Adventures Along the Arcadian Ocean

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

The approaching solstice marks the point at which the Paizo office starts to look a little emptier for a few weeks. Just because a bunch of folks are taking some time off, though, doesn't signal any break in scenario production. We have two new scenarios coming out tomorrow, December 20th. Consider the early release our holiday gift to you!

If you're looking for a frigid adventure to commemorate a northern hemisphere's winter, look no further than Pathfinder Society Scenario #9-11: The Jarlsblood Witch Saga by Nathan King. This Tier 5-9 adventure returns us to the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, where it's the PCs' job to dissect—and possibly debunk—a centuries-old legend of a local bogeyman. The truth carries the PCs to a dying town and into the desolate taiga, and what the PCs find could change the fate of another nation thousands of miles away.

I'm pleased with how this adventure turned out. First, this continues the ongoing Sovereign Court faction's storyline in Season 9, and although The Jarlsblood Witch Saga is not a true sequel to Pathfinder Society Scenario #9-08: Birthright Betrayed, they both play key roles in setting up Pathfinder Society Scenario #9-13: The Lion's Justice (Tier 7-11) that's coming out in January. Second, I'm pleased to note that this scenario includes access to some fun gear from Pathfinder Player Companion: Adventurer's Armory 2. Third, this scenario involves a major Lands of the Linnorm Kings adventure trope that I've wanted to see in print for a long, long time.

Finally, this scenario introduces our newest venture-captain, Bjersig Torrsen. It's bothered me for a while that the Pathfinder Society's presence in northwest Avistan is limited to Sheila Heidmarch in southern Varisia (and wherever her husband Canayven has wandered that week). Linda and I have also been trying to expand our roster of non-human venture-captains, and Bjersig brings the list of regularly featured half-orcs to two (the other being the popular Calisro Benarry). What's more Bjersig has a canine pal named Mahki (modeled off one of the Pets of Paizo, a handsome husky named Ajax) who helps the very competent and unabashedly deaf venture-captain navigate the hearing world.

And that's only half of December's new releases. Linda Zayas-Palmer, the development lead, takes over from here.

The Pathfinder Society may have struck a truce of sorts with the Aspis Consortium in Season 7, but that doesn't mean that the Pathfinder Society will never again be at odds with their old foes. The Aspis Consortium has recently launched a mysterious mining operation in the Mwangi Expanse. Ever since this operation started, however, locals have been connecting it to all manner of sinister incidents. However, the Aspis Consortium's entrenched influence in the region makes opposing them a difficult proposition. If the Society hopes to uncover the truth without destroying the truce, they'll need allies.

Illustrations by Dion Harris

In Pathfinder Society Scenario #9-10: Signs in Senghor, a Tier 1-5 scenario by Kris Leonard, the Pathfinder Society seeks allies in the city of Senghor, a flourishing port that has long resisted Aspis influence. Fortunately for the Society, the mining operation isn't the only suspicious business linked to the Consortium. Hushed whispers on the streets of Senghor speak of Aspis agents lurking among the ruins of the forbidden and accursed city of Boali, whose mere mention is taboo. One brave group of Pathfinders is about to get a taste of the unknown perils that lurk on its uncharted soil, and in the process discover what drew the Consortium to its perilous shores in the first place.

Signs in Senghor also kicks off the Exchange faction's pursuits in Season 9. They may begin the season desiring stronger regional ties to Senghor and other cities along western Garund, yet as we look ahead, the faction will see more opportunities to wield its economic might less for personal enrichment but more to avert a disaster and effect lasting change.

What's more, we have illustrated another great venture-captain, Finze Bellaugh of Eledir, Sargava. I was delighted to see Finze portrayed in Pathfinder Tales novels such as Through the Gate in the Sea by Howard Andrew Jones, and the venture-captain's a consummate scholar who exudes curiosity and understanding. We're excited to give him a proper introduction.

Have a lovely rest of December!

John Compton
Organized Play Lead Developer