Mummy's Mask (OOC)

[JWallyR]

Edited post for Lehasti Gesmeha, Paladin of Sarenrae. Per our discussion elsewhere, her parents (Qelifa (mother) and Huushmad (father)) are currently down-on-their-luck merchants stuck in Wati until they are able to finance the next leg of their merchant travels, likely through Lehasti paying back their poorly-timed purchase of a wand of Cure Light Wounds.

Lehasti Gesmeha

High Concept (the character's role-playing concept summed up in a short phrase)
Fiery Redeemer of Sarenrae!
Lehasti is an impetuous young woman whose eyes are lit with a zest for life! While not overbearing or aggressive, she is vocal about the tenets of Sarenrae, and quick both to forgive and to forcibly "redeem" those who make their unrepentant wickedness known. Quick to laugh and quicker still to throw herself into harm's way to protect the innocent (or just to prove her fervor), she seeks to live out the Dawnflower's radiant glory among the people!

Trouble (how the DM can torture this character that I, as a player, will enjoy)
Trusting and Reckless
As with all paladins, Lehasti is motivated by a number of convictions; among them that her life is not her own, but is a sacred trust with which she is endowed to work for the good of others. Her comparative disregard for her personal safety is further fueled by the formative experience that drove her into the church of Sarenrae, and while not precisely foolhardy, she is more aggressive in the pursuit of evil than many would deem prudent. In addition, the personal experience of her miraculous resurrection has made so personal her relationship with her deity that she finds it almost impossible to conceive that others might not be so grounded in the truth as to be lying...

From where do I come?
On the Road Again
As a child, Lehasti was not particularly remarkable. While good-natured, strong and sturdy, her personality was tempered by the realities of life as the child of a merchant family; always on the road, moving from city to city following the winds of trade. While not rich, her family was certainly not poor; while not subject to the rabid anti-religiosity of the Rahadoumites, neither were they particularly religious. As she grew into her teenage years, Lehasti was introduced to the ways of arbitrage and dealing, but she yearned for an existence above and beyond the mundanities of trade and travel, travel and trade.

What inspired me to be an adventurer?
Glorious Purpose
Several days' travel out of the city, the family caravan was passing through the desert. Spotting signs of water nearby, Lehasti shouted out to her parents, and before they could warn her of the first signs of an impending sandstorm she had taken off at the excuse to ride a little harder and feel the wind blowing her hair. Suddenly the storm was upon her, and although she tried to locate her family, her horse lost its footing and tumbled, and off it went into the wilds. Unknowing that she had managed to reach the path mere hundreds of feet ahead of the circled wagons of her family, she pushed on until at last strength had left her.
Just before dawn when the storm had passed, her family broke camp and made to search for her, and the first runner returned almost before the echoes of his hoofbeats had died with Lehasti's motionless form strapped to his horse. The sudden wails of her parents split the morning stillness, and as her mother clutched her daughter to her breast, the sun crested over the dunes. The morn's first light seemed to fall heavily upon them, and a sudden wave of wind (lacking the gritty teeth of the night before) blew Lehasti's long hair around the two women, and breath returned to her! Claiming to have seen visions of a bronze-skinned woman caressing and somehow healing her sand-scarred skin with her fiery hair, Lehasti would not rest until they reached a temple of Sarenrae, where she pledged herself to be a living emblem of the glory of the Dawnflower.

Spoiler: Hook, Complication and Resolution

Show

New Kid in Town (Story Title)
Fresh from her training, news reached Lehasti of the opening of the tombs of Wati. Seeing this as a perfect opportunity to glorify Sarenrae in bringing life back to the parts of the city relinquished to the grasp of death, she left on the first caravan out, arriving in the city with her arms and her good name, and little else. While no stranger to the sights and sounds of commercial districts, the freedom to wander the roads seized her attention, and she found herself walking along a canal in the Veins. As she turned a corner, she came upon a man shouting, Adventurer wanted to explore the tombs! Well-armed and strong! Having not considered the need for a party, Lehasti rushed to the man, eagerly giving voice to her zeal! Right this way, young woman! I'm sure we can use your... skills! Unfortunately, she didn't see the wicked grin that split the man's face as he turned away to lead her down to an unremarkable side alley...

Been the Victim Before
Right before Lehasti enters the alley an unusually pale man says a little too loudly, "They tried to pull this trick on me last week - if you go in that alley they are likely to jump you." The man is dressed in a large, heavy robe with the hood covering much of his head and he seems to be deliberately looking past everyone and not making eye contact with anyone. "You could probably handle a few of them, but at best you will walk away with some injuries. They aren't nice people and have no interest in exploring the tombs..." as he is speaking one of the nearby crowd steps forward and gets in his face, which immediately makes him lurch awkwardly back in discomfort. "Shut your damned mouth, you creep! Just because you could freak your way out of there last week doesn't mean you will get out this time!" the con-man yells, pushing the smaller man towards the alley roughly causing him and Lehasti to bump into each other. "Besides, we have more people this time - you won't get away so easily, even with two of you!"

Bonk
Just as the two of them get roughly shoved into the alley-way, the con-man nearest the road goes crosseyed and falls to the ground. Suddenly, the forces propelling them towards the alley diminish, and in the vacancy, they see a stunningly wide half-orc woman. With a slightly-lopsided and overly toothy grin, she hefts what appears to be a heavy, ornate wooden staff and slams it into the head of another one of the thugs. "Come on, then! What's three, when you're ready for two, eh?!" The half-orc's eyes widen as she looks past the pair of unlucky victims. "Erm. There's quite a few of them, back there. MOVE!" She grabs the hands of the man and woman, and helps them regain their balance as they move towards the street. Tossing the staff aside, she yells behind her "Sorry about the damage!" As if to punctuate her statement, she topples a nearby cart in front of the alley-way. "That should hold them; follow me!"

A few short minutes later, it becomes apparent that they're no longer being followed. Smiling her toothy grin, the half-orc extends a hand in greeting. "Name's Grekka Cailean. I'd avoid that particular block, unless you care to be recruited again. It's one of many unpleasant little districts about Wati. Though, you're eager to help clear out the necropolis? There's someone I'd like you to meet." She lifts her hands, making it clear that she intends no threat. "That is, assuming you trust me to not jump you!" Grinning, she laughs aloud before turning the unlikely trio down a side street and towards the Pharasmin cathedral.