Palypso

"I pray this letter finds you in good health and spirits. ... Just kidding. Could you imagine if I actually sounded like that?"

### God of

Shadows, dancing, music, deception, trickery, warmth, gold and silver, merchants, commerce

## Meta information

### Appears in

Refrain of the New Gods

Palypso is the name chosen by Piper Elenmin following her ascension as a goddess.

## Powers

Palypso can mimic any sound, no matter how elaborate, perfectly. She can compel others to dance. She can hide in, teleport through, and turn into shadows.

## Appearance

Palypso manifests in vague ways on the Material Plane. She chooses to be heard, but not seen; sometimes it's the other way around, depending on her needs.

Statues and artistic depictions portray her as a young woman clad in gold, but she rarely (if ever) appears this way to mortals. Her preferred form is that of a golden-furred coyote.

## Personality

For the first few hundred years after her ascension, Palypso was as lighthearted as she was in her human life. She shared her dances with Musea and brought good fortune in her travels, earning herself a sizable following and a city built in her honor.

However, following the death of Lykaios, she fell into a deep depression that only began to wane after her unintentional destruction of her patron city, Vermögenport. Since recovering from her mourning, she has regained her cheerful attitude; still, she carries the weight of responsibility she didn't possess before.

## Biography

Palypso was "born" from Piper after the Meeting at the Record. It took some time for Piper to make her decision—finally, she decided that the best way she could give back to her loved ones was to watch over the world they lived in. She accepted Ora's offer and returned to the fight with Akthos where she landed the killing blow.

## Obedience 1

Play a practical joke on an unsuspecting target. If no suitable targets are nearby, write down an original joke and leave it tucked in a place where someone may someday find it. Gain a +4 sacred or profane bonus to AC during surprise rounds, regardless of whether or not you participate in the surprise round.

The type of bonus depends on your alignment—if you’re neither good nor evil, you must choose either sacred or profane the first time you perform your obedience, and this choice can’t be changed.

### Boons

1. **Prankster (Sp):** *lesser confusion* 3/day, *invisibility* 2/day, or *suggestion* 1/day
2. **Clever Ruse (Sp):** You can cast enlarged *mislead* three times per day. This ability is the equivalent of a 7th-level spell.
3. **Element of Surprise (Su):** Whenever you roll initiative, any allies within 30 feet of you who are also rolling initiative can choose to use the result of your roll instead of theirs. Your allies still add their own modifiers to your roll to calculate their initiative order. Alternatively, you may choose to use another ally’s roll instead of your own.

## Obedience 2

Take a handful of mixed gems, coins, and keys. Include coins from three or more different currency systems (such as from three different kingdoms), as well as at least three different keys—one of which should be the key to a lockbox, vault, or other such storage item. Kneel before a scale and balance the items as perfectly as you can on it, removing and replacing items in order to create the most equitable balance of items. Randomize the items you select each time you perform this obedience, so as not to let your obedience become routine. Meditate on the teachings of Palypso. Gain a +4 sacred or profane bonus on saving throws against spells and effects generated by creatures with a chaotic alignment.

The type of bonus depends on your alignment—if you’re neither good nor evil, you must choose either sacred or profane the first time you perform your obedience. Once made, this choice can’t be changed.

### Evangelist Boons

1. **Diplomat (Sp):** *comprehend languages* 3/day, *calm emotions* 2/day, or *glibness* 1/day
2. **City Dweller (Ex):** You never become lost in cities of more than 5,000 inhabitants—upon entering a city, even for the first time, you can always retrace your steps and intuit where particular districts must be. Furthermore, you pick up local accents and vernacular instantly, giving you the cant of a citizen. You also gain a +4 sacred or profane bonus on Disguise and Knowledge (local) checks while in the bounds of a city.
3. **Sneaky Bolt (Ex):** Three times per day, you can snipe with a crossbow while hidden, and have little chance of revealing your location. You must declare your use of this ability before you roll your attack. You can use this ability only if your target is within 30 feet of you and unaware of your presence or precise location. Once you roll your attack, immediately attempt a Stealth check for sniping without the normal –20 penalty.

### Exalted Boons

1. **Obscured Mien (Sp):** *Palypso’s truthtelling* 3/day, *darkness* 2/day, or *sepia snake sigil* 1/day
2. **Diplomatic Immunity (Ex):** While within the bounds of a city of more than 5,000 inhabitants, you gain a +4 sacred or profane bonus on Bluff and Diplomacy checks. You also gain special status with the law. You’re considered a person to be respected, and may obtain special treatment and assistance that ordinary citizens could not, such as information on political activity, criminal investigations, or threats against the city. Any bribes or fees that would normally be levied by the legal system are waived for you. City guards and officials with an initial starting attitude of unfriendly or hostile instead have an attitude of indifferent toward you. These benefits apply only when you identify yourself as an exalted of Palypso.
3. **Scales of Balance (Su):** Once per day as a full-round action, you can pool and redistribute your current hit points and those of all willing allies within 30 feet of you. Total your current hit points and those of your willing allies, and then decide how you wish to redistribute them among the same individuals. You cannot give an ally more hit points than her maximum, nor can you leave an ally with 0 hit points.

### Sentinel Boons

1. **Bulwark of Good Fortune (Sp):** *shield of faith* 3/day, *shield other* 2/day, or *phantasmal* *reminder* 1/day
2. **Dance of the Shadow** **(Su):** Once per day as a standard action, you can become incorporeal and invisible. While in this form, you can move in any direction and through any object (except for those made of force). You can take no action other than to move while in this form. You remain in this form for a number of rounds equal to your total HD, but you can end this effect prematurely with a standard action.
3. **Dark Mimicry (Sp):** Once per day, you may cast *greater shadow conjuration* as a spell-like ability.