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Bolan Nogasso, Rebel Oaksteward
Druidism draws some adherents because they love nature—and others because they hate people. Bolan Nogasso has always been the latter.Bolan grew up in the logging camps of Andoran, the son of parents with too many offspring and too little affection. Shy and scrawny, he found himself a target of constant abuse from burly loggers' children, including his own siblings. He took to spending as much time as possible hiding in the woods. There, in the quiet among the trees, he could finally let his guard down. In time, he managed to befriend local fey, including pixies and brownies. Bolan began to pray that he'd turn out to be a changeling—anything but the child of boorish humans.
Time and again, the same story would play out: Bolan would return to a favorite grove and find it clear-cut, his fey friends nowhere to be found. As he grew older, he filled out, and he used his new strength to fight these atrocities. Yet the loggers— those same childhood chums who'd spent their lives bullying him—only laughed as they bloodied his nose. Hopeless, he tried to drink his troubles away.
It was on one of these benders that he first heard of Sevenarches. In Sevenarches, people served nature, rather than the other way around. Guards called Oakstewards reminded citizens of the delicate balance between the needs of humanoids and those of plants and animals. Bolan set out immediately, vowing not to rest until he was apprenticed to these sagacious druids.
It worked: Bolan excelled in his training and soon became a full Oaksteward. With his knowledge and magic, he felt closer to the natural world than ever— while also appreciating the distance his status put between him and Sevenarches' deferential citizens.
Yet his joy was short-lived. Bolan soon realized that, for all their talk of balance, the Oakstewards actually put humanoid interests first. He began to clash more and more with his superiors, eventually seeing them as just another petty hierarchy that was more concerned with international politics than truly safeguarding the natural world. He volunteered to patrol the nation's borders, venting his merciless frustrations upon anyone he caught sneaking into Sevenarches.
And then came the Missing Moment. Through the Seventh Arch, Bolan saw a tranquil, natural world where humanoids were no more important than blades of grass. He leapt eagerly through the portal. Though (like everyone else) he has no memory of what occurred in his time through the gate, he returned with a new determination to realize the perfect vision he'd glimpsed. Adding to his conviction were strange powers he'd somehow gained from the Missing Moment: magic which allowed him to control the human-despoiled remains of plants—the wood in buildings, the fibers in fabric. To Bolan, this vegetative necromancy was a sign that he'd been chosen as an avatar of nature's vengeance.
Soon afterward, Bolan received his first visit from a terrifying fey which called themself Kaneepo the Slim. Desperate for an ally and already favorably inclined toward fey, Bolan agreed to do whatever the figure wanted. In exchange for a simple favor from Bolan— namely, stealing the sacred key to the Seventh Arch— Kaneepo promised to help Bolan not only overthrow humanoid civilization, but to destroy it entirely so that the natural world could heal.
Campaign Role
Though the primary antagonist for the first chapter of the adventure, Bolan is ultimately a patsy—a desperate zealot who's become a pawn in Kaneepo the Slim's wicked game. Kaneepo has no problem with the rebel Oaksteward's genocidal goals. The fey only needs Bolan to steal the Shadewither Key, with which Kaneepo can expand their territory and pursue their own vengeance against the elves of Kyonin. Bolan is at once a tragic figure and a dangerous foe, quick to spout proclamations about civilization's unchecked growth. Although he cares little for the other Oakstewards who've joined his cause, he genuinely feels for his fey allies, and he's surprisingly tolerant of their shenanigans.Recall Knowledge - Humanoid (Society): DC 26
Unspecific Lore: DC 24
Specific Lore: DC 21
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 Bolan NogassoCreature 1
Unique Medium Human HumanoidSource Gatewalkers (Hardcover) pg. 274
Perception +9
Languages Common, Fey, Wildsong
Skills Acrobatics +5, Athletics +5, Intimidation +6, Nature +6, Stealth +3, Survival +6
Str +2, Dex +2, Con +0, Int +0, Wis +4, Cha +2
Items +1 staff, dagger, hide armor, leaf mask
AC 16; Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +9
HP 30
Speed 20 feet
Melee [one-action] staff +7 [+2/-3] (magical, reach 10 feet [with untamed shift], two-hand d8), Damage 1d8-2+3 bludgeoningDruid Prepared Spells DC 16, attack +8 (-4 dmg); 1st breathe fire, fleet step, runic body, runic weapon; Cantrips (1st) caustic blast, frostbite, guidance, light, tangle vine
Druid Order Spells DC 16 (1 Focus Point) (-4 dmg); 1st untamed shift (Plant Shape)
Guardian Thorns [two-actions] (primal) Bolan compels plant-based materials within 10 feet of him to grow sharp thorns and spiky branches. This ability affects all walls, floors, and large objects made from dead organic material, such as wood. Affected areas become difficult terrain. Non-fey and non-plant creatures in the affected area or those who move through an affected square take 2d10 piercing damage (DC 16 basic Reflex save). This ability does not affect stone, dirt, living plants, or other materials. The effect ends when Bolan moves out of his square.Item Treachery [one-action] (primal Bolan targets a held item) Vengeful Fibers [one-action] (primal) A piece of clothing animates and attacks its wearer at Bolan's command. Bolan targets a creature within 60 feet wearing clothing made from plants, such as cotton, hemp, or grass. The clothing chokes its wearer, restricts their movement, and abrades their skin. The target takes 2d10 bludgeoning damage (DC 16 basic Fortitude save). A creature that takes damage in this way is also off-guard and takes a –10- foot circumstance penalty to Speed until the beginning of Bolan's next turn.
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