Taylin Harkus

Taylin Harkus

(Person)

Alignment

Chaotic evil

Ancestry/Species

Human vampire

Class

Fighter 9 (in Tier 8–9),
Fighter 6 (in Tier 5–6)

Gender

Female

Homeland

Sothis, Osirion

Organization

Pathfinder Society

Died

ca. mid-47th century AR

Source: The Trouble with Secrets, pg(s). 3

Taylin Harkus was a member of the Pathfinder Society living in Osirion who had the misfortune of falling prey to an ancient vampire living in the Brazen Peaks. Searching for an escape from her undead fate, she contacted her friend Aygrim Bossell for help, but found no rescue: Bossell betrayed her and imprisoned her for decades in a hidden chamber beneath the Sandswept Hall in Sothis.

Appearance

Taylin Harkus appears as a tall woman with pale skin, glowing red eyes, and fangs.

Background

Sometime in the mid-47th century AR, Taylin Harkus and her Pathfinder companions discovered the tomb of an ancient vampire living in Osirion's Brazen Peaks. When she and her companions entered it to plunder it for relics, the vampire attacked and tore the others apart. Harkus escaped and fled into the mountains, but was eventually tracked down by the undead fiend who drained her blood, beginning her transformation into a vampire. Disgusted by her slow metamorphosis, she made her way to Sothis where she contacted an old friend and lover, Aygrim Bossell. She pleaded with him to cure her of her impending undead state, and he agreed to find clerics and researchers to assist him, returning with her to a basement room in the Sothis Pathfinder Lodge. When he returned a week later, however, the new team overpowered the young vampire, tied her to a table, and began performing cruel experiments. Bossell ignored Harkus' pleas for help for eight days until he heard screams coming from the chamber where they had her imprisoned. Rushing in, he found Harkus free of her restraints and tearing the other researchers apart. Fearing for his life, Aygrim locked the door to the experiment chamber, leaving the other researchers to their doom.

Knowing that his actions would not be seen in a positive light by other Pathfinders, Aygrim did his best to cover up the whole affair. He boarded and then walled-up the room where Harkus was still imprisoned with the researchers (now transformed into vampire spawn), explaining to others that his actions were necessary to prevent the spread of a magical disease. He also forged documents showing that the doomed Pathfinder researchers had been lost on various other assignments, and tried his best to forget it all.

Later in life, Aygrim's conscience began to prick him, and he wrote down his foul misdeeds in a journal he kept secret, but never mentioned that Harkus was a vampire. Not wishing to throw him out into the streets, and unaware of his foul betrayal, the current venture-captain of the Sothis Pathfinder Lodge, Norden Balentiir, kept Aygrim on as a record keeper. For 60 years, Aygrim guarded his secrets, but eventually began suffering from senility and forgot much about his past misdeeds.

Worried about his failing health, Aygrim's servant Fendel searched among his belongings for a will, and inadvertently found the secret journal. Curious to discover if the tales of his master's dark past were true (and unaware that Harkus was a vampire and could still be active), Fendel opened the bricked-up experiment chamber, but was quickly overcome by Harkus and her progeny.

Abilities

While most vampires have the ability to call wolves to their side to serve them, Harkus instead can call hyenas, and can herself transform into one of these creatures at will.