I like the idea that planar-blooded creatures are not
just from human stock. This premise was brought up in Pathfinder for aasimar
and teiflings but I also apply it to the elemental planar-blooded creatures. We
saw this first with my orc oread and most recently with my elf undine. This week I work with my third oread character, one of halfling stock.
A twin with great strength and dexterity as well as decent amount of will. From
the sandy lands of Qadira, a satrapy of the Kelesh Empire. The question I
answer today from the random stats and background information is “who is this
character”?
Quick moving but strong with a trickster god for a
patron, I decided to go with brawler as a class. Sometimes when all the jokes
go wrong, she needs to fight her way out of a situation. I also like to think
that the brawler’s martial flexibility represents her ability to read people
and adapt to situations as needed. With that in mind I see Snake Style’s use of Sense Motive as a means to make attacks hit harder and to
riposte against missed attack as something this character might take.
Najila Dunestrider
In the Keleshish Empire halflings are considered
incredibly lucky. To this end many halflings travel with caravans so that their
luck might rub off on the trade expedition. Many enterprising halflings have
not only taken up jobs as luck bringers in caravans, but have laid claim to
some of the many oases across the empire to create their own caravan stops.
These stops, in many cases, have sprung into full-fledged halfling settlements,
one of which is where Najila and her twin brother Nen was born.
The Dunestrider family had lived at the Abassia Oasis
settlement for many generations. Both of Najila’s parents were excellent
potters whose work was sought out by many along the trade route. Beyond their
dedication to their craft, the Dunestrider clan also had a penchant for shrewd
investment. Although not rich by any means, growing up Najilia wanted for very
little.
Najila and her brother were as opposite as could be, but
they were also inseparable. Like many twins they seemed to almost know each
other’s thoughts. Before they could fully speak halfling, they had a language
all their own which they used to communicate. This secret tongue meant the two
siblings often kept things hidden from others, as they would only confide in
each other.
Although not identical Nijila and Nen were similar in
appearance, enough so that only their parents could tell them apart. When they
hit puberty, however, their true differences began to manifest. Najila stopped
growing altogether and was shorter than most other halflings, although her body
proportions stayed the same she felt heavier than most. Her brown hair became the
color of sand and her skin took on an almost grainy texture. Like many in the
Kelesh Empire the blood of a genie, in this case a Shaitan, flowed through her
veins.
Her brother, who had always been her opposite, also
showed signs of genie blood. He manifested the earth’s opposite with the watery
traits of a Marid. Even though their differences became more pronounced, the
two could never be separated, they lived for each other and always would. And
like sand and water the pair was always mud in someone’s eye.
Into their formative years, the two halfling twins lacked
the hard-working trait for which generations of their family had been renowned.
Najila and Nen were more interested in having fun than working hard. The two
were constant practical jokers who were the only ones in on their little
pranks. Although not overly bound to religious matters themselves, many claimed
they were children of the Empyreal Lord Picoperi.
Their jokes never really went too far, at least not in
their own eyes. When a haughty sorcerer came through town hawking his wares and
flashing his power, the two jokers knew just what to do. A bit of acting on
Nen’s part and a little white lie sent all the sorcerer’s snake oil into the
oasis pool with no money to show for it. Suffice it to say, the finger wiggler
wasn’t at all happy about it.
Where Nen was a master of words and could talk a camel
out of a drink of water, Najila was a master of fists. Their jokes would
occasionally get them into trouble with a capital “T” and when Nen couldn’t
talk their way out of it Najila would make sure no harm came to either of them.
One of her best traits as a fighter wasn’t how hard she hit but how well she
read people. She could usually see a strike coming from a mile away just by
reading her opponent.
The only thing the pair had in common was a certain sense
of pride. They each thought they were the best there was at what they did. The
problem became that they also felt they were too big for the small town. When a
younger sister was born, the two decided it was time to strike out into the
larger world. Sad to see them go, their parents revealed to them their “Grams”
had left them an investment. When they cashed out, the twins had more than
enough money to get them to any city on Golarion.
With money burning a hole in their pockets and the need
for adventure burning a hole in their soul, Najila and Nen set out on the next
caravan into the larger world. What Golarion holds for them only Picoperi
knows, and he ain’t telling because that’s the big joke.
And there you have my little halfling oread, but is this
what you would have made? Does brawler fit your thinking or is another class
better? Would Picoperi be more prominent in your character’s life or is
acceptance of the Empyreal Lord as a patron with minor prayers enough? What
would you have done different?
Tricksters are needed because they teach us much about
the world through their jokes. The CRB tries to expand our knowledge of the
gaming world by examining it much the same. If the CRB has helped you expand
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