Going to go with shaman- character does not really 'feel right' as a formally educated and invested cleric, which could be interesting as her actual Religion skill is lower than average, so she will have very little idea of what she is 'supposed' to be doing theologically. She is much more cheerful and upbeat than one might expect for a servant of the Death Goddess- at least most of the time. She is also, at least initially, not likely to call her spirit companion actively- but the Raven Queen is prone to using it to send messages...
Kadlin Ragnarsdottir, “Goatlegs”
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Human female
Level 1; XP= 0
e-Ranger (hunter), MC- Shaman
Alignment: Unaligned (tending good)
Deity: Raven Queen
Background: Touched by an angel (bonus to Perception)
Theme: none
Languages: Common, Dwarven
ABILITY SCORES:
STR 11 /CON 13 /DEX 19 /INT 9 /WIS 14 /CHA 10
AC 16 /FORT 13 /REF 16 /WILL 13
HP 25 (bloodied 12) /Surges per day 7 /Surge HP 6
FEATS:
Bow expertise (hunter bonus); Spirit talker (level 1); Winter walker (human bonus)
TRAINED SKILLS:
Acrobatics +9; Athletics +5; Dungeoneering +7; Endurance +6; Heal +7; Nature +7; Perception +9;
UNTRAINED SKILLS:
Arcana -1; Bluff +0; Diplomacy +0; History -1; Insight +2; Intimidate +0; Religion -1; Stealth +4; Streetwise +0; Thievery +4
CLASS ABILITIES:
>Wilderness knacks: Mountain guide, Wilderness tracker
>Weapon talent: +1 to hit with weapon attacks
>MC: Call spirit companion (standard action; at-will)
POWERS:
>Speak with spirits (daily/MC)
>Spirit’s shield (encounter/MC)
>Aspects (at-will/Stance): Dancing Serpent, Seeking Falcon (Raven)
>Aimed shot (at-will)
>Clever shot (at-will)
>Rapid shot (at-will)
>Twin strike (at-will/human bonus)
>Disruptive shot (encounter)
EQUIPMENT:
>Leather armor, longbow, totem, arrows (x120), daggers (x3), normal clothes (x3 sets), backpack, bedroll, belt pouch (x2), trail rations (x10 days), flint and steel, waterskin, sunrod (x5), rope (2x, 50' hemp), climbers kit. 4gp, 9 sp left; weight 105 lbs including pack (light, to 110 lbs.)
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BACKGROUND: [sblock]
Kadlin’s extended family lives in the mountainous area around Kjur Peak, near Durel-dor-shima. They make most of their money from raising and herding goats- in addition to milk, meat, and furs, they also produce some of the trained goats which carry supplies through the mountains. Kadlin is the youngest child of six- all her older siblings were boys. It comes as little surprise, then, that Kadlin is a unrepentant tomboy, confident and athletic- she grew up roaming through the hills with her older brothers, and quickly learned to make up for her lack of physical strength with speed and stubbornness; she earned her nickname for her ability to scamper up cliffs like a mountain goat. Kadlin spent most of her early years in the mountains, learning the ways of nature- both the beauty and the savagery, for the mountain folk were no strangers to suffering and death. Over the years, Kadlin saw many of her relatives (and many more strangers) die- from winter storms, the attacks of drakes or wolves, from age, and from the many accidents that befall the careless in such unforgiving terrain.
Last winter, when Kadlin finally reached adulthood, she began leading some of the expeditions up and down the mountain. Despite her youth, she was a skilled guide and tracker, and was well on her way to earning an excellent reputation. When winter locked down the highest passes Kadlin and her folk turned to off-season work- in her case, that meant fletching a LOT of arrows, since her skill with a bow was as well known as her scouting. All this work was interrupted when a ragged stranger knocked upon the doors of the longhouse- he claimed to be part of a merchant group that was making a late descent of the mountains; with no local guides they had become lost, and only he had managed to climb this far- the others were still trapped in the icy passes. Most of Kadlin’s folk shook their heads- in weather like this, they said, any rescuers would simply join the merchants in death. Kadlin, young and headstrong, volunteered to try- she and two of her brothers set out with the survivor, intent on rescue. The trip was a pure nightmare of darkness, ice, and howling wind. Worst of all, whenever the sky grew clear for a brief moment, Kadlin could see ravens gliding above the peak, where no natural birds would be- and all the mountain folk knew what that meant. Hella, the death goddess, was staking her claim. Finally, they found the few survivors- most of the merchants were dead or vanished. The trip down the mountain was even worse- it seemed impossible that all of the group would reach the safety of lower ground. Kadlin herself, leading the descent and setting the guide ropes, suddenly found herself in a narrow ravine- one she had never seen before. As she paced carefully down the trail, ravens began to appear above her, landing beside her in ever-growing numbers- while she would never admit to fear, Kadlin knew she was being tested, and she knew what was at stake. She made her way forward, ignoring the ravens as best she could- but ahead of her the path forked, and in the junction stood a tall figure, hooded and mantled in a cloak of raven feathers. “Serve me, and some may live. Or deny me, and I will take all save you,” the apparition croaked, extending one hand to each side to indicate the choices. Without hesitation, Kadlin made her choice- she would serve. Instantly she was returned to the frozen windblasted slopes, once more in familiar terrain. She laid the guide ropes carefully across a treacherous crevasse, then went back to shepherd the others forward. As she led them across, one by one, she was alert to the signs around her. When only two travelers were left to cross, Kadlin saw the flurry of spectral ravens descending upon them- with a flick of her knife she cut the safety line, sending both men to their deaths; one of them was her brother Osgren. The winds began to ease as the survivors pressed forward, and they all managed to make it down alive.
As Kadlin led the group back to her family’s longhouse, she heard her elderly grandmother cry out in alarm. “She is marked by Hella,” the old woman moaned- and since she was known to be gifted with the Sight, all of Kadlin’s folk knew it to be true. While the merchants were grateful for the rescue, the next few months were very difficult- few among her family and friends wanted to be close to Kadlin, now that the Death Goddess had marked her as a servant. And in the spring it was worse- for who would allow a dangerous expedition to be led by one with such a wyrd. Dismayed by the turn of events, though hardly surprised, Kadlin sought out the wisdom of her family elders, and the wisest folk in Durel-dor-shima. They insisted that she was bound to the service of Hella, but that did not mean she was destined for evil. She need not fall to murder or needless death, but she would need to be firm, when the time came to choose- she could be a shepherd, not a wolf. Still seeking answers to her path, she set out wandering the land- and in her wanderings she was visited nightly by spectral ravens, who whispered the teachings of their mistress. In time, those wanderings led Kadlin to Kjuriyo- just in time to mark the passing of the Thegn, as the Raven Queen wished… [/sblock]
DESCRIPTION: [sblock]
Kadlin is a young human woman of just under average height, with a wiry, athletic build. She has pale skin with a dash of freckles, and pale grey, almost colorless eyes. She has a round face, stub nose, and rather plain, unremarkable features. Her hair is straight and rather coarse, somewhere between blond and light brown in color- she keeps it raggedly cut and tied back in a single thick braid. Kadlin is generally cheerful and confident, with a sardonic smile and waspish sense of humor- far more upbeat than one would expect of an agent of the Death Goddess; but when matters turn serious, she becomes ice-cold, calm and unshakeable. She tends to dress in dark-colored leather and furs, with a hooded wool vest over her light armor- she usually keeps the hood up whenever she is outdoors. She also wears a heavy backpack and several capped quivers full of arrows for the heavy war-bow that rarely leaves her hands- the arrows are fletched with the feathers of mountain ravens.
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