Eridwin Aroica
Its time for a new NPC, and for this week’s brand new, readily available character, we turn our eyes to the sea; not looking for pirates, however, but rather for a legendary privateer whose exploits rival that of the greatest seafarers of all time. Lady Eridwin Aroica, captain of the Heavenly Queen, is a champion of law and goodness in a cold, and often lawless, sea. She patrols the waters surrounding her queen’s small, obscure island kingdom, seeking out threats to her homeland’s security and sovereignty and putting them to an end with minimal bloodshed. Whether you are looking for a powerful champion of justice or a smiling swashbuckler beyond compare, Eridwin can fill that role.
Eridwin Aroica
Tall and statuesque, this human woman holds herself with supreme confidence. She wears her shimmering red-blonde hair in a complex knot, and her aquamarine eyes sparkle in the dazzling sunlight. Her smile is warm and welcoming, though her hand rests on the gilded hilt of her fine rapier as she speaks in a quiet voice, “You’re not planning on causing me any trouble, now, are you?” Her words carry just a hint of an excited challenge.
ERIDWIN AROICA, HEROIC PRIVATEER CR 16
XP 76,800
Female human paladin 5, swashbuckler 11
LG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +4; Senses Perception +0
DEFENSE
AC 31, touch 18, flat-footed 23 (+7 armor, +4 Dex, +4 dodge, +1 natural, +5 shield)
hp 115 (16d10+27)
Fort +14; Ref +15; Will +14
Defensive Abilities aura of courage, charmed life 5/day, divine grace, divine health, nimble +3
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee +2 merciful rapier +26/+21/+16/+11 (1d8+9 plus 1d6 nonlethal 15-20/x2)
Special Attacks controlled disarmament, deeds (bleeding wound, derring-do, dodging panache, evasive, kip-up, menacing swordplay, opportune parry and riposte, precise strike, subtle blade, superior feint, swashbuckler initiative, swashbuckler’s grace, targeted strike), divine bond (weapon), smite evil 2/day (+6 attack and AC, +11 damage), panache 6/6
Spells Prepared (CL 2; concentration +8)
1st—bless, divine favor
STATISTICS
Str 16, Dex 18, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 22
Base Atk +16; CMB +19 (+23 to disarm); CMD 39
Feats Combat Expertise, Dodge, Greater Disarm, Greater Weapon Focus (rapier), Improved Disarm, Power Attack, Shield Focus, Shield Specialization, Toughness, Weapon FinesseB, Weapon Focus (rapier), Weapon Specialization (rapier)
Skills Acrobatics +17 (+22 to jump), Diplomacy +25, Sense Motive +19, Swim +18
SQ aura of good, channel positive energy, graceful victory, lay on hands (2d6, 8/day), swashbuckler weapon training +2
ENCOUNTERS
Entourage solitary or crew of the Heavenly Queen (Eridwin Aroica plus 2 10th-level swashbucklers, 1d4 6th-level experts, and 2d10 4th level commoners)
Gear +2 merciful rapier, +3 buckler, +3 chain shirt, amulet of natural armor +1, belt of physical might (Strength, Dexterity +2) cloak of resistance +1, headband of alluring charisma +4, 3 potions of cure moderate wounds, ring of jumping, ring of swimming.
Boon Eridwin will provide free passage on her ship to characters who are good-aligned and to whom she has an attitude of helpful. If she only has an attitude of indifferent or friendly towards a group of good-aligned characters, she will offer them passage on her ship for 5 gp/day plus expenses. Though reluctant to do so, Eridwin will use her status as a noblewoman and a commissioned privateer to intercede on legal matters on behalf of those who have helped her in the past. Finally, Eridwin will loan or sell captured ships to good-aligned characters.
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Controlled Disarmament (Ex): When Eridwin disarms a creature, she may choose which direction his weapon flies and lands.
Graceful Victory (Ex): Eridwin regains one point of panache whenever she knocks a foe unconscious or succeeds on a saving throw by 10 or more.
Background
Lady Eridwin Aroica hails from the small but majestic island city-state of Ilios, located in the warm southern seas. Though of noble birth, Eridwin found little joy in the obligations of the first daughter of the House of Cordith, which extended to an arranged marriage to the wealthy heir to the House of Aroica. Ever dutiful, Eridwin went through with the marriage and found she was able to take joy in it. She followed her husband into the service of the Holy Order of Just Peace, a sect of knights devoted to the preservation of the law and traditions of Ilios, and for a time all was well—if quiet—for the newest Lady of House Aroica. Tragically, that all changed the night her parents were attacked and murdered by ruthless pirates returning from a trading mission to another nearby island.
Grieving at the loss of her family, Eridwin asked her queen for a ship and leave to pursue the pirates. Seeing Eridwin’s grief, and knowing of her skill-at-arms which had become notable in the ranks of the Holy Order of Just Peace, the queen granted Eridwin’s request. As she prepared for her journey, the entire island was abuzz with rumors that the Lady Eridwin Aroica was going on a mission of bloody vengeance that would lead her, as well the holy order to which she belonged, into disgrace. Amid such rumors and bitter gossip about her, she set off aboard a small sailing ship with a crew comprised of wrathful house retainers and set about to confront her parents’ killers. Much to everyone’s surprise, however, when she caught the vile pirates, Eridwin shed not a drop of their blood, instead disarming them and hurling their weapons into the sea. She brought the pirates back to the island city to stand trial, proclaiming to the stunned masses that vengeance holds no place in a heart that serves justice.
Impressed with both her devotion to the laws of Ilios and with her impressive skills in defeating the pirates, the queen knighted Lady Eridwin and granted her the finest ship in Ilios, ordering her to protect the island’s borders and ensure that peace and law would prevail on the seas. Eridwin accepted the queen’s duty gladly and set out at sea with a few members of the Holy Order of Just Peace she knew she could trust to help her in her mission of peace and justice on the high seas. Though it has often saddened her that her husband chose to remain in Ilios, the flame of their love remains alive and well, and they think of each other often while they are apart and their reunions are renowned for their passion.
Since taking up her charge, Eridwin has become a legendary figure in the southern seas, seeking out pirates, enemies of the state, and monsters, and subduing them all in her bloodless campaign for justice. Wicked men and terrible beasts all find themselves falling before her skill and grace, and she faces all her foes with a confidence which is anything but quiet, but no less assured than a more humble person would be. Today Eridwin has become an almost impenetrable barrier to misdeeds and wrongdoings in and around her homeland, and she has begun turning her eyes to the wider world, looking to spread the justice and peace her quiet home enjoys across all the world’s oceans.