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Archives of Nethys
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Archives of Nethys

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Aethusa

This creature's description may contain spoilers. Click to revealFor a person who would one day claim to be the reincarnation of not just one, but two, former runelords, Aethusa's childhood was nothing if not ordinary. Born to a pair of administrators in the ancient Thassilonian nation of Edasseril, Aethusa was by all accounts a bright, obedient, but ultimately unexceptionable child. Though her lack of ambition was a constant source of worry for her parents, everyone assumed she would eventually follow in their footsteps, becoming a loyal soldier in Edasseril's bureaucratic legions.

Whatever hope Aethusa's family had for her future faded as she entered adolescence. At the age of 12, Aethusa cast aside traditional schooling, delving instead into the study of ancient history, obscure languages, and the rune magic of the runelords. When their daughter's newfound passions proved unshakable, Aethusa's parents suggested she enroll in one of Edasseril's arcane academies, where at least she could receive a formal education in such matters. Even then Aethusa rebelled, insisting she could learn more—and more quickly—on her own. The conflict came to a head as Aethusa approached her 16th birthday, when she announced her interest in the runelords had been sparked by the conviction that her soul was the reincarnation of the two runelords who shared her name. Arguments that pointed out to her that the original Aethusas lived at the same time didn't sway her convictions and only emboldened her to claim her soul was a merging of both previous lives. Together, Aethusa claimed, the three of them would one day rule not just over a tiny sliver of Thassilon, but the entire nation and beyond.

Disavowed by her family, Aethusa spent the next few years continuing her studies, mastering magic at a pace that seemed improbable for one who was merely self-taught. Soon, she'd gathered a coterie of followers around her, all of whom believed her claim as the successor of past runelords was neither an empty boast nor vain delusion. Though she showed a talent for rune magic of all kinds, Aethusa selected sloth as her focus, believing it to be the most expedient route to power. It was also during this time that Aethusa adopted the moniker of the Thrice- Born Queen: a nod to the runelords whose souls she shared, but also a declaration of her right to rule. Aethusa's ambitions would have eventually drawn the attention of the runelords themselves had Earthfall not intervened. When the apocalypse struck, Aethusa was in Xin-Edasseril and became trapped outside of time along with the rest of city's inhabitants. In 4718 ar, when the crystal dome around Xin-Edasseril shattered, Aethusa emerged to a world where the dominion of the runelords had been interrupted, but not entirely erased. Wasting no time, she redoubled her efforts, and in a few short years had solidified herself as the leader of a growing movement to unseat both Runelord Belimarius and Queen Sorshen.

Whether Aethusa's bid for power might have succeeded no longer matters, as several months ago, the voices Aethusa had heard since childhood began to urge her in a new direction. They compelled her to find Runelord Xanderghul's runewell— and more specifically, the Eye of Arrogance, the extradimensional realm to which Xanderghul had retreated during Earthfall. When she arrived there, however, Aethusa realized that the voices in her head were no longer those of the other Aethusas. Rather, they were the whispers of the Ashen Man, an Ancient One intent on returning Xanderghul's soul to the Universe, using Aethusa as his vessel, and now she struggles with the growing realization that it may well have been this mysterious entity manipulating her all along. Her memories of her time spent being possessed by Xanderghul are hazy and dreamlike.

Campaign Role

In Aethusa's body, Xanderghul established a foothold in the Saga Lands, founded the Risen of the Trinity Star, reclaimed the Crypt of Sin, and created not only a small army of risen runelords, but also a brand-new body for himself. Aethusa can share this with the PCs, but at first, she has no reason to trust them. The most important bit of information she should share with the PCs is that she can still feel a link to Xanderghul, and that she knows if he dies or otherwise leaves his body, his soul can instantly take control of her again, over any distance. If the PCs explain what they've been up to and return her dagger and spellbooks, and help her to recover from her conditions, she'll automatically trust them enough to do so, otherwise the PCs will need to work at bringing her initial attitude of unfriendly up to at least friendly.

Once she trusts the PCs, she can share what she knows with them, but her traumatic experiences (even after she physically recovers) prevent her from wishing to accompany the PCs on their adventures. She'll travel with them, but as soon as she can, she hopes to find somewhere quiet to hide and continue to recover, mentally, from the ordeal. In the short term, her thirst for revenge against Xanderghul and her fear of being possessed by him again outweighs her desire for power—at least until the runelord's plans are foiled. Additional ways in which Aethusa can aid the PCs are covered in Chapter 3 of this adventure, but left to her own devices, she prefers to retreat to a city like Riddleport, Magnimar, or Korvosa and, for the moment, wait and hope.

Aethusa's stats below present her once she's fully recovered from her ordeals and has reclaimed her dagger and spellbook (both found in area B18); until she's got her spellbook back and has a chance to rest and prepare, she has no spells prepared and must rely upon her cantrips.

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Proficiency without Level

Print Stat Block

Weak AethusaCreature 14

Unique Medium Human Humanoid 
Source Pathfinder #220: Crypt of Runes pg. 93
Weak Changes are marked. The -2 damage penalty to non-strike offensive abilities (-4 if the ability is limited, such as spells) is NOT factored in.
Recall Knowledge DC 32 (42 if Unique applies) • Humanoid (Society)
Perception +23
Languages Aklo, Azlanti, Chthonian, Common, Diabolic, Draconic, Elven, Fey, Thassilonian
Skills Arcana +26, Deception +25, Intimidation +25, Occultism +26, Religion +23, Society +24
Str +3, Dex +5, Con +2, Int +7, Wis +2, Cha +4
Items +2 striking astral frost dagger
AC 34; Fort +21, Ref +26, Will +23
HP 240
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] dagger +26 [+22/+18] (agile, finesse, magical, versatile S), Damage 2d4-2+11 piercing plus 1d6 cold and 1d6 spiritRanged [one-action] dagger +26 [+22/+18] (agile, finesse, magical, thrown 10 feet, versatile S), Damage 2d4-2+11 piercing plus 1d6 cold and 1d6 spiritArcane Prepared Spells DC 34, attack +26 (-4 dmg); 8th collective transposition, teleport; 7th fly, interplanar teleport, summon dragon; 6th slow, summon elemental, vision of death; 5th slither, translocate, wave of despair; 4th fly, summon elemental, translocate; 3rd cozy cabin, slow, summon construct; 2nd create food, marvelous mount, mist; 1st create water, gentle landing, summon animal; Cantrips (8th) caustic blast, daze, light, message, prestidigitation
Adaptive Rune Magic [free-action] (arcane, concentrate, manipulate) Frequency once per round; Trigger Aethusa Casts a Spell of 6th rank or higher; Effect Aethusa momentarily infuses her preferred form of sin magic (sloth) with the power of either gluttony or greed magic. The triggering spell slot is expended, but instead of the spell's normal effects, Aethusa casts either cursed metamorphosis or vampiric exsanguination at 6th rank.Past Lives [one-action] (concentrate, fortune) Frequency once per day; Effect Aethusa accesses what she believes to be the memories of two previous runelords. For the next 1 minute, whenever Aethusa makes a skill check to Recall Knowledge, she rolls three times and uses the highest result.Quickened Casting [free-action] (concentrate, spellshape) Frequency once per day; Effect If Aethusa's next action is to cast a cantrip or a spell that is 6th rank or lower, reduce the number of actions to cast it by 1 (minimum 1 action).Steady Spellcasting If a reaction would disrupt Aethusa's spellcasting action, she attempts a DC 15 flat check. On a success, the action isn't disrupted.
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