The goblyn Ryheem of the house of Damaskar is an outcast. Once a sangoma of the Bahruic Secrets this flamboyant and eccentric priest was cast out by his own kind because of the wild and uncontrolled nature of the gift that dwells within him. But if his status as outcast from his home, his faith and his house have slighted him he shows it not an inch. Ryheem is a wanderer and a mercenary, his powers are considerable, and his price high but to those who can afford his services he is indeed a mighty asset, both as diviner and channeller.
Description
Ryheem is tall, spare, long of limb and graceful in an economical sort of way, seldom wasting any motion, and moving with easy purpose. His hands are long, slender and pointed, his shoulders narrow and curved and his trunk svelte and taut. Rhyeem's jet hair is shorn short, but for a goatee on his pointed chin and thick eyebrows that arch up sharply at the edges. His features are sharp, with pointed chin and nose, back swept brow and narrow, imperious eyes. His cheeks are sunken and his green-hued skin is planes-grass green, and shows not a mark to betray his age. Ryheem attires himself extremely audaciously with valuable rings and bracelets on his hands and fingers, a heavy robe of red linen topped with a brown, sleeveless belted smock of stiff hide worn over the top. His head is surrounded by a still collar from the red robe, and he wears a sky-blue skullcap atop his head. Around his shoulders he wears a heavy cloak of manticorre skin brought from the Crooked Plains, fastened by a heavy gilt chain to his shoulders and around his neck, and on his feet are curled red felt slippers. Even his weapons, a sickle and sword wielded together, are strange and fierce. The instruments of his trade, even those of mundane purpose, are all of unusual design, as if to make even his most simple acts somehow arcane and mystifying.
Personality
Ryheem is abrasive, proud and solitary. His imperious nature ensures that he makes himself distinctly separate from those around him. It might be nice to think that Ryheem does this to avoid getting close to people, because his power makes him, by nature, transient and impermanent, but the truth seems to be that he simply dislikes the company of others, especially those who don't meet his demanding standards of intelligence. This doesn't mean he's cruel or impolite, simply that he tires of people quickly and has trouble concealing that fact. However Ryheem is more than capable of being personable when he must, and occasionally when he finds an individual of similar intellect and temperament to himself he will form a companionship. Despite being cast out from amongst his people Ryheem is not bitter, indeed at times it seems that he feels as rid of them as they are of him. He is a ruthless negotiator, who knows his own price. He does not demand a high price for his services out of greed, but rather out of a sense that those that cannot afford his services have not earned them.
History
Born to a priest house, the House of Damaskar in the south of the Goblyn Fells, Ryheem was born to privilege. Destined to become one of the lofty sangoma to whom even the mightiest of the Fells come for guidance, he was a quick and talented study, but made few friends. He only had respect for his masters, and his household often felt the cutting lash of his tongue. It was also in the early years of his training that the depth of his gift began to become apparent. Even as a child Ryheem had the power to bring objects to hand on a breeze, and blow doors shut or glasses off tables in a tantrum. As he trained his control over the winds only grew, and he delighted in challenging himself, learning new tricks, and testing the true extent of his power. Once he was trained Ryheem remained in his family compound for a long time. No lord wanted such a disrespectful sangoma in his service, and so Ryheem was left very much to his own devices. He used this time to assemble magical lore and other ostentatious and rare goods with the wealth of his house. Every morsel of lore he acquired he greedily studied and practiced, buoyed by the protection afforded him by the gift he possessed, and meanwhile he spurned more and more prospective masters, engrossed by his own endeavours. Eventually a new house master, Rava, came to the House of Damaskar. Rava was a peer of Ryheem, and while he recognized his brilliance Rava could not justify Ryheem taxing the house's resources so. When a test of his power saw Ryheem demolish several buildings and injure a number of servants Rava saw his opportunity, and politely banished Ryheem for the house's lands, disowning him from the House of Damaskar and thus making him a mere commoner, unable to practice the sangoma's art. Ryheem left the Fells without much argument, but soon he realized that his resources were limited. In order to continue his studies he turned to selling his services to the highest bidder. Many mercenary bands sought a magician, and Ryheem was happy to unleash his considerable destructive powers to aid warriors on the battlefield, or his mystic knowledge to weave spells and enchantments for those who had the coin. He found that when he stayed still people often took him for a foe simply because he hired with one of their foes, and so to save expending resources on unpaid confrontations he began moving from place to place seeking work, and lore, and ever growing in reputation, and demand.
Associations
Ryheem has few friends, and indeed few enemies. He has been known to conclude a contract with one mercenary party only to hire on with their opponents immediately after. He left the fells on good terms with Rava and the House of Damaskar, though he is never welcome back, and should he return to the Fells this would likely change. Many merchants who are well enough connected to trade in the rare and unusual goods Ryheem usually seeks have also come to realize that he has no concept of value when he wants something, and while they do not consider him a friend they are always ecstatic to see him, and sorry to see his back, when he passes through town. And these trips can be weeks, months or even years in between. In fact Ryheem's longest lasting and closest friendship is probably with his goblyn steed, a beast he has not bothered to name, but whose tendency to bite people in passing for no better reason than their presence seems to amuse him to the point of affection. He does use one individual for information with relative regularity, the sniveling Shatki the Gecko might appear to be just a poor small town goblyn who peddles whatever he can in Mandipani, but he knows a great deal more than it might appear.
Statistics
| Race | Male Vashrite Goblyn | Skills | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | Adult (33) | Aptitude: Academic | Skill Points: spent/total | ||||||
| Profession | Seer (3)/Mercenary (3) | skill | value | speciality | value | ||||
| Faith | Celestial Veneration of Bahru (5) | Alchemy | 6 | Essence of Air | 2 | ||||
| Class | Outcast Sangoma (5/2) | Singing Potion | 1 | ||||||
| Statistics | Inventory | Anatomy | 2 | ||||||
| Agility | 23 | weapon | attack | damage | reach | ||||
| Beauty | 13 | Fine Goblyn Forged Sabre | 27 | 26w | 4 | Artistry | 2 | ||
| Constitution | 17 | Fine Goblyn Forged Parrying Sickle (oh) | 20 | 23w | 2 | Botany | 3 | ||
| Dexterity | 19 | armour | protection | hardness | duribility | Cartography | 3 | Starcharting | 2 |
| Endurance | 15 | Chitin Breastplate (b, t) | B 20/I 17/W 20 | B 2/ I 1/W 2 | 27 | Celestiology | 3 | Constellations | 2 |
| Initiative | 20 | attire/misc | notes | Channeling | 7 | Arkayne Eye | 1 | ||
| Strength | 18 | Fine Manticorre-Skin Cape | Outfit: +2 Beauty (+1 soiled); +3 intimidate/impress | Evil Eye | 2 | ||||
| Fine Robes | Instil | 2 | |||||||
| Intelligence | 22 | Fine Skullcap | Divination | 7 | Astrological Portents | 3 | |||
| Knowledge | 21 | Felt Slippers | Runecasting | 3 | |||||
| Perception | 21 | Cypher Discs [6] | see Ryheem's Cypher Discs | Ecclesiology | 2 | ||||
| Will | 20 | Book of Malar? | unconfirmed, not translated | History | 3 | ||||
| Wisdom | 19 | Goblyn Steed | M, Goblyn Steed, Elite, Warhorse, 3 | Law | 2 | ||||
| Essence of Air [1] | see Essence of Air Formula | Literature | 1 | Cypher Discs | 1 | ||||
| Bravery | 17 | Silk Pavilion and bedding | Goblynfells Lore | 3 | |||||
| Charm | 15 | Runic knucklebones | +2 to Divination checks using these | Inner Sea Basin Lore | 2 | ||||
| Leadership | 14 | Mechanics | 2 | Cypher Discs | 2 | ||||
| Negotiation | 16 | Mathematics | |||||||
| Music | 2 | Bahruic Hymns | 1 | ||||||
| Luck | 16 | Navigation | 1 | By Stars | 2 | ||||
| Philosophy | 3 | Creationism | 1 | ||||||
| Magnitude (Gift) | 45 | Religion | 5 | Feller Pantheism | 3 | ||||
| Resistance (Gift) | 30 | Veneration of Bahru | 4 | ||||||
| Traits | Bahruic Revels | 3 | |||||||
| Plan | Bipedal | Speak Vashri | 4 | Literacy | 3 | ||||
| Cycle | Diurnal | Vush | 2 | ||||||
| Diet | Omnivore | Speak Low Iri | 2 | ||||||
| Dark Vision | 2 | Speak Haedar | 2 | Literacy | 2 | ||||
| Gifted | 2 | City Lore | 3 | ||||||
| Mage Sight | 2 | Flatland Lore | 2 | ||||||
| Inferior ESP | 2 | Acrobatics | 2 | ||||||
Character Traits
Poor Author Of His Own Stars (2)
It is easier to divine the fate of armies and nations than of individual men, but Ryheem's obsession is foretelling his own fate – and mastering it. Ironic, then, that he is such an aimless pariah, selling his blades and spells as a mercenary, serving the ends of others rather than his own goals.
Will To Power And Chaos (2)
Ryheem is a paradoxical embodiment of strict discipline and profound lawlessness. His pursuit of martial, scholastic and mystical mastery is fuelled and directed by a methodical willpower, but despite that he is an individualistic figure who rebukes the bonds of state and sect, and follows his whims. Oaths and orders mean as much to him as he cares to invest in them at any given moment.
First The Storm, Then The Zephyr (1)
Ryheem's pride is a fierce and prickly thing, and he does not suffer fools, disrespect or hindrances gladly. Too often when frustrated he resorts to the harsh threat, the swift blade or the ruinous gale, laying opposition low but often causing as much trouble as he solves. He is aware of this fault, and consciously tries to seek a subtler path… when he can master his temper.
A Horse With No Name (1)
This goblyn steed is a malevolent and carnivorous brute, but loyal to his master, who treats him well. Still, Ryheem has never named the steed, for the same reason one does not name a pair of boots - or so he claims, though in truth he is rather fond of the creature. It is a piece of home that he can control and own; and in a more practical sense it is an intimidating thing for enemies warriors (especially cavalry) to face what appears to be a befanged, screaming, bloodthirsty horse).