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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Starfinder RPG

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Abilities | Monsters | NPCs

Emaliza Zandivar

Discontent with Mengkare, Emaliza schemes with her brother Uri of the Scarlet Triad, intending to become a powerful figure in Promise so that she can one day take full control of the city.

Much like her brother Uri, Emaliza received excellent education and continual care while growing up in Promise, but rather than focus on physical training like her brother, Emaliza chose to sharpen her mind. She dove into her arcane studies with great enthusiasm, marveling at the power and control magic could give her, only to find herself frustrated by Promise's restrictions and Mengkare's demands.

Uri eventually left Promise to serve Mengkare as a recruiter, leaving Emaliza to climb the political ladder in the Council of Enlightenment. Emaliza delighted in every message and letter from her brother, marveling at the opportunities those in the world beyond Hermea's shores had to seize power for themselves. Emaliza's appreciation for such prospects grew stronger after Uri returned from his multiyear mission and regaled her with tales of ambitious and powerful people encountered in his travels. It was then the siblings began to refine their plans for taking control of Hermea.

Emaliza masterminded these plots and, realizing that the support of a distant but well-funded organization would support their goals, suggested that Uri leave Promise again to take control of the Scarlet Triad. She secretly began to investigate Mengkare, attempting to find weaknesses she could exploit. Unable to access the deepest archives of the palace due to the restrictions imposed by her citizenship, Emaliza focused on ingratiating herself to Mengkare instead. In time, she learned about Alseta's Ring, the imprisoned manifestation of Dahak, and the shards of the Orb of Gold Dragonkind. The details of Mengkare's plan eluded her, but she decided they were irrelevant. If she could rebuild the orb and control Mengkare, and if she could claim Alseta's Ring and weaponize the divine entity trapped within, the resulting power would be more than enough to meet her needs. She spent years gaining Mengkare's favor and furthering her position within the Council of Enlightenment, eventually becoming that organization's senior member, second only to the dragon.

Decades later, Emaliza secured permission from Mengkare to make her first voyage beyond Hermea's borders—a trip to Katapesh to review the Scarlet Triad's finances and efficiency. She'd already been working to hide the Triad's dealings with slavery, but now she revealed to Uri what she'd learned. She gave Uri the few shards of the Orb of Gold Dragonkind she'd managed to recover, asked him to gather more shards and organize the orb's repair, and then returned to Hermea to set the stage for her coup.

Today, as the high councilor, Emaliza has access to almost all of Hermea's resources. She has been using this access to continue supporting the Scarlet Triad in secret, partially shoring up the losses the group suffered when Mengkare cut its funding.

Emaliza is an arrogant woman, believing herself to be the pinnacle of intelligence and an incomparable mastermind. The fact that she's been able to keep the efforts of the Scarlet Triad a secret from Mengkare for so long only reinforces her self-assessment and the indulgence of her ego. When speaking with others, she is curt and pedantic, except when she recognizes that kindness could be of more use. In this case, she adopts a persona appearing overly curious and almost naive to make her seem more innocent and unassuming.

Campaign Role

Emaliza spends most of her time during this adventure away from the PCs. She is unsure if the PCs know about the Orb of Dragonkind's abilities or whether she even has the orb. It's likely that Emaliza knows full well the PCs' role in defeating the Scarlet Triad, but with the faulty orb in her hands, she considers Uri's work a success, even if she doesn't particularly mourn his death (less power to share in the end, after all). She considers the PCs to be dupes powerful enough to trick into securing resources and information from the archives, and she hopes they can reach that part of the Golden Citadel and gather information for her.

If Uri escaped death in the previous adventure, Emaliza keeps his return to Promise a secret. The PCs may hear rumors that Uri lives, but he should not make an appearance until the final confrontation when the PCs fight Emaliza, at which point Uri appears at her side, just in time to join the fight.

Emaliza keeps mage armor active at all times; it's listed as one of her 8th-level spells but has already been cast for the day.

Recall Knowledge - Humanoid (Society): DC 50
Unspecific Lore: DC 48
Specific Lore: DC 45

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 Emaliza ZandivarCreature 19

Legacy Content

Unique LE Medium Human Humanoid 
Source Pathfinder #150: Broken Promises pg. 86
Perception +36
Languages Abyssal, Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Ignan, Infernal, Kelish, Osiriani, Undercommon
Skills Acrobatics +30, Arcana +39, Deception +36, Dragon Lore +30, Hermea Lore +36, Intimidation +36, Occultism +32, Society +32
Str +2, Dex +8, Con +5, Int +10, Wis +5, Cha +6
Items +3 major striking staff, Flawed Orb of Gold Dragonkind, ring of spell turning (arcane focus), winged boots, anklets of alacrity
AC 43; Fort +28, Ref +31, Will +34
HP 355
Contingency [reaction] Trigger Emaliza is attacked; Effect A 5th-level dimension door spell is cast on Emaliza; she uses this to escape an attack that she fears would incapacitate or kill her.
Speed 25 feet, fly 30 feet.
Melee [one-action] staff +29 [+24/+19] (magical, two-hand d8), Damage 8d4-2+8 bludgeoningArcane Prepared Spells DC 43, attack +34 (-4 dmg); 10th remake, time stop; 9th disjunction, implosion, massacre, prismatic sphere; 8th contingency (*This spell has been cast already.), horrid wilting, mage armor (*This spell has been cast already.), uncontrollable dance; 7th energy aegis, mask of terror, power word blind, warp mind; 6th dominate, repulsion, spellwrack, true seeing; 5th chromatic wall, dimension door (*This spell has been cast already.), dispel magic, wall of stone; 4th blink, dimension door, freedom of movement, suggestion; 3rd nondetection, paralyze, slow, vampiric touch; 2nd dispel magic, invisibility, mirror image, resist energy; 1st command, fear, magic missile, ray of enfeeblement; Cantrips (10th) acid splash, detect magic, electric arc, prestidigitation, read aura, shield
Arcane Rituals DC 43 (-4 dmg); 8th freedom; 7th legend lore; 6th planar binding
Wizard School Spells DC 43, 3 Focus Points (-4 dmg); 10th energy absorption, protective ward
Drain Bonded Item [free-action] Frequency once per day; Requirements Emaliza hasn't acted yet on this turn; Effect Emaliza can cast one prepared spell she has already cast today without spending a spell slot. She must still Cast the Spell and meet the spell's other requirements.Warded Casting [free-action] Frequency once per round; Trigger Emaliza Casts a Spell; Effect Emaliza's magic creates a small defensive aura around her. She gains 20 temporary Hit Points and resistance 20 to either acid, cold, electricity, or fire damage. The defensive aura remains until the beginning of her next turn.