Class Feature Friday: Savith (Champion Legendary Medium Spirit)
When it comes to legendary warriors perhaps the most common fantasy tropes surrounding them are the slaying of great evils and dying defending their people.
The legendary Azlanti hero known as Savith was both, being a champion of the Azlanti settlers to the rainforest-filled lands of what would become known as the Mwangi Expanse. There, they clashed with the serpentfolk that lived there until she faced the ascended god of the serpentfolk, Ydersius, and with her magic sword, decapitated the wicked deity, casting his head into a lake of molten lava and leaving the still-living body to flail and stumble away. However, soon afterwards, she collapsed, succumbing to her injuries and the god’s foul venom, and with Earthfall, was nearly forgotten along with the rest of her fallen civilization.
However, recent expeditions have rediscovered the city named after her, Savith-Yi, and with preventing Ydersius’s rise, the knowledge of this great hero of humanity has returned to the world, so of course, there would be those who seek to contact her spirit and learn from her, and even share in her might.
Of course, much like other legendary spirits, Savith does not answer just anyone. Those who seek her favor must parallel her greatest deed by decapitating a powerful serpentfolk foe and casting their head into lava or fire, making a vow to never retreat against serpentfolk or Ydersius’ followers.
Outside the Golarion setting, this legendary spirit doesn’t make as much sense unless serpentfolk also factor into your setting as well, but like anything, it can be modified.
Poison is the weapon of Savith’s enemy, so the unique taboo for her as a spirit is to refuse to coat one’s weapon in poison under any circumstances.
Savith favored a magical greatsword in life, and her most basic ability grants enhanced mastery of similar weapons. What’s more, more powerful mediums gain access to a different, greatsword-themed list of techniques they can benefit from when calling upon Savith.
Well-known for facing a superior foe alone, Savith offers aid when her host faces a larger foe without any nearby allies supporting them, increasing their size to match or at least offset the difference between them.
If you’re interested in wielding a greatsword and facing big, powerful foes, this legendary spirit is pretty much hand-tailored to you. You miss out on an extra attack, but you gain the ability to better occupy the attention of a powerful foe. As such, stronger, more defensive builds that use either the champion or guardian spirit on any given day seem most rewarding.
While “unfinished business” is a common thread with spirits of all stripes, Savith is unique among them in that in how big a deal her business is. Sure, Ydersius was defeated not once, but twice, but he is not dead, and killing him perfectly involves a lot of setup including luring the serpent god to The Boneyard so that he might be decapitated again and judged by Pharasma in the split-second between being briefly dead and his immortality kicking in. Such a feat would likely break the serpentfolk race forever, preventing them from ever trying to reclaim their former tyrannical dominion over the world of Golarion. Of course, that might also be considered something of a moral quandary as well, kicking another sapient species, even a monstrously evil culture, when their down… Then again, perhaps such a breaking might free them from their connection to the evil god and their wicked past.
There are many stories of dhampirs that take up the mantle of vampire hunter, but few hunt creatures quite like the foes Merri Valtra faces. Such vampires carry the mark of the serpent on them, manifesting poisonous power. So, she has enlisted the help of a new spirit, one whose blade shed many a serpent’s life in their time.
Though her legend persists, the Serpentslayer’s sword was never recovered from the battle, having fallen down into the pit. Those who find the pool where it rests should beware, for a particularly massive gray ooze also dwells in the water, feasting on prey attracted to its shine.
Someone has been murdering nagaji residents, a serial killer wielding a large blade and focusing on beheading their victims. Cursory research of folklore reveals that the culprit must be someone channeling the spirit of a legendary warrior, whom provides an edge against serpentine foes, regardless of whether they deserve it. The question of whether the medium chose the spirit for their crimes, or whether they are being influenced is moot, for the death toll keeps climbing.
