DrPete's page

I guess I don't see there as anything wrong with Galt. I actually think it's an important part of the story of that area, and though you can see some obvious French parallels, it's hardly the only thing going on.

You have the fall of the Cheliax Empire as a result of the death of its god. You have civil war there, until devil worshippers raise an army of devils to restore order. As a result of all this, they lose some of their holdings.

In Galt, you have someone challenge the whole monarchical system, and that sweeps up Andoran and Galt into massive changes. Andoran produces something new and fairly stable, and Galt collapses into anarchy and bloodshed.

What actually happened in Galt? Well, among other things, you have soul stealing execution devices. This, to me, sounds like Stormbringer in the public square. Perhaps Galt's violence and bloodshed are actually the result of demonic influence... various powers stirring up the crowds to bloodshed.

Alternatively, you could look at it as a heavily destabilizing influence on Andoran. They have the Andoran military out turning away refugees, for crying out loud. The demagogues are whipping the mob up into a frenzy, and trying to aim it at Andoran.

The whole situation's got a lot of potential. It's basically a failed state, which to me calls up images of Somalia or Afghanistan. Why isn't it overrun with warlords? Well, it is, but they aren't in the cities, they're out in the wilderness, raiding people for what they want, because the cities are too volatile. It's a power vacuum, and various forces are trying to fill it, but none are yet strong enough to overcome the various demagogues. They need a Rome to come in and quell the unrest, filling the streets with crucifixes bearing the seditious element. Could that Rome be Cheliax recapturing its territory?

Hi,

My character's profile lists two games I've played, but one has a comment that says I had already played in the adventure at a previous event, and doesn't update my prestige. As it was my first experience with Pathfinder, I certainly hadn't played it before. How can I fix it, or should I not worry about it?

Dr Pete

Hi all,

Just trying to understand the Varisians... the material in the Setting more or less describes them as gypsies, but that doesn't work for a whole country (as far as I can tell) and there seem to be three groups which you might call Varisians. Here's what I make of them

1) The Shoanti -- ruthless nomads and/or confidence men

2) The Varisians of Varisia -- formerly herders and horsemen who've adapted to the presence of the Chelaxians, and become farmers

3) The Varisians of the diaspora -- Gypsies moving between settled areas in caravans, entertainers mostly

I base this on the idea that you can't wander from city to city if there aren't any cities, and there don't seem to've been any in Varisia before the arrival of the Chelaxians. Meanwhile, the areas of influence of Korvosa and Magrimar cover all of the arable land "near" them, so they've reshaped those areas of the country in their image.

Make sense?

What I'm not sure about includes: who are the Varisian Council? They seem to be something like "elders", but they are primarily described in a way that makes them seem like land holders. As I put it together, the Chelaxians brought their feudal system to Varisia, and transformed various leaders into landholders. Their people became the Varisians, and settled in to work the land for city states.

Towns like Sandpoint get created by the creation of a charter between the land owner (some part of the Varisian Council) and the town founders, who then owe a tax to the owner. Ok, I don't fully understand the system, but that's my first stab at it.

Dr Pete