About Wenona OrdescuWenona Ordescu
Appearance:
Wenona is a strikingly tall woman, with a muscular build on the very edges of what could still be described as "lithe". She possesses the common olive-toned skin of the Varisian population, but her ruddy and freckled complexion belies a mixed heritage. Her platinum hair is not particularly unusual among Varisians, but the short cut she keeps it in is. Her yellow-brown eyes and bold, defined facial features are the most obvious indicators of her Shoanti heritage. While adventuring, she wears sturdy boots and practical clothing under an exquisitely crafted suit of studded leather armor, dyed in soft blues and violets. A cestus wraps her right hand, a dagger rests in it's scabbard at her belt, a shortbow is slung over her shoulder, and a large scythe is strapped into a weapon thong on her back (clearly intended for anything but farmwork). Around her waist she ties a traditional Varisian scarf patterned after the night sky, Desnan artwork to the informed observer. Personality:
Wenona is an amiable, if not particularly charismatic woman. She works actively (sometimes a little too actively) to ingratiate herself to others. She is quick to declare friendship, and eager to engage others with jokes and discussions of their interests, faiths, and hobbies. Wenona has a knack for "feeling people out" and often steers conversations away from her own interests and exploits despite the relative uniqueness of her profession and training, preferring to keep the conversation about others. The exception to this is her faith: she is happy to discuss Desna with all who will listen. Those around her long enough will notice that she is prone to brief bouts of melancholy, particularly when exposed to music. Encounters with Shoanti create the curious phenomenon of a six-foot tall woman seemingly attempting to shrink herself away to nothing, whereas derogatory or critical speak of the tribes causes her to become vehemently defensive and confrontational. Background:
Wenona's parents were a truly odd pair: Her father a popular and successful Riddleport bard out of Roderic's Cove and her mother a powerful and respected Shoanti warrior of the Shadde-Quah (Axe Clan). That they met without hostility was a result of their shared faith: They first encountered one another when both stopped to offer prayers at a roadside shrine to Desna some miles out of Riddleport. Despite the Shadde-Quah's general antipathy towards Varisians in general and Riddleport in particular, and Varisian's casual bigotry towards the Shoanti, Wenona's mother found herself quite taken with the young man's looks and music; and her father to a powerful, confident leader he admired. When their frequent but unofficial on-and-off courtship resulted in a child, an already culturally complex relationship reached a new height: her existence was barely tolerated by the Shadde-Quah and seen as a derogatory joke within Riddleport, and this was with her parents respective good standing to shield her. It's possible that she may have one day found her place in either or both of her parent's worlds: had she completed the Shoanti right of passage to which she was technically entitled and earned her place in the clan through trial, or grown to excel at a trade in egalitarian, cosmopolitan Riddleport. Sadly, this was not to be. When Wenona was six, she and her parents were caught in a large street brawl in Riddleport between two arcane researchers and their respective hired muscle vying for the same ancient curiosity retrieved from some Thassalonian ruins. Converging spells from the two wizards crashed atop the small family, and both parents died shielding their daughter from harm. This tragedy was twofold for, at such a young age and without her parent's influence, both sides of her family moved to wash their hand's of Wenona's existence as quickly as possible. With not one blood-relation willing to adopt her, she was taken in by the church of Desna. She lived out a safe childhood as a ward of the church, and through Desna's faith Wenona both developed the strongest living connection she would ever have to her parents and also learned to process the grief of their loss and the conditions it created for her. Through Desna's teachings of accepting the pains of life in order to accentuate the joys, Wenona managed to grow up into a remarkably well-adjusted young woman given her background. This is not to say her circumstances became easy. Ever the outsider, she has yet to find comfort in either of her parent's cultural backgrounds. Though she has effectively been raised Varisian she is fully aware of her background and has never felt like she truly fits in, particularly when confronted with Varisian bigotry towards the Shoanti. Her Shoanti heritage she has been even more culturally distanced from, and she wrestles with that part of her identity to this day. To the Varisians, she is forever a horser, and in Shoanti eyes forever a tshamek. She did find some small fortune when she came of age: Her father had the foresight to establish a living will that named her the beneficiary of a sizable sum from his savings when she reached adulthood. His family had attempted to oppose this several times during her childhood, but the will was iron-clad (the benefit of her father having been owed a favor by an Asmodean contract lawyer). The money was to be used to cover an education of her choice, as well as any travel and living expenses incurred in the pursuit of such. Wanting to escape her conflicted background but not quite looking to completely abandon her homeland, Wenona chose to make for Kaer Maga and see what endless possibilities the virtually lawless metropolis could offer her. Lacking her father's talent or charisma, but possessing at least some of her mother's warrior stature she signed on for recruit training in a mercenary troupe. Wenona got work as a bartender in order to occupy her nights and supplement her nest egg. The dive where she tended bar was, appropriately, one popular with mercenaries, adventurers, and other rough types. Wenona's favorite customer was on old, half-elven retired monster hunter named Jaxson. He was friendly, charming, full of stories and made it clear that he appreciated Wenona for not coddling him due to his blindness (which seemed odd to her, since no one else did either). One night, Wenona confessed to Jaxson that his tales of high adventure and danger at the hands of fantastic beasts had somewhat soured her on the prospect of life as a mercenary. It seemed dull by comparison. Jaxson responded with a declaration: "It's decided, then!" "Decided? What is? I don't follow you." Wenona responded, perplexed. "I'm going to take you on as my apprentice. Teach you all my tricks." Wenona smirked. "I imagine I'll get a drink in my face just for thinking this, but what exactly is a blind old man going to teach me about how to fight?" Jaxson feigned offense: "Fortunately for you, this swill you serve here isn't fit even for throwing in the face of disrespectful youth." He leaned in conspiratorially, "Besides, I can teach you more than you can imagine. I lack sight, but have you ever once even needed to nudge a cup to guide it towards my hand? There are other senses, Wenona, and imagine what you could do with them with your sight intact." Now taking his offer seriously, she was somewhat taken aback. "But... Why me?" "My dear, I've been coming to this bar for years. Since I retired. And you're the first person to ever notice that I'm blind." ****************** That was six years ago. Wenona's training under Jaxson lasted much longer that most professional martial instruction. But then, it was considerably beyond learning how to swing a sword. She found her temperament and physique well suited to skirmishing tactics: quick and powerful strikes while remaining on the move. Jaxson had also taught her the rudiments of the technique he called "centering himself", but insisted Wenona would never truly attain the uncanny focus of which he was capable without testing herself in the real world. In service of this, he passed on to her some leads of various beasts he hadn't managed to track down before age slowed his bones. "These critters are all located right around Sandpoint, 'least they should be, and a lot of trouble's been stirrin' out there besides. Perfect place for you to cut your teeth. Also, if you get going soon enough you'll get there in time for their Swallowtail Festival. Couldn't hurt to kick things off by payin' respects to your Lady Desna." With that, it wasn't long before she caught passage with a trade caravan, leaving the small life she'd built for herself in Kaer Maga. She now faced the open roads of her homeland, and deep in the back of her heart hoped she'd find her place within it. Stats:
Str. 16 (+3)
Offense:
BAB: +1
Longspear +4, 1d8+4, crit 20(x3), Piercing, Brace, Reach Cestus +4, 1d4+3, crit 19-20(x2), Bludgeoning or Piercing, -2 on skill checks requiring precision. Dagger +4, 1d4+3, crit 19-20(x2), Piercing Dagger(Thrown) +3, 1d4+3, crit 19-20(x2), Piercing, 10' Shortbow +3, 1d6, crit 20(x3), Piercing, 60' Defense:
HP: 12
Armor/Shield: Masterwork Studded Leather, +3 AC, +6 Max Dex, 0 ACP, Spell Failure: 15%, Light Feats:
Dodge
Skills:
(1)Acrobatics +6
Background Skills: (1)Lore: Desna +4
Traits:
Monster Hunter: +1 to hit and damage vs. Aberrations and Magical Beasts Reactionary: +2 Initiative. Child of Two Peoples: +2 on saves vs. Charm and Compulsion effects. Gain racial or ethnic languages of both parents (in this case, Varisian and Shoanti). Class Abilities:
Favored Class Bonus: Skill Points Proficiencies: Simiple Weapons, Martial Weapons, Light Armor, Medium Armor, Shields (except Tower Shields). Bonus Combat Feat: At 1st level, and every even-numbered level thereafter. Must meet prerequisites. Racial Abilities:
Bonus Feat: At 1st level, must meet pre-requisites.
Spells:
N/A Languages:
Common, Varisian, Shoanti Gear:
Longspear
Stowed Back In Her Room:
PP:
Weight Carried: 74lbs Light Load: Up to 76lbs
Feat/Stat Development:
I keep losing my notebook, so I'm gonna copy this down here: 1: Dodge, Power Attack(b), Furious Focus(b)
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