Cralla the Dirgewife

Cralla the sibeccai sings a dirge for every opponent laid low by her swordstaff.A champion ofdeath,Cralla calls herself a champion oflife.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 ofsuch things (according to her).

Cralla works as a high-paid assassin,but she requires clear proofthat the would-be victim does not deserve to live.This proofis not terribly hard to accomplish,since Crallabelieves 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 ifcaught unarmed (appearing to be unarmed is part ofone ofher schemes).Her combat style boasts a great deal offlourish 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 herselfas 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.Ifcontracted to kill a player character, she might hire thugs to maneuver her victim into a theater so she can kill the character herselfon 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,Crallamay try to employ the player characters to work with her in one ofher 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 ofthe 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 ofan 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 ofnegative energy that inflicts 10d8 points ofdamage 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)