Khael (I)

***Back to Death Comes to the Vale main page.***

Concept
Khael describes himself as a "Servant of the Keepers", this being an archaic reference to an alliance of gods known as the "Keepers of the Cosmos" (Pelor: Sun; Moradin: Earth, Sehanine: Moon)

## Personality

Khael is amicable, if a bit reserved.  His reactions to people have been largely neutral, but polite and friendly.

## Appearance

Khael stands 6'3, which would be the average height of a deva, if one had the breadth of experience in comparing their heights.  His skin and hair is a chalk white, contrasted with black markings on his head and shoulders.  On his face, this occurs in chin strip, and a horizontal band of black, which starts  around one eye socket, and extends around the back of his head to the other eye socket.   The black band also colors his hair, but oddly doesn't seem to change position as his hair grows.  As well, each of his fingers is jet black from the final knuckle to its fingertip.  His eyes are white orbs, lacking pupils or irises.

Like most devas, Khael doesn't fidget, shift, or twitch unnecessarily.  So if he is not engaged in conversation, or actively examining something, he remains absolutely still, which can be disconcerting to look at.

### Khael's explanation of Devas

"We are one of the first races created by the gods. We are from ... the beginning, I suppose. After the Dawn War ended, some of the gods' servants were given a choice. If they chose to return to the Astral Sea, they would remain in the presence of the gods, but they would need to turn their backs on the world that they had fought to defend. However, if they chose to remain in the world, we would be bound to it forever.

"We exist as part of an endless cycle, passing through lifetime after lifetime. The core of our being is a constant, but there are differences in how we are ... expressed? For example, I think that in one of my recent incarnations, I wielded a blade as an instrument of Moradin's vengeance."

## History

### Past Lifetimes

The memories of his former lives have faded into vague recollections, but he is fairly confident he remembers:

* He grew very powerful in his most recent lifetime, and may have been close to transcending to some greater level.
* He has not always been an invoker, but he is usually been the hand or agent of the trio of gods who he refers to as the Keepers of the Cosmos (Moradin, Pelor, and Sehanine). This group has not been refer to as such in many centuries, if not longer.
* He has travelled with Rhogar, an ancestor of Gornarn.
* He remembers sailing on a ship that travelled through a sea of stars, and journeyed down rivers of fire and earth.

### Visions of Past Lives

Khael will occasionally have flashes of past lives. Mostly fragments of memories and wisps of recollection, some of them are recollected here:

#### A Seer's Prophecy

After Treona had a flash of insight into Khael and Gornarn's meeting, Khael remembered something he had been told in a previous life by another seer:

#### The Deck Returns

While we were investigating the library in Kiris Dahn, a bookmark fell from a book Khael was flipping through...only it wasn't a book, but a card...a card from the Deck of Many Things, and it represented something Khael has faced before:

*There is an arm, thin, glossy obsidian, flecked with white hair. Finger nails beautifully manicured, an amazing color of purple, covered in gore. I am holding that arm, it's torn from the arm at the elbow....did I do that? Was it the companion?...who was that?....where are they?...*
*grasped in that hand, covered in gore...my gore..oh yes, pain....grasped in that hand are cards...a deck, no....not all of it..enough.*
*an inhuman scream, long and peircing, not far.*
*in a forge? molten material all around. standing on a bridge or a catwalk. So close... a few more steps.*
*Spear tip crashes thru breastbone.....so close, I was so close....I can at least delay their purpose for a time..I drop the hand over the edge and watches the fire collect my offering...*
*The circle begins anew.*
*anguished screaming....a moment for a smile.....the spear tip turns...there is another moment of pain, then the void again.*

## Build (Lvl 2-3)

**Stats**
Str: 12 Con: 17 Dex: 15 Int: 17 Wis: 19 Cha: 10

**Defenses**
AC: 17 Fort: 15 Ref: 15 Will: 16
*Astral Majesty: +1 to all defenses against attacks from bloodied creatures*
*Astral Resistance: Resist 6 against necrotic and radiant damage*

**Skills**
Acrobatics: +2, Arcana: +11 (trained, background bonus), Athletics: +1, Bluff: +1, Diplomacy: +1, Dungeoneering: +5, Endurance: +3, Heal: +5, History: +11 (trained, racial bonus), Insight: +10 (trained), Intimidate: +1, Nature: +5, Perception: +6 (feat bonus), Religion: +11 (trained, racial bonus), Stealth: +2, Streetwise: +1, Thievery: +2

**Powers**

* Deva Racial Ability: Memory of a Thousand Lifetimes (PHB2)

**Invoker Class Abilities:**

* Channel Divinity: Armor of Wrath
* Channel Divinity: Rebuke Undead

**Invoker Powers:**

* At Will: Hand of Radiance *(DP)*, Grasping Shards *(PHB2)*
* L1: Thunder of Judgment *(PHB2)*, Silent Malediction *(DP)*
* L2: Shroud of Warning *(PHB2)*
* *L3: Lightning's Revelation (DP)*

**Feats:**

* L1: Power of the Moon*(DP) (Retrain to Astral Fire at Lvl 3)*
* L2: Versatile Expertise*(PHB3)*

Wishlist==== Goals of Items ====

Aside from the obvious (granting bonuses to hit, and to protection), the following traits are what I'm looking for:

1. Improving defenses
2. Improving initiative
3. Increasing the area/number of targets I can affect (by increasing the size of the burst/blast/zone/wall)

### Primary Choices

Power (Daily): Free Action. Use this power when using a power that has a blast or a burst effect. Increase the size of the blast or the burst by 1.
Property: You gain a +2 bonus to all defenses against attacks from enemies that are subject to effects caused by you.
 **Rebuking Armor** (Chain 4, PHB2 202)
 **Amulet of Elegy** (Neck 2, AV2 63)
Power (Daily) Free Action. Trigger: You use a power to produce an effect that a save can end. Effect: Each target of the power takes a penalty to its first saving throw against the effect equal to the amulet's enhancement bonus.
 **Casque of Tactics** (Head 4, AV 139)
Property: Gain +1 item bonus to initiative checks.
Power (Daily): Free Action. Use this power when initiative is rolled. Swap initiative check results with a willing ally who you can see.

### Other items

	+ Power (Daily): Immediate Reaction. You can use this power when an enemy hits you with an attack. That enemy takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls (save ends). When the enemy saves against the penalty, the enemy takes a –1 penalty to attack rolls (save ends).
	+ *Interesting choice, does not specify I have to take damage or be the only target*
* Time Link Armor (Chain 4, AV2 14)
	+ Property: You gain an item bonus to initiative checks equal to the armor's enhancement bonus.
	+ Power (Dally): No Action. Trigger: You roll initiative and dislike the result. Effect: You reroll initiative but must use the second result.
	+ Property: Add squares equal to the enhancement bonus of this staff to the area of a zone or a wall cast with this staff.
	+ Power (Daily): Standard Action. Reshape one existing wall effect that you cast. At least one square of the wall must remain stationary.
	+ *Not many zones in my upcoming arsenal.*
* **Aversion Staff** (Staff 2, PHB3 210)
	+ Property: You gain a +2 bonus to all defenses against attacks from enemies that are subject to effects caused by you.
* **Cunning Weapon** (Staff) (Staff 8, AV 67)
	+ Property: Against any effect delivered with this weapon that a save can end, the target takes a –2 penalty to saving throws
* **Rod of Blinding Awe** (Rod 7, PHB2 205)
	+ Power (Daily): Free Action. Trigger: You hit an enemy with a divine attack power using this rod. Effect: That enemy is immobilized until the end of its next turn.
* **Rod of Brilliant Wrath** (Rod 14, PHB2 205)
	+ Power (Daily): Free Action. Trigger: You hit an enemy and deal radiant damage to it using this rod. Effect: That enemy and any creature adjacent to it are dazed until the end of your next turn.
* **Rod of Divinity** (Rod 3, AV2 35)
	+ Power (Daily): Free Action. Trigger: You hit with a divine attack power using this rod. Effect You gain one extra use of your Channel Divinity class feature during this encounter.
	+ *Might be useful if/after I pick up Solar Enemy as a feat.*
* **Rod of Forceful Invocation** (Rod 4, PHB2 205)
	+ Power (Daily): Free Action. Trigger: You hit an enemy with a divine attack power using this rod. Effect: You push that enemy 2 squares and knock it prone. If the triggering attack already pushes the target, you apply this push after that.
* **Staff of Ruin** (Staff 3, AV 106)
	+ Property: Whenever you make an attack using this staff, you gain an item bonus to the attack’s damage rolls equal to the staff’s enhancement bonus. (Errataed text is listed here)
	+ *In the short list...although I'm not focused on damage.*
	+ *On the short list.*
* **Thunderwave Staff** (Staff 8, PHB 242)
	+ Power (Daily ✦ Thunder): Free Action. Use this power when you would push one or more creatures with one of your powers. Instead of pushing those creatures, knock them prone and deal xd6 thunder damage to each one, where x equals the number of squares you would normally push each one.

	+ **Backtrack Bindings** (Feet 24, AV 125)
		- Power (Encounter ✦ Teleportation): Action. Use this power during your turn and note the square you are

currently in. At the end of your turn, teleport back to that square if it is within 10 squares of you.
* + **Boots of Eagerness** (Feet 9, AV 126)
		- Power (Encounter): Free Action. Use this power during your turn to take an additional move action.
	+ **Boots of Speed** (Feet 22, AV 126)
		- Property: Gain a +2 item bonus to speed.
		- Power (Daily): Minor Action. Take a move action.

*There's several threads on the net supporting the use of staffs as off-hand implements. They usually run like this one with a lot of banter about the size of the item and whether or not it needs to be swung about...and then they contact Wizards support who rule that "If you are using a staff as an implement it does not matter if you are using it with one hand or two hands. The player can choose. If the staff is being used as a melee weapon however, two hands must be used."*

## Feats

### Under general consideration

* **Invoker's Defense** (PHB2): When you hit an enemy within 3 squares with an Invoker power, gain a +2 feat bonus to your AC until the end of your next turn.
* **Auspicious Lineage** (PHB2): Increase effect from Memory of a Thousand Lifetimes from 1d6 to 1d8 (1/Encounter)
* **Distant Advantage** (PHB2): Gain ranged CA on targets flanked by allies
* **Staff Expertise** (Essentials): Gain +1/2/3 on attacks with implement, do not provoke OAs when using staff as implement.  ***needs DM approval for campaign***
* **Armor of Burning Wrath** (DP): Armor of Wrath inflicts radiant and fire damage; target suffers -1 to all saving throws until the end of your next turn
* **Astral Fire** (PHB): +2 to damage with powers possessing the radiant or fire keywords
* **Radiant Power** (PHB2): Suffer a -2 to attack with an implement attack to gain +2/4/6 radiant damage.
* **Echoes of Thunder** (PHB2): When you hit with thunder power, gain +1/2/3 to damage until end of next turn
* **Scouring Wrath** (PHB2): When you use Armor of Wrath, target suffers Vulnerable 2 to all other damage until the end of your next turn.
* **Majestic Presence** (DP): Allies adjacent to you gain 3/5/8 resistance to radiant and necrotic