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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Nkiruka, Stern Diplomat and Prime Speaker of Walkena

Nkiruka grew up as the latest in a line of esteemed envoys, ambassadors, and emissaries. Much like her father, grandmother, and great-grandfather, Nkiruka was skilled in the art of debate and conflict resolution, encouraging her to continue the family trade. She began her formal training at the age of 15, taking the first steps toward becoming an ambassador like her forebears. During this time, she tapped into something unexpected: magic. Nkiruka saw the secrets of the words she spoke and those that others spoke to her. She was furious.

Nkiruka believed her skill above all else was the primary factor in her success, and revelation of her magical prowess would only serve to sully her reputation. Others would see only her magic and believe all of her success was a result of supernatural influence rather than her dedication and experience. For a time, Nkiruka fell into a slump, believing her unfortunate magical skill had ruined her credibility forever.

Eventually, she chose to accept her magical knack and focused on refining her aptitude for spells. That's when she came to another realization: her spells could undo the tricks of others. As she gained a better understanding of her magic, she learned spells that would allow her to reveal lies or protect her from attempts at reading her mind. Rather than use her magic to succeed, Nkiruka could use it to level the playing field and properly allow her skill to shine.

Nkiruka redoubled her efforts. She continued her practice in all things diplomatic while also gaining a greater understanding of her magic. Soon, she was able to wield her wit and magic together. She was quickly recognized as the best of her peers, using her magic to shut down any attempts at deception or cheating and besting her opponents when they couldn't rely on their tricks. Graduating at the head of her class, she left Anthusis in search of opportunities.

Nkiruka spent many years serving as a diplomat for places such as Nantambu, Azir, Merab, and Senghor. She met every job head-on and, with the aid of her magic, was able to prove herself a diplomat worthy of continuing her family's legacy. She was proud of her work and even started a family, but she felt unfulfilled. While she had faced plenty of professional challenges, none of them ever felt worthy of her skill. Fifteen years into a wholly successful career, Nkiruka had yet to find a job that she felt really pushed her to her limit. During a visit to her in-laws in Kalabuto, Nkiruka learned of the latest ambassador to fall at the hand of Walkena in Mzali. After a bit of questioning and research, Nkiruka learned about the city, its god-king, and the strange and difficult life of Mzali's people. Here was her challenge.

In Mzali, Nkiruka saw the opportunity to prove herself the ultimate diplomat. If she could make a tyrant bow to reason, she would know that her skill was unmatched. If she could make others eager to meet and speak with the people of Mzali, she would be a genius among ambassadors. Undeterred by the dangers that the city presented, Nkiruka traveled to Mzali and used her silver tongue to earn a meeting with Walkena. The god-king was impressed with Nkiruka's confidence, and he delivered many tests to prove her skill. Nkiruka passed every test and even established a trading accord with a group of lost merchants that had stumbled upon the city. Walkena was pleased and took Nkiruka on as his new ambassador.

During negotiations and diplomatic talks, Nkiruka is completely serious. She suffers no fools, and she prefers to be direct and frank about all matters of her discussions. She always begins conversations by casting an array of spells, the function of which she is happy to describe, to make sure there's no trickery involved. Outside of her diplomatic endeavors, Nkiruka is a proud and stern woman. She is somewhat curt, but rarely to the degree where it sours her relationships with others. Only when dealing with her family do her walls come down. At home, Nkiruka is a surprisingly sweet and gentle person whose graciousness extends to any family guests and visitors.

Campaign Role

Nkiruka represents a significant obstacle for the heroes. The arrival of a large group in Mzali makes Nkiruka suspicious immediately, and dealings with her are slow. She's a key figure in negotiations with Mzali, the heroes must speak with Nkiruka on multiple occasions to finally earn a good standing with her and, eventually, Walkena. The heroes may need to meet with Nkiruka multiple times before making any progress in negotiations, but will find the results to be more than worth the effort.

Though Nkiruka has formal combat training supplemented by her keen eye for detail, she prefers to leave combat to others. If pressed into combat, negotiations with Nkiruka are immediately a failure, and she flees as soon as possible.

Recall Knowledge - Humanoid (Society): DC 42
Unspecific Lore: DC 40
Specific Lore: DC 37

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

NkirukaCreature 14

Legacy Content

Unique N Medium Human Humanoid 
Source Pathfinder #172: Secrets of the Temple City pg. 88
Female human diplomat
Perception +11; (29 to notice lies and Sense Motive)
Languages Common, Draconic, Elven, Mzunu
Skills Acrobatics +10, Arcana +11, Deception +14, Diplomacy +14 (+16 to Make an Impression), Intimidation +14, Occultism +11, Performance +14, Religion +9, Society +11
Str +0, Dex +4, Con +4, Int +3, Wis +1, Cha +6
Ear for Lies Nkiruka's training allows her to recognize microexpressions, voice tone, and other tells. When a creature fails to Lie to Nkiruka, not only does she know they were lying, she also receives a clue about what that creature believes to be the truth.
Group Impression When Nkiruka Makes an Impression, she can compare her Diplomacy check result to the Will DCs of up to four targets instead of one.
Items +1 resilient leather armor, +2 striking sickle, +2 striking hand crossbow (20 bolts)
AC 22; Fort +10, Ref +12, Will +11
HP 260
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] sickle +13 [+9/+5] (agile, finesse, magical, trip), Damage 2d4+10 slashingRanged [one-action] hand crossbow +13 [+8/+3] (magical, range increment 60 feet, reload 1), Damage 2d6+10 piercingOccult Spontaneous Spells DC 20, attack +12; 7th dimensional lock, project image, retrocognition (3 slots); 6th mislead, repulsion, true seeing (3 slots); 5th illusory scene, telepathic bond, tongues (3 slots); 4th discern lies, private sanctum, resilient sphere (3 slots); 3rd dream message, hypercognition, wanderer's guide (3 slots); 2nd calm emotions, magic mouth, status (3 slots); 1st illusory object, sanctuary, unseen servant (3 slots); Cantrips (7th) detect magic, forbidding ward, mage hand, read aura, sigil
Eye for an Opening Nkiruka's Strikes against creatures she observes that don't have cover and aren't concealed deal an additional 2d10 precision damage.Size Up [one-action] Nkiruka attempts a Perception check against the Deception DC or Will DC, whichever is higher, of a creature she can see. On a success, she gleans a notable detail about the creature as if she had successfully Recalled Knowledge about it. Once Nkiruka has Sized Up a creature, she can't do so again for 1 day