The Iconic Illusomancer, Penan Telar (and more!) (Patreon)

There are those born to walk the stage, and there is Penan Telar.

Born in the Chelish port city of Ostenso from the dalliances between a low-ranking disgraced Jalmeri diplomat and an insidiator posing as a servant to a Chelish aristocrat in order to implicate her in one of the nation's diabolic schemes, Penan had a rough childhood. Following her mother's death in an "accident" as the Chelish tied up loose ends, she was raised by one of her mother's attendants, an Andoran woman working in secret as a member of the Twilight Talons. This was not out of kindness, however; the spy hoped to use Penan's powerful innate illusory powers, potent even as an infant, to her advantage.

Playing up both her devilish heritage and the rarity of ratajins, Penan was passed off at times as a minor devil, allowing her to move about in spaces that other children would never have had access to. Of course, all things must end, and on the day that her adopted mother was captured and executed, Penan, only 13 years old, was forced to flee. Taking great pains and using the full range of her illusory repertoire, she was able to make her way to newly independent Ravounel. There, she lied about her age, with the help of well constructed illusory enhancements to her appearance, and was able to join up with a fledgeling cell of Firebrand braggarts.

For the following decade, Penan made a name for herself. Her fight against Chelish oppression no longer hidden under illusions and subterfuge, she instead used her gifts for audacious displays designed to make a mockery of her foes while always garnering further support for the Firebrands. Her most daring display, which both earned her fame and ire , both among the Chelish elites and those in the Firebrands who thought she was being deliberately inflammatory, was an illusory scene depicting Her Majestrix being tried and hanged for her crimes before being set upon by cartoonish devils.

When the long simmering animosity between Cheliax and Andoran finally boiled over into outright war in what came to be known as the Hellfire Crisis, Penan jumped into action. Making use of all of her skills, both as a Firebrand and those which she cultivated as an unofficial and unwitting informant for the Twilight Talons, Penan proved to be a particularly flamboyant thorn in Her Infernal Majestrix's side.

Penan Telar is the iconic illusomancer from the upcoming Graung's Guide to Golarion: Masters of the Mind. She is a ratajin, an ancestry first released as an NPC in Lost Omens: Impossible Lands which I later made into a playable ancestry in Graung's Guide to Golarion: Ancestries of the Impossible Lands. You can check out the iconic build below! Ancestry RatajinHeritage NephilimBackground EntertainerClass Illusomancer (Glamorist Flair)Ratajin Curse Manifestations Selective Hearing; HyperacusisLevel 1 Ancestry Feat HellspawnLevel 1 Class Feat Pummeling FistIllusomancers are individuals with powerful innate illusion magic. Many illusomancers come from ancestries such as gnomes or kitsune who are already predisposed to illusion magic. Nephilim illusomancers are also common, as are those with extraplanar blood in their veins who do not become nephilim themselves. It is rumored that children conceived while a parent was under an illusion effect may become illusomancers, though there is little evidence to support the theory.

Glamorists are illusomancers who specialize in altering individuals' appearances, tailoring their illusions to the situation at hand. Many glamorists can be found in the ranks of various nations' spies, though not all take on such dangerous work. Glamorists easily find work in the entertainment industry, creating illusory costumes for stage performances, enhancing the appearances of insecure nobles, or enabling folk to blend into crowds they mightn't otherwise.As for the "and more", art cameos for Masters of the Mind are now open! If you'd like your illusomancer, mesmerist, or psychic PC to appear within Masters of the Mind, Patrons of the Mithral Tier can get art of their character in the book! Message me on Discord (AyeSpydie) and let me know your character concept which I will pass along to the artist. Characters should fit within the Golarion setting, so please avoid overly sexualized or dark concepts (that is, keep it within reason).

As a reminder, both Gold and Mithral Patrons have access to the Masters of the Mind playtest on Discord. Primary writing is complete, though there is always time for adjustments prior to release. We're also always having interesting discussions even outside of the playtest channels, so even if you're not a paid subscriber feel free to join the Discord and have a chat!