Forge a path into a limitless fantasy adventure with this epic collection of Pathfinder Second Edition products themed around the Mwangi Expanse meta-region of the Lost Omens setting, the Magaambya magic school, and the hit Strength of Thousands Adventure Path! Additionally, this bundle is filled with the books new players need to create heroes and set out on their journey in the legendary Pathfinder tabletop RPG universe, including the Core Rulebook, monster-filled Bestiary, maps, accessories, and ready-to-play adventures. Plus, you choose how much of your purchase supports ComicBooks For Kids! and ComicBooks For Troops!

A magic school like no other! The oldest and most prestigious magic academy in the world is the Magaambya, an ancient institution founded by the greatest wizard the world has ever known. This wizard vanished long ago, but sinister enemies plot against his school and those who attend it. Over their long academic career, the heroes rise from humble students to become teachers, ultimately holding the fate of the Magaambya magic academy in their hands. Graduates of the Magaambya are among the greatest wardens of the world, but if the heroes can’t marshal the strength of thousands who have come before them, the venerable Magaambya might fall!

The $5 tier includes PDFs of Pathfinder Adventure Path #169: Kindled Magic (Strength of Thousands 1 of 6), Pathfinder Adventure Path #170: Spoken on the Song Wind (Strength of Thousands 2 of 6), Pathfinder Bounty #9: Fishing in Anthusis, Pathfinder Bounty #17: Sodden Stories, Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Docks, Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Jungle Multi-Pack, Pathfinder Second Edition GM Screen, and Pathfinder Character Sheet Pack.

For $15, you’ll also get PDFs of Pathfinder Lost Omens The Mwangi Expanse, Pathfinder Adventure Path #171: Hurricane’s Howl (Strength of Thousands 3 of 6), Pathfinder Adventure Path #172: Secrets of the Temple-City (Strength of Thousands 4 of 6), Pathfinder Adventure Path #173: Doorway to the Red Star (Strength of Thousands 5 of 6), Pathfinder Adventure: The Slithering, Pathfinder Flip-Mat: The Slithering, Pathfinder Society Scenario #1-09: Star-Crossed Voyages, Pathfinder Society Scenario #1-20: The Lost Legend, Pathfinder Society Scenario #1-23: The Star-Crossed Court, Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Forest Multi-Pack, and the Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Ambush Sites Multi-Pack.

For only $25 you’ll get all of the above, plus PDFs of the Pathfinder Advanced Player’s Guide, Pathfinder Second Edition Core Rulebook, Pathfinder Second Edition Bestiary, Pathfinder Lost Omens World Guide, Pathfinder Lost Omens Character Guide, Pathfinder Adventure Path #174: Shadows of the Ancients (Strength of Thousands 6 of 6), Pathfinder Adventure: Threshold of Knowledge, Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-03: Echoes of Desperation, and Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Shipwrecks.

That’s a $400 value! Humble Bundles offer great deals and support great causes. Purchasers can decide how much of their donation goes to each participant at checkout. This Humble Bundle, unlike some of our past bundles, does not have a physical reward tier.

—The Paizo Team

About ComicBooks For Kids!
Our mission is to provide child friendly comic books to children in hospitals and cancer centers across the U.S. Where we can also help in Canada, we will as well. In almost every case, these will come as new comics from the many publishers who support us. On occasion, we will also provide unread, warehouse overstock. In all cases, we work within the medical facility's infectious disease policies.

About ComicBooks For Troops!
Our mission is to provide comic books through our partner organizations to the real heroes—the men and women who serve our country proudly in all branches of the U.S. military!

Support the Pathfinder Second Edition Strength of Thousands Bundle!

Since the launch of Pathfinder Second Edition, we’ve released a number of adventures set in the Mwangi Expanse. The upcoming Strength of Thousands Adventure Path might be one of the most anticipated, but we've also explored the Expanse in Age of Ashes, the standalone adventure The Slithering, and multiple Pathfinder Society scenarios. Such a vast and beautiful locale invariably invites exploration beyond what has already been presented, however, and there's no better resource for that than Pathfinder Lost Omens The Mwangi Expanse!

Art by Alexander Nanitchkov

Spidery Friends

Ever since the anadi shyly tiptoed their way into Pathfinder near the end of First Edition, our fans have been split between those who love anadis and arachnophobes (sorry about that). An anadi named Renali showed up in the first book of the Age of Ashes Adventure Path, and she could even accompany the heroes of that adventure as they fought off a group of hostile invaders in the town of Breachill and beyond. With the release of The Mwangi Expanse, anadis are now a playable ancestry—GMs can take cues from these rules to give Renali new abilities to help the PCs overcome their challenges, or even allow a player to use Renali as a PC!

Slithering Spoilers Ahead!

If you're still waiting to experience the events of The Slithering unspoiled, then shoo! Get out of here! But if you're a GM seeking to build on the framework the adventure provides you, consider checking out The Mwangi Expanse as you begin your preparations. Not only does the book contain more information on Kibwe, where the events of The Slithering take place, it also provides information on the surrounding area, the people who live in the city, and recent events that the locals might still be talking about—aside from the terrible ooze curse, of course! Would the sudden influx of charau-ka refugees from Usaro cause your PCs to raise an eyebrow? Could a visiting Alijae elf from the White City of Nagisa have some helpful information to offer? Has a relative or friend had a narrow escape from someone looking to cash in on the rumored Aspis bounties for kobolds?

The Slithering sees PCs venture into the city of Holy Xatramba to face down a group of demonic cultists. But The Mwangi Expanse unveils another resident of that city—the green dragon Olohimba, who considers the ruins her domain. Though thoroughly evil and happy to dine on any intruders to her realm, she considers herself an orthodox follower of Pharasma (and since she isn't a cleric, Pharasma's ban on neutral evil clerics and champions can't convince her otherwise!) Olohimba considers it her duty to the Lady of Graves to cleanse Holy Xatramba of demons, and she could be swayed to help the PCs in their predicament. Is negotiating with a dangerous and powerful draconic patron worth the risks? Or would the PCs prefer to take their chances with the demons?

Art by Gunship Revolution

College Prep

If you and your group are planning to play in the upcoming Strength of Thousands adventure path, be sure to pack The Mwangi Expanse in with your textbooks! Beyond offering a basic history of Old-Mage Jatembe, his Ten Magic Warriors, and the founding of the Magaambya, the book also takes a close look at the city of Nantambu, where the Adventure Path is set. The book outlines all the hottest spots for students looking to spend their free time, from the Black Crowned Crane restaurant to the best shops serving alcoholic “Jatembe Juice.” Unless, of course, you'd rather spend your nights in your dorm room all alone. Even the antisocial can find useful material, however: the ancestry rules for some of the Mwangi Expanse's shiest people, from the secretive shisks to the paranoid golomas. Whether you're a party animal or a studious scholar, The Mwangi Expanse is the book for you!

Eleanor Ferron
Pathfinder Developer

Nkayah yawned from her post in the tall tree. The job of scouting and protecting wanderers was always more exciting on the move. On the move, she had to stay on her toes, taking silent cover behind trees or climbing into the jungle canopy to maintain line of sight with the strangers and visitors who passed through Ekujae lands. She lived for the silent chase as she assessed outsiders’ motivations. For over a century and a half, Nkayah had ensured non-Mwangi travelers posed no threat to the Ekujae, and that they didn’t release any of the myriad evils trapped within the heart of the jungle—intentionally or not.

It was an important job that Nkayah took with the seriousness it deserved, but it could also be incredibly boring. Like right now, as she strained to keep from nodding off while watching two foreigners talk about, well, something. It didn’t help that the dwarf and half-orc interlopers spoke a language completely foreign to her. It sounded similar to the Avistani language the Aspis Consortium agents from Bloodcove spoke when they needed to hide their awful deeds, but she had no linguistic training to confirm it. Despite not knowing what they were saying, the experience she’d earned over decades of training made her confident that their intent wasn’t malicious. But they were stumbling—loudly—through a very ancient Serpentfolk ruin, and that meant that they still posed a threat.

She strained her jaw as she stifled a yawn and adjusted her position to ensure she didn’t get too comfortable. A wilderness nap could wait until the pair of foreigners moved beyond her territory and became someone else’s responsibility. Whatever they sought, the longer they spent out in the open like this, the longer they were in danger of needing more than just surveillance. Sometimes it helped to remember that even these boring parts of the job ultimately kept the innocent and defenseless wanderers of their lands safe, as well as protecting her people and the world at large.

The dwarf and her half-orc companion let out a series of surprised shouts, snapping Nkayah’s attention back to the moment. Doubtless, she wasn’t the only one in the area reminded of the visitors’ presence by their arguing. They seemed at odds about what to make of one particular section of the ruin, a strange stone that Nkayah had never noticed here before. Perhaps the situation wasn’t quite as boring as she’d thought!

She scurried from branch to bough, until she found herself balanced on a long, lonely limb directly over the foreigners. She was close to them, no more than ten feet above the half-orc’s head, so they could easily see her if they looked up, but they were too engrossed in the strange stone formation. As long as she didn’t draw their gaze, they wouldn’t be looking up any tiem soon.

The formation was a cone of rough stone, nearly seven feet from base to point, that rose like an incisor from the ground. It wasn’t worked stone like the rest of the Serpentfolk ruin, and it lacked the ophidian motifs and iconography that denoted the ancient Ydersian structures for what they were. This looked both organic and completely at odds with the natural order, and it was no wonder it had so grasped the visitors’ attention. The dwarf held her hand a few inches from the stalactite’s surface, but didn’t touch it, as though sensing for an aura of evil.

No, she wasn’t feeling an aura, but rather a steady stream of frigid air blowing from the stone’s otherwise smooth surface. Now that she recognized it, Nkayah could feel the steady airflow herself, and even at this distance. The chill made the skin on her arms prickle with gooseflesh. This certainly warranted more investigation, but she had to focus on her charges—the dwarf and the half-orc, not the ruin, which she’d be able to come back to once the pair no longer presented a threat. And the louder they got, the greater that threat grew.

Doubtless, her counterparts from nearby were already on their way to see what the fuss was about. Nhayah shook her head and loosened the harness holding her weapons to her body. This was going to get worse before it got better.

Her instincts proved accurate when the sound of arrows in flight drew her attention away from the outsiders and toward the edge of the ruins. She wasn’t the only Ekujae in the area anymore.

The dwarf and half-orc were still loudly arguing about the cold stone tooth. They hadn’t noticed the arrival of Nkayah’s kin, and she knew they wouldn’t hear her either as she skittered effortlessly away, mere feet above their heads. Without losing sight of the foreign travelers, Nhayah darted in towards the site of the arrows’ impact.

It didn’t take long to find one, embedded into the trunk of a gnarled tree: a darkwood arrow with dull gray fletching, clearly Ekujae-made. If she were on the ground, it would be at eye-level, meaning whatever they were shooting at was not terribly large. As she dropped down and pulled the arrow out to inspect it, her teeth clenched instinctively. Nkayah glanced at her surroundings to locate the arrow’s source, but knew her compatriots were as good at remaining unseen as she was. She’d see them when they wanted to be seen, just as they likely didn’t know she was there until she revealed herself.

The arrowhead was tipped with cold iron, finely sharpened, and faintly tingling with magical energy that pulsed lightly into her fingertips. Though the spell was no longer active, she knew what its presence meant.

“Demons” she hissed, still too soft for her charges to hear, even if they weren’t now yards away and engrossed in their investigation. She wished she could scream at them. Leave it alone, you fools. Leave our lands and stop meddling in things you don’t understand!

She pulled her bow from her back and swung back up into the branches with her free arm. She moved swiftly back to her spot where she’d previously kept watch and aimed her bow across the clearing in the direction she knew this threat would come from. She hadn’t yet determined whether the demon was somehow tied to the cold-air stone or simply drawn to the site by the outsiders, but regardless, the pair didn’t deserve to die at the claws of a vicious demon just because they were loud.

The underbrush rustled as the threat approached, and she notched a cold iron arrow of her own. A hulking form, only partially visible through the jungle’s dense foliage, emerged. She fired. The arrow flew true, and the dark form hissed as its iron head burned across its demonic body. The dwarf and her companion, suddenly aware that they weren’t alone in the ruins, stared, paralyzed with fear, and barely mustered the strength to look up and see Nkayah above them, fearless, with another arrow at the ready. She released the bowstring; the arrow flew and then… darkness.

She cursed as she dropped from the tree, racing for where her charges once stood, but could not find them in the darkness. The cool, constant airflow from the stone tooth let her know where it stood, where the dwarf and half-orc had been a moment before. She listened for their voices, but they were either too scared to scream or already lost. Then, her ears caught other voices, two of them, in her own tongue.

“Hunters!” she called back in kind. “Speak again so that I may find you. I am a scout. I can navigate to you in this darkness.”

The elves obeyed and signaled to her in hushed tones, somewhere off to her left. She made her way to them, slowly, not wanting to injure herself on a bit of the ruin she could not see. It took some time but finally, she connected with another form. The other thankfully stood firmly despite the collision.

“I am Nkayah of the Bat Clan. My mother was of the Hawk Clan. You’re demon hunters?”

The erratic sound of the others’ steps told her they were fumbling in the dark. “I am Kayoye,” the voice to her right began, “of the Velociraptor Clan. My mother is of the Gecko clan, and we hunt all forms of evil in this jungle. Today’s prey just happened to be a demon.”

“And I am Dafiyi, also of the Velociraptor Clan. My mother is of the Python clan. The darkness should wear off shortly. This is not its first attempt to escape us today.”

Nkayah sighed. Waiting without being able to see anything at all was incredibly frustrating, but she stood alert, with a firm grasp on her bow and an arrow at the ready. Soon, the demon’s magical cloak of darkness disappeared as swiftly as it had descended, and the dim, green-tinted light of the sun through jungle canopy flooded her sight. Finally able to see, the elves clustered together, back-to-back, and notched arrows, centuries of experience between them allowing the trio to work seamlessly as a defensive unit despite just meeting moments earlier. They rotated clockwise, six sharp eyes and six keen ears scanning the jungle from leaf-strewn floor to branch-woven canopy for any threat. The demon was gone, and no trace of the dwarf and the half-orc remained.

Nkayah cursed and kicked a piece of rubble. She rolled the events of the past few minutes over in her head: the serpentfolk ruins, the new-yet-ancient otherworldly stalactite, the demon, and the demon hunters now flanking her.

It was a coincidence. The cold-blowing stone and the demon were unrelated. That made things more interesting, perhaps, but also more complicated.

Dafiyi stared at the ground in concentration and muttered an incantation to himself, then pointed to the east. “Kayoye and I still have a demon to kill. We found it before, and we’ll find it again. And you?”

Nkayah surveyed the trees around her, searching for an answer. It came to her in the form of two familiar voices yelling in distress. The dwarf and half-orc were still alive!

She nodded to her kin and smirked, “Sounds like I still have two charges that need my protection, and what do you know? They seem to be in the same direction! I’ll have to return to check on that later.” She tilted her head toward the mysterious stone amid the ruins.

Swiftly and silently, she made her way through the dense jungle toward the frantic voices to the east. Dafiyi and Kayoye fell into step just behind her. This was more like it, she thought to herself. The job of protecting wanderers was always more exciting on the move.

About The Author

Isis Wozniakowska is a budding TTRPG writer, though she has been writing fantasy short stories since third grade. Her previous work includes Starfinder Society Scenario #3-21: Frozen Ambitions: Renewal’s Blight and contributions to Pathfinder Secrets of Magic. You can find her on Twitter at @wozenstein, provided you don’t mind seeing a lot of retweets from her favorite video game series.

About Tales of Lost Omens

The Tales of Lost Omens series of web-based flash fiction provides an exciting glimpse into Pathfinder’s Age of Lost Omens setting. Written by some of the most celebrated authors in tie-in gaming fiction and including Paizo’s Pathfinder Tales line of novels and short fiction, the Tales of Lost Omens series promises to explore the characters, deities, history, locations, and organizations of the Pathfinder setting with engaging stories to inspire Game Masters and players alike.

The Mwangi Expanse is a vast and diverse place. The region’s people hold a variety of beliefs that include gods not seen anywhere else. You can read about a number of these gods, including returning gods like Grandmother Spider and new gods like catfolk god Adanye, in Lost Omens Mwangi Expanse.

We here at Team Lost Omens thought it would be fun to take some of these Mwangi gods and match them up with other gods, both Mwangi and otherwise, to create new pantheons. Pantheons are groups of related gods that a faithful can worship as a collective, focusing on either a specific deity within the pantheon or following all of the gods together. You can find more information on pantheons in Lost Omens Gods & Magic.

Each of the following pantheons includes at least one Mwangi deity and can serve as a suitable faith for characters hailing from the Mwangi Expanse. We encourage everyone to use the following pantheons as examples when creating their own pantheons for home play. If you make your own pantheon or end up playing a character that follows one of the following pantheons, let us know!

Art by Daniele Sorrentino

Demon Bringers

Alignment LG (LG, LN, NG, CG)
Areas of Concern protection, retribution, and keeps
Divine Font heal
Divine Ability Strength or Constitution
Divine Skill Survival
Domains creation, family, might, protection
Alternate Domains cities, duty
Cleric Spells 1st: mage armor, 4th: creation, 7th: true target
Edicts create fortifications and defenses to protect those who can’t protect themselves, improve your hunting abilities, seek out evils that threaten others
Anathema exclude innocents from safe havens, intentionally destroy a shelter, allow demon summoners to live on unpunished
Favored Weapon machete

The Mwangi Expanse is full of dangers. Of particular note are the various demons and other Abyssal creatures that roam the jungles. Many of these creatures are drawn to the Mwangi Expanse by the presence of Angazhan’s or Lamashtu’s might, while others are direct servitors of those faithful to the demonic. While the Mwangi Expanse is home to many demon hunters that keep these evil forces at bay, many of them work in independent groups. It’s only with the combined efforts of the demon hunters that the Mwangi Expanse can be rid of this demonic presence and the people of the Mwangi Expanse can be safe.

The demon hunters among the Ekujae elves, Matanji orcs, Mwangi catfolk, Mbe’ke dwarves, and others began to join forces in their demon hunts and brought their respective gods with them. This led to the worship of a pantheon of righteous gods that both offered the might to destroy demons and the wisdom to defend others. Through the worship of Adanye, Chohar, Kazutal (in her form as Majagua), and Torag, these mighty hunters find the strength they need to make the Mwangi Expanse a safer place. While this pantheon didn’t originally have a name, the local Mwangi populations eventually dubbed them the Demon Bringers, as their faithful would bring home trophies in the form of demon heads, claws, or tails. Followers of the Demon Bringers use their skills to hunt demons and other evils that lie within the Mwangi Expanse. They also help create homes and fortifications for those that can’t fight, as the ultimate goal of the Demon Bringers is a safer Mwangi for all.

Art by Sophie Medvedeva.

The Freeing Flame

Alignment CN (NG, N, CG, CN)
Areas of Concern liberation, toppling tyranny, and self-realization
Divine Font harm or heal
Divine Ability Strength or Charisma
Divine Skill Stealth
Domains freedom, change, might, protection
Alternate Domains ambition, destruction, zeal
Cleric Spells 1st: anticipate peril, 3rd: fireball, 6th: mislead
Edicts free others from oppression, release harmful tethers be they physical or spiritual, work toward your best self and inspire others to follow
Anathema allow tyrants to escape punishment after their reign ends, enslave or oppress others, prevent others from honestly expressing themselves
Favored Weapon sword cane

Local stories say that the people of Vidrian had the support of the gods when the time came for revolution. Lubaiko provided the first flames of rebellion, literally igniting the first cart that led to the initial confrontation at a plantation on the outskirts of Eleder. The tales then note that the casks on the cart erupted as the first blow was struck, creating a massive explosion that woke everyone on the plantation. Many say this was Cayden Cailean’s way of showing his support. As everyone stirred about and watched those first servants and slaves fight, others were fearful of the consequences. It was the touch of hope that Milani granted them that finally gave them the strength to rise up and fight for freedom.

Whether or not the stories hold truth, the Freeing Flame remains a notable pantheon among the people of Vidrian today. The young nation broke free from the shackles of oppression and now looks toward bettering itself in the future, a mantra that many Vidrics and followers of the Freeing Flame follow for themselves. With the guidance of Milani, the courage of Cayden, and the inspiration of Lubaiko, a faithful can burn away maladies of the heart to become a person that is free to do as they wish, but also do so without infringing on others. Some follow these ideals to stop tyrants and liberate those that can’t live freely, while others take these teachings to become independent figures with little concern of others’ expectations.

Art by Maichol Quinto.

Sky Keepers

Alignment NG (LG, NG, CG)
Areas of Concern freedom, skies, storms, weather
Divine Font heal
Divine Ability Dexterity or Wisdom
Divine Skill Acrobatics
Domains air, change (Pathfinder Lost Omens Gods & Magic 112), protection, wyrmkin (Gods & Magic 119)
Alternate Domains freedom, lightning
Cleric Spells 1st: gust of wind, 4th: fly, 9th: storm of vengeance
Edicts remove anyone that would threaten those who live among the skies, encourage others to find a way to live among the clouds, honor the might of storms
Anathema interfere with the natural phases of the sky, remove a creature’s innate means to fly
Favored Weapon longbow

The only thing more expansive than the Mwangi jungles, mountains, and rivers are the skies that rest above them. There are many who would seek to take control of the skies and there are others who seek to keep the skies free for all. From evil spellcasters looking to wield the weather for their own wicked whims to deadly monsters that make them dangerous to travel, the skies are never truly safe. Thankfully, an unlikely alliance of gods works together to keep the skies over the Expanse safe.

Apsu, god of good dragons, saw how his son Dahak once tried to burn down the entirety of the Mwangi Expanse and took it upon himself to defend the skies that rest over those that put a stop to Dahak’s destruction. Uvoko, the diamond ring, is a living embodiment of the Mwangi skies and valued Apsu’s aid. Finally, with the recent release of Ranginori, the elemental lord took to reclaiming the skies from evildoers. When the three gods encountered each other, they formed the Pact of the Sky Keepers, dedicating themselves to both keeping the skies safe for all, but also maintaining the natural cycles and orders of the skies. The sky belongs to everyone, but ultimately, the sky has no master and attempts to force one’s will upon by forcibly changing the weather or committing similar acts goes against the Pact. Followers of the Sky Keepers can be found all over Golarion, but Apsu and Uvoko’s focus on the Mwangi Expanse leads to many worshippers operating in the region.

Art by Sophie Medvedeva.

Touch of the Sun

Alignment NG (LG, LN, NG, CG)
Areas of Concern compassion, rebirth, and the sun
Divine Font heal
Divine Ability Constitution or Wisdom
Divine Skill Diplomacy
Domains family, healing, passion, sun
Alternate Domains change, vigil (Gods & Magic 118), zeal
Cleric Spells 1st: soothe, 2nd: false life, 7th: fiery body
Edicts help others with changes that can improve their lives, mind those that others forget or exclude, offer second chances, stand up for others when they can’t stand for themselves
Anathema challenge the sun, ignore the pleas of others when you are able to help, refuse to give someone else a chance to offer their truth
Favored Weapon rapier

Legends state that Chohar, Luhar, and Tlehar were the first sun-kings of Mzali, building the city as a safe haven for the people of the Expanse. Their might, leadership, and kindness earned them a place among the heavens, transforming them into the sun gods of Mzali. As gods, they met Sarenrae, another goddess of the sun, and for a time, all four worked together to help the people of Golarion. Eventually, whether intentionally or otherwise, the people of Mzali forgot their sun gods. The sun gods watched as the people of Mzali forgot prayers and songs to their former gods. The sun gods wept because their people could no longer see or hear them, but Sarenrae offered them words of encouragement: there would be a time when people remembered the sun gods once more.

Thanks to the efforts of the Bright Lions of Mzali, worship of the sun gods has returned to the Mwangi Expanse. While the sun gods appreciate this renewed faith, they did not forget Sarenrae’s kindness. When asked about their disappearance, the sun gods merely state they were biding their time alongside a friend. This friendship led to the worship of the three sun gods alongside Sarenrae as a greater sun pantheon. The collective sun gods teach that kindness and second chances are pivotal values. They also note that sometimes a person needs to change into someone new before they are truly themselves and instruct that helping others with these changes is akin to helping bring new life into the world. The four gods know that there might be other forgotten gods and peoples out there that just need some kindness to make it through their period of turmoil, so they ask their worshippers to help these forgotten in whatever way they can. Finally, the sun gods make it clear that lost or abandoned gods can still find companionship among the divine and welcome these gods to join their ranks.

Luis Loza
Developer

“…and from the village of Mua’bri, I bear an earthenware cauldron, banded in lightning and dusted with gold, that the potters of the village bequeath to your majesty so that their work might be remembered forever...”

Kwibha listened to the First Speaker of the Dragon Wardens with one ear, his attention more focused on keeping warm. By tradition, these yearly negotiations were hold on this flat mountaintop just across the valley from the city of Cloudspire, the air so cold that Kwibha’s breath misted forth with every heartbeat. His late sister Jhirabi, who’d been training to be a Dragon Warden, said the location actually had been chosen because there were few other places where one could treat with a half-dozen dragons, but Kwibha would never be so crass as to say so out loud.

“…my rain-child’s third daughter is ready to leave the nest. It is time for her to have a territory of her own, a hoard and home atop a good tree. Do they still have that lightning-struck tree outside of Mua’bri…?”

For a moment, Kwibha envisioned a group of stout dwarven farmers, dour-faced and heavily armed, accompanied by a whimsical fledgling dragon the size of a sheep. The farmers would likely be more dangerous. Still, one had to start somewhere, and it was upon these formalized exchanges of gifts, territories, and protection that the partnership of dwarf and cloud dragon had been built.

Illustration by Maichol Quinto from Pathfinder Lost Omens The Mwangi Expanse

Another hour passed, then a second and third, and Kwibha felt the frost harden on the white scarf around his neck. Snow crunched underfoot as he shifted his weight, and still the dragons and the First Speaker of the Dragon Wardens continued their talks. Kwibha cast a sidelong glance at the First Speaker—Jhirabi had said they were chosen for endurance as well as diplomacy.

And then it was time.

“Noble kings,” the First Speaker said, for all dragons are accorded the title of kings, “I present to you Second Speaker Kwibha of the Bloodmarked.”

That was Kwibha’s cue. The dwarf strode forward, marshalling every scrap of dignity he possessed. To any other dwarf, Kwibha was a person of note, with his gold-embroidered kaftan of cashmere, amber-hilted sword, and the scarlet ribbon tied about his brow. The dragons, Kwibha fervently hoped, would be equally impressed.

“Noble kings of sky and cloud, revered ancestors of the storm, you whose wrath is lightning and whose mercy is the rain after a long drought,” Kwibha’s voice echoed off the mountaintops, finely pitched to carry to the great beings clustered before him, “I come bearing an offer from King Thabsing of K’Lereng, called the Blood-Eye.”

“And what is this offer, Second Speaker?” one of the dragons whispered with a voice like the mist, soft yet inescapable. “We have heard his plans of war before and have little interest in them.”

“Today, he proposes not war, but justice, not battle, but execution,” Kwibha said smoothly. He held out a single hand in the traditional orator’s pose. “Know this, noble kings. On the last day of the dry season, in the pirate city of Bloodcove where they celebrate the Tempest Day, there will be a great auction of treasures taken from the drowned land of Lirgen. Most of the Pirate Council of the Shackles plans to attend, and we’ve heard that the Hurricane Queen herself, Tessa Fairwind, shall be present.”

“And how do you know this thing will happen, Second Speaker?” another cloud dragon asked in a voice that thundered across the mountaintop, causing drifts of snow to become tiny avalanches.

Kwibha hoped they would ask him this. With a great flourish, he swept his arm out and bowed genteelly to the assembled wyrms. “I know this, noble kings, for I shall conduct the auction myself.”

This caught the dragons’ attention—and the attention of the Dragon Wardens, for that matter. Kwibha allowed himself a small smile. It had taken nearly two years to make the proper introductions, to pass himself from one pirate to the next in that stinking city. King Thabsing had provided the Lirgeni artifacts, from where it was not entirely clear, but it was Kwibha’s work that had brought this day about. Bloodcove was a very different place from the orderly, harmonious citadel of Cloudspire, a place of violence, greed, and broken oaths, but dwarves lived there as well. Buyers, mostly, to purchase the pirates’ stolen goods and send them back to the Mbe’ke, but a few disgraced sellers as well, who would trade with the Mbe’ke’s enemies. Kwibha had pretended to be one such, and he didn’t know if he’d ever feel properly clean again.

“The Free Captains are no fools, and they will expect treachery,” Kwibha continued in the ensuing silence. “But they will expect it from each other or myself. Their ships will be moored at harbor, their sailors carousing, their lieutenants and weather-wizards accompanying their captains for protection. The vessels will be virtually defenseless in the face of a sudden storm, honored lords of lightning,” Kwibha paused, before adding the final bait, “and they will be heavily laden with loot from a season’s successful piracy.”

“Your words intrigue, Second Speaker,” said the senior-most dragon in a voice crackling with frost. “We will weigh them and give an answer in three day’s time.”

“A question, Emissary of the Bloodmarked,” a younger dragon said, leaning forward such that Kwibha could see the new scars on their horn, “Your king’s plan will destroy the ships, but what of the pirates themselves?”

“A pirate without a ship, honored king, is like a turtle without a shell,” said Kwibha, his smile colder than the snow of the mountain. “With the Pirate Council trapped in Bloodcove, it will be a simple matter for King Thabsing to march his armies down from the mountains and take the city. And then we will try them, and we will sentence them, and we will hang these corsairs from every tree and doorpost.”

And then, Jhirabi, you will finally be avenged.

About The Author

Mikhail Rekun is a Russian-American historian, educator, and author. Previous works include Lost Omens Mwangi Expanse, Lost Omens Legends, Pathfinder Society Scenario 1–15: Blooming Catastrophe, Pathfinder Society Scenario 2–8: Frosty Mug, and How Russia Lost Bulgaria, 1878-1886: Empire Unguided. One of these things is not like the others. He is also the creative director of the Luminant Age project, a Weird Fantasy Swashbuckler campaign setting for PF2, with vampire anteater dogs and invisible owl-tigers. You can learn more about at https://twitter.com/LuminantA, and keep an eye out for our next Kickstarter.

About Tales of Lost Omens

The Tales of Lost Omens series of web-based flash fiction provides an exciting glimpse into Pathfinder’s Age of Lost Omens setting. Written by some of the most celebrated authors in tie-in gaming fiction, including Paizo’s Pathfinder Tales line of novels and short fiction, the Tales of Lost Omens series promises to explore the characters, deities, history, locations, and organizations of the Pathfinder setting with engaging stories to inspire Game Masters and players alike.

While the writers of our Paizo products are always credited in the front and back of the books, a simple name in a byline doesn’t give readers much information on the people who work to bring the setting to life! I know some of you have been clamoring to know who wrote what section in the Mwangi Expanse, so I reached out to the authors of the book with the intent of promoting them—as well as any other personal work they would like to share—so that new fans of their work could find other projects, RPG products, websites, livestreams, and more to enjoy!

Eleanor Ferron
Developer

Art by Indah Alditha Putri Siregar

Laura-Shay Adams

Greetings, I am Laura-Shay Adams, a part-time writer and full-time nerd. The amount of excitement I experienced at being able to contribute to Senghor was probably not entirely healthy, but warranted. Getting to provide and create perspective regarding the day-to-day life within the city and fleshing out some of the prominent businesses made me fall in love with Golarion all over again. The setting has so many strengths, and using it as a creative backdrop to offer such a wide array of cultural flavors that add so much to storytelling is honestly a joy. Each Lost Omens book that has come out has become my favorite, but the Mwangi Expanse area will be near and dear to my heart for decades to come.

If you are interested in seeing some of the homebrew projects I’ve come up with for my personal campaigns, one-shots, or my freelancer rates, drop by my website https://world-invader.com or contact me via email, at contact.us@world-invader.com. Or if anyone is hosting a game set in the Mwangi Expanse and needs an extra player, I am your lady if our times align.

Mariam Ahmad

Hello, I’m Mariam Ahmad (they/them). I’m a queer South Asian freelance writer, and I am so honored to have been a part of this book, my first with Paizo. For Mwangi Expanse, I had the pleasure of contributing lore on the Taralu and penning Amakell Inre and her draconic companion, Sahiba. My favorite part of this process was not just putting imagination to paper, but seeing it brought to life by the wonderful artists.

I’ve also written for other indie games, such as Thirsty Sword Lesbians and Rookwood. When I’m not writing or working on cultural consultancy projects, I stream on Huetopia as the GM of Kahaaniyaan and run a podcast called The Musafirs. Both are all Q-BIMPoC actual plays that are set in Sarzameen, my custom South Asian fantasy setting. If you want to see updates on things I do, as well enjoy pictures of food, cats and fibre arts, you can follow me on Twitter @media_junkie.

Jamal Brown

Hey What’s happening! I’m Jahmal “Mad Jay” Brown, and I’m a contributing author on Mwangi Expanse. The Karina, Solar Ibis and the Zinba are my babies! During the design process I imagined big encounters focusing on these creatures. I know you’re not supposed to have a favorite kid. . . but mine are the Karina!

I also worked on Mzali and Senghor, two big and very different cities in the Expanse. The final product looks FANTASTIC! I’m glad I got to be a part of this project of so many amazing authors. You can catch up with my other works on www.madjayzero.com, and I am on twitter @madjayzero. I write about the games I run, game design, and facilitating game sessions. I’m currently doing layout work on my latest Kickstarter project, Lifted, a supers setting Zine.

Art by Mirco Paganessi

Allie Bustion

Oh heck, back at it again with the writing! I’m Allie Bustion, freelance game designer and writer with indie projects of my own but also work on games like Thirsty Sword Lesbians (“Shinsei Galactic Puroresu: Revolution - The Final Engagement”) and Brinkwood: The Blood of Tyrants (“The Scene Is Dead, Long Live The Scene”). I wrote a good chunk of things for Mwangi Expanse, but I think my favorite are the Song’o. I put a lot of the joyful parts of being Black from my childhood into them, and I’m super excited to share it with you all.

You can find me around the internet on Twitter talking about my cat, Twitch playing and making games, TikTok serving up GMing and game design advice, and Patreon also making games. You can also check out my itch.io page for my games like HEIST and The Way You Make Me Feel.

Sarah Davis

Hey there! I’m Sarah, an Afro-Latina writer and designer. For the Mwangi Expanse book, I got to contribute various locations in Mzali and Senghor and had a blast. The Mzali Archives, the Sunlit Inn, the Mixing Mingle, and Burash’s Lost and Found are just a few of the entries I got to dream up! I’m really happy with the finished product and grateful to get to contribute alongside all these wonderful people. In my spare time, I write stories, come up with my own games and homebrews, and craft!

You can follow me and my work on all of that on Twitter at @SarahndipityCos, where I have links to reach out to and support me, and I tweet about my ideas and all manner of nerdy things.

Solatra Lilac Harvinkai

Hi all, my name is Solatra Lilac Harvinkai, credited as Sasha Laranoa Harving, and I wrote the Taralu dwarves! I was really glad to flesh out a culture I’d worked on prior in the Pathfinder Lost Omens: Character Guide’s dwarf section, and I am excited for you all to see what wonders it has in store. I’ve been involved with a number of third-party publishers for Pathfinder and Starfinder as well, and I live in Chicago with my fiancee and my roommate, both also regular players in my games. If you’d like to hire me for freelance work, you can reach me at condochimp@gmail.com. Thanks!

Art by Sophie Medvedeva.

Michelle Jones

If you’ve been paying attention, you should know who I am by now. If you’re new here, let me tell you. I am Michelle Jones, freelance writer and game designer. I got to write several of the deity entries for Pathfinder Lost Omens: Mwangi Expanse, as well as a couple of bestiary entries, and collaborated with some very talented authors to reintroduce everyone to the city of Mzali. If you wanna know more, be sure to check out my twitter @AleshaKills. I will be going into more detail about everything I wrote the moment the book hits the streets.

I promise you, Mwangi Expanse has everything you wanted and everything you didn’t know you needed. And Strength of the Thousands is gonna be possibly the greatest Adventure Path ever. I’m not biased just because my name is on it, I swear. See you all again on the 7th.

Travis Lionel

Hello, my name is Travis Lionel also known on the internet as Rabbit. I worked on Pathfinder Lost Omens: Mwangi Expanse, specifically the sections on the People of Mzali and the Bright Lions. I did a lot of research on western and middle Africa as well as usede my own experiences as a black American and those of my African brothers and sisters. The most fun I had was studying how pre-colonized Africans lived among the Savannahs. Since working on this project, I’ve primarily been diving into video game livestreams via Twitch ( https://twitch.tv/EightBitRabbits ). Here I talk about storytelling, how I learned to write and worldbuild, and, of course, role-playing games, such as Pathfinder: Kingmaker. For those who enjoy what I wrote and would like me to work on their projects as well, feel free to send business inquiries to Travis.TheBlanketFort@gmail.com. It’s kind of crazy going from the eleven year old in Catholic school turning biblical lore into super hero stories to where I am now. Hopefully, you guys enjoy the work many of us put into this project.

Hilary Moon Murphy

My name is Hilary Moon Murphy. In real life, I am a librarian, freelancer, and enthusiastic Organized Play Game Master. I am so proud to be a part of this book! I wrote the section on the Sodden Lands, which included both the flooded city Hyrantum and the fierce Terwa Lords. Being able to update Hyrantum and reimagine what has happened with that flooded city and the rest of the Sodden Lands was a true pleasure. When we last saw Hyrantum, it was a sad and downtrodden shadow of its former glory. But Hyrantum is undergoing a new boom with a surprising new group of immigrants. . . To find out more, you really should purchase this book!

Art by Mirco Paganessi.

Mikhail Rekun

Здравствуйте, уважаемые читатели! (Hello, dear readers!) My name is Mikhail Sergeyevich Rekun, and you may know me from past Lost Omen books, such as Legends (where I wrote Baba Yaga), Ancestries (tieflings and duskwalkers), and the Character Guide (humans). On those occasions that Eleanor and Luis don’t need my humble assistance, I’m a Russian-American historian and educator with a book and everything.

For this book, I wrote the Mbe’ke dwarves, the Mwangi Jungle, and my personal favorite, the gnolls. My very first PC, way back in the misty depths of time, was a gnoll fighter, and I’ve been on a one-man crusade to get the loveable, furry lugs made into an acceptable PC ancestry ever since. Which, thanks to this excellent book, they are, so do check them out.

I should also mention that when not writing for Paizo, I’m working on Ourichor: Fulcrum of the Luminant Age, an upcoming campaign setting set in a world of lost suns, teleporting rats, and people who can drink your personality traits. Check out our Twitter at https://twitter.com/LuminantA! Our first Kickstarter project is almost ready to release, so keep an eye out for what’ll come next. You might like it.

Soup

I’m Soup! My parents call me Josh. I’m a nonbinary Korean-American freelance writer/game designer/anime podcast host. I have more than a reasonable number of opinions about fantasy and fantasy fiction. I’m always open to taking on new projects, so reach out to literalsoup@gmail.com! You can see what I’m up to outside of work at https://literalsoup.com/ and https://twitter.com/LiteralSoup.

Jabari Weathers

Hey there!

I’m Jabari Weathers, and I’m excited for y’all to get to see my work on the Pathfinder Lost Omens: Mwangi Expanse sourcebook for Pathfinder 2nd Edition. I had the honor of writing “Reclaiming the Expanse,” as well as penning the cities of Jaha and Osibu for the book.

Earlier this year, you may have read my work on Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft with Wizards of the Coast, and if you follow my twitter (@Goblinprincete) or Instagram (@jmwillustration), you can also gander the illustration work that I made my way into TTRPGs with and catch whisperings about game design and writing thoughts when I’m not spinning too many plates. Also, feel free to check out my illustration website—GoblinPrincete.com. I hope you enjoy the book, and if you dig the sections I worked on, you can find more of my writing in Dominique Dickey and Charles Linton’s Tomorrowon Revelation III, which kickstarted earlier this year.

You’ve been waiting, and here it is! Lost Omens: The Mwangi Expanse is out today, coming out hot just before the Strength of Thousands adventure path invites you in for an extended stay. Within these pages you’ll find never-before-revealed secrets and information on the people, history, geography, and major cities of the Expanse, brought to you by a team of exceptional authors. With people wondering what can be found inside the pages of this book, let’s sneak a peek at the table of contents.

Don’t miss the introduction on this book! Written by the stellar Jabari Weathers, you may have seen snippets from this section floating around Twitter and other wilds of the internet. This section offers prompts to consider when building your character—whether you’re a visitor to the Expanse or were born and raised there—as well as advice on how to venture into the setting respectfully if you’re not sure how to approach it. After that we delve into the major social aspects of Mwangi: the history of the land, the people who live in it, and the gods who hold heavy influence over the region.

The Expanse is still a world of adventure, however, and as we move into more specifics, we get into the geography of the region. We’ll trek across mountains, savannahs, and jungles of the Mwangi before finally reaching nine of the region’s greatest nations and cities. Risk pirate havens, explore mysterious cities with dangerous histories, catch fish in the Hurricane Harvest when the tides rush through the streets, or try to find a legendary paradise in the mortal realms! But beware, the final pages of this book contain a bestiary of monsters that lurk, waiting for adventurers to blunder into their lairs!

Art by Valeria Lutfullina

COVID Sucks

About two months before the final drafts for the Mwangi Expanse were due, the COVID shutdown hit the United States in full force. As you can imagine, it wreaked havoc with book production.

I was one of the luckiest ones. I kept my job, my immediate family was safe, and Paizo gracefully pivoted to work from home. Completing the book was still an unmitigated nightmare, one that caused multiple sleepless nights and minor mental breakdowns over the course of the year. For many of the freelancers on the project, it meant sudden financial insecurity, unexpected full-time childcare, family emergencies or deaths, and even worse. The government response at the time was deliberately inadequate and--yes, I will say it--racist, and was combined with the absolute despair of the constant police brutality that was highlighted during this time.

I’m not saying this to invoke pity, encourage token platitudes, or glorify the heroic effort the authors went through to get this book done--even those who had to bow out in the end. It was heroic, but what happened shouldn’t be glorified. I’m saying that so when everyone sees the final product, they understand just how incredible the people who worked on it are.

We Messed Up

No matter how much time and effort we put into developing and editing a book, something wrong always manages to slip through. Some are annoying but mild, like spelling “uncommon” wrong a dozen times in a row. Some are just funny, like the sarcesian in First Contact that dealt 1d810+5 damage with a sniper rifle. And some we can only stare and ask, “how the did we miss that??”

Mwangi has one of those moments.

We fixed the errors in the PDF versions but didn’t spot them in time to alter the printed books. Gripplis have the wrong ancestry bonuses in the printed copies. As a result, they lack the correct ability score boosts (Dexterity, Wisdom, and a Free boost, plus their Strength penalty). The ancestry also has a line noting “others probably assume [gripplis] are savage, simple-minded, or both.” It was meant as a note that such assumptions were flawed but didn’t convey enough context to be appropriate in any sense. Moreover, that language specifically violates our own guidelines on how we talk about people. Our developers and editors know to remove those words on sight to avoid situations like this. However, due to a process issue, this was flagged during production but not actually removed. We’ve instituted new procedures to prevent words like this from ever making it to print.

We’re sorry and will continue trying to do better.

Art by Mirco Paganessi

Adventures Ahead!

We’re excited to share the Mwangi Expanse with players and readers of all kinds. Whether you’re a Pathfinder veteran or brand-new player, we think that Lost Omens: The Mwangi Expanse has exciting and memorable content for everyone. We’re looking forward to hearing about all of the great characters and adventures that this book inspires. Let us know what characters you’re looking to play, locations you’d like your characters to visit, and your favorite bits from the book!

Eleanor Ferron
Pathfinder Developer

Our latest book, Pathfinder Lost Omens: The Mwangi Expanse is already trickling into the hands of our subscribers ahead of its upcoming release! With it comes new ancestries, deities, and a ton of lore to inspire characters, both native to the Expanse and visiting from other regions of the Inner Sea. We’ve talked a bit about how to adventure when your character comes from another region of Golarion, such as Absalom or Varisia, so today, we wanted to highlight building a character from the Mwangi Expanse. One of the authors for this book, Jabari Weathers, wrote some great guidance for this in the introduction of the book, as well as some questions to help you dig into your character’s connection with their home and what kind of adventures that might spark.

Today, let's go through these questions as we build a character of our own! Meet Bolani, an elementalist (upcoming in Secrets of Magic!) from the Mwangi Expanse.

Our first prompt: “What has your home taught you?” Having a character’s home be central to their personality, challenges, or worldview can be a good way to delve into a new concept.

Though the Mwangi Expanse hosts countless cultures and many powerful civilizations, the vastness and abundance of the land is an undeniable facet of everyday life. The mighty fortress of Senghor plies the sea for netfuls of fish, while the trade city of Kibwe hauls up tons of ores from the earth to fill its marketplaces. Experiencing the turning of the seasons, from the fires and droughts of the savannah to the monsoons of the rainy season, has taught Bolani the true power of the natural world. Humanity can attempt to harness or control the elements, but in the end, such measures will always fail—it is far better to learn the power of each element and adapt to them.

Art by Klaher Baklaher

Our second prompt: “What remains mysterious to you about home?” I’m sure that none of us knows every last fact about our hometowns, neighborhoods, or countries—there’s always room for one more unknown fact to discover or a bit of history to unearth. When a character has questions that they’re trying to get answered, that can give a personal angle to their adventures, and Pathfinder is about adventure, after all!

Bolani mastered many skills in pursuit of elemental mastery, not the least of which is geology. She brags that she can determine where she is in the Mwangi Expanse simply by feeling the rocks through her toes. Yet a few times over her career, she has encountered pieces of stone that elude her understanding—statues that do not seem to belong on this continent, tiny chips that seem to be literally beyond this world. Could these be relics of the Azlani, who ventured into the Expanse to defeat the serpentfolk god Ydersius and then seemingly departed without settling? Might these be related to the Doorway to the Red Star, which has fallen into disuse and mystery since the days of Old-Mage Jatembe? Or might these be crumbling remains from the Abyss itself, trod into the soil of Mwangi by the hooves of a demonic army that even now still lingers?

Lastly: “What are you protective of?” This can be something immediate, like a family member, but it can also be something a bit larger. What kind of changes scare your character most, and why? Is there something that they are working to preserve or even change about their culture or home? Figuring out what your character wants to protect can be a good way to give them direct ties and make their home feel lived in.

When Bolani was young, she could speak to the plants and elements of her home and hear them clearly in response. Now that she is older, she has found that these conversations harder for her to accomplish, and often become garbled or strained messages. She does not know if this is due to some change in her own self or if something terrible is happening to her home, beneath everyone’s notice—no one else she has spoken to has reported such a problem, which leaves Bolani uncertain and troubled. Whatever the cause, her connection to her childhood home is precious to her, and Bolani wishes to reestablish the connection and determine what went wrong to prevent it from occurring again.

Bolani is just one character, and there’s a whole Expanse to explore! Tell us about what kind of characters you’re planning to create, and how they might feel about their homes!

Eleanor Ferron
Developer

Jiella, don’t run! It’s me, your sister! Come, listen. I’ve only an ounce of time.

First of all, why are you out here in the streets? Is it not time for your lessons? Taking after me, now, are we? Never mind!

Don’t cover your ears, sister. The aftermath of a revolution is a wonderfully loud thing. Look! That was Prince Haliad’s statue crashing to the ground. I think I see Bapa with those farmers dragging its ugly stone head to that catapult we stole. I hope they fling it at that stubborn pirate schooner that hasn’t taken the hint to leave port. There’s no way Anthusis will let them land on its shores.

Illustration by Maichol Quinto from Pathfinder Lost Omens The Mwangi Expanse

What are you doing out here alone? Don’t get me wrong—I’m excited to see you amidst all this! Seeing that old statue fall in front of the embassy is a splendid reason to skip your studies. This is history in the making, sister! Let it fill your senses; a book won’t give you the same gift as these liberated streets. But how did you slip past Mielle? I know she’s gotten older, but with each year her senses have only sharpened—the old panther. Tell me how you escaped, and don’t say you learned it from me! I could never slip her gaze, and I’ve the welts to prove it.

Do you like my outfit? In truth it’s a bit Chelish for my taste, but it moves much better than what I left home with. When I have time, I’ll make use of Mielle’s needlepoint lessons and fashion something more reminiscent of home.

I don’t look like a Free Captain’s cohort, Jiella! Only a Firebrand would wear colors this loud, and this city could take more than a few cues from our fashion sense! I’d bet Bapa’s skiff that you’ve never even seen those privateers up close. I’ve had to cut through two of them in the past month.

Where did I get the sword? Promise you won’t tell—else I’ll never be able to come home! It belonged to Mama. I don’t know why she had it; all those diplomacies to nowhere she conducted in our living room could have been cut much shorter with this. It felt heavy at first, but after a couple months fighting on these shackled seas, my arm feels incomplete without it. That stain on my sleeve? It’s just a bit of wine. I may need a wash it—don’t give me that look, Jie!

Were Mama and Bapa home when you slipped out? There are some articles I’ve meant to procure from my room now that things have started to settle.

Mielle has been preparing full meals every night since the Hurricane Queen faffed off to the other side of Desperation Bay? I’ll have to stop home and grab a bottle of her kremas to share with my ship. It’s requisite for a Firebrand to know how to share—and the old panther owes me more than one drink for her rigor. Let’s get you home so I can collect my libationary toll.

You wear these clothes much better than I did. Most outfits suit me better after they’ve been thoroughly sea-bitten. I see that you’ve been eating well—as Mama and Bapa told you to, no doubt. I assume they give my share to you now that I’ve been gone a season. It seems like you’ve grown a half-foot! I bet you’ll be taller than me by year’s end.

I don’t mean to make them worry, you know. I just never fit what they needed. It’s embarrassing how much better you are with words than I was at your age. I think they can see that you fit them better, too. I hope they miss me. I miss them. I’ve been thinking of them a lot—and you, of course. I see you snuck out of your window to see what the crash was! You’re more like me than I thought. I’m a bad influence on you, Jiella! Let me boost you back up. I’ll be right behind you. Once we’re inside, give me for a moment to track down Mielle’s kremas stock—if she’s made multiple batches, she won’t be too upset if one of them goes missing.

May I fashion your hair like we used to do together? I’ve been working on a new style for the times; twelve braids fashioned like a crown: one for each month from now to keep Vidrian autonomous. If Mama asks who did your hair, just deflect with that. I’m sure she’ll appreciate the idea. I have a message for her and Bapa, too. They can’t trust the ‘Independent’ Banks of Vidrian, even if they can trust Mandla Dube. Please pass this onto them and say it came from the Vane—they’ll take it more seriously than from me.

I must go now, sister, but take this turquoise comb for your new crown. With it, you’ll look almost as dashing as me! In a few years, Mama and Bapa will want you with them in the Vidric Council—and you should join them when that time comes. Don’t forget about the streets, though! Look around, there’s so much to rebuild and replace. New homes to be made, new stores to spread the wealth, new dishes to define the taste of Vidrian as its own. No idols are going to show our nation the way forward, whether they’re deities or nobles, but our community can figure it out together. When the council dissolves into noise, go somewhere else to cut through it. Don’t fight, but be like a sword. Leave the sharp stuff to me as you rebuild this place. I’ll be in step with you—but first, I’m off to Smuggler’s Shiv to procure a donation to our new nation. Crying isn’t going to keep me from leaving! I’ll be back again before you know it. And not as one of that isle’s specters.

I love you, Jiella—Mama and Bapa, too. They’ll approve of my course in due time—and they’ll let you set yours. For now, you should listen to them. Eventually, they’ll see how much the future needs my blade and your words.
So don’t cry too long. I’m not dead yet.

About The Author

Jabari Weathers is an illustrator, writer, and tabletop role-playing game designer. They might also be a fey creature from beyond the veil, doing freelance work in this mortal realm to keep up the glamour hiding them from their pursuers. You, too, can help them continue this evasion by checking out their work in the Lost Omens Mwangi Expanse sourcebook, Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, and other assorted works containing their words. Additionally, you may glean their illustration work at Goblinprincete.com, or on Instagram at Jmwillustration. Finally, if you want to confirm that they are, in fact, real, follow them on Twitter @goblinprincete. With patience, you will have your proof.

About Tales of Lost Omens

The Tales of Lost Omens series of web-based flash fiction provides an exciting glimpse into Pathfinder’s Age of Lost Omens setting. Written by some of the most celebrated authors in tie-in gaming fiction, including Paizo’s Pathfinder Tales line of novels and short fiction, the Tales of Lost Omens series promises to explore the characters, deities, history, locations, and organizations of the Pathfinder setting with engaging stories to inspire Game Masters and players alike.

The PaizoCon Online 2021 panels are going up on YouTube, so you can watch them again or see what you missed. You can watch the Keynote Revelations, Starfinder Galaxy Exploration Manual panels, PaizoCon Liveplays, Fists of the Ruby Phoenix Adventure Path panels, Pathfinder Secrets of Magic panels —and now panels on the Art of Paizo, Pathfinder Lost Omens: The Mwangi Expanse with a bonus interview with one of the Lost Omens Designers!

The Art of Paizo

Join Managing Art Director Sonja Morris along with Art Directors Kent Hamilton and Adam Vick as they take you on a tour of the art team's favorite illustrations of the year. Once the tour is over, the panel answers art questions while revealing the new creature drawn by Kent from concepts drawn from the art survey.

Tales of Lore: Exploring the Mwangi

See the Mwangi Expanse! We're showing off the Mwangi Expanse like never before and giving you a look at its ancestries, cultures, geography, and adventures. Learn all about the Lost Omens Mwangi Expanse book and the Strength of Thousands Adventure Path!

Tales from the Page: Know Direction Interview with Pathfinder Developer Eleanor Ferron

Know Direction staff Ryan Costello and Jefferson “Perram” Thacker interview Pathfinder Developer Eleanor Ferron.

Danger Club: Allie Bustion Talks Mwangi Expanse & Strength of Thousands

Lastly, on the heels of PaizoCon, Danger Club Podcast sat down with freelance author Alexandria Bustion (@madpierrot) to talk Lost Omens Mwangi Expanse, Strength of Thousands, and her career.