Conquest Day

Monday, April 2, 2012

Illustration by Dave Rapoza

I almost lined this holiday boon up perfectly with its in-game date and real-world date. When I realized it was my 6-month anniversary (wow, time flies), I was torn. What better way to celebrate than to help Pathfinders fight undead? But I felt my state of PFS blog was slightly more important, so I delayed this holiday blog for a week.

Managing Editor F. Wesley Schneider wrote the description below of Conquest Day, and where you’ll also find a special Pathfinder Society Chronicle sheet you can download and apply to a Pathfinder Society character. Conquest Day is mentioned on page 248 of The Inner Sea World Guide.

Every year, on the 26th of Pharast, Elder Architect Oblosk—oldest member of Nex’s Council of Three and Nine—ascends to the highest balconies of the Bandeshar in Quantium. In a voice made thunderous by the platform’s magic, the wizened pech councilman spends the hours from dusk to just past noon enumerating the atrocities committed by the necromancers of Geb upon the people of Nex, culminating with the disappearance of the archwizard Nex himself. At the conclusion of this record of national wounds, the country’s eleven other council members join Oblosk in renewing their yearly vow to neither forget nor forgive the Gebbites’ atrocities and to again swear in their lost ruler’s name to endlessly wage war against their ancient enemies.

On this day, known as Conquest Day, all the people of Nex are expected to share in their leaders’ oaths, to celebrate the shared patriotism of their wondrous nation, and to remember the sacrifices of heroes past. This also makes it a day for many Nexian wizards to reveal deadly new spells, gigantic constructs, and audacious arcane masterworks—which many creators promise to be the doom of their foes. Even throughout the rest of the Inner Sea region, many crusaders, rebels, and zealots observe Conquest Day as a day to renew blood oaths, launch long-planned battles, and finally take revenge. It is a day for words of honor, a day for battle cries, and a day where glory most favors the bold.

A bit dreary with all the talk of battles and undead and disappearing archwizards and the like, but hey, at least it is better than Taxfest (and yes, that’s also on page 248).

Mike Brock
Pathfinder Society Campaign Coordinator

Illustration by Dave Rapoza. Widescreen version here.

The Stars Are Wrong!

Friday, June 17, 2011

Wake of the Watcher, the fourth installment of the Carrion Crown Adventure Path, is on its way out of the warehouse and to retailers and subscribers the world over. In this chapter, the PCs venture to Illmarsh, an ugly town amid the nastiest stretch of swamp in Ustalav. On the trail of the Whispering Way, the PCs find themselves caught up between beings from beneath the seas and invaders from the darkest corners of the cosmos. Can the heroes save Illmarsh from its tradition of terror? Or will they be the next victims of the horror from beyond the stars? While you wait to find out, enjoy this wallpaper featuring a corpulent cthuloid and poor Merisiel caught up in the tentacles of some nightmarish spawn of a Great Old One.

Ia, Ia, Cthulu Ftagn!

Hyrum Savage
Marketing and Organized Play Manager

Illustration by Dave Rapoza. Wallpaper design by Crystal Frasier. Widescreen version here.

Invasion of the Body Stitchers!

Friday, April 15, 2011

Burghers of Paizo, rejoice! The Beast of Lepidstadt has been captured! Next week we'll begin shipping the second installment of the Carrion Crown Adventure Path, and the Trial of the Beast will begin. The Punishing Man rises in the square outside the courthouse! The logs have been stacked against his flanks and the oil has seeped into his veins. The Punishing Man waits to take his passenger to the depths of Hell! And soon, he shall have his feast. Until then though, enjoy this wallpaper!

Hyrum Savage
Marketing and Organized Play Manager/Town Crier

Illustration by Dave Rapoza.

Wallpapers Are Back!

December 20, 2010

Last Friday, Managing Editor extraordinaire Wes Schneider spoke a little about the upcoming Carrion Crown Adventure Path. This amazing AP starts with Pathfinder Adventure Path #43: "The Haunting of Harrowstone" and a stellar cover by Dave Rapoza. In honor of the upcoming AP, and as a new feature on the Paizo blog, we're proud to offer the first of many new wallpapers. Just download the image below and in no time you'll be able to gaze at Feiya and Merisiel kicking the snot out of skeletons to your heart's content, all from the comfort of your office chair. This might be the first new wallpaper in a while, but it definitely isn't the last, so keep an eye on the blog for more in the coming weeks.

Hyrum Savage
Marketing and Organized Play Manager

Illustration by Dave Rapoza

Carrion Crown Is Coming

Friday, December 17, 2010

In a flurry of crunched stat blocks and flung pages, the last two weeks have seen us send two volumes of Pathfinder Adventure Path off to the printer, Pathfinder Adventure Path #42: "Sanctum of the Serpent God" and, right on its heels, Pathfinder Adventure Path #43: "The Haunting of Harrowstone". While the former brings the Serpent Skull Adventure Path to its climactic close, the latter marks a total shift, taking us from the wild jungles and hidden ruins of the Mwangi Expanse to the foggy moors and haunted ruins of Ustalav, the seat of gothic horror in Golarion. Longtime readers know that every new campaign gives us the opportunity to not just explore new themes, lands, and menaces, but to also reinvent Pathfinder's look for a new series.

And Carrion Crown looks incredible. Beyond Dave Rapoza's fantastic cover and the work of numerous talented interior illustrators, art director Sarah Robinson and graphic designer Andrew Vallas have put together something really amazing that perfectly captures the brooding menace of this grim campaign.

I'm probably more than a little biased, though, as besides the fact that gothic horror is my preferred cup of tea, the campaign is taking place in Ustalav, one of my favorite corners of Golarion. While Carrion Crown continues our long tradition of sword-swinging, spell-slinging high adventure, its inspirations come more from the pens of Bram Stoker, Mary Shelly, M. R. James, Shirley Jackson, and H. P. Lovecraft than J. R. R. Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and Jack Vance. Think of it as a campaign set in Transylvania rather than Camelot or the Hyborian Age.

In the weeks before the Carrion Crown Adventure Path begins, check back here for more previews on what to expect from the campaign. Things kick off in the coming months with "The Haunting of Harrowstone," a ghost story that sets the tone for the series perfectly. That same volume also includes details on the sleepy town of Ravengro, new rules and examples that vastly expand the haunts presented in the GameMastery Guide, a creepy new series in the Pathfinder's Journal (by yours truly), an outline of the entire campaign, monthly details on the legends and superstitions of Ustalav, and something a little bit different added to the campaign's Bestiary to increase your toolbox of classic horrors. We've also built a ton of support for the campaign into our Pathfinder Campaign Setting and GameMastery lines, but I'll show off some of that awesome insanity a bit later.

So get ready to start wrapping up those Serpent Skull campaigns, as the Carrion Crown Adventure Path kicks off 2011 with terror.

F. Wesley Schneider
Managing Editor

Illustration by Dave Rapoza

Hail to the Queen, Baby

Friday, January 15, 2010

Ramping up to Tuesday's announcement of this year's RPG Superstar first-round winners, I wanted to remind everybody what all the hype is about. Here we see the cover to Realm of the Fellnight Queen in all its splendor, part of the "trophy" for 2009's Superstar winner Neil Spicer. Neil's winning proposal debuts in just a few short weeks, and it looks absolutely incredible. So that's the prize folks! The chance to bring your villain, hero, monster, story, or whatever to life with some of the best artists and editors in the biz. So check back on Tuesday, and we'll see if this is the year your adventure comes to life!

Wes Schneider
Managing Editor