Zindit Tamelathi's page

Zindit and her younger brother Maldin were born to Oris and Paera Tamelathi, gnomish adventurers of minor repute. Their lives were relatively charmed ones as they spent their childhood in Nybor. Zindit took to her father's lessons in lockpicking with particular relish, just as she and her brother delighted in their parents' often inflated tales of their deeds.

Eventually, both Oris and Paera were killed in a venture that went bad, and Zindit and Maldin were left orphaned. Oris had arranged with one of his companions, a minor mage and alchemist named Ilya Soldare. Ilya was a stern, but good, woman who took the children according to their parents' wishes. She had butted heads with her gnomish companions before, but they felt she would be more than able to keep their children safe should anything happen to them.

This arrangement kept Zindit and Maldin off the streets and out of the orphanage, but Ilya's home was a jarring change for them from their carefree days with their parents. It seemed a cold place to them, with more rules than they were used to. Since Ilya's home was also her workplace(an alchemist's lab and shop), there were rooms they were forbidden to enter. Zindit chafed against this change in environment and grew rebellious and resentful of Ilya's stricter ways while Maldin seemed more accepting of it. Ilya, a devout worshipper of Sarenrae, tried to be patient with her charges and punished them with an even hand when they misbehaved. She tried to guide them towards righteousness, but Zindit wrote her off more and more simply for not being their father and mother. The fact that her brother was going along with it grated on her as well. She felt she needed to get herself and her brother out of there, to be free and go where they wanted just like their parents.

One night in the fading winter, a few years after moving in to Ilya's, Zindit coerced her brother into going along with a plan to run away and find their fortunes. Her brother, fearful and reluctant though he was, was guilt-tripped into it by Zindit claiming "It's what our parents would have wanted us to do!" That and she was his older sister. She knew what would be best, right?

They sneaked into Ilya's laboratory to steal just enough of what Zindit thought they could sell or use to help them get by. She had broken in before, much to Ilya's anger, and she thought she knew what did what. She was still convinced that Ilya was one of those "gold-makers". Her brother was becoming more and more nervous, but she assured him they were doing the right thing. Ilya was rich enough that this wouldn't bother her for too long, right?

Then it happened. As they made their way through the lab, taking whatever items Zindit thought would be valuable, Maldin accidentally stumbled against a shelf containing strange glassware filled with stranger liquids. They fell, and everything nearby, including Maldin, burst into flame.

His screams would echo in Zindit's dreams for the rest of her life.

Zindit stood in shock. Her brother cried out for her, and all she could do was stand in place, her heart siezed by terror at what was taking place. She screamed for her brother, for anyone to help, but she couldn't brave the flame to reach her brother. She was just too scared. She couldn't quite believe this was happening.

Ilya burst into the room, horror in her eyes as she saw the scene. She screamed at Zindit, "What did you do?" before diving in to save Maldin. She called out for Zindit to help move the shelf away, but the girl was still too terrified. The fire quickly spread, and more vials exploded, setting more of the lab ablaze, and Ilya along with it. Zindit reached out even as she stepped back, it was all like some horrible nightmare. This couldn't be happening! Her brother, Ilya...

The fire spread again, this time catching the bag Zindit had dropped. The bag full of strange chemicals and substances that had caught her eye. She was caught in the alchemical explosion of flame and acid that flung her out the doorway. The pain was greater than anything she felt before or since. The sheer sensory and emotional overload finally made her snap as she rolled around screaming in pain and finally scrambling out of the house into the night. Fleeing unthinking out into the snow, she writhed around until the worst of the pain passed. But the agony still persisted, everything still hurt, and she the only thing that registered in her brain was the need to run and keep running.

She continued her flight, not thinking of the direction and only mindful of the need to keep moving, to outrun the pain and the fire and the hell that she had seen.

Ilsa's house burned to the ground that night. The townspeople were barely able to keep the fire contained to her building alone. It was assumed all inside had perished. In a way, they were right.

A week later, Zindit was miles away and near death. She had repeatedly run herself until she dropped from exhaustion. She had not eaten, her wounds were infected, and her mind was entirely broken. She certainly would have died in the forest if not for the intervention of some native fey. Taking sympathy on the girl, they healed the worst of her wounds and fed her, but their capricious nature did little to help heal her mind. The results were more akin to nursing a sick animal back to health. After a time, she was moving again, dazed and confused, but still driven to keep on the move.

A few months later, a caravan happened upon the wild girl. Thinking that she was a lost human child, some of the caravan guard chased her down and brought her back, now aware that she was an older gnome youth and mindful of her thrashing, kicking, and screaming. The were astounded by the horrific scars the girl bore, and the fact that she was still alive. They tied her up and carried her along with them, taking her to monastery they passed during their journey.

The monastery was one dedicated to healing and the care of the mentally ill. The monks and priests gave Zindit what meager divine healing they could, but the damage of her wounds being infected and healing naturally had been done. Her left eye was destroyed entirely, and the upper left quarter of her face was marked by the same ruin that trailed down the left side of her head, along the length of her arms and legs, and the left side of her torso. It no longer hurt, but she would never look "normal" again. Her mind was utterly broken though, and it was this that the monk who cared for her turned his attention.

Zindit spent most of the next three years in a padded cell, being taught how to think coherently all over again. Her mind was pieced back together bit by bit, but it was constructed as a house of cards. She knew deep down in her heart of hearts that it was her fault that Maldin and Ilya died, but she absolutely could not bring herself to face that fact. She convinced herself that Ilya had been cruel to her and her brother, that she was only thinking of the best for her brother when she made him come along, and that she had tried to help when the accident happened. Still, this avoidance of total responsibility did not shield her from all of her guilt, but it allowed her to believe that she was the victim of circumstance to a degree.

This faulty foundation upon which she was being rebuilt, along with her scattered and blurry memories of her time with the fey, led to further delusions taking root in her mind. The greatest among them was brought about by both her conscious and subconscious guilt: That Sarenrae, the goddess invoked to watch over them in their childhood, knew was she did and was actively out to punish her. The memories of how the flames and acid felt helped enforce this belief. She just knew that Sarenrae was looking for her, and more punishment was still to come. Sarenrae's light became not a symbol of hope for her, but something to flee, to hide from. Because deep down, she knew that to face Sarenrae would be to face the truth. So she believes herself to be a victim of chance and unfair judgment.

During her recovery, the monks made the mistake of letting her see her reflection. This led to another breakdown, during which she would scream and go into hysterics if anyone looked at her. She just knew those marks were laid on her by Sarenrae, that they marked her as a wicked thing. She could not bare to be seen like that. Eventually, the monks got around the problem by wrapping the scarred parts of her body in bandages, which covered most of her body. This eased her mind, and she settled into the routine of recovery again. Later, one kind monk would present a special set of clothing to her: A simple gray bodysuit that covered all of her body save the unscarred portion of her face. This made her more at ease, but it led to another delusion that the close-fitting cowl was part of her face now, which led to even more horror at the idea of anyone seeing what lay underneath.

While she became more coherent in thought, her delusions became more pronounced. She became convinced that almost all the gods were in league with Sarenrae to some degree or another, and thus all their priests were as well. She came to suspect that the monks and priests were keeping her here in order to hand her over to the priests of Sarenrae later, and when she thought she heard someone speak of one of the sun goddess' clerics being invited to come speak with her, she knew she had to get out. During one of the periods where she was allowed to walk outside in the gardens, she managed to get away from the monk escorting her and fled into the wilderness once more.

She slowly made her way across western Varisia, from town to town, hitching rides, stealing for food, and sometimes wandering aimlessly until she found herself in Riddleport. She had heard that there were few priests of the sort she feared confronting her there, and so it seemed to be as good a place as any to hide.

She lived on the streets for a time, before managing to secure part of the attic of one of the somewhat less illicit shops in the city. The owner felt pity for the obviously crazy gnome, and thought that it would be extra security for his shop. Zindit brought in what money she could by doing odd jobs for the shop and renting out what skills she had learned from her father to any the shopkeeper recommended her to. She earned a small reputation as a cheap, competant, and with some people disposable expert on lockpicking, albiet an unstable one best kept out of delicate matters. Between jobs, she would often take to begging. Most of those who took pity on her treated her mostly like a stray dog or cat; she became a familiar sight along a portion of the streets and alleys of Riddleport.

There are only two places she feels close to truly safe now, her attic den and the tavern temple of Cayden Cailean. She's not yet convinced that Cayden Cailean is among those gods who are out to get her, and it truly is one of the safer parts of the city. It's not unusual for her to wander in and shyly order a light drink with what meager coin she has, and after only a few sips curling up under a table and going to sleep. The priests of Cayden Cailean know that the girl is mad, but also that their tavern is one of the few safe havens for her in Riddleport. Her home is where she spends most of her time though, a jumbled mess of blankets, stolen knick-knacks, and drawings covering the walls, floor and ceiling. During some of her worst weeks, she would be terrified to leave, not even coming out to eat. One winter she actually nearly froze to death.

She lives in almost constant fear of the gods, because she knows they're always watching. She knows that the sun in Sarenrae's angry eye looking down on her, and she's uncomfortable remaining out in sunlight for very long. She has actually taken to drawing clouds all over the ceiling of her den, believing it would block the goddess' view.

She has lived this way for four years now.

Zindit Tamelathi
Female gnome rogue 2
CN Small humanoid
Init +4
Defense
AC 17, touch 15, flat-footed 13 (+2 leather armor, +4 DEX. +1 Size bonus)
hp 14 (1d8+1(CON))
Fort +2 (1 CON, Resilient) Ref 7 (3 base, 4 DEX) Will 0 (0 WIS)
Offense
Spd 20 ft.
melee dagger (1d3-1(STR)/19-20X2)
sneak attack 1d6
Statistics
Str 8 Dex 18 Con 12 Int 13 Wis 10 Cha 12
Base Atk +1; CMB 0 Attack Bonus(from Size) +1
Feats Skill Focus(Disable Device)
Skills
Acrobatics +9 (4 Dex, 2 rank, 3 class bonus)
Bluff +6(1 Cha, 2 rank, 3 class bonus)
Climb +4 (-1 Str, 2 rank, 3 class bonus)
Disable Device +12 (4 Dex, 2 rank, 3 class bonus, 3 skill focus)
Escape Artist +9 (4 Dex, 2 rank, 3 class bonus)
Knowledge(local) +6 (1 Int, 2 rank, 3 class bonus)
Perception +6 (0 Wis, 2 rank, 3 class bonus, 1 Looking For Work)
Sense Motive +5 (0 Wis, 2 rank, 3 class bonus)
Stealth +9 (4 Dex, 2 rank, 3 class bonus)

Languages Common, Gnome, Sylvan
SQ low-light vision, keen senses, obsessive, illusion resistant, gnome magic, hatred, defensive training, trapfinding, evasion, rogue talent(ledge walker)
Gear
dagger
bodysuit
leather armor
backpack
caltrops (2 bags)
thieves' tools
crowbar
candle(3)
flint and steel
chalk (5)
grappling hook
rope(50 ft.)
sewing needle
whetstone
flask
blankets, winter(12)
coinpurse

Money: 10 gp

Traits:
Resilient (+1 Fort save)
Looking for work (+1 Perception)