Zileska Vestalina's page

About Zileska Vestalina

Zileska Vestalina
Cleric 17
CN Medium humanoid (human, elf)
Init +2; Senses Perception +8, low-light vision

--------------------
Defense
--------------------

AC 21, touch 14, flat-footed 19 (+7 armor, +2 Dex, +2 deflection)
HP 105 (17d8, +17 Con)
Fort +13 (+10 base, +1 Con, +2 resistance), Ref +9 (+5 base, +2 Dex, +2 resistance), Will +17 (+10 base, +4 Wis, +2 resistance, +1 enhancement bonus to Wis)

--------------------
Offense
--------------------

Speed 30 ft.
Melee Battle aspergillum +13/+8/+3 (1d6+1/x2; bludgeoning)
Melee Dagger +13/+8/+3 (1d4+1/19-20/x2; piercing or slashing)
Melee +3 shocking whip +17/+12/+7 (1d3+4 + 1d6 electrical/x2; slashing; 15 ft.)
Ranged Masterwork dart +15/+10/+5 (1d4+1/x2; piercing; 20 ft.)
Cleric Spells Prepared: (CL 17th; concentration +23)
• 9th (1/day + domain)—mass heal, miracle (d)
• 8th (2/day + domain)—dimensional lock, moment of prescience (d), nine lives
• 7th (3/day + domain)—destruction, spell turning (d), waves of ecstasy, word of chaos
• 6th (4/day + domain)—banishment, heal, heal, quest (d)
• 5th (5/day + domain)—break enchantment (d), breath of life, cleanse, flame strike, major curse, wall of stone
• 4th (5/day + domain)—blessing of fervor, communal protection from energy, death ward, freedom of movement, freedom of movement (d), spell immunity
• 3rd (5/day + domain)—detect desires, dispel magic, pillow talk, prayer, stone shape, suggestion (d)
• 2nd (5/day + domain)—aid (d), hold person, lesser restoration, silence, spiritual weapon, suppress charms and compulsions
• 1st (6/day + domain)—bless, command, incessant buzzing, protection from law, remove fear, remove sickness, true strike (d)
• 0 (at will)—detect magic, enhanced diplomacy, mending, stabilize

(d) indicates a domain spell.

--------------------
Statistics
--------------------

Str 12, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 19 (21 with enhancement bonus), Cha 14 (16 with enhancement bonus)
Base Atk +12; CMB +13; CMD 25
Languages: Common (Taldane), Elven; Celestial

--------------------
Feats
--------------------

Half-Elf Adaptability
Skill Focus: Choose a skill. You are particularly adept at that skill.
Benefit: You get a +3 bonus on all checks involving the chosen skill. If you have 10 or more ranks in that skill, this bonus increases to +6.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a new skill.
Chosen skill: Diplomacy

Level 1
Cunning: You are particularly devious, and can master more skills than others in the same amount of time.
Benefit(s): You gain 1 additional skill point per Hit Die. When you take this feat, you gain a number of skill points equal to your Hit Dice right away, and every time your Hit Dice increase in the future, you will gain an additional skill point as well.

Level 3
Weapon Focus (Combat): Choose one type of weapon. You can also choose unarmed strike or grapple (or ray, if you are a spellcaster) as your weapon for the purposes of this feat.
Prerequisites: Proficiency with selected weapon, base attack bonus +1.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on all attack rolls you make using the selected weapon.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a new type of weapon.
Chosen weapon: Whip

Level 5
Whip Mastery (Combat): Your superior expertise with this weapon does not provoke attacks of opportunity from your enemies.
Prerequisite: Weapon Focus (whip), base attack bonus +2.
Benefit: You no longer provoke attacks of opportunity when attacking with a whip. You can deal lethal damage with a whip, although you can still deal nonlethal damage when you want. Further, you can deal damage with a whip despite a creature’s armor bonus or natural armor bonus.
Normal: Attacking with a whip provokes attacks of opportunity as if you used a ranged weapon. A whip deals no damage to a creature that has an armor bonus of +1 or natural armor bonus of +3.

Level 7
Recruits: Be they students, retainers, new recruits to your order, or neophyte members of your faith, you have access to a small set of dedicated servants.
Prerequisite(s): Cha 13, character level 5th.
Benefit(s): You gain a number of cohorts (as the Leadership feat) that represent NPCs you are responsible for instructing and overseeing. You have a number of such cohorts equal to half your character level. Unlike normal cohorts, these minor cohorts must be at least 4 levels lower than your character level. Since these students must spend most of their time studying and gaining experience, you can only have one minor cohort travel with you at a time (though they all gain experience at the same rate, as those not present are assumed to be studying and growing independently). Whenever you are in a major town or city, you may exchange your current minor cohort for a different member of your recruits.
As minor cohorts are busy learning and studying the basics of their careers, those not traveling with you cannot engage in mundane or magical crafting or Profession checks. Minor cohorts not traveling with you can serve as managers for your holdings if you are using downtime rules. If a minor cohort dies, you take only a –1 penalty to your Leadership score.
Special: Recruits counts as the Leadership feat for purposes of prerequisites. A character cannot have both Leadership and Recruits. A character with Recruits that later qualifies for Leadership may exchange this feat for Leadership immediately upon qualifying (selecting one minor cohort to become a full cohort, while the rest move on).

Level 9
Improved Whip Mastery (Combat): You are able to entangle opponents with the coils of your whip.
Prerequisite: Weapon Focus (whip), Whip Mastery, base attack bonus +5.
Benefit: While wielding a whip, you threaten the area of your natural reach plus 5 feet. You can also use a whip to grasp an unattended Small or Tiny object within your whip’s reach and pull that object into your square. To do so, you must hit AC 10 with a melee touch attack. Further, you can use the whip to grasp onto an object within your whip’s reach, using 5 feet of your whip as if it were a grappling hook, allowing you to use the rest of your whip to swing on like a rope. As a free action, you can release the object your whip is grasping, but you cannot use the whip to attack while the whip is grasping an object.

Level 11
Greater Whip Mastery (Combat): You can use a whip to make combat maneuvers with ease.
Prerequisite: Improved Whip Mastery, Weapon Focus (whip), Whip Mastery, base attack bonus +8.
Benefit: You are so quick with your whip that you never drop it due to a failed disarm or trip combat maneuver attempt. Further, you gain the ability to grapple using your whip. To do so, use the normal grapple rules with the following changes.
Attack: You cannot use your whip to attack while you are using it to grapple an opponent.
Damage: When dealing damage to your grappled opponent, you deal your whip’s weapon damage rather than your unarmed strike damage.
Free Hands: You take no penalty on your combat maneuver check for having fewer than two hands free when you use your whip to grapple.
Reach: Rather than pulling your grappled opponent adjacent to you when you successfully grapple and when you move the grapple, you must keep him within your whip’s reach minus his own reach to maintain the grapple. If the difference in reach is less than 0, such as is the case for a Medium whip wielder and a Gargantuan creature, you cannot grapple that opponent with your whip. If you have to pull a creature adjacent to you to grapple it with your whip, you still provoke an attack of opportunity from that opponent unless you have the Improved Grapple feat.
Tie Up: While adjacent to your opponent, you can attempt to use your whip to tie him up. If you do so to an opponent you have grappled rather than pinned, you take only a –5 penalty on the combat maneuver check rather than the normal –10.

Level 13
Divine Interference: You can convert a spell to interfere with an enemy’s attack.
Prerequisites: Divine spellcaster, caster level 10th.
Benefit: As an immediate action, when an enemy within 30 feet hits an ally with an attack, you can sacrifice a prepared divine spell or (if you are a spontaneous caster) an unused spell slot and make the enemy reroll the attack roll. The second attack roll takes a penalty equal to the level of the spell you sacrifice. You must sacrifice a spell of 1st-level or higher to use this ability. Whether or not the second attack is successful, you cannot use this effect on the same creature again for 1 day.

Level 15
Spell Penetration: Your spells break through spell resistance more easily than most.
Benefit: You get a +2 bonus on caster level checks (1d20 + caster level) made to overcome a creature’s spell resistance.

Level 17
Divine Fighting Technique—Calistria's Poisoned Lash: Calistria inspires creative ways to poison foes.
Initial Benefit: You can apply poison (your choice) to a whip as a move action. You do not risk poisoning yourself when applying poison to a whip. A whip you wield can deliver contact poison upon a successful combat maneuver check as well as upon a successful attack roll, regardless of whether you deal damage.
Advanced Prerequisites: Whip Mastery, base attack bonus +10.
Advanced Benefit: You can apply poison to a whip as a swift action. You can apply up to 3 doses of the same poison to a whip at a time. Foes are exposed to only 1 dose of poison from any one attack.

--------------------
Traits
--------------------

Calistrian Courtesan (Religion): You worked in one of Calistria’s temples as a sacred courtesan, and you know how to flatter, please, and (most of all) listen. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Sense Motive checks and Diplomacy checks to gather information, and one of these skills (your choice) is always a class skill for you.

Taldan Patriot (Campaign): You love your country, its history, and its people... even though they may not love you back. Whether you’re a bureaucrat, a minor noble, or a soldier, you want your community to be the best it can be and you channel that love into a position in service to the people of Taldor.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on all Sense Motive and Knowledge (history) checks, and these skills are always class skills for you. In addition, once per day you can recall a specific fact about a Taldan noble’s personality—quirks such as a hobby or pet peeve—including information you would normally learn as a discovery check in social combat.

--------------------
Adventuring Skills
--------------------

Total skill ranks: 85/34 (34 cleric, +17 Int, +17 favored class, +17 Cunning feat; 34 background)

Bluff +10 (5 ranks, +2 Cha, +3 class skill, +1 Cha enhancement)
Climb +2 (1 rank, +1 Str)
Diplomacy +29 (17 ranks, +2 Cha, +3 class skill, +6 Skill Focus, +1 Cha enhancement) {+1 trait bonus to gather information}
Heal +25 (17 ranks, +4 Wis, +3 class skill, +1 Wis enhancement)
Knowledge (local) +2 (1 rank, +1 Int)
Knowledge (arcana) +5 (1 rank, +1 Int, +3 class skill)
Knowledge (planes) +7 (3 ranks, +1 Int, +3 class skill)
Knowledge (religion) +21 (17 ranks, +1 Int, +3 class skill)
Perception +8 (1 rank, +4 Wis, +2 race, +1 Wis enhancement)
Sense Motive +10 (1 rank, +4 Wis, +3 class skill, +1 trait, +1 Wis enhancement)
Spellcraft +20 (17 ranks, +1 Int, +3 class skill)
Swim +2 (1 rank, +1 Str)

--------------------
Background Skills
--------------------

Escape Artist +22 [+21] (17 ranks, +2 Dex, +3 class skill)
Knowledge (nobility) +5 (1 rank, +1 Int, +3 class skill)
Knowledge (history) +6 (1 rank, +1 Int, +3 class skill, +1 trait)
Perform (sing) +4 (1 rank, +2 Cha, +1 Cha enhancement)
Profession (courtesan) +25 (17 ranks, +4 Wis, +3 class skill, +1 Wis enhancement)

--------------------
Untrained Skills
--------------------

Acrobatics +2 (+2 Dex)
Handle Animal +3 (+2 Cha, +1 Cha enhancement)
Intimidate +3 (+2 Cha, +1 Cha enhancement)
Ride +2 [+1] (+2 Dex)
Stealth +2 [+1] (+2 Dex)

--------------------
Gear
--------------------

Courtesan's outfit (free starting outfit)
Nightwear
+3 shocking whip (2 lbs.)
Battle aspergillum (5 gp, 4 lbs.)
Dagger (2 gp, 1 lb.)
Darts, masterwork, 5 (300 gp 5 sp ea., 1 lb. ea.)
+1 glamered mithral agile breastplate (12½ lbs.)
+2 cloak of resistance
+2 ring of protection
Ring of freedom of movement
+2 headband of mental prowess (wisdom, charisma)
Malleable symbol (1 lb.)
Masterwork backpack (50 gp, 4 lbs.)
[
• Bedroll (1 sp, 5 lbs.)
• Blanket (5 sp, 3 lbs.)
• Boline (10 gp, 2 lbs.)
• Canteen (2 gp, 1 lb.)
• Courtesan's kit (10 gp, 5 lbs.)
• Diamond dust (25,000 gp value)
• Dragon Bile, 4 doses (1,500 gp ea.)
• Holy water (25 gp, 1 lb.)
• Night tea, 9 doses (1 sp ea.)
• Old gold coin (5 gp)
• Pearl of power, 1st level
• Perfume, common, 5 doses (1 gp ea.)
• Scroll of cure light wounds, caster level 1
• Specialized healer's satchel (3,000 gp, 1 lb.)
• Trail rations, 5 days (2 gp 5 sp, 5 lbs.)
• Wand of cure moderate wounds (cl 3, 5 charges)
• Wand of cure serious wounds (cl 5, 50 charges)
• 10,111 gp, 5 sp, 4 cp
]

Total weight carried: 48½ lbs
Carrying capacity with masterwork backpack: 50/100/150

--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------

Half-elf

Ability Score Racial Traits: Half-elf characters gain a +2 bonus to one ability score of their choice at creation to represent their varied nature.
Chosen ability: Wisdom
Type: Half-elves are humanoid creatures with both the human and the elf subtypes.
Size: Half-elves are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Base Speed: Half-elves have a base speed of 30 feet.
Languages: Half-elves begin play speaking Common and Elven. Half-elves with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages, such as Druidic). See the Linguistics skill page for more information about these languages.
Elven Immunities: Half-elves are immune to magic sleep effects and gain a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells and effects.
Adaptability: Half-elves receive Skill Focus as a bonus feat at 1st level.
Chosen skill: Diplomacy
Fey Thoughts: Select two of the following skills: Acrobatics, Bluff, Climb, Diplomacy, Disguise, Escape Artist, Fly, Knowledge (nature), Perception, Perform, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Swim, or Use Magic Device. The selected skills are always class skills for the character. This trait replaces multitalented.
Chosen skills: Bluff, Escape Artist
Keen Senses: Half-elves receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception checks.
Low-Light Vision: Half-elves can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
Elf Blood: Half-elves count as both elves and humans for any effect related to race.

Cleric 17

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Clerics are proficient with all simple weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields (except tower shields). Clerics are also proficient with the favored weapon of their deity.

Aura (Ex): A cleric of a chaotic, evil, good, or lawful deity has a particularly powerful aura corresponding to the deity's alignment (see the detect evil spell for details).

Spells: A cleric casts divine spells which are drawn from the cleric spell list presented in Spell Lists. Her alignment, however, may restrict her from casting certain spells opposed to her moral or ethical beliefs; see chaotic, evil, good, and lawful spells. A cleric must choose and prepare her spells in advance.
To prepare or cast a spell, a cleric must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a cleric's spell is 10 + the spell level + the cleric's Wisdom modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a cleric can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Cleric. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Wisdom score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells).
Clerics meditate or pray for their spells. Each cleric must choose a time when she must spend 1 hour each day in quiet contemplation or supplication to regain her daily allotment of spells. A cleric may prepare and cast any spell on the cleric spell list, provided that she can cast spells of that level, but she must choose which spells to prepare during her daily meditation.

Channel Energy (Su): Regardless of alignment, any cleric can release a wave of energy by channeling the power of her faith through her holy (or unholy) symbol. This energy can be used to cause or heal damage, depending on the type of energy channeled and the creatures targeted.
A good cleric (or one who worships a good deity) channels positive energy and can choose to deal damage to undead creatures or to heal living creatures. An evil cleric (or one who worships an evil deity) channels negative energy and can choose to deal damage to living creatures or to heal undead creatures. A neutral cleric who worships a neutral deity (or one who is not devoted to a particular deity) must choose whether she channels positive or negative energy. Once this choice is made, it cannot be reversed. This decision also determines whether the cleric casts spontaneous cure or inflict spells (see spontaneous casting).
Channeling energy causes a burst that affects all creatures of one type (either undead or living) in a 30-foot radius centered on the cleric. The amount of damage dealt or healed is equal to 1d6 points of damage plus 1d6 points of damage for every two cleric levels beyond 1st (2d6 at 3rd, 3d6 at 5th, and so on). Creatures that take damage from channeled energy receive a Will save to halve the damage. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the cleric's level + the cleric's Charisma modifier. Creatures healed by channeled energy cannot exceed their maximum hit point total—all excess healing is lost. A cleric may channel energy a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier. This is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. A cleric can choose whether or not to include herself in this effect. A cleric must be able to present her holy symbol to use this ability.

Domains: A cleric's deity influences her alignment, what magic she can perform, her values, and how others see her. A cleric chooses two domains from among those belonging to her deity. A cleric can select an alignment domain (Chaos, Evil, Good, or Law) only if her alignment matches that domain. If a cleric is not devoted to a particular deity, she still selects two domains to represent her spiritual inclinations and abilities (subject to GM approval). The restriction on alignment domains still applies.
Each domain grants a number of domain powers, dependent upon the level of the cleric, as well as a number of bonus spells. A cleric gains one domain spell slot for each level of cleric spell she can cast, from 1st on up. Each day, a cleric can prepare one of the spells from her two domains in that slot. If a domain spell is not on the cleric spell list, a cleric can prepare it only in her domain spell slot. Domain spells cannot be used to cast spells spontaneously.
In addition, a cleric gains the listed powers from both of her domains, if she is of a high enough level. Unless otherwise noted, using a domain power is a standard action. Cleric domains are listed at the end of this class entry.

Domains selected:
Charm
You can baffle and befuddle foes with a touch or a smile, and your beauty and grace are divine.
Granted Powers
Dazing Touch (Sp): You can cause a living creature to become dazed for 1 round as a melee touch attack. Creatures with more Hit Dice than your cleric level are unaffected. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier.
Charming Smile (Sp): At 8th level, you can cast charm person as a swift action, with a DC of 10 + 1/2 your cleric level + your Wisdom modifier. You can only have one creature charmed in this way at a time. The total number of rounds of this effect per day is equal to your cleric level. The rounds do not need to be consecutive, and you can dismiss the charm at any time as a free action. Each attempt to use this ability consumes 1 round of its duration, whether or not the creature succeeds on its save to resist the effect.
Domain Spells: 1st—charm person, 2nd—calm emotions, 3rd—suggestion, 4th—heroism, 5th—charm monster, 6th—geas/quest, 7th—insanity, 8th—demand, 9th—dominate monster.

Luck
You are infused with luck, and your mere presence can spread good fortune.
Granted Powers
Bit of Luck (Sp): You can touch a willing creature as a standard action, giving it a bit of luck. For the next round, any time the target rolls a d20, he may roll twice and take the more favorable result. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier.
Good Fortune (Ex): At 6th level, as an immediate action, you can reroll any one d20 roll you have just made before the results of the roll are revealed. You must take the result of the reroll, even if it’s worse than the original roll. You can use this ability once per day at 6th level, and one additional time per day for every six cleric levels beyond 6th.
Domain Spells: 1st—true strike, 2nd—aid, 3rd—protection from energy, 4th—freedom of movement, 5th—break enchantment, 6th—mislead, 7th—spell turning, 8th—moment of prescience, 9th—miracle.

Orisons: Clerics can prepare a number of orisons, or 0-level spells, each day, as noted on Table: Cleric under “Spells per Day.” These spells are cast like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again.

Spontaneous Casting: A good cleric (or a neutral cleric of a good deity) can channel stored spell energy into healing spells that she did not prepare ahead of time. The cleric can “lose” any prepared spell that is not an orison or domain spell in order to cast any cure spell of the same spell level or lower (a cure spell is any spell with “cure” in its name).
An evil cleric (or a neutral cleric who worships an evil deity) can't convert prepared spells to cure spells but can convert them to inflict spells (an inflict spell is one with “inflict” in its name).

--------------------
Capital
--------------------

Stachys (Hamlet): Exotic Artisan: Confectionary (Goods 44, Influence 2, Labor 41)

--------------------
Minor Cohorts
--------------------

Shalisse: Female human cleric of Calistria 12 - Acolyte
Ando Vell: Male half-elf bard 12 - Instructor in music & arts
Peretta de Chambrun: Female human aristocrat 12 - Headmistress for Academy for Wayward Youth, instructor in swordplay & etiquette
Otto Bauer: Male human expert 12 - Chocolatier
Yves Lark: Female half-elf arcanist 12 - Instructor in magic & knowledge
Marci Nurise: Female human monk (martial artist) 12 - Nursemaid
Odrik Kehrz: Male dwarf expert 12 - Architect and groundskeeper
Myline Babineaux: Female half-elf ranger 12 - Instructor in nature & woodcraft

--------------------
Backstory
--------------------

Description: Zileska bears the melding of elven grace and slenderness with human strength. Her angular features and slim build speak of her elven heritage, but she has human-like eyes (albeit slightly oval-shaped) and shorter ears than most elves. She has a small nose, full lips, sculpted cheeks, and a smooth brow. Her long blonde hair is usually tastefully arranged, and she often accentuates her features with careful make-up. The style of her make-up is usually chosen to make a statement: subdued for important events or when in private or socializing with friends; exaggerated when she wants to play up her "exotic" elf heritage and her priestly mien; rouged and shadowed when acting the part of a courtesan either to entice or to shock.
Zileska is not terribly sturdy, but she is a bit stronger than she looks; she has a slender build, not as curvaceous as many of her human contemporaries, though her sharp features draw the eye of certain admirers. She has long, slim legs and a narrow waist, slim shoulders and a moderately-sized bust that she knows how to accentuate with corsetry and ambient occlusion.
Zileska usually favors the corseted garb of the Calistrian priestess-courtesans, but she has traveled from time to time as part of her duties and is not entirely unfamiliar with handling dangerous situations. In such circumstances she wears tasteful studded leather armor and a small but well-built and embroidered custom traveling pack.
She is never seen without her whip at her side, and she favors darts for engaging enemies from a distance like a stinging wasp.

Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Black
Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 113 lbs.

Background: Zileska is a child of the priesthood: Her mother, Catriana, a human Taldan woman, was also a priestess of Calistria. In the performance of her duties as a courtesan she became smitten with an elven man, whose grace and silver tongue enchanted her, and Catriana became gravid with his child. In the usual fashion of such assignations, though, her father left and her mother - and the church of Calistria - took on the duties of raising her.
Zileska thus spend her childhood in the temple, learning the ways of gossip and elegance, the study of religious scripture, the observances and prayers of Calistria. She learned to read, to play with other children, and to study the bits of elven culture that filtered through the church due to the elves' association with Calistrian faith, as well as taking up the very human aspects taught by her mother and the other priests and priestesses.
As a teen she chose to dedicate herself to the faith; the temple had raised her and was her world, and she chose to return that favor. She served as an acolyte and was taken under the wing of a junior priestess for further training. In her late teens, her mother chose to take a pilgrimage to find her father once more and "settle" matters with him (whether for good or ill, or both). Zileska never saw her mother again, but she believes that her mother is still out there, traveling, a retired priestess now, looking for the elven man who loved and left her.
Zileska tried to put her circumstances of birth behind her and instead focused on her training. She traveled to several towns about Taldor, taking in culture, learning the ways of the courtesan-priestess, and always chasing rumors and gossip. She developed a deep and abiding appreciation for Taldan culture, cuisine, and heritage, and a burning desire to see the Empire thrive once more.
Her traveling trained her in the necessary arts of self-defense, but she still dislikes becoming personally enmeshed in violence. Instead she has cultivated her abilities to manipulate and to work with teams—supporting mercenaries and lay footmen as they defend the priesthood, for the most part; but she yearns to do more, to be more.

Personality Traits: Zileska has a very passionate personality; she becomes infatuated with things, ideas, or people, and pursues them relentlessly. Some fall away with time as she learns about them, comprehends them, and discards them; others become central passions in her life that motivate her. For this reason, while she can be mercurial and changeable, there are always a few "core" elements to which she clings.
With people she is very changeable; she can be sweet one moment and cutting the next. To strangers she affects a persona that she thinks will achieve a desired reaction, all artifice. With friends she lets this guard down to some degree. Still, she doesn't hesitate to speak her mind, and she definitely remembers slights and grudges.
Zileska favors flavorful dishes, especially moderately spicy food, and also enjoys sweets in some moderation. She likes red wines and tolerates white, and though she will drink ale or beer she considers it "common" and "tedious." She enjoys mead. She loves pastries but can only eat small amounts before the sweetness becomes too intense.
Zileska is somewhat susceptible to flattery and loves to hear good stories, whether true or false. She manipulates men who are weak and secretly respects men who seem confident, driven, and unshakable—though she's not above testing their resolve once or twice.
Despite her many character "foibles," Zileska leans toward being helpful, or at least tolerable, to people in her company. She can be very charming when she chooses, and has a tendency to dote on the sick or the distressed. She rejects evil as weakness of character.
As a trained courtesan, Zileska has used seduction to get what she wants in the past, and isn't averse to doing so in the future, but she is often cautious about anything that might put her under the power of someone who could actually injure her—she is more likely to seduce a minion or a merchant than to try to draw the attention of a warlord who might attempt to make a more permanent attachment with her. She values her independence and loathes the notion of being forced into the dull drudgery of a boring, mundane lifestyle.