Realms Personalities : Perinsa Falmarya the Wanderer
By Robert Wiese (Web)
Perinsa Falmarya grew up in the Chondalwood among the savage ghostwise halflings. Her tribe lived closer to the outside world than others and had conflicts with gnolls, wild elves, and centaurs. The tribe roamed nomadically through the forest, trading or fighting with other tribes of ghostwise halflings when they were encountered. Perinsa grew up as a warrior in this society, and she hunted and defended her people as the need arose. She never expected anything different out of life, and she really did not know much about the world outside the Chondalwood.
Her life changed when a wizard led his gnoll raiders against her tribe. The halflings were no match for the wizard's forces, which had been training to fight halflings. Most of the tribe was captured and enslaved. Perinsa escaped this fate only because she was fighting in a rage and disappeared from the battlefield. She was pursuing a gnoll and both she and the gnoll fell down a small cliff. She landed on the gnoll and killed it, but she lost consciousness, too. The gnolls assumed she was dead and left her.
Perinsa was only seventeen years old when this happened.
When she came to, she followed the trail of the attackers and found that gnolls were loading members of her tribe onto carts, and the halflings were all in chains. She watched helplessly as the carts moved away, taking everyone she knew with them. She vowed to find or account for every one of her lost tribespeople as soon as she acquired the skills to best the gnolls and free them.
She returned to the forest and sought out the wild elves for training. From them she learned to track, to kill with a bow, and to be patient. She left them and went into the world, where she learned further skills and discovered the two-bladed sword, her weapon of choice. She also learned that her kin had been taken to Hlath and quietly sold to buyers from across the world. To fulfill her vow, she would have to travel perhaps the whole of Faerûn. Undaunted, she sought out the gnolls that attacked her people. In a series of bitter skirmishes and ambushes, she destroyed nearly half their number, but she was grievously injured each time. Her barbarian background would not let her retreat when it was prudent; she fought on until she had to flee or die. Eventually she gave up on the gnolls and set off for Hlath to seek her people.
As she traveled, she has discovered that a great many people had been captured and enslaved in youth, or had seen their people decimated by outsiders. She has come to believe that the world is an evil place, and the more she sees, the more she believes this. It is no wonder, she now realizes, that her race lives in the relative safety of the deep forest.
Perinsa travels these days with a purpose and always seeks lost ghostwise halflings. She has enlarged her original vow to include any ghostwise halflings she finds, because she has found some from different parts of the world. Some join her until she can get the group of them to Hlath and the Chondalwood, and some stay where they are. Of the nearly seventy halflings that were taken alive from her tribe's home camp, she has discovered four and accounted for another seven who had died in captivity or while trying to escape. Because of where she has had to travel, she risks becoming enslaved regularly, and she knows it. But she presses on, always undaunted.
Perinsa is 3 feet 2 inches tall and wears a magic chain shirt. She wields her two-bladed sword with great fury and energy, giving pause to those who would attack her and misjudge her abilities because she is small. She is fairly pretty, but not interested in dalliances. To those who would help her she is a true friend, and to those who do not seek to harm her she is pleasant, or at least civil. She reserves her anger for those who hold ghostwise halflings in captivity, and shows no hesitation or remorse in killing those beings.
Perinsa's quest takes her all over Faerûn, and she can be encountered anywhere. She willingly aids adventurers whose goals align with hers. The goals of the adventurers determine whether she becomes an enemy or ally.
Perinsa Falmarya: Female ghostwise halfling Bbn2/Rgr4/Horizon Walker 2; CR 8; Small humanoid; HD 2d12+4 plus 4d8+8 plus 2d8+4; hp 56; Init +3; Spd 30 ft.; AC 19, touch 14, flat-footed 19; Base Atk +8; Grp +6; Atk +11 melee (1d6+2/19-20, masterwork two-bladed sword) and +11 melee (1d6+2/19-20, masterwork two-bladed sword) or +13 ranged (1d6+2/x3, masterwork composite longbow [+2 Str bonus]); Full Atk +11/+6 melee (1d6+2/19-20, masterwork two-bladed sword) and +11 melee (1d6+2/19-20, masterwork two-bladed sword) or +13/+8 (1d6+2/x3, masterwork composite longbow [+2 Str bonus]); SQ animal companion (Merrywalker), combat style, fast movement, favored enemy (magical beasts +2), halfling traits, rage 1/day, speak without sound, terrain mastery (forest, plains), uncanny dodge, wild empathy +5; AL N; SV Fort +15, Ref +9, Will +5; Str 14, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 12. Height 3 ft. 2 in.
Skills and Feats: Climb +7, Heal +6, Hide +13, Jump +5, Knowledge (geography) +8, Listen +8, Move Silently +4, Speak Language +2, Spot +9, Survival +9, Swim +5; Endurance, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (two-bladed sword), Strong Soul, Track, Weapon Focus (two-bladed sword).
Animal Companion (Ex): Perinsa has a pony animal companion that serves as her mount and only constant friend.
Combat Style (Ex): Perinsa has chosen two-weapon combat as her combat style. She is treated as if she has the Two-Weapon Fighting feat when wearing light or no armor.
Favored Enemy: Perinsa has selected magical beasts as a favored enemy. She gains a +2 bonus on her Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against this type of creature. She gets the same bonus on weapon damage rolls against creatures of this type.
Halfling Traits: Perinsa has a +2 morale bonus on saving throws against fear, a +1 racial attack bonus with a thrown weapon, and a +2 racial bonus on Climb, Jump, Listen, and Move Silently checks (already figured into the statistics given above).
Rage (Ex): While Perinsa rages, the following changes to her statistics are in effect: (Str 18, Con 18, AC -2, +16 hit points, +2 to all melee attacks and damage, Fort save +17, Climb +9, Jump +7, Swim +7). Her fit of rage lasts for 7 rounds.
Speak without Sound (Su): Perinsa can communicate telepathically with any creature within 20 feet, just as if speaking to him or her. She can speak and listen to only one person at a time, and she must share a common language with the person or creature she speaks to telepathically, or the telepathic link fails.
Terrain Mastery: Perinsa has chosen forest and plains for her terrain mastery. She has a +4 competence bonus on Hide and Spot checks. She also gains a +1 insight bonus on attack and damage rolls against forest and plains creatures.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Perinsa retains her Dexterity bonus to Armor Class even if she is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker.
Wild Empathy (Ex): By making a successful wild empathy check, Perinsa can improve the attitude of an animal as if making a Diplomacy check to improve the attitude of a person. The ability normally takes 1 minute to use, and Perinsa and the animal have to be able to study each other (within 30 feet under normal visibility conditions).
Ranger Spells Prepared (1; save DC 11 + spell level): 1st -- entangle.
Languages: Common, Halfling, Undercommon, Elven.
Possessions: +1 chain shirt, cloak of resistance +2, masterwork two-bladed sword, masterwork composite longbow (+2 Str bonus), 40 arrows, wand of cure light wounds (20 charges), Heward's handy haversack, bedroll, winter blanket, flint and steel, climber's kit*, healer's kit*, whetstone, 2 weeks' rations, 3 waterskins, 3 tanglefoot bags, riding saddle, bit and bridle, 2 weeks' feed for pony, 218 gp.
*Already figured into the statistics given above.
Merrywalker: Female pony animal companion; CR --; Medium animal; HD 2d8+2; hp 11; Init +1; Spd 40 ft.; AC 13, touch 11, flat-footed 12; Base Atk +1; Grp +2; Atk -3 melee (1d3, hoof); Full Atk -3 melee (1d3, 2 hooves); SQ link, low-light vision, scent, share spells; AL N; SV Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +0; Str 13, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 4.
Skills and Feats: Listen +2, Spot +3; Endurance.
Link (Ex): Perinsa can handle Merrywalker as a free action, or push her as a move action.
Scent (Ex): Merrywalker can detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell.
Share Spells (Ex): Spells cast by Perinsa can also affect Merrywalker if the latter is within 5 feet for the whole duration of the spell.