Ijien Deepseeker

“Dragons are glorious beings, both inside and out. Unlocking their mysteries strips none of that away”

History and Goals

Ijien Deepseeker was born in a small drow town on the elemental plane of Earth. This drow town had a large population of deepwyrm drow and nominally served a deep dragon master under the auspices of a half-dragon high priest who mediated for them. Ijien’s deepwyrm heritage marked her out as a promising child and she was taught the rudiments of sorcery, being given exercises and other lessons in how she might harness her innate powers as soon as she could talk. However, though she progressed fairly well, her instruction would not last long.

While only twenty Ijien’s town was involved in a war as their Deep dragon master fought with a Sapphire dragon and his minions. The town was overrun by the Sapphire dragon’s earth drakes, dragonkin, and half-dragons, all led by a juvenile dragon. The drow leaders were slain and the town occupied. The deep dragon tried to take it back and the sapphire dragon came to face him. Ijien saw the dragons battle in the great cavern space of elemental earth, and was overawed, wanting from that moment to claim a bit of the power for herself.

The Sapphire dragon, Klothimron, was the victor, and cast down his enemy, seized his hoard, and razed the town. The Sapphire would not have any drow as his servants, but he was not so cruel as to kill them or toss them in the plane to die. Instead the dragon killed only the clerics of Lloth and sold the remaining drow, including Ijien, off to a group of Dao. These Dao kept some of the drow as slaves, but had little use for children, unsuitable for labor and untrained in magic, so they put them on the block.

Few are the pleasant fates for those sold off by the Dao, many end up in the bellies of fiends or worse, but Ijien was lucky, at least in some sense, and was given a chance at a future. An aged elven sorcerer from the Ethereal, a man in his own way as cruel as any drow, took pity on a number of the drow children, and bought up a dozen of them, taking them back to his demiplane to be servants in his tower. There Ijien would spend the next century of her life.

Vruen, the old elf, was a cruel man, conniving and jealous of power and wealth. He had retreated to his demiplane to keep prying eyes away as he slowly accumulated ever more powerful magic and an ever greater pile of gold. Though unkind overall, Vruen had a soft spot for children, having lost a pair of his own centuries before, and so he treated the dozen drow youth with a certain salutary neglect. They were fed, and clothed, and given various small chores to carry out and otherwise mostly left alone. None of Vruen’s other servants ever bothered with the children.

Malice in elves, even drow, is a thing learned, not born, and so, absent the continued teachings of their parents, the vicious edge blunted. However, they did not learn kindness or virtue either, mostly simply neglecting any idea of morals as they pursued whatever kept them busy in the little demiplane that became their world. For Ijien her pursuit was magic, as she started to grow into her powers shortly after coming to Vruen’s realm, and she was able to use his books and the occasional moment of his attention to learn further, gaining a mastery of the rudiments of sorcery over time. She was not alone in this, as many of the other children learned from the old master’s leavings to practice sorcery or wizardry. Eventually he even made use of them to aid in his mystic work and run minor errands around the Ethereal (though he used subtle enchantments on them to make sure they didn’t try anything foolish like running away).

These days did not continue forever. The drow stopped being children and grew into adults, and tensions grew high among their little group and with their old master. At length one of the boys, the strongest in magic among them, tried to surprise and slay Vruen when he appeared vulnerable. Ijien recalled well the look of regret on their master’s face when he addressed them after that slaying. Vruen told them that it was clear he could keep them no longer; there would be inevitable conflict between. So he named one of them as his only full time apprentice and ordered the others, including Ijien, to leave. Vruen made it clear that he would expect to be able to call upon their services in the future, should it ever become an issue.

So the one-hundred and twenty-year old Ijien was left rootless, having no real connections in her life. All she had were modest abilities as a sorcerer and a fascination with dragons. She had read everything Vruen possessed upon them, and had through extensive practice attained a far greater aptitude with draconic than most humanoids ever do. Still, she had really nothing to call upon. Making a rare impulsive decision, Ijien went back to the ruins of her home, looking for Klothimron, the dragon whose attack had changed her life a century past.

Ijien found Klothimron, now an old dragon, where he had been before, and talked her way into an audience with him and told her story. Somewhat amused the dragon refrained from eating Ijien, and was vastly impressed by her understanding of draconic. He offered, in exchange for her services copying a few books for him, to introduce her to a mortal sorcerer who might teach her more, for Klothimron would have no drow in his service. This sorcerer was an Earth Genasi, Grombledon, and he taught Ijien the ways of the draxolexi in their brief time together. Ijien left his tutelage after only a year, upon receiving and offer to serve alongside a party of adventures.

Ijien spent most of the next three decades adventuring with various groups, learning the path of the dracolexi. Never much of a fighter, she served many as a mystical scout and negotiator, and after the first few years often worked as an inner planar guide for other adventurers. Her knowledge and power advanced slowly but steadily, as did her obsession with dragons. She worked with many over the years, guiding foreign adventurers as they fought in the proxy wars between the many dragons scattered about the inner planes, and occasionally on the outer planes as well. Ijien passed through Sigil a few times during this period, but she had little fondness for the city and did not prefer it particularly over any other planar metropolis (she kept her kip in the City of Glass, but she wasn’t at home that often).

At the age of one-hundred and fifty three Ijien was involved in the most important event of her life to date, as she took sides in a major planar conflict for the first time. She served along with a group of Rust Dragons on Acheron as they engaged in a conflict with a group of Anarchists who were trying to drag their cube into the Outlands so they could make it into walking castles. Ijien used her persuasiveness and magic to recruit a dozen adventuring parties and temporarily an entire Hobgoblin regiment to the dragon’s side, and her help was a strong reason behind their eventual triumph and the cube staying anchored to Acheron. However, Ijien was fighting for the dragons, not the forces of Law.

Very well paid for her services and able to make inroads into a web of connections between planar dragons from what she had learned, Ijien’s career expanded after this. She went on or led several draconic-oriented expeditions to points on the planes over the next decade or so, finding lost magic, lost communities of dragons, and other rarities and gaining a reputation as a top-shelf draconic scholar. She earned another reputation for coolness under fire, when she negotiated a brief cease fire between Efreet forces and a pair of angry red dragons who’d gotten pulled through a vortex to the elemental plane of fire, long enough for both sides realize that they’d gotten sucked into a pointless battle and withdraw so the dragons could go home.

Shortly before the Faction War Ijien was part of an adventuring party that confronted and was forced to slay Beutrothnar, an Emerald dragon driven mad by Namelessness. After this tragic event Ijien did her best to determine what had happened to the unfortunate dragon, going so far as to cut open the skull in order to look for damage. She didn’t find exactly what she was looking for, but made detailed observations and wrote a careful description, posting it to a few major libraries in the hope that some other learned sage might understand things (something she had often done before). That didn’t occur, but instead the report fell into the hands of the Anatomical Society of the Planes, who approached Ijien with an offer of membership.

Cautious at first, Ijien eventually agreed. Though she had no desire to cut up living dragons to see their insides, she understood the anatomists point that complete understand was necessary for knowledge, and went so far as to put a pair of dragon corpses under the knife shortly thereafter. The group’s focus on knowledge and their academic background all found much commonality with her dracolexi practices, so she became an upstanding member very quickly.

After the Faction War, when the Anatomists incorporated themselves as a sect, Ijien decided to begin a vast project, something suitable for the rapidly approaching next stage of her life. She would begin work on a catalogue of the many varied forms of wyrms found across the many planes, and do so by describing certain notable members of each race or each plane. This project was supported readily by other Anatomists who recognized that such research might be both enlightening and popular. Ijien has so far gotten a good start on the project, but her drive is extensive, and she’s many years from being done.

Personality and Appearance

Ijien is a rather lovely looking deepwyrm drow. She has a lithe and sinuous grace and a glossy purple tinge on the end of her white hair, which extends halfway down her back. She wears tight fitting clothing that accentuates her features but does not flaunt them overly and strives to look graceful and poised rather than seductive. She wears few accoutrements (much of her spare change is spent on books) but a small ioun stone floats slowly about her head when she is in the field, and her rings, one on each hand are very fine pieces even though not gem-studded. She carries a number of books, scrolls, and papers with her at all times, all bound securely to shield them from planar effects. Her familiar, the Amethyst wyrmling Valicarpos trails her steadily both on the ground or hovering, and stays steady and in the background, never forming a distraction from Ijien’s considerable personal presence. She moves and speaks with the knowledge and conviction she has steadily mastered over the years, and while not unwilling to amend her viewpoints in the face of new information, she if careful to project that which she knows to maximum advantage. Ijien acts wise and skilled and this is her approach to life, to attain understanding of the vast mysteries of the multiverse and turn them into resources, just as is done with the draconic language.

Ijien is not a hostile person. She is focused on the needs of research and generally prefers to avoid conflict when she can. She’d much rather avoid battle or retreat rapidly when it is forced upon her, but she is not cowardly. She has readily walked into dangerous situations and attempted to broker agreements or preserve knowledge from the ravages of war, and will do so again if it becomes necessary. Ijien also does not take well to people needlessly accosting her, and can and will wield her rapier and spells against ordinary thieves, footpads, or angry citizens who try to accost a ‘evil drow.’

Ijien in Combat

Ijien is principally a researcher, not a fighter. Knowledge and words are her weapons, not blades or even spells. If forced into battle alone Ijien will quickly attempt to retreat, using dimension door, xorn’s movement or her ring of vanishing to get away from those who would attack her. She is more dangerous with a party around her or a group of powerful monsters. In such a situation Ijien will gird herself with defensive magic and have Valicarpos guard her while she uses her power words to disable enemies so others can destroy them. She will use Eagle’s Splendor and Voice of the Dragon to attempt to control and split up enemies when give the opportunity.

When fighting with other sorcerers or with dragons Ijien will make liberal use of her draconic words to augment scouting abilities and to give back powerful spells immediately after they have been used.

Using Ijien

Ijien is designed as a sage-type character and serves best as an information source on dragons and all things draconic. She can be consulted in almost any dragon-related adventure. Ijien can also spur adventure along, asking PCs to do something for her or even serve as an escort while she searches out some strange new creature or obscure bit of draconic lore. As Ijien is not particular combat-oriented she can be used to accompany parties of widely varying levels without greatly disrupting party dynamics.

PCs could also conceivably ask Ijien for aid if they have some kind of draconic trouble they must deal with and intend upon a non-violent solution, as she is a skilled negotiator. She could also potentially call in favors from certain dragons who owe her if it was made suitably worth her while.

Ijien is not designed to be an antagonist to all but the vilest of parties and any combat encounters with her should be based around mistaking her for servant of evil because of her drow nature.

Ijien Deepseeker: Deepwyrm Drow Sorcerer 5/Draxolexi 7; CR 17; Medium Humanoid (Dragonblooded); HD 5d4+7d6+12; hp 59; Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; AC 20, touch 12, flat-footed 18; Base Attack +5; Grp +5; Atk +5 melee (1d6, rapier); Full Atk +5 melee (1d6, rapier); SA draconic words, power word spells, spells; SQ darkvision 120 ft., +3 to saves versus charm, sleep, and paralysis effects, draconic arcane grace, light blindness, spell-like abilities, SR 23, summon familiar; AL TN; SV Fort +8, Ref +9, Will +14; Str 10, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 18 (22), Wis 12, Cha 20 (26). Height 4 ft. 10 in, weight 94 lb, age 172.

Skills and Feats: Bluff +12, Concentration +5, Craft (writing) +11, Decipher Script +11, Diplomacy +17 (+5 vs. dragons), Gather Information +13, Knowledge (arcana): +24 (+31), Knowledge (history) +10 (+17), knowledge (local) +10 (+17), knowledge (religion) +10 (+17), Knowledge (the planes) +23 (+30), Perform (oratory) +12, Search +11 (+18)*, Spellcraft +19 (+26)*, Spot +3 (+10)*; Draconic Arcane Grace, Draconic Heritage, Dragon Familiar, Eschew Materials, Still Spell

*- the number in parentheses represents the benefit of the draconic words vor or ociur, each of which Ijien may use on herself for an hour each day.

Languages: Common, Undercommon, Elven, Draconic, Auran, Ignan

Possessions: Amulet of Natural Armor +3, Anklets of Attunement (identical function to ring of elemental adaptation), Bracers of Armor +5, Cloak of Charisma +6, Eternal Wand of Fly, Gate Compass, Headband of Intellect +4, Ioun Stone- Clear Spindle, Planar Atlas, Adamantine Rapier, Ring of Dragon Friendship, Ring of Vanishing, Vest of Resistance +4

Ijien casts spells as an 11th level Sorcerer (6/8/8/8/8/5 DC 18+spell level) Spells Known: 0- amenuensis, arcane mark, detect magic, read magic, mage hand, open/close, prestidigitation, resistance, silent portal; 1- comprehend languages, expeditious retreat, magic missile, protection from chaos/evil/good/law, shield; 2- detect thoughts, eagle’s splendor, electric loop, invisibility, power word weaken*, see invisibility; 3- dispel magic, dragonskin, lightning bolt, power word distract*, tongues; 4- arcane eye, dimension door, power word disable*, voice of the dragon; 5- lesser dragon ally, power word nauseate, xorn movement;

*- Dracolexi bonus spells

Draconic Words (Su): As a swift action Ijien can use the following draconic words: vor- 1 creature within 30 ft. gains a +7 bonus on knowledge and spellcraft checks for 1 hour; ocius- 1 creature within 30 ft. gains a +7 bonus on search and spot checks for 1 hour; veschik- one creature within 30 ft. regains one spell slot of the highest level spell that it can cast spontaneously and which it has already cast.

Light blindness (Ex): Abrupt exposure to bright light (such as sunlight or a daylight spell) blinds Ijien for 1 round. On subsequent rounds, she is dazzled as long as she remains in the affected area.

Spell-Like Abilities (Su): Ijien can use the following spell-like abilities: 3/day- detect magic; 1/day- dancing lights, darkness, disguise self. Caster level12.

Familiar (Su): Ijien’s familiar is a wyrmling amethyst dragon, one of many wyrmlings who’ve served beside her over the years, named Valicarpos.

Valicarpos: This Amethyst wyrmling is Ijien’s most recent familiar, and the seventh dragon to serve under her care. He is the child of Vreconm, a Mature Adult amethyst dragon she met twenty years before and still counts as a friend. Though young, Valicarpos has some of the regal bearing of the Amethyst dragons, at least when his considerable curiosity is not getting the better of him. He considers his master wise and learned and a good person to study under, and takes great offense when anyone harasses Ijien for being a drow, doing his best to impersonate his regal father’s bearing. This sometimes comes off as rather comical, but Valicarpos doesn’t realize that.

Ijien treats the wyrmling well and tries to keep him from any overt risks. She makes sure he stays very close when they are in the field, so he can grasp her legs if she needs to use spells to escape, and avoids bringing the wyrmling altogether on the most dangerous jobs. Valicarpos considers this somewhat patronizing, but he’s patient for now, content to browse Ijien’s books while she’s away.

Valicarpos: Wyrmling Amethyst Dragon; CR 3; Small Dragon; HD 6d12+6; hp 45; Init +1; Spd 40 ft., fly 100 ft. (average), burrow 20 ft. swim 10 ft.; AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 16; Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft/ Base Attack +8; Grp +5; Atk +5 melee (1d6 bite); Full Atk +5 melee (1d6+1 bite), +0 melee (1d4 2 claws); SA breath weapon; SQ immunity to sleep, paralysis, and poison, +4 on saves versus force effects; AL TN; SV Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +5; Str 13, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 10. Height 3 ft. 10 in, weight 94 lb, age 1.

Skills and Feats: Concentration +6, Diplomacy +5, Intimidate +1, Listen +9, Knowledge (arcana) +5, Knowledge (the planes) +5, Search +9, Sense Motive +5, Spot +9; Flyby Attack, Hover, Wingover

Breath Weapon (Su): Valicarpos’ breath weapon is a 40 ft. line of force dealing 2d8 points of damage a DC 14 reflex save reduces this by half. Valicarpos may choose to use his breath weapon to deal subdual damage.

Blindsense (Ex): Valicarpos can pinpoint creatures within a distance of 60 feet. Opponents Valicarpos can’t actually see still have total concealment against him.

Keen Senses (Ex): Valicarpos sees four times as well a human in shadowy illumination and twice as well in normal light. He also has darkvision out to 120 feet.

Alertness (Ex): While Valicarpos is within arm’s reach, Ijien gains the Alertness feat.

Improved Evasion (Ex): When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, Valicarpos takes no damage if he makes a successful saving throw and half damage even if the saving throw fails.

Share Spells: At Ijien’s option, she may have any spell (but not any spell-like ability) she casts on herself also affect Valicarpos. Valicarpos must be within 5 feet at the time of casting to receive the benefit.

If the spell or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting Valicarpos if he moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect him again even if he returns to Ijien before the duration expires. Additionally, Ijien may cast a spell with a target of “You” on Valicarpos (as a touch range spell) instead of on herself.

Ijien and Valicarpos can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of Valicarpos’ type (dragon).

Empathic Link (Su): Ijien has an empathic link with Valicarpos out to a distance of up to 1 mile. Ijien cannot see through Valicarpos’ eyes, but they can communicate empathically. Because of the limited nature of the link, only general emotional content can be communicated.

Because of this empathic link, Ijien has the same connection to an item or place that Valicarpos does.

Deliver Touch Spells (Su): Valicarpos can deliver touch spells for Ijien. If Ijien and Valicarpos are in contact at the time Ijien casts a touch spell, she can designate Valicarpos as the “toucher.” Valicarpos can then deliver the touch spell just as Ijien could. As usual, if Ijien casts another spell before the touch is delivered, the touch spell dissipates.