Quoth the Tengu, "Adventure More"

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

One of the great advantages of working in the organized play medium is that we produce so many scenarios. That means that when there's a lot of fan interest in a certain area, group, or topic, we can usually look a little further down the schedule and say, "I think we could make some room here." Every since Pathfinder Society Scenario #6-13: Of Kirin and Kraken we've had more requests for adventures set in Kwanlai and featuring tengus. For that matter, ever since Taldor was a Pathfinder Society faction, players and GMs have asked me when they'd be able to bring about serious reform in that nation—admittedly some were asking so that they could snag a better noble title. This month we're doing both, and we're really pleased with the scenarios releasing today.

For all Kwanlai's outward appearance as a unified nation, it's a diverse confederation of tengu clans that often contend with each other over power, religion, and deeply rooted feuds. The isolated village of Yiangma is a spectator in many of these feuds, instead dedicated to maintaining an ancient shrine with heavenly ties. However, the village's priests have not sent any report to its archon contact, Zepha, in a long time. Concerned that something might be wrong, Zepha tasks the PCs in Pathfinder Society Scenario #9-12: Shrine of the Sacred Tempest with traveling to Yiangma to check in, after which they are free to study the settlement's priceless relics and history for the Society.

In this Tier 1-5 adventure by Justin Juan, the PCs explore a village comprised almost entirely of tengus, immersing the PCs in rural Kwanlai's culture and the greater region's history. Naturally, we couldn't present a Kwanlai scenario without highlighting the tengus' favorite deity, the tempestuous Hei Feng, and we're very excited about the excellent illustrations by Tom Ventre that appear in this scenario. It should also come as no surprise that any task so closely tied to an archon also has strong Silver Crusade connections, too. Finally, if you're dismayed that such a fun scenario's too low level for your beloved tengu character, I'm happy to report that there's a Tier 5-9 scenario coming up in this region in a few more months.

Illustrations by Tom Ventre

Ever since my colleague Crystal Frasier and I began planning the War for the Crown Adventure Path, we wanted to tell the story of Taldor's succession conflict from the perspective of multiple campaigns. Not only does that approach demonstrate that such major events don't happen inside a vacuum, but this development has also remained one of the Sovereign Court faction's top projects. Taldor's senate has been fiercely debating the antiquated rule of primogeniture, the nation's practice of passing the crown only to a male heir. On one side is Princess Eutropia, the reform-minded daughter of the current ruler. On the other is Grand Prince Stavian III, her increasingly paranoid father. The Sovereign Court backs Eutropia, and in the past several months' scenarios, Pathfinders have assisted this faction—both to help Lady Morilla as well as to secure historical resources that the Society's long wanted to study. Now it's all come to this: an imminent senate vote that coincides with a major Taldan holiday.

Remember how I mentioned Crystal and I were coordinating stories? One of my favorite elements is how this month's Pathfinder Society Scenario #9-13: The Lion's Justice happens at the same time as many events in Pathfinder #127: Crownfall, the first installment in War for the Crown, each portraying the action from a different angle. Sounds tough to coordinate? It's definitely taken some forethought and effort, yet our jobs were made so much easier by convincing Thurston Hillman (also our Starfinder Society Developer) to write both adventures. This experiment in product interaction—and this Tier 7-11 scenario with Sovereign Court ties—wouldn't have been the same without his tireless contributions.

And if these bold illustrations by Sebastian Rodriguez are any indication, it's all paid off beautifully. Anyone who's mocked Taldor's competences has clearly never had to face down its greatest knights.

Illustrations by Sebastian Rodriguez

Finally, you'll notice that #9-13 has a rather weird boon on its Chronicle sheet, and I'd like to explain that for anyone wondering.

Spoilers for The Lion's Justice

For a long while we've noticed that the Pathfinder Society doesn't have much of a retirement plan. Sure, there was the old wisdom that one's career ended at 12th level—which we've since dispelled with sanctioned modules and ongoing seeker-level content—but what happens after a PC decides to hang up her greatsword, change careers, or even retire in-world?

To this end, we've included a boon with the Legacy tag on this scenario's Chronicle sheet. A Legacy boon doesn't necessarily have any mechanical benefits. Instead, its primary purpose is to note the meaningful impact your character had on the world, whether that's changing a country or just changing a life. We also intend for Legacy boons to convey some in-world perk with long-lasting effects, much as is the case in this adventure, with your character having a place where everyone's always ready to treat her like family. Finally, adding a specific tag allows us to consider future boons that might interact with Legacy boons, allowing us to tie together these events more cleanly.

Overall, though, it's a reminder of something good that you did. Enjoy!

John Compton
Organized Play Lead Developer