It's an exciting day over here in the Pathfinder Tales department! Not only does today introduce the final chapter in Erik Mona's "Two Pieces of Tarnished Silver" (which you can read right here for free), but it's also the release date of two things that folks have been anxiously awaiting for a while now.
Illustration by Daren Bader
The first is Robin Laws' The Worldwound Gambit, a rollicking heist novel set in the demonic madness of the Worldwound. Hitch a ride with veteran con man Gad as he gathers the perfect team of scoundrels and thieves to infiltrate a cult's living tower deep in demon-held territory. Together they'll attempt to pull off the biggest job of their lives, saving their home from destruction and keeping business booming. Along the way, they'll have to deal with insufferable paladins, a dangerously seductive priestess, their own quirks and faults—and of course, plenty of demons. By turns hilarious and disturbing, Robin's new book is a dark, witty romp that will show you Mendev and the Worldwound like you've never seen them before.
Illustration by Jason Engle
The second thing we're proud to unveil is the latest batch of Pathfinder Tales ePubs, which includes not just several of the web fiction stories, but the first three Pathfinder's Journals from Pathfinder Adventure Path, available now in compiled electronic form, complete with all their original illustrations! For years, people have been asking for compiled versions of the journals for ease of reading and transportation—in fact, before he worked here, Mark Moreland compiled all the Eando Kline stories into a self-printed chapbook to read on his commute—and we're glad to finally be able to oblige. Appearing in this first batch are "Hell's Pawns" by Dave Gross, which marks the first appearance of Varian Jeggare and Radovan; "Dark Tapestry" by Elaine Cunningham, which follows the adventures of half-elven Pathfinder and desert druid Channa Ti; and "The Compass Stone: The Collected Journals of Eando Kline," which presents the entire epic journey of Pathfinder Eando Kline from his first appearance in Pathfinder Adventure Path #1 to the stunning conclusion in #18. Much longer than a typical web fiction story, both "Hell's Pawns" and "Dark Tapestry" are full-length novellas, while Eando's story is roughly as long as a Pathfinder Tales novel! "The Compass Stone" also comes complete with a new foreword by yours truly, discussing the evolution of the Pathfinder's Journal, and of Eando's story in particular. Joining these journals are the compiled web fiction tales "Lord of Penance" by Richard Lee Byers and "The Secret of the Rose and Glove" by Kevin Andrew Murphy.
And this is just the beginning! We hope to unveil the next novel in the Pathfinder Tales line fairly soon, and you can look forward to seeing further batches of web fiction stories and Pathfinder's Journals compiled for your electronic reading enjoyment at regular intervals. Because when it comes to Pathfinder fiction, more is better!
With our industrious Fiction Editor out sick this week and then whisking his way off to Ohio for the weekend to talk up Pathfinder Tales and Planet Stories at World Fantasy Con, we've decided to postpone posting the opening installment of Richard Lee Byers' awesome new novella, "Lord of Penance," until next Wednesday. I know, I know... it's a downer for all the folks who anxiously wait for the week to roll around to get a new, free slice of Golarion, and I promise you we'll serve you up some Pathfinder Tales next Wednesday.
But there is a silver lining: You can now spend the next week catching up on or delving back into the webfiction we've already published, compliments of the brand-new ebook compilations we've recently made available on both the Paizo webstore and Apple's iBookstore (or just browse through the stories in the Pathfinder Tales archives ).
Here at Paizo, we understand that our fans, friends, and contributors (and the sizable cadre of folks who combine all three categories) are a little different than most companies' communities. It's not uncommon for Paizo fans to send us pizzas out of the blue as a thank-you gesture, or offer to buy us drinks when they run into us somewhere in the city. (Both of which initially confused us—you're giving us presents for selling you books?—but we aren't complaining.) We've seen a room full of Paizo trivia champions, Paizo cosplay, and a whole darn Paizo theater performance from an extremely talented grade school (and their supremely cool teacher). It's humbling and awesome at the same time.
Tim Hitchcock, however, may have just taken the cake, at least for me personally. You see, a while back, Tim and I were talking about music in the Tuesday-night Paizo Chat. Tim, a musician who retired from touring in order to become a teacher, was asking me about the bass rig I used in my metal and hardcore band, Shadow at Morning, and my opinions on distortion pedals. I said that I thought they were cool, but I'd never gotten around to picking one up.
"Why don't I build you one?" he asked. Apparently Mr. Hitchcock knows a thing or two about electronics.
I wasn't sure what to expect, but it's not every day somebody offers to build you custom gear. I said sure, and promptly forgot about it for about six months.
And then today, I got this in the mail: proof positive that Tim Hitchcock is totally insane, in the best possible sense of the word. (When I originally opened the package, the glowing light made Wes think Tim must have finally had enough and decided to send us a letter bomb.)
Photograph by Christopher Carey. Goblin illustration originally by Kyle Hunter.
Without question (at least until I get it home and plug it in), my favorite part is the little goblin that Tim etched into the steel of the faceplate. (And in case you're wondering, the goblin is referencing the classic Big Muff bass pedal, upon which Tim based the electronics.)
Though Shadow at Morning unfortunately disbanded a few weeks before the pedal's arrival, I'm already in the process of recording with a new project, and you can bet that when we're ready to hit the stage, Tim's phenomenal creation will be front and center...
PAIZOCON has come and gone, and we're all still recovering from the unbelievable amount of fun we had this weekend. Those of you who were there doubtlessly have your own favorite moments, but for those who weren't, I'd have to say my high points were playing Wes's imp familiar during the Pathfinder Society Interactive, possessing the spirit-medium Sean during the same event, running panels, hearing hundreds of people yell out Paizo trivia answers at the banquet (and yes, I'm in fact the youngest editor—don't be fooled by Wes's beardlessness!), and kickin' it into the wee hours of the morning with a number of our favorite fans and contributors. I'm sure several other Paizo staffers will be on here in the week to come sharing their favorite con memories and photos, but for now, I wanted to show you all pictures of two particular events that stand out in my mind:
These pictures were taken on the first day, and totally blew my mind. In order to make it easier to read on the bus, superfan Mark Moreland (aka Yoda8myhead on the boards) decide to rip the text from all 18 Eando Kline Pathfinder's Journal episodes and bind them into a single, totally beautiful chapbook, complete with Jason Engle's art on the cover. As I'm particularly attached to Eando, it warmed my heart to see everything collected under one cover.
And of course, as Wes will happily tell you, no account of PAIZOCON would be complete without a photo of me manhandling Mr. Reynolds. But that's what you get when you insist on channeling the spirit of the great and powerful imp Chumley...
Thanks again to everyone who attended the con, and hopefully we'll see even more of you there next year!
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