Character 84 - Hacerna the Grey

Illustration by Luis Perez

I was really excited by this week’s random rolls. This was our third fetchling in going-on two years and she came out different than the other two. I was particularly enamored by the lack of dexterity in the usually dexterous race and what I would do with her being strong and tough, the exact opposite of your average fetchling. With interesting background tidbits like being a mass murder I had a lot of fun things to plan out.

Usually when I talk about class I lament there being so many options. There were still a few options this time but with a high strength and high constitution I imagine many of you would have made her a melee fighter of some type. I, however, had another idea right from the get go. The idea that she was a gang member or something in the slums of this major city made me immediately jump to the idea of a rogue. In particular I went with the Thug Archetype, and she would definitely be taking the Intimidating Prowess Feat if not at first level, than with her first rogue talent. The idea of the physically intimidating fetchling amused me.

Hacerna the Grey

At the end of the Goblinblood Wars, Elidir was left as the only sizable city in Isger. Refugees flooded to the city, straining the scant resources that the city had left. Although Isger began to rebuild, a lot of that was mostly cosmetic, sweeping undesirable elements under the rug as it were. The Elidir of today still tries to hide these elements, but it has turned into a massive underworld in which even the most innocent might get lost.

Hacerna’s family had lived in Elidir since before the wars; she was only nine when the wars began. Fetchlings had their own small community but they weren’t overly populous. After the wars when the refugees came the humans blamed the inhumans races for taking up space, jobs, and resources. Hacerna, who was different from even her own people – some called her a slipshadow, which is slang for a klutz – saw bullying from both her other fetchlings and the humans who realized her own kind wouldn’t come to protect her.

The abuse was horrible but it toughened the young fetchling up. Her parents were too busy trying to scrape by in the slums they were relegated to and her brother was too young to be of any help. Hacerna didn’t take the bullying lying down and would fight back, physically. She was exceptionally strong and could take a beating better than most. This is, of course, what got her noticed.

In her early teens she was approached by one of the many would-be syndicates. There were constant turf wars and they thought Hacerna would make good muscle. She jumped at the chance to join, mostly because with numbers it would be harder to pick on her. The group became not just a means of self-preservation but a home.

Illustration by Luis Perez

In her time with the Black Sashes she learned to express herself. It turned out that she could be a very scary person. The glowing green eyes helped against most non-fetchlings, and when she leveraged her physical strength she could scare most people into doing what she wanted. Only one person wasn’t scared of her, a half-orc name Grtiz. Haverna spent a lot of time denying his advances, which usually made him try harder.

The leader of the Black Sashes was a man who went by the street name Red Bob. He kept with him at all time a young woman – a seer – who he consulted with to determine if his planned actions would succeed.  Although she couldn’t produce visions on demand, when she did have them they would be eerily true. One day the woman took Hacerna to the side and said she had a vision of the Fetchling living an unnaturally long life. When pressed on the matter with not so veiled threat the seer also revealed that in the vision she had come into a lot of money to get that life.

Hacerna began to research ways of living forever, she became obsessed with this possible extension of her time on Golarion. All of her searching led to little except for the possibility of undeath. She even managed to root out a cult of a sort of mortal goddess. The former herald of Aroden, a demigod turned lich by the name of Arazni. The cult promised a route to the power she sought although they needed money to do so.

Red Bob had long kept a very tight reign on the funds of the Black Sashes. He knew that giving his followers just enough money to spend but not enough to get out of the slums would keep them working for him. Hacerna may not have been the smartest mind in Elidir but she was no fool either. She realized Red Bob was keeping more money than he deserved and when she confronted him about it she was rebuffed.

The fetchling had her needs and she needed them now, so she devised a mutiny. Gritz stood by her as did some others who were tired of Red Bob’s rule. Hacerna confronted Bob once more, this time with numbers. He rebuffed her again but she threatened him and those who stood with them. She knew she might need to kill, although Red Bob was the only one she wanted to. She slaughtered nine others that night. She felt bad about killing them but it was the only way to prove her point.

Hacerna now leads the Black Sashes. And although the cult of Arazni turned out to be a grab for money, which earned their deaths, she still dedicated herself to the Harlot Queen. Now she seeks other ways to lichdom, which is hard for a someone with no magical talent. Until she find what she seeks she’ll remain the leader of her own little syndicate. And, for now, she’ll keep Gritz around for the pleasures that the flesh does allow.

How did you piece together the bits of this fetchling’s background? What class did she gravitate toward? Why was she bullied? How many people did she murder? Who was the seer she found purpose from?

Bringing these characters to life is a second full-time job. A pledge of as little as one dollar a month on my Patreon or a one-time donation to my paypal can help keep the lights on while I concentrate on producing new content for you.

The CRB has been growing as a community on social media; please join us on Facebook,  Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter. My inbox is open on all forums for questions, comments, and discussion. If you don’t want to miss a beat make sure you sign up to have the CRB pushed directly to your e-reading device with Kindle Subscriptions through Amazon.

The character illustration was created by the fine artist Luis Perez. You can find him on Twitter, Tumblr, and on Instagram at luisperezart. 

A Rogue By Any Other Name

Not Your Typical Rogue

The rogue is one of my all-time favorite classes but many times rogues get pigeonholed into just being another thief. For me though the possibilities for what a rogue can be are much, much more than just a ne’er-do-well. Just like any other class, to me the rogue is just a chassis of rules that can be used to build the character you want to play. So today I want to look at a number of possibilities that you can build using the rogue as a base.

The Law Abiding Rogue

There is thread after thread across many social platforms on whether or not a rogue can be lawful good. Even if you are abandoning alignment, many people don’t believe that rogues can be decent, law abiding citizens. The rogue is not an alignment restricted class and without alignments he could be not just law-abiding but a law enforcer.

With skills alone it opens up the rogue class to working within or for the law. Knowledge Local, Sense Motive, and Perception can help make your rogue an excellent investigator. Diplomacy can make for a character that builds bridges, whether he works for the town guard or is just a local who wants to see his people thrive. Disable Device may be used to open that chest to plunder its contents for greed, but what about opening them to find the evidence needed to prosecute an alleged criminal or retrieve goods that were stolen in the first place?

Class abilities like Trapfinding and Trap Sense can be used for a would-be thief, but it can also be used in a similar function as today’s bomb squads. A specialist who helps law enforcers avoid the pitfalls set forth by criminals. The rogue talents Coax Information, Expert Cypher, Follow Clues, Hard to Fool, and Sacred Sneak Attack can be used to enhance some of the aforementioned skills and make for a damn good investigator.

Although there are quite a few archetypes that can be used for our law enforcing rogue, three that stand out in particular are the Investigator, Spy, and Sanctified Rogue. Although the Sanctified Rogue can follow any god of any alignment, when applied to a good god or even lawful neutral god they can very well be enforcers of what is right and just in the world, on par with any paladin (link tag). Add the Sacred Sneak Attack rogue talent as mentioned previously and you count as good when overcoming damage reduction for evil outsiders and undead.

The Brute

Often rogues end up being dex based finesse fighters, but this doesn’t always have to be the case. Like any melee character a rogue can be a strength based monster. One of my personal favorite characters is my half-orc pitfighter. I built him off Intimidation and the Thug archetype and he hits just as hard or harder than some of the other melee characters in the party.

One of the first things that makes people think twice about rogue brutes is the misinformed idea that Sneak Attack only works with light or one handed weapons. Sneak Attack works for all weapons including greatswords, greataxes, and all polearms. The point of sneak attack is finding holes in defense or hitting vital spots, which can be done with any weapon.

Intimidate is one of the top skills I pick up when I’m playing a brute type rogue. Whether it’s my half-orc pitfighter, a street thug, a guild enforcer, or a bodyguard, being able to stare a hole through your opponent makes for a great bit of RP for these types of characters; even if at heart your brute is a gentle giant.

For rogue talents Combat Trick which will give you an extra combat feat is probably one of the most helpful talents for making strength based combat rogue. If you’re going to go the intimidate route you can take the Strong Impressions talent which gives you the Intimidating Prowess feat so you don’t need to use one of your level based feats. Weapon Training will get you the Weapon Focus feat, again freeing up level feats.

Although there are a few rogue archetypes that can be used along with any type of combat rogue, Thug is the only one that really stands out as being specifically for a brute type character.

So those are two of many possible non-thief rogue ideas. The rogue is one of the most versatile classes in Pathfinder and there is so much you can do with it. Hopefully this has expanded your view on rogues and you try out some new things.

What non-traditional rogues have you run or made as NPC? If you use alignment can you see a lawful good rogue? What are some of your favorite skills, feats, and archetypes for a well rounded rogue?

Like a thief in the night the CRB will steal your heart. Consider becoming a contributor to your favorite Pathfinder blog. Monthly donations of as little as one dollar can be made to my Patreon. A one-time donation can easily be made to my Paypal. Every bit helps me keep the lights on so I can concentrate on bringing you the content you deserve.

The CRB has been growing as a community on social media. Please join us on Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter. My inbox is open on all forums for questions, comments, and discussion. If you don’t want to miss a beat make sure you sign up to have the CRB pushed directly to your e-reading device with Kindle Subscriptions through Amazon.

Character Exploration 44 - Alisanna Underroot

This week’s random rolls are a female elf. The stats showed us a strong and quick character with a low con. Low mental stats across the boards means that casting classes are pretty much out of the question. Stand up fighter seemed like a bad idea as well, even with the high strength, so just a few things were left open. Looking at the fact that religion is her one true motivation and she worships Nivi Rhombodazzle, Rogue seemed the way to go. I had some ideas for background sorted out, but a roll on the class background generator took me in a whole other direction.

Rogue Training: [Spy] You've always had an innocent expression and a silver tongue, so naturally you were recruited as a spy during your childhood. You could have come from any social class; you might have gathered information as an urchin on the streets or acted as servant to one lord while you reported to another. You gain access to the Fast Talker trait.

As a note on mechanics: For this class I decided to go with the Sczarni Swindler archetype. Although she is not actually Sczarni, the archetype is perfect for what I am going for. Since a class is just a chassis for rules, I have no issue with just calling her a swindler.

Alisanna Underroot

Once Razmiran was a part of the River Kingdoms, a place where one could get lost from the world. Many a forlorn elf has found a home in the wild areas. When the living god Razmir took the Arch-Duchy of Melcat as his own, many who lived there were trapped under the tyrant’s rule. Celderic and Issalla Underroot were two such elves stuck right smack-dab in the middle of Razmiran.

Through her childhood Alisanna lived a mostly peaceful life in the Arch-Duchy of Melcat. Her family represented the only elves in the little village that would later become the town of Pilgrimage. For 80 years the only thing she had to worry about was the local bullies who picked on her because of her ears. When Razmir came and they took the area by force, the pogroms began soon after.

Those who would not bow to Razmir and convert to his religion were taken away. Fear gripped everyone and in an attempt to save themselves, people turned on each other. But that didn’t stop those who wouldn’t give up their faith from starting an underground. Even those who didn’t worship the same deities clung to each other for safety in their worship.

The Underfoots have always called the elvish deity Yuelral as their patron. As gem cutters by trade they found solace in the goddess’ faith. Issalla could not give up her faith when it was demanded. Even though she covered her tracks and hid her faith, not every other faithful was an ally. When they came calling Alisanna told them nothing, but still she failed her mother and the masked priests took her away.

With her father withdrawn and her own faith shaken Alisanna lost her way. She began picking fights with everyone, especially as the village grew around the roadside tavern into Pilgrimage. She also took to taking what she wanted and getting in with the wrong sorts. All of this seemed to be taking her down the wrong path until a blue haired gnome caught her cheating at cards.

Glipslip was a friend of Alisanna’s mother. He was among those who would worship with Issalla when they did so in hiding. When they had to worship in hiding they would do it together. The Gnome was an adherent of the faith of Nivi Rhombodazzle. With her father closed off because of the abduction and probable demise of her mother, Alisanna was left in the dark. Glislip brought her into the fold of The Grey Polychrome.

The gnome’s teachings were not just in the faith of Nivi, but also the fine art of gambling. Alisanna learned to use the harrow deck in the many games of chance that people liked to play. New found marks became easier and easier as Pilgrimage grew into a town known by some for its underground trade, outside the prying eyes of the Church of Razmir.

All the illicit trade also meant a lot of illicit talk. Alisanna heard from an informant that heard from an informant that heard from a guy that an elf woman was still being held somewhere in the heart of the Exalted Woods. Alisanna hopes beyond hope that this is her mother and seeks to free her from her imprisonment. To that end she’s taken to working with any underground efforts within the realm of Razmiran so that one day she can work her way to this secret facility.

And there you have it, an elf in the heart of Razmiran. This is my character, what you would have created? Does Rogue fit your thinking or is another class better? In what manner would the faith of Nivi Rhombodazzle be central to your character? What would you have done different?

The CRB is like a well shuffled harrow deck in the hands of a card sharp, the good stuff always comes out on top. If you feel like the CRB is bringing you good gaming knowledge, please consider donating to my Patreon. The CRB is also becoming a large community on social media; come join us on G+, Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. My inbox is always open on all accounts. 

Character Exploration 41 - Hassa

The third piece in our week of the kasatha sees the fleshing out of our random rolls from Monday. Some of the background here uses what I’ve created for their culture in my Wednesday article People Out of Place. Our kasatha this week is quick, hardy and smart. To me his minor charisma negative is more a lack of worldliness or understanding of people in general. A prophesied birth and an encounter with a bizarre creature are hallmarks of his upbringing. So who is this alien on Golarion? What is his life like in the wastes of Numeria?

For class this week I chose rogue, specifically the Numerian Scavenger archetype. As his starting traits, I went with prophesied, starchild, and vagabond child. I took the third trait because I thought the drawback family ties really suited this particular character. I know I usually roll on a class table if one is available, but I’ll be honest, this week I forgot.

Hassa (HavHassa to outsiders)

“There are aliens among us”, they tell you. In Numeria this statement is fact. Some alien lifeforms are known entities, like the gearmen and the androids. In much of Numeria those aliens that are found usually end up lynched by the superstitious kellids or on the dissection tables of the technic. In fear for their life, many of these beings from the stars hide in the Numerian wastes.

The small city of Hajoth Hakados breaks the mold of the standard Numerian settlements. The trade city on the crusader road to Mendev not only openly welcomes androids, but also a witchwyrd from the red planet Akiton. For this reason, other alien creatures make Hajoth Hakados their home, even if they continue to hide their presence. Such is the case for the Havala clan of kastha.

The Havala clan consist of two small families. The rest of the clan either remains on the kastha’s distant home world or died in the crash that left them stranded here. None of the clansmen are sure how long they’ve been here as they have only emerged from stasis chambers a little over forty years ago. The survivors consisted of two mated couples, one of which has a daughter with them.

Hassa was the first child born to the Havala clan. With his birth the male of the other couple, a shaman proclaimed the first child of the clan born in this land would lead them home. After his birth Hassa’s mother took up the position of head woman. She further proved her fertility and thus her power in the clan when she bore twins; a brother and a sister, Jaska and Usula. New life, of course, means a small but growing clan.

For the first few years of Hassa’s life, the clan roamed the badlands of Numeria just as they had roamed the sands of Kasath. With his destiny to find a home he never knew, the boy took to watching the stars as if drawn to them. By ten years old he knew each star by heart and with him in the lead the clan was never lost.

To the kastha every creature of this world was a new wonder, a wonder to be avoided at all costs. The mutated creatures of Numeria were deadly, making hunting a momentous task. The humanoids were far more dangerous than any beast and the Havala tribe made sure to avoid both the kellid tribes and the technic wizards. To a young boy lost in the stars, however, some things stand out. Although few, some of the Iobarian centaurs remained as nomads in the Sellen Hills and young Hassa found the horsemen so interesting he felt compelled to talk to them.

For months Hassa treated with the centaur tribe, leading his own clan on a parallel migratory path to theirs. From one of their warriors he learned much about the world and especially Numeria. When the centaurs swung south and stopped in the city of Hajoth Hakados, the boy snuck away in the day while his family slept to explore these new wonders. His friend in the centaur tribe showed him a city accepting of all kinds of strange people. A city that was as alien to Numeria as his people were.

Eventually centaurs roamed further than the kasatha tribe was willing to go, even at Hassa’s urging, so they roamed the plains once more. They did, however, add a few southern stops which allowed Hassa to sneak off the Hajoth Hakados a few times a year. His love of the city grew and the boy felt the call to explore other cities.

When the clan was near the metropolis of Chesed, Hassa could no longer fight his urge to explore. Seeking to gain access to the city he sought out what the humans called “adventurers” to get him in. Using thinly veiled threats, he forced a woman encased in the shiny metal armor the humans liked, to take him into the city. She did as asked but Hassa’s unsophisticated disguise was seen through rather quickly.

Unlike Hajoth Hakados, Chessed was very much under the control of the Technic League. When Hassa’s attempt to stay hidden was seen through, they quickly came after him. Trapped in an unknown place, Hassa would have assuredly been captured except unbeknownst to him, the adventurer he cajoled was a crusader of Sarenrae heading to the worldwound. His would-be victim stood against the technomancers and helped Hassa flee the city. The young kasaha apologized profusely but the crusader understood the impatience of youth having been a redeemed street rat herself.

These events left Hassa wary of the outside world. And at thirteen, when his brother and sister were born, he sought nothing but to protect them from all the horrors of this forsaken world. Whether in a city or not, their alien nature made them targets. The Technic League had begun hunting for them, unknown four armed aliens. Sometimes a member of the league would come themselves and sometimes they would send vicious agents. It had become harder and harder to escape them so Hassa brought the clan to the only place he knew the Technic League had no sway, Hajoth Hakados.

At first the clan refused to enter the city, but caring for two infants and running was tiring to all of them. Being head woman Hassa’s mother eventually saw the wisdom in his words and the clan moved to the trade city. Hajoth Hakados was a place of wonder to the clan. Although they still tried to go unnoticed, the fact they could move freely and mostly unmolested came as a shock after years of avoiding the people of this planet.

The clan set themselves up in the Homeshore district. Learning to stay settled was an even greater challenge for them than staying ahead of the league. Hunting the plains was their only real skill, the men would bring back hides that the women would than cure and trade or sew into armor for even the most bizarrely formed creature. Hassa, ever inquisitive, began to explore the city, although at first not understanding the idea of personal property he had a bad habit of letting himself into people’s homes.

At thirty Hassa has reached the age of his “tempering” and is time for him to travel the world and find himself. The clan will gather and perform their ritual to Ji’d–who the people of Golarion call Jaidz–the spirit of untested youth. Hassa will leave the clan until he feels he has passed the tests of Ji’d and then will return to the clan as an adult.

The clan still believes he is destined to lead them back to Kasath, but Hassa wonders; the prophecy just said “home” and maybe he has already done that. Still his plans, as he leaves Hajoth Hakados, are to search the wreckage of what he knows to have been a great spacefaring vessel that is spread across Numeria to see if he cannot find some knowledge of where his people came from.

There you have it, my take on Monday’s rolls. Is this what you envisioned when you looked at the rolls? How did your character idea differ? What is your kasatha’s prophecy? How do you reconcile following a Golarion Empyreal Lord when he is an alien to this planet?

Unlike our kasatha, success as a games writer is not prophesied. A lot of work goes into the content I write and the support of fans helps keep that possible. Consider contributing to my Patreon which helps keep my lights on so I can continue writing. Go to the page now and check out a video message for you, my viewers.

The CRB has also become a community, or a few communities. The blog has a presence on Google+, Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Come join any or all of these groups and see what everyone else is talking about. If contributing to Patreon isn’t a viable option, liking and sharing, reblogging, or retweeting are excellent ways to help the CRB get in front of more viewers. My inbox is also always open on any of these platforms.

Character Ten: Kokan Hybusa

I hadn't really hashed out any mechanics this time around just that he is a base rogue but here is the tale of Kokan Hybusa.

Before we get into it here are the random rolls in case you forgot.

Born in Tian Xia but relocated to the Andoran port city of Augustana along with his family and a flock of other Tengu, Kokan Hybusa has always been a bird out of place. Bullied by his sister before they moved, bullied by the human children when he arrived in Avistan and all but forgotten as the middle boy of eight children by his parents. Life seemed ever so rough for the young Tengu. It didn't help that as he grew older he spent most of his time in books, absorbing as much knowledge as he could possibly get his wings on.

Kokan's search for knowledge didn't just stop at the temporal. He spent much time studying magic, although he had no aptitude for it, and religion as well. One of his early mentors was a Halfling sage named Ilsa Tanglebriar. The young Tengu would listen to her tales of the days she was a slave in Cheliax and her musings on the portents of the future. When asked about his future though she would furrow her brow and don a dour face, claiming not to be privy to that information.

Kokan was set to go off to study with masters in the Universities of Almas when he finished his studies in Augustana. But fate has a way of changing plans for you. Although he was very used to being bullied himself, now that his younger brother the, runt of the family was in school the bullies had started in on him. One day on the walk home Kokan's brother Takaaki was ambushed by a group of young thugs. Kokan ran to his aid and for the first time fought off attackers. Kokan was unaware of his own strength in in a fit of mindless rage one of the bullies fell, impaled on Kokan's beak.

Kokan was beside himself, he never intended to kill anyone. The bully's friends sought to slander him, but witnesses not the least of which was the Halfling seer Isla painted a better picture of his selfless act of defense. Still with the stain of death on his beak the offer to university fell though and Kokan was left with no future.

In the intervening years Kokan held a number of jobs and seemed ever the picture of the hardworking peasant. But in this time the Tengu was plotting and waiting. He kept his eyes open and his mind sharp, learning everything he could about the underworld of Augustana. Until one night he said his prayer to Calistria and took up a mask and a blade and stalked the streets. He stopped a mugging that first night at the cost of two broken ribs, but his true mission in life had begun. No more bullies, no more scavengers preying on the weak, just vengeance.

Character Eight: Quentin Queizzlefoot

Before we get into it here are the random rolls in case you forgot.

Quentatriliocious, aka Quentin Queizzlefoot, is a Gnome of not-yet ill-repute. But he’s trying, he swears! Son of Alia and Ferrous Quizzlefoot, his parent were well-known rapscallions among the Gnome community. Although his parents were never viewed as wantonly harmful, everyone for leagues knew them for the con artists they were. Seeing as most of their shenanigans was aimed at non-gnomes, the surrounding communities let them slide for the most part. That was until the death of Caratimatine “Carmine” Longbottom.

Carmine was a, well, he was a major figure in the movement for the Gnomes return to the first world. He was considered a rabble-rouser by some, and a philosopher by others. Quentin’s parents somehow got caught up in a plot that sought to remove Carmine from the equation. In the end the only people who could be attached to the body were Quenetin’s parents, who decided it was best to run than face ‘justice.’ Quentin was left with his aunt and uncle at the tender age of 15 when his parents went into hiding.

Aunt Berutania and uncle Uwenalacalious were performers by trade. They put on a show travelling from town to town. Not just among the forest Gnomes, and by his 30's Quentin had visited the human, elf and dwarf lands performing with his aunt and uncle. His time on the road taught him the finer points of acting, which on top of character building, taught him the fine arts of disguise and lying. The young Gnome also took quite well to picking up the languages of every land he traveled through.

During a stint in their forest home, between performance tours, Quentin was approached by a Gnome claiming to be friends with his parents. Quentin’s aunt and uncle never really spoke about his parents; they changing the subject whenever they could. But this Gnome told Quentin about his parents’ self-imposed exile and betrayal. In secret Quentin began training with the “family friend” to find his missing parents and clear their name.

Some quick and dirty investigation let them to an illusionist who was supposedly in on setting up Carmine. Quentin’s acting skills came in handy and he and the family friend managed to get enough information to blackmail the trickster Gnome. Information wasn’t as forthcoming as they would have liked, which left them at a dead end, but the Illusionist was willing to pay to keep his dirty secrets from being aired. Grown and looking for answers Quentin still seeks out his parents; even if he has to lie, cheat, and steal to find them. One day he will.

Character Three: Scortle Illslitherskin

Before we get into it here are the random rolls in case you forgot.

This time I added some mechanics to the mix. Although a lot of this is about creativity Pathfinder still has rules. So how do you make your creative vision work within the rules set. Well here’s some mechanical choices I made when coming up with the character for this random generation, which led to the tragic story of

Scortle Illslitherskin
Dark Gnome Rogue (Poisoner/Underground Chemist)

Dark Gnomes replace a lot of stuff so here are the base racial traits

Defensive Training (Giant)
Dark Vision
Knack with Poison
Fell Magic
Hatred (reptilian and Goblinoid)
Weapon familiarity

And although the rest of the stats aren't that important he took these two starting traits

Poisonous Slayer: You gain a +1 trait bonus on attack rolls when you are wielding a weapon treated with poison.

Gnomish Alchemist: You gain a +2 trait bonus on all Craft (alchemy) checks.

Not all gnomes are cut from the same cloth. Coming from fey heritage does not always mean being happy and joyous. The first world has some downright mean, nasty and unpleasant creatures that roam its untamed forests. To that end some gnomes as they come of age, if they are pressed with enough misfortune can become just as dark as the fey of the unseelie court can get. Such is the case of Scortle Illslitherskin.

Born to a lower class family in a small gnomish town life seemed destined to greatness as Scortle was born a twin, a rare occurrence for gnomes. But life has a way of going away from destiny, especially in this time of lost prophecies. Scortle's town was raided by the goblin tribes that lived near. Many of his friends and neighbors were slaughtered but Scortle and his whole family, older brother and sister, twin sister, father and mother heavy with child were taken as slaves along with some others. Scrotle's life of joy and adventure was stolen and thus the darkness began to sink in.

For some reason the young gnome was targeted by the slave masters for the various tortures and lessons that they wished to teach the others. The more Scortle devolved into darkness the more the goblinoid overlords came to bear on him with their sick pleasures. The shadow in the adolescent gnome’s heart grew and he came to the attention of one of the other slaves of the hated goblinoids. And old man who's eyes had been ripped out by his own hands. A worshiper of the dark god Norborber and seer without sight. Scortle's dark heart was nourished by the hidden secrets of the seer and he began to learn the subtle art of toxins.

Hiding his secret worship of Norborger he began to hate the other gnomes for not trying to find a way out of their chains. He hated how they still laughed and played tricks. He hated the games they'd play, but he still loved his own family. At night some of the gnomes would play games of chance, for their extra food. Scortle watched and learned and he hated them for having fun. So he would play along, and he would cheat. He didn't care about the food, he would just throw it away. But watching the other gnomes lose amused him.

At some point the old seer died, and with just his family tying him to the slave masters he vowed to escape. Using his talent with the poisonous plants of the region and a little of that old gnomish penchant for alchemy Scortle brewed up a surprise. He added his concoction to the evening meal, he knew would be shared with the slaves as well as the goblins. And that night many fell to their final reward. Plagued by fever and pain before succumbing to Norborger's will.

There was chaos that night. As the war leader died and infighting began. Many of the slaves escaped, Scortle made sure his family was among them. But having no love for the traditional gnomish way the young poisoner headed his own way, letting his family believe he had perished. Plagued with self-doubt Scortle Illslitherskin wanders with only his own darkness for company.