This week I look to expand the backstory of my current Pathfinder character. As a group we are progressing through the Kingmaker campaign, but my character is not one of the original adventurers who set out to help claim the Riverlands for themselves. Aka is actually my 5th character to join the party. When I think about it none of the current characters around the table are the original characters we started out with. Some have been lost, others found positions within the various councils, and some have just been replaced explained as leaving for other purposes. This is what happened to my previous character, a Dwarf Two-Weapon fighter who journeyed with his Uncle. But the Uncle died and I decided to replace him with Aka, who I have had a fair bit of fun with.
So who is Aka Keomi? Aka is a female fae blooded Kitsune sorceress, who specializes in Enchantment magic. She is feisty, seductive, alluring and playful. Aka is also incredibly vain, and hates when others are perceived as more beautiful than she is. When she started out with the party she was 18 years old, but has been travelling with the current group for 1 year game time. Initially it wasn’t her choice to join her current companions. One of Aka’s specialties is blending in and she can mimic anyone she meets with uncanny accuracy.
Aka likes to keep who she actually is secret, a hang up of her youth, and at all times is disguised as a 30 something human female. She finds that having human ears all the time is a bit irritating so she is always seen sporting an oversize beret to hide her pointed vulpine ears. Due to her vanity she loves her tails. Aka actually has 9 tails which when she is in her human disguise she arranges them to appear to be a large skirt. Often around the campfire she can be observed combing her “skirt” and ensuring that it isn’t overly dirty.
How she came across her current group of companions is somewhat of a bitter story. Aka is a long way from home, the fact that she and her mother traveled around a lot when Aka was very little means that she isn’t sure where her home town is. All Aka knows that while her Mother was pregnant with her, her Mother traveled across the Embaral Ocean from the Eastern continent. Her Mother never spoke of her Father.
Aka grew up on the road, and her innate magical abilities manifested early, much to her Mothers delight. Aka’s Mother was also a sorceress who specialized in Enchantment magics and together Aka and her Mother traveled from hold to hold, town to town, city to city swindling riches from “marks” and leaving a trail of broken hearts along the way.
Aka’s Mother could see that her daughter was something special both in physical beauty and magical talent and knew that she had to keep a close eye on her. As Aka grew into her teen years, her Mother became increasingly worried as Aka’s appearance, even in disguise, would begin to draw unnecessary attention.
It all came to ahead in Aka’s 14th name year. Their mark was a wealthy local lord. During the game it became apparent to Aka’s mother that the lord was actually more interested in Aka. What was alarming to the mother was that Aka was obviously falling for him as well. Disgusted, Aka’s mother attempted to abandon the plan and intervene before it went too far. Outraged at what she perceived as her mothers interference in her true love, Aka lashed out by outing her mother for what she really was, believing that once she was out of the way Aka would be able to continue her relationship with the lord. But teenage fantasy was shattered by reality. The Lord was furious and proceeded to have Aka’s mother beaten and dragged off in chains. Once she realized what she had done, Aka used her abilities to flee, leaving her mother to an unknown fate.
For a while Aka spent some time on the run. Finding comfort, as she had often done, in woodlands and forests. She lived in abandoned hunters cabins on the edges of society for some time, finding what comfort she could in playing with the minds of those that she would come across. It was only after she had felt that she had put the grief she had caused herself behind her that Aka decided that she would once again return proper to the civilized world. Once again taking up the role of seductress to the hearts of the rich, Aka was resolved to move on. Forever holding an element of guilt for what happened, a private curse which she hid behind her own vanity.
