Paushen Pugwhistle

CHRIS SIMS

A sibeccai with a faen name,Paushen has a story that really begins in the late days ofthe giants’ war against the dramojh, around the Common Year 1389,when the settlement that would later evolve into the city ofErdaenos was but a depot on the giantish supply lines.This place,populated by giants and their sibeccai servants,free faen,and humans,provided goods and a rear position where battle-weary troops could refresh themselves before returning to the front lines.The area enjoyed not only a good view ofthe war front in the Bitter Peaks,but also the cover ofan arm ofthe Harrowdeep.

Unfortunately,dramojh spies uncovered the depot’s location and engaged in a brutal,flanking counterattack against it in the winter ofthe Common Year 1390.The giants of Erdaenos,as the repository was already named (after an obscure faen deity ofsecrets),died to the last.All other forces were routed,while any who stood to fight were killed. A large group ofsibeccai retreated into the Harrowdeep,led there by faen allies.These were Paushen’s ancestors.

Paushen was apparently born among the dwindling Harrowdeep sibeccai on the twenty-second day ofFlameleaf, Common Year 1719,near the faen settlement ofWhistlebark. At the time,many ofthe remaining sibeccai in the faen homeland were leaving,knowing their kind would not survive without fresh bloodlines with which to mix.Paushen’s unknown parents were among these pilgrims.Like many before him,the stagnation ofthe blood among the Harrowdeep sibeccai showed on Paushen—he was born deformed and tiny.Perhaps for this reason,Paushen’s parents rejected him,leaving the infant to succumb in the chill ofthe harsh,northern autumn.

Loresong faen children playing among the fallen leaves found the infant.One ofthe kids,a girl name Shaouri,was the daughter ofthe local and renowned ollamh lorekeeper of Whistlebark—Haem Pugwhistle.Shaouri convinced her father to keep the sibeccai newborn,whom she called Paushen.The name means,quite literally,“puppy,” for “pau” is Faen for hound and “-shen” is a suffix added to anything that is small and cute.

Haem,in his wisdom and power,saw the promise of greatness in the little sibeccai.The stars had been just right when Paushen was delivered to the village.So,the Pugwhistle clan ofWhistlebark cared for Paushen,who never grew to dislike his childish name.

As Paushen grew,his adoptive father discovered the youngster’s knack for remembering things—even things the pup had not been told.Haem trained the young sibeccai in his art,the craft ofthe akashic.That is,the old lorekeeper did so when “Puppy” wasn’t running about the forest of Whistlebark with Shaouri and her cohorts.

A curiosity to the faen,Paushen was treated as something special and grew to think highly ofhimself.His supernatural abilities to tap consciousness allowed him to mine his racial nature without a sibeccai teacher.This served to reinforce his pride,ironically strengthening his feelings ofinferiority at the same time—Paushen is not a “true” sibeccai in his own mind.By his naming ceremony, at 20 years ofage per faen tradition,Paushen was as sprightly as any loresong faen,as genteel as his station as a lorekeeper’s son demanded,a bit self-centered,and only slightly taller than a faen man.

With a great desire to serve his community,Paushen trained as a quick-footed warrior,even helping to put down a group ofdisplaced rhodin raiders from the Bitter Peaks. Such activities garnered him adulation and respect,the praise ofhis father,and even the half-jest title of“Wolf Knight ofWhistlebark.” Yet,the dwarfsibeccai had a growing feeling ofsadness—although he was among loved ones, he was alone.Haem advised the youth to leave Whistlebark and seek his destiny,but Paushen could not.

Fate had bigger plans.In the Common Year 1751,a small group oflitorian mercenaries,led by the inscrutable warrior Vanian Kaldori,passed near Whistlebark.With them they carried a young human girl who,at age nine,though not a runechild,bore a runic birthmark on her chest.Gurta Ritter, as she was named,had been kidnapped from her uncle’s fiefdom ofGrunwald,just south ofthe Harrowdeep.While the forces ofWhistlebark did not engage these trespassers,they did watch.When Gurta’s older brother,Taodric,and his party caught up to Kaldori and the mercenaries,Paushen impulsively joined the fray with some ofhis faen companions.The litorians were defeated,Kaldori fled,and Gurta was rescued.OfTaodric’s original party,only he survived.

Gurta,it turned out,had the potential to be a powerful mind witch,and Taodric had already focused his innate skill with magic as a mage blade.Why Kaldori and his mercenaries had kidnapped the lass was a mystery,but Paushen felt a strong connection to her.When Gurta and her brother made to leave Whistlebark a few days later,Paushen went with them with his adoptive father’s blessing.The sibeccai has been their companion ever since.

Many years later,during a visit to Whistlebark,Paushen and his companions sought out the source ofsome mysterious disappearances and goblin sightings in the western Harrowdeep.They traced the events to a hidden keep in the treeless hills near the great forest.Aided by Paushen’s sister, Shaouri,who was now a greenbond,the group successfully infiltrated the hold.

The party defeated the harrid magister who lived in the place,along with the creature’s goblin and undead servants, rescuing a few enslaved faen in process.Shaouri was struck down by the wicked sorcery ofthe harrid in a final confrontation,dying in Paushen’s arms as acid and poison churned in her body.

All was not strife and loss,however.As strange fortune would have it,the explorers also discovered old records that

showed the citadel had been run,at the time ofGurta’s kidnapping,by a mysterious organization known as the Synod ofForethought.Gurta was named in some ofthe documents left in the place after what must have been a hasty exodus, but the Synod’s intentions toward the young witch remained unclear.

On the return to Whistlebark,Shaouri’s remains were cremated with honor and returned to the land.Devastated by the loss,Haem was never quite able to forgive his adopted son.Paushen never absolved himselfofthis failure, either,remaining in self-imposed exile from Whistlebark from that time on.The enigmatic Synod ofForethought, and their nameless purpose,became the companions’ obsession.For Paushen,it was a method offorgetting the pain.

Over the next few years,Paushen and his companions tracked rumors and innuendos ofthe Synod as far as KaRone.Troubling was the fact that the organization seemed to have few blemishes on its reputation.In fact,it had little reputation at all.Yet,through their search for the group, Paushen and the Ritters uncovered many evils and righted many wrongs.

In Ka-Rone,the three discovered a small slassan cabal conducting vile rituals focused on sibeccai subjects.The three slassans had built a magical device to taint the unfortunates with a festering hatred ofgiants that would infect the descendants ofthose changed by the artifact.While Paushen and Taodric were distracted fighting the last ofthe dramojh-spawned monsters and its poor,mindless slaves, Gurta used the slassan artifact to purify the polluted sibeccai trapped in the underground complex.In so doing,she sapped her own life force.Death came quickly.

A heartbroken pair ascended from the slassan lair with the body oftheir beloved witch,oblivious to the praise ofthe freed sibeccai.Paushen and Taodric took Gurta’s body to the temple ofNiashra,hoping the priests ofthe goddess oflife could revive her.As ifhe had been watching for just that moment,Vanian Kaldori and a group ofcapable warriors attacked the temple and stole Gurta’s body.One ofKaldori’s men,slain in the battle,bore a strange tattoo—the mark of the Synod ofForethought.

Combat

After tapping the ferocity ofhis mother race,Paushen became ruthless in combat.He is unafraid to take any advantage for a quick and favorable outcome on the battlefield,yet he always acts mercifully and honorably toward those who deserve such.While Paushen dislikes killing other intelligent beings,he won’t hesitate to do so to protect those in his care.

Using Paushen

At 38 years old—sibeccai middle age—Paushen stands 4 feet,2 inches tall and weighs 95 lbs.His muzzle is short for a sibeccai,and his head a bit too wide.His brown left eye is smaller than the blue right one,and the tip ofhis tongue sometimes sticks out ofhis mouth involuntarily.Covered

with dark grey fur,silvering here and there with age, Paushen’s body is stout and broad.His arms are disproportionately long,ending in large hands,and his short legs are slightly bowed.A shade darker than his fur,Paushen’s hair is worn long in the style ofloresong faen.As an adolescent envious ofhis faen friends,Paushen managed to cultivate a small tuft ofdark hair on his chin,which he proudly calls his “beard.” The dwarfsibeccai dresses impeccably whenever possible,favoring simple jewelry.

Paushen has a soft voice,spoken with a lisp due to his overlong tongue.A generous soul,he is childlike in many ways,ever curious and seeking fun,yet trusting and loyal.He is always ready with a joke,a smile,a good story,a bit of rough play,or a patient ear.Dedication to self-exploration defines Paushen’s free time,as do the joys ofspending hours with loved ones.

Overbold,Paushen gets into trouble with a sharp wit and a desire to prove himselfsuperior to those who insult or threaten him.He sometimes finds himselfin over his head, rushing forth while thinking more ofquick victory than sound tactics.Pride,impulsiveness,and a slight—ifwell hidden—inferiority complex are Paushen’s biggest flaws.

Because ofthe passing ofhis sister and Gurta,Paushen feels such responsibility for his companions that he would rather die than see another one fall.He hates harrids (see Chapter Four of The DiamondThrone),imagining that entire race to be like the evil spellcaster who slew his adoptive sibling.When it comes to these avian sorcerers,the sibeccai warrior has no pity.

Paushen not only wants to find his parents,but he also desires a place in sibeccai society.Estrangement from Haem weighs heavily on his mind,though redemption for Shaouri’s death seems against all odds.The loss ofGurta, an echo offamilial bereavement,offers the promise of some deliverance.Thus,Paushen must find Gurta’s body and see that Vanian Kaldori and the Synod ofForethought face whatever justice their actions require.At a loss as to what to do next,and unfamiliar with the workings ofKaRone,he and Taodric may well need help.Until he falls, Paushen will remain by Taodric’s side,a steadfast brother in arms.

Paushen Pugwhistle,male sibeccai Aks5/Sibeccai 3/Unf6: CR 14;

Medium humanoid;HD 5d6+15 + 3d8+9 + 6d8+18;hp 102;

Dying/Dead –4/–17;Init +3;Speed 30 feet;AC 26 (+3 Dex, +8 armor,+2 deflection,+3 dodge),AC 27 vs.one opponent in melee;touch 18,flat-footed 20;Armor Check 0;

BAB +12;Grapple +13;Attack +18 melee (1d8+4,critical 17–20/×2, greater battle claw),or +16 ranged (1d2+2, critical 20/×2, shuriken);Full Attack +18/+13/+8 melee (1d8+4,critical 17–20/×2, greater battle claw) and +19/+14 (1d8+3,critical 17–20/×2, greater battle claw),or +16/+11/+6 ranged (1d2+2,critical 20/×2, shuriken);

SA Sneak attack +2d6;SQ Low-light vision,scent,parry, skill memory,perfect recall,delve into collective memory,

DR 1/—;Hero Points 2;SV Fort +10,Ref+13,Will +9;

Str 12,Dex 16,Con 17,Int 13,Wis 12,Cha 14 Languages: Common,Faen,Giant Skills and Feats: Balance +10,Bluff+10,Climb +10 (+12 with kit),Diplomacy +10,Jump +10,Knowledge (history) +9,

Knowledge (magic) +4,Knowledge (nobility and courtesy) +5, Listen +7,Perform (storytelling) +7,Search +5,Sense

Motive +10,Sneak +12,Spot +7,Swim +7,Tumble +13,Use

Magic Device +8,Use Rope +5,Wilderness Survival +5;

Ambidexterity,Bite,Combat Reflexes,Defensive Move,

Expertise,Improved Two-Weapon Fighting,Mobility,Two-

Weapon Fighting,Weapon Finesse,Whirlwind Attack Parry (Ex): Paushen may add a +1 bonus to his Armor Class against a single melee opponent in a given round. Skill Memory (Su): Twice per day Paushen gains a +2 bonus to a single skill check attempt made the next round. Perfect Recall (Ex): Paushen enjoys a +1 bonus to Knowledge skill checks made without using skill memory. Delve Into Collective Memory (Su): Five times per day

Paushen can make a +13 check to remember some relevant information about notable people,legendary items,or noteworthy places. Scent (Ex): Paushen can detect opponents within 30 feet by sense ofsmell.For upwind foes,the range increases to 60 feet;downwind,it drops to 15 feet.When detecting a scent,Paushen doesn’t determine its exact source,only its presence in range.He can take a standard action to note the scent’s direction.Once within 5 feet ofthe source,he can pinpoint the source.Paushen can also follow tracks by smell,making a Wisdom check to find or follow a track. Possessions: +4 glamered adamantine chain shirt, +2 keen crystallaced greater battle claws ofcrippling (set oftwo), +1 shuriken (10),masterwork whip, ring ofprotection +2, ring ofswimming (improved), cloak ofresistance +1, boots ofthe winterlands,hew’s handy haversack [small pouches contain:350 gp, detonations ofdisorient (5),smoke bombs (5),flash powder (5 bags),sunrods (5),tindertwigs (15),caltrops (2 bags);large pouch contains:100-foot silk rope,grappling hook,climber’s kit,blanket,tent,pot,mirror,needles (3),wax,case with ink (3) and parchment (40),waterskin, trail rations (3 days),soap,comb and brush,travel outfits (3),courtier’s outfits (3)], gold earrings (3,75 gp),gold neck chain (150 gp)