Wenzeslaus came from a minor Ustalavic noble house, with little to its name except for the ancient lineage.
As a youth, he attended the theology courses in the Lepidstadt University. He was often looked down upon by the rich students from the prominent noble houses, who flaunted their elaborate garments and jewellery and formed impromptu 'secret power cabals', seeing themselves as the future masters of the land in the making, while paying only lip service to the studies. Wenzeslaus worked hard to establish himself as a scholar and was preparing to formally join the Pharasmin clergy one day.
His life changed abruptly when his infant cousin, whom Wenzeslaus adored, caught a mysterious wasting sickness. Within a month, life was drained from his little body. Prayers to Pharasma or any other gods could not help.
After the funeral, Wenzeslaus found himself in a crisis of faith. How could Pharasma judge this innocent soul? The perspective of the boy joining the celestial host did not warm his soul. Wenzeslaus forsook his studies and began sliding into depression and self-loathing.
That's when he got the letter. Sealed with an image of scarab beetle with an eye on his back - he remembered he saw it among the rich boys - it said: "His death was preordained. False gods cannot change the destiny. Only you have the power to unlock the true divinity within yourself and master your own life and those of others. Seek the truth from my brethren, and if you are worthy, I will show it to you from my Throne."
The letter was signed A.A.C.
Under any other circumstances Wenzeslaus would laugh at such a simple prank, but he was too devastated to give it a critical thought. Soon enough, he found himself studying Ancient Osiriani scriptures given to him by anonymous patrons - "brothers" as they called themselves on their hidden gatherings. Wenzeslaus did not find peace, but he has found a path to it and a sense of purpose.
His last encoded missive said:
"Acolyte of the Third Throne,
I hope this letter finds you well on your path to enlightenment. The next turn along this path leads you to Korvosa.
Our Brother of the Second Throne has unfortunately succumbed to the vices of that city and was indicted on accusations of murder. A supposed eyewitness account rom a local fisherman seemed to be enough to seal the case, but through our connections we have provided enough alibis that sentencing wasn’t immediate. One of our Brothers confronted the fisherman and discovered he was intimidated into providing false witness and forced into planting the murder weapon by the actual murderer — a local crimelord named Gaedren Lamm. His thugs killed the fisherman before he could recant his testimony. Although this removed the key witness and resulted in our Brother being set free, the stigma was enough to badly damage his reputation - and that of our Order. Your mission is to discover evidence that ties Gaedren Lamm to the murder and can clear the Order’s name. Do not release the evidence to the public directly - pass it on to me via the means I will provide in a later missive. As we had to remove our Brother from Korvosa to prevent further damage to the Order's goals, you will make a natural candidate for induction to the ranks of the Second Throne in his place - should you succeed in your mission."
Stat Block:
Wenzeslaus von Rosenkreuz
Male human shaman (benefactor, true silvered throne) 1 (Pathfinder Player Companion: Healer's Handbook 26, Pathfinder Player Companion: Occult Origins 23, Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide 35)
N Medium humanoid (human)
Init +1; Senses Perception +4
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Defense
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AC 16, touch 11, flat-footed 15 (+5 armor, +1 Dex)
hp 10 (1d8+2)
Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +5
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee heavy mace +0 (1d8)
Ranged light crossbow +1 (1d8/19-20)
Special Attacks channel positive energy 5/day (DC 12, 1d6)
Shaman (Benefactor, True Silvered Throne) Spells Prepared (CL 1st; concentration +4)
. . 1st—bless, cure light wounds; remove sickness[S,UM] (DC 14)
. . 0 (at will)—detect magic, guidance, mending
. . S spirit magic spell; Spirit Restoration Wandering Spirit
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Statistics
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Str 11, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 14
Base Atk +0; CMB +1; CMD 11
Feats Agile Maneuvers, Extra Channel, Ritual Hex, Selective Channeling
Traits family honor, secret scrolls
Skills Acrobatics -5 (-9 to jump), Bluff +7, Craft (clockwork) +6, Heal +7, Knowledge (arcana) +6, Knowledge (history) +6, Linguistics +6, Perception +4, Spellcraft +6, Use Magic Device +3 (+4 to activate scrolls you can't normally use)
Languages Ancient Osiriani, Azlanti, Common, Varisian
SQ benefactor ethos, benefactor hexes, occult grimoire, ritual hex
Other Gear scale mail, crossbow bolts (20), heavy mace, light crossbow, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, candle (10), flint and steel, mess kit[UE], pot, soap, spell component pouch, torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 28 gp
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Tracked Resources
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Crossbow bolts - 0/20
Harrow Points - 0
Read Magic (1/day) - 0/1
Shaman Channel Positive Energy 1d6 (5/day, DC 12) (Su) - 0/5
Torch - 0/10
Trail rations - 0/5
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Special Abilities
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Agile Maneuvers Use DEX instead of STR for CMB
Benefactor Ethos All curse spells are removed from shaman spell list.
Benefactor Hexes Cannot gain hex which is a curse effect or has "curse" in the name.
Occult Grimoire (Ex) A true silvered throne's divine magic arises from communion with spirits alongside study of archaic lore compiled into a personal occult grimoire. Unlike a wizard's spellbook, this grimoire doesn't contain specific spells. By studying his grimoire, a
Ritual Hex A true silvered throne gains Ritual Hex (see page 24) as a bonus feat.
Ritual Hex You learn the "Beseeching the Patron" occult ritual.
Selective Channeling Exclude targets from the area of your Channel Energy.
Shaman Channel Positive Energy 1d6 (5/day, DC 12) (Su) Positive energy heals the living and harms the undead; negative has the reverse effect.
