136
Legacy of the Dragons
Cralla the Dirgewife Cralla the sibeccai sings a dirge for every opponent laid low by her swordstaff. A champion of death, Cralla calls herself a champion of life. She claims to have the unique talent of being able to judge who should live and who should die— a gift she maintains no one but she truly understands. She believes it her duty to give her targets a wondrous demise. That the deserving party does not see the need to die is irrelevant. Cralla is the best judge of such things (according to her). Cralla works as a high-paid assassin, but she requires clear proof that the would-be victim does not deserve to live. This proof is not terribly hard to accomplish, since Cralla believes that most people do not deserve their lives, but it is not a mere formality. She turns down more work than she accepts. Before she plans and carries out her work, she attempts to learn enough about the target to compose a worthy dirge that she can sing as death approaches. These songs are usually of only mediocre quality, but she thinks they are beautiful. The practice has certainly helped further her reputation.
Combat Although she carries two swordstaves with her at all times, obviously in battle she only uses one. She calls her shield and weapon only if caught unarmed (appearing to be unarmed is part of one of her schemes). Her combat style boasts a great deal of flourish and artistry, and her tactics are rarely straightforward. She likes her victim’s end to be slow and elegant, as she would term it. Thus, she often designs elaborate schemes, employing others to help her enact her plots, build her traps, and concoct her poisons. She thinks of herself as a mastermind—her talent is her brilliance, vision, and creativity more than her physical prowess.
Using Cralla Although Cralla makes an excellent opponent, she is sure to be an atypical encounter. If contracted to kill a player character, she might hire thugs to maneuver her victim into a theater so she can kill the character herself on stage. Or she could invite the victim to a sumptuous banquet, with each course containing a different drug that—once the meal is finished—all interact within the victim’s system as a terrible poison. On the other hand, Cralla may try to employ the player characters to work with her in one of her complicated designs, assuring them (as she honestly believes) that the victim is an evil person who deserves to die. She pays well, because she demands exorbitant fees herself. Cralla the Dirgewife, female sibeccai Cmp10 (death): CR 10; Medium humanoid; HD 10d10+40; hp 99; Init +8; Speed 30 feet; AC 14 (+4 armor), touch 10, flat-footed 14; BAB +10/+5, Grapple +12; Attack +12 melee (1d8+4, critical 17–20/×2, +1 swordstaff); Full Attack +11/+6 melee (1d8+3, critical 17–20/×2, +1 swordstaff) and +11 melee (1d8+2,
critical 19–20/×2, +1 swordstaff); SA Death’s blessing, death’s wrath, call upon the power, call weapon, heartening cry; SQ Low-light vision, immune to spells with negative energy descriptor, call shield; Hero Points 0; SV Fort +11, Ref +4, Will +10; Str 14, Dex 11, Con 18, Int 13, Wis 17, Cha 16 Languages: Common, Giant Skills and Feats: Climb +6, Diplomacy +7, Jump +6, Knowledge (history) +6, Perform (singing) +4, Spot +9; Ambidexterity, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (heavy), Two-Weapon Fighting Call Shield (Sp): Once a day for 10 minutes, Cralla can summon a +3 long shield that a foe cannot take against her will, although it can be dispelled. The shield negates 50 percent of the criticals she might suffer. Call Upon the Power (Su): Five times per day, Cralla gains a +2 enhancement bonus to Strength and Constitution for up to 10 rounds as a free action. Call Weapon (Sp): Five times a day for 10 minutes, Cralla can summon a +3 weapon that a foe cannot take against her will, although it can be dispelled. Heartening Cry (Su): Once a day as a free action, Cralla can give a battle cry that rallies and inspires her allies. All allies within 30 feet gain a +1 morale bonus to attack rolls, saving throws, and checks for 10 rounds. Further, all allies within the area who are under the effects of an unwanted enchantment can make another saving throw against the effect (at the original DC) to throw it off. Death’s Blessing (Ex): Cralla enjoys a +1 luck bonus to attack rolls against living foes. Death’s Wrath (Sp): Once a day, Cralla can summon forth a blast of negative energy that inflicts 10d8 points of damage to a single living creature within 100 feet. She must make a successful ranged touch attack to inflict damage. Possessions: +1 keen/+1 swordstaff, +2 leather jack, elegant clothing, silver and ebony necklace (500 gp), potion of greater battle healing, silver and ebony rings (3, 50 gp each)
