Kurulham/LongLeggedPavan
Long-Legged Pavan, the Eightfold Crystal, Lord of Tower Rock
Long-Legged Pavan usually appears as a tall, animate crystalline statue, beautiful in his perfection as only the raksha can be, and shot through with quicksilver veins. He habitually dresses in translucent gossamer silks woven of threads of amethyst, quartz and citrine, and his voice is as the grinding of crystal on stone. When angered, or if he wishes to intimidate, he can assume the form of a similarly crystalline spider the size of a horse. If he wishes, he can grow larger in either of these forms, to a height of nine feet in his humanoid form or to the size of a small elephant in his spider form. His fangs are always needle-sharp, and he can spin crystalline webs in either form - when he is humanoid, he appears to spin the strands from the stuff of his flesh.
He has sworn that he who eats of his flesh or drinks of his blood shall take his throne, and so his flesh is crystal and his blood quicksilver. This adjuration is a tirobhava oath.
He has further sworn that all spiders of any kind shall be granted asylum in his domain, if they but ask; he defends those who seek his hospitality thus with their own weapons of fang and web. This adjuration is an anugraha oath.
The Eightfold Crystal is patient but fiercely possessive of what he sees as his, including the mortals of Storm's Rest. He does not particularly care about any one of them; what he cares about is that they continue to live on the island, and that they continue to be free to dream their own dreams, for it is the dreams of ambition and glory of peasants that he finds particularly succulent. He is a fierce ruler, not out of malice or anger, but out of the need to exert his control. Though vicious and cruel as a matter of course, his true anger is both slow to rise and quick to fade, though it leaves terrible destruction in its wake.
He has two heroic commoners serving him: Little Geti, the foreman of his Workers, and Willem, his master-at-arms. He owns both their hearts, and has used one of each of their Graces to strengthenKurulham/TowerRock.
Caste: Imperial Raksha (Diplomat/Warrior)
Nature: Bravo
Attributes: Strength 7, Dexterity 5, Stamina 7, Charisma 4, Manipulation 5, Appearance 7, Perception 5, Intelligence 4, Wits 4
Abilities: *Athletics 3, Awareness 2, **Brawl 5, **Craft (Glamour) 4, Dodge 2, **Endurance 3, Investigation 1, *Linguistics 3, Lore 1, *Occult 2, *Presence 3, Resistance 2, Socialize 1, Stealth 1, Survival 1, *Thrown 2
Backgrounds: Artifact 4, Birth 4, Freehold 4, Gossamer 3, Influence 2, Retinue 4, Style 1
Virtues: Compassion 1, Conviction 4, Temperance 2, Valor 3, Willpower 7
Graces: Cup 1, Staff 4, Ring 1, Sword 3, Heart 3
Lure: Fighting in defense of his home. (Valor)
Essence: 2
Essence Pool: 20
Health levels: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incap
Mutations: Assumption of Elemental Shape (Earth), Tirobhava Oath (Body of Stone), Anugraha Oath (Armament of Flesh, Webbing). 6 mutation points.
Free Charms: Assumption of Elemental Shape (Earth), Ravishing the Created Form, Banquet of Crumbs, Essence-Forging Art, Awakened Dream Manufacture, Forging the Cup Grace, Forging the Staff Grace, Forging the Ring Grace, Forging the Sword Grace, Forging the Heart Grace
Charms: Sovereign Elemental Shape, World-Angering Elemental Mastery, Elemental Transformation (Crystal Spider), Oath Gossamer, God-Humbling Victory Sword, Scattering the Foe, Aegis of a Martial Destiny, Blight (Huge).
Notes
Long-Legged Pavan will be a major NPC in my current Dragon-Blooded game,Kurulham/StandingAgainstTheSunset. He is presented here as a starting character; the version I use in the game will probably be built up to about 50xp or so. Long-Legged Pavan is a small fish in a very small pond, but his stories are of a mighty, iron-fisted autocrat, the classic Mountain King. Though a FAIR FOLK ZOMG EBIL, his function in the story is as an interested third party rather than as an antagonist; he will likely offer an alliance to the PCs. It is highly unlikely that either the PCs or their Illuminated foes will be able to actually defeat him - or, more precisely, defeat his veritable army of commoners.
