Zura Mvashti's page

Once upon a time, Desna flew through the night sky, the stars twinkling around her…

Zura, 6 years old
“Tell me the story again mama!” Mismatched eyes, one green and one purple, stared up at the woman who was slowly tidying the inside of the wagon
“And which story would that be, Starlight? The toad and the bear? The Man in the Mountain?” The woman speaking smiled as she knelt down near her daughters bed.
“The story of how you got me, silly!” Giggles escaped as the girl pulled her blanket up tight and snuggled down into her pillow.
“Oh, that story. I don’t know if I remember it well enough anymore.” The false seriousness in Koya’s voice was overshadowed by another voice that came from outside the covered wagon.
“It’s not like you don’t tell that story every single night,” Sandru chuckled. Koya waited a moment before thumping the canvas covering, making the teenager laugh more. Zura joined in the laughter before settling down
“You do know this story, mama. Please, just one more time?”
“Oh, all right. Sit up and I’ll brush your hair while I tell the story, alright?”
Zura hesitantly sat up.
“And what is that you’re wearing under your blanket?” Koya asked, tugging at the fabric. “Are you wearing leather? This isn’t sleepwear, Zura.” The scolding was gentle as Koya helped Zura change.
“But Sandru said I had to wear it all the time if I wanted to get big and strong like him,” Zura protested, changing her clothes nonetheless.
“Sandru also told you to that his horse could fly. Was he telling the truth?” Koya asked while helping Zura put on her nightgown.
“Well…sorta,” Zura replied optimisticly, sitting down on a stool. “It did go really fast and jumped over that log and…”
“Shhh,” Koya whispered, hushing Zura. “Let’s not get too excited. Tomorrow is still a busy day.”

Far below her, Desna could hear someone crying. It was a woman. The woman was sad and lonely…

Zura, age 10
Music played and drinks flowed in the small roadside tavern. The atmosphere was cheery as local farmers celebrated a good harvest, swapping tall tales and boasts with travelling mercenaries and merchants.
Despite the pleasant atmosphere, Koya was worried as she stepped into the tavern, pushing her way through the crowd to the bartender.
After struggling to get his attention, she asked “Please, I’m looking for my daughter,” she gasped, out of breath. “We were in the wagon, the blue one outside. I was tending to our animals, and when I went to check on her, she was gone.”
The bartender raised an eyebrow, but continued preparing drinks for other customers. “Are you sure she didn’t just wander off for a spell? It’s a nice night, maybe she went for a walk? I’m sure she’s old enough-”
“She’s a little girl, no more than 10 or 11 years old, one green eye, one purple eye,” Koya replied in a frantic tone. “Please, you have to help me find her, someone has to have seen her.”
The bartender wiped his hands of and folded his arms. “Braided hair, wears armor even indoors, makes friends easily?”
“Yes, yes, that’s her. Please, where did she go?” Koya was clearly relieved that her words were getting through, but also growing more frantic by the minute.
“She’s been over there buying drinks for all the local old boys,” the bartender said, pointing to a crowded corner. “Struck a bargain with them as soon as she came in. One drink for one story, and they took her up on it. From the sound of things, she’s more than getting her money’s worth.”
Turning, Koya saw a round table that was crowded with patrons. An older man sat in the middle of the crowd, Zura next to him with a starry-eyed gaze as the man told a tale about a giant wolf with wings that he fought off in his youth, saving the town, the harvest, and ensuring his marriage to the sheriff’s daughter.
More relieved than angry, Koya sat down a table away and listened. In between stories, she caught Zura’s eye, and the youth blanched at the sight of her mother. A pleading followed, Zura begging Koya to let her stay until the stories were finished. Koya nodded, but wagged her finger back. There would be consequences, but they could wait until tomorrow.

Sad and lonely, for she had lost her daughter and her husband. Desna wept, and as she wept stars, stars falling to Golarion…

Zura, Age 14
Zura peeked out from under the canvas wrapped wagon. The regular hustle and bustle of the caravan was present, but Koya and Sandru weren’t. Smiling to herself, Zura turned back to the book she had been studying. It was a good book, with plenty of stories about the history of Varisia, but a day like to day needed to be spent outdoors. Tucking the book into her saddlebags along with a snack, her dandy brush, a few apples for , Zura threw the bags over her shoulder. Peeking out the back flap of the wagon one last time, Zura hopped down and ran to where the horses were corralled. It was a temporary corral, but it was serving it’s purpose.
Slipping through the gate, Zura hurried up to a lineback dun, rubbing his neck and brushing his flank. “Sorry I’m late, Denny. Mom wanted me to read for another hour, but I thought we could use some exercise.”
Denny nudged at the saddlebags, causing Zura to give him a fake-serious look, one learned from Koya.
"When we get there, Denny. You have to do a little work, or else you’ll get fat.” Zura smiled and set about looking for her saddle. Spotting it on the far side of the corral, she hurried over to get it. As she bent over to pick up the saddle, a boot stepped on it, holding it to the ground.
“And just where do you think you’re off to, little britches?” Sandru asked, a smile on his face. “Didn’t I hear Koya telling you to be ready to recite a treatise or something after lunch?”
Zura stood up and dusted herself off, making a face at Sandru. “It’s an epic, and momma only wants me to recite the first 30 stanzas.”
“Ah, only 30,” Sandru said, nodding knowingly before going quiet.
“You don’t know what a stanza is, do you?” Zura asked, folding her arms and looking up at Sandru impudently.
“No, little sis, I don’t, but I do know that Koya won’t be happy when she gets back to that wagon and finds you gone,” Sandru replied, folding his arms and mimicking Zura. “So I suggest you get back there and memorize those standards. Besides, we’ll be heading out after lunch, so it’s not like you won’t get to ride Denny.”
“Yeah, a long, dusty wagon train…” Zura groaned, before returning to pleading. “Don’t you know what it feels like to want to go somewhere and see something new? Just for a little bit? I promise I won’t be gone for long, honest!”
Sandru raised a finger and opened his mouth as if to say something, but his words caught in his throat. Looking over his shoulder at the wagon, and then back at Zura, he sighed and placed his face in his palm. “Fine, go. But I didn’t see you, and you’re back in an hour, got it?”
Grinning from ear to ear, Zura jumped forward and hugged Sandru. “Got it!” Turning, she picked up the saddle and hurried to get Denny prepared before galloping out of the corral and off into the woods. Sandru smiled as he watched them leave, then took a deep breath as he tried to figure out how to keep Koya busy for the next hour.

One star landed right outside the sad woman’s home, making a loud noise. She stepped outside, wondering what the noise could be.

Zura, Age 16
“We’ll be in Sandpoint before after dark,” Koya called from her seat in the wagon. “Make sure you don’t wander too far, Starlight!”
“Yes, Momma,” Zura replied, sitting tall in her saddle. “It’ll be good to have a real roof over our heads again, won’t it Den?” Zura asked her horse.
Denny’s ears twitched in response.
“Yes, I’m sure they have the apples you like. I don’t know why you’re so picky, apples are apples.”
Denny’s ears twitched again.
“I know you think you can tell the difference, but you can’t.” Zura took a deep breath, enjoying the salty scent on the breeze. At her hip she wore her new weapon, a gandasa. It was different, a little exotic, and she liked that. It was the first blade she had really carried, and she had found it in the last town being sold by a down on his luck mercenary. Sandru had said she’d been taken for a few extra coins, but Zura didn’t care. She had something new that was hers, and she was excited to try it out. Maybe Sandru would even spar with her, if he wasn’t busy chatting with Ameiko.
Dust picked up on the road, and Zura moved Denny a little further away from the wagon train. Staring out at the horizon, Zura felt a growing desire in her, a desire to move and see things, to find something out there that was for her and her alone.
Glancing over at Koya, Zura knew her mother felt it too. Traveling through Varisia was nice, but there had to be something more out there to see. Because out there was adventure and excitement. Why Sandru had returned to run a caravan when he could have been off having adventures was anyone’s guess, but he’d never told Zura. He avoided the question even, changing the subject whenever Zura tried to get him to talk about it.
Zura bit her lip as she thought. She’d heard Koya and Sandru talking, and knew that Koya was thinking of planning something big, something that would go far from these tired roads and repetitive taverns.
The more Zura thought about it, the more Zura knew she had to be involved, but Koya wouldn’t talk about it with her. Only Sandru, and a few other members of the caravan knew what was going on, and all Koya had heard was something about an expedition. To where, how, and why, she didn’t know, but Zura knew she had to be involved. Something on the horizon was calling to her, something just for her.

The sound was a crying child, a child whose skin glowed like the stars. I was so happy, because I knew Desna had sent you to me, so that I could be your momma, and you could be my starlight.
-Zura’s bedtime story

Zura is a capable fighter, having spent time learning from Sandru and others that she met during her travels with Koya. She also has an insatiable thirst for stories, and will spend all her money in a tavern buying drinks for anyone willing to tell her a story she hasn't heard yet.
Zura is not afraid to speak her mind, though she does share most of it with her horse, Denny. Most of her musings as of late have been her wondering where she should travel to. Lately, she has been feeling the drive to go searching for her heritage, though knowing what this might mean does frighten Zura. Still, the first chance she gets to see something new, she'll take it.
Zura is a little self conscious about her appearance, though she isn't one to hide in the shadows. While her heritage as a changeling is known to her, it's never been a subject brought up by Koya or Sandru, who have treated her as a daughter and sister her whole life.
Once, about a year ago, while on a ride away from Koya, Zura began feeling ill. Stopping Denny near a stream, she bent over to get a drink of water and began to feel her body lurch and change. Just before blacking out, she saw a reflection of herself in the stream, a hideous, grotesque monster. When she awoke, Zura's had returned to normal. Confused and frightened, Zura purchased an alchemy set in the next town they visited, hoping to learn why the transformation had happened and if there would be any way to prevent it from happening again.

Foster Child: Koya Mvashti might be old enough to be your grandmother, but to you, she’s always been your mom. Ever since your parents passed away, Koya’s been taking care of you as if she were your mother. You never really figured out why Koya took you into her care, but you do know she’s done this before—most recently with Sandru Vhiski, whom you think of as your brother. Growing up, Koya made sure that you had the best education possible, particularly in one particular topic. Choose any Knowledge skill—you gain a +2 bonus on skill checks with that Knowledge skill, and it becomes a class skill for you. In addition, you gain a +1 trait bonus on all attack rolls against foes that threaten your adoptive mother. NPC Choices: Koya.

Armor Expert: When you wear armor of any sort, reduce that suit’s armor check penalty by 1, to a minimum check penalty of 0.

Affable: You gain a +2 trait bonus on Diplomacy checks to gather information, and can do so in half the normal time. In addition, Diplomacy and Knowledge (local) are always class skills for you.

Dodge: You gain a +1 dodge bonus to your AC. A condition that makes you lose your Dex bonus to AC also makes you lose the benefits of this feat.

Improved Initiative: You get a +4 bonus on initiative checks.

Weapon & Armor Proficiency: A fighter is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with all armor (heavy, light, and medium) and shields (including tower shields).

Bonus Feats: At 1st level, and at every even level thereafter, a fighter gains a bonus feat in addition to those gained from normal advancement (meaning that the fighter gains a feat at every level). These bonus feats must be selected from those listed as Combat Feats, sometimes also called “fighter bonus feats.”

Upon reaching 4th level, and every four levels thereafter (8th, 12th, and so on), a fighter can choose to learn a new bonus feat in place of a bonus feat he has already learned. In effect, the fighter loses the bonus feat in exchange for the new one. The old feat cannot be one that was used as a prerequisite for another feat, prestige class, or other ability. A fighter can only change one feat at any given level and must choose whether or not to swap the feat at the time he gains a new bonus feat for the level.

Natural Armor: Changelings have a +1 natural armor bonus.

Claws: Changelings’ fingernails are hard and sharp, granting them two claw attacks (1d4 points of damage each).

Darkvision: Changelings see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet.

Hulking Changeling: The changeling gains a +1 racial bonus on melee damage.[/b]