Getting to Know You: Venture-Captain Sigvard Tornkvist

Zarta looks at her desk, where a small note sits atop a larger sheaf of papers. She picks up the note cautiously, glancing downward at the signature, then back at the top, a small look of puzzlement on her features.

“Dear Zarta,
Enclosed, please find a copy of an article appearing in the Sothis Star. After my promotion, I requested formal retirement from the Risen Guard. A few weeks later, a reporter from the broadsheet sent word they would like to interview me for an article. I thought you may like a copy for the Grand Archives.

Your esteemed colleague,
Sigvard

As Zarta finishes reading, she retrieves a small clip from the drawer of her desk. Securing the note to the sheaf of papers, she sets the papers on a large stack at the top of her desk and pulls the next page of correspondence towards her.

Illustration of Sigvard by Raf Kayupov, and illustration of the Lodge of the Open Road heraldry by Alex Stone

Published in the Sothis Star, 1 Lamashan 4720.

What’s your full name and title?
Venture-Captain Sigvard Tornkvist the Risen.

How did you become an adventurer?
In my village, tucked away on the border of Molthune and Nirmathas, lived a retired Pathfinder. He would tell stories of his adventures, and I’d share my visions. After sharing visions of a rising tide engulfing a floating city lit by a radiant white stone and of monkeys climbing a black basalt tower, he sponsored my admission to the Pathfinder Society. I trained at the Grand Lodge, then entered active duty as a Pathfinder agent

How did you become a Venture-Captain in the Society?
After defeating the Thorned Monarch, we established the Lodge of the Open Road. Gregaro Voth, being both ancient and tied to the lodge, felt he wasn’t the person to lead. For my contributions to the Society over the years, Eliza offered the position to me. In Voth I found a kindred soul and his experience supports my knowledge of the Society. I think we make a perfect pair.

Did you support any Factions during your adventuring career?
I aided several Factions. First, Osirion. I fell in love with the sandswept valleys and rugged mountainous peaks while reading the ancient tomes during training. I traveled there at the first opportunity, and when I died at the hands of a manticore, the Ruby Prince arranged my return and granted me a position in the Risen Guard. When Amenopheus fell out of favor with the Ruby Prince, I followed Amenopheus to the Scarab Sages as he pursued knowledge of his past. After his removal as leader in favor of Tahonikepsu, I continued to support the Sages. As their mission wrapped up, I focused more on service directly to the Society, helping behind the scenes with research and divinations.

What is some advice you have for the newest Pathfinder recruits?
Don’t discount divination magics. I’ve heard talk that it isn’t a real school of magic, that it’s practitioners are lesser magicians. I cannot count the times my knowledge of a situation allowed my team to effectively handle a situation. In all the years of adventuring, teams I was in lost less than five allies, and of those we beseeched Pharasma to return all but one to life. Even my own death was preventable, if I would have focused and prepared instead of just running into the fray.

Who is the most formidable opponent you’ve dealt with?
Grandmaster Torch. Even my skills didn’t allow me to see his layer upon layer upon layer situation. So much to unpack from his beginnings as a Pathfinder to his later works. In the end, he embodies such pathos that one can’t help but feel for him. I expect it is why I and my fellow Pathfinders allowed him to leave the field alive when we last met.

Who do you see as the Pathfinder Society’s ultimate foe?
Ourselves. In our hubris, we do not prepare. By not preparing, we allow travesty to happen. We knew the Whispering Tyrant would escape, for what prison is secure? But we chose to not keep close enough eye on his doings. We should have known there was corruption in the Decemvirate. Anonymity and the resources of the Society cannot but tempt someone to baser acts. Only in preparation can we hope to defeat any new travails.

Do you have any rituals or habits you perform while adventuring?
I start the day with a cup of tea and a divination ritual. Once I glean a sense of what is to come, I am ready to start my day. The last thing I do before bed is check my crossbow, making sure the string is good and it will work if needed. For while I wield the power of the arcane, nothing can compare to a tidy bolt between the eyes of an enemy.

Do you have a set group you adventure with?
My first assignment was to the Blakros Museum of Absalom. They were having issues with a strange mist. My companions on that journey were Tragar, a dwarven ranger, Aramil, a half-elf alchemist, and Bo-Dean, a Gebbite follower of Asmodeus, and Grinkle, a gnome infiltrator. Unfortunately, Grinkle flew from the top of a ziggurat and retired from Pathfinding shortly afterward. But the rest of us worked well together, so we formed a core group and spent many years wandering together. Eight years later, we settled down and unfortunately grew apart, though I do keep in regular contact with Bo-Dean and sporadic contact with Aramil. I haven’t heard from Tragar in some years. We were planning one final adventure together, but alas, it hasn’t happened.

What do you never leave home without?
My spellbook. It is gorgeous old leather tome with the Osirian scarab on it. My parents commissioned it upon my completion of my Confirmation. It reminds me of them and holds my most important possession. Without it, I would be lost. Though if you asked my companions, it would be my crossbow.

When you’re not working for the Society, how do you spend your time?
Is there such a thing as not working for the Society? It’s been such a part of my life for the past 15 years. I do like to read, and the Society has a number of tomes I haven’t gotten to yet. I also like to putter in the kitchen, something moving to the Open Road Lodge allows more freedom to do. The cooks of the Grand Lodge did not approve when I tried to intrude on their domain, so I retreated quickly. Though they did provide some tasty pastries as consolation for my defeat.

What is your favorite Golarion vacation spot?
Magnimar. I spent several months there some years back, aiding the Venture-Captains Heidmarch. The city displays such beauty and the mysteries left behind by the Runelords. I could spend years diving into the history of it all and not scratch the surface. Plus the weather is more temperate. I do enjoy Osirian history, but it can get a bit hot in Sothis.

What is your favorite delicacy?
Rolled cinnamon cakes with just a touch of sweet drizzle on the top. While plain is good, I prefer mine filled with chopped bits of apple or raisins. A roll and a cup of rich black tea is the perfect way to start a morning. During my travels, I’ve been seeking out regional variations. Some countries swap out the cinnamon for a spice mix of clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice, others make the cinnamon into a paste before smearing it in the bread. I heard that Vudrans make a similar dish with chili as a component, but I’ve not tried it yet.

What’s your favorite place in the Lodge of the Open Road?
The Gardens, particularly near the roses and floral arches. The Lodge is lush and green, a perfect idyll, manifested by Gregaro from the fabric of the demiplane. I enjoy it when he will join me, as he is a window into the Society, our past, and what we can learn to lead into the future. He has so many stories, and I’m appreciative he shares them with me.

Lodge of the Open Road, by Hazem Ameen

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Come back later to learn about how to give your Pathfinder character options from the Lost Omens: Pathfinder Society Guide.

Until then – Explore, Report, Cooperate!

Tonya Woldridge
Organized Play Manager