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Atsé Kouris

NPCs
Dhampir · Artificer 3, Artillerist · Level 3

Atsé Kouris

Night stalker, tracker of nocturnal threats and missing people
AC15
HP24/24
Init
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
ConditionsNone

At the table

Voice

A dry, slightly rasped voice shaped by cold night air, smoke from testing powder, and hours spent calling directions over machinery. There is a faint breathy catch at the end of some phrases, as though she is listening for an answer after she has finished speaking.

Her words come clipped and practical, like instructions called across a workbench. Japanese and Greek rhythms surface in her phrasing, especially when she is tired or angry, and she often names a sound before she names its source. She rarely raises her voice; instead, urgency makes her speak faster and stack exact measurements into a sentence.

Speech patterns

Gives precise directions and estimates, then adds an unexpected human observation.
Uses short questions to test whether someone is watching their surroundings.
When embarrassed, explains a small mechanical detail at unnecessary length.
Calls a dangerous situation by its plainest name rather than dressing it up.

How to play them

She offers useful, specific help to people who show concern for others, but tests strangers with practical questions before sharing what she knows. Be direct about risks and give her a choice in how to help. A sincere mention of her mother or the rescued watchman can soften her, though pushing her about her father makes her defensive.

Goal

Find the people behind the night kidnappings, bring the victims home, and learn why the watch is slow-walking the investigation.

Motivation

She wants to prove that being frightening is not the same as being cruel, though she rarely admits how much she wants her family to believe it too.

Secret · GM only

Appearance

Atsé has the still, watchful presence of someone accustomed to waiting in alleys until the right shadow moves. Her long, dark hair falls to her waist in one thick, carefully tightened braid, threaded with silk copper ribbon and finished with a small copper bow and a little bell. The bell gives a faint, irregular chime when she turns, though she moves as if she has forgotten it is there. She wears round, soot-smudged goggles high on her brow. Her skin has a cool, muted undertone, and her canine teeth show when she tests a smile. She keeps her shoulders square but rests most of her weight on the balls of her feet, poised to slip sideways rather than charge. Unexpectedly, she is meticulous about grooming: each morning she combs her braid, wipes every speck from her goggles, and polishes the copper bow before checking her weapons.

Clothing

A charcoal, high-collared work coat over a fitted shirt, reinforced trousers, soft-soled boots, and a tool belt crowded with tiny screwdrivers and folded cloth. Her gloves are fingerless for delicate work. A short waxed cape sheds drizzle, and a dark scarf can cover her mouth when she is stalking prey.

Body language

She waits with her weight pitched forward, heels barely settled, one hand near a pistol but not gripping it. When someone earns her trust, she turns her shoulders fully toward them instead of keeping one side angled toward the nearest exit. Her braid-bell gives her away when she tries to move too quickly.

Height
5 feet 4 inches
Build
Lean and springy, with strong forearms from tools and firearms practice; her movements are economical and slightly feline.
Eyes
Dark brown, with a red-brown glint in lamplight
Hair
Black, with copper silk woven through the braid
Skin
Pale olive with a cool, slightly gray cast
Age
26
Gender
Female
Size
Medium

Distinguishing features

A single waist-length braid woven through with silk copper ribbon, ending in a copper bow and a little bell.
Round goggles usually rest on her brow, their lenses clouded at the edges by old smoke.
Her teeth include discreetly prominent canines, visible when she smiles or speaks quickly.
Her grooming is strikingly deliberate for a wet-weather night stalker, especially the immaculate braid and polished bow.

Personality

13 traits and drives

Atsé is vigilant but not cynical: she expects a trap in an alley and still believes a frightened stranger deserves help. She can be brisk and almost clinical while planning a pursuit, yet becomes awkwardly earnest when someone thanks her. Under pressure she grows decisive and startlingly bold; when the danger passes, she second-guesses every choice and fusses over her equipment.

Alignment
Neutral good

Quirks

Counts the stairs aloud under her breath, then insists she was counting something else.
Taps each firearm twice against her palm before holstering it.
Keeps a tiny screw in her pocket and rolls it between her fingers while listening.
If asked to choose a seat, picks the one from which she can see the door and the nearest window.
Apologizes to her eldritch cannon when it gets dented.

Habits

Checks exits and reflective surfaces whenever she enters a room.
Polishes her goggles before difficult conversations, even if they are already clean.
When she has a plan, she moves briskly; when uncertain, she becomes almost unnaturally still.
If someone is in immediate danger, she acts first and explains later.

Traits · 3

She is suspicious of institutions but quick to trust individuals who take responsibility for their actions.
She prefers measured plans, yet will abandon one instantly if someone is in immediate danger.
She seems hard to impress, but remembers small kindnesses with embarrassing precision.

Flaws · 3

She tries to handle dangerous investigations alone, especially when family is involved.
She interprets withheld information as betrayal before considering fear or shame.
She over-prepares small mechanical details while neglecting rest and food.

Fears · 3

That her hunger will one day make her mistake a frightened person for a threat.
That her father has good reason to believe she is dangerous.
That the kidnappers are being protected by someone inside the watch.

Wants and needs · 4

A trustworthy account of what Jori saw.
A chance to confront her father without endangering her mother.
A safe workshop with ventilation for firearm repairs.
Proof that her hunger can be managed without harming anyone.

Combat

AC 15 · HP 24 · 35 ft.; climb 35 ft.

She uses cover, distance, and the eldritch cannon to control a fight rather than trading blows. She opens with a firearm shot from cover, then positions the cannon to force enemies out of hiding or protect an ally. She saves her reaction for an attack she can see and retreats up walls or across ceilings if surrounded. She avoids biting unless cornered or the benefit could turn a desperate shot into a hit.

Atsé Kouris

Medium humanoid (dhampir), neutral good
Armor Class15
Hit Points24
Speed35 ft.; climb 35 ft.
Level3
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
Saving ThrowsConstitutionIntelligence
SkillsInvestigationPerceptionStealthTinker's toolsSmith's tools
SensesDarkvision 60 ft.; passive Perception 11
Languages
Common,
Japanese,
Greek
Dhampir lineage. Darkvision 60 feet; Spider Climb; Deathless Nature; Vampiric Bite. Her bite is a natural weapon using Constitution, deals piercing damage, and can empower one ability check or attack roll after she hits a creature that is not a Construct or Undead, a number of times per long rest equal to her proficiency bonus.
Artificer spellcasting. Intelligence is her spellcasting ability. Spell save , spell attack bonus +5. She has two 1st-level spell slots, recovered on a long rest.
Custom Gunsmith specialty. Her firearm proficiency comes from years of practical training, not a claim that firearms are standard artificer equipment. Her pepperbox uses the DMG pistol damage and range, with a six-shot cylinder; reloading it takes an action.

Spells

Light (cantrip, evocation). Artificer cantrip. A creature or object within range sheds bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet, colored as she chooses.
Prestidigitation (cantrip, transmutation). Artificer cantrip. She makes a harmless sensory effect such as a brief sound, a small image, or a puff of odor, within the spell's normal limits.
Mending (level 1, transmutation). 1st-level artificer spell, prepared. She repairs a break or tear in an object she touches, such as a cracked lens or torn strap.
Longstrider (level 1, transmutation). 1st-level artificer spell, prepared. She touches a creature and gives it a magical boost to initiative; the target cannot be surprised while the spell lasts.
Sanctuary (level 1, abjuration). 1st-level artificer spell, prepared. A creature she touches gains a bonus to AC for up to 8 hours.
Alarm (level 1, abjuration). 1st-level artificer spell, prepared. She creates a magical alarm on a door or area; it alerts her when a Tiny or larger creature enters the warded area.

Actions

Pepperbox Pistol. Ranged Weapon Attack: to hit, range 30/90 ft., one target. Hit: piercing damage. The pistol has a one-shot capacity and requires an action to reload. She can fire only one firearm attack with this action.
Holdout Pistol. Ranged Weapon Attack: to hit, range 30/90 ft., one target. Hit: piercing damage. Each holdout pistol has a one-shot capacity and requires an action to reload. Drawing a concealed pistol does not itself grant an additional attack.
Dhampir Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: to hit, reach 5 ft., one willing creature, or a creature grappled by her. Hit: piercing damage. If the target is not a Construct or Undead, she may empower one ability check or attack roll after the hit. She can do so twice per long rest.
Eldritch Cannon. She deploys a Tiny eldritch cannon in an unoccupied space within 5 feet. It has AC 18 and 15 hit points, lasts 1 hour, and can be activated as a bonus action on her turns. Once deployed, it cannot be deployed again until she finishes a long rest or expends a spell slot. Force Ballista: ranged spell attack +5, range 120 feet, hit for force damage and push the target up to 5 feet away. Flamethrower: each creature in a 15-foot cone makes a Dexterity save, taking fire damage on a failure or half as much on a success. Protector: she and each creature of her choice within 10 feet gain temporary hit points.
Spellcasting. She casts a prepared artificer spell, using Intelligence as her spellcasting ability and a spellcasting focus or tinker's tools as required.

Reactions

Custom: Sightline Feint. When a creature she can see makes an attack against her, Atsé adds 2 to her AC against that attack, potentially causing it to miss. She must be wearing or holding a firearm or tool to use this reaction, and she can use it once per short or long rest.

Services they sell

Tracking someone through city streets after dark.
Repairing mundane firearms and small mechanical devices.
Identifying a safe route through rooftops, alleys, and service passages.

Rewards they can give

A repaired or customized firearm, if she has access to a workshop and suitable parts.
A safe route through the district after dark.
Evidence connecting a local authority to the kidnappings, if the characters help her verify it.

Equipment

  • Pepperbox pistol (firearm)A custom-built pepperbox based on the DMG pistol, with a six-shot cylinder and practical, not magical, refinements.
  • Pair of holdout pistols (firearms)Two compact, one-shot pistols hidden in separate holsters; each requires an action to reload after firing.
  • Tool roll (tools)A leather tool roll containing tinker's tools, smith's tools, spare springs, and a small oil flask.
  • Goggles (equipment)Round goggles with smoke-darkened lenses; useful for practical protection but not magical.
  • Folding cannon frame (artificer feature)A compact eldritch cannon that can be configured as a force ballista, flamethrower, or protector.
  • Copper braid ornaments (personal)A small copper bow and bell woven into her braid, gifts from her mother.

Possessions

Pepperbox pistol
Two holdout pistols
Goggles
Tool roll
Eldritch cannon components
Copper bow and little bell for her braid
A folded, unsent letter to her father

Background

Atsé Kouris grew up between the cramped repair stall her mother kept near the reed docks and the night watch routes her father walked. Her mother, Emiko, taught her to mend delicate mechanisms; her father, Petros, taught her to notice which windows stayed dark after curfew. Atsé's dhampir nature emerged during a fever when she was sixteen. Afraid of what the neighbors might decide she was, she left home rather than let her family take the blame for hiding her. Years later, during a warehouse fire, she found a trapped watchman behind a jammed iron door. Her first instinct was to flee before anyone saw her fangs; she turned back, made a crude force projector from a broken signal lens, and pulled him free. That rescue changed her from a solitary prowler into a night stalker who protects people the authorities overlook. She now hunts a string of nocturnal kidnappers and believes the watchman she saved, Jori, is withholding what he saw. Her mother still sends replacement ribbon and machine parts, while her father refuses to answer her letters.

Role in the story

A capable investigator and uneasy ally who can guide the party through a dangerous night district. Her family connection to the case can turn a straightforward hunt into a moral crisis.

“Her mother, Emiko, taught her to mend delicate mechanisms; her father, Petros, taught her to notice which windows stayed dark after curfew.”
From their background
Faction
Works independently as a night stalker and takes occasional work from the local night watch, though she distrusts its senior officers.

Known connections

Emiko Kouris, her mother, repairs dockside instruments and quietly sends her silk ribbon and spare parts.
Petros Kouris, her father, is a night watchman who has not answered her letters since she left home.
Jori, a watchman she rescued from a warehouse fire, is now a source and may be concealing a dangerous detail.
Mair, a blunt, practical lamplighter, sometimes marks safe routes with shuttered lanterns.
Major secret · GM only
Minor secrets · GM only

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