Djinn_in_Tonic
2009-12-29, 12:14 PM
Seiškona of the Iron Bands
Harken, faerie, to my song; if your Lord you would free,
Gather you the Iron Bands, then follow these steps three.
Find for me a pale white birch water'd with sorc'rous blood,
And cut thyself a gnarled staff straight from the living wood.
When Midnight Moon her face doth hide from all upon the ground,
In sacred place the Iron Bands with faerie ring surround.
The scene is set, one thing remains, Lord's freedom doth grow nigh--
Taketh though thy white birch staff; drive through the Iron's eye.
The task is done, the magicks worked, and all is left to time;
If left untouched then dawn's first light will end this fearful crime.
The Iron Bands to dust will fall and to the winds be strewn,
And so once more thy Lord will wake to dance 'neath Midnight Moon.
-Ancient faerie rhyme
http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs40/f/2009/004/a/f/the_Sorcerer_by_ahbiasaaja.jpg
Udric Boul, a Seiškona of the Iron Bands, stands at the entrance of the Briar Path.
*****
The lords of the faerie are beings of immense, almost unspeakable power. Rivaling the demon princes and even some gods in might, magic, and influence, these beings rule the wild, twisting forests of the Faewyld and the unearthly inhabitants that occupy these enchanted woods. They revel in displays of the supernatural, sashaying through the mortal realm on excursions to amaze, stupefy, befuddle, and enchant, striving to tie humans up in mischief, mayhem, and inescapable bargains. Needless to say, the mortals have no defense against such escapades.
Yet some mortals are more than human. Some go beyond the realm of mundane possibilities, and beyond the realm of mortal magic. These few deal with beings from beyond existence, channeling their powers into fragile mortal forms, somehow containing the vast strength of unspeakable entities from other world, and other realities. Drawn to promises of power like moths to flame, the enterprising--or the insane--often strive to bring angels, demons, fae lords, or even gods under their dominion.
And rarely...very rarely...one is strong enough, persistent enough, and determined enough to succeed.
BECOMING A SEIŠKONA OF THE IRON BANDS
A Seiškona of the Iron Bands is a binder who has managed--through trickery, dark magic, and bonds of cold iron--to imprison a mighty Fae Lord within a set of cold iron rings. Drawing upon the essence of the captured fae, the Seiškona wields the power of the lord's dominion over the Faewyld, the natural magic of the world, and the lesser fae that walk the mortal and faerie realms.
To become a Seiškona of the Iron Bands, one must first have discovered the true name of a Fae Lord. This being done, a pair of cold iron bracers must be forged by the Seiškona, and she must perform a specific summoning ritual in order to imprison her victim.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Alignment: Any non-good
Skills: Craft (metalworking) 6 ranks, Knowledge (Arcana) 11 ranks
Special: Ability to bind 4th level Vestiges
Special: Must have discovered the True Name of a Fae Prince or Fae Lord
Special: Must have forged a set of cold iron bracers
Special: Must have completed the target lord's summoning ritual
Class Skills
The Seiškona of the Iron Bands' class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (the planes) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).
Skills Points at Each Level: 4 + Intelligence modifier
Hit Dice: d8
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|Prince in Chains, Faebinding
2nd|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3|Edict of Iron
3rd|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+3|Additional Fae Vestige
4th|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+4|Walk the Iron Path
5th|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+4|Fettered Oath
6th|
+4|
+2|
+2|
+5|Additional Fae Vestige
7th|
+5|
+2|
+2|
+5|Iron Anathema
8th|
+6|
+2|
+2|
+6|Kingdom in Chains
9th|
+6|
+3|
+3|
+6|Additional Fae Vestige
10th|
+7|
+3|
+3|
+7|Ferrum Tyrannus[/table]
Weapon Proficiencies: A Seiškona of the Iron Bands gains no additional proficiencies in any weapons or armor.
Faebinding (Ex): A Seiškona of the Iron Bands continue to advance as a Binder. She adds her Seiškona of the Iron Bands class level to her Binder level to determine her effective Binder level, as well as the highest level Vestige she can bind. She gains no other benefits of the Binder class, including the total number of Vestiges bound (she only gains additional Vestiges through her Additional Fae Vestige ability).
Prince in Chains (Ex): Through rituals to terrible to contemplate, the Seiškona of the Iron Bands seals the living essence of a mighty Fae Lord within a pair of iron bracers: the Iron Bands told of in faerie legends. The Seiškona of the Iron Bands gains a set of Lesser Artifacts called the Iron Bands (see the Iron Bands sidebar), and may choose a Fae Lord from the list of Fae Lords presented below (or work with her DM to homebrew a unique Fae Lord). The Seiškona of the Iron Bands may bind any Vestige listed under her respective Fae Lord, provided she is has the ability to bind Vestiges of that level.
Given the nature of the Fae Lord's imprisonment and unwilling assistance, it is impossible to pacify the raging spirit. Therefore, while a Seiškona of the Iron Bands does not need to make binding checks to bind a Fae Vestige, she always suffers from the Vestige's influence, as something so powerful can never be completely under a mortal's dominion.
If ever a Seiškona of the Iron Bands loses her Iron Bands, she loses access to all class abilities aside from an increase in her effective Binder level until she once more wears them.
The Iron Bands
The Iron Bands (Lesser Artifact)
The Iron Bands are a set of cold iron bracers containing the essence of a Fae Prince or other powerful faerie creature. When worn, they grant the following benefits:
DR 5/Cold Iron
The wearer's type is treated as being Fey whenever it would be beneficial for her to be so.
Creatures of the Fey type must make a Will save (DC 10 + the wearer's levels in the Seiškona of the Iron Bands prestige class + the wearer's Charisma modifier) or be unable to take any non-submissive action towards the wearer.
Destroying a set of Iron Bands is a difficult task. They cannot be destroyed or dispelled through any mortal magic (even disjunction cannot stop them, as they draw their power directly from an immortal spirit), and removing them is all but impossible, as most Seiškona fit them so perfectly that, short of cutting off the Seiškona's hands and sliding the bracers off the bleeding stumps (something many fae attempt to do), stealing them from a living Seiškona isn't practical. If, however, the Bands can be separated from the Seiškona, a complex magical ritual is necessary in order to free the imprisoned Fae Lord.
The ritual is as follows: at midnight on the night of a new moon, the Iron Bands must be placed in the center of a faerie ring. Then, a staff of white birch, carved from a tree watered with the blood of the Seiškona whose bands are to be destroyed (or grown on the spot where she died), must be planted in the earth through the center of both of the Iron Bands. This accomplished, the entire set-up must remain untouched until dawn's first light, whereupon the bands will crumble to dust, and the staff will twist into the form of the imprisoned fae, freeing it from its bondage.
However, the Seiškona, if left alive, often uses her knowledge to bind her prisoner to a new set of Iron Bands. Thus, most fae attempting to free their lords make sure that the Seiškona in question breaths no more before they even begin to contemplate performing the destruction ritual.
Edict of Iron (Su): By channeling the regal power of her prisoner, a Seiškona of the Iron Bands can draw the majesty of a Faerie Lord into her own body. She may, as a standard action, rebuke or command creatures of the Fey type as if she had Cleric levels equal to the combined total of her Seiškona of the Iron Bands class levels and her Binder class levels. At any one time, the Seiškona of the Iron Bands may command any number of Fey whose total Hit Dice do not exceed twice her character level. This ability functions as the Cleric's Turn Undead ability, except that it does not count as the Cleric's Turn Undead ability for the purposes of feats, spells, magic items, or prestige classes that affect Turn Undead.
The Seiškona of the Iron Bands has no limit on daily uses of Edict of Iron, but, once she has used the ability, she must wait 5 rounds before she may use it again.
Additional Fae Vestige (Ex): At third level, and again at sixth and ninth level, a Seiškona of the Iron Bands may bind an additional Vestige, provided that Vestige is from the list of Vestiges granted to her by her imprisoned Fae Lord.
Walk the Iron Path (Su): Twice per day, as a full-round action, a Seiškona of the Iron Bands may force her way through the Hedge, breaking into the Faewyld. This ability allows the Seiškona to travel (with perfect accuracy) to any spot in the Faewyld that borders on the Hedge (where this is occurs is up to DM interpretation, although it usually common everywhere except dead magic zones and other sealed locales).
The Seiškona may also use this ability to travel to the mortal realm from the Faewyld. Again, she may appear anywhere in the mortal plane that borders on the Hedge (again, where this is occurs is up to DM interpretation).
Fettered Oath (Su): The Fae are famed for their unearthly bargains, and a powerful enough Seiškona of the Iron Bands can draw upon the magic of her prisoner to fashion unbreakable bonds of her own. If the Seiškona can get a victim to agree to a bargain, and then can seal the bargain in an appropriate manner (shaking hands, signing a contract, or whatever means of agreement are appropriate to the culture and situation), the victim falls under a terrible curse. So long as the Seiškona of the Iron Bands upholds her end of the bargain, the victim is magically forced to strive to complete his or her respective end: treat the victim as being dominated to complete the action required, except that the effect is not a spell, nor is it a mind-affecting enchantment (the ability has no type). The only way to remove the curse is for the Seiškona to willingly lift the effect, the victim to accomplish his or her end of the bargain, or a creature with at least as much power as a Fae Lord (usually demon princes, gods, and similar entities) to use the wish spell to remove the curse.
A victim killed undertaking a quest and later raised from the dead (whether living or undead) is still under obligation to fulfill the bargain.
Iron Anathema (Su): With strength enough to imprison a mighty Fae Lord, a Seiškona is an impenetrable barrier to those of lesser power. She gains immunity to the spells, Supernatural abilities and Spell-like abilities of Fey creatures.
Kingdom in Chains (Su): The ease at which a Seiškona of the Iron Bands wields the power of a Faerie Lord allows her almost complete dominion over lesser fae creatures. She may, as a swift action, bind nearby fae creature with chains of iron will. All creatures of the Fey type within 200 feet of the Seiškona (and not already under her control) must make a Will save (DC 10 + the Seiškona's class level + the Seiškona's Charisma modifier) or be rendered helpless for one round per class level. A creature so affected loses access to all its spells, Supernatural abilities and Spell-like abilities and it is treated as having 4 fewer Hit Dice for the purposes of being affected by the Seiškona's Edict of Iron class feature (although it retains its normal Hit Dice for determining the maximum number of Fey creature controlled) for as long as it is imprisoned in this manner.
The Seiškona of the Iron Bands has no limit on daily uses of Kingdom in Chains, but, once she has used the ability, she must wait 10 rounds before she may use it again.
Ferrum Tyrannus (Ex): Finally drawing upon the full power of the imprisoned Fae Lord, a tenth level Seiškona of the Iron Bands puts on the mantle of the faerie princes. She becomes effectively immortal: she no longer suffers aging penalties, nor will she die of old age (although aging bonuses continue to accrue). Additionally, the Damage Reduction granted by her Iron Bands increases to 20/Cold Iron and Magic, and she may use her Walk the Iron Path ability at will. Finally, the number of Hit Dice worth of Fey she can control through her Edict of Iron ability increases to 4x her character level.
THE FAE LORDS
Here are detailed three Fae Lords ready for incorporation into your campaign world, and ready to be captured and bound by a Seiškona of the Iron Bands. Listed are the lord's sign, influence, vestiges, and the effect that their imprisonment has upon the world (the latter of which is optional, at the DM's discretion).
Dame Tarrae Mare
Dame Tarrae Mare is a princess of the Eclipse Lodge, a lunar ravager* (see the MMIV) stronghold set in the ever-dark skies of the western faewyld. A tall, muscular woman with marble skin, sapphire eyes, and long flowing hair that changes from white to black with the cycles of the moon, Tarrae Mare is considered a great warrior and powerful warlord even amongst her warlike people. When imprisoned, she grants her captor the powers of the waning and waxing moon, bestowing strength and evasion upon them.
When free, she leads hunts into both the faewyld and the mortal world, personally heading assaults of her bloodthirsty kindred. When imprisoned, the Seiškona binding her should prepare to fend off hunting parties of frenzied lunar ravagers, as these violent fae rarely forgive a misdeed.
*If the players and DM lack access to the MMIV, substitute any organization of fae with connections to astrology, celestial bodies, or the moon in particular.
Summoning Ritual: To summon and imprison Dame Tarrae Mare, the Seiškona must, on the night of a full moon, sacrifice a living creature, pour half its blood upon the Iron Bands and then use the remainder to draw a rough circle upon a stone surface while speaking the true name of Dame Tarrae Mare. This done, the drawn circle will slowly turn to the white of the moon, while the moon above likewise turns blood red. Once the transformation is complete, the Seiškona need only place the Iron Bands within the circle, and watch as the lunar glow is absorbed into the cold metal, trapping Dame Tarrae Mare within the iron prison.
Influence: Under Dame Tarrae Mare's influence, the Seiškona fears the light of the sun, preferring to work under the dim glow of the moon. A Seiškona so affected takes a -1 penalty to all rolls within an hour of midday. Additionally, Dame Tarrae Mare requires that her captor keep a trophy from his most recent victim with him at all times, whether a simple trinket or a severed body part.
Sign: The face of a Seiškona binding Dame Tarrae Mare is constantly in shadow, regardless of the type or brightness of light surrounding him. This shadow covers the Seiškona's face as the sky covers the moon: on the night of a full moon there is no shadow at all, on the night of a new moon the Seiškona's face is entirely obscured, and so on through all the cycles of the lunar body.
World Effect: When Dame Tarrae Mare is bound to a Seiškona, the moon turns blood red, and sentient beings across both the mortal realm and the faewyld become more prone to rash decisions and violent behavior, especially in the days immediately before and immediately following a full moon.
Vestiges: Dame Tarrae Mare grants 6 Vestiges to the Seiškona binding her. The Vestiges and their levels are detailed below.
{table=head]Vestige Level|Vestige Name
3|Rise of the Full Moon
4|Rise of the Waxing Gibbous
5|Rise of the Half Moon
6|Rise of the Waning Gibbous
7|Rise of the New Moon
8|Rise of the Blood Moon[/table]
Rise of the Full Moon -- 3rd level Vestige
Rise of the Full Moon
Granted Abilities: Rise of the Full Moon grants you a brilliant aura and the revealing powers of the moon.
Lunar Sight: The Seiškona of the Iron Bands gains a small portion of the moon's revealing properties. She is constantly under the effects of a see invisibility spell (caster level equals her effective binder level), and can see normally in both mundane and magical darkness. Additionally, she may make two saving throws against any illusion effect, and takes the higher of the two. Finally, she gains a +5 Sacred bonus to Search and Spot checks.
Moonglow: The Seiškona of the Iron Bands is constantly surrounded by a pale glow of moonlight and fae magic. When activated (a swift action), the Seiškona sheds light as a torch, and she gains a +2 Deflection bonus to her armor class. This bonus increases to +3 at 10th level, +4 at 13th level, +5 at 16th level, and +6 at 19th level. A Seiškona may deactivate this ability as a swift action.
Read the Heavens: By channeling a fragment of the moon's oracular powers, a Seiškona of the Iron Bands can glean a brief insight into things to come. As a move action, she may request a single vision of the future, which comes to her as a single Fate point. At any time, as a free action, the Seiškona of the Iron Bands may spend this Fate point to re-roll a single d20 roll. She must take the re-roll, even if it is worse than the original. A Seiškona may only have 1 Fate point at a time, and, after spending it, must wait 5 rounds before using this ability again.
Rise of the Waxing Gibbous -- 4th level Vestige
Rise of the Waxing Gibbous
Granted Abilities: Rise of the Waxing Gibbous gives you a building strength and increasing power.
Lunar Expansion: The Seiškona of the Iron Bands gains the ability to drastically increase her physical form. As a move action, she may increase her size by one size category. Beginning at 14th level she may increase her size by an second size category with a second move action, and beginning at 19th level she may increase her size by a third size category with a third move action. A maximum size of Colossal may be reached in this fashion. As a move action she may reduce her size category, but never below her original size category.
When changing size categories, the Seiškona gains the space, reach, and size bonuses (and penalties) of a creature of her new size category, but refers to the table below to determine all other adjustments (including ability adjustments). Her armor, weapons, and equipment expand to fit her new form, and her skin turns to marble.
{table=head]Sizes Increased|Benefits Granted
+1|+4 Strength, +2 Constitution, +1 Natural Armor, DR 2/Cold Iron*
+2|+8 Strength, +4 Constitution, +3 Natural Armor, DR 4/Cold Iron*
+3|+12 Strength, +6 Constitution, +5 Natural Armor, DR 6/Cold Iron*[/table]
*Damage Reduction granted in this manner stacks with existing Damage Reduction of the same type.
Never Waning: The Seiškona gains fast healing 1, and the rate of healing increases with her effective binder level. She gains fast healing 2 at 10th level, fast healing 3 at 13th level, fast healing 6 at 16th level, and fast healing 5 at 19th level.
Rising Splendor: As the waxing gibbous rises towards a full and vibrant moon, so to does the power of the fae fill the Seiškona of the Iron Bands. The Seiškona gains immunity to negative energy, energy drain, ability drain, and ability damage.
Rise of the Half Moon -- 5th level Vestige
Rise of the Half Moon
Granted Abilities: Rise of the Half Moon gives you the duality of the half moon, neither here nor there, yet still a constant presence.
Curse of Half Light: Once per round, as a swift action, a Seiškona of the Iron Bands may select a single foe within 30 feet. That foe must succeed on a Will save or suffer a 50% chance to fail any action he or she attempts before the start of the Seiškona's next turn (similar to the effects of the bestow curse spell). A creature failing a saving throw against this ability cannot be targeted again for 5 rounds.
Dark and Light, Life and Death: The Seiškona of the Iron Bands is treated as being Undead any time it would be beneficial for her to be so (she gains Undead immunities, is healed by negative energy as well as positive energy, and counts as being Undead for all beneficial spells and effects). She is also treated as being both Good and Evil (regardless of her true alignment) whenever it would be beneficial for her to be one or the other.
Touch of Balance: As a standard action, the Seiškona of the Iron Bands may make a melee touch attack that deals 1d6 points of damage per 4 effective Binder levels. The next time the Seiškona of the Iron Bands uses this ability, it instead heals 1d6 points of damage per 4 effective Binder levels. Uses of the ability continue to alternate between healing and harming, resetting with a harmful touch upon re-binding this vestige.
Only Half There: As a swift action, the Seiškona of the Iron Bands may place herself in a balancing point between the mortal planes and the celestial spheres. Until the beginning of her next turn, she has a 50% chance to ignore the harmful effects of any spell, spell-like ability, supernatural ability, extraordinary ability, or attack that would otherwise harm her. In the event that the attack still lands, she takes only half damage, if the effect would deal damage. Once a Seiškona of the Iron Bands has used this ability, she may not use it again for 5 rounds.
Rise of the Waning Gibbous -- 6th level Vestige
Rise of the Waning Gibbous
Granted Abilities: Rise of the Waning Gibbous gives you the fading presence of the waning moon, and weakens those around you as their spirits wane with the lunar sphere.
Fleeting Hope: As the light vanishes, despair creeps in to fill the void. All foes within 50 feet of the the Seiškona of the Iron Bands take a -2 penalty to all d20 rolls.
Life and Light Fade: The fleeting light of the waning moon tugs at the Seiškona's foes, draining them of energy. All foes within 50 feet of the Seiškona of the Iron Bands take a cumulative -1 penalty to all ability scores (reducing them by 1 each to a minimum of 1) each round they remain within the vicinity. Every round outside the area of effect removes 1 point of the penalty.
Vanish from Earth's Sphere: Like the fading moon, the Seiškona of the Iron Bands can completely vanish from the mortal realm. As a swift action, she may become ethereal for up to one round per 2 effective Binder levels. Once a Seiškona of the Iron Bands has used this ability, she may not use it again for 5 rounds.
Rise of the New Moon -- 7th level Vestige
Rise of the New Moon
Granted Abilities: Rise of the New Moon grants you the evasiveness and invisibility of the new moon.
Black Moon in Dark Skies: The Seiškona of the Iron Bands gains the benefits of the invisibility spell (caster level equals her effective Binder level) whenever she stands in less than full illumination. If dispelled (through attacking or a successful dispel magic effect), this ability activates automatically at the beginning of the Seiškona's next turn.
Shadowed Face of the New Moon: As a swift action, a Seiškona of the Iron Bands may activate this ability to conceal her visage from the world. When this ability is in effect, the Seiškona's face becomes completely indecipherable: it is impossible to recall her face, and exceedingly difficult to decipher her expressions. A Seiškona with this ability active gains a +10 circumstance bonus to Bluff checks, and those interacting with her find it impossible to remember her face after a period of five minutes.
Whispers of the Absent Moon: As a standard action, a Seiškona of the Iron Bands may activate this ability to strike a foe momentarily insane with fear. She may target a single creature within 60 feet with this ability, which functions exactly as the spell irresistible dance, although the effect lasts for only 2 rounds and, instead of dancing, the target is reduced to a quivering wreck. Once a Seiškona of the Iron Bands has used this ability, she may not use it again for 5 rounds. This ability is a mind-affecting fear effect.
Rise of the Blood Moon -- 8th level Vestige
Rise of the Blood Moon
Granted Abilities: Rise of the Blood Moon grants you the powers of a vicious hunter and a queen of the Lunar Ravagers.
Bloodlust: Whenever the Seiškona of the Iron Bands deals damage to a foe with a melee weapon, her next strike against that same opponent deals double damage and adds +2 to the critical threat range (after applying all other threat range altering effects).
Blood in the Night: As a swift action, a Seiškona of the Iron Bands can channel the power of the Blood Moon into a single successful sneak attack. The victim of the attack must make a Fortitude save or die instantly: success indicates that the victim suffers damage as normal, except that all sneak attack dice are replaced with d10s. Once the Seiškona of the Iron Bands has used this ability, she may not use it again for 5 rounds.
Dark Hunter: The Seiškona of the Iron Bands gains Sneak Attack (as the Rogue class ability) of 1d6 per three effective binder levels.
Red Moon: As a swift action, the Seiškona of the Iron Bands may activate this ability. When she does so, her skin turns the deep hue of fresh blood, the shadows on her face dance about menacingly, and she brings the fury of the blood moon to bear on all around her. All sentient creatures (except the Seiškona of the Iron Bands) within 60ft must make a Will save at the beginning of every round or be unable to tell friend from foe, randomly attacking the nearest creature in an attempt to slay them as quickly and efficiently as possible. A Seiškona of the Iron Bands may activate or deactivate this ability as a swift action.
PLAYING A SEIŠKONA OF THE IRON BANDS
How to play a Seiškona of the Iron Bands can not be easily explained, as they vary so greatly depending on who their prisoner is. Most are ambitious individuals, and many, if not all, are cold-hearted to at least some degree: the ends usually justify the means for such an individual. Aside from that, the exact lord imprisoned influences the Seiškona's actions in small ways, but that is as much as can be said for the group as a whole.
Combat: Combat for a Seiškona of the Iron Bands varies greatly depending on the lord she has imprisoned. A general guideline is to use your vestige granted powers as frequently as possible, and to keep an eye out for powers that complement each other particularly well. If you are fighting creatures of the Fey type, do not hesitate to wade amongst them and begin utilizing Edict of Iron, as any creature that falls under your spell is another minion to do your bidding, and may well bring potent abilities of its own to your side of the fight.
Advancement: Almost all Seiškona return to the Binder class after having completed their progress through this prestige class. Not doing so is a heavily felt loss, as the highest levels of vestiges are especially potent. Still, a few Seiškona prefer to pick up levels in martial classes to emphasize their combat abilities: the time spent learning to conjure and bind vestiges leaves few, if any, Seiškona with any time to learn the arcane or divine arts.
Resources: A Seiškona of the Iron Bands usually has extensive resources, as many set themselves up as tyrants within the Faewyld, and even those that do not do so often have a retinue of enslaved fae creatures. Their sinister bargaining ability also gives them a number of unwilling allies, although most Seiškona have no more than a few people (if any) who would help them of their own free will.
SEIŠKONA OF THE IRON BANDS IN THE WORLD
"I have been called a monster before, after my kindred's thirsting blades have wrought a slaughter through the mortal world. Perhaps I am. But after these thirty years, I know that whatever horrors I am capable of are nothing...nothing...compared with those inflicted upon me by that terrible being. Even I, the queen of the Blood Moon, must cower at his feet." --Dame Tarrae Mare, speaking of her imprisonment at the hands of Udric Boul
Notables: Almost all Seiškona become legends: there are so few of them, and their powers are so universally noticed and feared that news of an imprisonment tears through the Faewyld like wildfire, often spilling over into the mortal realm. Who exactly the Seiškona is often takes years to discover, but, once a discovery occurs, they are all but assured infamy. One of the most famous of the figures was Udric Boul, a Seiškona of incredibly cruelty. He imprisoned Dame Tarrae Mare for almost thirty years, brought the Blood Moon caste of the lunar ravagers under his tyrannical rule, and led merciless hunting parties through both the mortal and faerie realms until, at a great loss to their number, an assembled legion of Feyblessed Knights and Nightsingers finally succeeded in slaying him after a hunt lasting the better part of five years.
Organizations: Seiškona have no organizations. They may occasionally seize control of a court of faerie, or enslave a troupe of satyrs or similar creatures, but they are such a rare occurrence that organizing is all but impossible, and, to them, often undesirable. The only recorded time that two Seiškona worked in tandem was when Udvar Hett and Lisan Durric manged to seize the lord and lady of the Night Court, and cast eternal darkness upon the faerie realm for one hundred years, until the Sun King and the Summer Prince brought the full force of their mortal progeny into the Faewyld and led the five thousand strong army against the two.
NPC Reaction
Only those willing to accept the eternal enslavement of another creature as an appropriate means of gathering power would willingly associate with a Seiškona of the Iron Bands, unless the Seiškona can somehow convince them that the imprisonment is for the betterment of the world. Even so, most are at least uneasy in a Seiškona's company. Fae creatures almost exclusively hate a Seiškona, although those who completely despised the imprisoned lord might be willing or even eager to assist, if only for their own personal gain. Still, the sheer quantity of power that a Seiškona of the Iron Bands can bring to bear against a fae creature causes most to keep their distance, even if they secretly are pleased by the imprisonment.
SEIŠKONA OF THE IRON BANDS IN THE GAME
A Seiškona of the Iron Bands can bring a variety of new powers to the table, depending on the lord she has imprisoned. It would be impossible to detail in brief all the possible permutations, so a DM is advised to discuss the choice of lord with his or her interested player beforehand, so that both are aware of what is possible. The only thing that is universal is that having a Seiškona of the Iron Bands in the party will make almost every encounter with faerie creatures into a trivial matter.
Adaptation: A Seiškona of the Iron Bands makes an excellent villain for almost any campaign, especially if the optional world effect of the Fae Lord's imprisonment is utilized. In such a case the PCs might be approached by fae creatures striving to free their lord, or come face to face with the Seiškona herself as she attempts to bend the world to her will. The class may also be altered to cover the briefly mentioned Seiškona who bind angels, demons, gods, elemental princes, and similar entities. For use with angels and demons, change anything mentioning the Fey type to Outsider (Good) or Outsider (Evil) respectively, change the damage reduction to X/good or X/evil respectively, and allow Walk the Iron Path to transport the Seiškona of the Iron Bands to the home plane of her prisoner. For gods, elementals, or other powerful beings, the DM should use his or her best judgment when altering these abilities. New vestiges will, of course, be necessary in case of any alteration.
Encounters: Most encounters with a Seiškona of the Iron Bands will be some sort of confrontation, as Seiškona tend to throw their power around if possible. Encountering them alone is rare: most have a retinue of dominated fae around them at all times. Still, some Seiškona prefer a most subtle approach, often posing as benevolent faerie themselves, or as something as simple as an ordinary mage. Some are even more devious: woe betide the individual making a pact with a Seiškona of the Iron Bands without knowing with whom they deal...
Harken, faerie, to my song; if your Lord you would free,
Gather you the Iron Bands, then follow these steps three.
Find for me a pale white birch water'd with sorc'rous blood,
And cut thyself a gnarled staff straight from the living wood.
When Midnight Moon her face doth hide from all upon the ground,
In sacred place the Iron Bands with faerie ring surround.
The scene is set, one thing remains, Lord's freedom doth grow nigh--
Taketh though thy white birch staff; drive through the Iron's eye.
The task is done, the magicks worked, and all is left to time;
If left untouched then dawn's first light will end this fearful crime.
The Iron Bands to dust will fall and to the winds be strewn,
And so once more thy Lord will wake to dance 'neath Midnight Moon.
-Ancient faerie rhyme
http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs40/f/2009/004/a/f/the_Sorcerer_by_ahbiasaaja.jpg
Udric Boul, a Seiškona of the Iron Bands, stands at the entrance of the Briar Path.
*****
The lords of the faerie are beings of immense, almost unspeakable power. Rivaling the demon princes and even some gods in might, magic, and influence, these beings rule the wild, twisting forests of the Faewyld and the unearthly inhabitants that occupy these enchanted woods. They revel in displays of the supernatural, sashaying through the mortal realm on excursions to amaze, stupefy, befuddle, and enchant, striving to tie humans up in mischief, mayhem, and inescapable bargains. Needless to say, the mortals have no defense against such escapades.
Yet some mortals are more than human. Some go beyond the realm of mundane possibilities, and beyond the realm of mortal magic. These few deal with beings from beyond existence, channeling their powers into fragile mortal forms, somehow containing the vast strength of unspeakable entities from other world, and other realities. Drawn to promises of power like moths to flame, the enterprising--or the insane--often strive to bring angels, demons, fae lords, or even gods under their dominion.
And rarely...very rarely...one is strong enough, persistent enough, and determined enough to succeed.
BECOMING A SEIŠKONA OF THE IRON BANDS
A Seiškona of the Iron Bands is a binder who has managed--through trickery, dark magic, and bonds of cold iron--to imprison a mighty Fae Lord within a set of cold iron rings. Drawing upon the essence of the captured fae, the Seiškona wields the power of the lord's dominion over the Faewyld, the natural magic of the world, and the lesser fae that walk the mortal and faerie realms.
To become a Seiškona of the Iron Bands, one must first have discovered the true name of a Fae Lord. This being done, a pair of cold iron bracers must be forged by the Seiškona, and she must perform a specific summoning ritual in order to imprison her victim.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Alignment: Any non-good
Skills: Craft (metalworking) 6 ranks, Knowledge (Arcana) 11 ranks
Special: Ability to bind 4th level Vestiges
Special: Must have discovered the True Name of a Fae Prince or Fae Lord
Special: Must have forged a set of cold iron bracers
Special: Must have completed the target lord's summoning ritual
Class Skills
The Seiškona of the Iron Bands' class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (the planes) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).
Skills Points at Each Level: 4 + Intelligence modifier
Hit Dice: d8
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|Prince in Chains, Faebinding
2nd|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3|Edict of Iron
3rd|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+3|Additional Fae Vestige
4th|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+4|Walk the Iron Path
5th|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+4|Fettered Oath
6th|
+4|
+2|
+2|
+5|Additional Fae Vestige
7th|
+5|
+2|
+2|
+5|Iron Anathema
8th|
+6|
+2|
+2|
+6|Kingdom in Chains
9th|
+6|
+3|
+3|
+6|Additional Fae Vestige
10th|
+7|
+3|
+3|
+7|Ferrum Tyrannus[/table]
Weapon Proficiencies: A Seiškona of the Iron Bands gains no additional proficiencies in any weapons or armor.
Faebinding (Ex): A Seiškona of the Iron Bands continue to advance as a Binder. She adds her Seiškona of the Iron Bands class level to her Binder level to determine her effective Binder level, as well as the highest level Vestige she can bind. She gains no other benefits of the Binder class, including the total number of Vestiges bound (she only gains additional Vestiges through her Additional Fae Vestige ability).
Prince in Chains (Ex): Through rituals to terrible to contemplate, the Seiškona of the Iron Bands seals the living essence of a mighty Fae Lord within a pair of iron bracers: the Iron Bands told of in faerie legends. The Seiškona of the Iron Bands gains a set of Lesser Artifacts called the Iron Bands (see the Iron Bands sidebar), and may choose a Fae Lord from the list of Fae Lords presented below (or work with her DM to homebrew a unique Fae Lord). The Seiškona of the Iron Bands may bind any Vestige listed under her respective Fae Lord, provided she is has the ability to bind Vestiges of that level.
Given the nature of the Fae Lord's imprisonment and unwilling assistance, it is impossible to pacify the raging spirit. Therefore, while a Seiškona of the Iron Bands does not need to make binding checks to bind a Fae Vestige, she always suffers from the Vestige's influence, as something so powerful can never be completely under a mortal's dominion.
If ever a Seiškona of the Iron Bands loses her Iron Bands, she loses access to all class abilities aside from an increase in her effective Binder level until she once more wears them.
The Iron Bands
The Iron Bands (Lesser Artifact)
The Iron Bands are a set of cold iron bracers containing the essence of a Fae Prince or other powerful faerie creature. When worn, they grant the following benefits:
DR 5/Cold Iron
The wearer's type is treated as being Fey whenever it would be beneficial for her to be so.
Creatures of the Fey type must make a Will save (DC 10 + the wearer's levels in the Seiškona of the Iron Bands prestige class + the wearer's Charisma modifier) or be unable to take any non-submissive action towards the wearer.
Destroying a set of Iron Bands is a difficult task. They cannot be destroyed or dispelled through any mortal magic (even disjunction cannot stop them, as they draw their power directly from an immortal spirit), and removing them is all but impossible, as most Seiškona fit them so perfectly that, short of cutting off the Seiškona's hands and sliding the bracers off the bleeding stumps (something many fae attempt to do), stealing them from a living Seiškona isn't practical. If, however, the Bands can be separated from the Seiškona, a complex magical ritual is necessary in order to free the imprisoned Fae Lord.
The ritual is as follows: at midnight on the night of a new moon, the Iron Bands must be placed in the center of a faerie ring. Then, a staff of white birch, carved from a tree watered with the blood of the Seiškona whose bands are to be destroyed (or grown on the spot where she died), must be planted in the earth through the center of both of the Iron Bands. This accomplished, the entire set-up must remain untouched until dawn's first light, whereupon the bands will crumble to dust, and the staff will twist into the form of the imprisoned fae, freeing it from its bondage.
However, the Seiškona, if left alive, often uses her knowledge to bind her prisoner to a new set of Iron Bands. Thus, most fae attempting to free their lords make sure that the Seiškona in question breaths no more before they even begin to contemplate performing the destruction ritual.
Edict of Iron (Su): By channeling the regal power of her prisoner, a Seiškona of the Iron Bands can draw the majesty of a Faerie Lord into her own body. She may, as a standard action, rebuke or command creatures of the Fey type as if she had Cleric levels equal to the combined total of her Seiškona of the Iron Bands class levels and her Binder class levels. At any one time, the Seiškona of the Iron Bands may command any number of Fey whose total Hit Dice do not exceed twice her character level. This ability functions as the Cleric's Turn Undead ability, except that it does not count as the Cleric's Turn Undead ability for the purposes of feats, spells, magic items, or prestige classes that affect Turn Undead.
The Seiškona of the Iron Bands has no limit on daily uses of Edict of Iron, but, once she has used the ability, she must wait 5 rounds before she may use it again.
Additional Fae Vestige (Ex): At third level, and again at sixth and ninth level, a Seiškona of the Iron Bands may bind an additional Vestige, provided that Vestige is from the list of Vestiges granted to her by her imprisoned Fae Lord.
Walk the Iron Path (Su): Twice per day, as a full-round action, a Seiškona of the Iron Bands may force her way through the Hedge, breaking into the Faewyld. This ability allows the Seiškona to travel (with perfect accuracy) to any spot in the Faewyld that borders on the Hedge (where this is occurs is up to DM interpretation, although it usually common everywhere except dead magic zones and other sealed locales).
The Seiškona may also use this ability to travel to the mortal realm from the Faewyld. Again, she may appear anywhere in the mortal plane that borders on the Hedge (again, where this is occurs is up to DM interpretation).
Fettered Oath (Su): The Fae are famed for their unearthly bargains, and a powerful enough Seiškona of the Iron Bands can draw upon the magic of her prisoner to fashion unbreakable bonds of her own. If the Seiškona can get a victim to agree to a bargain, and then can seal the bargain in an appropriate manner (shaking hands, signing a contract, or whatever means of agreement are appropriate to the culture and situation), the victim falls under a terrible curse. So long as the Seiškona of the Iron Bands upholds her end of the bargain, the victim is magically forced to strive to complete his or her respective end: treat the victim as being dominated to complete the action required, except that the effect is not a spell, nor is it a mind-affecting enchantment (the ability has no type). The only way to remove the curse is for the Seiškona to willingly lift the effect, the victim to accomplish his or her end of the bargain, or a creature with at least as much power as a Fae Lord (usually demon princes, gods, and similar entities) to use the wish spell to remove the curse.
A victim killed undertaking a quest and later raised from the dead (whether living or undead) is still under obligation to fulfill the bargain.
Iron Anathema (Su): With strength enough to imprison a mighty Fae Lord, a Seiškona is an impenetrable barrier to those of lesser power. She gains immunity to the spells, Supernatural abilities and Spell-like abilities of Fey creatures.
Kingdom in Chains (Su): The ease at which a Seiškona of the Iron Bands wields the power of a Faerie Lord allows her almost complete dominion over lesser fae creatures. She may, as a swift action, bind nearby fae creature with chains of iron will. All creatures of the Fey type within 200 feet of the Seiškona (and not already under her control) must make a Will save (DC 10 + the Seiškona's class level + the Seiškona's Charisma modifier) or be rendered helpless for one round per class level. A creature so affected loses access to all its spells, Supernatural abilities and Spell-like abilities and it is treated as having 4 fewer Hit Dice for the purposes of being affected by the Seiškona's Edict of Iron class feature (although it retains its normal Hit Dice for determining the maximum number of Fey creature controlled) for as long as it is imprisoned in this manner.
The Seiškona of the Iron Bands has no limit on daily uses of Kingdom in Chains, but, once she has used the ability, she must wait 10 rounds before she may use it again.
Ferrum Tyrannus (Ex): Finally drawing upon the full power of the imprisoned Fae Lord, a tenth level Seiškona of the Iron Bands puts on the mantle of the faerie princes. She becomes effectively immortal: she no longer suffers aging penalties, nor will she die of old age (although aging bonuses continue to accrue). Additionally, the Damage Reduction granted by her Iron Bands increases to 20/Cold Iron and Magic, and she may use her Walk the Iron Path ability at will. Finally, the number of Hit Dice worth of Fey she can control through her Edict of Iron ability increases to 4x her character level.
THE FAE LORDS
Here are detailed three Fae Lords ready for incorporation into your campaign world, and ready to be captured and bound by a Seiškona of the Iron Bands. Listed are the lord's sign, influence, vestiges, and the effect that their imprisonment has upon the world (the latter of which is optional, at the DM's discretion).
Dame Tarrae Mare
Dame Tarrae Mare is a princess of the Eclipse Lodge, a lunar ravager* (see the MMIV) stronghold set in the ever-dark skies of the western faewyld. A tall, muscular woman with marble skin, sapphire eyes, and long flowing hair that changes from white to black with the cycles of the moon, Tarrae Mare is considered a great warrior and powerful warlord even amongst her warlike people. When imprisoned, she grants her captor the powers of the waning and waxing moon, bestowing strength and evasion upon them.
When free, she leads hunts into both the faewyld and the mortal world, personally heading assaults of her bloodthirsty kindred. When imprisoned, the Seiškona binding her should prepare to fend off hunting parties of frenzied lunar ravagers, as these violent fae rarely forgive a misdeed.
*If the players and DM lack access to the MMIV, substitute any organization of fae with connections to astrology, celestial bodies, or the moon in particular.
Summoning Ritual: To summon and imprison Dame Tarrae Mare, the Seiškona must, on the night of a full moon, sacrifice a living creature, pour half its blood upon the Iron Bands and then use the remainder to draw a rough circle upon a stone surface while speaking the true name of Dame Tarrae Mare. This done, the drawn circle will slowly turn to the white of the moon, while the moon above likewise turns blood red. Once the transformation is complete, the Seiškona need only place the Iron Bands within the circle, and watch as the lunar glow is absorbed into the cold metal, trapping Dame Tarrae Mare within the iron prison.
Influence: Under Dame Tarrae Mare's influence, the Seiškona fears the light of the sun, preferring to work under the dim glow of the moon. A Seiškona so affected takes a -1 penalty to all rolls within an hour of midday. Additionally, Dame Tarrae Mare requires that her captor keep a trophy from his most recent victim with him at all times, whether a simple trinket or a severed body part.
Sign: The face of a Seiškona binding Dame Tarrae Mare is constantly in shadow, regardless of the type or brightness of light surrounding him. This shadow covers the Seiškona's face as the sky covers the moon: on the night of a full moon there is no shadow at all, on the night of a new moon the Seiškona's face is entirely obscured, and so on through all the cycles of the lunar body.
World Effect: When Dame Tarrae Mare is bound to a Seiškona, the moon turns blood red, and sentient beings across both the mortal realm and the faewyld become more prone to rash decisions and violent behavior, especially in the days immediately before and immediately following a full moon.
Vestiges: Dame Tarrae Mare grants 6 Vestiges to the Seiškona binding her. The Vestiges and their levels are detailed below.
{table=head]Vestige Level|Vestige Name
3|Rise of the Full Moon
4|Rise of the Waxing Gibbous
5|Rise of the Half Moon
6|Rise of the Waning Gibbous
7|Rise of the New Moon
8|Rise of the Blood Moon[/table]
Rise of the Full Moon -- 3rd level Vestige
Rise of the Full Moon
Granted Abilities: Rise of the Full Moon grants you a brilliant aura and the revealing powers of the moon.
Lunar Sight: The Seiškona of the Iron Bands gains a small portion of the moon's revealing properties. She is constantly under the effects of a see invisibility spell (caster level equals her effective binder level), and can see normally in both mundane and magical darkness. Additionally, she may make two saving throws against any illusion effect, and takes the higher of the two. Finally, she gains a +5 Sacred bonus to Search and Spot checks.
Moonglow: The Seiškona of the Iron Bands is constantly surrounded by a pale glow of moonlight and fae magic. When activated (a swift action), the Seiškona sheds light as a torch, and she gains a +2 Deflection bonus to her armor class. This bonus increases to +3 at 10th level, +4 at 13th level, +5 at 16th level, and +6 at 19th level. A Seiškona may deactivate this ability as a swift action.
Read the Heavens: By channeling a fragment of the moon's oracular powers, a Seiškona of the Iron Bands can glean a brief insight into things to come. As a move action, she may request a single vision of the future, which comes to her as a single Fate point. At any time, as a free action, the Seiškona of the Iron Bands may spend this Fate point to re-roll a single d20 roll. She must take the re-roll, even if it is worse than the original. A Seiškona may only have 1 Fate point at a time, and, after spending it, must wait 5 rounds before using this ability again.
Rise of the Waxing Gibbous -- 4th level Vestige
Rise of the Waxing Gibbous
Granted Abilities: Rise of the Waxing Gibbous gives you a building strength and increasing power.
Lunar Expansion: The Seiškona of the Iron Bands gains the ability to drastically increase her physical form. As a move action, she may increase her size by one size category. Beginning at 14th level she may increase her size by an second size category with a second move action, and beginning at 19th level she may increase her size by a third size category with a third move action. A maximum size of Colossal may be reached in this fashion. As a move action she may reduce her size category, but never below her original size category.
When changing size categories, the Seiškona gains the space, reach, and size bonuses (and penalties) of a creature of her new size category, but refers to the table below to determine all other adjustments (including ability adjustments). Her armor, weapons, and equipment expand to fit her new form, and her skin turns to marble.
{table=head]Sizes Increased|Benefits Granted
+1|+4 Strength, +2 Constitution, +1 Natural Armor, DR 2/Cold Iron*
+2|+8 Strength, +4 Constitution, +3 Natural Armor, DR 4/Cold Iron*
+3|+12 Strength, +6 Constitution, +5 Natural Armor, DR 6/Cold Iron*[/table]
*Damage Reduction granted in this manner stacks with existing Damage Reduction of the same type.
Never Waning: The Seiškona gains fast healing 1, and the rate of healing increases with her effective binder level. She gains fast healing 2 at 10th level, fast healing 3 at 13th level, fast healing 6 at 16th level, and fast healing 5 at 19th level.
Rising Splendor: As the waxing gibbous rises towards a full and vibrant moon, so to does the power of the fae fill the Seiškona of the Iron Bands. The Seiškona gains immunity to negative energy, energy drain, ability drain, and ability damage.
Rise of the Half Moon -- 5th level Vestige
Rise of the Half Moon
Granted Abilities: Rise of the Half Moon gives you the duality of the half moon, neither here nor there, yet still a constant presence.
Curse of Half Light: Once per round, as a swift action, a Seiškona of the Iron Bands may select a single foe within 30 feet. That foe must succeed on a Will save or suffer a 50% chance to fail any action he or she attempts before the start of the Seiškona's next turn (similar to the effects of the bestow curse spell). A creature failing a saving throw against this ability cannot be targeted again for 5 rounds.
Dark and Light, Life and Death: The Seiškona of the Iron Bands is treated as being Undead any time it would be beneficial for her to be so (she gains Undead immunities, is healed by negative energy as well as positive energy, and counts as being Undead for all beneficial spells and effects). She is also treated as being both Good and Evil (regardless of her true alignment) whenever it would be beneficial for her to be one or the other.
Touch of Balance: As a standard action, the Seiškona of the Iron Bands may make a melee touch attack that deals 1d6 points of damage per 4 effective Binder levels. The next time the Seiškona of the Iron Bands uses this ability, it instead heals 1d6 points of damage per 4 effective Binder levels. Uses of the ability continue to alternate between healing and harming, resetting with a harmful touch upon re-binding this vestige.
Only Half There: As a swift action, the Seiškona of the Iron Bands may place herself in a balancing point between the mortal planes and the celestial spheres. Until the beginning of her next turn, she has a 50% chance to ignore the harmful effects of any spell, spell-like ability, supernatural ability, extraordinary ability, or attack that would otherwise harm her. In the event that the attack still lands, she takes only half damage, if the effect would deal damage. Once a Seiškona of the Iron Bands has used this ability, she may not use it again for 5 rounds.
Rise of the Waning Gibbous -- 6th level Vestige
Rise of the Waning Gibbous
Granted Abilities: Rise of the Waning Gibbous gives you the fading presence of the waning moon, and weakens those around you as their spirits wane with the lunar sphere.
Fleeting Hope: As the light vanishes, despair creeps in to fill the void. All foes within 50 feet of the the Seiškona of the Iron Bands take a -2 penalty to all d20 rolls.
Life and Light Fade: The fleeting light of the waning moon tugs at the Seiškona's foes, draining them of energy. All foes within 50 feet of the Seiškona of the Iron Bands take a cumulative -1 penalty to all ability scores (reducing them by 1 each to a minimum of 1) each round they remain within the vicinity. Every round outside the area of effect removes 1 point of the penalty.
Vanish from Earth's Sphere: Like the fading moon, the Seiškona of the Iron Bands can completely vanish from the mortal realm. As a swift action, she may become ethereal for up to one round per 2 effective Binder levels. Once a Seiškona of the Iron Bands has used this ability, she may not use it again for 5 rounds.
Rise of the New Moon -- 7th level Vestige
Rise of the New Moon
Granted Abilities: Rise of the New Moon grants you the evasiveness and invisibility of the new moon.
Black Moon in Dark Skies: The Seiškona of the Iron Bands gains the benefits of the invisibility spell (caster level equals her effective Binder level) whenever she stands in less than full illumination. If dispelled (through attacking or a successful dispel magic effect), this ability activates automatically at the beginning of the Seiškona's next turn.
Shadowed Face of the New Moon: As a swift action, a Seiškona of the Iron Bands may activate this ability to conceal her visage from the world. When this ability is in effect, the Seiškona's face becomes completely indecipherable: it is impossible to recall her face, and exceedingly difficult to decipher her expressions. A Seiškona with this ability active gains a +10 circumstance bonus to Bluff checks, and those interacting with her find it impossible to remember her face after a period of five minutes.
Whispers of the Absent Moon: As a standard action, a Seiškona of the Iron Bands may activate this ability to strike a foe momentarily insane with fear. She may target a single creature within 60 feet with this ability, which functions exactly as the spell irresistible dance, although the effect lasts for only 2 rounds and, instead of dancing, the target is reduced to a quivering wreck. Once a Seiškona of the Iron Bands has used this ability, she may not use it again for 5 rounds. This ability is a mind-affecting fear effect.
Rise of the Blood Moon -- 8th level Vestige
Rise of the Blood Moon
Granted Abilities: Rise of the Blood Moon grants you the powers of a vicious hunter and a queen of the Lunar Ravagers.
Bloodlust: Whenever the Seiškona of the Iron Bands deals damage to a foe with a melee weapon, her next strike against that same opponent deals double damage and adds +2 to the critical threat range (after applying all other threat range altering effects).
Blood in the Night: As a swift action, a Seiškona of the Iron Bands can channel the power of the Blood Moon into a single successful sneak attack. The victim of the attack must make a Fortitude save or die instantly: success indicates that the victim suffers damage as normal, except that all sneak attack dice are replaced with d10s. Once the Seiškona of the Iron Bands has used this ability, she may not use it again for 5 rounds.
Dark Hunter: The Seiškona of the Iron Bands gains Sneak Attack (as the Rogue class ability) of 1d6 per three effective binder levels.
Red Moon: As a swift action, the Seiškona of the Iron Bands may activate this ability. When she does so, her skin turns the deep hue of fresh blood, the shadows on her face dance about menacingly, and she brings the fury of the blood moon to bear on all around her. All sentient creatures (except the Seiškona of the Iron Bands) within 60ft must make a Will save at the beginning of every round or be unable to tell friend from foe, randomly attacking the nearest creature in an attempt to slay them as quickly and efficiently as possible. A Seiškona of the Iron Bands may activate or deactivate this ability as a swift action.
PLAYING A SEIŠKONA OF THE IRON BANDS
How to play a Seiškona of the Iron Bands can not be easily explained, as they vary so greatly depending on who their prisoner is. Most are ambitious individuals, and many, if not all, are cold-hearted to at least some degree: the ends usually justify the means for such an individual. Aside from that, the exact lord imprisoned influences the Seiškona's actions in small ways, but that is as much as can be said for the group as a whole.
Combat: Combat for a Seiškona of the Iron Bands varies greatly depending on the lord she has imprisoned. A general guideline is to use your vestige granted powers as frequently as possible, and to keep an eye out for powers that complement each other particularly well. If you are fighting creatures of the Fey type, do not hesitate to wade amongst them and begin utilizing Edict of Iron, as any creature that falls under your spell is another minion to do your bidding, and may well bring potent abilities of its own to your side of the fight.
Advancement: Almost all Seiškona return to the Binder class after having completed their progress through this prestige class. Not doing so is a heavily felt loss, as the highest levels of vestiges are especially potent. Still, a few Seiškona prefer to pick up levels in martial classes to emphasize their combat abilities: the time spent learning to conjure and bind vestiges leaves few, if any, Seiškona with any time to learn the arcane or divine arts.
Resources: A Seiškona of the Iron Bands usually has extensive resources, as many set themselves up as tyrants within the Faewyld, and even those that do not do so often have a retinue of enslaved fae creatures. Their sinister bargaining ability also gives them a number of unwilling allies, although most Seiškona have no more than a few people (if any) who would help them of their own free will.
SEIŠKONA OF THE IRON BANDS IN THE WORLD
"I have been called a monster before, after my kindred's thirsting blades have wrought a slaughter through the mortal world. Perhaps I am. But after these thirty years, I know that whatever horrors I am capable of are nothing...nothing...compared with those inflicted upon me by that terrible being. Even I, the queen of the Blood Moon, must cower at his feet." --Dame Tarrae Mare, speaking of her imprisonment at the hands of Udric Boul
Notables: Almost all Seiškona become legends: there are so few of them, and their powers are so universally noticed and feared that news of an imprisonment tears through the Faewyld like wildfire, often spilling over into the mortal realm. Who exactly the Seiškona is often takes years to discover, but, once a discovery occurs, they are all but assured infamy. One of the most famous of the figures was Udric Boul, a Seiškona of incredibly cruelty. He imprisoned Dame Tarrae Mare for almost thirty years, brought the Blood Moon caste of the lunar ravagers under his tyrannical rule, and led merciless hunting parties through both the mortal and faerie realms until, at a great loss to their number, an assembled legion of Feyblessed Knights and Nightsingers finally succeeded in slaying him after a hunt lasting the better part of five years.
Organizations: Seiškona have no organizations. They may occasionally seize control of a court of faerie, or enslave a troupe of satyrs or similar creatures, but they are such a rare occurrence that organizing is all but impossible, and, to them, often undesirable. The only recorded time that two Seiškona worked in tandem was when Udvar Hett and Lisan Durric manged to seize the lord and lady of the Night Court, and cast eternal darkness upon the faerie realm for one hundred years, until the Sun King and the Summer Prince brought the full force of their mortal progeny into the Faewyld and led the five thousand strong army against the two.
NPC Reaction
Only those willing to accept the eternal enslavement of another creature as an appropriate means of gathering power would willingly associate with a Seiškona of the Iron Bands, unless the Seiškona can somehow convince them that the imprisonment is for the betterment of the world. Even so, most are at least uneasy in a Seiškona's company. Fae creatures almost exclusively hate a Seiškona, although those who completely despised the imprisoned lord might be willing or even eager to assist, if only for their own personal gain. Still, the sheer quantity of power that a Seiškona of the Iron Bands can bring to bear against a fae creature causes most to keep their distance, even if they secretly are pleased by the imprisonment.
SEIŠKONA OF THE IRON BANDS IN THE GAME
A Seiškona of the Iron Bands can bring a variety of new powers to the table, depending on the lord she has imprisoned. It would be impossible to detail in brief all the possible permutations, so a DM is advised to discuss the choice of lord with his or her interested player beforehand, so that both are aware of what is possible. The only thing that is universal is that having a Seiškona of the Iron Bands in the party will make almost every encounter with faerie creatures into a trivial matter.
Adaptation: A Seiškona of the Iron Bands makes an excellent villain for almost any campaign, especially if the optional world effect of the Fae Lord's imprisonment is utilized. In such a case the PCs might be approached by fae creatures striving to free their lord, or come face to face with the Seiškona herself as she attempts to bend the world to her will. The class may also be altered to cover the briefly mentioned Seiškona who bind angels, demons, gods, elemental princes, and similar entities. For use with angels and demons, change anything mentioning the Fey type to Outsider (Good) or Outsider (Evil) respectively, change the damage reduction to X/good or X/evil respectively, and allow Walk the Iron Path to transport the Seiškona of the Iron Bands to the home plane of her prisoner. For gods, elementals, or other powerful beings, the DM should use his or her best judgment when altering these abilities. New vestiges will, of course, be necessary in case of any alteration.
Encounters: Most encounters with a Seiškona of the Iron Bands will be some sort of confrontation, as Seiškona tend to throw their power around if possible. Encountering them alone is rare: most have a retinue of dominated fae around them at all times. Still, some Seiškona prefer a most subtle approach, often posing as benevolent faerie themselves, or as something as simple as an ordinary mage. Some are even more devious: woe betide the individual making a pact with a Seiškona of the Iron Bands without knowing with whom they deal...