[Pirate]Allie Basha and her Forty-Eight Thieves

[The Glyphstone]

Allie Basha and her Forty-Eight Thieves

"I'm going to open up your innards, little sesame!"

Half human, half efreeti, all burning passion and cruelty, Allie Basha is a terror stretching beyond the planes. With her incubus companion and consort beside her, and the crew of her plane-hopping ship Vulcanista, she roams the skies of the Prime Material and the Elemental Plane of Fire in search of plunder to collect and slaves to sell or torture.
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Table of Contents:
-Allie Basha, the Burning Scourge
-First Mate Kanaz'zas
-Allie's Crew

-The Vulcanista
-Cave of the Burning Scourge

-Loot+Booty

-The Tale of Allie Basha

-Designer's Notes

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Allie Basha, the Burning Scourge
Female Half-Fire Elemental Human Swashbucker3/Rogue5/Dishonorable Dread Pirate 7
Size/Type: Medium Outsider (Fire)
Hit Dice: 3d8+5d6+7d8+30
Initiative: +8 (+4 Dex, +4 Imp. Init)
Speed: 40ft.
Armor Class: 27 (+7 armor, +6 Dex, +1 natural, +3 deflection), touch 19, flatfooted 21
Base Attack/Grapple: +13/+17
Attack: +19 melee (1d8+5+1d6 fire/15-20/x2, +1 flaming rapier) or +19 ranged (1d8+1+1d6 fire/19-20/x2, +1 flaming crossbow)
Full Attack: +17/+12 melee (1d8+5+1d6 fire/15-20/x2, +1 flaming rapier) and +12 melee (1d4+4, [i]+1 dagger) or +19 ranged (1d8+2/19-20/x2, +1 flaming crossbow)
Space/Reach: 5ft./5ft.
Special Abilities: Spell-like abilities, Sneak Attack +5d6, Two-Weapon Fighting, Acrobatic Charge, Scourge of the Seas, Insightful Strike, Trapfinding
Special Qualities: Immune to Disease and Fire, Sea(wo)manship, Steady Stance, Fearsome Reputation +4, Grace +1, Evasion, Uncanny Dodge, Trap Sense +1
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +22, Will +11
Abilities: Str 14 (18), Dex 18 (22), Con 16, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 17 (23)
Skills: Appraise +22, Balance +18, Climb +22, Intimidate +28, Jump +22, Knowledge (Arcana)+9, Profession (Sailor) +18, Spellcraft +9, Search +22, Tumble +22, Use Rope +14
Feats: Weapon FinesseB Quickdraw, Improved Initiative, Leadership, Landlord, Iron Will, Improved Critical (Rapier), Appraise Magic Value
Challenge Rating: 18
Possessions: +1 ghost touch flaming rapier, +2 ghost touch dagger, +3 twilight mithril chain shirt of light fortification, Ring of Protection +3, Ring of Greater Cold Resistance, Ring of Blinking, Type VII Necklace of Fireballs, Boots of Striding and Springing, Vest of Resistance +5, Cloak of Charisma +6, Belt of Giant Strength +4, Gloves of Dexterity +4, Hand of Glory, Quiver of Elhonna (20 screaming bolts, 10 adamantine bolts, 10 silver bolts, 10 cold iron bolts), 2 cases with 20 bolts, 2x potion of CMW, Soulguard Pendant, 194 GP
Alignment: Neutral Evil

The massive flying ship has slowed to a crawl above you, but only to discharge a horde of shrieking, bloodthirsty bandits and murderers. At the head of them all is a tall, immensely attractive woman, her flowing red hair trailing smoke and licks of flame as she brandishes a fiery sword in your direction.

Allie Basha is the undisputed leader of her crew, leading them on brutal raids into the Prime Material Plane. Though her fiery temper can get the best of her sometimes, her unnatural intellect serves to ensure that they always escape with the choicest of prizes, and few survivors beyond those they allow to escape.

Combat:
When the ship is performing strafing runs from above, Allie's preferred spot is in the bow of the ship, directly above the figurehead. There, she launches screaming bolts from her enchanted crossbow, setting flammable targets alight and contributing to the chaos and confusion. During a "boarding action" on the surface, or in the rare cases the Vulcanista must be defended from enemies with flight of their own, Allie wades into battle with her rapier and dagger, hurling curses and fire magic with equal abandon to terrify opponents towards submission.

Acrobatic Charge: Allie Basha can charge over difficult terrain that would normally slow movement, or through squares occupied by allies blocking her path. Depending on the circumstances and terrain in question, this may require a skill check such as Climb, Jump, Balance, and/or Use Rope.

Scourge of the Seas: When Allie Basha uses Intimidate to demoralize foes, it affects all enemies within 30ft. who can see and hear her, and the effect lasts for 5 rounds. Multiple uses of the ability do not stack.

Insightful Strike: Allie adds an additional +4 damage when striking with her rapier or dagger against any opponent not immune to critical hits or sneak attacks.

Trapfinding: Allie Basha can use the Search skill to find traps with a DC higher than 20, along with magical traps.

Sea(wo)manship: Allie adds a +7 insight bonus to all Profession (Sailor) skill checks she makes. Allies and crew within sight of her add a +3 insight bonus to all Profession (Sailor) skill checks instead.

Steady Stance: Allie Basha is never considered flat-footed while balancing or climbing, and gains a +7 bonus on any Balance or Climb check to remain balancing or climbing while taking damage.

Fearsome Reputation: Allie gains a +4 circumstance bonus on Intimidate checks. This ceases to apply if she is in disguise, or otherwise unable to take advantage of her reputation.
Grace: Allie Basha has a +1 competence bonus on Reflex saves. This ceases to apply when wearing medium or heavy armor.

Evasion: If Allie Basha passes her Reflex save against an attack that normally does half damage on a successful save, she takes no damage instead. This ceases to function in medium or heavy armor, and when Allie is helpless.

Uncanny Dodge: Allie retains her Dexterity bonus to AC even when flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. She still loses her Dexterity bonus to DC if immobilized or helpless.

Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day - Burning Hands (Reflex DC16 half), Produce Flame, Flaming Sphere (Reflex DC17 negates), Wall of Fire, Fire Shield, Fire Seeds (Reflex DC21 half, see text), Firestorm (Reflex DC23 half). CL15th. Save DC's are Charisma-based.

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Kanaz'zas the Incubus
Male Outsider (Chaotic, Extraplanar, Evil)
Hit Dice: 6d8+6 (33 HP)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30ft., fly 50ft. (average)
Armor Class: 26 (+6 armor, +1 Dex, +9 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 25
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+8
Attack: Claw +9 melee (1d6+3)
Full Attack: 2 Claws +9 melee (1d6+3)
Space/Reach: 5ft./5ft.
Special Abilities: Energy Drain, Spell-like Abilities, Summon Demon
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/cold iron or good, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to electricity and poison, resistance to acid 10, cold 10, and fire 10, spell resistance 18, telepathy 100 ft., tongues
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +9, Will +10
Abilities: Str 13 (15), Dex 13, Con 13, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 26 (28)
Skills: Bluff +20, Concentration +10, Diplomacy +13, Disguise +18* (+20 acting), Escape Artist +8, Hide +8, Intimidate +20, Knowledge (any one) +12, Listen +19, Move Silently +8, Search +12, Spot +19, Survival +2 (+4 following tracks), Use Rope +1 (+3 with bindings)
Feats: Dodge, Mobility, Persuasive
Challenge Rating: 7
Possessions: +2 Chain Shirt, Amulet of Mighty Fists +1, Gauntlets of Ogre Power, Cloak of Charisma +2, Vest of Resistance +3
Alignment: Chaotic Evil

As the tide of rampaging buccaneers crashes forward, you catch sight of a rather odd man moving calmly amongst them and carrying no weapons at all. He catches your eye from a distance and beckons, and you are abruptly seized with an impulse to ignore the fighting and go to him...

Kanaz'zas is Allie's cohort, consort, and companion, as well as the first mate of the Vulcanista. His preferred appearance is that of a tall, muscular human male, dressing in breeches and a loose vest. Outside of a shapechange, he looks much the same, but with the addition of a curling tail and a pair of bat-like wings.

Combat:
No braver than the norm for his kind, Kanaz'zas prefers to observe the battle from somewhere safe, using his charming abilities to wreak havoc by proxy. If forced into melee, his magically enhanced claws can be quite dangerous, but more often than not, he will instead teleport to Allie' side to "defend" her (more accurately, the other way round).

Energy Drain: A kiss from Kanaz'zas bestows one negative level (Fortitude DC22 negates), along with a suggestion to accept another kiss (Will DC22 negates). Kanaz'zas usually saves his kisses for Allie, warded as she is by her soulguard pendant, but is not above snacking on the life-force of an attractive captive after a raid - out of Allie's sight, of course.

Spell-Like Abilities: At will—charm monster (DC 23), detect good, detect thoughts (DC 21), ethereal jaunt (self plus 50 pounds of objects only), suggestion (DC 22), greater teleport (self plus 50 pounds of objects only). Caster level 12th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

Summon Demon (Sp): Once per day Kanaz'zas can attempt to summon 1 vrock with a 30% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 3rd-level spell.

Change Shape (Su): Kanaz'zas can assume the form of any Small or Medium humanoid. His preferred shape is described above.

Tongues (Su): Kanaz'zas has a permanent tongues ability (as the spell, caster level 12th).

*If using his Change Shape ability, Kanaz'zas recieves a +10 bonus on Disguise checks.

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The Crew
Allie has at her command just under fifty ruthless killers and pirates, but the Vulcanista crews only 20. The remaining pirates stay on the Elemental Plane of Fire, in the protected cavern fortress. There, they drink, gamble, and drink some more to pass the time, when they're not counting loot or tormenting whatever prisoners they have in the cells. Allie is well aware of the danger of disgruntled pirates, and makes sure to keep the crew rotated frequently, so that everyone gets their chance to pillage the Prime. She rules with an adamantine fist, but they don't particularly mind - it's a decent life, if a hot one, and the pay is good.

Roster of Villains
-Quartermaster Balkroc (Fire Hobgoblin Scout 3): Crude, cruel, and crass, Balkroc is everything Allie looks for in a second lieutenant. The former leader of a nomadic, desert-dwelling hobgoblin tribe, he signed on to Allie's crew on the spot after coming across the Vulcanista cleaning up from raiding an oasis camp, and has served her loyally ever since.

-Braniac (Blue Psion[Telepath] 3): Braniac is one sorry little creature - weak and cowardly even for a Blue (not known for their courage, or that of ordinary goblins). Originally a captured slave, destined for sale as an oddity in the markets of the City of Brass or Dis, he mind-controlled the pirate guarding his cell into opening it - Braniac actually made it as far as the central area before he was recaptured. For any normal prisoner, that would be death, but Allie saw unusual potential in the diminuitive psion, and decided to keep him. Now, Braniac serves as the pirate queen's telepathic questioner and occasional torture assistant, bullied and knocked about by the larger pirates too drunk to be scared of his power.

-Scurvy+Curvy - Human Experts 2: The pair of galley cooks nicknamed Scurvy and Curvy are fraternal twins, two of the rare survivors from the original group of recruits to Allie's crew. They are both a little slow, though good-hearted, and surprisingly good cooks. Scurvy gets his nickname from his fixation on supplying the pirates with plenty of vegetables, which he considers crucial to their health. Curvy's nickname is easy to decipher - plump and well-rounded, she can certainly handle herself, dealing out brutal raps with a metal ladle to any pirate who gets ahead of himself.

-Silent Sam (Half-Elf Monk 2): Sam is an enigma amongst the crew, because no one can quite remember exactly where he came from. Aside from him, only Allie knows for certain, and she hasn't shared it. In Sam's case, he can't share it - he's tongueless and mute, and has been for as long as anyone can remember. New members of the crew, thinking they've found a cripple to vent their boredom on, usually learn their lesson after the first few broken bones. If they haven't, that means they're dead. Sam may be quiet, but he is a merciless killer with both his hands and the pair of richly decorated kukris he carries underneath his robes.

-Klara Goftsdottr (Human Barbarian 2): No one messes with Klara Goftsdottr. She was the first woman to join Allie's crew, other than Allie herself, signing on during a resupply excursion in a remote buccaneer's refuge. A group of the crew members decided to take advantage of the new female presence in their midst - it took the direct intervention of both Allie and Kanaz'Zas to prevent Klara from mowing down the rest of the Vulcanista's crew, after she finished dismembering the corpses of her would-be rapists. After that little incident, the other pirates learned to keep their distance, scrupulously avoiding anything that might trigger a reaction from Klara, and she has become someone of a leader amongst the handful of other women under Allie's command - they can and do conduct the occasional affair with one pirate or another, but the threat of Klara's wrath wards off anyone who might look for something he was not invited to.

-The Rest (Assorted Races/Class 1): Allie's crew is varied and diverse, both in species and vocation. Roughly half are human of some degree or another, since she prefers minons sharing her own ancestry. The next most populous groups are the gnomes and halflings, with elves, dwarves, orcs, and a smattering of more exotic creatures making up the rest. Most are fighters or rogues, but there are a couple of sorcerers and clerics of various faiths amongst the human contingent. The vast majority of the crew is male, with only five women aside from Klara Goftsdottr, Curvy, and Allie herself, and they have formed their own inter-racial clique under Klara's baleful eye to counteract the seven-to-one advantage the men have in numbers. On occasion, one or another will dally with a male crewmember, but for the most part they keep to themselves, both the men and women releasing their tensions with hired prostitutes during "shore leave".

[The Glyphstone]

The Vulcanista

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Stats
Stronghold Size: Very Small (5 stronghold spaces)
Dimensions: 80ft x20ft x10ft. plus masts+sails

Material: Magically Treated Living Wood
AC: -3 (-5 Dex, -8 size)
Hardness: 10
HP/segment: 120 (recovers 1 hp/round)
Protections: Immune to fire damage, warded vs. Disintegrate

Mobility: Flying, Inner Plane Linked
Speed:
W/O gust of wind active ("docking thrusters") - 0.01 feet/round, 1/96 miles/hour, 1/4 miles/day
W/ gust of wind active ("standard speed") - 15ft./round, 2 miles/hour, 48 miles/day
Special: Greater Planeshift to and from Allie Basha's base on the Elemental Plane of Fire 2/day.

Components (5):
2x Barracks, 1x Basic Bedroom Suite, 2x Common Area.
Augmentations (5): 5x Zone of Elemental Immunity, 5x Spiderwalk walls (exterior), 5x Magically Treated walls
Special: Permanent, suppressible, directional gust of wind effect on sails; continuous Greater Spell Immunity effect vs. Disintegrate.

The Vulcanista is Allie's pride and joy, a priceless creation of wood, iron, and magic. Its construction was funded by the Grand Sultan himself, who has since earned back his initial investment many times over. Some thirty feet wide, and close to three times that in length, its dimensions are roughly the same as a waterbound vessel of its class. The interior is minimal, fitting only a cramped bunkroom, a space for ammunition and loot storage, and a private room for Allie and Kanaz'zas.

But where the average pirate is confined to the ground or ocean, the Vulcanista plies the skies. A permanent Gust of Wind, directed by the movement of the ships' wheel and suppressible on Allie's command, steers the ship at a respectible pace in pursuit of grounded prey. When the sails are limp, the ship is practically immobile, though capable of adjusting its position at a snail's pace - typically only employed when docking, as it would require a complete dismantlement of the entire ship to disable the Gust that drives it. However, the Vulcanista's movement is not confined to the skies of the Prime Material, but is spelled with a link to Allie's base on the Elemental Plane of Fire, and warded against the dangers of that fiery place. This accounts for a great deal of her success as a ravager, since she can transit wherever she likes directly from the Elemental to the Prime, and return at will back to where she started, both in space of a few seconds - the perfect hit-and-run maneuver, as few enemies are capable of pursuing such a force between planar boundaries.

When making such a raid, the ship's most common tactic is to dive over its target, strafing them with crossbow and arrow shots from the crew as the banks of havoc cannons on either side rain down alchemical death. In the case of a densely built area, or anywhere else that this tactic would be inappropriate, it disgorges all but a skeleton crew to pillage on foot, Allie in the lead. She relishes the fight, and will happily engage the rare worthy opponent they encounter, but is not foolish enough to risk her life for any reason.

When the opposition is sufficiently subdued, it switches to maneuvering power and descends to ground level, to load aboard the plunder and the survivors destined for the slave markets. Once everything of value is secured or beaten unconscious, it lifts off and returns to the Elemental Plane of Fire before any nearby foes can regroup and counterattack. After a successful raid, treasure is stored in the vault underground, and prisoners in the cell block, both awaiting the next trip to the City of Brass or Dis in Baator for trade and sale.

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Cave of the Burning Scourge

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Stats
Stronghold Size: Average (13 stronghold spaces)

Material: Hewn Stone
AC: Stationary Target
Hardness: 8
HP/segment: 540
Protections: Immune to fire damage

Mobility: None
Speed: None

Components (12):
3x Barracks, 1x Fancy Bedroom Suite, 1x Common Area, 1x Fancy Throne Room, 1x Torture Chamber, 1x Basic Kitchen, 1x Basic Armory, 2x Storage Area, 1x Basic Dock.
Augmentations (5): 12x Zone of Elemental Immunity, 2x Antimagic Space


Secreted beneath a mountain of hardened lava on the Elemental Plane of Fire, the Cave of the Burning Scourge is where Allie and her crew rest+relax in between excursions. It is hidden completely underground - the only opening to the outside is that of the cave where Allie docks the Vulcanista, and that is covered by an illusory wall. The next level down is modest, but sufficient. Leaving the entrance hall to the north passes the kitchen and the armory, arriving at the sleeping quarters with their triple-layered bunk beds capable of supporting Allie's entire host.

Opposite that is the tunnel that leads to Allie's "throne room", where she relaxes during the day and recieves any visitors that aren't captive slaves. Expensive tapestries line the walls, interspersed with everburning torches. The various hallways are likewise lined with heatless flames for light. Exiting the room finds another passage that leads to Allie's personal chambers, where she and Kanaz'Zas stay. This passage branches off to provide a shortcut to the prison block and the torture chamber, in case Allie gets bored during a rest stop, and the secret door to the treasure vault is along the opposite wall.

The chamber itself is well stocked with everything that would be expected of such a place. Farther along that passage are the four prison cells, each capable of holding six prisoners bound in iron manacles under a constant antimagic field. This area will be empty unless the Vulcanista has recently returned from a raid - Allie prefers a short turnaround time between capture and sale in the slave markets.

The treasure vault, behind its secret door, is the next floor down, armored in layers of adamantine to prevent any burrowing intruders from sneaking in. Its contents vary depending on the time elapsed since the last raid, but it can generally be counted on to hold a good supply of valuables (See Loot+Booty, below).

[The Glyphstone]

Loot+Booty

If encountered on the Prime Material Plane, the hold of the Vulcanista will rarely be carrying more loot than appropriate for a CR5 treasure, excepting the crew's personal equipment, and the ammunition for the havoc cannons. Back on the Elemental Plane of Fire, the treasure vault will contain three treasure lots, each with a value of CR10+1d8 - Allie rarely spends her share of the plunder, so it accumulates rapidly, but the portion belonging to the crew that remains is directly and inversely proportional to the time they've had to spend it since the last excursion. The ship, the base, and Allie also carry a handful of specific and unusual magic items, each noted with their likely location.

Havoc Cannon
These destructive siege weapons are a masterful blending of alchemy and magic; Allie saw a prototype for sale when exploring the market in Dis, and recognized great potential in the device. Now, the Vulcanista mounts twelve such cannons, six on either side, and they prove to be a powerful weapon on many raids.

The basic structure of a Havoc Cannon is a large iron cylinder, mounted firmly into a block of wood, with a hinged opening at the back and a trigger mechanism on top. It fires melon-sized ceramic globes, each filled with powerful substances such as alchemist's fire, acid, or liquid lightning, that are loaded through the rear hatch. Magical attraction keeps the spheres inside the chamber regardless of the angle until the firing stud is pressed, at which point a powerful burst of pressure similar to a concentrated gust of wind propels the ball out of its aiming tube towards the target.

An attack from a Havoc Cannon counts as a ranged touch attack using the attack bonus of its gunner, with a range increment of 50ft. and a maximum range of 250ft. Wherever the ball lands, it shatters, dealing 4d6 damage of the appropriate elemental type to the target struck, or the square in which the ball landed. Splash residue from the shell deals 2d6 damage to anyone or anything in an adjacent square to the point of impact, and 1d6 damage to anything beyond that. Shells loaded with alchemist's fire carry the normal dangers of setting a target on fire. A Havoc Cannon requires 1d3 rounds to be reloaded and fired again.

Moderate evocation; CL 14th; Craft Wondrous Item, gust of wind, Alchemy 10 ranks, Craft (Weapon smithing) 8 ranks; Price 35,000 GP; Weight 45 lbs.

Havoc Cannon Ammunition: These large spheres of sturdy pottery are hollow, filled with some manner of dangerous alchemical substance (either alchemist's fire, acid, liquid frost, or liquid lightning). Depending on the contents, it deals the amount of damage indicated above (fire, acid, cold, or electricity, respectively) when fired from a havoc cannon, or dropped from a sufficienct height to shatter it outright. Breaking open a shell in any other manner spills the contents in a smaller area, dealing 1d6 damage in a 5ft. radius. Havoc cannon shells have hardness 5 and 10 HP, and are immune to damage from their own contents.

Prerequisites: Craft (Alchemy) 5 ranks, Craft (Pottery) 5 ranks; Price 75 GP; Weight 5 lbs.

Ring of Fireguarding
These simple ruby rings are handed out to every member of Allie's crew as a simple precaution, to ward them against the hostile nature of the City of Brass or Dis. When worn, they grant their wearer Fire Resistance 1 - little use for casual wear, but just enough to defend against the conditions of those well-heated places.

Weak Abjuration; CL 5th; Forge Ring, resist energy; Price 1,200 GP.

Soulguard Pendant
This enchanted necklace, which Allie wears at all times, is a necessary precaution for anyone with an incubus as a lover. It grants her the protection of a constant Death Ward spell to shield against a kiss from Kanaz'zas, as well as conferring the effects of a sheltered vitality spell.

Moderate necromancy; CL7th; Craft Wondrous Item, death ward, sheltered vitality; 106,500 GP.

Cauldron of Plenty
Pirates are always hungry, and Allie's crew is no exception. When half the crew is away on a voyage, there is little to do but sleep, brawl, and eat. The first can be done anywhere, the second with anyone, and thanks to the Cauldron of Plenty, the last is possible with anything. It sits, firmly anchored, in the corner of the Cave's kitchen, under the watchful eyes of Curvy and Scurvy, and is used to dish out whatever meals a hungry pirate might want. Upon command, the Cauldron fills itself with a healthy, nourishing meal - usually a hearty stew of meat and vegetables, though it is capable of producing anything from pudding to cornbread. Three times per day, it can instead generate a full three-course meal appropriate for a wealthy person.

Strong Conjuration; CL15th; Craft Wondrous Item, Create Food and Water, Hero's Feast; Price 86,279 GP; Weight 80 lbs.

[The Glyphstone]

The Tale of Allie Basha

Hearken now, and listen, for I shall tell you a story. A long, story, both terrible and great, a tale of slavery, love, murder, and destiny. Few have seen her, but many know her name. She is the Burning Scourge, Allie Basha, and this is her story that I tell to you...

The Father

The tale of Allie Basha begins long ago, very long ago, and very, very far away. There was once a mighty efreet, by the name of Ibn Dasai Rathamun al-Fasir, a mid-level amir in the Grand Sultan's court. For centuries, he lived as most efreeti do, scheming and plotting with and against his fellow genies, waging war against the salamander lords and elder elementals.

But there came a day when he shamed the sultan, with a crime listed in no records, that only Rathamun and the Sultan remember - and neither is likely to share the story anytime soon. Regardless, it must have been a terrible offense, for he was punished in the most humiliating, grevious manner possible for the efreet culture to bestow on a deviant. Rathamun al-Fasir was sentenced to a thousand years in a bottle, where he would be bound to obey the commands of whoever released him. At the end of the thousand years, the next person who opened the bottle would be rewarded with three wishes, as was traditional - then he would be free, returned to his place in the court of the Sultan.

And so he went, sealed away in a smoking brass bottle to serve his sentence.

For many centuries, he waited in that bottle, released on occasion by some hero, villain, or simple unfortunate fool that freed him. Most often, it was done to use him in battle, a task he took to with glee. But even for an immortal, a thousand years can be a very long time, and the solitude of waiting in between owners began to take a toll on his mind.

The Mother

Then she came. Nine hundred and ninety-four years, eight months, three weeks, one day, sixteen hours, and thirty-seven minutes into his imprisonment, his bottle was retrieved from the hoard of a elderly green dragon and opened, by a woman, named Allison Opaleyes. She was a powerful warrior and crusader of Heironeous, having quested long in pursuit of the terrible dragon that now lay dead, and she claimed its ill-gotten wealth as her own. Much was donated or dispersed amongst the dragon's victims, but she kept some for herself - notably, Rathamun al-Fasir's brass prison. Allison was an experienced hero, well versed in ancient lore, and she recognized an efreeti bottle when she saw one. Rathamun became of her favored weapons, a sturdy combatant with implacable loyalty, and numerous abilities she did not possess herself to employ in the destruction of evil. For his part, the half-crazed efreet was so relieved to be let out of the bottle once more, that he did not care who his new mistress was or what morals she possessed.

The stalwart heroine employed Al-Fasir's power frequently, freeing him from the confines of the bottle far more than any previous owner, and he grew to enjoy the time spent outside of the bottle, rather than viewing both inside and out of the trap with equal loathing. Furthermore, he also started to enjoy her company during those periods of freedom, and she his - though she was unyielding as iron in the extermination of darkness, Allison did possess a cheerful nature and a surprisingly good wit - on days when there was nothing to hunt or slay, she would sometimes let him out simply to trade riddles and word games, a traditional pastime of all genies. However, she never forgot his evil nature, nor let him forget his existence as a slave. Thus, he remained a tool and servant to her, a partial ally; but on his end, their comeradery slowly began to blossom into infatuation. Ibn Dasai Rathamun Al-Fasir, so long removed from his own people and their culture, had fallen into one of the classic traps of efreeti myth - he had fallen in love with a mortal.

Even worse, he knew that his feelings were not returned in kind - she enjoyed his company, and respected his might, but did not love him. This tormented him, for he could not express his love in any way without risking the destruction of the fragile tie between them. So instead, he suffered silently, maintaining the image of his previous behavior while pining away in the bottle, and counting the months and days remaining till his freedom. After more than five long years in Allison's service, the day arrived when he was finally unbound - but only after he granted her the three wishes required...and he saw in this his opportunity. By the boundaries of the ageless contract that granted him his gifts, he could not grant wishes to himself or another genie - but once released, his power had few boundaries.

The Binding

When she freed him that day, she expected to be matching blades with a local goblin warlord. Never good at hiding her feelings, she was clearly dismayed on Rathamun's announcement that his time of bondage was over, and just as happy by his offer of the three wishes. Her first wish was for the permanent defeat of the warlord and his tribe - Rathamun complied easily, calling on the energies of the earth to collapse the cave where the goblin was hiding out. The second wish was even easier, as she sought release for the families mourning those killed by the goblins - this he granted in the form of diamond dust, enough and in value sufficient to fuel the ressurrection of all five victims. Then came the third wish, and here Rathamun made his move.

Before she could speak another wish, he pleaded with her, reminding her of the years spent in each other's company and the trust they had engendered, not to mention his implacable loyalty above and beyond that required by his curse. He asked her for a gift in return - that she would use her third wish, to grant him a wish of his own. He appealed to her generosity and kindness, and she agreed.

His wish was that she would love him as he did her. It awoke buried feelings inside Allison, amplifying the friendship she felt towards Rathamun into magically compelled love - though she had no knowledge of the difference, or any realization that it was not meant to be this way, such was the power of the spell. He returned to the Elemental Plane of Fire and the Sultan's court, to find his position displaced by other functionaries, his harem dispersed or sold to others. But this did not bother him, for he was finally free, and he had a soulmate to spend many years with. A bargain with a pit fiend, trading away the last of the possessions that remained from his former life, granted his new "wife" a greatly extended lifespan - not immortal, but close to it. With that, Rathamun Al-Fasir began rebuilding his position, restarting the climb up through the ranks of the sultan's court.

Years later, he was once again firmly entrenched in the middle levels of the court, with an solid base of wealth and an appropriately sized harem for one of his rank - though he never lost his love for Allison, now of middle age, wearied by her greatly extended existence, the trials of living in the City of Brass...and the troubles involved in raising a child. She had borne them a daughter, a fiery young girl - quite literally, as her father's elemental heritage manifested quite strongly in the youngling.

The Daughter

The young girl, nameless until she reached maturity, had a hard life growing up in the City of Brass. Though her genie heritage rendered her immune to its natural hazards, there was no shortage of unnatural ones lying in wait - efreeti, more or less powerful than her father, who considered him a fool for dallying with a human woman and saw the fruit of that union as an easy outlet for their displeasure; other half-breeds or full-blooded fire creatures like herself, always on the lookout for an outsider to torment; or simply visitors from other planes like the Abyss or the Nine Hells, seeking a diversion from their duties in the City by engaging in some casual torture or murder of a nameless child. She learned to run, climb, and jump by escaping these tormenters, most notably the child slavers who cared not a copper for her noble blood, if they could get their hands on her. It also installed in her a certain ruthlessness, driving out any sense of empathy she might have otherwise had for those less fortunate.

Her father was delighted - here, his flesh and blood, blossoming into a woman before his very eyes. He could see everything he admired in himself mirrored within her - cunning, tenacity, and ruthlessness. There was also reflected in the child the intelligence and personal magnetism that had drawn him to love her mother in the first place - and best of all, it was pure, untempered by any of the morals or conscience that had limited Allison so. The girl was fiercely charismatic, having gathered around her a collection of the local urchins that had harassed her before and turning them into a gang of sorts, and Rathamun knew that she would be going far indeed.

When the day came that she was officially an adult, Rathamun presented his daughter to the court with pride as was traditional - efreet matured slowly, so the point of adulthood was always a notable time, even though it had taken the girl less than a tenth of the normal timespan. The family had decided on her first name as Allie, (in imitation of her mother, and similar to the efreet word for "noble"), but the last name was always that of the named to select. Before the assembled attendants and the sultan himself she announced her full name to be Allie Ai-Rathamun Basha - Allie, Daughter of Rathamun, the Stranger. Her surname she chose as the result of her upbringing: shape of a human, life of an efreet, with a mind some mixture of the two. She had family and followers, but no friends. In the heavily patriarchal efreet society, she was honored only for her noble blood, and would find no prestige or high rank except as the wife of some other noble...a quite unlikely outcome, thanks to her "tainted" blood. So intead, she left the City of Brass, taking only her loyal gang and her family's blessing (as well as a substantial cash allowance as a parting gift) to seek a fortune on the Prime Material Plane.

The Burning Hounds

Once on the Prime, Allie and her...allies (:))...quickly discovered that like anywhere else in the multiverse, violence was the fastest route to wealth. For a year or so, they traveled about, slaying monsters for their hoarded treasure, looting forgotten tombs, and roughing up travellers they met on the road. Soon, the group turned into an elite mercenary squad under Allie's command, called the Burning Hounds. Allie was no unskilled fighter by this time, nor were any of the surviving members of her band or those that had joined in their stead, so the group quickly became notorious - both for their skill in battle and their ruthless treatment of enemies captured or overrun. But while wars and battles were never in short supply, the Hounds found themselves getting bored with the mercenary life, hearkening back to the early days of freelance adventuring and banditry The Hounds "disbanded" formally, though they remained a unit in practice, and turned their talents towards highway robbery and thievery.

Tales spread through the lands of the band of murderous robbers that answered to a woman with a head of flaming hair, and heroes flocked to eliminate the menace. Little by little, Allie's followers were worn down, till only a handful were left and their bandit career all but ended. She had often spoken with pirates and buccaneers in seaside taverns, and heard tales of the glorious wealth to be found on the open ocean in the holds of fat merchant ships. But water was anathema to her very blood - though it did not possess any truly dangerous qualities, she hated the stuff and never touched it alone; a life spent surrounded by endless gallons of water was unthinkable. Still, she thought long and hard, and finally came up with an idea.

The Vulcanista

Allie returned to the Elemental Plane of Fire, to visit her family again. Word of her exploits had reached the court, such was the power of fear her callous actions had engendered. Her mother was now a shattered recluse, hiding away from the endless and wearing distaste (and more) she faced amongst the efreeti, barely able to manage to see the monster she had given birth to. Her father was delighted at the return visit, though slightly taken aback at the levels of brutality his blood had awoken in her. Even more shocking was her explanation of why she had returned.

She wanted him to have her built a ship. But not just any ship, for she would never travel at the mercy of the ocean - not her. Instead, she dreamed of a vessel that plied the currents of the skies, swooping down on helpless prey and consuming them in fire. Rathamun admired this vision of hers, but knew he could not afford to finance it. In fact, there was only one being in the entire City of Brass - perhaps the entire plane - that could spare the gold needed to create such a vessel. It was sheer coincidence that the sultan, bypassing the normal conventions of society, had summoned her for a meeting that very day.

The Grand Sultan of All the Efreeti had not risen to his lofty position by being stupid, and he recognized in Allie a potentially powerful - yet volatile - tool. In a semi-private conference, attended only by a pair of ogre eununchs, he spoke with the half-blood woman at length, finally offering her a noble title of her own and a ranking position in his armies. This was unprecedented, and against most conventions of the efreeti society, so he was not at all surprised (though rather offended and angered) at her immediate refusal. His displeasure, however, rapidly diminished when she made her counter-offer. The sultan's coffers were near-limitless, with more tax revenues pouring in every day. If he would fund the construction of her planned skyship and a base from which to operate, she could roam the Elemental Plane of Fire and the Prime Material Plane with impunity. She promised a rapid return on his initial investment, assuming she had a suitably skilled crew to accompany her, and a generous percentage of future profits after the initial debt was repaid.

The Burning Scourge

The deal was struck, and the framing of the vessel Allie christened the Vulcanista was completed with all haste, as a hidden fortress for her personal use was carved from the nearby landscape. Meanwhile, the recruitment for those willing to serve under Allie went on, harvesting low-lifes and scoundrels from across the planes. The only survivors of her original "crew" were the two galley cooks, now going by the names of Scurvy and Curvy, but there was no shortage of new hands eager to serve under the infamous Allie Basha. The levels of interest dropped once word of her hair-thin temper, and habit of burning impudent crew members alive, got around, but many were still desperate or greedy enough to risk it. Once among these was an incubus by the name of Kanaz'zas, who signed on to Allie's roster during an early stopoff in the City of Brass. His demonic traits appealed to her, as did his naturally seductive nature - she had taken lovers from her crew in the past, but they had never possessed the stamina or ability to sufficiently please her, so she ended up killing them. But here was someone not only attractive in appearance, but a literal embodiment of lust and also capable of resisting if she was to lose her temper again. He became her second-in-command, and the legend of the Burning Scourge began to spread anew, as Allie and her enchanted ship spread chaos in their hit-and-run attacks all across the Prime.

[The Glyphstone]

Using this section for "Designer's Notes".

Race: Allie is a half-efreeti, but there's no half-efreeti template published. So, instead of hacking together an attempt of my own, I used the Half-Fire Elemental template instead...it fit the imagery very well, had thematically appropriate abilities, and wasn't a crippling LA (She's ECL18 overall, with 15 HD.)

Leadership score: To make the pun work properly, Aliie would need to have 40- followers. Happily, I found a score of 19 would be perfect, so I tweaked her levels and Charisma bonus to equal that. The +2 bonus for having a base of operations (the ship) cancels out the -2 penalties from having killed her followers and moving around a lot, so it's a neutral there. Great Renown's +2 and Cruelty's -2 balance. She gets +1 from having special powers - End result - a +3 Cha bonus is easily achievable without magical items, so Allie will have Cha 16. In the case of her cohort, she takes a -1 overall penalty from a cohort of a different alignment, so he's limited to 12th level - a bog-standard Incubus.

The[i]Vulcanista:From the start, I knew that I wanted Allie's ship to be more than an ordinary vessel. Thus, I delved into my luverly Stronghold Builder's Guidebook, treating the Vulcanista as a very small "stronghold". This necessitated taking the Landlord feat, especially when it evolved into including a permanent home base on the Elemental Plane of Fire.

I knew I wanted it to fly, and gave it the Inner Plane Link ability to transit to the Elemental, but at 15000/stronghold space for each of those, it'd have to be small. I went to the PHB to find the sizes of ships, and lo and behold, the standard 'sailing ship' was between 75 and 90ft long, and 20ft. wide...4 contiguous stronghold spaces landing smack in the middle of those parameters.

At first, I was spending another chunk of cash for a decent mobility (I thought) of 1 mile/hour - roughly 10ft. round, so anyone with Fly would run rings around me. But then I read deeper into the book, and found that a permanent Gust of Wind spell would allow a flying stronghold with sails to move 2 miles/hour in the direction of the gust. Slap a suppressible, directable GoW spell on my sails, and I saved about 30,000 GP.

The Stats for the Vulcanista may appear confusing to anyone who doesn't own the Stronghold Builder's Guidebook, but a lot of it is unnecessary, just construction parts. The important data is the mobility functions and its AC/Hardness/HP, as well as the crew's stats.

Non-SRD Material: Sadly, I've realized that in the process of building the character, I've deviated a bit from the preferred Core-Only doctrine - but will do my best to explain everything not found in the SRD without breaking copyright.

Half-Fire Elemental Template: Retrieved off CrystalKeep, out of Manual of the Planes. Self-explanatory...gets minor stat boots, the Fire subtype, and some fiery spell-like abilities based on HD.

Swashbuckler: A martial class from Complete Warrior, epitomizing the agile+dextrous duelist, and very limited outside of light armor. Insightful Strike, at 3rd level, adds the Int modifier to damage against anything that's not sneak-attack-proof (though it doesn't require flanking/surprise).

Dread Pirate: A PrC out of Complete Adventurer - it's...well, a pirate! Gets varying bonuses depending on whether you cultivate an honorable, fair reputation or a bloodthirsty, dishonorable one.

Landlord: A feat from the Stronghold Builder's Guidebook, it gives you a special cash allowance to contribute to the costs of your "fortress" (in my case, a flying, planeshifting ship).

Appraise Magic Value: A feat from Complete Adventurer, it allows you to mimic the effects of an Identify spell with a successful Appraise check and some low-cost materials.

[Carmichael]

Yay for puns and female empowerment?

[Draz74]

And subliminal pre-messages? ::)

[The Glyphstone]

Mwaahahahaha.

As an aside note, I've started really working on this - the stat block for Allie Basha herself is up for viewing, along with a map of her flying, planeshifting ship, the Vulcanista!

Sept. 17th update: Allie's stat block is complete, along with that of her Incubus buddy Kanaz'zas. Plus, more data on the Vulcanista, with commentary in the Designer's Notes section!

[Pyrognome]

Nice. I really like how you used the Stronghold Builder's Guidebook to make the ship. I hadn't thought of that idea...

[Emperor Tippy]

Nice entry Glyph.

OT:^ I should show you the weapons that I have used that thing to make. Including an airforce.

[The Glyphstone]

Thanks.

Okay, entry is mostly done - keep watching, as I'm continuing to fill in the (already waaaay to verbose) backstory. Critiques, please ;D - I have a week left to flesh it out/fix any problems. I've also commissioned a very talented artist to draw me a semi-realistic portrait of Allie, so keep your eyes peeled for that (er, eye, and eyepatch:)).

EDIT: Righto, that's all he wrote. ;) I may thrown in an adventure hook or two - though that will be difficult, I have a tendency to power-creep my NPCs - few games are around the ECL15-18th level needed to match up in a full-on encounter against the Vulcanista or its fiery mistress.