Author Spotlight: Absalom Nights

It’s been a long journey, but Absalom, City of Lost Omens is almost here! That means it’s time for the authors of that book to step forward and take a bow. While the writers of our Paizo products are always credited in the front and back of the books, a simple name in a byline doesn’t give readers much information on the people who work to bring the setting to life! I reached out to the authors with the intent of promoting them—as well as any other personal work they would like to show off, so that new fans of their work could find other projects, RPG products, websites, livestreams, and more to enjoy! If there’s a section in the book that you particularly liked, why not check out the author behind it today?

Eleanor Ferron
Pathfinder Developer

Allie Bustion

Hey there, Allie here! I’m a freelance game designer and writer with indie projects of my own but also work on games like the Thirsty Sword Lesbians expansion Advanced Lovers and Lesbians (“Shinsei Galactic Puroresu: The Final Engagement — Revolution”), Brinkwood: The Blood of Tyrants (“The Scene Is Dead, Long Live The Scene”), and Into the Mother Lands. Sealord Amodjun and Iolanthe were among the first NPCs I ever wrote for Paizo. Looking back, I think I’ve grown a lot since, but they’re NPCs I’ve still got some fondness for.

You can find me around the internet on Twitter talking about my cat (http://twitter.com/madpierrot), Twitch playing and making games (http://twitch.tv/madpierrottv), TikTok serving up GMing and game design advice (https://www.tiktok.com/@lemadpierrot), and Patreon also making games (http://patreon.com/madpierrot). You can also check out my itch.io page ((https://madpierrot.itch.io/) for my games like HEIST and The Way You Make Me Feel.

Jeremy Corff

Hello! I’m Jeremy, and I was thrilled to write Haigen Topkick for the Absalom, City of Lost Omens book. The Puddles has always been a great adventure location in Absalom, and I couldn’t pass up a chance to contribute to that dangerous local. I hope ol’ Haigen has a chance to make things more complicated for anybody who ventures into the water-logged district he calls home.

If you’d like to find out more about other projects I’ve worked on, you can find me on Twitter at @Belabras or at my Starfinder blog https://solorunstudio.com/ where I post weekly homebrew Starfinder content. You can also find my work in my Starfinder adventure “Added Value,” in several Legendary Games publications, Wayfinders #16 through #21, on Starfinder Infinite, and in the upcoming Kingmaker Anniversary Edition Companion Guide.

Vanessa Hoskins (she/her)

Hello everyone! I had the pleasure of writing The Docks and the Wise Quarter sections. The Docks is the perfect place to go to wish loved ones a "bon voyage" or check on the latest imported wares from Arcadia. There’s also Besmara’s Boardwalk for some carnival games and deep-fried foods, or The Mithril Chef for a fine dining experience where Chef Claudette Butterfoot creates masterpieces out of rare, and sometimes dangerous, ingredients.
If you want to get cozy with a book at a tea house, or study for your Conjuration final, or engage in book-smuggling, then the Wise Quarter is the place for you. As one of the sleepier parts of Absalom, it’s perfect for students, scholars, and library enthusiasts. Just watch your coin purse, because the Learned Guard cares more if you paid your silver letters than if someone took your coin purse. What are "silver letters" you ask? Read the book!

Once you’ve done that, read Vellum & Lace, a work of serialized fiction on Pathfinder Infinite that takes place in the City at the Center of the World and explores all sorts of exciting locales.

James Jacobs

A book about Absalom was one of the first things we published ages ago, and since then most of the development for the city has happened organically across all sorts of products—but mostly through Organized Play. A big part of what I worked on in this book gets categorized under the “Help Erik create text for the connective tissue” once we got started with the first (and smaller) incarnation of this book. There was a lot of connective tissue to create, but my focus was mostly on NPCs and additional locations and sidebar content. Looking back on it all, though, I think the part I enjoyed the most (and I hope folks like it as well!) was writing the various songs that you’ll see in some of the sidebars. It was tough to not go on for pages once I got going on one of them!

Virginia Jordan

Virginia is a life-long PNW resident who loves nothing more than beekeeping, memes about dogs, and completely useless facts about Medieval history. Having worked at Paizo for two years, their time there only fostered their love of fantasy roleplaying games. Their favorite Pathfinder subjects to write about are diseases and fae creatures, and the weirder the subject matter, the better. In their free time, they enjoy LARPing and creating props and costumes. They are also a professional photographer with a focus on non-traditional portraiture. You can find their work at JordanImages.com

Matt Morris

I’m Matt Morris, and I’ve been lucky enough to do freelance writing for Pathfinder and Starfinder for several years now, working with Paizo and a few 3rd-party companies, including Everybody Games and Rogue Genius Games.

The Lost Omens line for Pathfinder Second Edition has given me the opportunity to explore some of my favorite parts of the setting in the Lost Omens Character Guide, Lost Omens: Gods & Magic, Lost Omens: Legends, and Lost Omens: The Grand Bazaar. Now I’m excited to be contributing to the description of the Coins, Absalom’s bustling commercial district.

I keep an up-to-date list of my work on my Paizo profile, and I’m always looking for interesting projects, so feel free to contact me if you are looking for a reliable writer!

When not writing, I’m teaching high school English near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Mikhail Rekun

Уважаемые читатели, дожили! I’m Mikhail Sergeyevich Rekun, and you may recall me from past Lost Omens such as Legends (Baba Yaga, Eutropia) and Mwangi Expanse (Mbe’ke, gnolls, Mwangi Jungle, Terwa Uplands). When not writing for Paizo, I’m a Russian-American historian, educator, and author.

I wrote for Absalom fairly early in my freelancing career, and it was until very recently my largest project by far. I wrote the Shadow War section, the Petal District, and several of the NPCs, including Dyrianna, Lady Adrielle, Lord Kerkis, Lord Avid, and my personal favorite, Samel Maleagant of the Court of Black Paper (last seen snooping around Eutropia in Lost Omens Legends). Looking back, I’m still quite proud of the things that I wrote, particularly the Court of Black Paper (an exceedingly heterodox Norgorberite cult) and the contours of the Shadow War at large (a political struggle with genuine issues that make for some very strange bedfellows).

I should mention that I am also working these days on a different sort of city book, Ourichor: Fulcrum of the Luminant Age, a rather stranger sort of city spread across seven ancient derricks in a world recovering from the Cold Darkness. Check it out at https://twitter.com/LuminantA!

David N. Ross

I'm delighted to bring you much of the chapters on Absalom’s ancient and magical keeps and the military organizations that run them. I have a special place in my heart for the Starwatch and all sorts of spycraft. Since I can never get enough politics and intrigue, my next big project is a Pathfinder first edition sourcebook with rules supporting that kind of play. It’s called Spheres of Guile from Drop Dead Studios, and it's now live on Kickstarter! You can also find me on Twitter @DavidRossWorlds

Shahreena Shahrani

Marhaba! I’m Shahreena Shahrani, a Malaysian-American educator, writer, and researcher. I’ve been contributing to the expanding worlds of Pathfinder and Starfinder for several years. I can’t tell you how happy I am that this book is finally out!

My contribution to the licit and illicit! markets and drugs, trademasters, and guilds in the Lost Omens line for Pathfinder Second Edition has been inspired by the peoples and cultures of the Middle East. From the stimulating qat cultivated on the terraced mountains of Sana’a (Yemen); to the historic Khan el-Khalili souq in Cairo (Egypt), where merchants and artisans enjoy the thrill of haggling and bartering with customers; to the night market at Jemaa el-Fnaa in Marrakesh (Morocco), where vendors and their wares appear almost magically with the setting of the sun; and the incredible warmth, generosity, and strength of diverse peoples. I also named one of the NPCs, Namira, after my cat!

When not gaming, I teach Arabic and Persian culture courses, and deliver lectures/presentations on hot topics to government agencies and personnel. Additionally, I create storytelling adapted from world folklore on my YouTube channel.

I’m always looking for interesting projects, so feel free to email me at shahreena_s@yahoo.com.