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Week 32 of COTW features another pair of related characters,
a "mixed double" in which the true relationship between the
two characters is not what it seems to be on the surface.
The first of the two is an Arch-Mage and Overlord, getting
old and guarding a secret...
The Exalted Emihnca; an ageing emperor living on his
reputation
(c) copyright 2001 andi jones
Total Points: 530 Points
Age about 70; 6'1"; 145 pounds; a tall and somewhat spindly
old man with a full head of silvery shoulder-length hair, a
neatly-trimmed beard and electric (but somewhat distant)
blue eyes, holding himself in a regal and sophisticated
manner.
ST 10 [-] - thrust 1d-2, swing 1d,
fatigue 20*
DX 11 [10] - basic speed 5.75, move 5, dodge
5
IQ 19 [150]
HT 12 [20] - hit points 10
WL 16 [-]
*extra Fatigue for spell-casting only
ADVANTAGES: Ally Group (Protectors, 15-) [90];
Appearance (Handsome) [15]; Charisma +3
[15]; Extra Fatigue +10 (Spellcasting only)
[20]; Literacy [10]; Magery 1 [15];
Multimillionaire x3 [75]; Reputation +4 (as powerful
and respected Arch-Mage and Emperor, to everyone)
[20]; Status 7* [20]; Wealth (Filthy Rich)
[50].
*three levels free from Multimillionaire and
Wealth
DISADVANTAGES: Enemy (Dwarven Trade Directorate, 6-)
[-15]; Loner [-5]; Reduced Hit Points -2
[-10]; Secret (Lost Most of his Power)
[-10]; Sense of Duty (His People) [-10];
Weak Will -3 [-24].
QUIRKS: Spends the first two hours after sunrise in his
painting studio; Attributes more personality to Homonculi
than is really warranted; Wears his "formal" crown and cape
to all official events, even informal ones; Proud; Loves
history, research and the study of the past.
[-5]
SKILLS: Administration-14* [0]; Animal Handling
(Blue Egret)-18 [2]; Area Knowledge (Archipelago)-18
[.5]; Astrology-13** [0]; Calligraphy-13
[8]; Cartography-14** [0]; Diplomacy-17
[1]; Economics-16 [.5]; Gardening-19
[1]; History-16 [.5]; Illumination-14
[16]; Law (Colonial)-16 [.5];
Leadership-20*** [.5]; Merchant-17 [.5];
Occultism-18 [1]; Politics-12# [0];
Research-19 [2]; Riding (Horse)-11 [2];
Savoir-Faire-21## [0]; Swimming-12 [2].
*default from Merchant
**default from IQ
***includes +3 from Charisma
#default from Diplomacy
##free from Status
LANGUAGES: Common Tongue (native)-19 [0]; Brine
Elven-17 [.5]; Colonial Dialect-17 [.5];
Dwarven-17 [.5]; Troglodtye-17 [.5].
GRIMOIRE*: Apportation-18 [1]; Bless Plants-21
[6]; Clouds-18 [1]; Create Air-19
[2]; Create Water-18 [1]; Dispel Magic-20
[4]; Forest Warning-18 [1]; Great Voice-18
[1]; Hail-18 [1]; Heal Plant-19 [2];
Hide Path-18 [1]; Hide Thoughts-18 [1];
History-18 [1]; Mind-Sending-18 [1]; Mystic
Mist-19 [2]; Plant Growth-20 [4]; Plant
Sense-18 [1]; Recover Strength-18 [1];
Seeker-19 [2]; Seek Earth-18 [1]; Sense
Emotion-18 [1]; Shape Plant-18 [1]; Shape
Water-19 [2]; Shield-20 [4]; Sound-18
[1]; Tangle Growth-19 [2]; Test Food-18
[1]; Trace-19 [2]; Truthsayer-18
[1]; Voices-19 [2]; Whirlwind-18
[1]; Windstorm-20 [4]; Wither Growth-18
[1]; Wizard Eye-18 [1].
*all include +1 from Magery
EQUIPMENT
The Exalted Emihnca (eh-MINK-uh) spends most of his time in
the palace, and hasn't got much call for specialised
equipment; he spends his days in his painting studio, his
gardens, and the aviary attached to the palace grounds
(where he'll be fitted out with the necessary mundane
tools). For diplomatic duties - the most likely reason for
meeting with outsiders - Emihnca will have various royal
accoutrements, but nothing especially important. It wouldn't
be inappropriate that he have a minor magic item or two, but
he isn't likely to have artifacts of exceptional power.
BIOGRAPHY
The history of the Exalted Emihnca is sketchy, since many of
the records from before the Plague Years were destroyed in
the Winter War. As a youth growing up in the Serulean
Colonies, Emihnca (who was known by the name Emin at the
time) displayed a talent for drawing, and his father's
brother got him an apprenticeship at the local religious
library, to learn a scribe's trade. Emihnca took to the
materials immediately, and by the time he was an adolescent
he was being trained by the Library's elder priest-mages to
create illuminated manuscripts.
By the time he was twenty, Emihnca's staggering intellect
had become known to his mentors, who also divined his
considerable talent for sorcery. He began his magical
training at an older age than most apprentices, but is said
to have finished his instruction in a matter of only a few
years.
At age 30, Emihnca found himself in the center of the first
Fisher Rebellion in the Serulean Colonies, and stories that
survive from the conflict hint that a powerful and gifted
water-mage was responsible for sinking three of the Crown's
largest war-galleys. Most scholars agree that the mage was
Emihnca, but official records are lacking in proof.
One way or the other, Emihnca's power grew, and his ambition
did as well. His fondness of power ignited by his
experiences during the Fisher Rebellion, Emihnca organised a
fleet of ships - most of them refugees, or Crown deserters -
and they founded a colony on two contested islands in the
Third Archipelago. The islands were supposed to have been
given to the Crown in an arrangement with the Serulean Line,
but the treaty had never been formally adopted (due to the
suicide of the Serulean Regent's daughter). And before the
issue could be cleared up, Emihnca and his people had
extended their new colony to all nineteen islands in the
Archipelago. Rebels, refugees and pilgrims travelled to the
Archipelago from all corners of the Crown Empire, and
beyond, and Emihnca's population grew. By the time he was 40
years old, he was the Exalted Emihnca, the Arch-Mage and
Emperor of the Archipelago, Keeper of the Dolphin Seal.
Neither the Crown nor the Seruleans could oust him, and had
no choice but to recognise Emihnca's authority and honour
diplomatic relations.
For the next fifteen years, Emihnca's island kingdom
thrived. His maturity and vision as a ruler were tested
during the Plague Years, but he never faltered, and his
authority only got stronger. His trade relations made his
kingdom wealthy, and his magic provided support that
conventional kingdoms and empires lacked. And when the Magi
of the Southern Mountains waged the Winter War on the Crown
Empire, Emihnca's Archipelago was the only kingdom to lose
less than one-fifth its population. Emihnca was a legend,
nearly a living god. His people loved him, his allies
rallied behind him, and there was a time when the University
on the Eighth Island was considered the most advanced and
sophisticated place of learning in the Known Lands.
And then everything changed. Emihnca was now in his 57th
year, and had settled into a life of artistic pursuits and
the leisurely rule of peace-time. But one evening - during
the festival held after harvest - he received a visitor, a
mage from a land far to the south. The mage told a story of
a destructive magical entity - a Demon, or a Djinni - which
was loose on the world, fallout from the rituals that
birthed the Winter. Many mages had perished battling the
creature, and Emihnca was told that he might be the only
mage with the resources and talent needed to stop it.
Emihnca was no warrior, but he promised his visitor he would
do what he could. And the next night, after quickly
informing his closest advisors of his plans, he slipped
quietly out of the castle and went to meet the Demon. Two
months later, he returned to the castle, barely alive,
nearly dead from exposure. The Demon was dead, but the
battle had almost cost Emihnca his life. With time, his body
healed, but it became clear to his advisors that Emihnca's
soul had suffered worse injuries. A full year after his
return, Emihnca's magical abilities had not recovered. His
repertoire of spells, once in the hundreds, was reduced to a
mere few dozen... The magical power he once commanded was
not gone entirely, but greatly diminished. The Arch Mage of
legend was little more than a shadow of his former
greatness.
It's been twelve years since Emihnca's injuries. In the time
since, he has withdrawn from most public activity, citing
his age and health as reasons. In reality, of course, he is
trying to conceal his weakened state from his subjects. In
part, he is too proud to admit that his power is lost... But
it is also, in part, out of fear that his subjects (and
allies) would lose faith in his ability to lead them, and
serve them. For these twelve years, Emihnca has been served
faithfully by the Protectors, a circle of mages and warriors
that serve as his cabinet of ministers, advisors and
bodyguards. The Protectors are aware of Emihnca's secret
weakness, and their job is to make sure the kingdom runs
smoothly, and that the truth is kept hidden. Recently - for
the first time in twelve years - they have failed; the
leaders of the Dwarven Trade Directorate have (somehow)
learned the truth, and have threatened to reveal it to the
public (and to the leaders of other kingdoms) unless the
Archipelago makes considerable concessions to the Dwarves in
upcoming trade negotiations. This problem is relatively new,
and the Exalted Emihnca and his Protectors haven't yet
decided how they're going to handle it...
EMIHNCA'S MAGIC
Prior to his encounter with the Demon, Emihnca would have
had nothing less than Magery 3, and if the campaign allows
for the Extended Magery rules (p.WI116), he could easily
have had an even higher level. Now, of course, he has only
Magery 1. In addition to losing two levels of his magical
aptitude (and suffering the appropriate penalties to his
skill levels), Emihnca has also "lost" some of the spells he
once knew; these have not merely been forgotten, they have
been stripped from the memory of his soul, and they cannot
be cast, nor relearned. If the GM wants to re-create Emihnca
at the height of his power, Emihnca would have known as many
as hundreds of spells - concentrating on the Colleges of
Air, Plants and Water, but with no shortage of spells from
virtually all colleges - all of levels 21 or higher.
ENCOUNTERED
Gaining an audience with Emihnca is no easy task; his
Protectors keep him sheltered from all but the most
tightly-controlled situations, for obvious reasons.
But should the unlikely happen, meeting the Exalted Emihnca
will probably match most people's expectations of the
legendary mage. Even at the age of 70, he is vigourous and
as alert as ever, and holds himself with the same regal (yet
amiable) air he did when he was thirty years younger... He
is charismatic and handsome, and projects a profound sense
of power (even in his reduced magical capacity). But even
so, Emihnca is a little more reserved than he once was, and
he'll try to keep his meetings and appearances to a
minimum.
At heart, Emihnca is a good man. When he was younger, he was
probably something of an egomaniac, thrilled by power and
leading his people to the Archipelago as much for the
excitement as for the welfare of his subjects. But in the
many years since, he has come to appreciate his role in the
life of his kingdom, and takes the safety of his people very
seriously. (His willingness to fight the Demon was borne out
of the realisation that ultimately the Archipelago would be
threatened. He didn't do it for glory or for thrills, he did
it for his kingdom and his legacy.) Emihnca knows that the
Protectors will take good care of the Archipelago once he's
gone, but he is proud enough to want to be fondly
remembered, and known as a hero, not as a broken old
man...
CANONICALITY
The Exalted Emihnca is based - somewhat loosely - on the
Overlord template on pp.WI84-87. He conforms to the standard
GURPS rules.
WHAT IF?
Emihnca was written for a generic fantasy setting (despite
the inclusion of some particular geographical and historical
details in his biography). The basic idea is that he is an
exceptional mage who came into political power in a newly
colonised area. The specific details can be changed to suit
another fantasy setting.
Yrth: To move the Exalted Emihnca to Yrth, there are a
couple choices. The first is Bilit Island, located about 300
miles east of Araterre and 600 miles south of Megalos; this
fits well because the region has resisted becoming another
Imperial territory. (It is just a happy coincidence that
Emihnca's name has an intentionally Mesoamerican-sounding
name, and Bilit Island is inhabited by people of Mayan and
Toltec descent.) It is possible that a powerful warlord like
Emihnca could unite the city-states of Bilit into a kingdom.
Another choice would be the Ring Islands, an archipelago
formed by meteoric impacts. They are found at the far
western end of the islands that make up Araterre, about 200
miles from Cardiel. These islands have pockets of high mana,
some of which are aspected, which could make it an ideal
place for a mage overlord to found a kingdom, and protect it
as well. Some aspects of Emihnca's biography might need
revision on Yrth; references to the various kingdoms can all
be easily substituted, and a few historical events will need
to be replaced.
Historical Earth/Steampunk: Emihnca could be worked into
Earth's ancient history, in a campaign of alternative
history and magic. His kingdom might be in the Aegean during
the days of ancient Greece, or somewhere on the fringes of
the Roman Empire. During the middle ages, he might have been
on the fringes of Europe, perhaps somewhere near the Holy
Land, and claimed during the political tumult of the
Crusades. Or, another few centuries later on, Emihnca could
have carved out any number of kingdoms during the frenzy of
exploration of a Steampunk nineteenth century. His
larger-than-life personality fits in well with the Steampunk
genre, especially if his political views are somewhat
radical. And if the focus is less on steam and more on
magic, he even has the potential to have been (in his youth,
before the run-in with the Demon) quite the inventor. For
the most part, Emihnca's skills wouldn't need to be altered
too much (although there might not have been as much call
for illuminated manuscripts after the invention of the
printing press). Language and Area Knowledge would need to
be changed as appropriate.
Supers: The comic books are full of powerful overlords,
though most are a bit more sinister than the Exalted
Emihnca. Even so, a powerful magic super-mage could easily
commander some islands somewhere (the Caribbean maybe, or
the South Pacific) and rule his own kingdom. In this
scenario, his political motivations might be a little
stronger; his incentive for setting up his own island Utopia
can be as reasonable or outlandish as the GM wants. Emihnca
would probably exist in the grey area between the
crime-fighting super-heroes and the criminal-mastermind
villains. He probably isn't a super-despot like Doctor Doom,
nor a misunderstood alien monarch like Namor the
Sub-Mariner, but Emihnca's dedication to his people and his
kingdom could easily lead to the occasional clash with
conventional governments and the super-heroes that protect
them...
ADVENTURE SEEDS
Unearthing the Dwarves: The PCs are from the continent, and
have never visited the Archipelago. (They are, of course,
well aware of who the Exalted Emihnca is.) So they're a bit
surprised when the Protectors - Emihnca's cabinet - invite
them to the palace, and offer them work. The Protector
General is a man called Ulo Varkka, and he wants the PCs to
do some "digging" into the operations of the Dwarven Trade
Directorate. Rumour has revealed that the Directorate's
Financier-in-Chief - the curmudgeony Dwarf called Bellik -
has engaged in smuggling with the Troglodytes. (If Varkka
can get evidence of misconduct by the Dwarves, he'll have
some leverage in protecting Emihnca's secret. He won't, of
course, tell the PCs why they want this information.) But
the PCs may clue in that Varkka is leaving out some of the
details, and might wonder why the transgressions of the
Financier-in-Chief are of any import to the Archipelago.
Either way, the PCs are getting swept up in Emihnca's
cover-up, and there's no telling where it could lead.
Finding the Past, Finding the Future: The PCs are
treasure-hunters who have just stumbled across a story about
a fabulous artifact (something they would very much want,
something with the power to do great good), and the only
living witness to the object's last historical appearance is
the famous mage, Emihnca. So the PCs decide to take a
chance, and go out on a limb; they spend the last of their
money to travel to the Archipelago. They know it's not easy
to get an audience with the old Emperor, but they're hoping
that their story will pique his curiosity. And thanks to
Emihnca's great fondness for the study of the past, he'll be
intrigued. Finding the artifact won't be easy, and will
involve some research, as well as interviewing Emihnca about
what he remembers (that might not have made it into
historical journals). Will Emihnca make himself this
available, or will he stay in seclusion? Will the Protectors
allow Emihnca to have regular contact with the PCs, even if
he wants to? And what if, during the PCs' visit, word
arrives in the Archipelago that one of the Southern Magi is
on the move, supposedly hunting for the same artifact. This
makes the matter more urgent, and puts the pressure on
Emihnca to cooperate fully. Can he work with the PCs without
his secret coming out? And what kind of threat might compel
Emihnca to sacrifice his legacy?
- written & formatted by andi jones
(andi@angelwerks.com)
- thanks to Brandon Cope for the lesson in Yrth
geography
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