Character 75 - Kavem Roughtcut

Svirfneblin are known to be intense and emotional. This week’s random rolls meant I had to figure out how to work the character’s background to include following an emotionally tame deity. The high dex and wisdom opened up quite a few options and for a while I was torn between monk and warpriest with the sacred fist archetype. Eventually though, I chose monk because I worked his failure at channeling a deity into the story. So here I present to you the tale of out deep gnome.

Kavem Roughtcut

The Svirfneblin live a secluded life below the surface of Golarion where they take it upon themselves to defend those above from the insidious evils below. Even though they tend to fear most other races they still try to keep everything from the dark fey of the Court of Ether, to the demon worshipping drow from seeing their evil plans come to fruition. Their strong connection to the first world can be both boon and bane to them, but they soldier forward as they always have and always will.

Kavem was the only child born to his parents and like most of his kind he was erratic and over emotional growing up. Although his parents were merely farmers in the fungus fields the young deep gnome always thought he was destined for more. He would take every unnecessary risk to try and prove himself and even though he succeeded as often as he failed he never managed to put his name on everyone’s lips.

One of his failures were his attempts to make it into the priesthood of Nivi Rhombodazzle. The boy tried anything to lie, cheat, or steal his way into the hearts of the clerics. But the tricksters of the Grey Polychrome could see right through him, even without their magics. To this day Kevam denies these attempts, leaving them in a forgotten part of his mind.

The deep gnomes would make constant forays into the world outside the walls of the Svirfneblin city. It was here that he found his first mentor. The teacher was a lone deep gnome who roamed the caverns to take the fight to their enemies instead of just waiting and watching. He taught Kevam of all the perils of the lands surrounding their home; how to track the invisible duergar, stay hidden from the sharp eyes of the drow, and resist the call of the dark fey of the Court of Ether. Kevam wished to one day be like this man.

During one particularly rash stunt when he came across a lone duergar – one of the many hated enemies of his people – he died. The lost grey dwarf although injured had enough in him to slay the young Svirfneblin before fleeing further into the lightless caverns. If it wasn’t for a roaming monk exploring the area he would have stayed dead. But the wanderer managed to bring Kavem back from wherever his soul had wandered.

Kavem had been shaken to his core. The deep gnomes drive to be the best turned into a deep and almost debilitating sense of self-doubt. The monk took the young man in and tried to nurse both his body and his soul back to health. Kevam’s new life began in the Abbey of Thoughtfulness.

The abbey held the clergy of one of the Empyreal Lords. The powerful archon known as Ghenshau had spoken to the hearts of some of Kevam’s people. These were souls who remembered the placid and idyllic life of the first world. They learned to follow their connection to the first world back, past their erratic emotions and to the carefree nature of their past.

Kevam began to study under the monks to learn to center himself and move beyond his self-doubt. Although some of the brothers were blessed with the divine spark of Ghenshau becoming his sacred fist or enlightened warrior, others like Kevam did not. For the first time in his life though the deep gnome didn’t want more, he was satisfied at the simplicity of just being himself.

Did my interpretation match yours? What class did your Svirfneblin choose? Who was his hunter mentor? What caused him to try and manipulate a spellcaster? Why did he choose Ghenshau as a patron? How did he die?

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You Can't Hide From Fate

Disciples of Nivi Rhombodazzle

Gambling for the sake of gambling and not for the sake of winning. The supposed mother of the Svirfneblin, Nivi Rhombodazzle was never one to turn her back on a good wager. One of the few non-human ascended gods, she received her divinity from Torag in exchange for a special gem. So we know some of Nivi’s history and a little bit about who her followers might be, but who are they truly?

As always, let us imagine we are sitting at our theoretical gaming table. Our imaginary GM sets out the rules for the game we will play. In this game, we are to make a follower of Nivi Rhombodazzle. The character does not need to be a divine caster, just a devotee of the Empyreal Lord. What character do you make?

For more information on Nivi Rhombodazzle

Nivi Rhombodazzle Pathfinder Wiki Page 

Nivi Rhombodazzle’ Archives of Nethys Page 

The 7^th Pip

Among the small number of above ground worshipers who revere Nivi, many of them specifically look to her for her aspect as a gambler. Cardsharps, bones throwers, and wheel spinners often find themselves under the watchful eye of the Grey Polychrome. The 7^th pip is a group that specifically see chance and fate as the only path through life.

Members of the 7^th pip have taken a solemn oath to never make a big decision on their own. The world will take them where they need to go. To this end, when faced with a tough choice a member of the 7^th pip will flip a coin, roll a die, or draw a card to make the decision for them. Even the founding of the organization came to pass when two friends, a halfling and a gnome, let a coin toss decide if it was meant to be.

The 7^th pip isn’t so much a group with a set goal as a group looking to see where fate takes them. Members of the sect record their dilemmas, methods of choice, and fate-directed outcomes as well as all their adventures. These chronicles are kept in the backroom of a gambling house in the city of Kaer Maga. The group even leaves its membership up to chance. Anyone can petition once every five years. They choose the method of chance and hope for the best. The odds are always fifty-fifty.

The Grey Moles

It is said that Nivi was the very first Svirfneblin. Whether or not this is true is matter of debate, but many of the deep gnomes take her as a patron. The Svirfneblin spend much of their time battling against the evil races of the Darklands. Although they rely on the followers of Benorus known as the Cavern Knights to stand toe to toe against the enemy, sometimes the deep gnomes need to take more covert action.

The Grey Moles are an elite group of spies, some of the stealthiest Svirfneblin the race has to offer. The group only ever numbers seven members and each is a devout follower of Nivi Rhombodazzle. Admittance to the group, in gnome fashion, is a giant game of hide and seek. Sadly a spot only opens up when one of the members doesn’t return from a mission. Missions are doled out by the church hierarchy and are mostly aimed at their hated enemies, the dark fey of the Court of Ether.

The Gemstone Society

The Gemstone society is a group of scholars who spend their lives studying the earth and all its riches. Their membership includes some of the best geologists in the world and much of their knowledge will never be known by most surface dwellers. These deep gnomes mix magic and scientific learning to fashion gemstones into devices that can harness and enhance magical abilities. Although they are mostly reclusive, the Gemstone Society has an uneasy connection to the followers of the elven goddess Yuelral, called The Memory Keepers and the Ruby Architects.

Many of the devices that the Gemstone Society makes ends up in the hands of the Grey Moles for use in their espionage. Among the tricks the society has learned to empower through gems; the ability to bend light, disperse heat, and focus fire have been handiest. Like all good scientists, once a breakthrough has been mastered it is time to move on to the next experiment.

The fickle hand of fate influences everything we do. So who is your fate-born follower of Nivi? Why have they chosen to dedicate themselves to the Grey Polychrome? Where does their devotion come from? Let me know in the comments.

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