Shensen

Defense

Offense

Statistics

Description

Female aquatic half-elf bard 8/fighter 4

Dervish Dance When Shensen uses her scimitar with one hand and her other hand is free, she may use her Dexterity modifier for attack and damage rolls instead of her Strength modifier. See Pathfinder Chronicles: Qadira, Gateway to the East, page 23.

Played by James Jacobs

When a group of adventures encountered a small band of drow in the Scar Thicket of Cheliax’s Whisperwood, a furious battle ensued. The only survivor of the battle was a Keleshite druid of Sarenrae named Izorah, and as she sorted through the bloody aftermath, she was mortified to discover the dark elves had among them a young drow child who had perished in the fiery magic Izorah’s group had used. Overwhelmed with grief for her part in the child’s death, Izorah used reincarnate to give the child a second chance at life, restoring her in the form of an aquatic half-elf and naming her Shensen. Izorah then retired from the adventuring life to raise Shensen as her own daughter.

Shensen, freed of her drow lineage both physically and spiritually, grew up a devout worshiper of Sarenrae, but one day a band of Thrune soldiers tried to claim Izorah’s grove for the Chelish government. Izorah hid Shensen before confronting the soldiers, but in the resulting fight the druid was petrified by a Thrune wizard. Shensen watched from hiding as the mercenaries razed her home and then left, taking Izorah with them as a trophy.

Shensen spent her years following these events adventuring with an eclectic group of companions (including an artistic monk named Svetlana, a druid named Bandar who traveled with a rather violent gorilla, and even a tengu who fancied himself a pirate). After one unfortunate misadventure ended in a tragic fire in an Egorian marketplace, the group disbanded and Shensen fled to the northwest.

Shensen has long seethed at the stubbornness and cruelty inherent in Cheliax’s government, and has vowed to take the whole diseased beast apart, one sin at a time. She’s become a specialist in infiltrating Chelish organizations and redeeming them from their evil ways.

Currently, Shensen enjoys a life filled with comforts and admirers as a well-adored performer in the Chelish Opera (thanks largely to her daring roles involving skilled swordplay or particularly risqué acts). She’s gathered blackmail material on dozens of Kintargo’s nobles, usually by seducing the sons and daughters of the city’s elite or traveling aristocrats and then using the besotted nobles to learn scandalous family secrets. Shensen maintains a strong presence among Cheliax’s black marketers, both to aid her fellow insurgents and to keep her own expensive habits (such as her fondness for exotic drinks, and food for her pet deinonychus, Guttugger). Yet her greatest passion remains her devotion to the reformation of Cheliax. With Shensen’s aid, the Dawnflower’s worshipers have established safe houses and hidden temples throughout Cheliax. All the while, Shensen keeps an eye out for clues to the location of her mother’s statue, hoping to track down whatever Chelish collector claimed the petrified druid so Shensen can return the favor and restore Izorah to life.

Although friendly, artistic, and quick-witted, Shensen is prone to impulsive choices and emotional outbursts. She’s easily distracted by things of beauty, particularly brightly colored reptiles or exquisite swords. Her faith is strong, but her true devotions are to her friends, her pet dinosaur, her art, her vices, and her political cause—things that often put her at odds with the tenants of her faith. She enjoys long swims in the open ocean and is particularly frightened of gorillas.

Boon: Shensen can pull strings for any allies while they adventure in Cheliax. This grants favored access to the Chelish black market—in any city in Cheliax, the base value for available magic items increases by 50% of its typical value.

Source: NPC Guide, p. 59