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Celephais in a House of Mirrors; Fantasy/Swashbucklers
Seeress
(c) copyright 2000 Volker Bach
Total Points: 211.5 Points
Age about 25; 5'2"; 94 pounds; a shy, fragile young woman
with long, dark hair severely tied back, grey eyes, and very
pale skin. Celephais' fingernails are usually gnawed, and
her hands often ink-spotted.
ST 7 [-20] - thrust 1d-3, swing 1d-3, fatigue
11
DX 10 [-] - basic speed 5.25, move 5,
dodge 5
IQ 14 [45]
HT 11 [10] - hit points 7
WL 14 [-]
ADVANTAGES: Ally Group (small group, servants, all the time)
[30]; Appearance (Attractive) [5]; Literate
[10]; Sense of Perception (requires equipment
[mirror], -10%; requires 1 hour preparation, -50%)
[40]; Exoteleport (Power 30; requires equipment
[mirror], -10%; requires 1 hour preparation, -50%)
[48]; Status 2* [5]; Wealth (Filthy Rich)
[50].
*includes +1 from Wealth
DISADVANTAGES: Attentive [-1]; Edgy [-5];
Mute [-25]; Shyness [-10]; Skinny
[-5]; Unfit [-5].
QUIRKS: Always wears something blue; Rarely leaves home;
Prefers to have conversations both ways in writing, though
she can hear fine; Keeps odd hours; Afraid of sudden or
violent moves and noises. [-5]
SKILLS: Artist-13 [2]; Astronomy-13 [2];
Calligraphy-11* [-]; Cryptanalysis-12 [1];
Cryptography-12 [1]; Gesture-18** [4];
Heraldry-13 [1]; Illumination-11* [-];
History-14 [4]; Literature-13 [2];
Mathematics-12 [1]; Occultism-14 [2];
Philosophy-14 [4]; Poetry-13 [1];
Thaumatology-14 [8]; Theology (Comparative)-13
[2]; Writing-14 [2]; Savoir-Faire-14***
[-].
*default from Artist
**includes +3 for Mute
***free with Status, and modified (-2) for
Shyness
LANGUAGES: English (native)-14 [-]; Latin-14
[2]; Greek-12 [1]; French-13 [1];
Italian-12 [.5]; German-12 [.5]; Arabic-12
[1]; Hebrew-12 [1]; Aramaic-11
[.5].
EQUIPMENT
Celephais rarely leaves home, so she hardly ever actually
carries equipment. She dresses plainly - for an aristocrat -
and prefers comfortable robes and morning dresses to
elaborate evening wear; blue is her favorite color. A
writing set is always to hand for use to communicate with
outsiders. At home, she keeps an extensive library and a
great collection of mirrors, most of which she keeps
covered.
While Celephais' powers could work with all mirrors it seems
that she is limited to only three. These are not magical in
themselves - though they may well be thought to be so, even
by herself - but are instead foci with which she is familiar
and comfortable. Her 'scrying mirrors' are one small,
hand-held mirror she takes with her on travels and an
elaborately carved and gilt oval wall mirror she keeps in
her study. She is firmly convinced that the latter allows
her to see farther. (GMs might allow a reduction in the
distance penalty.) Her 'gate mirror' is an unadorned but
almost perfectly clear and flat mirror, about door-sized and
framed in ebony. Should she ever be deprived of her mirrors
she will probably try out new ones. If it matters, the base
chance of a new mirror working is 4 on 3d. This is modified
down for cheap, ugly or new mirrors, upwards for beautifully
made mirrors or those she feels drawn to. No mirror that is
otherwise magical will work.
BIOGRAPHY
Born as the only child of a wealthy gentleman, Celephais had
a sheltered childhood. Her parents were crushed to learn
that their daughter was mute, and it was only at a
relatively late age that she was taught to read and write
and so given the opportunity to communicate with the outside
world. She was a very bright child and received a fine
education from her bookish father, but was never introduced
to social life due to her disability. After her parents'
deaths she almost completely withdrew from the outside
world.
Celephais loves mirrors, though she is far from vain. (In
fact, she considers herself ugly.) Most of her collection
was acquired for their artistic merit, but some have greater
powers. Some of them contain mirror ghosts (p.CN74) or have
other arcane powers, but the main source of Celephais'
fascination with mirrors comes from her own powers. She
discovered early that she could sometimes see distant places
through a mirror, and has honed this ability finely. After
about an hour of meditation she is able to look at any one
place within hundreds of miles. No actual image appears in
the glass, though, since the mirror itself functions as a
focus of an innate power. Later she found - much to her own
surprise - that she could send things (and people) through
mirrors. She believes these powers to be magical and has
studied magic to find out about them, though so far she has
been disappointed.
In a small country house surrounded by a walled garden,
Celephais lives with her servants. She rarely receives
visitors, and usually refuses entry to anyone who comes
uninvited. Her powers are not public knowledge, and she will
take much convincing before she uses them for anyone's
benefit. Her greatest happiness is with her books and her
letters - she corresponds with a number of scholars, not all
of which are aware of her identity. Some know her only by
assumed names (this is an intellectual affectation with no
sinister purpose).
ENCOUNTERED
The most likely way in which PCs will contact Celephais is
through correspondence. She rarely allows strangers into her
house and even more rarely goes out. When she meets anyone
she is likely to have her maid do the talking at first,
though if the person finds her interest she might well join
the conversation. Bear in mind that Celephais communicates
almost entirely by writing. She finds using gestures to make
a point painfully humiliating and tries to avoid it. Any
character who responds in writing earns a favorable
reaction, but she will not request that this is done.
Celephais is almost painfully shy. She shrinks from noise
and commotion, preferring sheltered quiet, and even mildly
fears strangers. She is also very lonely, though, and if she
were to meet someone who genuinely impressed her she might
well become close to - or even romantically involved with -
that person. She will not act upon such impulses, though.
What impresses Celephais are, above all, intelligence,
gentleness and refinement. Brashness, an overpowering
physical presence and any hint of violence will put her off,
which means that typical PCs will have to mind their manners
around her.
CANONICALITY
Celephais uses the optional ST=HP/HT=FT rule (p.CI7). Her
supernatural abilities are described in terms of one Super
Advantage and one Psionic Power for convenience' sake; they
could equally well be defined in terms of magic or super
abilities, and GMs should not feel bound by the implications
of such choices if it does not fit the campaign flavor.
WHAT IF?
Celephais works well as a helpful NPC in any kind of magical
quest. Her powers are such that any adventuring group will
be glad to have her assistance, but GMs should be careful
not to allow this to become a shortcut. Bear in mind that
she dislikes 'performing' for others and will need very
convincing arguments. It is possible for her to become a
Patron to a number of adventurers whom she would employ in
her search for rare books and magical mirrors. An educated
and unworldly PC could even find a soulmate and love
interest in her.
As written, Celephais belongs into a pseudo-Renaissance
'magical Swashbucklers' setting. That is easily changed,
though.
Fantasy: In a typical fantasy setting, Celephais would
merely have to know different languages (old Elvish and
Dwarven would be likely candidates), and would otherwise
remain a viable character.
Modern: In a more modern setting, she could be the daughter
of an eccentric millionaire. She would probably know
Computer Operation and develop an internet persona, and her
Skill list should be enlarged to cover Archaeology,
Psychology, Driving (Automobile) and Typing. Her muteness is
not treatable at any Tech Level .
It is important to note that Celephais is not a traditional
spell-caster or psionic. She will be familiar with whatever
magic system the campaign uses (if necessary, replace
Thaumatology with Ritual Magic or Rune Lore), but unable to
get any magical effect by traditional means. Her own powers
are, in turn, inexplicable to other mages. She herself is
torn between a desire to understand and an intense need for
privacy. In bleak moments she thinks of herself as a freak,
and at any time she is as likely to discourage speculation -
let alone research - of her abilities as to welcome it.
ADVENTURE SEEDS
A Stranger at the Auction: The PCs are outbid for a book
that they direly need by a strange, silent woman in a veiled
sedan chair. Investigation will yield little beyond the
name, and perhaps a short family history, of Celephais, and
rumors of her strange powers. If the PCs decide to talk to
her they will have to win her confidence - not an easy task.
If they opt for a more direct approach and break into her
home they will face devoted servants defending their
mistress, and quite possibly the powers of some of her odder
mirrors. Celephais may be willing to listen to their story,
and even part with the book, but this is the worst possible
way to start the acquaintance.
You!?: One of the PCs has long maintained a correspondence
on magical matters with one 'Specularius', a knowledgeable -
if somewhat mysterious - scholar. On his visit to that
esteemed colleague's home town he decides to drop in.
Meeting Celephais should come as a surprise, and exploring
her house is probably adventure enough for one session or
so.
I Have My Sources: Celephais - known perhaps through
correspondence, or even personally - turns to the PCs with a
problem. She has witnessed a terrible crime through her
mirror and is at a loss what to do. Certainly this is not
admissible evidence, and even if it were she would be the
last person to come forth in court and present it. However,
the PCs can investigate further and may be able to bring the
perpetrator to justice, with a little help from Celephais.
Burn the Witch!: Rumor is rife in the imperial city. A
member of the gentry - the mysterious Celephais - has turned
to demonolatry and dark magics. The PCs are charged with
assembling evidence to try her. Of course, if they know
their stuff they will prove her innocent - but how can they
explain that to the howling mob outside her gates?
- written by Volker Bach
(volker_bach@public.uni-hamburg.de)
- editted and formatted by andi jones
(andi@angelwerks.com)
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