Interview with Venture-Captain Narsen

Thursday, October 8, 2020

Ambrus Valsin sits down and opens his copy of Absalom’s Anon and Afar broadsheet, scanning it for news of Pathfinder agent activity around the world. An article on the back page catches his eye and he pauses to read.

artist Riccardo Moscatello, a person standing in a hooded dark robe with one hand on a large amulet

Art by Riccardo Moscatello

Redacted from an article printed in the 1st Rova 4720 edition of The Serene Mask.
Recently, I had the good fortune to sit down with newly established venture-captain Narsen and ask a few questions about his newest endeavor in the city of Xer, fostering relations between the Pathfinder Society and our beloved nation of Razmiran. His answers, as always, show the glory of Razmir’s blessings on his followers. I encourage my readers to journey to Xer and visit the Lodge for yourself. -Talmat Urndrin

What’s your full name and title?
Narsen, no surname, Mask of the Twelfth Step, Venture-Captain of the Exalted Lodge, Priest of the Living God. For the sake of simplicity and posterity, you may call me simply Venture-Captain Narsen.

How did you become an adventurer?
Adventurer? Me? Oh, I daresay not. I’m simply a scholar and holy man whose service to his god and country requires consorting with a wide array of those who seek knowledge.

How did you become a Venture-Captain in the Society?
I pursued the opportunity myself, petitioning both my superiors within the church and the Pathfinder Society leadership at the Grand Lodge. Fortunately for me, both parties discovered that they had mutual interests and those interests were best served by allowing me to act as the liaison between the Pathfinder Society and Razmiran.


Which School did you train with?
I’m afraid I did not have the opportunity to train at one of the Society’s Schools. I was field commissioned as a reward for my efforts to foster the alliance that allowed my lodge to be created. I have exchanged several letters with the Master of Scrolls, Kreighton Shaine, however. A remarkable man with a fascinating mind; I fancy we might be something resembling friends, though we’ve yet to meet in person.

Did you support any Factions during your adventuring career?
Though I received my commission in the field, I must admit that I’m quite fond of the Grand Archive’s goals and mission. The pursuit and preservation of knowledge has been my own lifelong goal; knowledge, after all, is the power to shape the world in its most basic form.

How do you find that your experience as a priest of Razmir helps you with your job?
Hmmm… I think that perhaps the best way to answer your question is to say that Razmir helps those who help themselves. I receive Razmir’s blessings because I am good at my job, not the other way around.

Who is the most formidable opponent you’ve dealt with?
Oh, Ambrus Valsin, without a doubt. My esteemed superior in the Pathfinder Society received my initial request to open a lodge here with a great deal of skepticism, and I could show you cabinets full of our many correspondences. He is a remarkable intellect and unlike most men who possess such keen minds, he is keenly aware of his own limitations. I daresay I respect him more than any rival, monster, or heretic I have ever had to face.

What is some advice you have for the newest Pathfinder recruits?
Approach the world with an open mind. Every face, every locale, every turn of phrase is a treasure chest containing secrets shaped by generations. Accepting how little you know is the first step in discovering how much the world has to offer.

Who do you see as the Pathfinder Society’s ultimate foe?
Time itself, of course. Each day that passes, the last bearer of a secret that was once widely known passes from the world. A temple built to withstand a millennium sees that time end and crumbles to dust. As an organization that seeks to record the secrets of the world, there is no enemy more capable of thwarting the Society’s goals than time.

What do you never leave home without?
My mask and my wayfinder. I have two allegiances, the first to Razmir and the second to the Pathfinder Society, and I am quite proud of both. I would never deign to be seen without either.

Can you give us a funny story about being a Pathfinder?
I once met a fierce woman who had dedicated her life to Sarenrae. Each time she comes to the Exalted Lodge, she attempts to convince me that I am in need of her goddess’s redemption, and I try to convince her that her zeal and intellect would carry her far in the priesthood of Razmir. One day, she attempted to prove her goddess’s superiority by challenging me to a spell duel. She had apparently come to the obviously false conclusion that Razmir would not grant me magic to rival that given her by her goddess. I acquiesced to her request and gathered witnesses for a formal duel. When the duel began, she attempted to cast her first spell. I commanded her to sneeze in the name of Razmir and she did so, losing her spell. We went through this perhaps half a dozen times before she conceded. I fear she was quite unhappy about how the duel played out, though I must say I found the situation humorous. Power lies not in complexity, but in simplicity, and we should never assume that our beliefs constitute facts. Only the truth is the truth; all else is deceit and conjecture.

What is your favorite Golarion delicacy?
A few months ago, I traveled to Absalom to meet with Ambrus Valsin about some logistical matters. While there, I was introduced to a Vudran baker named Arvya who made the most delicious muffins I have ever tasted. I believe she used saffron and turmeric along with some kinds of seeds and berries, and the taste bordered on the divine. I offered her a job here at the Exalted Lodge but I’m afraid she declined. Apparently, she had already made a quite lucrative arrangement with Ambrus to supply the Grand Lodge with her delicacies while maintaining her business and interests in the city. She also declined to sell me her recipe, though I have Chef Mayar here at the lodge working diligently to unravel it, with full access to all the spices and ingredients I could obtain from the markets in the City at the Center of the World.

If you’re trying to impress someone visiting town, where do you take them?
Why, where else but the Exalted Lodge? A castle built on the bones of history and darker things, forged from the allied fires of Razmiri will and Pathfinder ingenuity. Save for Thronestep itself, there is no place in all of Razmiran as impressive as this hallowed edifice.

What part of your lodge do you most enjoy spending time in?
Our library. As you have no doubt gathered from our conversation, I value almost nothing so much as knowledge, and I daresay there is nowhere within a thousand miles where one can find as much knowledge as in the tomes and scrolls stored therein. Treatises on Razmir’s ascension to godhood, stories gathered from the far corners of the world by Pathfinders of all creeds and persuasion, scrolls retrieved from temples that stood in this region long before the fall of Aroden… I am proud of this collection and avail myself of it whenever I can. I’ve not yet read every piece of writing we have gathered but I certainly intend to do so.

artist Hazem Ameen, a stone lodge with a wooded gate with a large full face mask painted on the front, surrounded by a moat

Art by Hazem Ameen

Ambrus finishes reading, folds the broadsheet, then hesitates before adding it to the stack of read papers. He grabs a quill and parchment with which he writes a quick note, then rings the bell on his desk. A gray-robed initiate answers his summons immediately.

“Take this note to the scribes and ask them to send a copy to the quartermaster of every lodge surrounding Lake Encarthan and in the River Kingdoms posthaste. Have the scribes emphasize that finding a copy of the Rova edition of The Serene Mask takes precedence over other tasks. Dismissed!”

The Initiate grabs the note and rushes out the door.

“Oh Narsen,” Ambrus mutters. “What words of yours are they omitting?”

We hope you enjoyed Venture-Captain Narsen’s interview. Read more about Narsen and the Exalted Lodge in the Lost Omens: Pathfinder Society Guide available for pre-order now and releasing October 14th!

We’ll be back next week with more venture-captain goodness as well as using the Pathfinder Society Guide in the Pathfinder Society campaign.

Until then – Explore, Report, Cooperate!

Michael Sayre
Designer

Tonya Woldridge
Organized Play Manager

More Paizo Blog.
Tags: Organized Play Pathfinder Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Pathfinder Second Edition Pathfinder Society
Wayfinders 4/5 5/55/55/55/5 **** Contributor

11 people marked this as a favorite.

Arvya's divine muffins! I am sensing a new locale for mission briefings!

Paizo Employee Designer

8 people marked this as a favorite.
Hilary Moon Murphy wrote:
Arvya's divine muffins! I am sensing a new locale for mission briefings!

Arvya's divine muffins have appeared in three blogs, so I'm pretty sure they're firm canon now :)

4/5 ****

5 people marked this as a favorite.

I'm normally pretty unenthused by the bits of fiction in the OP blogs but this was amazing.

**

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Hilary Moon Murphy wrote:
Arvya's divine muffins! I am sensing a new locale for mission briefings!

Hmm... saffron, turmeric, seeds, berries... A shame the first of those is so blasted expensive.

Grand Lodge 4/5 5/55/5 ***

9 people marked this as a favorite.

I wouldn't trust this guy as far as I could shite him. He has allegiance to Razmir and that circumvents all other alliances including the Society...

Except of course for my own Razmiran Priest who thinks this turn of events is exactly what is needed by both the Faith and the Society. Congratulations Brother Narsen!

Grand Lodge 4/5

I'd expect him frequently butting heads with Eando Kline, it would be funny to see the dynamic between both. Otherwise I'd suspect he's also Razmir also sent him to the Society as a sort of ambassador or a liaison. After all there's seeing if a working relationship between the two organizations might work or not


I want to see more interviews like this.

2/5 5/5 *****

3 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Definitely wasn't expecting Narsen to become a Pathfinder, let alone a VC. Makes me wonder if he knows about Smine's special request....

Silver Crusade

1 person marked this as a favorite.

This Narsen speaks like he's never been knocked the f#&* out.

Dark Archive 2/5 ****

Pathfinder Maps Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

I must admit, our group wanted to kill Narsen when we met him in Scenario #1-18: Lodge of the Living God. We tried to kill his underling at the dock for what he was trying to do (the GM informed us that it wouldn't be a good idea).

I'll bet my priest of Sarenrae would not sneeze before getting off a Fireball...


I now want to make Arvya's divine muffins....and turn them into a cookie. But this could possibly just be me.

Wayfinders 4/5 5/55/55/55/5 **** Contributor

5 people marked this as a favorite.

Ron Lundeen has given me permission to note that Arvya's divine muffins have divine baking competition in Absalom now! One of the current "Starstone Aspirants" is Tufi, Goddess of baking.

"Think your muffins are divine? Wait until you taste my bridge of bread! It's time for a BAKE-OFF!"

-- Tufi, proprietor of Holy Breads of a Hundred Hungry Gods in Absalom's ascendant court district

Paizo Employee Designer

5 people marked this as a favorite.
Hilary Moon Murphy wrote:

Ron Lundeen has given me permission to note that Arvya's divine muffins have divine baking competition in Absalom now! One of the current "Starstone Aspirants" is Tufi, Goddess of baking.

"Think your muffins are divine? Wait until you taste my bridge of bread! It's time for a BAKE-OFF!"

-- Tufi, proprietor of Holy Breads of a Hundred Hungry Gods in Absalom's ascendant court district

I want to see the adventure centered around this legendary bake-off.

Wayfinders 4/5 5/55/55/55/5 **** Contributor

5 people marked this as a favorite.

You want to see it? I want to write it!

(And eat all the recipes... I should go off and bake something.)

Hmm

Grand Lodge 4/5 **** Venture-Captain, California—Sacramento

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Michael Sayre wrote:
Hilary Moon Murphy wrote:

Ron Lundeen has given me permission to note that Arvya's divine muffins have divine baking competition in Absalom now! One of the current "Starstone Aspirants" is Tufi, Goddess of baking.

"Think your muffins are divine? Wait until you taste my bridge of bread! It's time for a BAKE-OFF!"

-- Tufi, proprietor of Holy Breads of a Hundred Hungry Gods in Absalom's ascendant court district

I want to see the adventure centered around this legendary bake-off.

Might make a better novel than an adventure.

***

5 people marked this as a favorite.
Narsen wrote:
I once met a fierce woman who had dedicated her life to Sarenrae. Each time she comes to the Exalted Lodge, she attempts to convince me that I am in need of her goddess’s redemption

LOL one of my players in #1-18 declared their character was going to spend downtime in Razmir converting everyone to Sarenrae, and then rolled a nat 1 on the Perform check, which led to some snarky remarks on their Chronicle.

**

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Hilary Moon Murphy wrote:

Ron Lundeen has given me permission to note that Arvya's divine muffins have divine baking competition in Absalom now! One of the current "Starstone Aspirants" is Tufi, Goddess of baking.

"Think your muffins are divine? Wait until you taste my bridge of bread! It's time for a BAKE-OFF!"

-- Tufi, proprietor of Holy Breads of a Hundred Hungry Gods in Absalom's ascendant court district

I'm rooting for her success now, and would promptly roll up a character for that. Redeemer of baking? Save souls with bread?

Grand Lodge 4/5

" From now on I'll have to watch my personal coffers. Nothing worse than a Razmiri snooping around the Grand Lodge. One would already be paranoid for less, but when it involves more than 500000 GP worth of gear ... ! "

- Words of a (not-so) retired Pathfinder agent -

Horizon Hunters ****

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Hopefully we'll see more Razmiran intrigue in Season Four.

Wayfinders 4/5 5/55/55/55/5 **** Contributor

3 people marked this as a favorite.

I'd also love more blog interviews like this one with Venture Captains!

Paizo Employee Senior Designer

5 people marked this as a favorite.
Michael Sayre wrote:
Hilary Moon Murphy wrote:
Arvya's divine muffins! I am sensing a new locale for mission briefings!
Arvya's divine muffins have appeared in three blogs, so I'm pretty sure they're firm canon now :)

This reminded me that those muffins also appear in the Droven and Fumbus web stories, so they're for sure canon by this point.

"The children squealed with glee and quickly gathered in a semi-circle around Droven as he removed the cloth covering from the top of his wicker basket. Inside was a bottle of chilled juice and a pile of delicious, bright yellow muffins, courtesy of a kindly Vudran baker who supplied the Grand Lodge."

In a world like Golarion, adventurers come and go, but kickass muffins are forever.

Sczarni 5/5 5/55/5 ***

2 people marked this as a favorite.

Hence why Narsen wanted the recipe, to stave off its loss to time ^_^

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