A D&D Campaign World

For Ssaskra, piracy was a family business.

Hatched and raised in a Fensyn community for the sole purpose of becoming the next generation of lizardfolk pirates attempting to reclaim the seas from the "Scaleless", Ssaskra had a harsh youth filled with brutality, greed, and racism.

A quick learner with a commanding presence that caused the elders of the tribe to take notice, he was recruited to a warship called the Copperhead as a deckhand at the age of 14, and eagerly awaited his chance to prove himself.  The first encounter was nothing like he expected. Short-lived and remarkably bloody, the small passenger vessel they assaulted was overwhelmed in moments, consumed by a frenzied horde of teeth and claws that swarmed the vessel. He saw for the first time his people, himself included, behave as nothing more than vicious animals.  The Scaleless were nothing like the stories he had been told, or at least their vile nature was not apparent as they cowered and pleaded for their lives.

Despite the zealousness for retribution that was engrained in him by his tribe, Ssaskra was unprepared for the burden of his conscience.  The horrors of that day haunted his sleep, the taste of blood lingered.  His next encounters were looked upon with increasingly less enthusiasm. After nearly a year, as he neared his breaking point, fate presented him with a way out.

The ship seemed like all the others, smaller than the Copperhead and sparsely occupied.  The Fensyn's underestimated the competency of the passengers that were aboard.  Ssaskra was unsure exactly how many wizards they had, but the spells crashed upon their ship relentlessly.  An eruption of flame sent him overboard, into the water which was now littered with the bodies of his tribesman.  The Copperhead, the majority of its crew dead, fled. The ship they assaulted gave pursuit, and Ssaskra was left alone, barely conscious and clinging for life to a piece of flotsam.

Ssaskra is not very forthcoming with information as to what exactly happened next.  What he does relate to those who ask is that the Universe saw it fit to send to him "a very wissssssse human" who not only saved his life but also his soul by teaching him the concept of karma and spiritual accountability.  After nearly half a year spent in recovery, Ssaskra returned to the world looking to pay his debt to the Scaleless and wash away the stain on his spirit caused by his former life as a Fensyn pirate.

Unknown to everyone aboard the Vigilante Seas is that Ssaskra is accompanied by a guardian water moccasin spirit named Jakala, which is a spiritual manifestation of Ssaskra's rebirth that was formed while adrift at sea, in part due to the strength of Ssaskra's own spirit and his innate need for atonement.

Ssaskra is somewhat shorter and leaner than your standard Vass, with charcoal black scales which are broken up by inch thick light brown/tan bands.  A crest of the same tan color runs from the top of his broader-than-average head down to the tip of his tail. This crest typically lays relatively flat against the head, but flares up when Ssaskra becomes agitated. He obviously struggles with the Common tongue, pausing frequently, stumbling occasionally, drawing out nearly every "s", and slipping into Scalee when he cannot translate his thought.  But he is improving as the months pass aboard the Vigilante Seas.
 
           

	Class:	Shaman 2
	Size:	Medium	Height:	6'	Weight:	225 lbs.
	Hair:	None, but small tan fins run from the head to the tip of the tail	Eyes:	Black	Skin:	Charcoal black scales broken up by tan bands
	Age:	18 (9/1/767)
	Str:	12 (+1)	HP:	17
	Dex:	16 (+3)	Initiative:	+3	Dex (+3)
	Con:	14 (+2)	Speed:	25 ft.	Swim (20 ft.)
	Int:	12 (+1)	AC:	15	Dex (+3);	Natural (+2)
	Wis:	14 (+2)
	Cha:	18 (+4)
						Notable Skills:
		Notable Equipment:				Bluff +9
		None				Concentration +6
						Diplomacy +16
						Profession (Sailor) +6
						Sense Motive +8
						Swim +5
				Languages:
				Scalee, Common, Islander
						Notable Feats:
				1st		Skill Focus (Diplomacy)
		Notable Abilities:		Anti		Clumsy in Armor / Multiattack
		Cold Exposure		Anti		No Time for Book Learning / Scent
		Spirit Companion
		Spirit Commune
		Deter Undead
		Tactics:
		Ssaskra was bred for viciousness, and as such has violent side that he sometimes struggles to keep in check, as he does not desire to taint his karma any further.  He will, however, use violence when cornered, against creatures without souls such as undead or constructs, or against those who he deems deserving of "karmic retribution".  He is generally now very calm and collected, and often slow to react to a situation as he needs to pause and reflect upon the implications of his actions. Ssaskra's shamanic skills are still very new to him, and he has yet to make a request of his spirit companion in a non-training situation.

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