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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Pteios

Birthed in the forests within the domain of Pol-Ungkore, Pteios enjoyed a peaceful childhood, showing a penchant for sculpture and stonework. While more withdrawn and prone to dreaming than the rest of the hatchlings, there was no real sign of the turn his life would take. When he reached adolescence, fate played its hand—an errant gaze at his hand from another young stheno caused his fingers to become stone. The community's elders were at a loss, for sthenos had always been exempt from the calcifying eyes of their peers. Worried that Pteios might be vulnerable to further petrification, the community sheltered and later relocated him to be raised abroad by a friendly foster family.

This, however, proved to be unhelpful. In addition to leaving him jaded and resentful, the petrification gradually migrated from his hand up along his arm, sapping much of the limb's flexibility. With a display of grim calculus, Pteios kept his hand grasped to hold utensils for two years as it turned to stone, maintaining some use of it even after it became fully immobile. He labored where he could to buy a spellcaster's services to reverse the petrification, yet this only alleviated and slowed the transformation. The dread that he would one day become one of the statues he had grown so fond of carving ate at his soul. His frustration at his inescapable reality finally became so great that he retreated to a tiny island off the coast of Pol-Bailax, seeking a peaceful place to become a statue.

But the Universe had other plans. As he rested, the chaos that would be remembered as the War of Immortals erupted across the multiverse, and fragments of the shattered war god Gorum fell as the Godsrain across reality. One of these crashed into Pteios's island. Curious, he stiffly hiked over to the smoldering crater and reached out with his petrified hand to nudge the otherworldly fragment. As he did, a torrent of visions coursed through him mind. He could sense the distant battles among the gods, a thousand wars fought across Golarion, the roar of armies fueled by Gorum's bloodlust, and the dying gasp of the Lord in Iron. At last, a relieved voice in his head concluded “He is dead!” But who was it? Again, scenes played out across Pteios's consciousness, showing Gorum and Gozreh chasing a titan who seemed to be made from living paint. The two gods cornered her over coastal waters before Gorum delivered a terrible blow. As the two gods departed and the titan's body sank into the water, the seafloor rose to cocoon her in the islands of what would one day become Iblydos.

Amazed, Pteios beseeched the voice, asking what he could do to help. He received only faint and vague answers—a name, a direction, and a hope to beautify the world—as if the entity were drifting in and out of sleep. As he became aware of his surroundings once more, Pteios realized he hadn't just contacted a forgotten divinity; his body was entirely healed of the petrifying affliction! Grateful and filled with zeal, Pteios retrieved the fragment of Gorum and set out to evangelize the forgotten titan and healer, Sangeh.

Wielding a spear shaped from the Gorum fragment, Pteios has performed tiny miracles as he travels across Iblydos. At each island, he recruits downtrodden followers and tries to sense Sangeh's location again, gradually triangulating where her body is entombed. He has taken a special interest in Pol-Ungkore and Pol-Dhuraxilis. In the former, his mythically empowered gaze petrified many of the city-state's ruling council, sparking a civil war that's only recently begun to die down. In the latter, he has leveraged his own monstrous appearance to recruit followers—even if doing so challenges the influence of Pol-Dhuraxilis's own hero-god, Iapholi.

Most recently, Pteios discovered where his patron resides, buried in an underground city trapped beneath a mountain. With Sangeh's blessing, Pteios has managed to part the stone, descend to commune directly with her, and encourage her to awaken as swiftly as possible. The titan shares countless memories with him in the meantime, and her prophet studies these with great interest, like a thespian soaking in a stage play.

By the time the new hero-gods set out on their adventure, Pteios has laid much of the groundwork to wake Sangeh. The titan begins to stir on her own, and the stheno has accumulated enough mythic power in the furtherance of his calling that he believes he can give her the final jolt. All that's left is to ensure Pol-Dhuraxilis is unstable enough to welcome its new patron deity with open arms.

Campaign Role

Pteios serves as the primary antagonist for the Myth-Speaker Adventure Path, though the details of his identity remain obscured for much of the adventure. He's only passingly aware of the party's efforts to stop Sangeh from waking, but he becomes more interested as they draw ever closer. By the time the group reaches Pol- Dhuraxilis, the prophet decides to take a more active hand in the city's fall and lends Encymion resources to that end directly.

When the chimera's assassination attempts fail, Pteios retreats fully to Sangeh's cradle and prepares his ritual to wake her. If Pol-Dhuraxilis is not ready for a willing occupation by the worshippers of the titan, he reasons, it will have to fall by force. Uncertain if he has the power to combat multiple hero-gods at once, he barricades the entrance and pulls memories from Sangeh's dreams to buy time.

Ever curious about views not his own, Pteios is willing to converse with the party during their final encounter. Those who do find him to be a quick-witted philosopher, if one who greatly fears a death not of his choosing. It's not possible to sway him from his course or convince a surrender, but Pteios will grimly admit he would have enjoyed a different outcome before engaging in combat.

Recall Knowledge - Humanoid (Society): DC 38
Unspecific Lore: DC 36
Specific Lore: DC 33

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Changes from being Weak are marked in red below.
NOTE: The -2 damage penalty to non-strike offensive abilities (-4 if the ability is limited, such as spells) is NOT factored in.

Weak PteiosCreature 10

Unique Medium Humanoid Mythic Stheno 
Source Pathfinder #218: Titanbane pg. 90
Perception +21; all-around vision
Languages Common, Cyclops, Draconic, Iblydosi, Thalassic
Skills Acrobatics +19, Crafting +22, Diplomacy +21, Occultism +20, Stealth +19
Str +2, Dex +5, Con +3, Int +2, Wis +3, Cha +6
Items greater choker of elocution (Cyclops, Draconic, Thalassic), +1 chain shirt, warshard spear, chisel
AC 28; Fort +16, Ref +22, Will +22; +1 vs. auditory,
HP 200; Resistances poison 8
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] warshard spear +20 [+15/+10] (magical, thrown 20 feet), Damage 2d6-2+10 piercing plus 1d10 mentalMelee [one-action] chisel +20 [+16/+12] (agile, finesse), Damage 2d6-2+10 piercing plus 1d4 persistent bleedPrepared Occult Spells DC 30, attack +20 (-4 dmg); 6th cursed metamorphosis, slow; 5th shadow blast, shadow siphon, strange geometry; 4th confusion, containment, vision of death; 3rd agonizing despair, gravity well; Cantrips (6th) haunting hymn, shield, telekinetic projectile, warp step
Encroaching Doom [one-action] (concentrate, spellshape) Pteios revels in attacking those whose fates are sealed. If his next action is to Cast a Spell that affects or targets a creature with the slowed condition, it takes a –2 status penalty to its AC or saving throw against that spell. This does not affect other targets of the spell unless they also have the slowed condition.Mythic Power 3 Mythic Points
  • Petrifying Glare [two-actions] Cost 1 Mythic Point; Effect Pteios channels his medusa parentage, attempting to turn a target to stone. Pteios casts petrify as an occult spell.
  • Recharge Spell [one-action] (concentrate) Cost 1 Mythic Point; Effect Pteios regains one spell.
  • Remove a Condition [one-action] (concentrate) Cost 1 Mythic Point; Effect Pteios removes any one condition currently affecting him.