Lysandra II Epiphanes

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Backstory

Lysandra was born into the Epiphanes family of Alexandria, a wealthy noble household descended from the sister of Ptolemy I Soter himself. She was born the youngest of a dozen children (including several half-siblings), and being both charming and seemingly harmless she was well-loved by her family during her formative years. She spent many hours in the famed library of Alexandria, fascinated by the wealth of knowledge contained within- particularly the old tales and myths collected from the native population.

When she was about 15 years old, her life began to fall apart as her youngest brother, Demetrius, began his bloody campaign against his siblings in an effort to inherit more than was his due. Though Lysandra, as Demetrius’ favorite, was spared at first, she was horrified and mourned the loss of her family, spending more and more time deep in the library’s vaults to avoid having to meet her brother’s gaze over the dinner table.

Over time, however, her grief turned to anger and she began to seek out allies that would stand with her against her brother. Many were friends she had made in the scholarly societies of Alexandria, but some were darker and more secretive: the shades of her murdered siblings, conjured by Lysandra late at night to offer comfort and provide whispered secrets that gave her power against Demetrius. Together they planned her brother’s assassination, but unfortunate accidents on the chosen day caused their plan to fail in such a way that all her planning and scheming became evident to Demetrius, who was enraged at her treachery.

To escape with her life, Lysandra was forced to flee Egypt and abandon her allies and all she had known. She kept only a few scrolls transcribed from the library, telling the tale of Isis and Osiris- her favorite myth. Lysandra still calls upon the ghosts of those she loved from time to time, though they have also begun to appear unsummoned on moonless nights. Having lost almost everything, Lysandra’s dark thoughts have recently turned back towards the ancient myths...and she wonders if she, like Isis, can find the secret of resurrection and undo all the damage that her brother has wrought.

Most dangerous rival

Shafat, a notorious killer hired by Demetrius to fetch Lysandra (or her head) back to Egypt. Originally from Carthage, he found his taste for bloody murder in the mercenary armies of his home nation, but left to sell his sword for greater promises of wealth and power. He has been plying his trade well for over a decade and has extensive criminal contacts both in the Roman Empire and with several shady corsairs that sail the Mediterranean.

Two most notable deeds

• Learning the secret of speaking to the dead, gleaned from crumbling scrolls stolen from ancient desert tombs. Not long after Demetrius’ third murder, Lysandra commissioned some wandering criminals to obtain these scrolls by whatever means necessary- and it was only her silver tongue that stopped the thieves from betraying her at the last minute.
  

• Escaping from Shafat, when he managed to track Lysandra down in Rome. She was on her own at the time, shopping in the marketplace, and after a brief chase Shafat tackled and pinned her. As he prepared to tie her up and haul her down to the docks, she drew a few sigils in her own blood and conjured up the ghost of her dead eldest brother. Though she had little hope that this would aid her, to her surprise he managed to wrestle Shafat off Lysandra, giving her the opening she needed to flee. Since then, she has been working on recreating the ritual needed to make her shades corporeal.

Personality

Lysandra very friendly company, possessed of an easy confidence and always caring towards those she holds dear. She is quite sharp and well-educated, but in a haphazard way that misses out on many practical skills. In formal situations, she is an excellent conversationalist who is particularly skilled at winning even enemies around to her side. Deep down, however, she has great difficulty trusting people and is often lonely, longing for her dead family.

Aspects

• Ptolemaic Princess
• Sheltered Intellectual
• Ghosts of My Family

Skills

• Awareness 1
• Confidence 2 (Resist Courtier's Art)
• Hardiness 1 (Resist Pain)
• Inspire 2
• Learning 3 (Focus on Breath, History)
• Politics 0 (Alexandria)
• Wu Wei 1

Gear

• Khopesh (+1 Strike, +1 Damage, Spend Joss to make a Fragile Aspect inflicted by a hit Sticky)
• Light Armor(+1 Toughness vs physical attacks)

Kung Fu

Eight Legends

• Laughs at traditional styles and weapons
• Fears uncommon weapons and unorthodox or sinister styles

Block	Damage	Footwork	Speed	Strike	Toughness
2	2	2	2	4	2

• Miracle Strike (increase Strike to 4)

Iron Body Skill

• 1: Iron Power (+1 Damage)
• 2: Grand Horse Tramples Rice (+2 to Knockback or +3 to Cover Ground))
• 3: Leading Ox Through River (Ignore up to 4 points of penalties from Marvels, techniques or Chi Conditions)
• 4: Black Tigers Hunting (+4 Strike and +2 to Disorient or Disrupt)

Formless Techniques

• 1: Submissive Steel (no action penalty to call your weapon to your hand within the same zone)
• 2: Drifting Cloud Technique (may not be used 2 rounds in a row. While active you may Cover Ground over surfaces that cannot support you such as water or even air)

Secret Arts

• Secret Art of Prediction
  • Secret of the I Ching
• Understanding the World
• Extraordinary Scholar Techniques

Entanglements

• Ghosts of My Familiy
  • Resist Pain Specialty
  • Fortune: Metal hyperactivity, +1 breath when channeling spirits

• Jewel of the Nile*