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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Kirosthrek

A cunning historian and summoner from a line of xulgaths who retain the psychic might of their fearsome ancestors, Kirosthrek serves Sarvel Ever-Hunger in the hopes of gaining the power she needs to restore the xulgaths' ruined Darklands empire.

Thoughtmaw xulgaths are larger, more intelligent, and more powerful than others of their kind, and Kirosthrek has long embraced that truth. Where many of her kin heard only fanciful legend and exaggerated myth in the tales told by her clutch's elders, those recountings of powerful xulgaths ruling the Darklands resonated with Kirosthrek. Most of her kin feared the spirits of the past and looked only to the present and the future, but Kirosthrek dug into that past, hunting through the ruins of the long-dead xulgath empire around her for fragments of lost lore and forgotten secrets.

Bit by bit, Kirosthrek expanded her knowledge. From ancient texts, she began to piece together even more powerful spells and rituals. Others in her clutch came to fear the ancient magic she commanded, and so she found herself with followers willing to do her bidding if she spared their minds. She took her elders' place, telling not mere tales but true histories of their people, of the Darklands vault they once ruled and the abrupt end of that empire. The thoughtmaws were the true descendants of that empire, she insisted, and some day they would rule it again.

The isolated clutch she led was too small to retake an empire single-handedly, so Kirosthrek sought allies. This search brought to her attention a high priest of Zevgavizeb calling himself Sarvel Ever-Hunger, leading a fierce conquest in the upper Darklands. He was a lesser xulgath, but one infused with fiendish might and the blessings of a demon lord, and so Kirosthrek led her clutch to join forces with this new conqueror, hoping to subjugate the priest into furthering her own goals.

Sarvel was not easily subjugated, however, and while he welcomed the thoughtmaws' addition to his might, Kirosthrek was forced to adjust her own plans and serve as Sarvel's chief advisor. The priest's interests were not so different from her own, she found; furthermore, he held his own scraps of knowledge about the ancient empire Kirosthrek so admired. From him, she learned that the vault they ruled had been known as Vask, and that some sudden tragedy had darkened the life-giving suns of that realm. She took that name to her daemonic allies, seeking to learn more about that catastrophe, and from them, she learned about Aroden's theft. For Kirosthrek, this revelation was a clear directive: she would go find the sun-orbs Aroden had stolen and reclaim them, using their power to rebuild the empire of old.

And for a time, it seemed Sarvel shared her goals. The conquering high priest fixed his sights on the surface world, organizing an operation with enough subtlety and savvy that Kirosthrek began to consider him a suitable leader. But Sarvel's true goal with the orbs is now clear to her: rather than reclaim the orbs, he wants them destroyed. Hoping to make the most of a plan gone wrong, Kirosthrek continues to aid Sarvel, but only from a lack of better options; her opinion of the priest now calling himself the Apocalypse Prophet continues to sour.

Campaign Role

Kirosthrek is not the heroes' ally, but neither is she an unreasonable zealot. She fights alongside Sarvel and views the heroes as soft-skinned surface dwellers who don't deserve the privileges that have benefited them throughout their lives. But she is a quick thinker and a survivor; if the odds are obviously stacked against her, she doesn't hesitate to prioritize her own self-preservation. She doesn't like the heroes, but she respects their power, and she is no stranger to bartering with powerful beings for their aid.

Should the heroes defeat Sarvel while Kirosthrek lives, she loses all interest in the surface campaign. Her first instinct is to flee, but if the heroes offer a truce, she's also willing to negotiate with them. She doesn't limit her opening requests, however: she wants the aeon orbs so she can restore the xulgath empire in the Vault of the Black Desert. She also isn't any kinder or gentler than other xulgaths, and she makes no attempt to hide her intentions of subjugating and enslaving other peoples in the areas she intends to claim (such as the urdefhans and drow that now live in what she considers xulgath lands). Even so, the heroes may feel they owe the xulgaths some form of reparations for Aroden's theft millennia ago, and Kirosthrek is willing to entertain reasonable offers to benefit her people, in lieu of the aeon orbs. The details and repercussions of such an arrangement are beyond the scope of this adventure.

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

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

KirosthrekCreature 20

Legacy Content

Unique NE Medium Humanoid Xulgath 
Source Pathfinder #156: The Apocalypse Prophet pg. 88
Female xulgath loremaster
Perception +36; darkvision, thoughtsense (imprecise) 60
Languages Abyssal, Common, Daemonic, Draconic, Undercommon; telepathy 100 feet
Skills Arcana +36, Deception +33, Diplomacy +41, Intimidation +33, Medicine +38, Occultism +38, Stealth +37
Str +3, Dex +3, Con +1, Int +4, Wis +4, Cha +7
Thoughtsense (divination, mental, occult) Kirosthrek senses a creature's mental essence at the listed range.
Items planar ribbon, true elixir of life, +2 greater resilient studded leather
AC 45; Fort +31, Ref +33, Will +36
HP 375; Resistances mental 20
Psychogenic Secretions (aura, mental) 30 feet. A creature that enters the emanation must attempt a DC 42 Will save. On a failure, the creature is stupefied 1 for 1 minute (stupefied 2 and also paralyzed for 1 round on a critical failure). A creature that succeeds at its save is temporarily immune to psychogenic secretions for 1 minute.Divert Thoughts [reaction] (mental) Trigger Kirosthrek attempts a saving throw against a spell; Effect Kirosthrek diverts some of the spell's energy, gaining a +2 circumstance bonus to the saving throw or +4 if the spell has the mental trait. If she critically succeeds at the saving throw, she can use the Cast a Spell action on her next turn to cast the triggering spell at the same level without expending any spell slots.
Speed 25 feet, fly 35 feet (from fly)
Melee [one-action] jaws +34 [+29/+24] (magical), Damage 4d8+6 piercing plus 4d6 mentalMelee [one-action] claw +34 [+30/+26] (agile, magical), Damage 4d4+6 slashing plus 4d6 mentalOccult Spontaneous Spells DC 42; 10th alter reality, summon fiend (2 slots); 9th foresight, synesthesia, weird (3 slots); 8th confusion, disappearance, maze, wall of force (3 slots); 7th phantasmal killer, visions of danger, warp mind (3 slots); 6th phantasmal calamity, scrying, wall of force (3 slots); 5th hallucination, mind probe, synaptic pulse (3 slots); 4th invisibility, modify memory, suggestion (3 slots); 3rd enthrall, haste, paralyze (3 slots); 2nd invisibility, mirror image, silence (3 slots); 1st fear, sleep, true strike; Cantrips (10th) daze, forbidding ward, message, shield
Occult Innate Spells DC 42, attack +34; 8th phantom pain (at will); 5th telekinetic haul (at will); 2nd telekinetic maneuver (at will); Cantrips (10th) telekinetic projectile; Constant (10th) fly, true seeing
Occult Rituals DC 42; 6th planar binding; 5th call spirit; 2nd inveigle
Consume Knowledge [two-actions] (divination, mental, occult) The thoughtmaw invades the mind of a creature within 100 feet and attempts to swallow its capacity for higher thought. The creature must attempt a DC 42 Will save. Using Consume Knowledge immediately ends any of the ability's previous effects on a different creature.
Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
Success The creature is slowed 1 for 1 round.
Failure The creature is slowed 1 and can take no actions other than basic actions for 1 minute.
Critical Failure As failure, and the thoughtmaw is quickened 1 for 1 minute. It can use this extra action to Stride, Strike, or Cast a Spell if the target had prepared spells or a spell repertoire.