Background/History: Haliris Atal has never been one to do what’s expected of her. Born into one of Lemuria’s oldest and proudest noble houses, she was supposed to grow up living the demure life of a Lemurian noblewoman, marry well, have children, and enjoy the luxu- ries of her position. But it turned out that pre-programmed destiny didn’t appeal to her. She was more interested in Gullop-steeds and warriors’ deeds than the pastimes normally associated with Lemurian women... and to her mother’s horror, her father was will- ing to indulge his daughter’s interests, teaching her swordplay and other skills suited to a Lemurian fighter.
Haliris proved to have a natural gift for matters of warfare, and ambition to match. She was married in the tradi- tional Lemurian style, to the patriarch of House Atal, who at first tried to make her act more like an ordinary Lemurian noblewoman but soon stopped butting his head against her stubborness and decided to support her instead. Com- pared to her birth-house, House Atal was far more accepting of her, and so in another defiance of Lemurian tradition she gave her loyalty fully to it rather than secretly helping her old family.
When Haliris’s husband died unex- pectedly in an accident, it was expected that she’d step down as duchess to allow a House elder to take over... but again she did the unpredictable thing. Calling in countless favors, using her powers of persuasion, blackmailing a few enemies, and quietly disposing of a few more, she kept control of the reins of power. In effect she is now the House elder, which upsets many hidebound Lemurians both inside House Atal and out. Nor has she neglected her military career. Although her beauty and relative shortness makes some of her colleagues doubt her, in truth she’s one of the most skilled, capa- ble, and powerful captains Lemuria has. Personality/Motivation: Three things define Haliris Atal’s personality. First, she’s a maverick who can’t be counted on to do what’s expected of her, whether that’s in Lemurian society or on the battlefield. She couldn’t care less about “tradition”; she finds ways to do what she wants to do and pursue the subjects that interest her.
Second, she’s a devout Lemurian patriot. She loves her homeland and people (particularly compared to the average Lemurian, whose loyalty often lies more with his House than Lemuria as a whole). The long, slow decline that Lemuria’s been on for centuries angers
H
ere are a few villains from the Atlantean Age to get you started creating plots and challenges for your PCs. You can easily adapt villains from other Hero Games books, such as Nobles, Knights, And Necromancers and TheTurakian Age, by “Atlanteanizing” them with different names and clothes,
more powerful spells, and setting-appropriate enchanted items. For example, Lady Valynda Garaithe and Druathek the Maleficent (NKN, pages 29 and 120) would make a good scheming Atlantean courtier and evil Kaphtoran mage, respectively.
HALIRIS ATAL
Lemurian Commander
Val Char Cost Roll notes
15 STR 5 12- Lift 200 kg; 3d6 HTH damage [3] 20 DEX 30 13- OCV: 7/DCV: 7
18 CON 16 13- 14 BODY 8 12-
20 INT 10 13- PER Roll 13- 15 EGO 10 12- ECV: 5
20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6
16 COM 3 12- 10 PD 7 Total: 20 PD (10 rPD) 10 ED 6 Total: 20 ED (10 rED) 4 SPD 10 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12 7 REC 0 40 END 2
40 STUN 9 Total Characteristics Cost: 126 Movement: Running: 9”/18”
Cost Powers enD
45 Ataline Gauntlets: Multipower, 67-point reserve; all OIF (-½)
3u 1) Power-Blast: RKA 3d6, +2 Increased STUN Multiplier (+½); OIF (-1),
4 Charges (-1) [4]
1u 2) Power-Punch: HA +6d6; OIF (-½), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½) 3 1u 3) Augmented Might: +30 STR; OIF (-½), 4 Charges lasting 1 Turn each
(-½) [4x1 Turn]
12 Ignaetior Blade: HKA 2d6 (2d6+1 with STR); OAF (-1), STR Minimum
(10; -½) 3
15 Ignaetior Powers: Multipower, 30-point reserve; all slots OAF (-1)
1u 1) Flaming Blade: RKA 1d6, Armor Piercing (+½), Penetrating (+½); OAF (-1), No Range (-½), Linked (to Blade; -½), 16 Charges (-0) [16] 1u 2) Smoke Cloud: Darkness to Sight Group 3” radius; OAF (-1), Limited
Range (2”; -¼), 4 Charges lasting 1 Turn each (removed by wind; -½) [4 x 1 Turn] 1u 3) Flash Burst: Sight Group Flash 5d6; OAF (-1), No Range (-½),
16 Charges (-0)
25 Coruscator: Multipower, 40-point reserve, 32 Charges for entire
Multipower (+¼); all slots OAF (-1) [32]
2u 1) Lightning Blast: Energy Blast 8d6; OAF (-1), Limited Range (15”; -¼) 2u 2) Electric Strike: Energy Blast 4d6, NND (defense is ED Force Field or
insulated clothing; +1); OAF (-1), No Range (-½)
32 Ignaerian Spar: RKA 3d6, Armor Piercing (+½), 30 Charges (+¼); OAF
(-1), Two-Handed (-½) [30]
her intensely, and she wants to reverse it. She wants to see lost lands of the Empire reconquered and drive the Atlanteans screaming from the battlefield. Noth- ing pleases her more than defeating or humiliating Atlanteans.
Third, she’s ambitious. She’s already achieved heights of power that are almost unprecedented for a Lemurian woman, and she wants more: more troops to command; more subjects to obey her. She would never betray her Emperor, but if she should see a clear path to the Lemurian throne, she’d find a way to take it. quote: “Atlantean scum! Lemuria existed long before your pitiful island, and it will still exist after you and your kind have been swept from the world.”
Powers/Tactics: Haliris Atal has been trained in the standard Lemurian arts of war, ranging from bellascra to how to operate typical Lemurian vehicles. She carries the standard Lemurian weapons (ignaetior, coruscator, and ignaerian
spar), but adds one extra to her arse-
nal: the Ataline Gauntlets, a powerful enchanted item belonging to her House. The Gauntlets can fire power-blasts, enhance her strength, and allow her to deliver devastating punches.
In personal combat, Haliris at first fights defensively, using her Jab and other DCV-enhancing maneuvers, to gauge her opponent’s skill. She’ll also make an Ana- lyze Technique roll, if appropriate. After a Phase or two of that, she either shifts to the offensive (if she thinks she has the upper hand), disengages, or tries a tactic to overcome or neutralize her opponent’s strengths. She has no qualms about using “dirty tricks” (like throwing sand in a foe’s eyes) if they can help her.
Campaign Use: Haliris Atal is intended to be a solid foe for your PCs — not neces- sarily personally (though she should be a match for any one of them), but because of a combination of her power and the resources she can command (troops, vehicles, and more). If she doesn’t do this for your heroes, improve her abilities or give her more enchanted items until she does. Increasing her Martial Arts is one good way to improve her ability to do damage; increasing her DEX and SPD are other quick solutions.
As a Hunter, Haliris is determined but not fanatical. She knows that some- times pursuit of a goal can blind a com- mander to danger, so she won’t commit too much of her own personal resources or her troops to chasing a quarry unless she has to or believes the odds are strongly in her favor.
Martial Arts: Bellascra
Maneuver OCV DCV Notes
4 Block +2 +2 Block, Abort
4 Disarm -1 +1 Disarm, 35 STR to Disarm roll
4 Dodge — +5 Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort
5 Jab +0 +3 Weapon Strike + 2 DCs
4 Thrust +2 +0 Weapon Strike + 4 DCs
5 Lunge +1 +0 Weapon Strike + 2 DCs + v/5; FMove
5 Slash -2 +1 Weapon Strike + 6 DCs
8 +2 Damage Classes (already added in) 1 Use Art with Ignaetior, Coruscator
15 Caraprix Body Armor: Armor (10 PD/10 ED); OIF (-½),
Activation Roll 14- (-½) 0
15 Caraprix Energy Absorption: Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50%;
OIF (-½), Activation Roll 14- (-½) 0
6 Fast: Running +3” (9” total) 1 Perks
88 Gullop-Steed (see below) Perks
8 Lordship: Lemurian Duchess
4 Military Rank: Captain in the Lemurian army 10 Money: Wealthy Skills 10 +1 Overall 15 +3 HTH 3 Analyze Technique 13- 3 Combat Piloting 13- 3 Deduction 13- 10 Defense Maneuver IV
3 Fast Draw (Lemurian Weapons) 13- 3 High Society 13- 3 Interrogation 13- 1 Literacy 2 KS: Bellascra 11- 3 Paramedics (Healing) 13- 3 Persuasion 13- 5 Rapid Attack (HTH) 3 Riding 13- 3 Sleight Of Hand 13- 3 Stealth 13- 5 Tactics 14- 2 TF: Lemurian War-Vehicles 10 Two-Weapon Fighting (HTH) 3 WF: Lemurian Weapons, Off Hand
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 417 Total Cost: 549
300+ Disadvantages
10 Distinctive Features: Style (Not Concealable; Noticed And Recognizable; Perceivable By Large Group)
15 Hunted: various traditionalist Lemurians who’d like to see her disgraced or removed from society 8- (As Pow, NCI, Ruin)
20 Psychological Limitation: Ardent Lemurian Patriot (Very Common, Strong) 10 Psychological Limitation: Ambitious Noncomformist (Common, Moderate) 5 Rivalry: Professional, with certain other Lemurian nobles and commanders 20 Social Limitation: Subject To Orders (Very Frequently, Major)
169 Experience Points
Appearance: Haliris Atal is righly known as a beauty, even among Lemurian women who tend to be better-looking than most women. She keeps her black hair cut short so that it more easily fits under a helmet; her eyes are dark.
In the field Atal wears an elaborate
caraprix — a suit of Lemurian armor
consisting of a breastplate, greaves, and helmet made from crystallos (magical crystal) — thats a distinctive shade of purple. Three copper fins are set verti- cally into the breastplate’s back, and there are similar fins on the pieces that protect the upper arms and the calves. Her helmet is shaped like a demon’s head — the demon her noble House has as its patron. At times she also dons the Ataline Gauntlets, powerful magical gloves made of crystallos and hepatizon.