The Stolen Empire

Game Master Vethcyr

- Swordlord Jamandi, Governor of Restov

- Swordlord Jamandi, Governor of Restov

"You see this, Klinn? She even called us esteemed. Jamandi must really want our help. Read it."

After Klinn finishes reading, she asks, "Well? What's your take on all this?"

You're used to Karina asking for your input in manners like this. She often likes to hear the opinions of others before she reveals her own.

If you're that worried about this being a trap, I could speak on our behalf and you could go out and find some leverage. You know, like Jamandi's family. Or you could work to turn more of the public against Restov. If something happens to me, do your worst." She laughs.

Unless you stop her, Karina will go to the meeting in the next post or two. Up to you if you want to come with her/scheme at your own will.

"And risk losing you again?! No, I'll try to think of something. Anyway, that guard who delivered the invitation could have arrested us, or they could have sent more. You're probably right sis, you usually are."

Arastine is visibly distraught at the revelation that she is a Surtova, and now appears more than slightly miffed at Jamandi.

Also I'm using bluff for this DC, but if you want a sleight of hand instead, let me know

It appears that Karina is doing more than merely dabbing her face, but her lips are mouthing some words.

You have not previously cast Message, so therefore its duration is not active. Further, you lack the ability to covertly cast it, due to its components (Verbal, Somatic, and Focus). As such, using it covertly is impossible for you in this meeting. I am therefore resolving this as a bluff check to pass secret messages.

I agree with your revisions to make this a pass secret message. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

"Under this agreement, the lawful governors of Restov hereby agree to waive all outstanding charges levied against the Sharasik siblings, provided they adhere to the following stipulations:
1) The Sharasik siblings agree to participate in the expedition into the Narlmarches, colloquially know as the "Stolen Lands." While on this expedition, the Sharasik siblings will explore and chart the region outlined in the expedition charter.
2) For the duration of this expedition, the Sharasik siblings may not plan, attempt, or execute any hostile activity against Brevoy or her peoples. Doing so will void this agreement, and all charges held in abeyance will be brought to bear against the two. Hostile activity is defined as any activity contrary to the laws of Brevoy."

"So authorized on this 29th day of Talistril, by Swordlord Jamandi Aldori, Governor of Restov, acting under authority granted by Lord Noleski Surtova, current Regent of the Dragonscale Throne."

There are signature lines below Jamandi's for both Karina and Klinn.

“Guns are commonplace. Early firearms are seen as antiques, and advanced firearms are widespread. Firearms are simple weapons, and early firearms, advanced guns, and their ammunition are bought or crafted for 10% of the base prices given in UC. The gunslinger loses the gunsmith class feature and instead gains the gun training class feature at first level.”

- With this level of firearm development, I think it would be reasonable to make the following change: If a character would gain a firearm at level one due to a class feature, he or she may select a revolver, rifle, or shotgun in addition to the early choices available. This gun is otherwise limited by all characteristics of the gun as described by the class entry.
- Given the high proliferation of firearms, I think it’s fair to offer up Gun Training as a feat in this game. This feat is described below:

Gun Training
Prerequisite: Proficiency with at least one firearm, Base Attack Bonus +5
Effect: Select one specific type of firearm (i.e. rifles, shotguns, pistols, etc.) with which you are proficient. You add your dexterity modifier to damage rolls you make with that type of weapon. In addition, the misfire value of a broken gun of this type increases by 2 rather than by 4.
You may take this feat multiple times, but each time you must apply it to a different firearm with which you are proficient.

- This is an evil campaign. Your characters do not need to have an evil alignment, but good- or neutral-aligned characters may have difficulty working with their fellow party members.
- This game will have a very western feel to it (western as in the genre), and it might behoove you to flavor your character backgrounds and descriptions accordingly.

Bards and Barbarians
- May be Lawful

Monks
- May be of any non-Chaotic alignment
- A monk may, as a swift action, expend one point from his ki pool to negate size modifiers on any combat maneuver checks he makes or are made against him during that turn. The monk gains this ability at level 4.
- At 16th level, a monk may, as a swift action, expend 4 ki points to gain the effects of a freedom of movement spell for a number of rounds equal to his or her wisdom modifier.

2) Alignment
I’m fairly flexible on questions of character alignment, and while I’m tentatively inclined to say “anything goes,” your characters need to be able and willing to work together.

This is especially true for this evil campaign - your characters should be able to find some common ground and reasons to work together.

3) Critical Hits and Fumbles
We will be using Paizo’s Critical hit deck to determine the effects of critical strikes. Every critical hit you lot score will prompt a certain number of cards to be drawn (x2 damage weapons draw one card, x3 draw 2, and x4 draw 3), from which you may choose one effect to apply to your critical strike. If no drawn effect is appropriate, simply apply additional weapon damage as normal. The drawn effects replace the regular critical damage multiplier of your weapon.
Double (or more) crits prompt additional drawn cards, and you may apply multiple effects. Any critical may be doubled, and if a foe scores a multiple crit, that foe will also be entitled to use the deck.
We will be using Paizo’s fumble deck for critical fumbles. If you roll a 1 on an attack roll, and then confirm the miss, you have fumbled! Draw a card! There are no multiple fumbles.

For this play by post game, I will upload an excel file with all the cards indexed on it, such that you can make the appropriate roll. For this, I will need your email address so that I can share it with you as a Google Doc.

4) Massive Damage
A failed saving throw against massive damage prompts a roll of 1d6. A result of 6 corresponds to instant death, as per the standard massive damage rules. A result of 1 means you are in shock: you are dazed for 1d4 rounds. 2 and 3 correspond to loss of left or right legs (respectively), while results of 4 and 5 correspond to loss of left or right arms (respectively).

5) New Feat: Trapfinding
“Trapfinding” is now a feat. It requires 4 ranks in perception as well as any one of the following: 4 ranks in knowledge: engineering, 4 ranks in knowledge: dungeoneering, or 4 ranks in survival. Anyone who meets these prerequisites may select this feat, which functions as the rogue class ability. Rogues still get this ability as a class feature.

6) Unconsciousness and Nonlethal Damage
If an unconscious character suffers nonlethal damage, he or she must roll a fortitude save (DC = 10 + damage dealt). On a failure, half of that damage is instead lethal. Certain abilities, such as a merciful weapon, do not prompt this saving throw when used to inflict nonlethal damage.

7) Triple 20s
If an attack roll is a 20, confirms the critical with a 20, and confirms that critical with a 20, a triple 20 has been scored. I would normally employ the triple 20 insta-kill rule, but in light of my new massive damage rule, I’m going to rule it as follows: Whenever a triple 20 is scored, a massive damage roll is triggered upon the recipient, with a saving throw equal to the last confirmation result. Creatures immune to critical hits are immune to this effect.

8) Misfires with multiple barrels
When a firearm with multiple barrels (like a pepperbox or double pistol) misfires, only the barrel that misfired gains the broken condition. The remaining barrels function as normal. If a barrel with the broken condition misfires once more, the gun is destroyed as normal as described under the misfire rules in Ultimate Combat. Note that revolvers have multiple chambers, not multiple barrels.

Mechanical ideas:
We both need to take the teamwork feat in Ultimate Combat, Team Pickpocketing:

Requirements: Bluff 1 rank, Sleight of Hand 1 rank
Benefit: Whenever an ally with this feat succeeds a Bluff check to feint an opponent, if you are adjacent to that creature, you can spend an immediate action to make a Sleight of Hand check to pickpocket that opponent and gain a +4 bonus on that attempt.

Obviously, we'd move on beyond the simple arts of pickpocketing and the sort, but this would be a starting point for our characters.

One of us would be very skilled at dealing with people, maybe a kind of bard, maybe some kind of rogue, or whatever, but high charisma. This person would be a smooth talker/deals with putting the marks at ease.

The other would probably be a kind of rogue/sneaky/assassin/high dex character. They would be the ones taking out the mark or stealing from the mark.

I have no preference to which of these two I'd like to play.

I'm sure we'd end up bickering heavily between ourselves, but we can figure out the specifics of our interactions on our own.

Feel free to offer suggestions as you see fit, or be like "Nah Mang, your idea sucks."

The general character idea I had so far was to play your sister, and attractive and charming lady who is incredibly good at deception. At first glance, I put up a facade with being very bubbly, easygoing, and fun, but really I am greedy, cold hearted, and emotionless. Skills I'd focus on would include mostly Intimidate, Bluff, Diplomacy, Sense Motive, Perform, and UMD, along with a smattering of others to a lesser extent. We could certainly have overlap with skills, and should. Between the two of us we'll have a ton of skill points to handle. Offensively, I was thinking about using a whip or a dagger whip, which you can do fun things with like tripping at 15 ft range, or use the feat dazzling display to get a free intimidate check (something I'll be good at) everyone in 30 ft range. I may consider multiclassing to arcane trickster or master spy later, but I'm not 100% sure because I'm really feat starved and sandman gets some cool things in later levels.

I was thinking NE for alignment. The reason is because I'm not just out to kill everyone for the sake of killing, but I'm out to better ourselves. So ideally we will steal from, cheat, lie, manipulate, kill, ruin, and do whatever we want to better ourselves. Normally, NE characters are okay with turning on any of their allies to better themselves, but the two of us have made a pact that no matter what happens, we will look out for each other. Whether we both choose to honor that pact, we'll see, but I suspect if I turn on any party member, it won't be you. In your case, you can choose your alignment as you see fit - you can be vastly different from me if you'd like.

When you get a chance (if you haven't already) grab a copy of the player's guide for Kingmaker. I was thinking about us grabbing the Brigand campaign trait, but if you have any other ideas, let me know. We can definitely switch things up as needed. I'll let you develop your character more before we start working on direct backstories and linking them together.

Extremely fashionable can be found here, but I missed the part about the other trait needing to be a campaign trait. I'll look through those and grab one, and then probably redo my equipment to liberate at least 150gp worth of gear.

Child of the Temple
Killer
Focused Mind
Suspicious
Aspiring Hellnight

Would any of those be all right? I'd also be willing to homebrew something more focused to my involvement with this particular adventure if you'd prefer.

In the far northeastern reaches of Avistan, the land and its people become harsh and unforgiving. Winters are long and deadly here, forcing common folk to scratch out a meager existence farming the near- frozen soil and fishing its rivers and lakes during an all- too-short spring and summer. All the while, the lords of the land plot in their keeps and strongholds, jealously eyeing their neighbors’ domains. This is the nation of Brevoy.

The northern half of Brevoy consists of the once-independent nation of Issia. A stark landscape of sparsely vegetated, rugged hills, the region exhibits a uniformly poor quality of the soil that makes it nearly impossible to grow anything here. The people live primarily on fish from the Lake of Mists and Veils, a diet supplemented by food shipped up from Rostland or areas farther south. In centuries past, the people of Issia were infamous raiders, and their river-raiding craft were feared along the length of the Sellen. South of the Gronzi Forest lies Rostland, a vast rolling plain of fertile grasslands, dotted with farms and small villages, and serving as breadbasket of the north and homeland of the Aldori swordpact.

On the whole, Issians are a reclusive and enigmatic bunch. Each village has its own traditions dating back hundreds of years. Outsiders find themselves distrusted and shunned. Rumors of bloody rituals and human sacrifice remain unsubstantiated, but in the faraway cities of Restov and New Stetven, people whisper that the true masters of Issia remain hidden beneath the waters of the Lake of Mists and Veils, emerging in the dead of night to strike terrible bargains with the villagers.

The people of Rostland are mainly farmers, craftsmen, and tradesmen. Most are outgoing, happy, and welcoming of strangers—as long as the strangers are willing to conform to the local customs, of which there are many. This apparent welcome is somewhat misleading, however, as the people of Rostland are obsessed with honor and personal standing, and take offense at the slightest provocation. One wrong word is likely to find the offender in front of the local magistrate or facing a prospective duel. But if outsiders take the trouble to learn their customs, Rostlanders prove to be fast friends and staunch allies.

History

For more than a thousand years, the Surtovas ruled the lands of Issia along the central southern banks of the Lake of Mists and Veils. This long-lived family of pirates and scoundrels is known to be made up of crafty schemers. Lacking both natural resources and a large population, Issia has never possessed anything like a mighty military force, and has traditionally survived by outsmarting its enemies.

While the Issians toiled in the northern reaches of this harsh landscape, the much more forgiving southern plains were colonized by Taldan explorers, arriving under the leadership of Baron Sirian First, a fiery, impulsive noble forced to emigrate from Taldor after losing one too many duels. They named this realm Rostland. In the early days of the colony, bandits struck from hidden camps in the River Kingdoms, nearly destroying the budding colony before it had a chance to get started. The bandit leader was himself a master swordsman and challenged the baron to a wager: half the baron’s fortune against the bandit’s head. Unable to pass up the challenge, Baron First took the wager and was broadly humiliated by an ignoble defeat. After he paid the bandit, he disappeared for several years. Most assumed he had fled to another land, too ashamed to show his face after such a defeat.

The people were surprised when the baron returned several years later a changed man, a swordsman the likes of whom the world had never before seen. Calling himself Sirian Aldori, he promptly challenged the bandit lord to a rematch, whereupon he disarmed and defeated the bandit in seconds. Reestablishing his rule, Baron Aldori issued an open challenge of 100,000 gp to anyone who could beat him in a duel of swords. Thousands answered the challenge from across the world. Some were earnest and honorable duelists, while others tried to cheat with magic or other tricks. It didn’t matter. Sirian defeated them all, forever cementing his reputation as the greatest swordsman in the world. At first, Sirian refused to teach his techniques, but eventually he selected a small group to train. He made them change their names to Aldori and to swear an oath not to reveal anything they learned to someone not of the swordpact. Through the generations that followed, Sirian’s pupils became known as the Aldori swordlords, a force feared throughout the continent.

Then, in 4499 AR, the delicate balance of power between Issia and Rostland fractured as a mysterious Iobarian warlord named Choral the Conqueror stormed into the region at the head of an army and with the allegiance of several red dragons. Choral confronted the Surtovas on the shores of the Lake of Mists and Veils, and they surrendered immediately to the powerful warlord and were therefore spared the retribution that nearly destroyed their southern neighbors in Rostland. For most of the following 2 centuries, the descendants of Choral the Conqueror, powerful House Rogarvia, led the people of two formally separate (and vastly different) nations, gradually welding them together to forge the nation of Brevoy. During that time, the Surtovas worked, slowly and carefully, to advance their position in the royal hierarchy of Brevoy—and their diligence paid off when the Rogarvias mysteriously disappeared nearly a decade ago.

Government

In the middle of winter in early 4699 AR, every member of House Rogarvia vanished without a trace. Rumors flew of palace coups and sinister plots, but it quickly became clear that what had occurred was something altogether stranger than a mere rebellion. There was no evidence of foul play or struggle within the royal palace, or in any of the noble villas owned by the Rogarvias throughout the land—the nobles were simply gone, leaving empty manors scattered across Brevoy. A brief period of chaos and panic followed, but by the end of the year, the Surtovas had made their move. Citing their age-old ties with the Conqueror’s line, they were quick to seize power in New Stetven and extend their reach across Brevoy. With all of Issia seemingly backing the move, Rostland (whose standing army and defenses had increasingly been shifted north during Rogarvian rule) had little choice but to bend its knee again. Today, King Noleski Surtova holds the Ruby Fortress and the Dragonscale Throne, yet it remains to be seen how long he can maintain his rule over a kingdom growing increasingly fractious.

Today, seven great noble houses dominate Brevoy’s political landscape. Most of these date back to before the arrival of the Conqueror, when they existed as powerful tribes of raiders and barbarians. Choral apportioned lands and titles to those lords willing to pledge fealty to him, reordering the houses into their modern forms. The current houses of Brevoy are listed below, along with a short description of each.

House Garess: Based in the eastern foothills of the Golushkin Mountains, House Garess has many strong ties to regional dwarven clans.
House Lebeda: This house controls much of the plains southwest of Lake Reykal, as well as much of the shipping interests on the lake itself.
House Lodovka: Located on Acuben Isle and the central northern coast, House Lodovka has the strongest presence on the Lake of Mists and Veils, having never abandoned their traditional waterborne ways.
House Medvyed: The easternmost house, Medvyed claims much of the Gronzi Forest. They are a hardy folk who remain associated with the “Old Ways” of worshiping nature.
House Orlovsky: Northeastern Brevoy is controlled by House Orlovsky, a family that traditionally seeks to remain above petty politics.
House Rogarvia: Until recently, House Rogarvia ruled Brevoy. Their recent disappearance has thrown the nation into chaos.
House Surtova: The most influential Brevic house, Surtova is also its oldest. They control Port Ice and much of northwestern Brevoy.

Gazetteer

Gronzi Forest: The dark expanse of the Gronzi Forest is simply “the Forest” to the people of Brevoy. It extends from the highlands of the Icerime Peaks to the shores of Lake Reykal, forming part of the old border between Issia and Rostland. Although technically the forest belongs to the Brevic crown, hunting and even woodcutting is largely unregulated around its outskirts, particularly in the western reaches. The stretch of forest nearest New Stetven was largely cleared generations ago to obtain wood needed to rebuild and maintain the city, and Brevic woodcutters must delve deeper each year to meet their needs.

Icerime Peaks: The Icerime Peaks wall off most of Brevoy from the former lands of Iobaria to the east. Their heights are perpetually covered in ice, even in the summer months, when cold rivers tumble and cascade down their sides, forming towering waterfalls and clear mountain lakes. The late spring thaws open what passes there are through the mountains, although few make use of them. Skywatch is by no means the only ancient site in the Icerime Peaks. Tales tell of half-buried entrances to mountain dungeons, some of them outposts of old Iobaria, others even older. Some of the ruins are said to be haunted by the chill shades of soldiers or miners who perished there, still guarding whatever treasures they found in life.

New Stetven: Choral’s rough-and-tumble capital at New Stetven is a bustling trade city despite the recent collapse of its aristocracy. Grain, fish, timber, and ore flow from Brevoy through New Stetven and out to the rest of the north. The food from Brevoy sustains much of the River Kingdoms, Numeria, and Mendev, where constant bandit raids and invading demonic armies make farming difficult, and most of that food passes through New Stetven. In return, exotic goods from all corners of Avistan (and beyond) flow back up the Sellen River to New Stetven. Although bandits and robbers in the River Kingdoms are still a serious obstacle to trade, the market nevertheless offers a wide variety of goods, from Numerian skymetal to Osirian relics.

Port Ice: House Surtova’s ancestral lands extend south and east from Port Ice. Although connected to the lakeshore villages by a reasonably well- maintained road, Port Ice is locked behind its walls for much of the cold winter months, mainly accessible by sled and visited only by the occasional foolhardy traveler. The rest of the year, the city’s residents stockpile all the supplies needed for the next season. The White Manor is the Surtova ancestral seat, currently in the care of King Noleski’s uncle, Domani Surtova.

Restov: Nowhere is the Rostlandic spirit more alive than in the Free City of Restov. The city owes its allegiance to the Brevic crown, and Lord Mayor Ioseph Sellemius must bend his knee before the Dragonscale Throne like any lord, but otherwise Restov belongs to no house, making it a haven for the lost glories of the Aldori swordlords and those who look back to the old days before the coming of the Conqueror. Restov is a city of both refinement and rough-and-tumble manners, as only a colony can be in fondly recalling and imitating its motherland. The gentry of Restov consider themselves sophisticates, although a Taldan visitor would think their ways quaint and touched with no small amount of northern barbarism. Restov’s relative wealth supports no small number of idle and titled lordlings and merchants’ sons. They frequent the various Aldori and Taldan dueling schools, as well as the alehouses, and fight each other in street corner challenges at dawn and dusk. The schools, salons, and taprooms of Restov are also hotbeds of rebellious talk against the reign of King Noleski Surtova, with young firebrands in search of a leader to rally them to the cause.

Skywatch: High in the mountains along the eastern border of Brevoy is the city of Skywatch. This city is built around a massive observatory that predates any known settlement in the region. Despite its age, the observatory is perfectly preserved and maintained by powerful magic. Exactly who built the observatory and why are unknown, although the building is clearly meant to accommodate beings much larger than humans. In the early days of Issia, the Surtovas established a small outpost adjacent to the observatory to study it. The Aldori captured and fortified this outpost during one of the long wars between Issia and Rostland. After Choral conquered the rest of Rostland, Skywatch remained the seat of independent Aldori power for a few years, before the conqueror and his dragons burned the fortress to the ground. After razing the fortress, Choral took a great deal of interest in the observatory and began a massive project to unearth and restore it. House Rogarvia continued his work, and the current city of Skywatch was built to serve this project. Despite the scale of the project, its exact goals and much of the work remain shrouded in secrecy. On the day the Rogarvias disappeared, Skywatch sealed itself off completely from the outside world, refusing to allow anyone—even supply caravans— into or out of the settlement. So far, no message sent to Skywatch has received a reply, and divination magic cannot penetrate its walls.

Valley of Fire: In the southern Icerime Peaks lies the mountain valley where Aldori rebels fought their last battle against the forces of Choral the Conqueror. They were lured into the valley with the hope of cornering Choral, but instead found themselves in a trap when the Conqueror’s red dragon allies bathed the valley in fire, wiping out the men of Rostland. To this day, the Valley of Fire is an infamous place where life refuses to return to the blackened and melted earth; and here the tortured shades of dead soldiers are rumored to linger, seen in the night as fiery shadows seething with a burning hatred for the living.

Map of Brevoy

The massive Sellen River basin drains all the eastern lands, carrying waters from the Lake of Mists and Veils north of Brevoy, the massive Lake Encarthan, and lakes and rivers all over Galt, Numeria, and Ustalav down to the Inner Sea. As the tributaries pass through the hundred marshes and forests of the River Kingdoms, they seem to carry an especially heavy freight of sin, treachery, and thievery, for the River Kingdoms are where desperate men go to escape their pasts and carve out new lives.

History

A true history of the River Kingdoms could fill a number of tomes, for the kingdoms that currently thrive or struggle here are but the most recent. Dozens, if not hundreds, of kingdoms have risen and fallen in this region over the past several thousand years—some, like Razmiran, have managed to stabilize and become their own nations, while others have faded forever into obscurity. Yet regardless of each specific kingdom’s creed or goal, they all share one rough code of justice called the Six River Freedoms. Not all honor the code, but enough do that it serves as a sort of shorthand for the independence that all people of the River Kingdoms hold dear, the closest thing this region has to a common ground and shared legacy. The six freedoms are summarized below.

Say What You Will, I Live Free: Talk is cheap, and everyone is entitled to speak their own words.
Oathbreakers Die: Those who swear oaths—particularly those of fealty to a River King—and break them can expect any number of painful and lethal fates.
Walk Any Road, Float Any River: Freedom to travel is fundamental. No River Kingdom is allowed to bar traffic on a river or a road, save in times of active warfare.
Courts Are for Kings: The law is always malleable. Who you know and who you can count as friends are more important than what the law says, and a lord can change laws in his territory at will.
Slavery is an Abomination: Slavers may visit the River Kingdoms, but taking or holding slaves there upsets the many people who were once slaves themselves.
You Have What You Hold: Property laws are weak in the River Kingdoms. Taking something openly by force is different from stealing, and those who can’t protect their property don’t deserve to keep it.

Government

Each of the tiny River Kingdoms follows its own ruler or council, and each possesses its own idiosyncrasies. Most are city-states of a few thousand souls at most. The River Kingdoms are bound together by the River Freedoms and by the Outlaw Council, a group that gathers each year in Daggermark, a town known for its effective assassins’ and poisoners’ guilds (and thus rarely a target of conquest). At the Outlaw Council, rulers of the region’s various holdings gather to argue, fight, and plan how to keep their freedom for another year against the larger forces arrayed against them. The Riverfolk would be offended at the very idea that their lands have a prime city or ruling principality, although if pressed they might confess that Daggermark comes closest. Others might argue that Gralton is the most central city, or Sevenarches the oldest, but Daggermark is the largest and has long served as the seat of the Outlaw Council.

Gazetteer

Daggermark: With almost 30,000 inhabitants and the deadly guilds that keep bandits and troublemakers at arm’s length, Daggermark is large enough to have a substantial amount of crops and livestock, forges turning out arms and armor, and even its own coinage. The city proper has both an inner and outer wall; the inner section is called the Dagger Keep, and is home to the wealthiest and most powerful of the city’s captains. The ruler is Martro Livondar, although the dwarven Lord Captain Jallor Clovesh commands half the army, and no one dares ignore the sister guilds of assassins and poisoners. Daggermark fields by far the largest army of the kingdoms, with more than 1,500 veteran foot and cavalry.

Most of all, though, Daggermark attracts applicants to its schools for poisoners and assassins. Those who learn these trades in Daggermark are feared throughout Golarion. The current head of the assassins’ guild is Lady Smilos, whose assassinations included the use of magical poisons, curses, and fatal misadventure through monstrous encounters.
Her equal partner in the poisoners’ guild is the elven druid and herbalist Tragshi, a golden-skinned maiden from the east with a lilting voice and strange notions of what constitutes the worship of nature. She is always accompanied by a dozen venomous snakes, which slither beneath her robes disconcertingly.

Gralton: The poor inhabitants of Gralton consist mostly of the old aristocracy of Galt, all exiled or fled from that land’s Red Revolution. Many of these ruined nobles cannot accept their exile, and scheme and plot to regain their lands and wealth from the ruins of Galt. Every so often, a powerful noble gathers an expedition or finds the funds to pay adventurers to conduct a rescue or recovery mission. The nobles grow increasingly desperate, which brings both swindlers and false prophets calling, peddling hope or quick fixes. Many of the citizens in town behave quite strangely—some believe that a spirit of vengeance or an avatar of Calistria controls them. Certainly, the priests of Calistria are always present, preaching revenge, even on the steps of the temple of Cayden Cailean.

Lambreth: In the River Kingdoms, some realms are held together by magic or threats. Lambreth is held together by the sheer physical power of Lord Arnefax, an Andoren knight banished for his excesses and crimes against nature. Leading a company of 50 heavy cavalry (unusual in the River Kingdoms, where bandits rarely use heavy armor or heavy horse), he rules from Maashinelle’s small citadel and makes frequent nocturnal visits to his borders riding a powerful nightmare. His people are terrified of both his night riders and their shadowy dogs, and perversely proud that Arnefax is powerful enough to keep their lands free and unmolested by raids. The few occasions when Lambreth has lost livestock, the ensuing retaliation usually involved the death of two people for every cow or sheep stolen—often by lynching and burning. Few dare challenge the Andoren’s ruthless rule.

Mivon: Mivon began as a refuge for Aldori swordlords fleeing Rostland during the era of Choral the Conqueror. Today, Mivon is home to a thriving industry in eels and fish harvested from the marshy ponds all around the city. It is said that the eels of Mivon often feed on the flesh of men. Certainly, the swordlord Raston Selline, who rules the city under a guise of gentility but with a network of informers second to none, is sometimes seen walking out into the marshes with some petty miscreant or annoying adventurer and returning accompanied only by his faithful guards. “A walk to the fishponds” has a very particular meaning in Mivon.

Pitax: Ruled by the megalomaniacal King Irovetti, Pitax is a place of garish, trashy art created by sculptors and poets tightly controlled by the city’s despot. As long as Irovetti’s massively bloated ego remains fed, all is well, but those who oppose him in the most trivial details soon learn that he sees himself as an all-conquering god. Underneath his mania, the small town struggles to survive in the face of hostility from Brevoy and borderland barbarian tribes of Numeria. Stories claim that Irovetti is himself little more than a bastard son of a minor Numerian lord, hounded from the kingdom by ancestral enemies. He leaves the hard fighting to others, and prefers to use bards and insults to tear down his enemies.

Sevenarches: This ancient elven settlement is named for the elegant stone gateways scattered in and around the forest town. Sevenarches is now a human habitation, and has been for thousands of years, since the sect of Oakstewards claimed the land from the elves who failed it. Indeed, the Oakstewards especially forbid elves and other outsiders from visiting, and are quite strict in who and what they allow to approach Sevenarches. Stories claim that the arches each once led to another world, and the elven council of Kyonin hopes to reclaim them and complete or restore the work begun on them long ago. So far, the elves remain unwilling to use force to oust the human presence there, but at some point the idea of war might carry the day, especially as the Oakstewards grow increasingly rigid and intolerant with each passing century.

Tymon: The half-orc champion Ullorth Ungin, one of the most influential members of the Outlaw Council, controls the timeworn city-state of Tymon. Founded by a Taldan gladiator and hero of the Fifth Army of Exploration who mapped the riverways of the unsettled territory centuries ago, Tymon’s gladiatorial college and fabled arena enjoy a reputation that stretches into all lands that thrill to the dance of bloodsport. The insane “living god” Razmir hatches plots against Tymon from his expanding homeland to the southwest, increasingly forcing Ullorth Ungin to turn his trained warriors loose not on the arena floor, but upon the field of battle. Fortunately, a large cadre of priests of Gorum assists him in this endeavor. Each year, Ullorth Ungin pleads for “true champions of the Riverfolk” to step forward at the Outlaw Council to help him as well, and so far each year, various lordlings have pledged their support against Razmir, and the independence of the kingdoms has been preserved.

Uringen: Standing near the Embeth Forest, this strange settlement appears and disappears with the mists. Its travelers are distinctive, with black-and-white garments and unsmiling faces, and the alchemical goods sold are always welcome for their healing and strengthening properties. The people speak a dialect of Skald, and the city itself seems somehow suspended half in and half out of time, perhaps entangled in fey magic or trapped by horological magic.

Other River Kingdoms

Numerous other River Kingdoms exist in this region—brief descriptions of these other kingdoms are listed below.

Artume: Plagued by assassinations and treachery, Artume is a kingdom without a king. Only unexpected luck or the aid of a powerful new patron can save this realm from becoming the River Kingdoms’ most recent failure.

Cordelon: Once used by the elves as a staging ground for their return to Golarion after their self-imposed exile preceding Earthfall, this small kingdom has been claimed by a loose-knit tribe of humans.

Heibarr: Disputes over taxation and the destructive influence of the cult of Gyronna reduced Heibarr to its current status—a ruin haunted at night by ghosts.

Hymbria: This woodland kingdom was established by Kyonin as a base of operations for elven interests in the River Kingdoms.

Liberthane: A glimmer of hope and idealism in the cutthroat milieu of the River Kingdoms, Liberthane is ruled by an old revolutionary who hopes, one day, to save his homeland of Galt.

Loric Fells: Currently unsettled, the wildlands of Loric Fells are a gloomy, troll-haunted wilderness of dense forests and rocky canyons.

Mosswater: Established by an exiled merchant from Ustalav and decorated with strange luminescent paints and dyes, Mosswater now lies abandoned thanks to the rampaging of a family of merrows (aquatic ogres).

Nystra: Once a well-established producer of silk from rare silkworms, the kingdom of Nystra now stands eerily empty after a mysterious night of savage ruin brought down by some unknown, shadowy force.

Outsea: Perhaps the most unusual kingdom in the region, Outsea is as large below the waterline as it is above, and is populated by humans above and merfolk and sahuagin below in the briny waters magically transported here from the sea.

Protectorate of the Black Marquis: This realm is ruled by a single despot guided by the principle of “shared” wealth—shared in that any who wish to do business here must share their wealth with the Black Marquis, paying protection money for the privilege.

Riverton: The people of Riverton follow the teachings of Hanspur the Water Rat with a ferocious tenacity.

Scrawny Crossing: All that remains of this realm is an abandoned ferry landing known as Scrawny Crossing—the site is now the lair of an unseen but sinister force.

The Stolen Lands: This large swath of land along the northeastern border serves as a buffer between Brevoy and the River Kingdoms—traditionally the haunt of bandits and monstrous humanoids, the Stolen Lands are regarded as “stolen” by all nations along its border, even though none have ever been able to keep these realms under their control for long.

Touvette: Touvette’s current ruler served the previous king as general. Today, Touvette is a realm where religions are not tolerated and all young men of age are required to serve in the kingdom’s growing army.

Map of the River Kingdoms