Yola
Pain-Mistress Yolanda Shamat
8th-level Human Death Priestess (Pain)
Str: 14
Dex: 13
Con: 15
Int: 12
Wis: 17
Cha: 13
Armor Class: 5
THAC0: 16
Movement: 12
Hit Points: 50
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Granted Powers: Negate emotion spells in others, emotion control (fear, sorrow, or hatred; up to 16 people, 1/day), focus harm spell (cause serious wounds, 17 hp damage, 1/day).
Special Attacks: By spell or magical item.
Special Defenses: Nil
Saving Throws: PPDM 7; RSW 11; PP 10; BW 13; S 12.
+4 on saves vs. pain; +3 magical attack adj. (Wisdom).
Size: 5’9”
WP: scourge, footman’s mace, footman’s flail, staff, whip. NWP: endurance (15), local history (13), reading/writing (13), religion (17), rope
use (13), spellcraft (10), swimming (14).
Spells: bless, call upon faith (TOM), cause light wounds, command, protection from
good; aid, draw upon unholy might (TOM), hold person (x2), silence 15’ radius;
cause blindness, death’s door, dispel magic; cause insanity, cause serious wounds.
Equipment: Scale mail +1, wickedly spiked staff-mace, whip, gold signet ring (100 gp), nose ring (50
gp), electrum tiara (250 gp), belt pouch (28 gp, 34 sp, and a pair of
thumbscrews), and shoulder bag with four knives, one dose of mindshadow, eight caltrops,
scourge, spare whip, iron spikes and needles, a sponge, 50’ of rope, flask of
salt water, potion of extra-healing, and four packets of powder of the black veil (TOM).
Physical Description: Yola is a daunting figure. A tall, sturdily built woman in her early
thirties, Yola has pale blue eyes and midnight black hair which she braids and coils
around sharp iron needles. She has dark, swarthy features, and she speaks with an
exotic foreign accent. Her stature and demeanor clearly convey a strong,
commanding personality, for she carries herself rigidly erect, moves with deliberate
purpose, and cows everyone around her with an icy stare.
Background: As a child, Yolanda Shamat was sold as a slave to Signor Matanzas, a priest
of Loviatar who introduced her to the excruciating rites of the Pain Goddess.
Yola rose in Matanzas’ household to the position of chamberlain, and she ran his
estate with brutal efficiency. Matanzas was a member of the Anatomical Academy,
and the vivisection facilities in his estate were sometimes used as a meeting
place for the Academy. Dr. Ellandra Tolbert (see her NPC sheet) attended
several of these meetings and met Yola at Matanza's Estate. While their first
encounter was less than cordial, it was clear that Ellandra was not intimidated by
Yola’s demeanor. After only a few visits to the estate, the two began to exchange
polite greetings, and then pleasantries. Ellandra persuaded Matanzas to
transfer Yola into her service.
Since slavery is not as prevalent in her homeland, Ellandra promptly gave Yola
her freedom when she moved north to Waterdeep. In a curious mixture of
gratitude, friendship, and respect, the priestess agreed to remain in Ellandra’s
employ as her “personal assistant.” Yola is convinced that her friend’s attempts to
bring back her dead husband will only result in great sorrow and pain, but as a
priestess of Loviatar, she finds some measure of satisfaction at helping in
this enterprise. She manages Ellandra’s villa just like Matanzas’ estate, though
the soft northern servants have almost no tolerance to pain and are thus almost
pathetically easy to control.
Yolanda is also now an established member of Loviatar’s priesthood in
Waterdeep, but the city’s high priest reminds her too much of Matanzas. She spends as
little time in the House of Pain as possible, preferring to assist Ellandra in
furthering her research. She has no personal following and no interest in
acquiring one.
Role-Playing Notes: Yola exudes a palpable aura of harsh, uncompromising severity that is
emotionally disturbing to humans in her presence, as well as animals. Babies cry,
children flee, dogs bark, and horses rear at her approach.
Anyone visiting Ellandra will first have to contend with Yola, who screens her
mistress from needless interruptions. She addresses newcomers with glacial
frigidity unless they have a scheduled appointment. Yola also serves as a
recruiter for Ellandra, hiring adventuring parties to take care of messy or difficult
business (such as acquiring new bodies for Ellandra’s secret research).
Yola can be extremely unpleasant if provoked into combat. Her first action
will usually be to release her dogs and invoke fear using her emotion control
(save vs. spells or flee for 8 rounds). If her dogs can shield her from melee, she
will first silence, hold or command spellcasters; otherwise she will wade into
battle focusing cause serious wounds (see granted power) or cause insanity on
an opponent. Once her spells have been exhausted, she will fight with her
staff-mace (THAC0 13, Dmg 1d6+3); against unarmored victims, she may use her whip to
entangle or disarm (THAC0 20 with called shot, Dmg: 1d2/1). Yola is too prudent
to fight to the death. She will use her powder of the black veil and a handful of scattered caltrops to cloak her escape and deter pursuit.
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