Nantiki of the Qhanzi-tek

[frobones]

Nantiki, level 2
Thri-Kreen, Monk|Druid
Character Theme: Primal Guardian
Monastic Tradition (Hybrid): Centered Breath (Hybrid)
Hybrid Monk: Hybrid Monk Will
Hybrid Druid: Hybrid Druid Reflex
Hybrid Talent: Unarmored Defense
Background: Occupation - Hunter (+2 to Nature)

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 10, Con 12, Dex 18, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 10.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 10, Con 12, Dex 16, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 10.


AC: 19 Fort: 12 Reflex: 16 Will: 16
HP: 29 Surges: 8 Surge Value: 7

TRAINED SKILLS
Nature +14, Acrobatics +10, Stealth +10

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Athletics +3, Arcana +1, Bluff +1, Diplomacy +1, Dungeoneering +5, Endurance +2, Heal +5, History +1, Insight +5, Intimidate +1, Perception +5, Religion +1, Streetwise +1, Thievery +5

FEATS
Level 1: Hybrid Talent
Level 2: Unarmored Agility

POWERS
Theme: Mark of Thunder
Hybrid at-will 1: Steel Wind
Hybrid at-will 1: Fire (Lightning) Hawk
Hybrid encounter 1: Open the Gate of Battle
Hybrid daily 1: Summon Giant Toad
Hybrid utility 2: Swift Flight

ITEMS
Primal Ki Focus (Lightning) +1, Wooden Quarterstaff, Wrist Razors, Bone Widow's Knife, Desert Clothing, Dowsing Rod, Filter Mask, Fire kit, Rope (Giant Hair), Backpack, Pouch (belt), Waterskin, clay flask x4, survival day x7

90/100 .lb

WALLET
1 gold bit

[frobones]

All Thri-kreen dedicate themselves to the clutch and to the hunt. The clutch can be most closely related to family units or adventuring parties by non-kreen; the clutch comes first before all things. Besides the clutch, the Thri-kreen dedicated themselves to the Hunt. When they are not hunting, they are preparing for the Hunt. This has always been the way of life for the nomadic Thri-kreen, living from day to day off the barren wastelands of Athas. However, this story tells the tell of a Thri-kreen pack that rose above and beyond their instinctual calling of the Hunt. A group of Thri-kreen who's calling was to serve and protect that which is Athas.

Our story begins many Thri-kreen generations ago. As all creatures of Athas have the latent psionic power residing within them, there was a lineage of Thri-kreen, the Chtik-tek (hunting pack of the Yellow Hills), that possessed exceptional psionic ability. Each generation showed more powerful psionic ability. Eventually, the Chtik-tek reached its zenith of psionic potential with this particular birth-clutch of 9 eggs. These 9 Thri-Kreen matured faster than most Thri-kreen. Their instinctual racial memories of surviving Athas came at earlier ages; their physical and mental prowess were a league above the rest. Realizing the potential they possessed, this birth clutch decided to branch off from the Chtik-tek pack when they had reached the Wandering age of 6.

With the passage of time, this birth clutch grew into the pack of Thri-kreen known as the Chaktik-tek (hunting pack with the Way). While most of their customs were identical to other Thri-kreen packs, this pack took pride in its potent psionic abilities. All Thri-kreen prepared for the Hunt by honing their hunting skills, which include tracking, stalking, running, and hiding. The Thri-kreen of the Chaktik-tek pack also sharpened their psionic powers. All those formally educated in the Way within the cities would consider the talents of these Thri-kreen to be nothing more than out of control wilders. However, there is order and discipline to the methods these Thri-kreen employed. One might consider them Wasteland Adepts, as opposed to Noble Adepts that are formally educated in the schools of Tyr.

The pack's way of life sustained so many generations of Thri-kreen that the methods and techniques of their psionic training began to root itself in their racial memory. Thus, newborn Thri-kreen were taking faster to their training as certain things were just known without the need to be taught. This caused the generations thereafter to develop further and further the excellence of their psionic discipline.

Now our story comes to its focus. The territorial ground of the Chaktik-tek pack now consisted of the wide desert belt known as the Great Alluvial Sand Wastes in the Tablelands. Nantiki, the pack's best kalak (scout), was scouting ahead for the next prey. Many of his packmates called him Kakos, which meant warrior with the wind, as he has been the swiftest Thri-kreen their pack has ever had. While on the hunt for the pack’s next prey, Nantiki heard a voice calling to him, beckoning him. It was a voice he had never heard before, yet at the same time felt so familiar. He was compelled to find the origin of this voice. He scoured about looking for the voice as if he had been hunting for the pack's next prey. His efforts soon brought him upon the locating known to some as the Lost Oasis.

His first sight upon entering the oasis was the eruption of scalding water from the natural geyser that laid in its center. When the column of water ceased to spew, there was a Thri-kreen standing behind the geyser. She held a staff with an elaborate totem of an owl at its crest and wore a headdress that looked to be carved of ashen wood, adorned with polished pieces of bone and speckled with various flora.

"I am Durwadala", she spoke. "I am the primal guardian of this precious oasis. It has survived as long as it has due to my hand and those that preceded me. My communion with the spirits have foretold of a great psionic warrior that would tip the scales in nature's favor against her war with the defilers of this land. I believe you to be that warrior."

She motioned for Nantiki to come forward. Nantiki obliged. He had no qualms following her order, it was as if he was receiving a command from the most worthy clutch leader. Durwadala told him to kneel.

"I will awaken within you the Spirit Way, the enlightenment that all spirits in this mortal realm are interconnect and interdependent. From the lowly Kestrekel to the majestic Cloud Ray, from Thri-kreen to non-kreen, from sentient to non-sentient lifeforms, we are all part of a greater whole; all is one, one is all."

Durwadala put her hand on Nantiki's head, she began to chant in a language that he did not understand. The ground beneath him started to rumble, Nantiki was actually on top of the geyser. It erupted once more with its boiling water, but Nantiki felt no pain. As the water washed up over him, his perception of time began to slow. He could see the individual droplets of water fall down around him as they descended from the top of the eruption. As he gazed upon the droplets, fragments of spirits' past lives were shown to him. The spirits of primal guardians that defended the natural wonders of Athas to the death, of elemental priest that had guided their people in the Spirit Way, of slaves who fought every day to hang onto the meager existence suppressed by the iron fists of the sorcerer-kings, of innocent people slaughtered by the savage raiders of Athas, of poor souls that longed for freedom who succumbed to the desert, and of primal spirits that struggle to stay alive as their anchor in the physical world is ravaged by defiling magic. Some droplets caused Nantiki to receive powerful epiphanies, others triggered racial memories of druidic techniques of ancient Thri-kreen rainspeakers lost in time to his lineage, and then others unveiled the truth of what has been happening in the world outside of Thri-kreen habitat.

Time returned normal; as the geyser subsided and the water fell slamming on the ground like a series a handclaps, Nantiki noticed strange burgundy markings down the sides of his lower leg.

"A fraction of the Stormhawk’s spirit has suffused with yours and you are now one of Nature's Heralds" spoke Durwadala, "the markings you bear are proof of that. From this moment forth you carry the burden of sowing the seeds of change in this dying world. We are not asking you to single-handedly change Athas, only that you start the ripple in the pond that will become a tidal wave."

As Nantiki stepped away from the geyser, it erupted once more. When it subsided, Durwadala was gone. With his newfound knowledge and perspective on life, Nantiki returned to the pack to share his insight. As he retold his experience at the Lost Oasis and the life view of the Spirit Way, he was able to trigger some of the racial memories of ancient rainspeakers in some of his Thri-kreen brethren. Those that received the memory were empathetic to Nantiki's cause and decided to join him, while the others had no reason to change their way of life; their upmost concern was the survival of the pack.

Thus, the Qhanzi-tek (pack that brings change) was formed, it consisted of Nantiki as its pack leader and the 14 Thri-kreen that departed from the Chaktik-tek with him. Their prerogative is to cull the use of defiling magic in order to preserve the remaining natural habitats of Athas and to prevent the needless slaughter of any and all lifeforms, as our spirits are all interconnected - for that is the Spirit Way.

---

Ancient Stormhawk symbol

[frobones]

[Mini story for being in Tyr to come]

[reiphil]

200 xp

Choice of +2 bonus in ONE of the following:
Nature, Arcana, History, Insight

RP Bonus:
Primal Ki (special)