About Xihe KatlaVigilante 7/Warpriest 6 Unchained Monk (Martial Artist) 1 / Mythic Champion 2 Wounds & Vigor
Saves
Attacks
Power Attack -2/+6
Defenses
Skills
Background Skills:
Powers and Abilities
Feats and Traits
Traits:
Racial Traits
Spells
Kitsune Spell-like Abilities: Dancing Lights 3/3, Disguise Self 2/2 Equipment
61.72 gp Weight Carried: 22.5
Mythic Features
Mythic Path Abilities
Class Features
Warpriest:
Vigilante:
Vigilante Talents:
Social Talents:
Stat explanation:
Str 12 = 14 base - 2 racial
Dex 20 = 16 base + 2 racial + 2 enhancement (ABP) Con 11 = 11 base Int 12 = 12 base Wis 20 = 15 base + 2 enhancement (ABP) + 2 inherent (Mythic) + 1 from leveling Cha 14 = 12 base + 2 racial Point Buy Total: 5 + 10 + 1 + 2 + 7 + 5 = 30 Appearance:
In human form, Katla is a pretty woman of obviously Tien origin, about 5'5" tall, with amber eyes and red hair with white tips. She usually dresses in simple but flattering clothing befitting her position as a Priestess of Shelyn. Usually she dresses in something with a hood to mostly conceal her unusual hair color. She moves with an unconscious grace that hints at her incredible agility.
In Kitsune form she looks like a five-tailed fox woman, generally dressed in a loose flower-themed outfit that won't get in the way when she's running across rooftops and doing crazy martial arts moves. (She only has the Magical Tail feat once, but I figure that her other shapeshifting feats could give her tails, too, since they're more Kitsune magic. They're cosmetic, anyway, but if it bugs you she can have only two) Her fighting style has an almost dance-like quality to it, her attacks and dodges flowing into one another with a graceful economy of motion and poise that seems out-of-place in the chaos of battle. Here's an idea of what her transforming looks like. (It's something I commissioned for her when I was thinking of running her in Hell's Rebels)
Background:
Born the eighth of nine children to a prosperious family of Kitsune adventurers in the wilds of Shokuro, Katla was raised on tales of travel and heroism. As a child she listened raptly to the story of how her parents met in the midst of a fierce battle against marauding hobgoblins, and as she grew she learned of her nation's history, with the recent heroism of the Sun Shogun liberating the land from oppression. Thus, it was little surprise that she wished from an early age to train as a warrior, that she might become a hero like in the tales.
At the same time, Katla discovered an early love for the beautiful things in the world. From a young age she was entranced by everything from the colors of the sunset to the subtle brush strokes of the master painter. With her parents' support she was able to apprentice to a master calligrapher--one who happened to be a Shelynite. The more she learned of the goddess the more Katla wished to know of her, and it was not long before she joined the Shelynites herself. It was as a young acolyte that she decided to join her two passions, striving to make of martial arts a true art form. She was fortunate in this pursuit that one of the rare Paladins of Shelyn also sometimes served in the temple she trained in. While it would be inaccurate to say he mentored her--she was far too strong-willed and free-spirited to work under a paladin's strictures--his example and support for her unusual path were a great boon to the young Kitsune. Just as she completed her training, her younger brother Kitaro abandoned his studies and ran off, joining a caravan across the Crown of the World as a guard to go west to Avistan. When news reached her of this, Katla was rather upset with her brother. Not only had he beat her to going on an adventure, he hadn't even said goodbye! Well, two could play at the adventure game. Making sure to say her goodbyes and get her parents' blessing (and a fine suit of armor they'd kept from their own adventures), Katla followed after her wayward brother, traveling to Goka and purchasing passage on a ship for the perilous voyage to Avistan. She hoped the faster path would allow her to reach the other end of the caravan route before Kitaro, but when she finally arrived she learned he had long since departed. She chased him (or at least rumors of a red-haired Tien swordsman) across the continent for the better part of a year, finally losing the trail in Magnimar. At a loss for where to go next, and frankly kind of tired of chasing around someone else's adventures, Katla decided to have a closer look at the city. She marveled at its fabled monuments, struck by the similarities in the stories of Magnimar's heroes to those she had grown up with. It wasn't long before she started to fall in love with the city. Without any further leads, she decided to settle down in the city for a little while. Katla quickly found that her 'exotic' Tien style of calligraphy and dance was appreciated in some circles of Magnimarian society. She used this to make a humble living for herself, while saving what she could for the future, as the money her parents had given her was all but spent. In time she decided that she wished to do something about the shocking lack of a temple to Shelyn in the City of Monuments, and so started planning how she might be able to afford a location for at least a small shrine to her goddess. As she planned, Katla decided to visit the one district she had thus far avoided--the Underbridge. She had heard of its poverty and danger, but was confident in her ability to defend herself. Besides, she thought to herself, how could dwelling in the shadow of such a marvelous structure be so terrible? It did not take long for the presence of a well-off traveler in the Shadow to attract attention. A desperate man soon ambushed her as she wandered the squalid alleys, threatening her with a knife. Disdainfully, Katla demonstrated to him that she knew the 'martial' portion of her martial arts at least as well as the 'art' part. Her anger aroused, she questioned the now bruised and humbled thug. His tale was a typical one, one of poverty and fear and crushing debt to those who preyed on the poor. While Katla had known of such things before--the cities of Tian Xia are no more free of slums than those of Avistan--this was the first time she had seen it up close, and she found that the thought of such... ugliness being perpetrated in the shadow of such a marvel filled her with a burning wrath. With the anger still seething in her heart, Katla left the Shadow to think things through. Once she calmed down a bit, she decided she needed Shelyn's guidance on the matter, and so decided to go on a little 'pilgrimage', visiting and meditating at each of the beautiful monuments in the city. Over the course of the next several days she carried this out, going from one end of Magnimar to the other, admiring each monument in turn, feeling uplifted by the beauty of each. The mystery behind "Our Lady of Blessed Waters" intrigued her, the tales of the Vanderales and their heroism associated with "The Guardians" strengthened her resolve, and the "Mistress of Angels" made her consider the position she herself wished--that of a guardian for those beneath the notice of others. She had reserved the Shadow Clock for last, thinking it appropriate, somehow, to consider it before she made her final decision. Its dilapidated condition saddened her, but it seemed an appropriate symbol of its district--neglected, left to rot because those in power did not care enough to do aught about it, but with a potential for beauty if only it were cared for. With her eyes fixed upon it, she whispered one last prayer to Shelyn... ...and gasped in shock as she felt something come over her. For an instant, she thought she saw a brilliant flash of light, heard a voice speaking words she could not understand, and then... darkness. When she came to, slowly getting to her feet, she could feel something different within her, a power she had never known before. Taking this as a sign of Shelyn's approval, Katla's determination bloomed, and she turned to leave the Shadow to prepare. With new purpose Katla laid her plans. As far as she could see, this was a dual problem--first, the predators, and second, the weakness that drew them in. And so she settled on a dual approach. By day, she would be a priestess, striving to aid the downtrodden, teaching them of the beauty hidden within them, inspiring them to rise above their circumstances. By night... she would be their protector, their avenger, driving the ugly, evil souls who preyed upon them out of the shadow. Thus has Katla begun her one-woman crusade to bring light to the Shadow. She purchased a small building on the edge of the Shadow, converting it to a small shrine to Shelyn, which she calls the Swan-in-Shadow Shrine. It has slowly gained a reputation in the Underbridge for being a place where succor and counsel can be had without price. And there are whispers now among the helpless of an odd heroine, The Fox, who sometimes appears at the time of greatest need to slay the dark things that feed upon them or to beat the heartless who prey upon them, leaving them bruised and broken in the paths of the few patrols through the area. By now she's all but forgotten her original goal of finding her brother. Indeed, should evidence of his current location somehow surface, she would be torn between seeking after him and staying to help those she is rapidly coming to think of as 'her people'. (This would make for a good plot by her enemies, though--try to get her to leave by planting 'evidence' of Kitaro being in danger...) But though she has striven to stay aloof from the wider politics of the city, Katla cannot long remain out of the eye of the powerful, for it is not only the gangs that profit from the Shadow's state... but it may well be the powerful who need fear The Fox's wrath when she discovers their part in the tragedy of the Underbridge.
Xihe Family Info:
Father: Shiroun, Sorcerer
Mother: Nuan, Sorcerer 1st: Huaning, Son, Arcanist, married with three daughters 2nd: (Identical Twin w/3rd) Ainan, Daughter, Sorcerer, rather physically frail, very close with Aiko 3rd: (Identical Twin w/2nd) Aiko, Daughter, Magus, trained herself to be strong, very close with Ainan 4th: Kauning, Son, Deceased, Magus 5th: Shoutan, Son, Cleric of Desna, mild Aasimar features, married, one son 6th: (Fraternal Twin w/7th) Baokan, Daughter, Wizard, married, very studious, kind of aloof 7th: (Fraternal Twin w/6th) Soura, Albino, Son, Oracle 8th: Katla 9th: Kitaro (Kit) The Xihe clan's home is almost more of a village than a house. It started out as kind of a burrow, built into a hill (think hobbit hole), but as successive generations traveled widely on their adventures and then brought riches back home, they started adding on to their tastes... tastes which were influenced by what they'd seen. So by now, the Xihe clan 'mansion' is more like an eclectic mix of a couple dozen different styles of Asian architecture, either built onto one another or connected by rambling halls and tunnels. The original burrow is now more of a central hallway and indoor gathering area, with various parts of the 'house' connected to it or even built on top of the hill it's in. Personality & Motivation:
Katla is a headstrong and confident kitsune, sure of her purpose and certain in her faith. She believes strongly in Shelyn's teachings about the uplifting power of beauty and the potential for beauty in all beings, leading her to try to use art, dance, and other beautiful things as part of her efforts to uplift the downtrodden. She doesn't really have much of a grasp on the love part of Shelyn's portfolio, however. She views the Mythic Power she's gained since beginning her crusade in the Shadow as proof of Shelyn smiling upon her efforts.
In her human form, Katla generally acts like a kindly young Priestess of Shelyn who doesn't quite understand what she's gotten herself into by setting up in the Underbridge. When someone dangerous is around she tries to come off as a bit clueless, but her natural strong will tends to show through if she gets pushed. To those not threatening her she's kind and wise beyond her years, though still a bit lost on the local culture. She exaggerates her Tien accent to try to further separate herself from her Vigilante persona.
Katla's true form doubles as her Vigilante persona (with some costume changes--if she showed up in the same outfit people would probably figure it out). She's much more aggressive as The Fox (she's trying to discourage 'The Vixen' now that she understands the connotations that word has in Taldane), willing to take on several Sczarni thugs at once with nothing but her fists if she thinks it needs doing. She has thus far not killed anyone humanoid, using her naginata more for intimidation (or the flat or haft for blunt but non-lethal damage) or on the occasional dire rat or other monster, but that resolve has been sorely tested and may well break if she sees someone doing something sufficiently heinous. Even in character as The Fox, however, she speaks often of beauty.
She worries a bit that someone will make the connection between her obviously Shelynite human persona and the Kitsune who talks about beauty and carries a holy symbol of Shelyn, but thus far no one has, so she doesn't worry too much. Motivation: Katla is motivated both by compassion and by creed. Seeing people essentially abandoned by most of society, trapped in literal and figurative darkness with little hope of escape pulls at her heartstrings... and fills her with anger against those who profit from it. She hasn't quite realized that group includes some of the leaders of the city. Coming to that realization will probably be... interesting. She's also a Shelynite through and through, firmly convinced of the uplifting, ennobling power of beauty, and of the potential in all beings for beauty. Seeing such stark ugliness in the shadow of the beautiful monuments of Magnimar is just wrong to her, something that should not be, something that must be corrected.
Goals:
Katla acknowledges that 'wiping all ugliness from the Shadow' is an impossible goal, but she's glad for any progress she makes toward it. As she discovers more of how said ugliness extends beyond the Underbridge, well... she may just expand her self-proclaimed calling. Thoughts on Campaign Possibilities:
As I've written her, Katla is an outsider to Magnimar. This puts her in a dangerous position--she's come out of nowhere and started messing with the city's delicate balance of power. No doubt the Sczarni are already moving to do something about her, but I was thinking that she might also get embroiled in the politics of the city at large, perhaps without her even realizing it at first. After all, the Shadow exists as it does largely because those in power deliberately ignore its problems. She's probably stepping on some toes... which means she has both enemies and potential 'allies' she knows nothing about yet.
Really, I think I'd like three different threads that both interweave and pull apart from one another. First, the state of those in the Shadow, both the desperately poor and the various illicit activities. This is what Katla is trying to improve. Second, the politics of those in power. This is what she's trying to ignore but will inevitably get caught up in. And third, I think it'd be cool to have her slowly uncover some rising threat to the whole city. Maybe there are Korvosan infiltrators slipping in and planning a coup, or maybe there's a cult of Groetus starting some crazy apocalyptic ritual, or perhaps there's some creature still trapped in the Irespan that's slowly been chewing its way out. Whatever the case, it would be something that seems like a small side problem at first, and only gradually unfolds into something that could destroy Magnimar as it currently is. She is built to be a good infiltrator as well as a warrior, with her natural shapeshifting and disguise abilities combined with decent Bluff and Disguise. So I'd definitely like opportunities for her to grab some Sczarni thug, question him, and then replace him for a night to get info on a drug smuggling operation or something similar. One thing that would make her story better would be some Magnimarian friends... I may have to come up with a couple to add in, both to further cement her to the city and to provide other knobs her enemies can twist. The other point here is that she's stuck on Shelyn's beauty aspect but hasn't really gotten the love aspect, so she's in need of an epiphany there. Thoughts on Contacts:
A few thoughts on people she would know, to be filled out if she's picked:
*Some sort of enchanter or alchemist. She didn't come to town with all of this neat gear, and I doubt she took it all from thugs she's beaten. Perhaps he could be someone who has an idea of her dual identity but keeps silent because he has a grudge against the Sczarni.
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