Third place in the Unique 3e NPC Contest!
Amah-lea Scornlove (am uh lee uh), half elf female
Amah-lea was born to a human seamstress who fell in love with a member of the Elven Fleet, a guard at their embassy on the Rock of Bral. By the time she learned she was pregnant, however, her lover had been transferred to another position, this one aboard a spelljammer, and shipped out. He promised to return, however. The seamstress kept Amah-lea for almost a year before despairing of her elven lover ever returning. She felt she could not support the child and in truth no longer wanted the reminder of her betrayed love so she snuck aboard a docked ship and left the sleeping Amah-lea hidden. The crew discovered their stow away only after putting to space and had no time to turn around with an unwanted child. Being kind people, however, they decided to find a home for the elf (they thought she was elvish) and began a search as they stopped at ports. On their third stop they were informed of an elvish priestess who ran an orphanage.
Amah-lea grew up in the care of "Lily" Dawns-wing, an elven cleric of Aerdrie Faenya (in 2nd Edition she's a mystic). Lily taught Amah-lea elvish ways and the little she knew of the girl's past (her name, that was embroidered in the close she was abandoned in, and her discovery by the ship crew and arrival in Lily's care). As Amah-lea grew she had trouble adjusting to life without a family and was often despressed, even choosing the surname she still bears, Scornlove. Until one day Lily's eagles hatched young. Amah-lea was excited by the new life and delighted when one took to her easily. The young eaglets became the focus of her life and through them she became interested in Aerdrie Faenya's worship. Eventually she would become a full cleric of Aerdrie.
Amah-lea left the orphanage when she completd her training. Divinations had revealed that both her parents were still alive and she became determined to track them down. She hired onto a spelljammer as a navigator and helmsman in return for advance payment, made to Lily's orphanage.
Amah-lea knew she'd come from Bral so this was the first place she went. She began an intensive search of the city and using spells and asking favors of other elven priests and wizards she was able to track down her mother. What she found was not the happy reunion she'd come to imagine (she'd imagined herself the daughter of a powerful noblewoman, stolen and secreted by kidnappers for ransom, or perhaps the illegitimate lovechild daughter of a powerful woman, forced to be abandoned to avoid the wrath of a jealous and powerful husband--and a dozen other romantic possibilities). Her mother had begun to supplement her income as a prostitute and had become addicted to a variety of substances, only the least of which is alcohol. The years had been hard on her and she had no desire to see the abandoned child she had managed to forget. She did manage to get what additional information she knows of her life from her mother in return for her money, however (what's presented above), along with her father's first name: Amlindar. Her mother claimed not to know his family name or even if he had one (apparently having only one name is common enough in human society that she never asked).
Amah-lea is now thoroughly disillusioned with life once again and having seen the squalor and evil of one of the best known of human ports would prefer to live among elves. Unfortunately, she feels she won't be accepted among her father's people. So she has begun looking for a ship to serve on, a good crew that won't care about her past and will see only her skill and her powers. In order to soothe the ache in her heart she has also given up the search for her father and devoted herself more fervently to her faith.
Personality: Amah-lea is fast losing her naivette and becoming acclimated to the harsh world of humans (she grew up in a human-dominated port but the orphanage was always a refuge from the harsh reality outside). She has soured on the world and especially on love and wants nothing to do with either. Instead she feels she can trust only her goddess as her goddess grants her powers and spells in return for faithful devotion (thus proving her goddess cares for her and can be relied upon). Amah-lea gives most of her money to charitable causes. While it's too far to send money to the orphanage that raised her and she has no real contact with or standing in Aerdrie's church (something that would change if she made herself known to the church) she donates to local causes wherever she travels. She practices her skills constantly and is distant but reliable when hired. Getting through to her on a personal level would be extremely hard and her personal distrust will probably prevent her ever taking a lover.
Adventure ideas: What really happened to Amah-lea's father and where is he? Did he run away? Was he assigned to a long-range patrol? Shipwrecked? Enslaved? Is Amlindar even his real name? Does Amah-lea have any half-siblings, by either parent? Can anyone make her care again about any of these questions?
Equipment: moccasins, diaphonous cloak, longbow, quiver of 20 arrows, longsword (only in 3e), quarterstaff, belt pouch with 12 sp and 2 gp, ceremonial raiment, chest with lock, 3 vials of holy water, healer's bag, leather armor, clay holy symbol (has been glazed and baked)
C2 (2d8+2); hp 14; Init +3; MV 30'; AC 15; Atk +1 melee (1-8, crit
19-20/x3, longsword), +1
melee (1-6, quarterstaff), or +4 missile (1-8, crit x3, longbow); AL
CG; SV Fort +4, Ref +3,
Will +3; S 10; I 14; W 13; D 17; Cn 12; Ch 16
languages: common, elf, draconic, sylvan
skills: knowledge(nature) +7, knowledge(religion) +7, spellcraft +7,
heal +6
feats: simple weapons, light armor, medium armor, heavy armor, shield,
extend spell
spells: 4L0, 3+1 L1, animal friendship (once/day)
Domains: Air, Animal
Note: DMs using domains from other sources than the PHB should not
replace air with weather
(a logical possibility for clergy of Aerdrie Faenya) for Am-ah-lea as
she is an SJ cleric,
not a dirtkicker.
(Optional) Special: Animal domain spells (including animal friendship) only affect avians and part avians. Any animal related spell (domain or not) is cast at +1 level when used to affect avians and part avians. Allow animal empathy as a cross-class skill for those with the animal domain (normally this is a barred skill for clerics).
Note: In 2e she's only proficient with quarterstaff of the weapons she
carries. She uses
the longbow for archery practice (it soothes her) and never as a weapon
(she is not that
well trained in it and would fear losing her powers for using it in
this way). Alternately
2e DMs may choose to change to to a specialty priest of Aedrie Faenya
(I decided to leave
her as a simple cleric so there wouldn't have to be a DD version and a
MM version and in
case someone lack access to those references.
AC 5; C2; hp 12; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon; AL CG; THAC0 20; S 10; I 14; W
13; D 17; Cn 12; Ch 16
proficiencies: common, elvish, read/write elvish, religion (elvish),
read/write common,
spacemanship, spelljamming, spellcraft, wildspace navigation, swimming,
bowyer/fletcher,
quarterstaff, club
spells: 3L1
