[PF-1e] Way of the Wicked

[Seekr34]

Hey DM, my app is done. Finding a fetchling avatar was the toughest, but I finally found something I'm ok with.

[Seekr34]

I forgot to ask, is unchained allowed?

[JonnyGulliver]

Stripped of Joy Name: Vladmutin Grigorus, currently goes by Boris Race: Elven Teifling Class 1: Withering Witch Class 2: Occultist, Glory Seeker/Reliquarian Intended Role: Healer, Disposable Mooks, Trapbreaker, Mind control, Face Alignment: Lawful Evil Crime: Grave Robbing   Height: 6"4” | Weight: 195 lbs Age: 47 | Skin: Pale and greasy Hair: Black Eyes: Dark Brown with a yellow luminance Tall, gaunt, and with a near deathly palor, Vladmutin tends to stick out in a crowd no matter how hard he tries to blend in. Usually donning a set of sundark goggles to hide his devilish heritage, he seems aloof and distant, not one to waste words unless he sees an advantage to do so. He sports a heavy beard and a deep baroque Irrisen accent, and has a hunched over gait, an unconscious trait he has picked up as to not hover above everyone else due to his tall stature. In spite of his wirey frame, he has an inhuman preternatural grace, moving faster than would seem possible, having studied a rare form of an Irissen Martial Art that masquerades as a Dance form. Behooving his inherent aura of darkness and general paranoia, he is strangely alluring.   Vladmutin Grigorus is a very calm and measured man with a demeanor of regal nobility, in spite of an air of darkness that seems to exhude from his very being. He isn't particularily charasmatic or intimidating due to this nature, instead relying upon his mystical abilities to either befriend or frighten foes. He is an immacualte crafter of lies, leading his quarry in conversations to understand their motives, and then subtly manipulating them with their own desires in order to deliciously decieve to them to obtain what he wants. He can appear friendly and concerned as needed,but is too self-enraptured to truly form any meaningful relationships. The loss of his family and his drive for revenge has clouded the empathic aspects of his soul, seemingly almost as dead as the creatures he controls. Seduction, betrayal and torture are all tools in his toolbox, if it means getting that much closer to gaining his next powerful artifact or sabotaging the rule of the current Irrisen Royals.   Ah, so you vish to know about me, do you? Normally, I voud not allow anyvone to be privy to such... sorrid detail. But for you, I suppose I can relenqvuish such knowledge. . In zhee beginnink, I vas... happy. But not just happy. A jubilant young child, borne into a vorld of priveldge. As a bloodline decendant ov our great and noble Baba Yaga, ve vere given much blessinks. A House in good standing, much vealth to fill our coffers, and an innate magick in our bloodline to prove our vorth. Ze status quo vas never questiont. Our place in ze royal family respectfully regarded. But ze times, as zey say, zey are a-changink. I cannot tell you ov all ze happy memori'se I haf had growing up. Such... celebrationz and jubilant mealz we all shared as a family. Cousin Mishov and his sheadiganz. Crazy uncle Olaf and his boisterous storiez. My mother... her vonderful songs... and her borscht... (Pauses, in sad contemplation) I... remeber one feztive night, recieving a box-car chuu-chuu, and it bringink me all ze joy in zer worlt. But it all came to an end when ze assazins came for us, bursting in from every door and every window. So... many... knives. And the blood... (Looks distant, lost. But eventually, his demon eyes flare up, with angry resolve.) I... do not remember all detail. But... I sink I vas hidden avey. T'was not till daylight ze child Vladmutin emerged among ze slaughter, to see all zhat I hat loved torn away. Ze bodies of my family, left to rot. And zhen, I saw my mother... (Struggles to explain, lacking justification) I knew zey would come back to me. But I couldn't leaf her behind. But, I vas still a small child at ze time, and could not carry her with me. So I took our butcher's blade... (His mouth seems to go dry, in which he takes a quaff of his gin to assauge) Well... she is ztill with me to this day, me mam. At least... ze important part of her. I knew that day az I fled, ze power in my blood waz not enough to find juztice for what haz transpired zat night. And zo I fled into zee night, knowing well I vas a marked child. And so began my journey to find powerful objects of magic so zat I may avenge my fallen family, and to usurp ze bitch fraud queen Anistasia. (Takes final swig of gin, and slams down flask with determination. He stares at you, Leo, perhaps to search for understanding, or because perhaps I myself am trying to manipulate you for sympahty, such is my role as a Liar. Regardles, he turns to looks at his empty drink) An zuss far, I haff been most fortunate. Already, I've 3 items of power, vith not much more to go before I am ready to reclaim my title as Lord Grigorus... (Places gold on the bar and turns to walk out door) Wish me luck, comerade. I go tonight to reclaim mine destiny... (Please forgive any accent inconsistency. It is a diffuculy accent to emulate, and there will be many incongruencies. It will be an ongoing human error, so I ask you give me leeway.)   Recent RP Samples, Mythweavers (Brother Gornau, Straightman of the Group) (The Incourrigible Ru'lk, wildcard goblin Artificer) T'was in the dark of the night, in a prestigious graveyard of repute, in which our intrepid necromancer/strange healer carefully dug, where his particular target. a refined, fraudly noble, and wholly unworthy deadman lie. The royal selpulcher of the Irrisen nobles, filled with the tainted Nikolayevna, where this corpse in particular said to be buried with his most valued relic, the Yaga Eye pearl. As a precaution, he did not dig by lamplight in order to keep a low profile, relying upon his unholy sight in order to operate. Physical strength and endurance was never his strongsuit, though he was blessed in many way of a large, well endowed physicality, such endeavor was long and fraught with exhaustion. He could have had just as easily an entire legion of undead at his disposal to take care of such paltry matter, but wanted to keep a low profile. This was a very sacred burial ground, after all. the Nikolayevna resting place. His sworn and mortal enemy bloodline. Constant detections of magic, and constant patrol of guard was prevailant. It would seem silly the dead would require such security. However, it was specifically meant to deter those such as himself. A viper slithers on his shoulder as he heavily sweats, spiking a pick over and over again as he steadily burrows down toward the casket of one And'ras Nikolayevna, former family seer of the current fake Irrisen Family. The viper, S'sysst, had nothing good to say, however. "I do no care eef you kan taste my stench, leetle znake," Vladmusin replied without skipping a beat as he continued his dig, determined with his task at hand. "Perhaps you zhould ztop flickink out your toungke, no? I tire of your tickle," he relpies, annoyed, but not angry. His wrath was a force to be reckoned with, but slow to boil. Those who cross him tend to not not live long, and serve him much longer afterwards. "Jes enzure your peoples keep an eye out for me. Ziz won't take much longer now," he advises, now at the 5 foot mark. It is another half hour until he hears a tell-tall CLANK! and more time still until he gently clears away the dirt from the coffin lid. All the while, the swarms of snakekin he controls wispering their warnings to him via the serpent collective telling him to lie low as the lanterns of guards continue to partol the sacred graveyard. His magics are timely, but limited, But they are enough to hide is presence as he works toward his goal with singleminded determination. Soon, the divine treasure that was alway righteously belonging to HIS family would be in his hands. He has long mastered the art of NOT cackling like an evil madman anytime he was close to his goal. But tonight, that training was sorely tested. Silently, he unearthed the grave and unraveled it's sealing enchantments to make way to the corpse inside, heart pounding with anticipation. However, as he dug through every aspect of the coffin, even to the point of dismembering the old bones and emptying out every last bit of the hallowed resting place, he finds nothing of worth for his enormous efforts. The elation of anticipation slowly gave way to the the bitter disappointment of utter failure. "Ve're iz it! Ve're is mine stolen pearl!" he growled at the excavated skull. And to anyone else's surprise but his own, it replies in Gravespeak "M'wah hah ha. Didju sink such a valuable relik woul be kept hidden and buried in a grave, Son of Yaga?" the skull grins as skulls do, staring vacant, yet mockingly without true expression The revelation that the Seer of the Nikolayevna knew who he was does not surprise him, for the Dead know much. His biggest surprise is the disappointment of the missing relic. "Ah. So you ak'nowledge I am rightful heir? Your precious niece Anastsia knows no magik, eez no witch, and eez fraud." There is a tone of mockery to Vlad's voice, though he is far from a smile. "Tell me, And'ras Nikolayevna. Ve're is my family treasure." Again the skull laughs, with hidden knowledge. "You are so wronk, child. You 'ave no idea who she iz, nor 'ho you mess with! But your pearl iz not here. Az you see." Vladmutin is unamused, but unphased. "Lies. And stating obvious truths. But you will find me most impatient. Surely, you haff determined I am a necomancer with no small skill? There are fates worth than death I can impart. Here is a small taste ov ze Eternity I offer." Threatening and lying to the undead is a matter of patience and dark ability. The skull is consumed in a green flame, guaranteed to make any soul cry out in agony and desperation. However, such flames have little effect on the disembodied head. It simply lays in his hand, flickering in unholy fire and grinning all the same. Vladmutin cannot help but show his shock. And he continues to filter through all the curses to no avail. There is no cry of suffering. No begging for mercy. "Eef it makes you feel better, I ken hear the screams of And'ras Nikolayevna. An admirable talent, given his soul resides in the Abyss," the skull offers in consolation. The last Grigorus looks confused, glancing up once more at the gravestone he dug up, unsure as to how he has made a mistake. "If, you are not And'res..." "Oh, son. Don't get me wronk. This IZ zee skull off And'ras Nikolayevna. I am just borrowink it..." Vladmutin, intrigued, asked the big question. "Zen... who are you?" There is an unusually long pause before the skull deems fit to answer. "I am ze one who put my daughter into power. I am alzo ze one who has informt ze gaurd ov your whereabouts..." Grigorus is confused. "But... that would mean... uhm... how...?" "Do not conzern yourzelf with such unimportant matters," the possessed skull chides. "Worry about ze man behind you." Vladmutin feels a chill up his spine. He trusts the skull in it's last warning, and knows he won't have the time to weave his magicks to save himself. Instead, he lets the head topple from his grip, and slowly raises his hands in the air. "I don't zuppose you'd be willink to hear me out?" he asks, expecting little. Instead, all he gets in reply is a rifle butt to his skull, causing him to flop unconscious into the now emptied grave... .   The 10 Minute Background is a tool to help you flesh out your character’s existence. This is optional. 5 Background and Concept Elements 1) Spawn of a Devil and a Witch 2) Lost Royal Heir 3) Relic Hunter 4) Lord of Snakes 5) Liar's Tongue 6) Devotee of Asmodues 7) Talented Healer and Necromancer 8) Hypnotically Compelling 9) Eyes of a Devil (Witchmark Curse) 2 Goals for the Character Character Goals: Gather artifacts to gain personal power. Become strong enough to restore House Grigorus within Irissen and possibly take the throne. Become notable enough to the Hells to become a full Devil when he dies. Conquer in the name of Asmodeus. A delicious coincidence! I didn't even know she was the ruling queen when I thought of this concept, and chose Irissen randomly as my origin country due to it soundling like Russia. XD A beautiful ironic twist of roles.Kill Anastasia! Personal Goals: Just to have fun with a deep character. Really riff off of concept to create a fully fleshed out character and regain some of my reputation after being gone so long from rpgcrossing 2 Secrets About Your Character. Known: Is the lost Grigorus Heir, and a possible rightful ruler of Irrisen Unknown: The body of his mother is being used as a conduit to track his mother's head every time he removes it from his hammerspace, thereby causing him constant confrontations with Irissen assassins. Unknown2: Holy Lore Dump, Batman! This is THEE Anastasia of our world! And given her background, this technically makes us distant cousins as decendants of Baba Yaga through the real Rasputin himself! This means they are twin souls, given what they have suffered, and really, Anastasia is not his enemy. The real villain is Rasputin, who has manipulated current events and slaughtered competing families to give way to her rise in power. Neat. There is some major Kylo/Rey energy going on here. 3 People That Are Tied to the Character Generally as an outcast and having a target painted on his back, Vladmutin doesn't have any friends, spending too much time on the run. As a recluse, he avoids large masses of people as much as possible to avoid detections, unless it serves his needs. Mother - Yolanda Grigorus, decendant of Baba Yaga. Just because she is dead doesn't mean a man like himself still isn't in contact with her. Dwells in hell, but he keeps her mummified head to consult with when lonely or in a difficult situation. Father - The Devil General Amemnes. Loyal subject of Asmodeus, though too busy will hell matters to deal with his legion of children in the mortal realm. The Current Irrisen Royal Family - They have been good at hunting down all blood contenders to the current royal throne, but they are always on the lookout for the last Grigorus, having sent several assassins throughout Golarion to hunt him down. 3 Memories, Mannerisms, or Quirks (Memory) House of Grigorus: There was a point where Vladmutin was happy. Born to a noble family of witch decendants, he had an extansive boisterous family that held many chaotic events under his roof filled with care-free merriment and boisterous laughter. His childhood was of love and priveledge, with memories too numerous to list here. And all of that was stripped away from him on the fateful night of The Bloody Knives. (Mannerism) Paranoia - Due to his renegade status, Vladmutin is in conflict with his own machinations versus his own fears of being found. He often has to cleverly out-think his advasaries, leading to a delay in his reactions as he makes mental calculations at lightnig speed. What appears as a stoic calmness in his demeanor is him assessing the odds and devising strategies. (Quirk) Eye Twitch: Anytime he is privy to anything remotely sentimental or gushy, he develops a twitch. Such things are a reminder of all he has lost, and make him exceedingly uncomfortable as traumatic memories come to surface.

[LeoByron]

Originally Posted by Seekr34

I forgot to ask, is unchained allowed?

Unchained is fine.

[LeoByron]

@Squeak: I hope you don't change to Bard. I dislike Bards lol. If you are curious about Spheres of Power, there is the Commander class which uses the Warleader Sphere to great effect.

I'm mostly joking about Bard. They can be fine if they are played right. I just don't fancy the idea of an Evil convict prancing around singing balads as his monstrous compatriots slaughter and murder their way out of Branderscar... lol

[Seekr34]

Bard might be fun, sing it! "Oh, a killing we will go...." LOL

[LeoByron]

I will experience great pleasure slaughtering your Bard! Muahahaha!

[JonnyGulliver]

Do we have to be all in on spheres or traditional casting, or can we go halfway if I choose classes with different spellcasting styles?

[Squeak]

Originally Posted by LeoByron

@Squeak: I hope you don't change to Bard. I dislike Bards lol. If you are curious about Spheres of Power, there is the Commander class which uses the Warleader Sphere to great effect.

I'm mostly joking about Bard. They can be fine if they are played right. I just don't fancy the idea of an Evil convict prancing around singing balads as his monstrous compatriots slaughter and murder their way out of Branderscar... lol

I am 99% sure I’ll stay with Unchained Rogue. The 1% would be just because of your comment.
And for the record, I don’t think I have ever played a bard with musical ability (yes, it can be done - and done effectively)

If I had done it, it would only be because of the kind controlling aspect…. I wish the mesmerist had been converted to PF..

Commander’s are nice, but Zatrat would rather control the Commander.

[LeoByron]

Originally Posted by JonnyGulliver

Do we have to be all in on spheres or traditional casting, or can we go halfway if I choose classes with different spellcasting styles?

Both Vancian and Spheres are on the table. You can mix but beware of being so overpowered you can singlehandedly overcome every challenge by yourself. Too much versatility can be bad for group cohesion.

[LeoByron]

Originally Posted by Squeak

I am 99% sure I’ll stay with Unchained Rogue. And for the record, I don’t think I have ever played a bard with musical ability (yes, it can be done - and done effectively)

If I had done it, it would only be because of the kind controlling aspect…. I wish the mesmerist had been converted to PF..

Commander’s are nice, but Zatrat would rather control the Commander.

I assume ypu don't mean https://www.d20pfsrd.com/alternative...ses/mesmerist/

[JonnyGulliver]

Well, I was of the mindset that if you over-specialize, you could become potentially overpowered. Now, I am scared of being too mediocre and upsetting the balance...?

If I were to focus on one kind of casting, which would you prefer

[JonnyGulliver]

Foe the record, I am looking to play a character based on Rasputin.

Echnament/Necromancy specialist.

Too lazy to contribute to combat. Good avoidance through Russian dance. Prefers to use minions for combat, and his own unnatural charm to Bluff his way through social encounters. Is blessed in the underwear department.

Certainly checks off nicely in the EVIL department without being gratuitous.

However, if this not a direction you would like, I would be happy to submit different ideas.

[LeoByron]

I prefer Spheres but do as you will. I've never combined the 2 so I'm not sure how they'd play together. It should be fine if you're not trying to break it.

A Rasputin character sounds awesome!

[GleefulNihilism]

Got to admit, I still don't understand the sphere's system. Admittedly part of that is because I've been busy with real life stuff.