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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Commander Arsiella Dei

Arsiella Dei was born to be a Chernasardo Ranger. The youngest daughter of trapper-turned-military-leader Irgal Nirmath, who was assassinated in 4655 ar after the disorganized groups of rangers he brought together under a common banner gained their independence from Molthune, Arsiella grew up hearing stories of her father's exploits in a nation named in his honor.

Had she been raised in a different time or place, Arsiella might have been an artist, but instead she began her training under the members of her father's former army, Irgal's Axe, from the time she could walk. Except for the occasional portrait sketched in the margins of her notebook, throughout her childhood Arsiella remained singularly focused on continuing her father's work of keeping Nirmathas a free nation. From her tutors, she learned not only how to wield an axe and bow, but also the arts of stealth, subterfuge, and sabotage. Arsiella was by all accounts considered an excellent student, no less cunning, clever, or insightful than Irgal Nirmath himself.

While her father's compatriots taught Arsiella from an early age, they also spoiled her, often going easier on her than they would another sparring partner. As a result, by the time she was an adolescent, Arsiella believed she was nearly invincible. She took outsized risks on her patrols, sometimes endangering not only her own life, but those of her companions. In this way, Arsiella differed from her father, who always tempered his willingness to risk his own life with a concern for the safety of those under his command. Arsiella knew that if she wanted to become a leader of her people, she would need wisdom as well as skill, but it wasn't until she nearly died at the hands of a Molthuni advance line that she realized the importance of leaving her familiar surroundings of the Southern Fangwood to gain experience abroad.

Arsiella relocated to Lastwall, where she sought tutelage under the Knights of Ozem, a military order dedicated to the goddess Iomedae. In Vigil, the capital of Lastwall at that time, she became a devout follower of the Inheritor, admiring both the goddess's strength and her sense of justice. During this period, Arsiella took the last name Dei, an appellation meant not only to honor her new goddess but to minimize the special treatment she might receive as the daughter of a famous war hero such as Irgal Nirmath.

In Lastwall, Arsiella also built upon her long-standing belief in the importance of mastering different combat styles. Her teachers among the Knights of Ozem taught her how to fight undead, of course, but they also helped her develop the discipline and military regimen she so sorely lacked throughout her youth. In return, Arsiella became a teacher in her own right, instructing younger, inexperienced knights (many of whom would themselves go on to become Crimson Reclaimers) in the value of stealth, survival, and guerrilla warfare. To this day, Arsiella fights using techniques borrowed from the Chernasardo Rangers and the Knights of Ozem, a combination that makes her unique among the members of both those organizations.

Arsiella wasn't in Vigil when it was destroyed in 4719 ar, but she was among the first of the forces to return to the city to take a reckoning of the damage that had occurred. Only when it became clear that Tar-Baphon had escaped his prison and that his undead forces were in the process of overwhelming Lastwall did she retreat, along with the Knights of Ozem, to the port city of Vellumis. As Lastwall died and the Gravelands rose to take its place, Arsiella was vital to the reestablishment of the Knights of Ozem, though she refused to become a Knight of Lastwall herself. In this way, Arsiella's years of training came to a fruition—though it pained her to leave her comrades-in-arms behind, she believed her talents would be put to better use mustering foreign forces for the greater battle against the Whispering Tyrant that was surely to come.

By the time she returned to the Southern Fangwood, Arsiella had become both a battle-hardened warrior and a formidable strategist, and she quickly rose through the ranks to become one of the few Chernasardo wardens. While the rangers continued to be a loose confederation of freedom fighters, Arsiella possessed an uncanny ability to coordinate operations using a combination of charm, intimidation, and meticulous organization. This ability, along with her time serving with the Knights of Ozem and her devotion to Iomedae, earned Arsiella her role as the commander of Fort Ozem. When the time came to find a resting place for the Chalice of Ozem, Fort Ozem was the obvious choice, and Arsiella gladly assumed the role of the artifact's chief protector. Arsiella isn't one to be overly impressed by titles, but she sees her appointment as a way to continue her father's legacy, and she has used a bit of her pull to afford him a place of honor within the catacombs beneath the fort. She considers her regular visits to Irgal's tomb as both an honor to her father and a source of strength that helps her fulfill her current duties.

Campaign Role

Arsiella Dei oversees Fort Ozem as the PCs infiltrate the outpost in search of the Chalice of Ozem. Of all the fort's defenders, only Arsiella is aware of the Chalice's presence in the catacombs. Arsiella takes the secrecy of the artifact's presence in the fort with the utmost seriousness. She's long believed that her father's assassination was made possible only because someone inadvertently revealed his location, and she has vowed not to let her knowledge of the fort's true purpose fall into evil hands.

In her time as fort commander, Arsiella has increased the use of traps in the forward “sword” section of Fort Ozem. She's also made deals with local fey and other creatures to add an additional level of security throughout the fort, trusting these creatures to repel intruders should the fort's humanoid defenders fail or prove untrustworthy. She views herself as the Chalice of Ozem's last line of defense, however. If presented with unbeatable odds, Arsiella abandons the fort with the Chalice. Before then, anyone who enters Fort Ozem without her permission is likely to face a hail of arrows from her bow or the sharp side of her axe.

Recall Knowledge - Humanoid (Society): DC 36
Unspecific Lore: DC 34
Specific Lore: DC 31

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

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

Elite Commander Arsiella DeiCreature 10

Unique Medium Aiuvarin Elf Human Humanoid 
Source Claws of the Tyrant pg. 122
Perception +23; low-light vision
Languages Common, Elven
Skills Acrobatics +20, Athletics +18, Diplomacy +18, Intimidation +18, Iomedae Lore +20, Nature +20, Religion +18, Stealth +20, Survival +22
Str +3, Dex +5, Con +4, Int +4, Wis +6, Cha +4
Items +1 leather armor, Irgal's Axe (+1 striking vitalizing battle axe), religious symbol of Iomedae, breastplate, composite shortbow (20 arrows)
AC 30; Fort +17, Ref +21, Will +23
HP 175
Reactive Strike [reaction]
Speed 30 feet
Melee [one-action] battle axe +24 [+19/+14] (magical, sweep), Damage 2d8+2+11 slashingRanged [one-action] composite shortbow +23 [+18/+13] (deadly d10, propulsive, range increment 60 feet), Damage 1d6+2+10 piercingRanger Warden Spells 2 Focus Points, DC 30 (+4 dmg); 5th gravity weapon, soothing mist
For Nirmathas! [one-action] Frequency once per round; Effect Arsiella makes two battle axe Strikes against the same target. Both Strikes use Arsiella's current multiple attack penalty, but each Strike takes a –2 penalty. A target hit by both attacks on the same turn must also succeed at a DC 28 Fortitude saving throw or be knocked prone.Heavenly Strike [two-actions] (divine) Arsiella calls on the spirit of her father and the strength of Iomedae to infuse her weapon, then Strikes with that weapon. If the Strike hits, Arsiella deals an extra weapon die of vitality damage.Hunt Prey [one-action] (concentrate) Arsiella designates a single creature she can see and hear, or one she's Tracking, as her prey. She gains a +2 circumstance bonus to Perception checks to Seek her prey and to Survival checks to Track her prey. The first time she hits her designated prey in a round, she deals an additional 1d8 precision damage. She also ignores the penalty for making ranged attacks within the second range increment when attacking her prey. These effects last until she uses Hunt Prey again.Quick Draw [one-action] Arsiella draws a weapon, then Strikes with that weapon.Skirmish Strike [one-action] Arsiella either Steps and then Strikes, or Strikes and then Steps.

All Monsters in "Knights of Lastwall"

NameLevel
Commander Arsiella Dei9
Knight Reclaimant8
Veteran Reclaimer11
Virtuous Defender4

Knights of Lastwall

Source Character Guide pg. 122 2.0
For centuries, the nation of Lastwall stood as a bulwark against the orcs of Belkzen and the lingering threat of the Whispering Tyrant. But when the Whispering Tyrant escaped his prison, he brought to his enemies in Lastwall a devastating apocalypse. Now Lastwall is destroyed, and the knights who once served there are without a home. In its absence, they have formed a ragtag group known as the Knights of Lastwall, and they carry on their charge to stand against the undead legions of the Whispering Tyrant wherever their skills are needed.