The Future of Pathfinder Society Organized Play Part XV: Spread the wisdom of Tian Xia within the Inner Sea

Monday, June 27, 2011

While the Pathfinder Society makes its home in the Grand Lodge of Absalom, its membership comes from and travels to all corners of the known world. Outside the Inner Sea region, one of the highest concentrations of Pathfinders is on the continent of Tian Xia, and specifically in the metropolitan city of Goka. Most Tian Pathfinders operate independently of their brethren in Absalom, but occasionally agents cross the Crown of the World, make the treacherous naval voyage south around Casmaron, or simply teleport to travel between the two hubs of activity. The Lantern Lodge represents Tian interests in the Inner Sea region, ensuring that Pathfinder Society agents far to the east of the Decemvirate’s direct view are considered in organization-wide affairs.

When we first announced the forthcoming Jade Regent Adventure Path, one of the first questions to pop up on the Pathfinder Society forums was whether the campaign would be going to this distant land. The answer is undoubtedly yes, my loyal Pathfinders, but we won't be abandoning years of development in the Inner Sea region; the campaign is still going to be based out of Absalom.

But we've got Asian-influenced archetypes in Ultimate Magic and Ultimate Combat, and the new ninja and samurai alternate classes in the latter, so we needed to find a way to justify these characters existing in the Inner Sea region, and explain why we hadn't seen them around before. The simplest solution was to introduce a branch of Pathfinders focused on Tian Xia or from there, who may have just recently set up a presence in Absalom.

Thus, the Lantern Lodge was born. Headed by a Gokan venture-captain named Amara Li, the Lantern Lodge represents Tian interests in the Inner Sea and promotes cooperation between Pathfinders on both sides of the world. Whether the Lantern Lodge provides a home away from home to natives of Goka, Minkai, Nagajor, or the fractured Successor States of Imperial Lung Wa while they venture into Avistan and Garund on their own explorations, or whether it provides resources for Pathfinders from the Inner Sea region who want to experience the wonders of Tian Xia, the Lantern Lodge has an important role to play within the Pathfinder Society as a whole.

At this point, there are no plans to add Tian Xia-based PC races to the campaign, but those who want to play a ninja, samurai, or exiled Tian noble now have a faction whose missions fit their flavor, all within the context of the Pathfinder Society as a whole. Instead of swearing allegiance to a country thousands of miles from their homeland, they can remain loyal to the lands that birthed them on the other side of the Wall of Heaven mountains.

Two new factions down, three to go! Next week, we'll look at the Sczarni, the loosely organized Varisian criminal network, and see how they fit in with the Pathfinder Society. What could these two organizations possibly have to gain from allying with one another? Find out next week—same path-time, same path-channel.

Mark Moreland
Developer