Catastrophe struck the world 10,000 years ago, and mighty Osirion was one of the first great nations to rise from the ashes. For centuries its pharaohs oversaw a golden age of expansion and innovation while crushing rivals such as the Tekritanin League and the golem armies of the Jistka Imperium. Eventually, though, the kingdom began to stagnate, its leaders unable to match the splendid accomplishments of their forebears. Following millennia of decline and foreign occupation, Osirion is once again autonomous and prospers under the Ruby Prince Khemet III.
Hoping to uncover forgotten secrets that his kingdom might employ while encouraging foreign traffic into the increasingly prosperous land, the Ruby Prince opened Osirion to foreign explorers approximately a decade ago. Those hoping to plunder tombs and make their fortune are subject to Osirian customs agents who reclaim the most historically sensitive finds and collect a modest tax on other goods. Yet even this is hardly enough to discourage treasure-hunters—not when one could uncover gold, lost magic, or even a piece of one of the legendary Shory flying cities from a lost age.
Among the region’s most influential archaeological operations is the Pathfinder Society, an international league of explorers and adventurers dedicated to discovering and chronicling the world’s mysteries. You recently completed your training as a Pathfinder agent in Absalom and set out for Osirion, dreaming of the ancient secrets buried beneath the sands and stone. Before you embark overland, though, it’s critical that you meet with Venture-Captain Norden Balentiir, who coordinates Pathfinder activity throughout Osirion and is an invaluable sage of which sites remain unexplored and unspoiled by common looters.
As your ship approaches Sothis, you can take in its beauty firsthand. Smooth-sided structures of tawny stone stand tall and proud, many capped with sparkling domes and adorned with spectacular columns. Famous temples tower over the skyline, including the Necropolis of the Faithful, overseen by Pharasma’s priests. It’s a stark reminder that even though Osirion condones treasure-hunting, the Lady of Graves demands that all respect the dead. Perhaps greatest of all Sothis’s monuments is the Black Dome, a colossal, translucent scarab beetle that stands at the city’s center. History says that this was once Ulunat, a destructive behemoth laid low by the city’s founder and now inhabited by its elite.
There’s little time for sightseeing here, though—once you meet with Norden Balentiir, the archaeological wealth of all Osirion will be yours to explore. What you uncover might not just change your fortunes; it could change the world!
Venture-Captain Norden Balentiir smiles as you take a seat in the gardens of the Sandswept Halls. This is the Pathfinder lodge in Sothis, capital of the desert nation of Osirion. Sycamores and tamarisks provide shade, and a lattice of grapevines and hanging plants grow on surrounding trellises. The venture-captain invited you to take part in a secret mission, and you are aware that the deceptively casual open-air meeting is just one of the skilled alchemist’s precautions against discovery. The Pathfinders are not free of troubles: death cultists successfully assaulted the lodge nearly a decade ago, and rogue Pathfinder agents stole from its vaults the following year. The venturecaptain focuses his cunning mind and engineering expertise on enhancing the lodge’s protections. Back when the Sandswept Halls was a Keleshite prison, the old wards held. They will hold again.
“My friends,” he says, “thank you for joining me today. As you know, Osirion has been granting access to new archaeological sites by auction and lottery; it’s the Ruby Prince’s new plan to stimulate the economy. There’s a ruined city called Shotep-Kara, taken by the Obari Ocean 3,000 years ago. Most people have forgotten that it even existed. Long story short, the Aspis Consortium managed to gain official permission to excavate a small portion of the ruins in the shallows, the section of the city that was once closest to the shore. I have reason to believe that these ruins might hold secrets connected to the elemental planes; in fact, the city once held powerful portals that acted as secret sea lanes for the Four Pharaohs of Ascension. Thus, the ruins might prove useful in our study of our notable recent acquisition: a gem called the Untouchable Opal, and the elemental lord of air trapped within.
“This represents an opportunity we cannot ignore, and I believe you are best equipped to handle it. I ask that you head east to the Burning Cape, locate the Aspis camp, and infiltrate it without being spotted. A rabidly anti-Pathfinder faction within the Aspis Consortium recently collapsed, and we’ve brokered an uneasy peace with the Aspis. They’re nonetheless our main rivals, so don’t take anything for granted. Figure out what the Aspis know so far, and, if possible, explore the Aspis site yourselves in search of useful lore. A word of warning: Don’t stray past the dig site in the shallows marked by the Aspis, as the deeper city could prove too dangerous even for agents of your skills. Return here with whatever information you can gather; if you find any actionable intelligence, I’ll see to it that you’ll have the first crack at using it. Good luck, Pathfinders.”