Qos, Prince of Storms

Background

He grew up hearing the stories, of course. How could he not? His mother, Qassayah, the Empress of Sharay, was a folk hero to her people. At a tender age, she fled the excesses of her father's court, seeking freedom from the depraved daivrat viziers who truly ruled. She was joined in her adventures by many renowned rogues and heroes: the dervish Uma, the holy ascetic Dan'ir, the outlander Caliban the Stormcrow. With these, Qassayah journeyed while developing her own magic...and her own powers over genie-kind.

In time, the viziers found her and captured her, but they did not reckon on the might of her compatriots, who followed her back to Shining Bliss, the capital of Sharay. There, they entered the emperor's palace and freed her from her chains, and helped her slay the evil viziers and their genie slaves. She found that her father had long ago died, but was being kept animate, a literal puppet to their powers - a fate they intended for her.

Uma was made the foremost of his order, and defended the empress forever more. Dan'ir withdrew to the sanctity of the holiest of temples, taking the Veil of Oracles, and continues to advise Qassayah to this day. And Caliban? Well, he'd always turned aside Qassayah's girlish affections, but now that she was a woman, he asked for only one thing: to give her a night of passion.

When he left, neither knew that Qassayah was pregnant, with a son who was born in the middle of a great summer tempest. Qassayah named him Qos, and he was always her Prince of Storms. The boy was always looked upon with some curiosity - a byblow of an outlander father, Qos was beautiful and exotic in their eyes. He liked to khol the lids of his deep blue eyes, and by the time he was fourteen, he'd already earned a reputation as a rake. So like his father, his mother mused adoringly, and denied him nothing.

In time, his own magics came to the fore. Neither sorcery nor wizardry were his gifts, but something stranger. It was at the tender age of sixteen that the veiled djinn presented itself to the Court of Qassayah, begging audience with the Empress of Paradise and her Prince of Storms, and they alone. When its audience had been granted - with only Uma and Dan'ir in attendance - he unveiled himself, and revealed a face very like that of Qos, molded in the flesh of the djinn, rather than mortals.

He was a qarin, a djinn born at the same time as a mortal. It was an ancient sign, said Dan'ir, that the two were not just linked, but very important among their people. Qassayah permitted the djinn, whose name was Walir, to spend time with Qos and the two were inseparable. Qos' magic grew then, and grew greatly, quickly outstripping that of his mentors in the Circle of Davirati.

Now the two are never far from one another, Qos and his Walir. So when word reached the court of Qassayah that a scion of the House of Stormcrow had come to Shalik, only Walir heard Qos' plans to leave Shining Bliss. It had never occurred to him that he might have siblings, in truth, from his father as well as his mother. Now he is on a mission: to find this brother and to see what the other half of his family is like, among outlanders.

Walir

• Base Form: Biped; Size: Medium; Speed: 30 ft.
• HD: 8d10+8; Base Attack: +8
• AC: 23 (+8 armor, +3 Dex, +2 natural armor); Saves: Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +6
• Attack: 2 claws (1d4)
• Abilities: Str 20, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 9, Wis 10, Cha 11
• Skills: 32
• Feats: 4
• Evolutions (14pt): Walir has the appearance of one of the djinn, a creature of storms and winds.
  • Free: Claws, Limbs (arms and legs)
  • Aspect (2): Two of Walir's evolution points go towards Qos' Aspect power, giving him Immunity to Electricity.
  • Energy Attacks (2): +1d6 Electrical to all attacks.
  • Flight (2+3): Walir can fly 50' (Perfect).
  • Immunity (2): Electricity.
  • Weapon Training (2+1): Walir is proficient in all Martial weapons.
• Special: Darkvision, link, share spells, evasion, devotion, multiattack