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5th level human bard/0 level priest (see below)
S: 8 D: 12 C: 10 I: 13 W: 9 Ch: 15
HP: 24
AC: 10
Alignment: NG
Age: 29
Weapon Proficiencies: Short sword, Dagger, Club
Non-weapon Proficiencies:
Musical Instrument, Read/Write Common, Local History
(Wildspace), Gaming, Singing
Equipment:
Robe, sandals, small belt pouch w/ 8 silver pieces (silver
falcons), holy symbol (an eight-pointed silver star worn around
the neck, his own design), walking staff (damage as club).
Wild Talents: Cell Adjustment, Mind Blank, Mental Barrier, Thought
Shield
PSP's: 39
Memorized Spells: 1st: Mending; 2nd: Mirror Image
Bard Abilities:
Climb Walls: 50%; Detect Noise: 50%; Pick Pockets: 25%;
Read Languages: 40%; Influence Reactions; Countersongs;
Inspire Allies; Identify Magic Item: 25%
The first thing people notice about Kemrick is his smile. He always seems to be having a good time. The second feature they notice is his nose, Romanesque and distinctly regal. He has clear blue eyes and sandy brown hair. He insists on personal cleanliness almost to the point of obsession. His skin, once pale, is tanned in the manner of most starsailors.
Kemrick dresses in a long, brown, monastic robe tied at the waist with a length of rope and constantly wears sandals except in the coldest of spheres. He has shaved his head in a tonsure and his manner is pleasant and cordial. He is always happy to greet new people and to introduce them to the faith. He will not push if someone does not seem interested in joining, but he will enthusiastically invite those who do to attend one of his services.
Kemrick is not without his faults. Most of the personality he developed as a bard is gone, leaving him with the emotional and mental capacity of a youth in his late teens. In his present state of mind, he is easily fooled. Willing to believe there is good inside every living being, he can be considered naive. He also is a hopeless romantic, quite willing to play matchmaker for anyone with a love interest (he has taken a vow of chastity, although he still is attracted to members of the opposite sex). Kemrick will give any money he comes across to the poor and in need, retaining only enough for a few meals and lodging. He can either be portrayed as an earnest, young cleric out to spread the faith or as comic relief, depending on the DM's whim.
Kemrick's tale begins two years ago when he bought passage aboard the passenger ship The Majestic Star. A renowned entertainer, Kemrick specialized in storytelling and romantic ballads, often commanding two or three performances daily. As such, fellow passengers found him to be a welcome distraction from the monotony of space travel.
His performances ended, however, when the Star discovered the body of a warrior floating in the phlogiston. They brought him aboard, thinking they had rescued him. In truth they had doomed the entire ship. The warrior was actually a Survivor. Over the next few weeks it possessed the crew and passengers, one by one, until only Kemrick remained. The Survivor found it could not penetrate Kemrick's mental defenses and instead sought to remove him completely. Fearing for his life, Kemrick jumped overboard hoping the preserving effects of the Flow would sustain him until he could be rescued.
Fortunately, he did not have to wait long. The currents of the phlogiston swept him up and carried him away. Six weeks later, he was found near Spiralspace by a passing tradesman, the Volrath. The Volrath had suffered a close encounter with a neogi mindspider, losing half its crew in the process of escaping. They had no idea they had even picked up Kemrick, who had fallen into the ship's gravity plane, until they had just entered the sphere of Spiralspace.
Whether it was a property of the phlogiston that held his mind in stasis during those six weeks, or a unique interaction between his wild talents and the flow, Kemrick awoke with no memories of the past ten years. The moment his body entered wildspace all trace of the phlogiston inside him vanished along with ten years of his life.
It was then that the Volrath's lookouts found him, trailing along behind the ship. They brought the revived Kemrick aboard where to their amazement he began to heal the wounded crew. The crew assumed he was a prist of Celestian, and because Kemrick had no memory of his true identity, he assumed they were right.
For two years Kemrick has traveled the spaceways, spreading the glory of Celestian and gaining converts along the way. His conscious memories show no sign of returning but his skills have begun to reassert themselves in subtle ways. Kemrick is a natural orator; his services are quite entertaining as he mixes half-remembered stories with quickly thrown-together moral lessons. His musical ability shines through when conducting hymns to Celestian, whether during daily vespers or on-the-spot bursts of inspiration. His ability to cast spells still exists; the few memories the phlogiston did not take away were those spells magically emblazoned in his mind at the time. When a situation presents itself, Kemrick will realize he is able to cast a spell appropriate to that moment. He considers this a blessing from Celestian. He will not be able to relearn spells unless he studies from a spellbook but so far he has not done this.
Kemrick's services resemble a highly animated, interactive play, with the faithful shouting out questions and comments while Kemrick expounds upon them. Actual priests of Celestian may be shocked by the irreverence of these services and they will instantly recognize Kemrick as not of their faith. On the plus side, he does convert a lot of followers, although worshipers may be a bit disappointed by the solemnity other Celestian clerics show during their services. So far, Celestian himself has not shown any displeasure with the rogue priest.
As mentioned before, Kemrick travels the spaceways, hiring on to ships about to disembark on long voyages or exploring uncharted systems. So far these voyages have not met with any ill luck, thus making him a popular choice among captains looking for a ship's chaplain.
The PCs hire Kemrick as an extra hand. This would be a good opportunity for DM's to get creative with sermonizing. ("Well, let me tell you about a god I know! He's huge! Bigger than the sky, am I right? Am I right? Can I get a 'Hail, Celestian'? Thank you brother...")
Kemrick approaches the PCs. His memories are starting to return and he is disturbed by the strange visions he has while asleep. He dreams of places he has never been, and of a strange, dark-haired woman who is lost to him. He has heard the PCs are heading for a sphere that is vaguely familiar to him. Would the PCs be interested in taking on another passenger? ("Oh, and have you heard of Celestian?")
While marooned in a sargasso, the PCs are hailed by an approaching ship. If they allow themselves to be rescued/towed, they can encounter the ship's priest-for-hire. ("That's a nasty cut you've got there. Thank Celestian it's not infected. Who's Celestian? Glad you asked...")
While visiting a spaceport (such as Bral) the PCs come across a large crowd gathering around an unusually charismatic priest. The priest shouts out something which the crowd echoes loudly. Spotting the PCs from his soapbox, Kemrick asks if they are believers. ("Celestian loves us all! Don't you agree we, his errant children, should love him back? Thus I say, 'Hail Celestian, keeper of the stars, benefactor to all travelers!' Can I get a 'Let it be so'?")
And what of The Majestic Star? It may still be out there in the Flow somewhere, its air envelope exhausted, its inhabitants in suspended animation. Catering to the wealthy and privileged, it is a treasure chest just waiting to be plundered. Too bad such a treasure may spell death for anyone foolish enough to board her...