During Gen Con, we were finally able to reveal our newest Pathfinder setting book, Pathfinder Lost Omens Rival Academies! This book features Golarion’s most fantastic schools meeting and sharing their secrets in a grand Convocation. Over a dozen schools are attending, with each getting to show off its stories and teachings, but six sponsors are taking the main stage, so we thought we’d introduce them to you here!
These academies get to show off more of what they’re best at—not to mention, teach their secrets to player characters—whether that’s archetypes, gadgets, spells, wizard schools, or something else entirely. The six sponsors come from vastly different backgrounds, momentarily united in the dual goals of supporting a new academy at the edge of the devastated Sarkoris Scar and spreading some of their knowledge so that it cannot all be lost in a single disaster.
As with most academic gatherings, rivalry underscores the Convocation’s shared missions. In addition to sparking exhibits and clashes of wits, theories are tested daily on the demons that still linger in the lands of Sarkoris. With honest competition and underhanded dealings alike raising tensions, it’s important to know what side you’re on.
Students from the Magaambya and the University of Lepidstadt meet on the cover to Lost Omens Rival Academies, by Ekaterina Gordeeva!
The Six Sponsors
Academy of the Reclamation symbol by Riccardo Rullo. The Academy of the Reclamation is a new school dedicated to rebuilding Sarkoris and reuniting the knowledge of its scattered descendants. Built in Nerosyan just across the river from the Sarkoris Scar, this academy is the host of the Six Schools’ Convocation. In addition to learning this ancestral lore and the secrets of Sarkoris’s old gods, its students are also exploring the lessons hidden in the Sarkoris Scar and brought home by their returning cousins.
Cobyslarni is the name of both an institution and the titanic elephantine headmaster on whose back it rests. Normally found wandering through the fey realms of the First World, Cobyslarni’s teachings focus on the magical power of oaths and agreements. With their headmaster temporarily residing on the Convocation grounds, many of their students are having their first taste of the mortal world.
Cobyslarni symbol by Riccardo Rullo.
Kitharodian Academy symbol by Riccardo Rullo. Kitharodian Academy teaches acting and music in the heart of Taldor, with every generation finding new ways to recapture hints of that empire’s golden age. It also serves a secondary purpose as the recruiting and training grounds for the Lion Blades, the empire’s intelligence service. Despite this open secret, the school is legitimately concerned with preserving the knowledge of their fading homeland.
Magaambya symbol by Rogier van de Beek. The Magaambya passes on their teachings over millennia in the Mwangi Expanse, blending arcane and primal magics. As one of the oldest and most influential academies in the Inner Sea, the Magaambya is a major force behind the Six Schools’ Convocation and the broader efforts to aid the Sarkorian people. However, this influence does not sit well with all the other academies, especially those espousing radical new solutions.
Monastery of Unbreaking Waves symbol by Oleg Bulatnikov. The Monastery of Unbreaking Waves believes there are many paths to perfection, with theirs focusing on the flexibility and tenacity of water. This perfection is visible in a variety of martial and mystical arts, but their academy’s recovery after utter destruction may display it better. Grueling effort reconstructs the secrets of the few remaining books with new lessons from other schools in Jalmeray and even genies from the Plane of Water.
University of Lepidstadt symbol by Riccardo Rullo. The University of Lepidstadt blazes at the forefront of discovery, heedless of any obstacles or objections. Even the religious and cultural strictures of Ustalav only drive Lepidstadt’s experiments with crackling Stasian coils and reanimation of the flesh into hiding.
Invitees across Golarion
In addition to the six schools sponsoring the Convocation, various invitees from all across Golarion are in attendance, from Absalom’s own Dacilane Academy to the Indraracha Institute in Tian Xia’s Tang Mai. Each is ready with their own perspective, as well as an item, spell, or some other piece of knowledge to contribute. One school we’re sure many will recognize is the Sihedron Spires, who bring with them their knowledge of rune magic and the (now fully remastered) runelord archetype!
A practitioner of rune magic calls on the destructive powers of Wrath! Art by Cagdas Demiralp.
Meet our Writers!
It was up to the authors of this book to bring these schools and other attendees to life, giving each their own voice and beliefs that you can embody through PCs and NPCs alike. I’d like to thank Sharang Biswas, Jeremy Blum, Carlos Cisco, Aoife Ester, Laura Lynn Horst, Andrew Mullen, Kendra Leigh Speedling, Stephanie Lundeen, Mahpiya, Collette Quach, Mikhail Rekun, Erin Roberts, Navaar Seik-Jackson, Shahreena Shahrani, Gina Susanna, Tan Shao Han, and Esther Wallace.
Developing the Looks
Lastly, an important part of bringing these schools to life was their look. While we had a good number of references for the look of the Magaambya and Lepidstadt, some of our other schools just haven’t had much time in the spotlight (and the Academy of the Reclamation is brand new!), so let me show you a bit of how they look around the Convocation in this concept art from our very own Kent Hamilton.
Academy of the Reclamation and Cobyslarni concept art by Kent Hamilton.
Kitharodian Academy and Monastery of Unbreaking Waves concept art by Kent Hamilton.
Landon Winkler (they/them)
Developer
Meet the Schools of Lost Omens Rival Academies!
Wednesday, August 21, 2024
