Irthicax Vane

The bolt corrupts the life force of living creatures, affecting them as if by an empowered cure moderate wounds spell (CL 20th). Undamaged creatures gain temporary hit points instead; these temporary hit points last for up to 24 hours. Each round, the target creature gains 2d8+10 temporary hit points or heals 2d8+10 points of damage until it successfully saves or the effect ends. Undead creatures instead take 2d8+10 points of damage per round. The initial strike corrupts 2 Hit Dice of an affected living creature, with 2 more Hit Dice corrupted in each subsequent round. The effects of multiple bolts of corruption are cumulative, but a single successful save ends all effects. When all a creature’s Hit Dice have been corrupted, it immediately transforms into an aberration as described under twisted life (page 98). Sentient creatures become progeny of Ragnorra. Nondetection (Su) As Ragnorra. Spell to Spore (Su) As Ragnorra. Skincasting (Sp) As Ragnorra. Anathematic Secrecy (Su) As Ragnorra.

“Fear engulfs the mind, enfl ames the body.

Great deeds are accomplished through it. To tire of fear is to tire of life.” —Irthicax Vane let him live with a universe that would allow such a horrible creature as Ragnorra, and live with himself for failing to stop her. This construction is rickety, though, and it could collapse with the slightest nudge. Thus, he can serve several functions as a story element in the campaign. On the one hand, Vane is the agent of evil leading the Malshapers’ effort to guide Ragnorra to the campaign world. He works behind the scenes, a rumored menace, secretly pulling strings until the PCs fi nally confront and defeat him on the path to vanquishing Ragnorra. Vane is also a failed hero, someone who could have deep sympathy for the plight of the PCs. Characters might see Vane as a villain to be redeemed. If they try to contact him, he hesitates at fi rst: He wants to believe they have a chance, but has horrifi c fi rst-hand knowledge of how slim their chances are. The PCs need to convince Vane that his instincts have always been correct; Ragnorra might be an epitome, but of corruption—never perfection. Even as a shaky ally, Irthicax Vane can provide detailed information about the practices and powers of this elder evil.

DESCRIPTION

Irthicax Vane lost everything to Ragnorra. Years of meditation on the horror and chaos of the Mother of Monsters drove him to the edge of madness. Now he serves her horrible destiny.

GOALS

Irthicax Vane was a zenythri (MM2 171) whose world succumbed to Ragnorra.

He stayed behind for a time, trying to aid pockets of resisters or assist stragglers to planar portals. Through his ascetic training, he frequently meditated in hiding between missions, struggling to understand the pure evil that Ragnorra represented. Ragnorra’s corruption eventually broke Vane’s mind, which has interpreted the horror in the form of a deep revelation. Ragnorra is hideous to behold, but she is awesome and, in her own way, perfect.

And is not perfection a higher goal than mere beauty? Vane fi nally fl ed his ruined world and joined the

Malshapers. He took up residence on the Plane of Shadow, unconsciously seeking a place whose physical nature mirrored his murky morality. He now sows the seeds of another world’s destruction in a painful quest for perfection. USING IRTHICAX VANE

Irthicax Vane is a tortured soul who has given up his core zenythri values of perfection, law, and beauty. In their place he has erected a complex set of rules and rationalizations to

Dark, curly hair falls perfectly into place, framing strong, handsome features of deep amethyst. The chiseled body natural to a zenythri has been further tautened by the disciplined life of a monk. The clearest difference between Irthicax Vane and other zenythri is his face. The serenity typical of his kin has been replaced with sorrow and anxiety, and his expression betrays the measured calmness of his words. In a mad attempt to refl ect Ragnorra’s twisted beauty in himself, he severed his lips and replaced them with fl ukelike creatures, whose wriggling does not always match the words he speaks. Vane dresses simply in the robes of his order, set with two gems as ornamentation, and wears three rings. One is a crystalline band, Gutterang, that sparkles with inner light.

Irthicax Vane CR 18

Irthicax Vane could not save his own world; hp 131 (17 HD) now he leads Ragnorra to others Male zenythri monk 17 LE Medium outsider (extraplanar) Init +5; Senses darkvision 120 ft. (Gutterang); Listen +17, Spot +17 Languages tongue of the sun and moon (all) AC 28, touch 28, fl at-footed 25; Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack Immune disease, poison Resist electricity 5, fi re 5, sonic 5, improved evasion; SR 27 Fort +13, Ref +13, Will +17 (+19 against enchantments); +8 against divine spells Speed 80 ft. (16 squares) Melee unarmed strike +14/+9/+4 (2d10+2 plus 1 vile) or Melee unarmed strike +14/+14/+14/+9/+4 (2d8+2 plus 1 vile) with fl urry of blows Base Atk +12; Grp +14

Illus. by F. Tsai