About BelsariousDarkmoon Vale Kingmaker Edition Welcome to the Darkmoon Vale and Falcons Hollow. Darkmoon Vale stands at the northwestern corner of the democracy of Andoran, which only recently succeeded in breaking away from the infernal empire of Cheliax.
Falcon's Hollow A blunt, sawdust-choked stop on a winding trade route, a festering haven of injustice and cruelty, Falcon’s Hollow rests perilously close to the infamous Darkmoon Wood. The long shadow of Droskar’s Crag casts a shroud of gloom on the desperate souls who call this place home. Many come here to make their fortune cutting darkwood lumber in the lush wood, while others journey to this remote fringe to start over, piecing together their shattered lives on the edge of an untouched wilderness far from the things of man. Persecuted zealots and outcasts flock to Falcon’s Hollow to practice their strange and often deviant rites unfettered by the mores of civilization. Finally, Falcon’s Hollow lures many explorers with the promise of great adventure nearby. The town, its people, and everything in it belong to the corrupt Lumber Consortium, controlled by the de facto leader of the town, the loathsome Thuldrin Kreed. His petty decrees and the consortium’s overpriced goods keep the people of the town prisoner as surely as if Kreed and his goons used manacles and chains. Home to fewer than 1,500 humans and a smattering of other races, most of the townsfolk care only for the paltry coins paid for their backbreaking work and what simple comforts they can buy. A few, however, understand that what’s bad for one is bad for all, and they struggle endlessly with the Lumber Consortium to improve the lives of their neighbors—and by extension, themselves. The community thrives on a tenacious mix of greed, debauchery, and stubborn self-reliance. As much property of the Lumber Consortium as the buildings, cut timbers, and other assets in the town, the people of Falcon’s Hollow live in abject poverty and unending misery. Those born into Falcon’s Hollow (or those foolish enough to move there willingly—or even unwillingly) face lives filled with anguish and devoid of hope or betterment. The town has always had a surprisingly large population of beggars, tramps, and vagrants, men and women the greedy Lumber Consortium worked into destitution. Falcon’s Hollow is a logging town through and through. Most buildings have log walls, or are finished with wooden siding. The roofs are covered in wooden shingles. The town is rough-looking for the most part, but some homes feature lovingly wrought ornamentation that shows their owners’ pride: decorative molding, carved cornices, window mullions, and delicate inlays on furniture. Sawmills and lumberyards are the main evidence of the town’s industry, along with dusty, exhausted cutyards filled with stumps. Sawdust invades nearly every home, bed, and meal in the community, like sand in a beach town—but locals claim one gets used to it, and mock those who can’t stand the dust. Around Falcon’s Hollow, the forest flourishes, dark and impenetrable, seemingly eager to claim the lives of those who endlessly assault its borders. .......... Important locales in Falcon’s Hollow town limits are listed here .......... Falcon's Hollow -Location's Map The Cutyard: A bustling place full of lumberjacks and woodcutters hauling logs from the river and turning them into timber. Low Market: Open to everyone in town, the Low Market sells the High Market’s food leftovers (including meats and vegetables just starting to go bad), heavily salted many meats, and other foodstuffs that barely survive their trip to the market. Nothing in the Low Market sells for more than a few gold, and almost everything is worth only coppers. High Market: With access restricted by Boss Teedum’s most loyal “boys,” the High Market consistently serves only those with some amount of influence in the town (Thuldrin Kreed and his lackeys, Vamros Harg, and visiting Lumber Consortium bosses and managers). Kreed holds a lottery once per month to allow in nine lucky residents for up to 3 days. All residents who work for the Lumber Consortium (which is nearly everyone, but excludes such notables as Laurel, Namdrin Quinn, and Lady Cirthana) are automatically entered, as the drawing is done by employee number. The winning residents can bring along up to three family members. The High Market sells meats and vegetables without a hint of rot on them; nicely made clothes of materials other than canvas, cotton, and leather; spices (including a popular vendor who sells only salt); and various items that cost more than 10 gold coins. Ferry Dock: A dock large enough to moor the passenger bearing ferries from elsewhere on the river. Jak’a’Napes: This leaning ramshackle inn located next to the town’s stables offers lodgings and food to the many travelers who pass through Falcon’s Hollow. The owner, a rotund red-faced human named Jak Crimmy, with a single wisp of bright red hair on his otherwise bald head, is a retired bard who sports an easy smile. Jak’s cinnamon-crusted flapjacks are legendary in town, as is his skill at juggling frying pans and his astonishing marksmanship with a heavy crossbow (Jak is a man of many talents). Hollow Tribunal: This is where the diminutive halfling Magistrate Vamros Harg dispenses merchant licenses, stamps mining and lumber claims, and passes judgment on criminal and civil cases. Most Falconers enjoy the irony of the Hollow Tribunal’s name, since the justice meted out there is rarely equitable. The fact that Harg is firmly in Gavel Thuldrin’s pocket is well known, but it is rarely uttered in public by those who value their lives. The Sitting Duck: Located a little too close for many folks’ comfort to the town palisade, the Duck is the local hot spot for adventurers, explorers, and other rapscallions looking for excitement. The tavern serves a potent local brew of fermented darkwood leaf that can floor an ogre in a few tankards. Raucous games of “knivesies” and “mig-a-mug-tug” (two dangerous local recreational activities both with a high rate of maiming) often rage late into the night. Many adventurers share tales of Darkmoon Vale, Droskar’s Crag, and other surrounding locations for the price of a mug of ale. Lumber Consortium Headquarters: Once the most impressive building in Falcon’s Hollow, Thuldrin Kreed has allowed the office to fall into disrepair, for the most part, while his own manor house continues to nearl shine in opulence. Kreed only uses this building to host important consortium guests and other official business he wishes to keep out of his private estate. Otherwise, this once-grand and bustling building usually remains empty. Temple of Iomedae : Run by Lady Cirthana. With all the downtrodden to preach to in Falcon’s Hollow, missionaries of Iomedae, Goddess of Valor and Justice, have established a foothold in town. The church has a whitewashed stone front with the sides and rear made of wood. A set of double darkwood doors serve as the front entrance. A pair of small whitestone statues of knights guard the door. Inside the church ceiling opens up to 15ft high with large darkwood logs holding up the second level bell tower. Patchwork white stone accents the wood features. An dais and altar sit on the wall opposite the main doors with 4 rows of pews lining the hall in between. The walls are decorated with crude cloth with the Sword and Sunburst on it. Kreed Manor: Home of the head of the Lumber Consortium, a brutish bully and criminal who enjoys the power he holds over others. Vade’s Tower: Little more than a two-story shack, this is the home of Sharvaros Vade, a sullen hermit and wizard, and his son. Roots and Remedies: Creeping ivy and full window boxes cover the facade of this rugged-looking, two-story shop bearing the faded sign “Roots and Remedies.” Owned by the local herbalist and healer, Laurel, the small, mudtracked shop smells of burnt earth and spicy incense. Bunches of dried herbs hang from the ceiling, along with dangling pots, presses, alchemical apparatuses, and glassware of more arcane purposes. Pouches of rare plants, jars of colored glass, and all manner of dried, preserved, and jellied animal parts fill high shelves and tables doing double duty as displays and workspaces. In the shop’s rear stand a rack of herbs, a table covered in stray powders and measuring equipment, and a pot that loudly bubbles whenever Laurel has the shop open. The Rouge Lady: The silk-veiled parlors in the back of this burlesque and gambling hall doubles as an illegal brothel. Kabran Bloodeye owns this illicit pleasure den, where the unfortunate Ralla peddles her charms to earn enough copper for her and Hollin to survive. Goose’n’Gander: The local general storein Falcon’s Hollow is run by the only gnome resident, Brickasnurd Hildrinsocks, who sells everything from standard amenities such as grain, lamp oil, ink, and mining supplies, to such rare oddities as alchemist’s fire, antitoxin, a petrified pseudodragon, and taxidermy nixies (all the rage this season). Quinn’s Carnival: Half-elf shadowdancer Namdrin Quinn led a band of veteran adventurers who used to venture into the vale with frequency. After a particularly dangerous quest claimed the life of Namdrin’s wife, Tess, the half-elf ended his career and established this carnival of wonders on the edge of town. Quinn and his companions wow crowds with feats of skill and magic by night, but rumor has it that after the tents close Namdrin and his merry band entreat with dark fey, whose anger mounts at the constant lumbering incursions into the vale. Some say the shadowdancer spies for the vengeful fey, who plan retribution and murder. Brookman’s Well: A small spring on the edge of town that supplies most of Falcon’s Hollow’s fresh water. Background for players: Campaign traits:
Darkmoon Vale Campaign Traits Spoiler:
By Mark “arazyr” Becker ; Art by Juan Diego Dianderas WayFinder #2 Campaign traits were originally developed for use with the Adventure Paths, but there is no reason they can’t be used for other sorts of campaigns. If you are creating your own adventures, then you are on your own as far as campaign traits are concerned. If you are using published modules, especially a series of adventures, then having some prewritten campaign traits could be useful. The mini campaign arc formed by the modules, D0: “Hollow’s Last Hope”, D1: “Crown of the Kobold King”, D1.5: “Revenge of the Kobold King” and D4: “Hungry Are The Dead” is a prime candidate for using Campaign Traits. It shares some characteristics with the Paizo Adventure Paths: • They are a series of interconnected adventures. • It has an overarching storyline that drives the events of the modules (even if it barely touched upon in the first adventure –see sidebar for more ideas for connecting it more strongly). • It has a mechanism for bringing the characters together, even if they were previously unfamiliar with each other. • There are a number of plot points that can be used as hooks for the characters, to tie them into the story. All of the following traits revolve around elements that are important to the Falcon’s Hollow mini-campaign. You can look at these traits to get a general, spoiler-free idea about the types of foes and problems your character might face at some point during the campaign—this is by design. Knowing that there are going to be elements such as kobolds, werewolves and ancient dwarven ruins should help you build a character that fits more organically in the campaign you are about to join. The following traits are geared toward your character finding him- or herself in Falcon’s Hollow as a disease outbreak has just begun. Bad Day in Town: You live somewhere in Darkmoon Vale and had to come in to Falcon’s Hollow recently to purchase supplies, sell goods, hire some help, or some other mundane reason. You’d been in town for a couple of days before you heard about the sickness going around, and found yourself beginning to cough. Catching this disease steeled your resolve. You begin play infected with blackscour taint; assume you have only had to make one saving throw so far and failed, thus beginning with 1 point of Constitution damage. You gain a +1 trait bonus to Will saving throws, which increases to +3 as long as you are infected by blackscour taint. Company Lumberjack: You have been logging in the Darkmoon Wood for a few years now, and whether you were born there or not, Falcon’s Hollow has become as close to home as any place you could name. You frequently come into town for supplies, but this time there is something different. The town has never been what you would describe as friendly, but people are even less outgoing than normal. You have heard some rumors about people getting sick lately, but the coughing is more widespread than you would have expected. Your years as a lumberjack may not help with what is going around, but it has given you a great deal of experience with an axe. You deal an extra 1 point of damage when using any sort of axe. Infected Family Member: You have always been very hardy, but one or more members of your family have recently fallen ill. You have seen—and heard—a number of other people around town with similar symptoms – hacking coughs that eventually produce blood if not treated. No real cure has been found, but most of the people in town have been turning to Laurel, proprietor of Roots and Remedies, for poultices and spiced teas they say seem to help. Fortunately, you have always been very healthy; you get a +1 trait bonus to Fortitude saving throws. Family Hero (dwarf only): Your family tells stories of the great dwarven hero, Druingar Glintaxe. He was an ancestor of yours, and you have traced the route of his final quest along a winding path across Avistan to one an ancient dwarven monestary near the Five Kings Mountains, just north of Darkmoon Wood. You arrived in Falcon’s Hollow, the closest settlement to the mountains, just as some sort of outbreak has taken hold. The journey was long, but you used the time to study about the history and current affairs of the region. You get a +1 trait bonus to all Knowledge (history) , Knowledge (local) and Knowledge (religion) checks. Pathfinder Recruit: You were discovered at an early age by an agent of the Pathfinder Society due to your natural talent with a critical adventuring skill. The local Pathfinder Venture Captain sent you to investigate rumors of ancient Azlanti ruins in Darkmoon Wood. Pick one of the following skills: Disable device, Diplomacy, Handle Animal, Heal, Intimidate, Perception, Spellcraft, or Stealth. You gain a +1 trait bonus in that skill, and that skill is always considered a class skill for you. Scion of the Light: Your family can trace its genealogy back to a notable hero of the Shining Crusade. While not all of your ancestors lived up to the progenitor’s legacy, you show great potential. Your patron, a religious figure with ties to the Crusaders of Lastwall, sent you to Darkmoon Vale after receiving visions of a great evil in service to the Whispering Tyrant taking refuge in the area. You are to do whatever you can to ensure its plans are foiled. To this end, you received a special blessing: any time you rest to heal, you recover an additional number of hit points equal to your Constitution bonus. This additional healing is not increased by resting for an entire day, nor with a successful Heal check. Werewolf Hunter: You spent a great deal of your life hunting lycanthropes. You may have lost a loved one to a werewolf attack, or you survived an attack by one yourself, and you have sworn to prevent this from happening to anyone else. To that end, you procured a silvered weapon. You came to Falcon’s Hollow to pick up this weapon from a local smith just as the town seems to be coming down with some sort of plague. Choose one weapon (not a double weapon) with which you are proficient; you start play with an alchemically silvered version of this weapon. Connecting the Modules
fey creature
Spoiler:
A delicate figure rises from the water, her long ears tapering to points above her head, her beauty painful in its perfection. Many have lost their lives in vain search of the beauty of the nymph, and many more to the madness and obsession their grace has upon minds and bodies unprepared for their companionship. Yet the nymph herself is not a cruel creature—a guardian of nature’s purest places and most beautiful realms, she treats those who respect her and her abode with kindness, and may even favor someone who takes her fancy with magical gifts. Yet those who would seek to abuse or harm her or her home quickly find that behind her beauty is a fierce protector more than capable of defending her charge. Traits and Class Features Medium (fey) Senses: low-light vision Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Nymph has proficiency with simple weapons, but not with armor or shields. Speed: 30 ft., swim 20 ft. Languages: Common, Sylvan Spell-Like Abilities: (CL= Racial Level) Skills (6+Int): Acrobatics, Bluff, Climb, Craft, Diplomacy, Disguise, Escape Artist, Fly, Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (local), Knowledge (nature), Perception, Perform, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Swim, Use Magic Device Blinding Beauty (Su): This ability affects all humanoids within 30 feet of a nymph. Those who look directly at a nymph must succeed on a Fortitude save or be blinded permanently. A nymph can suppress or resume this ability as a free action. The save DC is Charisma-based. Inspiration (Su): A nymph can choose an intelligent creature to inspire and serve as a muse by giving that creature some token of her affection (typically a lock of her hair). As long as the nymph retains her favor for this creature and as long as the creature carries the nymph’s token, the creature gains a +4 insight bonus on all Will saving throws, Craft checks, and Perform checks. A bard who has a nymph for a muse in this way can use his bardic performance for an additional number of rounds per day equal to his nymph muse’s Charisma modifier. The nymph retains a link to her token and its carrier as if she had cast a status spell on the carrier. The nymph can end this effect at any time as a free action. A single nymph may only inspire one creature at a time in this manner. Spells: A nymph casts spells as a druid of one level lower than their racial level, but cannot swap out prepared spells to cast summon spells. Stunning Glance (Su): As a standard action, a nymph can stun a creature within 30 feet with a look. The target must succeed on a Fortitude save or be stunned for 2d4 rounds. The save DC is Charismabased. Unearthly Grace (Su): A nymph adds her Charisma modifier as a racial bonus on all her saving throws, and as a deflection bonus to her Armor Class. Wild Empathy (Su): This works like the druid’s wild empathy class feature, except the nymph has a +6 racial bonus on the check. The nymph’s effective druid level is equal to her HD for determining her total modifier to the check. Level Hit Dice Base Attack Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special 1 1d6 +0 +0 +2 +2 Feat, +2 Dex, +2 Con, +4 Cha, Unearthly Grace 2 2d6 +1 +0 +3 +3 +2 Int, +2 Wis, Wild Empathy 3 3d6 +1 +1 +3 +3 Feat, +2 Dex, +2 Con, +2 Cha, Stunning Glance 4 4d6 +2 +1 +4 +4 +2 Int, +2 Wis, Damage Reduction 5/Cold Iron 5 5d6 +2 +1 +4 +4 Feat, +2 Dex, +2 Con 6 6d6 +3 +2 +5 +5 +2 Int, +2 Wis, +4 Cha, Inspiration 7 7d6 +3 +2 +5 +5 Feat, +2 Dex,+2 Con, 1/day—dimension door 8 8d6 +4 +2 +6 +6 +2 Dex, +4 Cha, Aura blinding beauty, Damage Reduction 10/Cold Iron werewolf, natural
Spoiler:
This muscular creature has a man’s body but the snarling head and fur coat of a wolf. In their humanoid form, werewolves look like normal people, though some tend to look a bit feral and have wild hair. Eyebrows that grow together, index fingers longer than the middle fingers, and strange birthmarks on the palm of the hand are all commonly accepted indications that a person is in fact a werewolf. Of course, such telltale signs are not always accurate, for such physical traits exist in normal people as well, but in areas where werewolves are a common problem, the traits can be damning regardless. Of all the various types of lycanthropes, it is the werewolf that is the most widespread and the most feared. Stories of werewolves haunting lonely forest roads, prowling misty moors on the outskirts of rural societies, or dwelling in the shadows of the largest cities are widespread as well. In most societies, werewolves are feared and despised—and with good reason, as the typical werewolf personifies all that is savage and bestial in a lycanthrope. This isn’t to say that good-aligned werewolves are unknown, but they’re certainly a minority among their kind, and most werewolves are evil murderers who delight in the hunt and the succulent taste of raw meat. Just as wolves are pack animals and within the pack is usually a single extended family, with a few “adoptees”—afflicted werewolves who run with the pack. Werewolves are seminomadic by nature, which helps them escape the consequences of their moon-driven rampages. A werewolf pack might be a gypsy caravan, a band of traveling players, or a band of adventurers. The pack stays within the same territory, but moves around within it, and a single pack may claim hundreds of miles as its domain. Wolves are opportunistic killers and scavengers, identifying weak prey and harassing it until it falls. Werewolves share this trait. They do not attack large groups unless threatened, but lone travelers and isolated farmsteads are easy marks. Werewolf packs create afflicted werewolves as a means of recruitment—a trusted friend or relative might be bitten to bring him into the pack, as might a useful ally. Werewolves are not above forced recruitment; if the pack needs a healer, they might abduct a village priest, bite him, and hold him prisoner until the change makes him one of them forever. Traits and Class Features Medium humanoid (human, shapechanger) Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Werewolf has proficiency with its natural weapons, but not with armor or shields Lycanthropic Empathy (wolves and dire wolves: natural lycanthropes can communicate and empathize with animals related to their animal form. They can use Diplomacy to alter such an animal's attitude, and when so doing gain a +4 racial bonus on the check.) Speed: 30 ft. (Human, Hybrid) 50ft. (Animal) Languages: Common Skills (2+Int): Acrobatics, Climb, Perception, Stealth, Swim Change Feature and Shape (Su): Lycanthropes at early levels remain in the form as their base creature, but slowly are able to exhibit animalistic features of their hybrid forms. In the case of the Werewolf, its human form may begin to grow wild feral look about them or enlarged teeth and hairy palms. All lycanthropes have three forms eventually—a humanoid form, an animal form, and a hybrid form. Equipment does not meld with the new form between humanoid and hybrid form, but does between those forms and animal form. A natural lycanthrope can shift to any of its three alternate forms as a moveequivalent action. Trip (Ex): A creature with the trip special attack can attempt to trip its opponent as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity if it hits with the specified attack. If the attempt fails, the creature is not tripped in return. Scent (Ex): This special quality allows a creature to detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell. Creatures with the scent ability can identify familiar odors just as humans do familiar sights. The creature can detect opponents within 30 feet by sense of smell. If the opponent is upwind, the range increases to 60 feet; if downwind, it drops to 15 feet. Strong scents, such as smoke or rotting garbage, can be detected at twice the ranges noted above. Overpowering scents, such as skunk musk or troglodyte stench, can be detected at triple normal range. When a creature detects a scent, the exact location of the source is not revealed—only its presence somewhere within range. The creature can take a move action to note the direction of the scent. When the creature is within 5 feet of the source, it pinpoints the source’s location. A creature with the scent ability can follow tracks by smell, making a Wisdom (or Survival) check to find or follow a track. The typical DC for a fresh trail is 10 (no matter what kind of surface holds the scent). This DC increases or decreases depending on how strong the quarry’s odor is, the number of creatures, and the age of the trail. For each hour that the trail is cold, the DC increases by 2. The ability otherwise follows the rules for the Survival skill. Creatures tracking by scent ignore the effects of surface conditions and poor visibility. Curse of Lycanthropy (Su): A natural lycanthrope’s bite attack in animal or hybrid form infects a humanoid target with lycanthropy (Fortitude DC 15 negates). If the victim’s size is not within one size category of the lycanthrope, this ability has no effect. Lycanthropic Empathy (Ex): In any form, natural lycanthropes can communicate and empathize with animals related to their animal form. They can use Diplomacy to alter such an animal’s attitude, and when so doing gain a +4 racial bonus on the check. Level Hit Dice Base Attack Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special (Apply to only Hybrid and Animal forms unless stated) 1 1d8 +0 +2 +2 +0 Feat, Damage Reduction 5/Silver, (+2 Wis, –2 Cha in all forms), +2 Str, +2 Con, scent, change feature: enlarged canines/bite (1d4) 2 2d8 +1 +3 +3 +0 +2 Dex, change feature: fur/Natural Armor +2 and Wolf-like eyes/low-light vision, 3 3d8 +2 +3 +3 +1 Feat, +2 Con, Natural Armor +2, change feature: hybrid head bite (1d6), scent 4 4d8 +3 +4 +4 +1 +2 Dex, Damage Reduction 10/Silver, change shape (wolf; polymorph), trip Behind the scenes. Story Arc...
Running the modules in this order.
I like the idea of having the civil war, and having a lost battle mean that the war can still be won. I also like the idea of having kingdom building start at that time. I was hoping to but down on NPCs replacing the commander from Tower with the Sheriff from Falcon's Hollow. I do like to cut down unessential NPC's but that means the sheriff becomes a swordlord or something. The sheriff Deldrin Baleson from Falcon Hollow, begins play as the sheriff becomes the mayor for the pallid plague, then a swordlord, gives the PCs a charter to rule... The Civil war....
Maybe of the things listed are suspected and known about the Lumber Consortium, but a final thing comes to light forcing the LC to attempt to gain full control, ie quell a rebellion before it happens. These ideas came from another source on the boards, but maybe something to them..... 1.Having Payday "mysteriously disappear" independent lumberjacks that chop in his forest.
With the final straw being......???? --------------------------------------- Hollow's Last Hope (1st -> 2nd level)
????? (recommend a mini urban homebrew) Revenge of the Kobold King (5th level)
Straight into KingMaker:
Tree View of modules
Kingmaker
Spoiler:
The land rush is on! Sent south by Brevoy, the heroes have the unenviable task of venturing into the infamous Stolen Lands and annexing the territory, facing down monsters, bandits, and worse. It's hard enough to conquer territory—but does a ragtag band of adventures have what it takes to found and defend a burgeoning kingdom from the terrors of the wild? The Kingmaker Adventure Path takes the heroes from encounters with mysterious bandit lords and barbaric raiders through the trials and tribulations of developing and defending their new settlement in the notoriously lawless River Kingdoms. Yet when war comes to the Stolen Lands in earnest, it's up the heroes to take up a mystical blade and stand tall against the horrors of man, beast, and strange creatures more dangerous than either... Pathfinder Adventure Path is the premiere monthly resource for your fantasy roleplaying campaign. Every month, the Pathfinder Adventure Path brings you a new installment of a 6-part series of interconnected quests that together create a fully developed plot of sweeping scale and epic challenges. In each volume of the Pathfinder Adventure Path, you'll meet nuanced characters, visit fantastical locations, face deadly foes, and learn ever more about nefarious plots and an incredible world forged by some of the most popular authors and artists in fantasy gaming. What's more, each Adventure Path also comes complete with new monsters, detailed supplementary chapters on important topics and locations, and fiction in the Pathfinder's Journal—everything you need to make your campaign rich, detailed, and engaging. Stolen Land (1 of 6): Can the heroes explore the lawless wilds of the Stolen Lands and defeat monsters and bandits in order to lay the foundations for a new kingdom? Also includes a gazetteer of the icy frontier kingdom of Brevoy, new rules for wilderness exploration, and the beginning of a misguided new adventure for disgraced noble scion and would-be Pathfinder Ollix Kaddar in the Pathfinder's Journal. Rivers Run Red (2 of 6): As stewards of a fledgling kingdom, the heroes find themselves responsible for guarding their settlers against monstrous threats that resent civilization's latest encroachment. Also includes new rules for running cities and nations; insights into the faith of Erastil, God of the Hunt; and an undercover expedition into a different kind of nunnery in the Pathfinder's Journal. The Varnhold Vanishing (3 of 6): The town of Varnhold has vanished, and only the heroes can unlock the secret of its disappearance before their own settlement suffers the same mysterious calamity. Also includes a gazetteer of the distant fallen empire of Iobaria, six new sites of Stolen Lands adventure by Ed Greenwood, and an illustration of the high price of gallantry in the Pathfinder's Journal. Blood for Blood (4 of 6): An incursion by merciless barbarians sends the heroes searching for a lost blade that may mean the difference between their settlement's survival and its conquest. Also includes information on the frog-men known as boggards and lost relics of the Stolen Lands, plus the perils of gambling with a leucrotta in the Pathfinder's Journal. War of the River Kings (5 of 6): War comes to the Stolen Lands as the PCs, barbarians, bandit kings, and fey monsters all vie for the ultimate prize—total dominion! Also includes details on the bandit town of Pitax and the church of Gorum, God of War, as well as gladiatorial combat in the Pathfinder's Journal. Sound of a Thousand Screams (6 of 6): A deranged fey seeks to claim the Stolen Lands once and for all by melding it with the alien and fantastic realm of the First World! Also includes a gazetteer of the First World, guidelines for expanding your kingdom beyond the scope of the Adventure Path, and a shocking battlefield revelation for Ollix Kaddar in the Pathfinder's Journal
The nymph PC would know Syntira (fair-minded queen)....who I am thinking is the sister Rhoswen (the Fellnight Queen) killed off near the civil war event opening the path for fellnight and the villian of Kingmaker. Her body replaces the dead unicorn in KM. Jhod can be cut leaving Cinthrain at the temple, she is fourth level by the time hungry are the dead rolls around. Still working it all out.... Rivers Run Red Spoiler:
Adventure Background The Stolen Lands are not a stagnant place. Even as the PCs gain their first footholds in the unsettled region known as the Greenbelt, plans beyond their borders and outside their knowledge have already been set into motion. The dangerous mad nymph-queen Nyrissa already considers the Stolen Lands her own, and her response to the sudden invasion of these lands ranges from subtle to blatant. Fortunately for the PCs, her current interests lie closer to home. The aid she grants to the bandit kingdom of Pitax in destroying and subverting the adventurers and colonists Restov sends into the southwest is swift and decisive. Yet she does not ignore the insults that lie to the east, and as the PCs push farther into the Greenbelt and establish a fledgling kingdom of their own, they are destined to clash with two groups sent by the nymph to keep the Greenbelt free from meddling heroes. The first group is a violent band of trolls led by a fearsome troll named Hargulka. Even before Brevoy took an official interest in the lands to the south, lone hunters, trappers, and loggers made their presence felt in the forests of the Stolen Lands. Worse, the land’s indigenous residents, including kobolds, lizardfolk, and a handful of good-aligned (and thus untrustworthy) fey were far too ndependent for Nyrissa’s liking. She visited Hargulka in a dream, planting in his mind ideas of territorial expansion and aggression and tricking him into thinking he wanted to claim more power. Hargulka and his crew have abandoned their original single-cave den and moved into an abandoned dwarven guard post in the southern Stolen Lands, using it as a base to stage raids against the intelligent denizens of the area. As this adventure progresses, Hargulka’s trolls and other denizens of the southern Greenbelt grow increasingly violent, attacking travelers and settlers and terrorizing locals. By manipulating the trolls into destabilizing the region, Nyrissa hopes to make the lands easier to claim when the time comes. Nyrissa’s second group was a large group of bandits who had spent many months in the swamplands of Hooktongue Slough, focusing their mayhem on a group of more civilized bandits (allies of Pitax who rule a fortified domain called Fort Drelev; see Pathfinder Adventure Path volume #34 for details). These bandits, led by a ruthless ranger named Eirikk, made extensive use of trained and not-so-trained (but mostly loyal) wild animals and monsters in their frequent attacks on Fort Drelev’s holdings, a tactic made possible in most part due to a gift Nyrissa gave Eirikk—a ring of bestial friendship made from a lock of her hair (a ring that, unknown to Eirikk, bore an unfortunate curse). Like the Stag Lord before him, Eirikk considered Nyrissa a “secret benefactor” and hoped someday to upgrade her to “secret lover.” When she told him about a particularly violent mated pair of gigantic owlbears dwelling in the southern Narlmarches and about the up-and-coming new nation of merchants to prey on that was expanding quickly in the Greenbelt, Eirikk saw this as an excellent chance to impress the nymph. If he could gain the allegiance of these enormous owlbears and conquer this new kingdom, how could his secret benefactor resist his charms? Certainly, the prospect of switching his predation to a nascent kingdom pleased him, as Fort Drelev’s defenses had grown ever more skilled at repulsing his men and trained beasts. And so Eirikk had a suit of barding made, sized for an enormous owlbear, then led his men west into the Narlmarches. He found the owlbear den with little problem and, using the ring of bestial friendship, managed to calm the beast and outfit it with the barding he’d brought with him. But the ring was cursed—when the owlbear’s mate returned, she sensed the enchantment and flew into a frenzy. Eirikk and his men were forced to kill the owlbear’s mate, which enabled the massive beast to throw off the maddened at the loss of its mate and the wounds it suffered, the enormous owlbear has flown into a rampage, and the PCs’ new kingdom and capital city lie right in its path. If these forces are not dealt with, the rivers of the Stolen Lands will run red with the blood of the latest doomed attempt to civilize them! Adventure Summary The PCs receive a shipment of funds, materials, and colonists from Brevoy and beyond, along with instructions to build a town and attract more pioneers to their nascent country. Having already explored the northern reaches of their new domain, the PCs must now venture into the wilds to bring the rule of law to the south. Wicked fey inhabiting a ruined keep, undead haunting an ancient barrow mound, and others must be defeated to make the region ever more secure. Along the way, the PCs might also have the opportunity to ally themselves with some of the region’s local residents, including the dryad druid Tiressia, her satyr consort Falchos, and a band of gnome explorers called the Narthropple Expedition. In addition, the PCs will be called upon to mediate between two rival factions in the area: a group of independent loggers and the angry fey sorceress who opposes them. As they explore, evidence that a group of trolls is stirring up trouble in the region becomes apparent. Meanwhile, the PCs must deal with events within their burgeoning kingdom—a rabble rouser seeks to oust the PCs from their positions of power, the secretive cult of the hag goddess Gyronna has infiltrated the town, and a werewolf is preying on the townsfolk. All of these events build to the adventure’s twin climaxes: the sudden assault on their capital city by an owlbear of unprecedented size and the expansion of Hargulka’s trolls into the north. Faced with danger on multiple fronts, the PCs must draw upon all of their resources and bravery to become the undisputed rulers of the Greenbelt. The Varnhold Vanishing
Spoiler:
In the age before Earthfall, the fortunes of Golarion were forged by vast empires like Azlant and Thassilon. Yet other empires existed in these ancient times as well—empires ruled not by humans but by creatures of legend. The cyclopes ruled many such empires, notably one in Garund and another in northwestern Casmaron. Yet as with their contemporaries, Earthfall brought an end to their rule. And unlike Azlant or Thassilon, the cyclops empires have been all but forgotten in the Age of Lost Omens. Yet while the cyclopes may have been forgotten, they have not vanished from the face of Golarion altogether. Pockets of their kind exist today, although they possess but a shadow of their former glory. Only in remote locations does evidence of the ancient cyclops empires still exist, protected from the march of time by preservative magic akin to that which protected the mightiest of Thassilon’s monuments, or watched over still by ancient spirits and tenacious undead too stubborn to move on. One such remnant exists deep in the Tors of Levenies in the form of the cyclops lich Vordakai. Although the name has long been lost to history, Vordakai was once a notorious tyrant and necromancer in Casmaron’s ancient cyclops empires. Vordakai himself did not survive the uprising and turmoil that followed Earthfall during the Age of Darkness, yet ironically his name did. The least of his apprentices appropriated Vordakai’s name in the hope of using its power to rebuild an empire; yet in the end, this task would require more than notoriety. This new Vordakai became the last Vordakai when those he was attempting to command rose up against him and, in an ironic turn of events, trapped him in a crypt of his own design, hidden away at the westernmost edge of Casmaron, in a minor mountain range oft overlooked by explorers and colonists. As the ages wore on and Vordakai’s torpor changed into an ageless slumber, his name persisted in the legends of the region’s centaur tribes. Tribal shamans, inspired by visions, often brought the centaurs to a steppeland called the Dunsward in the region near Vordakai’s tomb, where they tasked their tribes with the sacred duty of guardianship over the Valley of the Dead—the legendary entrance to Vordakai’s tomb. These shamans saw that the ancient cyclops tyrant did not rest easy in his grave, and they foresaw a time when his wickedness and the pent-up evil of the extinct cyclops empire might one day be released by the unwary to plague the lands again. Yet more recently, the Nomen Centaurs have faced less exotic enemies and fears—Taldor’s expansion into the Stolen Lands led to much warfare between the Nomen and humanity and helped to maintain the Stolen Lands’ reputation for being inhospitable to civilization. Even as the domain of Rostland was established, Taldan colonists ripped through the centaur war herds to the south, pushing them to the fringes of their former rangelands and farther and farther from their guardianship and traditional homeland. With the back of the centaur resistance broken and driven into the hinterlands of their new colony, the Taldan forces focused their efforts elsewhere and the cairn stood once again unguarded and largely forgotten. So great were the effects of this war that much of the tribe’s lore and identity were lost as well. The original reason for their guardianship was forgotten within a few generations and transformed into a territorial aggression that extended around the eastern fringes of the human lands. When Taldor finally abandoned the Stolen Lands, the Nomen were hesitant to return to the Dunsward out of shame and fear. By the time Choral the Conqueror swept north through what would become the kingdom of Brevoy in 4499 ar, the Nomen centaurs were marginalized and largely forgotten, and the region of the cairn was a remote wilderness area of little to no interest to the new civilization of the area. This status quo has remained over the intervening years—until now, that is. When the swordlords of Restov sent agents south into the Stolen Lands, a new colony— Varnhold—was established at the edge of the old centaur rangelands, and along with these settlers came an ambitious treasure hunter named Willas Gundarson. Using Varnhold as a base of operations and following an ancient map copied from an even more ancient tablet recovered from deep Casmaron, Willas hoped to find a previously undiscovered hoard of ancient treasure. Unfortunately for Willas, he mistranslated the ancient tablet—and what he had assumed was an indication of vast magical wealth was actually a warning of vast magical danger. Armed with his mistranslated lore, Willas ranged far and wide while Varnhold was being established, operating under the guise of scouting to determine the lay of the land and identify any potential threats facing the fledgling colony. It was on one of these journeys that he discovered the site of Vordakai’s Tomb and crossed the deep waters of the Little Sellen on a folding boat. On the island, he located wards designed to prevent intrusion and grasped something of their dire nature. He was about to turn back when he glimpsed a cache of treasure just a short way down the corridor leading into the tomb. Greed forced aside common sense, and he crept inside to investigate—but as he did, he felt the ancient warding alarms go off. Pausing only to snatch a single jade bracelet, he f led the tomb and retreated back across the river. Though all remained quiet as he watched from the far shore, he knew he had triggered the guardian wards and had a bad feeling about what he had done. He hurried back to Varnhold with the bracelet and adjusted his tale to say he had found it on the river bank, hoping to hide his momentary lack of judgment. Unfortunately, Willas’s fears were well founded, for the triggering of the wards awoke Vordakai from his age of slumber. Faced with a new world of wonder, the undead cyclops began to send his minions (loyal cyclopes who had been sealed in his crypt and now serve as undead thralls) out into the world to explore and bring back word of how the world had changed. Vordakai became particularly obsessed with the audacious human who had freed him, and upon noticing the theft of the jade bracelet, set about tracking the thief back to the settlement of Varnhold. Unleashing ancient cyclops magic, Vordakai emptied the settlement of its inhabitants in a single night of horror. Now, Vordakai studies the lore he has learned from Varnhold’s vanishing and draws his plans to establish a new empire. With his kin gone from theregion, the undead cyclops is confident that this time, his will be a lasting rule. Adventure Summary The player characters are contacted by an envoy from Restov and apprised of the loss of contact with the colony of Varnhold. The swordlords request that the PCs look into the situation and salvage the colony if possible, believing political revolutionaries may be involved. Traveling to Varnhold, the PCs find the settlement empty of settlers but eerily intact. Other than a few spriggan squatters and assorted vermin, none of which accounts for the disappearance of the settlement’s population, there are no clues as to the fate of the colonists other than a single word scribbled on a doorjamb—“Nomen.” A bit of research in the village puts the PCs on the trail of the Nomen centaur tribe of the eastern hills, probably believing that the vanishing was the result of a centaur raid prompted by the theft of a piece of centaur jewelry. Traveling into Nomen-claimed lands, the PCs discover many of the fauna—hostile and otherwise—that are native to the area. During this time, they come under magical surveillance by the lich Vordakai. They run afoul of a small centaur war party and are ambushed by a soul eater, a foul outsider summoned by Vordakai to stop them from meddling in his affairs. This development suggests that something other than a centaur raid is behind the Varnhold vanishing. Finally, the PCs make peaceful contact with the Nomen tribe and learn the truth of Varnhold’s fate. Following the directions given by the centaurs, the PCs find Vordakai’s Island and must infiltrate past the ancient wards, traps, and undead guardians in order to rescue the Varnhold survivors from the clutches of the foul lich. |
|
