Slikrik Veymire - Dreamwater Syndicate Boss and Rogue

Slikrik Veymire, Dreamwater Syndicate Boss

Male Swamp Goblin Rogue 7

Small Humanoid (Goblinoid)

Hit Dice: 7d6+7 (31 hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 30 ft.
Armor Class: 19 (+1 size, +5 Dex, +3 armor), touch 16, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/-1
Attack: +1 poisoned short sword +11 melee (1d4+1/19-20 plus poison) or masterwork hand crossbow +11 ranged (1d3/19-20 plus poison)
Full Attack: +1 poisoned short sword +11 melee (1d4+1/19-20 plus poison) and dagger +6 melee (1d3/19-20) or masterwork hand crossbow +11 ranged (1d3/19-20 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Sneak attack +4d6, poison use, Dreamwater mastery
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., evasion, trapfinding, trap sense +2, uncanny dodge
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +10, Will +2
Abilities: Str 8, Dex 20, Con 12, Int 15, Wis 11, Cha 14
Skills: Appraise +7, Balance +15, Bluff +15, Climb +5, Diplomacy +6, Disable Device +14, Escape Artist +17, Gather Information +14, Hide +21, Intimidate +10, Listen +8, Move Silently +19, Open Lock +17, Search +12, Sense Motive +8, Sleight of Hand +15, Spot +8, Swim +9, Tumble +17, Use Rope +11
Feats: Weapon Finesse, Skill Focus (Bluff), Stealthy
Environment: Warm marshes, blackwater cities, and flooded bayous
Organization: Solitary, entourage (Slikrik plus 2-6 rogues and 1-3 alchemists), or syndicate cell (Slikrik plus 10-40 goblins, rogues, smugglers, addicts, and swamp mercenaries)
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: Double standard plus Dreamwater stockpiles
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: —

Languages: Goblin, Common, Marsh Cant, Draconic

Poison Use (Ex): Slikrik never risks accidentally poisoning himself when applying poison to a weapon.

Sneak Attack (Ex): Slikrik deals an extra +4d6 points of damage against opponents denied their Dexterity bonus to AC or whom he flanks.

Dreamwater Mastery (Ex): Years of repeated exposure to refined Dreamwater Distillate have rendered Slikrik partially resistant to its effects. He gains a +4 racial bonus on saves against hallucination-inducing poisons, drugs, and magical effects. In addition, any poison applied by Slikrik has its save DC increased by +1 due to his specialized refinement techniques.

Trapfinding (Ex): Slikrik may use the Search skill to locate traps with a DC higher than 20 and may use Disable Device to disarm magical traps.

Evasion (Ex): If exposed to any effect that normally allows a Reflex save for half damage, Slikrik takes no damage on a successful saving throw.

Trap Sense (Ex): Slikrik gains a +2 bonus on Reflex saves and Armor Class against traps.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Slikrik retains his Dexterity bonus to AC even when caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker.

Possessions: +1 studded leather armor dyed swamp green, +1 short sword, masterwork hand crossbow, 20 poisoned crossbow bolts, 4 vials of Dreamwater Distillate, 3 doses of giant wasp poison, waterproof alchemist’s kit, marsh camouflage cloak decorated with reeds and dead flowers, silver tooth caps, hidden lockbox keys, waterproof drug ledgers, potion of invisibility, smokesticks (4), tanglefoot bags (2), 230 gp, assorted swamp jewelry.

Physical Description

Slikrik Veymire is a wiry, deeply unpleasant specimen of swamp goblin standing barely three and a half feet tall and weighing perhaps fifty pounds soaked through. His skin is a dark moss-green mottled with irregular patches of algae-yellow discoloration, while his greasy black-green hair hangs in damp strands around a long rodent-like face perpetually stretched into a knowing grin. His eyes are particularly unsettling - a vivid amber-yellow with permanently dilated pupils from years of Dreamwater exposure, giving him the appearance of an animal perpetually lurking in torchlight.

Unlike most goblins who dress in crude practicality, Slikrik possesses a warped sense of vanity. He wears tailored swamp leathers stitched from marsh reptile hide and decorated with dangling charms made from eel vertebrae, polished teeth, prayer beads, dead flowers, and tiny corked poison vials. The clothing smells strongly of mold, chicory liquor, pipe smoke, medicinal herbs, and stagnant water. Nearly every visible inch of his equipment bears waterproofing oils.

His fingers are long, twitchy, and stained blue-green from constant poison refinement. He rarely stands still while speaking, instead pacing, crouching, climbing furniture, or idly sharpening blades during conversation. Witnesses frequently note that he smiles almost constantly, though the expression never reaches his eyes. When angered, the smile actually widens.

Lore

Slikrik Veymire began life as little more than a dockside gutter thief haunting the flooded outer canals of Ville des Marais. Born into one of the poorer swamp goblin communities, he survived through pickpocketing, eel trapping, contraband running, and occasionally selling forged river permits to drunks too intoxicated to notice the permits were written on fish wrapping paper. What separated Slikrik from the countless other goblin criminals surrounding him was not strength, courage, or even intelligence - it was patience.

While most smugglers focused on alcohol, weapons, or black-market reagents, Slikrik recognized the terrifying profitability of Dreamwater Distillate long before authorities understood its growing popularity. He embedded himself among venom refiners, learned the chemistry personally, then began systematically eliminating or absorbing competing operations through bribery, sabotage, addiction leverage, and carefully orchestrated disappearances. Bodies associated with his rise are rarely found. The swamp, after all, is exceptionally cooperative when properly fed.

Under Slikrik’s control, Dreamwater trafficking evolved from scattered goblin vice dealing into a vast organized syndicate spanning river barges, flooded warehouses, hidden stillhouses, and bribed customs officials throughout the marsh districts. He intentionally markets the substance through mysticism, emotional vulnerability, and spiritual desperation, targeting mourners, laborers, traumatized veterans, failed priests, artists, and anyone sufficiently broken to desire escape from themselves. Slikrik privately refers to grief as “the finest currency in the city.”

Though undeniably cruel, Slikrik is not reckless. He despises unnecessary violence, not from morality, but because corpses attract investigations while addicts produce recurring revenue. Rivals who interfere with his operations are more often humiliated, indebted, blackmailed, poisoned, or psychologically dismantled than openly murdered. Those who truly threaten him, however, tend to vanish into the marshes entirely. Rumors persist that certain isolated Dreamwater stills employ partially drugged victims as forced labor until their minds collapse beyond usefulness.

Authorities within Ville des Marais loathe Slikrik with unusual unanimity. Civic officials, clergy, physicians, marsh wardens, and even rival criminal organizations all regard him as a spreading civic disease wearing the shape of a goblin. Unfortunately, he has thus far proven extraordinarily difficult to eliminate. He maintains extensive networks of informants among the poor, constantly relocates operations through flooded waterways, and ensures nearly everyone investigating him eventually discovers someone they care about already dependent upon his product.

Most disturbing of all is the possibility that Slikrik himself no longer exists entirely within ordinary reality. Years of constant Dreamwater exposure have left him emotionally distorted and psychologically alien. Witnesses describe him occasionally pausing mid-conversation to listen to sounds no one else can hear or speaking quietly to empty corners of rooms as though awaiting replies. Whether this behavior is manipulation, madness, or genuine perception of something unseen remains uncertain. Few who spend enough time around him wish to speculate for long.

Sam Smorkle - Goblin Barmaid

Sam Smorkle

Female Goblin Rogue 5 / Expert 3
Size/Type: Small Humanoid (Goblinoid)
Hit Dice: 5d6+5 plus 3d6+3 (36 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (+1 size, +4 Dex, +3 leather corset armor), touch 15, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/-3
Attack: Dagger +10 melee (1d3-1/19-20) or sap +10 melee (1d4-1 nonlethal)
Full Attack: Dagger +10 melee (1d3-1/19-20) or sap +10 melee (1d4-1 nonlethal)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Sneak attack +3d6
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., evasion, trapfinding, trap sense +1
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +11, Will +6
Abilities: Str 8, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 15, Wis 14, Cha 16
Skills: Appraise +8, Balance +10, Bluff +16, Diplomacy +12, Disable Device +10, Disguise +13 (+15 acting), Escape Artist +12, Gather Information +18, Hide +16, Knowledge (local) +10, Listen +11, Move Silently +14, Open Lock +12, Profession (Server) +13, Search +12, Sense Motive +16, Sleight of Hand +14, Spot +11, Tumble +12
Feats: Good Judge of Character, Negotiator, Skill Focus (Gather Information) Environment: Urban Organization: Solitary, with staff, or attached to local tavern circles
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Neutral Good
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: —
Languages: Common, Goblin, Cajun

Possessions: Apron lined with hidden pockets, flour-stained serving tray, battered ledger book, ring of lock picks hidden inside hair wrap, six throwing knives concealed throughout clothing, silver locket containing old family sketch, 38 gp, pouch of pilfered sugar candies, perpetually warm beignet wrapped in cloth

Feat - Good Judge of Character: Sam possesses an uncanny instinct for identifying emotional states, hidden motives, deceptive speech patterns, and interpersonal tension. She gains the feat’s normal bonuses to Sense Motive and related social assessments. In practice, Sam almost always notices when someone is frightened, lying, desperate, angry, infatuated, or preparing violence.

Physical Description

Sam Smorkle is a slight goblin woman with soft olive-green skin, large expressive ears, and bright green eyes that rarely seem to miss anything. Thick auburn-brown hair falls in loose curls around her shoulders when not tied back for work, often escaping scarves, ribbons, or hurried braids by the middle of the day.

Unlike the sharp, feral appearance many outsiders associate with goblins, Sam possesses an almost disarming warmth to her features. Freckles scatter across her nose and cheeks, and her expressions shift quickly between amusement, skepticism, embarrassment, and mischief. Her smile comes easily and often, especially when she knows something other people do not.

She dresses simply and practically, favoring worn skirts, aprons, fitted bodices, and layered shirts suitable for long hours working inside crowded kitchens and taverns. Flour dust, powdered sugar, and tiny grease stains are nearly permanent fixtures on her clothing. Small shell decorations, mismatched buttons, and little bits of scavenged jewelry are often sewn into her garments in ways that appear random until one realizes Sam remembers exactly where every piece came from.

Though physically unimposing, Sam carries herself with constant awareness. Her eyes track movement instinctively, her posture adjusts to the emotional atmosphere of a room, and she possesses the unsettling habit of maintaining eye contact just a second longer than most people find comfortable.

Lore

Sam was not born important.

Like many goblins within the humid maze of Ville des Marai, she survived through adaptability rather than strength. She learned early that loud people were dangerous, quiet people were worse, and smiling people often hid the sharpest knives. Long before she understood politics, she understood fear. Long before she understood economics, she understood hunger.

Service work taught her the rest.

Taverns, kitchens, cafés, and gambling halls became her education. Wealthy patrons ignored servers while confessing secrets openly across tables. Criminals relaxed around her because they underestimated her. Nobles dismissed her as background decoration. Drunk sailors forgot she existed halfway through conversations. Sam listened to all of them.

Over time, her survival instincts evolved into something far more sophisticated.

Sam became frighteningly good at reading people. She learned how guilt altered tone, how liars rehearsed details too carefully, how desperate people avoided silence, and how dangerous people watched exits before sitting down. She developed the habit of filing every detail away indefinitely, building an internal map of favors, grudges, affairs, debts, ambitions, and hidden tensions throughout the city.

Despite this, Sam never became cruel.

She steals pastries constantly, flirts shamelessly, and pretends to be far less intelligent than she truly is because the performance keeps people comfortable around her. Beneath the humor, however, lies someone profoundly protective of the people she considers hers. Sam notices fear quickly because she remembers living inside it.

Many residents of Ville des Marai think of Sam merely as “that strange goblin girl who works too much and steals beignets.” A much smaller number understand something far more unsettling.

There are people in the city who deliberately avoid lying to her.

Not because she has authority.

Because they suspect she already knows.

Marélys Poissonne - Mermaid Cleric

Marélys Poissonne

High Priestess of the Drowned Devotion, Voice Beneath the Still Water

Female Merfolk Cleric 10
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Deity: Marelle
Init: +1
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Listen +12, Spot +11
Languages: Common, Aquan
AC: 18, touch 11, flat-footed 17 (includes Mer scale armor)
hp: 68 (10d8+20)
Fort: +9, Ref: +4, Will: +12
Speed: Swim 40 ft.
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+9
Attack: Trident +10 melee (1d8+2/×3)
Full Attack: Trident +10/+5 melee (1d8+2/×3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Turn/Rebuke Undead 6/day (+3, 2d6+10, 10th), Spontaneous Casting (inflict spells)
Special Qualities: Aquatic subtype, amphibious, domain powers (Water, Storm, Travel), Voice of the Deep
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 16
Skills: Concentration +15, Diplomacy +12, Knowledge (religion) +13, Knowledge (nature) +10, Listen +12, Sense Motive +11, Spellcraft +13, Swim +17
Feats: Combat Casting, Extra Turning, Iron Will, Augment Healing
Environment: Warm aquatic
Organization: Solitary or with 6–8 Mer devotees
Challenge Rating: 10
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: —

Physical Description

Marélys Poissonne is strikingly beautiful in a manner that lingers just beyond comfort, her features composed yet touched with an unnatural stillness. Her skin reflects light too evenly, her gaze holds depth without warmth, and her movements feel guided as much by current as by will. Her long hair drifts in layered greens and deep blues, and her powerful tail shows subtle irregularities in its iridescent scales, worn by time and tide.

Her armor is a ritualized Mer construction of layered scale, shell, and sinew, equivalent to studded leather, with integrated asymmetrical conch shell pauldrons forming part of its structure rather than separate adornment. Around her waist rests a loosely arranged belt of varied starfish, and upon her brow sits a rough coral-and-bone diadem, uneven and suggestive of inheritance rather than craftsmanship.

Special Abilities

• Water Domain: Turn or rebuke water creatures as an evil cleric rebukes undead; +1 caster level on water spells.

• Storm Domain: 1/day gain +2 caster level for electricity and sonic spells for 1 minute.

• Travel Domain: Freedom of movement for 10 rounds/day (divided).

• Voice of the Deep (Su): +2 DC to mind-affecting and sonic spells cast underwater.

Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 10th, +4 Wis)

Domains: Water, Storm

0 (6/day): create water, detect magic, guidance, light, purify food and drink, resistance
1st (5+1/day): bless, command, obscuring mist*, shield of faith, divine favor, endure elements
2nd (4+1/day): hold person, spiritual weapon, resist energy, calm emotions, fog cloud*
3rd (4+1/day): dispel magic, water breathing*, bestow curse, prayer, call lightning
4th (3+1/day): control water*, divine power, freedom of movement, spell immunity
5th (2+1/day): flame strike, righteous might, call lightning storm*, greater command

(*Domain spell)

Possessions

Barbed coral-and-iron trident, coral-and-bone diadem, starfish ritual belt, Mer scale armor with integrated conch shell pauldrons (studded leather equivalent), ritual offerings and tokens of Marelle

Lore

Marélys Poissonne stands as both priestess and continuation, inheriting a devotion that persists without answer. She leads rituals before ancient statues of Marelle with precision and conviction, performing rites unchanged by time despite their silence. Her faith does not waver, not because it is affirmed, but because it has never been permitted to end, and in her stillness there is a quiet certainty that the absence of response is not refusal, but something not yet understood.

Marella “Spark” Vint - Human Expert

Marella “Spark” Vint

Level 4 Expert

Female Human Expert 4
Size/Type: Medium Humanoid (Human)
Hit Dice: 4d6+4 (18 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 12 (+2 Dex), touch 12, flat-footed 10
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+3
Attack: Flintlock, Light +5 ranged (1d8/x3) or dagger +3 melee (1d4/19–20)
Full Attack: Flintlock, Light +5 ranged (1d8/x3) or dagger +3 melee (1d4/19–20)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Risk-Taker (Ex)
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +5
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 15, Wis 13, Cha 11
Skills: Craft (Engineering) +11, Craft (Alchemy) +9, Disable Device +9, Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering) +9, Profession (Siege Engineer) +8, Use Rope +6, Appraise +7, Spot +6
Feats: Demolitions, Skill Focus (Craft [Engineering]), Point Blank Shot
Environment: Any urban or frontier settlement
Organization: Solitary or with 1–2 accomplices
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: —
Languages: Common, Dwarven

Possessions: Flintlock, Light; dagger; powder and shot (2 pouches); assortment of fuses, wires, and ignition tools; small toolkit (engineering and alchemical); worn leather satchel; 18 gp

Risk-Taker (Ex): Marella gains a +2 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid catastrophic firearm failure or explosions. She takes a –2 penalty on Will saves against effects that would prevent her from engaging in obviously dangerous actions involving fire, explosions, or unstable devices.

Physical Description

Marella is a wiry woman with sharp, slightly asymmetrical features and a constant, unsettling grin that never quite reaches her eyes. Her skin is weathered and marked by minor burns and powder stains, while her hands are perpetually blackened from soot and chemical residue. Her dark hair is loosely tied back, though strands frequently escape and cling to her damp face.

Her clothing is practical but heavily worn — a rough linen blouse, a wool skirt, and a patched leather vest, all stained with dirt, oil, and scorch marks. Various tools, wires, and lengths of fuse are tucked into her belt and pockets in no apparent order, suggesting both constant use and a lack of concern for organization.

Lore

Marella Vint, known as “Spark,” built her reputation not through caution or discipline, but through survival. Beginning as a simple laborer assisting in demolition and construction, she quickly demonstrated an unusual aptitude for understanding structural weaknesses and the application of explosive force. Where others required careful calculation and oversight, Marella relied on instinct, experimentation, and an alarming willingness to accept failure.

Over time, she became proficient with firearms and gunpowder alike, developing an intuitive grasp of how pressure, confinement, and ignition interact. This knowledge, however, was never tempered by restraint. Marella’s methods are effective, but often excessive — she has a tendency to escalate situations beyond necessity simply to see what happens.

What sets Marella apart is not recklessness born of ignorance, but a genuine indifference to her own survival. She does not seek death, nor does she fear it. To her, life is simply a sequence of increasingly interesting risks, and she sees no reason to avoid one simply because it might be fatal. This perspective makes her both dangerously unpredictable and strangely reliable - if something needs to be destroyed, Marella will see it done, regardless of the cost.

Marisella Vance - Human Pirate Bard

Marisella “Stormsong” Vance

Race: Human (Créole)
Class: Bard 10
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Size/Type: Medium Humanoid (Human)
Hit Dice: 10d6+20 (55 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 30 ft.
Armor Class: 19 (10 base, +4 Dex, +4 armor, +1 deflection), touch 15, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+8
Attack: +1 scimitar +12 melee (1d6+2/18–20)
Full Attack: +1 scimitar +12/+7 melee (1d6+2/18–20) and masterwork dagger +11 melee (1d4+1/19–20)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Bardic Music 10/day (countersong, fascinate, inspire courage +2, inspire competence, suggestion, inspire greatness), spells
Special Qualities: Bardic Knowledge +13
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +11, Will +8
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 18
Skills: Balance +17, Bluff +19, Diplomacy +17, Gather Information +15, Perform (sing) +19, Profession (sailor) +13, Sense Motive +10, Sleight of Hand +15, Tumble +17, Use Magic Device +17
Feats: Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse, Combat Casting, Dodge, Mobility
Environment: Warm coastal regions and open seas
Organization: Solitary, crew leader (Marisella plus 6–20 pirates), or aboard a ship crew
Challenge Rating: 10
Treasure: Standard (plus ship share, jewelry, and fine instruments)
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: —
Languages: Common, Franche, Cajun

Possessions: +1 scimitar, masterwork dagger, mithral shirt, cloak of charisma +2, ring of protection +1, masterwork concertina, spell component pouch, assorted jewelry and nautical charms

Spells Known (CL 10th, concentration +14)

3rd (3/day): haste, displacement, charm monster
2nd (4/day): mirror image, invisibility, suggestion, glitterdust
1st (4/day): grease, charm person, expeditious retreat, cure light wounds
0 (6/day): daze, detect magic, ghost sound, prestidigitation, message, flare

Physical Description

Marisella embodies the unmistakable presence of the Créole people - a living blend of distant northern ancestry and southern heritage shaped by heat, salt, and culture. Her skin carries a rich, warm brown tone, often sun-kissed from long days at sea, contrasted by striking sea-green eyes that seem to catch light like shallow water. Her dark, naturally curly hair is thick and expressive, usually tied back with beads, coins, and carved charms, though it never fully submits to order.

Her movements carry an inherent rhythm. Even at rest, there is a subtle cadence to how she shifts her weight or turns her head, and when she speaks, her accent flows with a musical lilt shaped by Franche roots. Her voice rarely lands flat - it rises, falls, and lingers, giving even casual speech a performative quality.

Her attire reflects both identity and profession. Bright sashes and layered fabrics hint at cultural tradition, while her weathered longcoat and hidden mithral shirt speak to survival at sea. Her scimitar rests at her left hip and dagger at her right, positioned for effortless ambidextrous use, making it clear that everything she wears serves both form and function.

Lore

Marisella was raised in a Créole port community where Franche was spoken as naturally as breathing and music was woven into everyday life. Songs carried memory, warning, humor, and identity. From an early age, she learned that a voice could shape not just emotion, but outcome.

That understanding became the foundation of her power. Her bardic magic is deeply rooted in Créole musical tradition - layered rhythms, shifting tones, and fluid language that blends Franche, Cajun, and Common seamlessly. Even those who don’t understand the words feel their weight. Her performances don’t just entertain - they influence, unsettle, and inspire.

Her transition into piracy came not from ambition, but necessity. Refusing to be controlled or owned, she took to the sea and found something unexpected - freedom that matched her spirit. There, her music evolved. The crash of waves, the groan of wood, the chaos of battle - it all became part of her song.

Among sailors, her name carries weight. “Stormsong” is spoken with equal parts admiration and caution. Some believe her voice can sway fate itself. Others say the sea listens when she sings. Marisella neither confirms nor denies it - but she chooses her songs carefully.

Marisella holds a deep and personal hatred for the pirate Captain Garsh, a man whose brutality and hunger for control stand in direct opposition to everything she values; where she fights for freedom, he crushes it. Their paths have crossed more than once, each encounter sharpening her resolve to see him undone. On at least one notable occasion, she set aside the rivalries of land and sea to ally with the elusive mermaid Mairabella, their combined efforts turning the waters themselves against him - songs above deck and siren calls below, striking his crew from both realms. Though Garsh still sails, he does so wary of certain melodies on the wind and shadows beneath the waves, knowing Stormsong has not finished with him.

Combat Tactics

Marisella treats combat as a living performance, establishing control through rhythm before blades ever decide the outcome.

She typically begins with Inspire Courage, her voice rising clear and commanding, often threaded with Franche phrasing that gives her magic a distinctive cadence. From there, she moves constantly, using Tumble to weave through combat while engaging enemies with a fluid scimitar and dagger combination.

Her dual-wielding style reflects her musical nature - the scimitar delivers sweeping, flowing strikes while the dagger punctuates with quick, precise hits. Together, they create a rhythm that is difficult to predict and harder to counter.

Her spellcasting reinforces her mobility and control. Mirror Image and Displacement make her elusive, while Grease and Glitterdust disrupt enemy positioning. She frequently embeds Suggestion within her singing, influencing opponents without breaking tempo.

If pressed, she disengages using Invisibility or Expeditious Retreat, repositioning to regain control of the fight. Once she establishes tempo, enemies often find themselves reacting instead of acting - and against Marisella, that is where battles are lost.

Personality

Marisella is vibrant, expressive, and fiercely independent, shaped equally by her Créole heritage and her life at sea. She embraces life fully - laughter, danger, music, and all - rarely holding back once she commits to a moment.

Her speech carries warmth and musicality, often slipping between languages depending on emotion or intent. She is quick with humor, sharper with insight, and far more observant than her playful demeanor suggests.

Freedom defines her. Not as an abstract concept, but as something lived, protected, and never surrendered. She values loyalty, but never ownership - and expects the same in return.

Wherever she goes, she leaves an impression. And when she sings, that impression lingers long after the sound itself has faded.

Marcelline Broussard - Human Druid

Marcelline Broussard

Female Human Druid 7

Size/Type: Medium Humanoid (Human)
Hit Dice: 7d8+14 (45 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 17 ( +2 Dex, +4 armor, +1 natural ), touch 12, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +5 / +5
Attack: Scimitar +6 melee (1d6/18–20)
Full Attack: Scimitar +6 melee (1d6/18–20) or sling +7 ranged (1d4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft. / 5 ft.
Special Attacks: Wild Shape (2/day), spontaneous casting (summon nature’s ally), venom affinity (see Special Qualities)
Special Qualities: Animal companion, nature sense, wild empathy +9, woodland stride, trackless step, resist nature’s lure, insect empathy (custom), venom resistance +4
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +8
Ability Scores: Str 10, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 17, Cha 13
Skills: Concentration +12, Handle Animal +11, Heal +10, Knowledge (nature) +11, Listen +10, Spot +10, Survival +13, Hide +6, Move Silently +6
Feats: Spell Focus (Conjuration), Augment Summoning, Natural Spell
Environment: Warm marshes and swamps (bayou)
Organization: Solitary or with animal companion
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Neutral Good
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: —
Languages: Common, Franche, Cajun
Possessions: +1 leather armor fashioned from treated gator hide, masterwork scimitar with carved bone hilt, sling and pouch of smooth river stones, cloak of resistance +1, druid’s vestments adorned with beetle shells and cicada wings, herbalism kit, fetishes of bone and chitin, spell component pouch, various preserved venoms in stoppered glass vials

Animal Companion

Giant Dragonfly (reskinned Dire Hawk statistics)
Functions as a dire hawk with insect traits - chitinous body, compound eyes, and silent hovering flight. Marcelline uses it for scouting and delivering venom-laced distractions.

Special Qualities (Expanded)

Insect Empathy (Ex):
Marcelline may use wild empathy on vermin with an Intelligence of 1 or 2 as if they were animals. Mindless vermin are not affected, but she can influence swarms through pheromonal mixtures and subtle druidic magic, granting her a +4 circumstance bonus when interacting with insect-based creatures.

Venom Resistance (Ex):
Years of careful exposure grant her a +4 bonus on saves against poison. She often microdoses venoms to build tolerance.

Venom Affinity (Su):
Any summoned creatures via summon nature’s ally gain a +2 bonus to poison DCs if they possess a venom attack.

Typical Druid Spells Prepared (CL 7th, DC 13 + spell level)

0 (6): Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Guidance, Know Direction, Light, Resistance
1st (5): Entangle, Obscuring Mist, Produce Flame, Speak with Animals, Faerie Fire
2nd (4): Barkskin, Summon Swarm, Fog Cloud, Lesser Restoration
3rd (3): Call Lightning, Poison, Sleet Storm
4th (2): Giant Vermin, Reincarnate

Physical Description

Marcelline Broussard looks like she was born from the swamp and never quite left it. Her skin carries a warm, sun-darkened tone, freckled lightly across the nose and cheeks, while her long black hair is usually tied back with strips of worn cloth and bits of chitin. Strands of it are perpetually damp from the humidity, curling slightly at the ends. Her eyes - a sharp, mossy green - are always moving, scanning, noticing things most people never would.

Her clothing is practical but deeply personal. Soft leather armor, dyed in muted greens and browns, is layered with small charms made from beetle shells, cicada husks, and carved bone. Around her neck hangs a cord strung with tiny glass vials, each holding different shades of liquid - amber, green, milky white - her collected venoms. Her boots are caked in old mud that never quite washes out, and she walks with the steady, confident footing of someone who knows exactly where the ground is safe.

There’s always a faint hum around her. Sometimes it’s just the swamp. Sometimes… it isn’t.

Lore

Marcelline was born deep in the bayou to a family that understood the land not as something to tame, but something to listen to. While others feared the insects - the biting, stinging, crawling things that define swamp life - she was fascinated by them. Where most saw nuisance, she saw order. Purpose. A quiet, relentless intelligence.

Her early years were marked by long days trailing behind elders who taught her the rhythms of water and root, but it was the smaller lives that called to her. She learned how ants reorganize after destruction, how dragonflies hunt with surgical precision, how certain beetles only emerge when death has already begun its work. Insects, to Marcelline, were not lesser creatures - they were the true custodians of the wild.

As her druidic power grew, so did her connection to these creatures. She began cultivating venoms, not as weapons of cruelty, but as tools - precise, controlled, and purposeful. She uses them to heal, to hunt, and when necessary, to defend. Her magic reflects this philosophy: swarms answer her call, chitinous forms swell to unnatural size, and even the air around her can thrum with unseen wings.

Marcelline is not merely a practitioner of druidic tradition but a quiet scholar of the smallest lives that define the bayou, having authored three distinct and widely circulated treatises on insectology (aka entomology), each reflecting a different facet of her understanding - one a practical field guide to identification and behavior, another a dense and meticulous study of venom properties and applications, and the third a more philosophical work exploring the role of insects as agents of balance, decay, and renewal within the natural order. Her writings are sought after by herbalists, hunters, and even certain less reputable alchemists, though few who read them fully grasp the deeper message threaded throughout: that the smallest creatures are not merely part of the world, but the forces that quietly determine its fate.

Among the scattered communities of the bayou, Marcelline is something of a whispered figure. Some call her a protector. Others - especially those who’ve felt the creeping warning of a swarm gathering too close - call her something else entirely. But those who truly understand the swamp know this:

If the insects are restless…
Marcelline is already watching.

Kelwyn’s Notes

Ah… Marcelline Broussard. Yes, I have had the distinct - and increasingly persistent - pleasure of crossing paths with that remarkable woman no fewer than six times. Each encounter has been heralded not by fanfare, nor by the expected signs of a druid’s passing, but by the subtle, rising chorus of wings. One does not meet Marcelline so much as realize, often too late, that one has already been observed by her. There is, I must admit, something undeniably captivating about her presence - a quiet confidence wrapped in mud, chitin, and the faint suggestion that one is being politely assessed for decomposition.

She is not merely a caretaker of the swamp - she is an interpreter of its smallest, most easily dismissed voices. Where most druids lean toward fang and root, Marcelline has aligned herself with the infinitely patient, the innumerable, the inevitable. Insects do not rage, they do not plead - they persist. And so too does she. Her magic reflects this philosophy with unnerving clarity. It is not dramatic, not theatrical, but precise… incremental… inescapable. One does not fend off Marcelline’s influence - one is simply, gradually, overcome by it.

To the uninitiated, she is disarming - soft-spoken, observant, even warm in her own peculiar fashion. But that warmth carries conditions, most of which are unspoken and all of which are enforced by a thousand unseen agents. I have witnessed seasoned travelers grow deeply uncomfortable under her gaze, though they could not articulate why. It is because she measures worth differently. Not by strength, nor by intent, but by one’s place within a system far older and far less forgiving than any civilized law. Those who fit… are tolerated. Those who do not… are corrected.

And here, I confess, lies my irritation. She is, in every sense, lovely. Intelligent, composed, and possessed of a perspective that is both rare and deeply compelling. And yet - she insists on demonstrating that perspective in ways that test the very limits of my patience. I recall, with vivid clarity, an incident involving a cluster of mosslings - harmless in isolation, mind you - which she had apparently “encouraged” into a state of collective agitation. What followed was less an encounter and more a prolonged negotiation with a hanging, damp, mildly sentient inconvenience that refused to respect personal space. She found this educational. I found it moist, itchy, and profoundly unnecessary.

Still… one cannot dismiss her. Marcelline Broussard is not chaos, nor cruelty, nor even mischief in the traditional sense. She is balance - but not the gentle kind so often romanticized. Hers is the balance of rot and renewal, of swarm and silence, of the quiet understanding that the smallest things, given time, will inherit everything.

And should you ever feel the faint brush of wings where none should be…

I would advise you to mind your place in the world.

She already has.

Madame Celestine Dupré - Human Expert

Madame Celestine Dupré, Queen of the Velvet Lantern

Female human Expert 7

Size/Type: Medium Humanoid (Human)
Hit Dice: 7d6+7 (31 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (10 base, +1 Dex, +3 clothing, +1 deflection), touch 12, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+5
Attack: Dagger +5 melee (1d4/19–20) or light crossbow +6 ranged (1d8/19–20)
Full Attack: Dagger +5 melee (1d4/19–20) or light crossbow +6 ranged (1d8/19–20)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Wealthy Patronage, Social Authority, Network of Informants, Business Acumen, Protected Establishment
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +7
Ability Scores: Str 10, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 18
Skills: Appraise +12, Bluff +17, Diplomacy +19, Gather Information +17, Intimidate +14, Knowledge (local) +12, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +10, Profession (madam) +16, Sense Motive +14, Speak Language (Franche, Cajun), Use Magic Device +9
Feats: Negotiator, Persuasive, Skill Focus (Diplomacy), Skill Focus (Profession [madam]), Wealthy
Environment: Urban (Red Lantern District)
Organization: Solitary (unique) or with staff (10–40 employees, including guards, attendants, and workers)
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: Double standard (plus business holdings worth tens of thousands of gp)
Alignment: Neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: —
Languages: Common, Franche, Cajun
Possessions: Fine noble clothing, signet jewelry worth 2,500 gp, hidden dagger, light crossbow with 20 bolts, ledgers of coded accounts, keys to multiple properties, potion of cure moderate wounds (2), perfume vials (luxury, 300 gp total), discreet sending stone linked to her head of security, strongbox containing 1,200 gp, letters of favor from minor nobles, contracts of employment

Special Qualities (Detailed)

Wealthy Patronage (Ex)

Madame Dupré benefits from the Wealthy feat and receives a steady income from her family and business interests.

• Monthly Income: 4d4 × 100 gp (Cha +4)
• This income requires her to maintain favorable standing with her Créole benefactors and business partners.
• If her reputation is significantly damaged or her alliances collapse, this income may be reduced or lost at the DM’s discretion.

In addition, she maintains access to liquid funds equal to at least 1,000 gp per character level for operational needs, though such wealth is rarely carried on her person.

Social Authority (Ex)

Within the Red Lantern District, Madame Dupré is treated as a figure of status and influence.

• Gains a +4 circumstance bonus on Diplomacy and Intimidate checks when dealing with local officials, criminal elements, or merchants familiar with the district.
• As a full-round action, she may attempt to assert dominance socially:
  • Make a Diplomacy check opposed by Sense Motive
  • On success, the target’s attitude improves by two steps instead of one

This ability only functions where her reputation is recognized.

Network of Informants (Ex)

The Velvet Lantern acts as a nexus of whispered truths and careless confessions.

• After 1 hour of gathering information within her establishment:
  • She may take 10 on Gather Information checks, even under pressure
  • Time required to gather information is halved
• Once per day, she may declare an existing connection:
  • Gain a +10 circumstance bonus on a single Gather Information check

At the DM’s discretion, she may already possess minor but relevant knowledge tied to ongoing events.

Business Acumen (Ex)

Years of management have sharpened her economic instincts to a razor’s edge.

• Gains a +4 competence bonus on Appraise and Profession (madam)
• Always treated as having masterwork tools for Profession (madam)
• May reroll a failed Appraise or Profession (madam) check once per day

Additionally, after 1 minute of interaction and a successful Sense Motive check (DC 15), she can accurately gauge a creature’s relative wealth and social standing.

Protected Establishment (Ex)

Within the Velvet Lantern, Madame Dupré is never truly vulnerable.

• While inside her establishment, she gains:
  • +2 morale bonus on Will saves
  • +2 circumstance bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate
• Creatures acting openly hostile toward her within the establishment take a –2 penalty on social checks, as staff interference and social pressure undermine them.

Physical Description

Madame Celestine Dupré is a striking woman in her early forties, with deep mahogany skin and an effortless, commanding grace. Her dark hair is worn in elaborate pinned styles, often adorned with jeweled combs or fresh flowers that somehow never wilt. Her eyes are sharp and observant, the kind that miss nothing, paired with a smile that can soften into warmth or sharpen into warning in a heartbeat.

She dresses in layered silks and velvets tailored to emphasize status rather than seduction - rich burgundies, deep violets, and midnight blues. Gold jewelry rests at her throat and wrists, each piece chosen with deliberate restraint. She does not glitter - she signals. Even at rest, her posture is impeccable, her presence controlled, her movements economical.

Her voice carries a low, musical warmth, shifting fluidly between Common, Franche, and Cajun. In Franche, she sounds aristocratic and precise. In Cajun, she becomes intimate, familiar, and quietly dangerous - the tone of someone who knows exactly how close you are standing to trouble.

Lore

Madame Dupré is not merely the proprietor of the Velvet Lantern - she is its architect, its spine, and its unspoken law. Under her direction, what was once a modest house has become the most prestigious and tightly run establishment in the Red Lantern District. Nobles arrive in disguise, merchants arrive in confidence, and criminals arrive carefully. All of them leave lighter in coin and heavier with obligation.

She does not work the floor, nor does she allow anyone to mistake her role. Her authority is administrative, social, and absolute. Every worker under her roof is contracted, protected, and expected to meet her standards. Violence is rare within her walls not because it is forbidden, but because it is unwise. Those who break her rules do not cause scenes - they simply disappear from opportunity, from protection, from relevance.

Her greatest strength is information. The Velvet Lantern is a place where powerful people forget to guard their words. Through careful listening and sharper memory, she compiles a living web of leverage - favors owed, secrets traded, alliances strained. She does not blackmail recklessly. She invests. A secret unused is worth more than one spent cheaply.

Despite her independence, she remains tied to the Créole family network that elevated her. Gifts are sent. Appearances are maintained. Respect is performed as much as it is felt. She understands that power is not ownership - it is permission, continuously negotiated. And so she maintains that permission with elegance, precision, and an unerring sense of timing.

Those who see her as merely a madam misunderstand the structure of power in the district. Madame Dupré does not sell pleasure. She curates access - to influence, to discretion, to survival. And in a city like this, that is worth far more than gold.