Ricara Alsani Female Half-Elf, 7th Level Bard / 5th Level Virtuoso Strength: 13 (+1) Fort. Save: +5 Armor Class: 20 Dexterity: 18 (+4) Ref. Save: +10 Flat-footed AC: 16 Constitution: 15 (+2) Will Save: +13 Touch AC: 14 Intelligence: 17 (+3) Alignment: CG Wisdom: 18 (+4) Speed: 30 ft. Charisma: 20 (+5) Size: M (5'3") [160 cm] Hit Points: 62 Melee Attack: +8/+3 CR: 12 Ranged Attack: +11/+6* * +1 to attack and damage within 30 feet Special: Half-elf abilities: Immune to sleep spells and similar effects; +2 save bonus vs. Enchantment spells and effects; low-light vision; +1 bonus to Listen, Search, and Spot checks Bardic abilities: Bardic music (all effects); Bardic knowledge. Proficient in all simple weapons and rapier Virtuoso abilities: (12 uses per day): Sustaining Song, Calumny, Jarring Song, Sharp Note. Virtuoso abilities are detailed in the Song and Silence sourcebook. Skills: Balance +9; Bluff +15; Concentration +5; Diplomacy +18; Escape Artist +13; Gather Information +17; Knowledge (current events) +13; Listen +8; Move Silently +8; Perform (ballad, chant, comedy, dance, dirge, drama, epic, flute, harp, lute, mandolin, melody, ode, recorder, storytelling) +20; Sense Motive +13; Spellcraft +6; Swim +5; Tumble +9 * +2 with masterwork mandolin Feats: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Quick Draw, Requiem, Weapon Finesse (rapier) Languages: Genifari, Common, Elven, Celestial

Possessions: masterwork mandolin; rapier +3; dagger +2; masterwork light crossbow (+1); 40 bolts carried (10 of +1 bonus); studded leather armor +3; 4 potions of cure moderate wounds; potion of reduce; potion of speak with animals; potion of sneaking; potion of remove paralysis; potion of water breathing; potion of tongues; ring of mind shielding; wand of light (50 charges); boots of striding and springing; hat of disguise; periapt of proof against poison; flute

Spells Known: 6/6/5/5/4; Save DC: 15 + spell level
Per day: 3/5/4/4/3
daze, detect magic, ghost sound, mending, prestidigitation, read magic; charm person, cure light wounds, expeditious retreat, feather fall, mage armor, sleep; bull's strength, cure moderate wounds, enthrall, invisibility, suggestion; charm monster, dispel magic, emotion, remove disease, slow; break enchantment, dimension door, hold monster, neutralize poison

Summary explanation of Virtuoso abilities:
Sustaining Song - Unconscious or dying allies are stabilized during this song without need for stabilization checks. Duration: up to 5 minutes
Calumny - Song targets a specific character, creature or group and requires all audience members to pass a Will save (DC = Ricara's Perform check result) or have their attitude toward the target shifted one category to the negative, and gains a +2 morale bonus to all opposed social interaction checks vs. the target. Duration: 24 hours per skill use expended (out of 12 for Ricara).
Jarring Song - Anyone attempting to cast a spell during this song must pass a Concentration check (DC 15 + attempted spell's level) or lose the spell. Requires 3 ability uses (out of Ricara's daily 12).
Sharp Note - Affect all piercing or slashing weapons within 10 feet as by a keen edge spell cast by a 6th level sorcerer. Duration: 10 minutes. Requires 3 ability uses (out of Ricara's daily 12).
The Requiem feat (described in Song and Silence) enables Ricara to affect undead creatures with her bardic and virtuoso music abilities, with half the normal duration.

Appearance: With her caramel-colored skin, mahogany hair, shapely body, and radiant smile, Ricara Alsani is known throughout the Inner Sea lands as a legendary beauty. She is 50 years old, but as a half-elf she appears to be only 25 or 30. Her half-elven nature contributes to her loveliness. Ricara's magnificent, bell-clear soprano singing voice and remarkable skill with the mandolin is quite well known among music lovers from the inns and festhalls of Baldur's Gate to the Raven's Bluff Playhouse. Her clothing consists of anything appropriate for the place in which, and occasion for which, she is performing -- her hat of disguise allows her a limitless variety of outfits, hairstyles and makeup, which comes in especially handy when she is performing in an opera or musical play. When travelling or adventuring, she wears her studded leather armor, a pair of tight-fitting doeskin breeches, and her magic boots, with her rapier at her side, her dagger strapped to her thigh, and her crossbow slung over her back. Her hat of disguise, in its normal state, looks like a jaunty green "Robin Hood" type woodsman's cap with a red feather in it.

Background: Ricara is the daughter and heir of Lekmúse Alsani, the chieftain of Clan Alsani. Her mother is now well on in years, and Ricara is not looking forward to the day when she must take up her place as mistress of Heartsong House and cut back on her merry wanderings. Lekmúse was a 25-year-old captain in the She-Wolves when she had a brief but passionate affair with a dashing elven swashbuckler she met during a campaign in Aglarond. Ricara was the happy result.

Ricara joined the Silver Sisterhood as a young girl and quickly obtained a reputation as a mischievous hellion. Her close friend, Anegè Zinthani (later Silverstar) became like an older sister to her, and occasionally saved her from serious trouble resulting from her good-natured but reckless pranks.

As soon as she was able, Ricara was off like a shot into the wide world, gleefully pursuing any and all adventures she could find with a variety of adventuring bands and newfound friends. Sometimes she accompanied Anegè on her wanderings (and still does sometimes to this day), but very few things could keep her in one place for long. To support herself in times when no dungeon loot was to be had, Ricara sang in a variety of taverns, festhalls, and music halls across the Heartlands -- few proprietors could turn her away after hearing her magnificent voice.

The intervening years have done little to diminish Ricara's exuberant, swashbuckling ways, and she is now quite famous and quite successful as both an adventurer and a performer. She can usually name her own fee wherever she chooses to perform, though she seldom accepts very long engagements. She could be twice as rich as she is if she accepted all the gifts plied upon her by lovestruck men (and women), but she is enough of a Genifar not to do any such thing -- though she usually rebuffs such offers politely, and she is certainly not above flirting.

Those Genifari who have considered Ricara an embarrassment would blink in astonishment if they knew how much valuable information she has brought home to Ixinos. Her head is filled with a detailed knowledge of everything important (and much unimportant) that goes on in the Heartlands of the Realms. Since Ixinos has no official presence in any other nation, this information (along with, to a lesser degree, that uncovered by Anegè Silverstar and the She-Wolves) keeps the Isle of Amazons from being dangerously backward, uninformed, and unprepared to deal with any adversity that may reach them from foreign shores.

In recent years, Ricara has made a hobby of taking young, all-female adventuring groups under her wing and providing them with advice, knowledge, leads on potentially profitable forays, friendship and companionship, and sometimes rendering her assistance with her money and influence. Most recently she has "adopted" the Company of the Catlash (detailed in the Ruins of Myth Drannor boxed set), who are her favorites so far.

On the artistic front, Ricara has recently caused a sensation by translating a number of her favorite epic songs, love ballads, and arias into Celestial and performing them in that language; the beauty of that language rendered in her spellbinding voice has listeners swooning in the aisles. Ricara has lately been teaching herself to play the flute and is experimenting with writing her own music.

Ricara has made a great many important friends and acquaintances in her travels, such as Storm Silverhand, the Harper of Shadowdale; Myrmeen Lhal, the Lady-Lord of Arabel in Cormyr; Lady Merelith of Saerloon in Sembia; and, strangest of all, Dediana Extaminos, the evil but restrained yuan-ti ruler of Hlondeth. How this friendship came about can only be guessed at.

Roleplaying Notes: Being as gregarious, far-travelled and well-known as she is, Ricara is the "Amazon" most likely to be encountered outside of Ixinos itself. She may even introduce herself to parties or individuals whose reputations she finds interesting.

Ricara is by default friendly, or at least cordial, to everyone she meets unless they give her some reason to be otherwise. She is not tolerant of insulting or threatening behavior towards herself, those she cares about, or innocent bystanders. Misogynistic remarks or attitudes draw an icy response from her. Ricara is more comfortable socially with women or mixed company. Though she is heterosexual, she is very choosy about who shares her bed, and the overly aggressive suitor may experience painful consequences.

Ricara usually charges not less than 20 gold pieces per evening to perform, though she sometimes accepts less from more modest establishments, and has even been known to sing for free when the mood strikes her. She likes to use her magic to help the sick and injured wherever she goes, and never accepts payment for this. Ricara has a great many friends in a great many places, high and low, and anyone who mistreats her (and survives) had better be prepared to run a long, long way.