Tatalia's page

Tatalia never did get to know who her parents were. The priests always told her that her mother had come across the Chelaxian border into Andoran, and that she had given birth to her child in Andoran so her little girl would be born free. They knew her to be an escaped slave, but they didn't know her name, nor did she get a chance to name her own child before she passed away. So the priests buried her mother, then opened their holy book to find a proper name for the babe. After long deliberation, the priests of the House of the Dawnflower chose from a list of saints the name Tatalia for the motherless halfling, then took her in as their ward.

Nobody ever expected much of Tatalia. She had no special birthmark, and no heavenly signs were to be found among the stars when she was born. The circumstance of her birth, though tragic, was not unheard of on the border between Cheliax and Andoran. Were she born with red hair, the priests of the temple might have presumed Sarenrae to have chosen her to be her servant, but she was instead born with a rather mousy appearance and dark brown hair. Simply put, there was nothing out of the ordinary about her.

And so Tatalia grew up with monks and priests, the halfling cheerily calling the clergy "Mother," "Father," or to the younger sorts "Sister" and "Brother." For her, this was both a sign of respect and a sign of love: they were her family, and she needed no other. She had some curiosity about her true parents, to be sure, but she felt at home in the halls of the Dawnflower's faithful. She was treated well, learning to read and write and sing with the choir. Tatalia was doted over most by the temple's librarian, a quiet old half-orc named Ulric, who introduced her to a world beyond the temple. He read to her books, both religious and historical, and showed the small child his vast collection of maps. When she was old enough, he started bringing fairy tales and storybooks from the market for her to read on her own.

There would be times that Ulric would regret having shown Tatalia those storybooks. The girl was quite taken with them, so taken that she wanted to reenact them in her daily life. So she had the carpenter fashion her a wooden sword (at least, it resembled a sword) and found a small blanket to serve as a cape and began gallivanting about the monastery and the surrounding "wilderness." It didn't take long before the priests caught her climbing very tall trees (the heroes in the books climbed things), chasing chickens with her sword (they were dragons, see?) and fencing with the air atop pushed-over pews (there were villains there, honest!). She was admonished, of course, but the monks did pity her a little: she had nobody her age to play with.

So when Tatalia reached the age of seven years old she started going to the nearby port city of Augustana to purchase supplies and offer healing to the sick and poor. It quickly became the highlight of the young halfling's life. As much as she enjoyed visits to the village near her monastery, she enjoyed the city even more, the action and the excitement awing her each time she visited. She found other youths to play with, and so would run off and join them in their games, though the priestess who took her to the city was careful to explain to her what things she was NOT to do (like steal). In that one regard Tatalia was able to stifle her adventurous side. But it didn't stop her from scraping up enough money to buy an old sword for herself, much to the chagrin of everyone at the monastery.

Life passed like so for several years. The halfling girl grew to be twelve years of age in the House of the Dawnflower. She was entrusted with the care of the monastery's herd of sheep, and while she found the work rather boring, Tatalia made good use of her time out in the fields reading books, practicing her sprint, climbing trees, and practicing her swordplay (with her real sword). The halfling would then spar with her friends in Augustana when she visited them. She would tell them stories, too, about heroes and monsters, and she became rather good at it. Indeed, Tatalia found she could earn a few coins by telling stories; people seemed to enjoy listening to them, and would tip her as if she were busking.

One day, Tatalia was taking a shortcut through a dark alley when she saw a young man being accosted by a trio of thugs. Without pausing to consider the consequences, the halfling child drew her longsword and demanded they leave him alone. The thugs quickly changed their attention, and it took barely any effort for them to knock the sword flying from the young halfling's hands and press a morningstar up against her throat.

That could have been the end of her story, and she could have been beaten or worse - but an old man came, perhaps in his fifties, stepped out from behind them. He drew his own, concealed sword in a flash, and without breaking a sweat had disarmed each of the thugs, knocking two unconscious and sending the last fleeing for his life.

The man asked Tatalia if she was alright. She looked to see if the young man was there, but he, too, was long gone, having fled when the thugs focused on the halfling. The old man chided her a little, saying she shouldn't start fights she can't win, to which the halfling replied quiet angrily, "Well, I can't just do nothing, either!" This made the old man smile, and he commended her for having her heart in the right place. He offered to teach her how to fight if she would agree to be more careful next time, and the halfling agreed.

That was how Tatalia first met the legendary Connac Aevell. He didn't introduce himself as such, though. Connac asked the girl where her family was; and when she replied that she lived at the House of the Dawnflower with the priests, understanding came upon his face. So he escorted Tatalia and the priestess that took her to Augustana back to their temple, and there he expressed a wish to train the girl in swordsmanship properly. There was some debate among the clergy about this, but Tatalia was keen on actually learning how to fight. In the end, they deemed her old enough to make such a decision for herself, and she was allowed to train with the bard.

And so Tatalia began spending each weekend at Connac's manor in Augustana, where he had apparently been living for some time. Famous though he was, he found himself preferring a quiet happy ending, living by himself with his butler and occasionally humoring a few old friends when they came to visit. He seemed glad to have found someone so eager to do right as Tatalia, however, and he taught her a fair bit about swordsmanship. It was a bit difficult at first - he was showing her how to fight as he did, but she was much smaller and slighter of build. But when he realized his mistake, he began showing her some techniques to fight opponents much larger than herself, to use her size to her advantage, and she quickly started developing as a warrior.

Tatalia learned much more than simple swordsmanship under Connac's tutelage, too. She was given access to his personal library, vast as it was, and was taught how to lead others and make decisions on the fly. Indeed, she turned out to be an almost perfect pupil, having the right combination of charm, speed, and quick wit to make full use of what he had to teach. Indeed, she found out his real identity all by herself, having pieced together bits and pieces of little facts to come to that realization with a shout that woke him from his slumber one night. Connac, of course, then had to cope with having a little halfling girl barraging him with questions about all his adventures and the places he'd been. Tatalia had always been an ardent fan of the Band of the Black Banner.

Years passed as Connac showed Tatalia the tricks of his trade. But she was learning at her temple, too, and they discovered she had an unexpected talent for the divine, and in a very special way: her selflessness and her courage made her the perfect candidate to become a paladin. The clergy helped the halfling hone her divine connection with Sarenrae. She took readily to the lifestyle offered to her, and before long Tatalia bore the symbol of the Healing Flame and had earned the right to call herself a paladin. Yet Tatalia also learned just as much from Connac, and while she never seemed to possess the fiery wrath of other paladins, she had a way of spurring others into action with her words, inciting them to rally together. Tatalia took her paladin oaths, but also took an oath to uphold freedom and equality, a gesture befitting the child of a slave - and a gesture that Connac was proud to hear she had made.

As she neared her twenty-fourth birthday, Tatalia could hardly imagine a happier life. She had a large family of sorts at the temple, and while Connac had never called her his daughter he doted over her as if she were. She found it odd: the halfling had asked him before why he settled down alone and whether he had any children, but he always seemed to find a way to dodge the question, as if something about the topic was painful. She respected his privacy, and she was glad to have had the opportunity to learn from him. Indeed, she was going to his manor to tell him goodbye and begin her first mission as a paladin when she noticed that the window of his bedroom was broken.

Alarmed, Tatalia entered the manor, stumbling past the butler (unconscious, having been struck in the head) and soon came upon Connac's bloody body. He gasped for breath, then grabbed her by the hand and spoke:

"Get the Band back together," he said. It was all he could manage before he coughed and went still, never again to stir with life.

Tatalia held his cold hand and cried for a time. She knew what had to be done. The halfling gathered her composure, grabbed her beloved tutor's cold hand, and she swore one more oath: she would complete the last wish of Connac Aevall, and his death would be avenged.

APPEARANCE:

Very few would think much of Tatalia at first glance. She's not beautiful, though some may venture to call her cute, and she doesn't possess the build of a mighty warrior by any stretch of the imagination. Her clothes are all very plain save for the fancy breastplate she wears - a gift from Connac Aevell - which doesn't look so fancy when worn over the old, patchwork gambeson she uses as underarmor. Her neck-length hair is often wild and messy-looking, kept at bay by a cloth headband, and though her brown eyes have the spark of curiosity nobody has ever claimed to have been lost in them.

Nevertheless, there's something about the way Tatalia speaks and acts that grabs people's attention. She has a way of punctuating her words that is gripping, a voice that rings out strong and clear in most any setting. She speaks with passion, certainly, and her movements and gestures have a contagious sort of energy.

PERSONALITY:

Tatalia firmly believes in spreading kindness and goodwill - good for goodness' sake. She is a gentle soul at heart, and she enjoys putting a smile on people's faces. Likewise, she seems to always see the good in people, and though she may find some thrill in the excitement of battle, Tatalia doesn't take pleasure in its aftermath.

Whether because she's lived a relatively happy life or just because of who she is, Tatalia is an optimist to the core. The halfling girl believes in happy endings, and she believes everyone deserves a happy ending (well, except for things like devils and such), and so works to try and do as much as she can to make such endings a reality. Perhaps she's just read too many fairy tales.

The young paladin did receive some lessons in pragmatism from Connac, however, a seasoned adventurer whose expertise she has always trusted. He taught her the better part of valor - that it's better to be able to fight another day than to die needlessly - and taught her that a bad decision is better than no decision at all. She has yet to put these lessons into practice, but with the adventure awaiting her, she doubtlessly soon will.

TRAITS:
Child of the Temple - +1 to Know: Religion, +1 to Know: Nobility; Know: Religion is always a class skill.
Fate's Favored - +1 to all Luck Bonuses (such as Divine Favor)

Skill bonus=ability+class+rank+misc-ACP
Italicized = Untrained

Acrobatics: 9=4+3+3+0-1
Bluff: 8=4+3+1+0
Climb: 3=0+3+1+0-1
Diplomacy: 12=4+3+5+0
Escape Artist: 9=4+3+3+0-1
Handle Animal: 4=4+0+0+0
Heal: 4=0+3+1+0
Intimidate: 8=4+3+1+0
Knowledge (Local): 7=1+3+3+0
Knowledge (Nobility): 6=1+3+1+1
Knowledge (Religion): 9=1+3+4+1
Linguistics: 6=1+3+2+0
Perception: 8=0+3+3+2
Perform (Oratory): 12=4+3+5+0
Perform (Sing): 8=4+3+1+0
Profession (Shepherd): 4=0+3+1+0
Ride: 3=4+0+0+0-1
Sense Motive: 5=0+3+2+0
Sleight of Hand: 8=4+3+2+0-1
Stealth: 13=4+3+3+4-1
Survival: 1=0+0+1+0
Swim: 3=0+3+1+0-1

Fleet of Foot: Some halflings are quicker than their kin but less cautious. Halflings with this racial trait move at normal speed and have a base speed of 30 feet. This racial trait replaces slow speed and sure-footed.

Fearless: Halflings receive a +2 racial bonus on all saving throws against fear. This bonus stacks with the bonus granted by halfling luck.

Halfling Luck: Halflings receive a +1 racial bonus on all saving throws.

Weapon Familiarity: Halflings are proficient with slings and treat any weapon with the word “halfling” in its name as a martial weapon.

Keen Senses: Halflings receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception checks.

EQUIPPED:
Silversheen Longsword (+1 Attunement) (immune to rust, counts as silver), 2 lbs
Mithral Breastplate (+1 Attunement), 7.5 lbs
Masterwork Buckler, 2.5 lbs
Explorer's Outfit (weightless when worn)
Backpack, 1 lb

ON PERSON:
Holy Symbol (Wooden), - lbs
Holy Water, 1 lb
Waterskin (full), 2 lbs
Waterproof Bag, .5 lb
Lantern, Bullseye (casts normal light in 60 foot cone, progresses light 1 step up to 120 feet), 3 lbs
Flint and Steel, - lbs
Chalk (3 pieces), - lbs
Letters from Connac, - lbs
Lamp Oil (1 pint), 1 lb

IN BACKPACK:
Halfling Trail Rations (x4), 2 lbs
Bedroll (small), 2.5 lbs
Towel, .5 lb
Connac's old lute, 1 lbs

IN WATERPROOF BAG:
Journal, 1 lb
Ink Pen + 1 ounce of ink, - lbs

TOTAL CARRIED WEIGHT: 27.5 lbs, light load

ON DONKEY (Mina):
Pack Saddle + Saddlebags (23 lbs)
Firewood (1 day) (20 lbs)
Lamp Oil, 2 pints (2 lbs)
Kit, Cooking (16 lbs)
Folding Pole, ten foot (10 lbs)
Animal Feed (1 day's worth) (10 lbs)
Gear Maintenance Kit (2 lbs)
Silk Rope (50 ft.) (5 lbs)
Blanket (medium) and Blanket (small) (3 lbs and 1.5 lbs)
Fishing Kit (3 lbs)
Bar of Soap x2 (1 lb)
Halfling Trail Rations (x3) (1.5 lbs)
Bucket (2 lbs)

TOTAL DONKEY WEIGHT CARRIED: 98 lbs, light load (barely)