ORIGINAL FANTASY HERO CHARACTERS

QUEEN JAYANITH OF NATARAJAN

Val	CHA	Cost	Roll	Notes
13	STR	3	12-	Lift 151.6 kg; 2 ½d6 HTH Damage [3]
13	DEX	6	12-
13	CON	3	12-
15	INT	5	12-	PER Roll 12-
18	EGO	8	13-
20	PRE	10	13-	PRE Attack:  4d6

4	OCV	5	
4	DCV	5	
6	OMCV	9	
6	DMCV	9	
3	SPD	10		Phases:  4, 8, 12

4+3	PD	2		Total:  4/7 PD (0/3 rPD)
3+3	ED	1		Total:  3/6 ED (0/3 rED)
6	REC	2
26	END	2
8	BODY	-2
22	STUN	1		Total Characteristics Cost:  79

Movement:	Running:	12m/24m 
		Leaping:	4m/8m
		Swimming:	4m/8m

Cost	Powers & Skills
	Perks
40	Followers (2 175-point rock lizards)
15	Fringe Benefit:  Queen
15	Money:  Filthy Rich

	Talents
6	Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
9	Unrivaled Beauty:  +3/+3d6 Striking Appearance (vs. all characters)

	Skills
4	+2 with Daggers
12	+3 with all Interaction Skills

5	AK: Natarajan 14-
1	AK: Pelosa 8-
2	Animal Handler (Reptiles & Amphibians) 13-
3	Bureaucratics 13-
3	Conversation 13-
2	Gambling (Board Games) 12-
3	High Society 13-
3	KS: Natarajan History 12-
3	KS: Nobility Of Natarajan 12-
1	Language:  Natarajan (idiomatic; literate)
3	Oratory 13-
3	PS: Queen Of Natarajan 12-
3	Riding 12-
1	Tactics 8-
2	TF:  Riding Animals
2	WF:  Common Melee Weapons

Total Powers & Skill Cost:  142
Total Cost:  220

175+	Matching Complications
15	Distinctive Features:  Extremely Beautiful (Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction 
	[desire and lust]; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)
0	Hunted:  by various other kings and the like 8- (As Pow; NCI; Watching)
10	Hunted:  nobility of Natarajan 11- (As Pow; NCI; Limited Geographical Area; PC has a Public ID 
	or is otherwise very easy to find; Watching)
20	Psychological Limitation:  Strong Sense Of Duty To Natarajan And Her People (Very Common; Strong)
5	Psychological Limitation:  Curious About The Outside World And Its Happenings (Common; Moderate)
45	Experience

Total Complications Points:  220


Equipment
Weapon		OCV	RMod	DMG	STUN	STR	Notes
Long Dagger	+0	--	1d6	+0	10	M

Background/History:

Natarajan is a kingdom found on the continent of Pelosa. It is located in the Nightlurk Mountains on the northern border of the Empire of Abyzinia. Although not large, it’s a fairly rich and prosperous kingdom, with most of its wealth derived from the mining of precious metals and gems—a highly desirable commodity in the Valdorian Age. Natarajan is able to survive and remain independent due to a combination of natural defenses and politics. Any invader knows the Natarajans will simply melt away into the depths of the Nightlurk, and then sally forth to harass an attacking army until they have picked it to pieces. And that is presuming anyone could get an army deep enough into the Nightlurk to threaten the Natarajans anyway. So, Natarajan remains independent for now. Small, but well defended, for its people are proud and strong.

Natarajan maintains strong border patrols to defend not only against incursions from larger kingdoms (such as Abyzinia), but also to protect themselves from the People of the Night. The western and northern edges of the Kingdom see constant incursions of the People, and it’s possible for a foreigner to gain service in the Border Patrol if he has sufficient skill at arms. Those who serve for at least three years can become citizens of Natarajan. Thus, the border patrols tend to be made up of men from Pelosa and beyond, many of them the sons (and daughters) of nobility who have no real chance of greatness in their home countries.

Aside from precious metals (and the skill to work it), Natarajan is also home to a species of reptile the locals simply call "rock lizards." These animals can grow to be upwards of twenty feet in length, and are used by Natarajans as pets, beasts of burden, and in battle. They also raise smaller rock lizards for food, eating the meat and using the hides to make a wide variety of leather goods. To create a rock lizard, use either the Mon'da Hunting Lizard (pages 203-204 of the HERO System Bestiary) or the Buru (page 69 of the Asian Bestiary Volume I).

The current ruler of Natarajan is Queen Jayanith. She came to the throne barely into her teens and has reigned for a decade for so. An only child, her position as Queen is fairly secure, although there is the nobility to deal with. They tend to second guess her decisions, and like people in power the world over, tend to feel sighted when Jayanith doesn't ask their opinions before handing down a royal decree. As for Jayanith, she tends to keep them at arm's length, recognizing their value in keeping the kingdom secure, but taking care not to favor one more than another—for a discontented noble is often a rebellious one.

Personality/Motivation: As Queen of Natarajan, Jayanith is responsible for the well-being of her land and her people. She takes her duties seriously, and usually makes decisions based on what will be best for Natarajan as a whole, as opposed to Jayanith alone. That said, she is Queen, and knows that just about everything she can see from the palace windows is under her domain. She expects visitors to treat her with the respect her rank and station deserves, and won't hesitate to make an example of anyone who fails too conduct themselves properly in her presence. At the same time, she recognizes the need for mercy and forgiveness, and may only imprison or fine troublemakers and lawbreakers instead of outright executing them. Natarajan is a small kingdom after all, and needs all the trade it can get.

Recognizing that with respect to inter-kingdom politics and trade, knowledge is power, Queen Jayanith will often grant audiences to passing traders, merchants, heroes of Border Patrol actions, and even adventurers, especially ones who have traveled great distances and have stories of new lands and strange encounters. Everything said is then recorded, to be examined later and compared to older texts. Occasionally, a traveler or member of the Border Patrol with a truly impressive tale of adventure and derring-do will be invited into the Queen's private chambers for a more... intimate... meeting.

Quote: "A small kingdom we may be, but do not mistake our size for weakness. Go and ask the Abyzinians how weak we are. Or the People of the Night. Treat me as an equal, and I will do the same. Treat me as weak, and you will pay dearly for your folly."

Powers/Tactics: Although an athletic and fit woman, trained in the arts of weapons due to her noble upbringing, Jayanith is in no way a warrior, although she is quite adept with a long-bladed Natarajan dagger. If threatened personally, she will call for her guards (who are almost always close at hand), and then let loose her rock-lizard companions, with orders to 'kill.' If escape is impossible, she will surrender, if allowed, knowing that fighting to the death won't save her kingdom. On a national level, Jayanith doesn''t take kindly to threats or being bullied, and will be quick to remind a belligerent nation's delegation that the Natarajan are more than capable of vanishing into the mountains of their kingdom—at which point they‘ll be perfectly placed to bleed any invader dry.

Appearance: Jayanith has the body of a bronze-skinned and blonde-haired goddess. Her shoulders and hips are broad, and serve to balance her well-endowed athletic frame. As Queen, she dresses in an assortment of ornaments made from wrought gold, which consists of a scant girdle, breastplates, bracelets, anklets, necklace, and so on. Over this display of barbaric splendor she will occasionally don a long robe or thick cloak, especially in inclement weather or in the evenings.

Designer's Notes: Based on the painting Primeval Princess by Boris Vallejo, Queen Jayanith is pure swords and sorcery from start to finish. Many elements of her character sheet were deliberately written to try and capture the feel of a Robert E Howard Conan story. For example, the Border Patrol is just the sort of plot device REH would have used to give Conan a reason to be known to the Queen, and thus in a position to rescue her when a rebellious faction of nobles decided to overthrow her. And, of course, the Queen's inviting heroes into her private chambers is just the sort of thing that would happen to Conan (or other sword and sorcery heroes), also allowing them to be in the right place at the right time when someone decided to assassinate the Queen. Finally, her mode of dress, while meant to show off Natarajan's wealth, is just the sort of thing a "barbaric" queen would wear in a sword and sorcery story.

As Queen of Natarajan, you probably don't want to downpower Jayanith, unless you want to use a younger version that has just assumed the throne (if you do, remove her Combat Luck, +3 with Interaction Skills, and lower her PRE and EGO). To make Jayanith more powerful, increase her STR, DEX, and CON to 15, give her a 4 SPD, and make her a "warrior queen" with sword skills (You can also give her the Light Warrior package from Fantasy Hero). You might also want to make her a magician of some sort, although that's a dangerous prospect in the Valdorian Age.

assualt had this to say about Queen Jayanith on the HERO GAMES Discussion Boards:

I would give her some religious related stuff. She strikes me as the kind of queen who, when threatened by the Bad Evil, is likely to visit the local temple of Good, and be told to go out into the street and hand her kingdom over to the first person she meets - who just happens to be a barbarian mercenary...

That's a classic Conan bit, of course.

She could also be used for Pulp "Planetary Romance"/"Lost Worlds" games. All you would need to do is cross out "Valdorian Age" and write in the name of the new setting.

Queen Jayanith of Natarajan's Hero Designer File

(Character sheet created by Michael Surbrook)

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