Meet The Iconics: Korakai

Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Korakai’s earliest memory is of roiling seas. When he was but an egg, his family left the tengu homeland of Kwanlai, first trekking west to the port city of Goka before boarding a ship to the Inner Sea in search for a better life. Like many immigrants from Tian Xia, they headed for Absalom; however, where they eventually settled was not the City at the Center of the World, but the nearby Isle of Erran.

Korakai key art, credited to Wayne Reynolds

Korakai key art, credited to Wayne Reynolds

Korakai hatched and grew up on those shores, running barefoot on the beaches and rocks. Each day, his mother would dive beneath the waves, holding her breath to collect shellfish, seaweed, and other ingredients that Korakai carried to his family’s tavern. There, his father would cook and brew specialties both Tien and Avistani, many a mix of both. The tavern soon became a bustling place for sailors in port, and as Korakai took orders and carried drinks, he’d catch wind of stories from distant lands that he longed to see for himself.

Every so often, sailors would complain of ill winds or other troubles, and wonder whether the superstitions that tengu could ward off bad luck were true. Whenever they’d ask, Korakai’s father would interject, “Kora, go tell your grandfather someone’s here for him.” The old tengu with the faded feathers was well known among the sailors for his raucous stories and his rituals to dispel misfortune. Though Korakai suspected that much of the time, his grandfather was putting on a show, he knew that whenever the older tengu asked for his “walking stick”—a khakkhara, a ringed prayer staff that had been in the family for generations—what followed would be nothing less than a glimpse of old Kwanlai. As his grandfather glided in a whirling dance over the deck of a ship, magical feather fan in one hand and staff in the other, even Korakai’s clumsy grasp of the Tengu language could catch words of power amid the chiming of the staff’s rings.


One day, Korakai demanded to go with his grandfather out on the seas. A ferry needed to cross the channel to Kortos for much-needed medicines, despite signs of a storm, and the captain wanted a tengu on board. At first, it seemed like they would evade the worst, but the sea changes in the blink of an eye. A rogue gust pitched the vessel, almost knocking Korakai overboard, and he reached out with his hand for purchase, finding the end of his grandfather’s staff. For a moment, he clutched the staff, his grandfather holding the other end—then, the heirloom snapped. Korakai’s hand came away with broken metal, and as the khakkhara’s rings scattered into the raging sea, Korakai fell with them. The taste of salt assailed his open beak.

The light from the surface growing distant, Korakai glimpsed a shadow moving through the water toward him: a feathered shape, drinking gourd in one hand. Korakai reached his hand out for help, but the figure was swept away in a twin current of air and water, and Korakai could have sworn he saw a bearded man and a long-haired woman in the spiraling riptide. Again, Korakai tried to swim toward the currents, but again, shadows clashed together—a serpentine creature with a mane of lightning and a pearl-scaled sailfish battled a dragon with salt talons and an invisible force that churned the water into a glaring eye. Blasted back by their conflict, Korakai resigned himself to his fate and sank into the depths.

He fell for minutes, for hours, for an eternity, the surface a distant memory. Against flashes of lightning that had no right shining this far down, Korakai glimpsed gods, spirits, and more primordial things. Yet he saw that each shape, no matter how powerful, always coalesced from the same elements, and always returned to them once their business was done. In that moment, Korakai understood something, and with a peal of thunder, he broke the surface of the water.

On deck, Korakai coughed out seawater. The storm had ended, and though the sails were torn, the crew was miraculously unharmed. The sailors cheered for Korakai’s grandfather, thinking he had warded off the tempest, but the two tengu knew that it was no jinx-eating superstition to thank, but something deeper; the storm hadn’t passed at all, it had come to reside within Korakai. As he released his grip on the now-broken staff, sparks danced between his talons.

In the years that followed, Korakai learned how to channel and direct—never command—the powers he had discovered in the tempest. As his grandfather grew older, Korakai helped more and more with the elder tengu’s duties, and when he passed peacefully in his sleep one spring evening, sailors came from far and wide to witness Korakai return his ashes to the sea, each ship releasing a paper lantern to float across the waves in his memory. Not long thereafter, Korakai decided to leave the island. His parents were supportive; after all, they had crossed half of Golarion once before, why should they object to their son doing the same? Taking up his grandfather’s broken staff, Korakai boarded the next ship out, trading the promise of good luck for passage to distant ports.

Now, Korakai wanders the world with nothing more than the desire to see new sights and collect new experiences, above all hoping to one day visit Kwanlai for himself. Yet even so, he writes home often, sending coin for the tavern when he can, knowing that the beach he grew up on is but an ocean away.

James Case
Organized Play Developer

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Tags: Iconics Meet the Iconics Pathfinder Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Pathfinder Second Edition
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Grand Lodge

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Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber

Great job, James! I can't wait to see Korakai in action!


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Nice and heartwarming backstory!

Dark Archive

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Quite like this design (As opposed to the origonal iconic redesigns.) although part of me is curious on what informs decisions to change Iconics out? Also really hope we eventually get a catfolk or android iconic.

Grand Lodge

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Elfteiroh wrote:

The official iconics can’t be NPCs because they are Player stand ins. Maybe they can “graduate” into full NPCs?

More likely, they will be used as “minor” iconics for sub classes/example build.

Maybe they'll be used as Archetypal Iconics, since we know Class Archetypes are coming in the APG as well.

I know we've seen Damiel in artwork somewhere in a 2e rulebook. He's definitely still around.

Grand Archive

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Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
DarkenedRurouni wrote:
Elfteiroh wrote:

The official iconics can’t be NPCs because they are Player stand ins. Maybe they can “graduate” into full NPCs?

More likely, they will be used as “minor” iconics for sub classes/example build.

Maybe they'll be used as Archetypal Iconics, since we know Class Archetypes are coming in the APG as well.

I know we've seen Damiel in artwork somewhere in a 2e rulebook. He's definitely still around.

No, on the contrary, class archetypes have been confirmed to NOT be in the APG.

And Aaron above confirmed that the old Oracle iconic will be used to illustrate the flame oracle “build sample”, like those in the CRB.

And yeah, Damiel was in a two page big intro art in the Lost Omen World Guide book, but it was a mistake from the artist. In the art order, they asked for the alchemist iconic, and the artist just assumed they meant Damiel.


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Okay, I love Korakai and the fact that he comes from Tian Xia. I'm also glad that the oracle as depicted here is such a good match for a shaman, it would be good to not depend on druids exclusively (although if one day the shaman comes back as a full class - or at least an archetype - I certainly won't be the one to raise my voice against it).

I definitely hope Alahazra will not be completely phased out - we need more representation than ever, in every aspect of the game. Good representation, not monolithically evil orcs or scantily clad, sexually objectified exotic flowers. And a Black woman ceding her place to an anthro bird, as much as I love Kora and I love the Tibetan and Korean hints in his backstory, is not exactly what I was hoping for.

Still, love the story, love the character... hope for improvements.

Marketing & Media Manager

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Elfteiroh wrote:
DarkenedRurouni wrote:
Elfteiroh wrote:

The official iconics can’t be NPCs because they are Player stand ins. Maybe they can “graduate” into full NPCs?

More likely, they will be used as “minor” iconics for sub classes/example build.

Maybe they'll be used as Archetypal Iconics, since we know Class Archetypes are coming in the APG as well.

I know we've seen Damiel in artwork somewhere in a 2e rulebook. He's definitely still around.

No, on the contrary, class archetypes have been confirmed to NOT be in the APG.

And Aaron above confirmed that the old Oracle iconic will be used to illustrate the flame oracle “build sample”, like those in the CRB.

And yeah, Damiel was in a two page big intro art in the Lost Omen World Guide book, but it was a mistake from the artist. In the art order, they asked for the alchemist iconic, and the artist just assumed they meant Damiel.

We in marketing want to use the images of the “sample [insert class name]“ to showcase how diverse character creation can be in Pathfinder Second Edition. That includes Alahazra. Will they make it into comics, product art, fiction, etc.? That depends on the schemes of my coworkers. I really like where Mark is going as Director of Brand Strategy. :)

Grand Archive

Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Yeah. I’m pretty sure that if they have an idea that the “old” iconics fit, they will use them again.


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For some reason, the Oracle Iconic being hero birb fills me with an unrestrained glee.

Liberty's Edge

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Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber
CorvusMask wrote:

Tengu~<3

(really hoping they are common :3)

Second that notion on Common Ancestry for the Tengu. They were that way for most of the PF1 seasons...

Liberty's Edge

4 people marked this as a favorite.

A tengu clad in what appears to be an Eagle Knight's uniform covered by an ancient elven cloak bows slightly, their right palm held upright facing to the left.

"May the new generations of Tien-Ku guide the future Society for centuries if not aeons to come. May they find the wisdom they seek at not too great a personal cost, and gain enlightenment while doing so."

Liberty's Edge

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"BAH! Too much talking! The strength of a true warrior is in their ability to fight. May your battles be glorious and your enemies defeats bring the attention of Our Lord in Iron!" opines a scale-mail clad bird-person. "Let the fires of war be the judge of your character!"

The Exchange

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A laconic avianoid leans against a wall with a fedora pulled down slightly.

"If you should ever be down Senghor-way and need a private detective, give me a holler. Blaine Investigations, we recently won some race or something over in what used to be called Sargava."

Sovereign Court

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"Oh, my, what a handsome specimen you are! The clouds of scandal must follow you like the winds. I hope to hear many, many such juicy tales...."

The speaker is a nobly dressed birdfolk, her outfit bearing the telltale yellow and black of the Savored Sting.

The Exchange

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A note wafts down for Korakai from seemingly nowhere. It's not a note... it's a business card.

Karasuma Tazou, Attorney At Law, Accredited in Absalom, Varisia, Nirmathas, Goka. Fees waived for Pathfinder Agents in good standing with the Society.

Silver Crusade

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A swashbawkler with feathers dyed the colors of the rainbow dances excitedly at the introduction and warbles in a singsong happy sounds of encouragement and hope.

Silver Crusade

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A seemingly curmudgeonly grandmother leans on her well-crafted darkwood quarterstaff, her shining mithral plate armor fitting her bird features like a glove.

"Kid, it's unlikely that we'll adventure together, as these bones are getting too old for this kind of thing and I've got a lot of fledgelings to watch after. Remember that you carry the weight of expectation for a bunch of us, and never be afraid to question respectfully -- even your elders. That being said, I hope you have a lot of great adventures, and perhaps Grandmother Crow will watch over your shoulder when things are at their roughest."

Dark Archive

I have tengu librarian(ninja) for dark archive, but I don't do forum roleplaying nowadays :p


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Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
thunderspirit wrote:
Sasha Laranoa Harving wrote:
I LOVE KORAKAI.a
Wei Ji will be so happy.

Happy? Perhaps.

Ecstatic? Maybe.

Optimistic? Defnitely.

....as the folks above may have indicated, each in their own way.


I don't like iconics being non-standard races. It dramatically alters the feel of the game and definitely makes it seem like the game must be played as an "anything goes" free-for-all.


My friends are definitely excited for tengu, and the iconic design was a big hit!


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Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Personally?

Having a distinctive Iconic race that's not a planar scion is one of the draws of PF2, in a way that goblins can't address.

Now if we can bring along our scaly smolfren (read: Kobolds) then we're really cooking with gas...

:>

Silver Crusade

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emky wrote:
I don't like iconics being non-standard races. It dramatically alters the feel of the game and definitely makes it seem like the game must be played as an "anything goes" free-for-all.

It’s a bird, not a living void that consumes Smells to survive.

Dark Archive

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Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Rysky wrote:
emky wrote:
I don't like iconics being non-standard races. It dramatically alters the feel of the game and definitely makes it seem like the game must be played as an "anything goes" free-for-all.
It’s a bird, not a living void that consumes Smells to survive.

I still wish astomoi come back in any form ;D Even if they are weird high level adventurer from mystical land of earth~


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I don't see how non-core ancestries "alter the feel of the game", considering... they already exist in the game and world.


4 people marked this as a favorite.
Rysky wrote:
emky wrote:
I don't like iconics being non-standard races. It dramatically alters the feel of the game and definitely makes it seem like the game must be played as an "anything goes" free-for-all.
It’s a bird, not a living void that consumes Smells to survive.

Can confirm, would play fart void.

Edit: the best part of this post is that it was an autocompleted post. It was supposed to say flappy boi, but...


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I've only just met Korakai and I would die for him.


All Glory to the Stormcrow.


I love it. One of my favorite Pathfinder characters was a Tengu Oracle not so imaginatively named Nevar Suvroc. Glad to see this ancestry being an iconic and quite pleased it's my favorite class.


I like this! How long before we see APG iconics in the Adventure Paths?

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

This was a lovely story!

Hmm

Lantern Lodge

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

Oh my goodness. This article brought most of the flock out in response. That deserves some applause, or perhaps some loud squawking right before nighttime.


Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Ly'ualdre wrote:

Khakkhara confirmed? I hope so. I'd love to see more cultural player options delivered early on in PF2s lifeline. We have quite a few options already where weapons are concerned, like the katana or khopesh. But i fear with items like the tetsubo being seemingly phased out, no longer being Yamatsumi's favored weapon; it seems we may be backpaddling and missing opportunities where real world cultures are concerned. Maybe I'm over thinking it, but I feel with the new trait system for weapons and armor, the change and omission of the tetsubo as a unique weapon separate from the average two-handed club was odd. Could have had an armor breaking trait imo.

Rather than all having varied stats (and ending up as exotic weapons or rare options) I'd rather have fewer stat lines but plenty of varied art, names and background stories for the versions across different cultures


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Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Love Korakai!

First time I've had an iconic grab me so much I want to seek out a PFS game purely to get a chance to play them.


Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Love Korakai!

Never had an iconic grab me so much I want to find a PFS game purely to play them - he sounds awesome.

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