[Hourglass of Zihaja] Chapter 10: Adventuring

[Zeta Kai]

Captain Raza, Commander of the Corsairs

Quotes

• “To arms, men! Tonight, we drink to the fallen!”
• “What are you lookin’ at? Huh?!”
• “That’ll be worth five lashes. You know the rules.”
• “Oh, ho! Looks like we’ve got ourselves a fat haul, men.”

Background
Raza has been serving on sailing vessels since he was a child, when the industry was in its relative infancy. He started as a lowly swabbie, working his way up to a deck hand, then a boatswain, then a first mate, & finally a captain of his own ship, the Deeper Wound. He is now the master of a hidden pirate village, Underdock, which as the name suggests is accessible to low-slung boats via an entrance beneath the docks when tides are low. It is located on a tiny island off the Lisan Coast, & is the home base of the Corsairs, a ragtag pirate cartel hailing from somewhere in the western seas.

Personality
Raza is usually quite drunk, claiming that it keeps him brave. This may indeed be true, as he is seemingly fearless in battle, often charging into melee against overwhelming odds. Among his crew he is violent & strict, but fair, & even generous if a raid is rather lucrative. He is feared & respected by the people under his command, but he is close to no one, preferring to maintain a professional distance from subordinates, who may be killed at any time in their hazardous vocation. He has a special hatred for lizardfolk, but other than that, he is not particularly racist.

Appearance
Raza’s clothes are disheveled, & his large captain’s hat is well-worn & ill-fitting, falling off often. His eyes are heavy-lidded, as if he has slept poorly as of late. Short even for his race, he usually rides on the shoulders of his first mate, & often uses step stools get onto tables or access the steering wheel.

Goals
Raza & his Corsairs prey on the treasure-laden sailing vessels traveling along the Lisan Coast. They have staged several raids on the city-state of Luardo in particular, which have been especially profitable. He has no overarching plan, other than to get rich committing acts of piracy. He seems to genuinely enjoy the life of a pirate: sailing the open sea, raiding settlements, commanding the Corsairs, & fomenting chaos in his wake.

Combat Tactics
As said before, Raza is without fear when it comes to combat. He will usually open combat with his crossbow, but will switch to his scimitar if there are any lizardfolk to fight. He is fond of using his crossbow in melee, & will only use his scimitar (assuming that there are no lizardfolk around) if he cannot reload his crossbow in the thick of the fight. He orders his Corsairs to fight strategically, sending them to flanking positions so that he can employ sneak attacks. He will even use his companion, Prince Halal the squid, to grapple foes so he can shoot them with relative impunity. Needless to say, he doesn’t mind fighting dirty, & in fact he enjoys it.

3E Stats

Spoiler

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RACE: Kobold (Hijra) male
CLASS: Ranger 6/Rogue 5
ALIGNMENT: Neutral Evil
DEITY: None (Atheist)
SIZE: Small
AGE: 32 (born 323 AF)
HEIGHT: 2’6”
WEIGHT: 44 lbs.
EYES: Green
HAIR: N/A (Ochre scales)
LANGUAGES: Common & Alhaggi
HIT DICE: 8+5d8+5d6+11 (59HP)
INITIATIVE: +8
SPEED: 60’
ARMOR CLASS: 22 (+1 size, +4 Dex, +5 armor, +2 shield); touch 12; flat-footed 18
BASE ATTACK BONUS: +9
GRAPPLE BONUS: +6
ATTACK: +14 Keen Seeking Heavy Crossbow (1d8+4, 19-20/×2, 120’ range increment, piercing) or +11 Bane (Lizardfolk) Scimitar (1d4+1, 18-20/×2, slashing)
FULL ATTACK: +14/+9/+4 Keen Seeking Heavy Crossbow (1d8+4, 19-20/×2, 120’ range increment, piercing) or +11/+6/+1 Bane (Lizardfolk) Scimitar (1d4+1, 18-20/×2, slashing)
SPACE/REACH: 5’/5’
SAVING THROWS: Fortitude +7, Reflex +13, Will +5
ABILITIES:

• Strength 12 (+1)
• Dexterity 19 (+4)
• Constitution 12 (+1)
• Intelligence 10 (+0)
• Wisdom 16 (+3)
• Charisma 10 (+0)

SKILLS: 94 points

• Appraise +9
• Balance +7
• Bluff +14
• Hide +13
• Intimidate +5
• Knowledge (Nature) +7
• Listen +10
• Sleight of Hand +9
• Spot +17
• Survival +16
• Tumble +20
• Use Rope +7

FEATS: Endurance (bonus), Improved Critical (crossbow), Improved Initiative, Point Blank Shot, Stalking Panther (all techniques)**, Track (bonus)
WEAPON:

• +1 Keen Seeking Heavy Crossbow (18,350gp, 1d8+4, 19-20/×2, 120’ range increment, 4 lbs., piercing)
• +1 Bane (Lizardfolk) Scimitar (8,315gp, 1d4+1, 18-20/×2, 2 lbs., slashing)

ARMOR:

• +2 Shadow Studded Leather (7,925gp, +5, maximum dexterity bonus +5, check penalty --0, 15% AFC, speed 30’, 10lbs.)
• Arrow Catching Buckler (4,165gp, +2, check penalty 0, 5% ACF, 2½ lbs.)

EQUIPMENT:

• 3,885gp
• Adimas Loop (3,200gp)**
• Boots of Swiftness (9,600gp)**
• 100 Crossbow Bolts (10gp)
• Gloves of Dexterity +2 (4,000gp)
• Oil of greater magic weapon +4 (2,400gp)
• 2 Potions of cure moderate wounds (600gp)
• Potion of cure serious wounds (750gp)
• Ring of Swimming (2,500gp)

SPELLS: 2 (Caster Level 3rd, save DC13 + spell level)
RACIAL FEATURES: Darkvision 60’
CLASS FEATURES:

• Favored Enemy (Lizardfolk): +4.
• Wild Empathy.
• Combat Style (Archery).
• Improved Combat Style (Archery).
• Sneak Attack: +3d6.
• Trapfinding.
• Evasion.
• Trap Sense +1.
• Uncanny Dodge.

ANIMAL COMPANION: Prince Halal, a squid (5HD, 22HP, AC19 (+4 Dexterity, +5 Natural Armor), BAB+3, Arms +5 melee (0) & Bite +0 melee (1d6+1), Fortitude +4, Reflex +8, Will +2, Intelligence 1 (-5), Evasion, Improved Grab, Link, Share Spells, Trick: Attack, Trick: Come, Inkcloud, Jet, Low-Light Vision, Alertness, Endurance).