Legacy of the Dragons
Veirid Runechaser DANIEL LUNDSBY
148
“Everything—our magic, our memories and the world that surrounds us—is written in the same language.” Although the fantastic wears many faces, there are always those who seek a common thread uniting seemingly unrelated phenomena. Veirid has devoted her life to following in the tracks of one who traveled that path more than a millennium ago. She has always been sensitive to the magic around her, even beyond the abilities of other loresongs, yet her focus seemed somehow slightly removed to a place beyond her current surroundings. It came as no great surprise to her or anyone around her that she could tap into the akashic memory almost like reading a book. But what she found there turned the life of the dreamy young loresong girl upside down. She believes it was Tialla, the goddess of sudden revelations, who gave her a fleeting glimpse of Kaeleon, a faen rune lord who lived in ancient Thartholan at the time of the dramojh invasion. Kaeleon theorized that the magic of the runethanes was merely a pale reflection of the true potential of runes. Anything named is symbolized by a rune, Kaeleon thought, and knowing the rune gives you power over what it represents. He devoted his life to seeking the runes for such things as the Bitter Peaks (where he might have had a laboratory), the faen race, and time itself. However, his studies came to an abrupt end at the claws of the dramojh. After this vision, Veirid began to sense the runes everywhere around her. At first, they were too complex for her to fathom, but through hard work and study of the memories of runethanes and rune lords, she has begun to recognize certain simple patterns. Today, after having spent nearly half of her years hunting for bits of knowledge that might help her dig up more memories of Kaeleon, she looks a bit thin and worn—“a quickling’s build with a loresong’s height,” as the spryte Porua Flowersong expressed it while patching up Veirid after yet another of her quests for obscure lore. Her grey-spotted black hair is drawn back tightly from her slightly sad face. Her eyes either stare at something no one else seems to see or burn with inner fire as she chases her newest lead to Kaeleon’s secrets. She believes he recorded all his results in his seven journals, of which the second, chronicling many of his early journeys both east and west of the Bitter Peaks, is her most prized possession. Veirid generally travels alone, going where she must and doing what it takes to further her quest—whether that means exploring an ancient ruin or stealing a needed object. Often, she gets what she seeks without anyone realizing she was there. She is used to traveling light and being prepared for anything. Occasionally she works with or hires others, but these relations generally do not last, as she is too focused
on seeking and expanding Kaeleon’s results to have much time for anything else. It’s not that she dislikes people, they are just not as important as rune lore.
Combat Veirid always has a rune of armor on her clothing. In a fight, the first thing she tries to use is a rune of conjuring on one of her rune plates. She is also likely to drink her potion of invisibility and sneak away. If she’s cornered, Veirid pulls out her dagger or her crossbow.
Using Veirid To a low-level party Veirid might act as an employer, sending characters to acquire some item she is too busy to get herself. She also could serve as an expert on runic lore. To a midlevel party, she could be an ally for those seeking something in the ancient ruins that call her. She also could hire the player characters for an expedition into Thartholan to seek Kaeleon’s ancient lab, or she could be an enemy or a foil if a character has something (an item or pence of information) she wants. She could even try to convince the PCs to help her prove her own theories—such theories as the idea that the faen gods are actually a higher form of rune manifest (see page 76), and that the akashic memory is “written” in runes. If the party is high level, she could discover clues to what might be the nearly complete rune of the dramojh race, created by Kaeleon in a vain attempt to protect himself against their attacks. However, a cabal of slassans has monitored her research, hoping to finish the rune and use it to transform themselves into true dramojh. Veirid Runechaser, female loresong faen Aks4/Rth4: CR 8; Small humanoid; HD 4d8+8 + 4d8+8; hp 46; Dying/Dead –3/–14; Init +4; Speed 20 feet; AC 19 (+1 size, +4 Dex, +4 armor [rune of armor]); touch 15, flat-footed 19; BAB +5; Grapple +0; Attack +11 melee (1d4–1, critical 19–20/×2, dagger) or +12 ranged (1d8, critical 19–20/×2, light crossbow); Full Attack +11 melee (1d4-1, critical 19–20/×2, dagger) or +12 ranged (1d8, critical 19–20/×2, light crossbow); SQ Low-light vision, spell-like abilities, skill memory, perfect recall, delve into collective memory, runes; Hero Points 0; SV Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +9; Str 9, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 17, Wis 12, Cha 6 Languages: Aquan, Auran, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Faen, Giant, Ignan, Infernal, Litorian, Terran, Undercommon, Verrik, and three ancient languages Skills and Feats: Balance +9, Climb +4, Concentration +7, Decipher Script +14, Disable Device +8, Gather Information +2, Jump +4, Knowledge (cosmology) +5, Knowledge (geography) +5, Knowledge (history) +5,
