 2 potions of cure light wounds, wand of magic missile (CL 1st, 50 charges), 40 crossbow bolts, 2 flasks of holy water, 2 flasks of alchemist’s fire, 2 flasks of acid Gear longspear, light crossbow, dagger, cloak of resistance +1, handy haversack, soldier’s uniform, 20 days trail rations, 50 ft silk rope, small tent, shovel, sorcerer’s kit, 40 gp

Volkar is the bastard son of Count Aericnein Neska, former Count of Barstoi in eastern Ustalav. His mother, Areyna Silcol, was a secret mistress of the Count, who became pregnant and gave birth to Volkar in 4695 AR, only a couple of years after he ordered the Furnica Plains burned and salted after withdrawing from them. Kept hidden in a forested manor house near the border of Varno County, along the Kingfisher River, Volkar was raised primarily by his mother, seeing his father only on the twice-yearly occasions the Count visited. Volkar was not of much interest to the Count, and it was only 7 years later that the Count lost interest in his mother, and kicked them out with a sum of coin and a warning that if either of them mentioned their connection to him, both would be arrested and executed.

They journeyed to the town of Sturnidae, where they could settle into quiet life. His mother told the villagers that Volkar’s father was dead, and became a seamstress to ensure they could make ends meet. Volkar’s mother made sure he should never mention who his real father was, and for several years he didn’t. Growing up near the Furrows, they would be subject to the occasional pall of grey ash that blew from that desolate wasteland to the town. Within, Volkar routinely saw shapes of soldier marching and fighting, and occasionally thought he heard voices on the wind. These instances only intensified as he grew older. Strange things would sometimes occur around him, and people began to whisper he might be haunted.

Then came the sudden undead uprising. The Pharasmin inquisitors and black-armored soldiers of Barstoi attempted to stem the tide, and held the line for a year, but they were overwhelmed and the undead fell upon Barstoi. Count Neska was reported to have been slain by the undead, and Volkar and his mother fled into Varno. While crossing the Furrows, they became lost, but Volkar listened to the spirits and convinced his mother to follow him, and got them into Varno. They were not to stay there long, however, as they continued fleeing the advancing horde of undead to Ilmarsh, where they desperately evacuated by ship, across Avalon Bay, to Vauntil. Surely, in the capital’s county, there was safety, they thought. Alas, none was to be found. It was as they fled Vauntil that Volkar lost his mother. They were fleeing when they were cornered by a group of undead. The undead fell upon his mother, and he heard her screams. He felt a power rise inside him as she died, and the magic escaped him, uncontrolled and wild, destroying the undead. Too late to save his mother, however. He said a prayer over her body he’d heard Pharasmin priests say, then used magic to burn her body - he wasn’t sure how he did it, but he didn’t want her becoming one of the abominations.

Volkar fled to Caliphas then, when it became clear even the capital would fail to hold, to Lastwall. It was there he finally found safety, as the Crusade of Reclamation poured into what had once been the nation of Ustalav. In the refugee camps, he taught himself to control the magic that had come to him in Vauntil, though he knew not how he had gained these abilities. At the age of 18, he joined the Crusade of Reclamation to help reclaim Ustalav, using his magic to strike at undead foes. He learned from the mages who fought in the Crusade that his power was heavily tied into the Ethereal Plane, and he could somehow harness raw Ectoplasm in wielding his abilities. Fighting against the undead taught him how to control his fear when seeing them.

During this time, he also learned about his father. He’d known his father was a Count, and that he’d kept a harsh law in Barstoi, but what he hadn’t known was the extent of his father’s ambitions and how harsh he had been. Learning as much of his father’s history as he did, he grew to appreciate the benefits of wielding the strength of rule, and of how even as a Count his father may have been more powerful than Ustalav’s nominal ruler, Prince Aduard. Like the majority of Ustalavic citizens, he worshipped Pharasma, but he grew to appreciate the teachings of Abadar and Asmodeus, particularly as they pertain to the law and how important it is to grow a society and country. He thought that if Ustalav had been less insular and more civilized, they would have had stronger protections against the undead horde. It was a valuable lesson to be learned - although it appeared to be too late for Ustalav to learn it.

Then the Crusade ended, and Lastwall decided Ustalav needed to be rebuilt. The Prince was dead, and there appeared to be little of the nobility left, if any. In particular, neither Count Neska nor any of his legitimate heirs were found alive. Volkar saw this as his chance. He could claim a position of rule, of status and power. Despite his illegitimacy, this was a chance to rebuild Ustalav with an eye towards a strong society and a powerful central government. Finally able to use his father’s surname, Volkar Neska would venture forth to rebuild and restore Ustalav - or die trying.