The Usurper of Pallin
Parliament Member from Alfland
and (would-be) Interim Prime Minister, succeeding the (soon to be) Late J. Corkhill
Parliament Member Zaxi McRill, receiving petitioners in his Saqqan estate
~Background~
~Background~
Zaxi first came to prominence in Pallin several years back, when he joined a group of adventurers in solving a serial murder case unlike any other that the Pallinite public had ever seen.
Where Zaxi's story truly begins, however, is on the island of Alfland. The youngest of three sons in the McRill household, Zaxi lost his father Lindi when he was only a child, and was raised by his mother Grynda (a Priestess of Sehanine Moonbow) and his uncle, a ranger and famed adventurer named Kyl. Zaxi's siblings took well after their parents: Keanna, the eldest and Zaxi's sister, followed her mother and became an initiate at Moonbow's temple. Arpok, Zaxi's older brother, joined Kyl and became a warrior and adventurer just like his father.
Zaxi's interests laid in neither of these paths, however. When he was a youth, he recalled the Pallinite occupation, and rather than feeling resent toward the humans who had come to rule over Elvendom, he was struck instead by fascination and envy. Surely if a human could wield such power, Zaxi -- an elf -- could as well. He decided then and there that he would one day pursue politics in Pallin -- and pursue it to the absolute height of power possible.
When he came of age, then, he left Alfland and moved to the city of Pallin. There he fell in with a gangster named Dr. Fedaldi, and through him began making connections about the city. It was through Fedaldi that Zaxi first learned of the Midnight Slasher, the name that the folk in the pubs had given to the perpetrator of a string of brutal murders directed against the city of Pallin's prostitutes.
Zaxi signed on with a party of adventurers hired by Fedaldi to look into the matter. Among these adventurers was Jimmy Corkhill (who would later become Prime Minister), and Jade Garden, a woman from Iiso with whom Zaxi would fall in love.
Zaxi thought, correctly, that bringing down the Slasher was just the thing to earn him instant fame, both in Pallin and back home in Alfland. Fame, as Zaxi now knew from being among humans and observing the way that their democracy worked, translated into positive opinion, which could then be parlayed into votes.
Though the party did not apprehend the Slasher, they did confront him rather dramatically on Pallin Bridge, over the River Phane, and caused him to fall into the icy waters. For their bravery the heroes were lauded as champions, and when Zaxi returned home to Alfland he began almost immediately to form his campaign for office. Two other members of the party -- Jimmy Corkhill and Cuthbert Brown -- had similar designs, and in the next election cycle the freshman class of Pallin's parliament contained three men who could boast of defeating the Midnight Slasher.
In time, Jimmy Corkhill proved to be a popular figure in Pallinite politics. His rise was meteoric; he ran for PM with only a single term in office under his belt, and ended up winning in a landslide. Zaxi watched Corkhill's success with a mixture of awe and jealousy: Zaxi had plotted and planned carefully to get where Corkhill had gotten, and by all accounts both men had taken the exact same path. That Corkhill would succeed so quickly irked Zaxi. Further still, the Pallinite King was steadily withdrawing from public life and entrusting more and more power to the office of the Prime Ministry. Seeing Corkhill's popularity only increased the King's willingness to shed more of the powers of the crown and invest them into the evolving democratic organs of state. In no time after his election, Jimmy Corkhill had become the most powerful elected executive in Pallin's history.
As he stewed over Corkhill's success, Zaxi came into contact with three other men: Ioronius Mierlen, Tristan Dragonbane and Taylor Liege. Between the four of them, they concocted a plan that, Zaxi realized, was the ultimate fulfillment of his designs of power.
And so the plan to assassinate Jimmy Corkhill and succeed to the Prime Ministry first took shape.
Zaxi's lieutenants span across the globe, from Pallin to Iiso to Saqqa and the Far World.
Jade Garden- Less a lieutenant than a partner, Jade is
Zaxi's betrothed. They have put off their wedding until Zaxi is
affirmed as Dictator by the Parliament (which will happen per Zaxi's
ever unfolding plan). Jade is Zaxi's hidden fist; she is an elegant,
courtly woman of tremendous power. She was originally from the island
of Momoyama in Iiso, where she and her twin sister were brought up in
the tradition of the Geisha. Though her sister left the Geisha
sorority of Lord Agusami's court to marry a peasant farmer, Jade
continued her studies, and eventually left Iiso for Pallin, coming
into the service of Dr. Fedaldi as an assassin. There she met Zaxi,
and left Fedaldi's service in order to follow the elf she'd fallen in
love with.
Obviously enough, "Jade Garden" is not this woman's real name. But it
suits her fine now.
Raymond Grand Epee- The Bishop of Cestershire, and one of
the few priests of the Church of Pallin who is actually empowered
with spell ability. The Bishop is second only to the King in
authority over the Church, and under Raymond's rule the Church has
instigated a Grand Inquisition to find and uncover traces of Dark God
influence within Pallin. The Inquisition comes within the context of
increasing "tensions" between Pallin and Capitol, but is actually a
pretense for Zaxi to be rid of any troublesome political
opposition.
Raymond was, like Zaxi and Jade, one of the adventurers who defeated
the Midnight Slasher. His priestly powers come, oddly enough, as a
result of a pact with the Dark God Thanatos.
Lord Gurin Agusami- Leader of one of the Five Houses seeking control over Iiso's throne, Lord Agusami is the original patron of Jade Garden, and was responsible for her training as a Geisha and assassin. Jade served as an intermediary between Zaxi and Agusami when the former was becoming involved in the formation of the Dark Wrath, and in the interest of expanding the alliance Zaxi insisted that Agusami be made a part of the coming conquest. Under the Dark Wrath's aegis, Agusami would have dominion over Iiso, and would be crowned the next Iisoan King.
Bakuska- House Agusami's high priest, a disciple of Sung Chiang, the God of Thieves. He is a party to all of Lord Agusami's schemes, and took part in Jade Garden's training as an assassin.
Lomisutra- House Agusami's court wizard, the Lord Agusami's most trusted advisor.
Master Pain- The Master of the Tiger School of martial
arts, in the Imperial City of Qi'in. An eccentric but powerful
martial artist, Master Pain is said to be completely invincible in
battle. His primary opponents are the monks of the Crane School, for
whom he holds naught but contempt in return for some slight that
happened years ago. In Qi'in, Pain and the Tiger School hold
influence over the Regent, and in league with Lord Agusami, use this
influence to exercise limited power over Iiso's government.
Master Pain sometimes insists on being called "Betty," and often
makes reference to himself being a servant of the "Evil Council."
Uadji Hemaka- A Saqqan wizard, and one of Zaxi's spies. Uadji's loyalty is to Zaxi and the Dark Wrath above all. Zaxi uses him to keep an eye on Imhotep (whom Zaxi fears has ultimate designs on Saqqan independence from Pallin).
Imhotep- The High Priest of Saqqa; publicly, he claims to be a servant of Ra, but in truth he worships Set. He is in the process of transforming himself into a Greater Mummy.
Sekhemkhet- The General of Saqqa's native forces. He is not actually human; he is, in truth, a Minion of Set, whose animal form is a Hyena.
Ak Aten- Formerly went by the name of "Leslie," Ak Aten is a Pallinite who, like Parliament Member Cuthbert Brown, was raised as a mummy in Saqqa. Ak Aten is a servant of Imhotep, for it was Imhotep who raised him as an undead.
Don Hugo de Chavez- The despotic lord of Caraca; an ancient Vampire who used to be a ruler in the Gaurahni civilization.
Helez- The Ghast-Queen, who never travels anywhere without her pack of Ghoul retainers. She is an officer in Don Hugo's undead army.
Toebiter- A wight with an oddly manifested foot fetish, he prefers to bite the toes off of his victims after he's fed on their life energy. Also an officer in Don Hugo's undead army.
Despina- A rogue mermaid warrior from Atalanta, who at Zaxi's behest helped to form and train the army of the Meropid Horde.
There are a number of different possibilities for players who want to join Zaxi's cause.
Zaxi has a number of Elven loyalists from Alfland, who adhere to his unique viewpoint and will follow him no matter where he leads. He also has a prodigious following among the half-breed races of Pallin and Alfland (Half-Elves, Half-Dryads and Half-Satyrs), to whom he provides an impressive example of how one of the Fae-Pallinite races can exist and be successful in two very different worlds.
Zaxi also has the loyalty of the Inquisitors of the Church of Pallin. They are classed as Tradesmen with the Parson kit, have the spell progression of Bards and are able to cast Priest spells normally. Inquisitors have no weapon restrictions, and may be of any non-good alignment.
In Iiso, he has the loyalties of House Agusami. Characters created from the Agusami Clan are native to the island of Momoyama, and can potentially belong to any of the races native to the Iisoan Islands.
In Saqqa, he has the loyalty of Imhotep, and with him the cult of the Dark God Set. Set's cultists may be human or genasi; none of the other races would dare to venerate the God of Evil. Imhotep also has hawk-headed Hieracosphinxes, insidious Jackalweres and a few Minions of Set as part of his contingent.
In Caraca, Don Hugo's minions are ultimately beholden to Zaxi. These include not only the average humans who are sworn to the Dark Wrath, but also a fair number of undead and a race of goblinoids called the Supay. The undead classes available to Don Hugo's minions are listed below:
Zombie (become Zombie Lords at higher levels)
Ghoul (become Ghoul Lords at higher levels)
Ghast
Wight
Vampire
Mummy
Finally, Zaxi is the power behind the rise of Meropis, and may have a few Meropids immediately serving him.
These hawk-headed specimens of the Sphinx race are inclined toward evil, and thus beholden to the Dark Gods of the Saqqa Desert region.
Ability Score Adjustments: +2 Dexterity, -2 Wisdom.
Class Restrictions:
Multi-Class Allowances: None.
Kit Allowances: None.
Hit Dice: By class. Hieracosphinx Fighers and Priests take 9 bonus hit points at first level.
Natural Armor Class/Move Rate: 5; Hieracosphinxes move at speed 9 and fly at speed 36 (C).
Bonus Languages: Sphinx, Common.
Special Advantages:
•Natural Attacks: Androsphinxes attack with two claws
and a beak-attack in battle. At first level these claws deal 1d2
damage and the beak deals 1d6 damage, but the strength of these
attacks increases as the sphinx grows in size and power.
•Rear Claw Rake: In some situations, the Hieracosphinx is
able to attack with its rear claws as well as its foreclaws. These
rear claws strike in a single, powerful double-legged kicking motion
that deals 1d6 damage at first level. If fighting on the ground, the
Hieracosphinx can rake with rear claws only when both claws strike
the same opponent in a single round. If fighting in the air, the
Hieracosphinx can use its rear claw rake in any round that it directs
both foreclaw attacks at the same opponent (they need not hit
successfully). The power of the rear claw rake increases as the
sphinx rises in level.
•Spellcasting: Hieracosphinxes with exceptional ability
scores can unlock their naturally magical natures and learn to cast
spells. Hieracosphinxes may only become Priests of Set if they have a
Wisdom score of 11 or better. Hieracosphinxes belonging to the Sphinx
racial class may, if their Intelligence score is 11 or better, learn
to cast Wizard spells. At 3rd level this ability is unlocked, and the
Sphinx uses spells in all ways as a 1st level Wizard. The
Hieracosphinx may only use spells up to the 9th level of ability;
this is the extent of the Hieracosphinx's magical potential.
Special Disadvantages:
•Size: All Sphinxes are damaged as large creatures.
•Experience Penalty: Sphinxes advancing in non-Racial
classes require double the normal amount of experience to
advance.
Jackalweres are Antherions: animals with the ability to
shapechange into human form. Similar in concept to Lycanthropes
(humanoids that can assume animal form), only reversed.
The Jackalweres of Saqqa are servants of Set (who is often depicted
as being jackal-headed), and therefore servants of Imhotep. They
loathe Lycanthropes almost as much as they hate those who oppose
their beloved Dark God, but they are willing (for now) to abide
working alongside Lycanthropic allies for the sake of the Dark
Wrath.
Ability Score Adjustments: +1 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, -2 Wisdom, -1 Charisma.
Class Restrictions:
Multi-Class Allowances: Fighter-Thief, Thief-Enchanter.
Kit Allowances: The kits below are drawn from the Al-Qadim campaign setting.
Hit Dice: By class. At first level, a Jackalwere takes +4 bonus hit points.
Natural Armor Class/Move Rate: 4; Jackalweres move on land at rate 12.
Bonus Languages: Common. Jackalweres also speak the tongue of animals.
Special Advantages:
•Natural Attack: In Hybrid and Jackal forms, the
Jackalwere can attack by way of a vicious bite. In Jackal form, this
bite is weak (1d2 damage), but its Hybrid form bite is a highly
effective weapon (2d4 damage). Jackalweres can also use weapons in
their Hybrid forms, but cannot attack with both bite and weapon
unless the character has multiple attacks in a round.
•Sleep Gaze: Jackalweres can cast a powerful sleep effect
by way of their gaze; victims of this gaze attack must save vs.
spells or fall asleep, per the first level wizard spell.
•Enchantment Specialty: Jackalweres are adept at
enchantment/beguiling magic, such that they are able to practice
magic as Enchantment/Charm specialists. Jackalwere Enchanters impose
a saving throw bonus when attacking with their Sleep gaze.
•Immunities: Jackalweres can only be hit by +1 or
cold-wrought iron weapons.
Special Disadvantages:
•Coward!: If a Jackalwere is engaged in a fight where its
side is significantly outnumbered, or if it witnesses a comrade fall
in battle, the Jackalwere must make a Wisdom check. If it fails this
check, the Jackalwere loses its resolve and flees for 1d4 rounds. The
Jackalwere receives a bonus of +1 to this check for every 4 levels it
has attained, and does not need to make this check if it knows its
foes are sorely underpowered (an 8th level Jackalwere need not make a
"coward" check if it is faced with a gang of kobolds).
•Antherions vs. Lycanthropes: Antherions and Lycanthropes
hate each other -- a lot!!! Each suffers a -4
reaction check penalty when forced to deal with the other.
Set's divine minions (the foremost among which on Kulm is General Sekhemkhet) are humans empowered with the ability to take the form of an animal that Set favors.
Ability Score Adjustments: +2 Intelligence.
Class Restrictions:
Multi-Class Allowances: Fighter-Thief.
Kit Allowances: The kits below are drawn from the Al-Qadim campaign setting.
Hit Dice: By class.
Natural Armor Class/Move Rate: -2 (see below); Minions of Set move on land at rate 12.
Bonus Languages: Common. Minions may also communicate empahtically with animals who are similar to their animal form.
Special Advantages:
•Unholy Armor: All Minions of Set wear a special suit of
armor (lamellar chestpiece, with complementing headdress and leather
bracers and greaves), gifted to them by Set himself, which grants
them an armor class of -2. They may never wear any other suit of
armor, nor wear any armor pieces/magical items which would supplant
portions of their armor (no helmets/hats, bracers/bracelets or
boots/greaves). Dexterity adjustments, rings and amulets are still
effective, however.
•Blessing of Set: All Minions of Set have a flat 10%
magic resistance, and a +3 bonus to all saving throws. They are
utterly immune to fear.
•Animal Form: In animal form, the Minion has the same
armor class and movement rate as in human form, but gains a natural
attack. The forms that Set makes available to his Minions (and the
attack each form uses) are listed below:
Cave Bear - Claws (1d8, 2 attacks) and bite (1d12); claw hit of 18 or better deals additional Hug damage (2d8)
Giant Crocodile - Bite (3d6) and tail-slap (2d10); -2 penalty to opponent's surprise rolls while the Minion is in Crocodile form
Giant Hyena - Bite (3d4); a roll of 20 indicates that the Hyena has locked its jaws around its adversary. The held victim suffers -2 penalties to initiative and attack rolls and moves at half her normal rate.
Giant Scorpion - Pincers (1d10, 2 attacks) and tail (1d4); victims struck by the Scorpion's tail must save vs. poison or die. Those that save still suffer 2d4 points of additional damage.
Giant Snake - Bite (1d12); victims bitten by the Giant Snake must save vs. poison or die. Those that save still suffer 2d4 points of additional damage.
Special Disadvantages:
•Loyalty to Set: All of a Minion of Set's powers (Animal
Form, Unholy Armor and the Blessing of Set) are contingent upon the
Minion's loyalty to the God of Evil. As such, any infraction of Set's
will could result in the loss of these abilities, similar to the way
in which a Paladin loses the powers granted by its deity. As such,
the Minion is required to maintain a Lawful Evil alignment. Fallen
Minions function as normal humans of the appropriate character class
(though Priests lose those abilities as well).
The Supay are an evil Goblinoid race native to the subterranean
depths of the Far World continent. They are cruel and vicious
marauders, though the incidences of their attacking human settlements
are rare. They tend to be found closer to the northern part of the
Far World, near Caraca. It's presumed that the colonists' superior
weapons keep the hordes of Supay away from their settlements, but the
truth of the matter is that the Supay are beholden to Don Hugo. Hugo
de Chavez is, in fact, Huayna Capac, an ancient king of a
proto-Gaurahni civilization called the Queachu. A civil war and an
ancient curse rendered Huayna Capac one of the living dead, and send
he and his followers fleeing to the north, heading deep underground.
The Queachu who followed Huayna Capac, perhaps as a result of their
own curse, eventually evolved into the Supay race. Huayna Capac
himself has been a vampire for 361 years, and resurfaced only
recently to claim noble status in the Caracas colony.
The Supay are divided into three sub-races, based solely on their
size: Common Supay (3'-4' tall), Elite Supay (5'-6' tall) and Huge
Supay (7'-8' tall).
Ability Score Adjustments: Common Supay: +1 Dexterity and Constitution, -1 Strength and Charisma. Elite Supay: +1 Constitution, -1 Charisma. Huge Supay: +1 Strength, -1 Intelligence and Charisma.
Class Restrictions:
Multi-Class Allowances: Fighter-Shaman, Fighter-Witch Doctor, Fighter-Thief.
Kit Allowances: The kits below are drawn from the Complete Book of Humanoids.
Hit Dice: By class. At first level Huge Supay take +3 bonus hit points.
Natural Armor Class/Move Rate: 7; Supay move on land at a rate of 6, regardless of size.
Bonus Languages: Goblin, Common.
Special Advantages:
•Infravision: 60' range.
•Mining Detection: Supay can spot new or unusual
construction, sloping passages or shifting walls 40% of the time.
Special Disadvantages:
None.