Gnoll Bard's page

My Pathfinder Society Bard, Reed Starling, is a halfling who grew up on a small family vineyard near Carpenden in Andoran. A devout worshiper of Desna possessed of a powerful drive to see and experience new things, he's always curious about exotic local dishes. In his time with the society he's sampled lye fish and strong mead in Kalsgard, palm wine and peppersoup in Bloodcove, and delicate canipés with strong elven absinthe in Iadara, to name just a few.

At the end of the day, however, his preferred comfort food is good, old-fashioned halfling home cooking. Vegetable stews flavored with wild herbs and red wine, fermented dry sausages, warm bread with farm-fresh butter or cheese, and savory stuffed grape leaves - these are a few of his childhood favorites that have sustained him in times of trouble. Coming from a family of vintners, he firmly believes that no proper meal is complete without a glass or two of wine, and there's nothing he loves more on a cold winter's night than a hot mug of mulled wine.

Once again, rolled using Random.org:

Glamreal, the Heart Fire, Spirit of Ardor
Neutral Good intermediate god of courage, determination, and passion

Domains: Charm, Fire, Good, Healing, Strength
Subdomains: Agathion, Ash, Love, Lust, Resolve, Resurrection
Favored Weapon: Javelin
Holy Symbol: A burning heart

Glamreal, the Heart Fire, Spirit of Ardor, is the god who places fire in warrior's bellies and ignites the passion of young lovers. He is the blazing beacon that inspires heroes to stand against impossible odds and the divine spark that allows athletes to press on even after the strength has gone out of their aching limbs. He is the giver of passion that continues to burn, even in the face of death.

Glamreal is an ancient deity, and not one given to explaining himself. His holy symbol is found in ancient sites around the world and there are few corners of the modern world where his worship is totally unknown, and yet little is known of his origin. Some propose that he may be related to the similarly fiery Arkesht, and some ancient texts describe him as the "elder brother" of Polyphenna, but ultimately these claims are mere speculation. Some have gone so far as to suggest that it was Glamreal who first bestowed the spark of life to the first living things, but other faiths usually deny this claim.

Glamreal's worshipers include many good-aligned soldiers and adventurers, as well as healers who work on battlefields or in other difficult situations and athletes of all stripes. He is also called upon by many of the young and love-struck seeking to kindle similar passions in the objects of their desire, but he is not a god particularly associated with marriages or building families. His priests typically dedicate themselves to healing and the protection of the innocent, and his faith is replete with tales of heroic martyrs who pushed themselves beyond any human limits in the pursuit of a worthy cause.

Glamreal's holy symbol is a human heart wreathed in flame, and his favored weapon is a javelin. In artwork he is usually depicted as a muscular man with an opening on his chest revealing his flaming heart, holding a javelin which he casts into the hearts of mortals to kindle their passion and resolve.

Let's try to determine the standing of the main evil deities in Taldor (Norgorber has already been dealt with though).

Asmodeus: The prince of darkness cult is intrinsically tied to Cheliax. This alone makes hard for its church to gain any momentum in Taldor although the cult's strong emphasis on order and law made possible for it not to get banned.
That said Asmodeus does have a few converts in Taldor, generally people of noble stock ruling their fiefs as true tyrants. Serfs in these lands are often worked as hard as possible, and their lords make sure they know they live and die at their whim.
While often considered crass and unrefined by the vast majority of their peers these cruel nobles are sometimes looked at as people who have found effective methods to counter the madness from Galt and to a lesser extent from Andoran, reaffirming the "rightful order of things".

Lamashtu: As her title implies the "mother of monsters" appeals to monstruos races. This makes her presence in Taldor's most civilized areas almost negligible. In the wilderness, especially near the Fog Peaks in the north, her cult has followers and not only monstruos ones. More than a few rejects and serfs who have rebelled against the authority of their lords and survive hiding in Taldor's woods and bogs pray to Lamashtu and plot their revenge, often by allying themselves with the likes of goblins or giants (and often ending up as their meal). It goes without saying that her worship is outlawed in Taldor.

Rovagug: In Taldor the Rough Beast has even less worhippers than Lamashtu does. The few that exist try to keep their affiliation secret until their natures betray them, often in spectacular fashions. A few flee to the wilderness where they wage short but bloody wars against the constituted order. As with Lamashtu, Rovagus's cult is not allowed in Taldor.

Urgathoa: The Pallid Princess cannot be openly venerated in Taldor as her pratices are widely considered too horrific and gruesome to be socially...

I like your ideas, though I think Rovagug might have more of a following, considering Taldor's relative proximity to the Pit of Gormuz. I'm envisioning peasants turned bandit who have lost everything and now "Just want to watch the world burn."

On a related note, I think some of the demon lords have been called out as having a following in Taldor; I seem to recall Nocticula and Socothbenoth being among them.

Thought I'd take a crack at this; I rolled using Random.org:

Boundane, the Laugher in Darkness
Chaotic Good demigod of nocturnal hunters, good-hearted rogues, and the new moon

Domains: Chaos, Darkness, Good, Trickery, Void
Subdomains: Azata, Espionage, Night, Stars, Thievery, Whimsy
Favored Weapon: Dagger
Holy Animal: Hyena
Holy Symbol: A disk, black on one face and silver on the other

It is said that when La first placed the moon in the sky, he cast a long shadow in the pale light it shed. As the moon god admired his handywork, his shadow tore loose and skulked into the darkness, cackling from the shadows where the moonlight couldn't reach. When the first lunar cycle reached its nadir and La's new light vanished entirely from the sky, the shadow emerged from its hiding place and cried its name to the sleeping world, declaring that it was Boundane, the Laugher in Darkness.

Although he is a creature of darkness, Boundane is fundamentally a good-natured deity. He looks after all those who make their livelihoods under cover of darkness, but only so long as they do so for the sake of joy, rather than out of malice. He is a protector of mortal hunters and nocturnal predators, but only so long as their predation remains within the limits that the wild can bear, and he is an enemy of those who kill out of hatred or sport. Likewise, he is a patron of spies, thieves, and other such scoundrels, but never of those who prey on the truly innocent or downtrodden.

Boundane's relationship with La is complex and often strained. It is said that the Laugher in Darkness goes about in the material plane on nights of the new moon, checking in on his followers and making mostly harmless mischief. He is banished by the light of the moon, however, and cannot stand in the presence of La himself, although some claim that he merely chooses not to out of fear that the moon god will try to reclaim his shadow. La and his faithful do not approve of many of the rogues that pay homage to Boundane, but realize that he is essentially an ally when it comes to protecting the innocent during the night.

For his part, Boundane finds La to be no fun at all, but he shares the moon god's hatred for Khaivara and Nescifent, whose faithful are often the targets of his mischief. He views Evoco and Ilkin as rivals, and considers Endasra a close ally, though the feeling isn't always mutual. Boundane has attempted to court Zyelimun on several occasions, though some believe that he only does so because he knows it annoys the Secret-Stealer.

Blech, twelve hours later and I'm just now noticing all those typos. Oh well, glad some people found my ideas interesting, at least. :)

Great post Gnoll Bard!

My notes:

Adabar: I agree but I also believe the taldan noble class would stress Adabar aspect as the god of civilization, in turn identifying themselves with those who brought said civilization to other people ("Those unwashed, ungrateful savages!")

I imagine these sorts of attitudes were probably more widespread in the heyday of the Empire, when the Grand Prince ruled over many non-Taldan "barbarians" in need of a proper education in the arts of civilization. As this "civilizing" mission came to an end with the loss of most of the empire, the focus of Abadar's faith probably shifted to matters of commerce and law, and it consequently became less attractive to the nobility.

Aroden: I believe a modicum of scorn is in order here as the pride of many a Taldan would have been hurt when the church of Aroden decided to leave for Cheliax. To more than a few Taldans Aroden may have gotten what he deserved for abandoning them for Cheliax!

I agree that opinions on Aroden in Taldor probably run the gamut from zealous devotion to indifference to scorn, but it's worth remembering that the god's faith never fully abandoned Taldor, and as such I doubt that most of the nobility fully abandoned their faith in the Last Azlanti.

Sarenrae: She's interesting because she brings the possibility of conflict with her. More than a few nobles could feel threatened or offended by her return to Taldor because of her ties with Qdira. I think that her history within Taldor would make her less appealing even to the common classes as Taldans of any walk of life are of a proud sort and the war with Qdira hits a sore spot for many of them still.

You raise a good point. It might be that Sarenrae's faith in Taldor is actually strongest in those regions furthest from the Qadiran border. Northern Taldans may have met Keleshite missionaries without ever having clashed with Keleshite soldiers, and might therefore be more positively disposed toward the faith.

Shelyn: Yes, but if she favors Taldor... what do servants of Zon Kuthon think of it?

While pockets of Zon-Kuthon's faithful are found throughout the Inner Sea Region, their influence really seems to be centered on Nidal, and Taldor is somewhat outside of that nation's sphere of influence. I imagine that The Midnight Lord's faith is outlawed in Taldor, and his faithful probably have no more influence than similarly proscribed cults of demon-worshipers and the like.

Rolling for New Settlement Tue Nov 08 2016 13:30:57 GMT-0800 (PST)
law/chaos 3
good/evil 1
size 7
government 5
region 2
race 10
quality 1 29
quality 2 26
quality 3 21

Xoxoucayotl
Chaotic Good Large Town (South)

Corruption 0; Crime +1; Economy 0; Law 0; Lore -3; Society +4

Qualities Defiant, Rule of Might, Subterranean
Danger 10
Government Council
Population 2,642 (2,500 Humans, 42 Dark Folk, 100 Other)

Notable NPCs
Atempanecatl Achcautli the Blind (CG Old Male Human Brawler 10)
Atempanecatl Chicawa the Bold (CN Female Human Ranger 8)
Atempanecatl Itzli the Fierce (CN Middle-Aged Male Human Barbarian 8)
Elder Coxcatl, Speaker For the Ancestors (NG Venerable Female Human Oracle 10)
Ambassador Xil (CN Dark Stalker Rogue 4)

Marketplace
Base Value 2000 gp; Purchase Limit 10000 gp; Spellcasting 5th
Minor Items 3d4; Medium Items 2d4; Major Items 1d4

The pale-skinned Axtlaca people are a peculiarity in the southern lands of the former Telzuchin empire, physically resembling none of the neighboring peoples and traditionally keeping to their own small communities scattered across the hill country pm the western edge of the Telzuchin Jungle. According to their oral histories, they once lived as slaves in a lightless underworld, serving a hideous race of subterranean beings whose name is lost to living memory. After throwing off their chains in a titanic battle merely hinted at in their oldest epics, the Axtlaca made a harrowing journey through a vast maze of caverns before finally emerging on the surface world. At the cavern mouth where they emerged, they constructed a great walled city, which they called Xoxoucayotl, meaning "Freedom From Bonds" in their native tongue.

Those who scoff at the legends of the Axtlaca would be shocked to learn that Xoxoucayotl is very much real, and stands to this day, although to describe it as a great city would be an overstatement. When the Axtlaca emerged on the surface world, they found that the light of the sun was too bright for them to bear, and so they established a crude settlement of rough-hewn stone in a vast cavern just beyond the sun's reach. When their children, exposed to the light of day from a young age, proved able to function on the surface, most left the city behind to make a new life for themselves in the world beyond. A minority, however, remained behind to help care for the older generation and keep watch over the tunnels from which they had escaped. It was this second generation who sealed the passage linking Xoxoucayotl to the underworld with a thick wall of unmortared stone, leaving only a narrow passage wide enough for a single human adult to pass, which they blocked with a great stone wheel.

Today, the stone and brick structures in which the people of Xoxoucayotl dwell are a far cry from the crude hovels of their ancestors, though the settlement has continued to dwindle over time and currently more than three-quarters of its buildings are abandoned and in various states of disrepair. The remaining inhabitants scrape out a living herding livestock on the mountain slopes beyond the mouth of their cavern home, and consider it their sacred duty to guard the stand ready in case their ancient masters decide to come calling one day.

Although the people of Xoxoucayotl are not especially warlike, they are always ruled by a triad of their most capable warriors, known as the Atempanecatl, or "high captains." This tradition is believed to date back to the original rebel leaders who won the freedom of the Axtlaca in bloody combat. In order to be considered eligible to become one of the Atempanecatl, a warrior must journey alone through the door of the stone wheel and slay one of the hideous monsters that dwell in the caverns beyond. Bringing back a trophy from any appropriately dangerous-looking beast is acceptable, but the larger and more impressive the kill, the better.

Any warriors who have thus proven themselves have the right to challenge one of the Atempanecatl to single combat in order to take their place. If the challenger is of sufficient character, the challenged Atempanecatl is greatly impressed by the trophy they brought from beyond the wheel, or if the incumbent has simply grown old and feels that they cannot stand against the challenger, they may decide to yield before the duel begins. Otherwise, the combatant who first surrenders or is rendered unable to fight on is declared the loser, and the winner takes a seat with the other Atempanecatl.

The current Atempanecatl are Achcautli the Blind, the eldest sitting member of the council, who continues to defend his seat in spite of having lost his sight years ago, Chicawa the Bold, who goes on regular forays beyond the wheel for the sheer joy of the hunt, and Itzli the Fierce, a brutal and little-loved warrior who has had to defend his position more times than any other sitting Atempanecatl. The Atempanecatl are advised by a council of revered elders, the most prominent of whom is Elder Coxcatl, who holds the title of "Speaker for the Ancestors" and acts as the primary keeper of Xoxoucayotl's oral history.

Competing with the council for the attention of the Atempanecatl is Xil, a Dark Stalker who acts as an ambassador from a nameless nation of Dark Folk who are Xoxoucayotl's primary trading partners. The Axtlaca of Xoxoucayotl regard the Dark Folk as "cousins," and their legends suggest that the two races toiled together as slaves before casting off their chains. At any given time, there may be dozens of dark folk in town, though most stay only long enough to conduct whatever business they have with the local humans. For the most part, this business consists of trading refined metal, rare stones, and alchemical ingredients from deep underground for lumber, wool cloth, and various surface-world foodstuffs.

In addition to the dark folk, members of a number of more-or-less civilized subterranean races can be found in town, as well as a few immigrants from the surface world who have found their way to the secluded mountain region where the entrance to Xoxoucayotl is located. Outsiders are generally made to feel welcome, as the people of Xoxoucayotl are always eager for news and goods from other parts of the world, isolated as they are in their stony fastness. As it stands, the town has plenty of space for newcomers to stay, and anyone who's willing to fix up one of the abandoned houses that fill most of the cavern can claim it for themselves.

I've been thinking some more about what the role of the prominent gods in Taldor may be; I figured I'd share my thoughts.

Abadar

While Abadar would certainly be a widely-celebrated god, particularly in his role as patron of civilization, laws, and legitimate rulers, his association with such low practices as commerce and money-lending probably make his faith rather gauche among the Taldan aristocracy. Commerce is hardly a traditional pursuit for a landed noble, and being preoccupied with so a petty concern as money is a mark of commonness in a land where the upper classes have legions of serfs to provide them with an income. Likewise, the serfs themselves have more immediate concerns than the vagaries of finance and law, like whether there'll be enough rain this year and whether their sons will be sent off to die in their lord's latest petty feud.

Therefore, I imagine that, while most Taldans pay lip service Abadar as a great and important deity, in practice he's mostly the patron of the urban middle-class. His worshipers are bankers, merchants, petty landlords, and some skilled craftsmen, and those few members of the bourgeoisie who manage to worm their way into the lower aristocracy likely soon distance themselves from the unfashionable faith.

Aroden

I imagine that Aroden is a god who resonates on a very fundamental level with the Taldan soul, all the more so now that he has apparently died. He represents a link to the glory days of the empire, when Oppara was the seat of Aroden's church in Avistan, and beyond that to the mythic era of Taldor's founding by the heroic Azlanti survivors of Earthfall. The belief that Aroden is merely testing his faithful in his absence, and that he will one day return to usher in an Age of Glory for those who kept the faith, mirrors Taldor's own fallen state and dreams of one day recapturing the glories of old. In fact, some Taldans may believe that the failure of the Starfall Doctrine is basically Cheliax's fault, as the god was surely displeased when the center of his church was shifted from glorious Oppara to provincial Westcrown.

That said, the fact that Aroden no longer answers prayers limits the sort of people that remain faithful to him. The struggles faced by the common classes, and by anyone involved in perilous endeavors like sailing or warfare, call for a deity who might actually help out in a time of need. Anyone who regularly has cause to fear for their life or their livelihood will likely turn away from the church of the dead god, out of pragmatism if not for any other reason. Aroden is therefore likely a god most worshiped by old and stable aristocratic families who have no need of miracles to ensure their prosperity and safety.

Calistria

Even if she weren't a deity associated with sexual excess, trickery, and bloody vengeance, Calistria is a distinctly foreign god, and one most commonly associated with non-humans at that. In proud and xenophobic Taldor, this is more than enough to make her faith seem scandalous and untrustworthy, but also to lend it an exotic allure. Calistria has little to offer the rural peasant class of Taldor, but in the cities it caters to every vice that a man or woman can imagine and pay for.

In Taldor, Calistria counts actors, elves, prostitutes, sailors, and other such city-dwelling undesirables among her faithful. Though their families would be loathe to admit it, her temples and pleasure-parlors also attract many young noblemen, seeking entertainments not to be found in glittering opera houses and genteel salons. They also come seeking the means to gain an upper hand over their rivals in the great game that is Taldan politics, and Calistrian spies and information-brokers play an important part in the intrigues of the capital.

Cayden Cailean

Although probably a child of Absalom rather than of Taldor proper, the mortal Cayden was indisputably of Taldan descent, and is therefore counted among the pantheon of the Empire's most storied heroes. Unlike his fellow ascended mortal Aroden, however, Cayden Cailean is more popular among commoners than he is among the landed aristocracy. His worshipers include innkeepers and wine-sellers, or course, as well as brewers and vintners, and even many agricultural laborers who provide the raw materials needed to practice those professions. Many of Taldor's professional soldiers and mercenaries in Taldor pray to the Lucky Drunk as well, seeing in him a kindred spirit and hoping to be blessed with bravery on the battlefield.

Moreover, Cayden Cailean is worshiped by all those who appreciate the simple joys of a cool drink, a friendly brawl, and a tumble in the hay with a farmer's daughter (or son). For serfs, whose day-to-day existence allows them little pleasure, Cayden represents all the best things in life, ensuring his nearly universal popularity throughout the Taldan countryside. While the aristocracy may feel uneasy when priests of the Lucky Drunk speak of human dignity and the right of every person to be free, they're simply too much a part of the cultural fabric of Taldor to be done away with. That said, particularly troublesome preachers certainly do disappear from time to time; after all, in these troubled times there are many bandits upon the roads, and no traveler in rural Taldor is ever entirely safe...

Kurgess

Another celebrated member of Taldor's pantheon of heroes, in Taldor Kurgess is usually viewed as an ally or even subordinate of Cayden Cailean, and the two churches work closely with one another. Taldans have a great love of competition in all its forms, and the faith of Kurgass has spread quickly among professional athletes, gladiators, and even members of the aristocracy who seek to prove their worth through physical prowess. In the latter case, Taldan high society is somewhat ambivalent in how it treats aristocratic followers of Kurgess. On the one hand, the Strong Man is perhaps the best example of how Taldor remains a land of larger-than-life heroes, even in the twilight of its power. On the other, Kurgess and most of his priesthood come from distinctly common stock, and many aristocrats see their influence, and perhaps even Kurgess' divine ascension itself, as an affront to the traditional Taldan class structure.

A few soldiers and sellswords dedicate themselves to the Strong Man's faith as well, though not so many as adhere to the worship of Cayden Cailean. Even those who don't take Kurgess as a patron may offer him a praise before engaging in any sort of physical competition, as common superstition holds that the the god himself sometimes visits Taldor to observe or participate in such games.

Norgorber

Even moreso than Kurgess, Norgorber represents something of a conundrum in Taldan polite society. The first mortal to pass the Test of the Starstone after Aroden raised the artifact from the sea, Norgorber is theoretically a paragon of human drive ability. More than that, although almost nothing is known about Norgorber's mortal life outside of the highest levels of his faith, common wisdom holds that he was Taldan, which in theory would place him among the greatest of Taldor's heroes by virtue of his divine ascension. And yet, as in most civilized societies, the worship of Norgorber is formally forbidden by law in Taldor, and his underhanded ways are antithetical to the virtues prized by Taldan culture.

That said, it is an open secret that Norgorber's church wields a great deal of influence in Taldor. Taldor's powerful Thieves' Guild(s) revere the Gray Master as their patron and symbolic ancestor, proud to have a divine "hero" of their own. Many assassins and unscrupulous alchemists in Oppara and beyond revere Blackfingers, and perform poisonings in their god's name on behalf of aristocrats embroiled in Oppara's deadly intrigues. Priests of the Reaper of Reputations are perhaps the most well-known of all, and anyone in Taldor with money and connections (and a flexible moral compass) has likely had dealings with these merchants of secrets.

Sarenrae

Proscribed for more than 200 years by decree of Grand Prince Stavian I, the Church of Sarenrae remains in many ways a religion of outsiders. In addition to Keleshites, who brought the Dawnflower's religion to Taldor in the first place and continue to be subject to racial discrimination, Sarenrae's faith has attracted all manner of outcasts, former criminals, runaway slaves and serfs, and other such villains seeking to find acceptance and make a new start. Her faith also attracts all manner of well-meaning radicals and reformists, particularly those who wish to see the end of slavery and serfdom in their country. Whereas the faith of Cayden Cailean is integrated enough into Taldan society that its priesthood is mostly willing to work within the current order, the outsider status of Sarenrae's priests makes them more willing to call for radical change. The Taldan Church of Sarenrae venerates many holy martyrs who died for their beliefs, and even now that the faith is no longer outlawed, many of the Dawnflower's followers stand willing to die in the name of what they believe is right.

Beyond foreigners, outcasts, and radicals, Sarenrae's church has been gaining ground quickly among the serfs as well - so quickly, in fact, that many wonder how widespread Sarenite beliefs had already become when the faith was still outlawed. This belief has less to do with the church's stance against serfdom than it does with more practical matters; as a solar deity, Sarenrae has an obvious appeal to farmers, and as a goddess of healing, her followers are always a welcome sight for those who can't afford to seek succor with Taldor's more mercenary churches. While faith in Cayden Cailean probably remains more widespread, Sarenrae arguably has a more universal appeal for the rural poor, and the expansion of her faith across the countryside shows no signs of stopping.

Shelyn

Of the ancient deities that the Taldans inherited from their Azlanti ancestors, Shelyn is unsurprisingly the most loved. It is said that no other nation on Golarion is as favored by the Eternal Rose as Taldor, and it is a widely held belief that the goddess herself visits the Temple of the Upheld and Golden Rose in Oppara once a year to spend a day among her faithful. The Taldan people return this affection in kind, and you will rarely find a Taldan so jaded that he or she has never offered a prayer to Shelyn her aid in matters of the heart or in thanks after witnessing a sight of great beauty. Much of the Taldan preoccupation with elegance and fashion stems from their appreciation of the tenants of Shelyn's faith.

As the goddess of love and beauty, Shelyn's appeal is universal, but she is particularly revered by artists, performers, skilled artisans, and the most aesthetically inclined of the nation's aristocracy. The lower classes tend to invoke her name less commonly, as they can ill afford to spend their time contemplating beauty or engaging in the elaborate and lengthy courtships common among aristocratic couples. Nevertheless, nearly every Taldan bride or groom dreams of having a Shelynite wedding, and even those who have rarely spare a thought for the goddess will often travel for days to be married at one of the small Shelynite temples scattered throughout the country. In the cities, the larger and more prestigious temples often have waiting lists stretching months or even years for weddings, and can support themselves almost entirely from the tithes they collect for performing these services.

The Green Faith

Although Taldans generally prefer to worship anthropomorphic deities with ties to their history and culture, the Green Faith deserves a special mention if only because its nominal center lies within the nation. Druids from all over Golarion gather at the Wildwood Lodge on the Isle of Arenway in Taldor once a year to discuss weighty concerns about Golarion's health and to commune with the Will of the World. Throughout the year, the Lodge guards the Verduran Forest, and has a standing agreement with the Taldan Government which allows for the harvesting of some of the forest's valuable blackwood trees under close supervision by the druids.

The Green Faith is probably popular among the people living in and around the Verduran Forest, including the inhabitants of Wispil. The Green Faith is also an attractive faith to farmers, who have a particularly close relationship with the land and the plants and animals that inhabit it, and it seems likely that the faith is found in rural areas well beyond the edges of the Verduran, at least in the northern part of the country.

GALT!!!

You know... having read all the Norrett/Orlin Gantier stories... Galt actually has it's charms. If you can avoid the mobs and aren't desperately poor, there's still a lot of the old Galtan gentility and culture to be found beneath the grime of the revolutions.

I kind of figured Hell's Vengeance worked best if you assume that Wrath of the Righteous has already happened. It provides a good justification for a bunch of radical Iomedaeans to suddenly show up with a force strong enough to pose a legitimate thread to House Thrune.

As far as the issue of slavery goes, one of the distinctive traits of the Pathfinder setting is that slavery is a legal institution almost everywhere, which has been true in most eras in the real world but isn't represented in most fantasy settings. Serfdom and slavery can absolutely coexist, with serfs and slaves filling different social roles.

I imagine that slaves in Taldor are mostly household servants, where as most agricultural labor is carried out by serfs, and other forms of manual labor are handled by some combination of skilled professionals and various unfree laborers. The military probably also provides a labor pool for certain projects, as it did in the Roman Empire.

Now, one interesting wrinkle you might throw in is for human slavery to be illegal. It's not uncommon in history for members of the social "in-group" to be excluded from enslavement, so it makes some sense. Maybe basically all of the slaves in Taldor are halflings, and they've been attached to the same families for uncounted generations. Taldans may regard it as only natural for halflings to fill a servile role, while at the same time vilifying those who would enslave a fellow human.

Sorry if this has been asked already, but I was recently looking at the first book of Council of Thieves, and it includes this interesting tidbit in the sidebar on the "Founders of Aroden":

"Even though the Last Azlanti died, his founders continue aiding their followers and working to keep all those who once revered this city from totally losing faith in it or themselves."

Now, we know that at least two former servants of Aroden, Iomedae and Milani, continue to exist and grant spells to clerics. Can the Founders do the same?

^That's true -- the church of Sarenrae seems to have an above average amount of schism and infighting, even developing a whole prestige class as a result

I tend to imagine this has something to do with the fact that Sarenrae is the patron of the entire Empire of Kelesh. Not only is Kelesh huge and, presumably, fairly diverse, as a society it has... let's say mixed success living up to the standards of their goddess. There's probably a tendency for all sorts of social and political movements in the Empire to try and claim they're carrying out the true will of the Dawnflower, further contributing to the division of the faith against itself.

And if Sarenrae seems to disapprove of some of these schismatic theologies, or of the conflicts within the faith, why, that's just further evidence that you should get on board with my brand new and absolutely authentic interpretation of her will!

With regard to religon, Taldor is home to what is probably Shelyn's holiest site on Golarion, the Temple of the Upheld Golden Rose in Oppara, which the goddess herself is said to visit in disguise one a year. Notably, the Taldans seem to reject the church of Iomedae's claim that their goddess is the rightful inheritor of Aroden, as Iomedae is not one of the more commonly worshiped gods in Taldor. This is probably because the mortal Iomedae was a Chelaxian, and seemingly a relatively loyal one considering she actually governed a Chelaxian city for a while, which makes her essentially a traitor in the eyes of the Taldan state. Most Taldans who would otherwise worship Iomedae instead cling to their faith in Aroden or have presumably moved on to the worship of another deity, most likely Abadar.

There is definitely slavery in Taldor (the practice is only banned in a very few places in the Inner Sea Region), but it's been explicitly stated that there's serfdom as well. The average Taldan peasant generally seems to have fewer rights than even a Chelaxian commoner, and the population is probably less urbanized, on the whole, than in many other parts of the Inner Sea Region. That said, even the most downtrodden Taldan is raised to take pride in their heritage, and there seems to be a strong current of patriotism that helps to work against any social discontent.

As far as the nobility goes, it appears that Taldor's government and military are highly decentralized, and that the Taldan aristocracy behave largely independently of the throne. A Taldan duke once unilaterally launched an invasion of Andoran, and did significant damage before the Eagle Knights organized a counter-attack. The signature character Alain's backstory makes it clear that feuds between Taldan nobles are quite common, and may even be viewed as a kind of sport. Even the ruler of Taldor's title, "Grand Prince", seems to suggest a role as a sort of "first among equals," rather than anything approaching an absolute monarch. It probably takes a major event, like a Qadiran invasion or a call for a new Army of Exploration, to organize the Taldan nobility and their various household armies into any kind of cohesive force, and even then the Taldan military is likely hampered by internal conflicts. This might help explain why Taldor, at the height of its power, struggled to match the military of Qadira at a time when the empire of Kelesh was engaged in its own civil war and unlikely to be providing aid to their furthest-flung satrapy.

It's been stated that Taldor values arcane knowledge highly, and the Gran Prince himself is a wizard. Taldor probably produces the finest wizards in the Inner Sea Region outside of Garund (since everyone knows the very best wizards are Garundi), with the possible exception of wizards trained at the great schools of Absalom.

One of the ancient dwarven Sky Citadels is located in Taldor, and while most of its population has since emigrated to the Five Kings Mountains as a result of the local mines running dry, it stands to reason that Taldor would have a sizable dwarven population. Oppara is one of the largest cities in the world and a major trading port, so it's likely at least as cosmopolitan as Sothis, which has been noted as having major populations of all of the common races of the Inner Sea Region. Notably, halfling slaves and servants are probably quite common in Taldor, though possibly not quite so ubiquitous as they are in Cheliax.

I believe that it's also been noted that the much-lampooned arrogance of the Taldan people cuts both ways. They consider themselves better than other peoples, but they also hold themselves to a higher standard. Faults that a Taldan might accept magnanimously (if condescendingly) in a companion from another land might be viewed as entirely unacceptable in a fellow Taldan. I imagine that a lot of Taldans (at least in the upper classes) conceal a core of self-doubt under their overweening pride, as they struggle to live up to the countless larger-than-life figures of their nation's history, but inevitably come up short.

It's worth noting that elves turning into drop could potentially be related to the phenotypic adaptability of elves in general. I don't have the source in front of me, but I believe that Elves of Golarion has stated that, while elves exhibit at least as much variation as humans, their appearance is far less linked to their genetic heritage. A dark-sknned Ekujae elf who goes to live with the Snowcasters will gradually become as pale as they are, and undergo other minor physical changes advantageous in response to his environment. Assuming this feature is at least partly magical, we might hypothesize that extreme evil interacts dramatically with this inborn magic.

Huh. Looked like the same basic design with slightly different style of blades to me. But either way, it's a pretty cool weapon, just not always easy to visualize.

Agreed, I'm fairly certain that if you look again you'll find that the blades on that scarf are attached to the ends.

Why not, instead of going into that detail from the start and focusing on the Not-Mediterranean, you divvy it up and detail a few nations on each continent, not necessarily evenly but enough to give the impression that no one continent or region is the absolute center of civilization in this world.

The obvious reason not to do this, for me, is that it's simply not as useful as putting more detail into a contiguous area of the campaign world. Characters who begin adventuring in one region are more likely to wander over the border into an adjacent region than they are to suddenly hop a ship or teleportation circle or whatever to a distant corner of the globe.

There's a whole novel set in Kyonin... Queen of Thorns.. it's one of the Jeggare series.

Good point; Plague of Shadows also deals with issues of elven culture and identity, since the main character is a "forlorn" elf who has some interesting interactions with an elven settlement on the borders of Kyonin.

No it's not.. Unreasonable expectations however, generally are. After all are you going to chide them for not having an expy for Lichenstein?

True, but wondering why the indigenous inhabitants of two entire continents are so under-represented in fantasy fiction isn't exactly equivalent to demanding Lichtenstein in Golarion.

It's a long scarf; you can probably wrap it in such a way that the blades are hidden in the folds.

The Juppongatana member Cho from Ruroni Kenshin wields a sword that's kind of like a bladed scarf, which he wears around his midsection.

I'm fairly certain that's supposed to be an urumi, which I believe we already have stats for separate from the bladed scarf.

It's interesting; the creative team seems to have a pretty clear idea of what a bladed scarf looks like, but every image I see convinces me more that it should really do piercing damage rather than slashing.

It would be great if Arcadian halflings filled some of the roles occupied by 'little people' in various Native American myths and legends.

My thoughts exactly. While it's hardly unique to the Americas, the "little people" trope is pretty ubiquitous across North America at least (I'm generally less familiar with South American folklore).

Chelaxian monks using Varisian weapons(?)

Eh, they'd probably just tell you that the bladed scarf (like all useful and ingenious things) was first created in Hell, and that those dirty, ignorant, thieving Varisians are all the more pathetic for trying to take credit for it.

There's also a picture of a Sister of Eiseth using a bladed scarf (and pentagram shuriken!) on page 20 of What Lies in Dust, part three of Council of Thieves. It's depicted as long strip of canvas with three dagger-like blades affixed to each of its narrow ends. So, it appears to be similar in concept to a rope dart, though it's hard to see that version being a particularly effective as a slashing weapon.

Actually, if we're being fair, there's also an Elf-ruled island in the Shackles, at least two more significant eleven tribes in the Expanse besides the Ekujae (unless they've been retconned) and the Snowcaster elves who control territory somewhere on the northern edge of Avistan. And that's not including the continent-sized empire they rule on Castrovel.

For the Dwarves, there's the Five Kings mountains of course, but also the important city-state of Janderhoff, the Pahmet, who are a de-facto independent people, tribes in the Expanse and the Shattered Range in Garund, and the reclusive dwarven nation of the Mbe'ke in the Terwa uplands. Also, if we're being fair, Alkenstar is as much a dwarven nation as it is a human one, regardless of who the majority race is. And if we're going beyond the inner sea region, the population numbers given for the Dwarven nation of Zavaten Gura on the crown of the world seems to make it the second largest group of dwarves in the world, and dwarves probably the most populous race on that continent.

Of the core 20 I'd absolutely go with Shelyn; no question. She represents the things that make life worth living, and is the deity who comes closest to my vision of what absolute good should be like (sorry Sarenrae). And as much as other churches would like to say otherwise, she and her followers are no slouches when it comes to defending the things they cherish.

That said, if we're looking at the setting as a whole, I'd go with Arshea all the way. I'm gay, and into some pretty kinky stuff, and a lot of my friends are trans or otherwise gender-nonconforming. For me, Arshea combines the best of Calistria's sex-positivity, Shelyn's dedication to love and beauty, and Cayden Cailean's devotion to freedom and self-determination. Plus, androgynous angels are sexy. >_>

My personal quibbles about diversity relate more to the fact that on the Inner Sea map, there's one elven country, one orcish country, one dwarven country, no majority halfling or gnome countries at all, and dozens upon dozens of human countries.

While it would be fun to see more diversity in the non-human nations, the fact that the small-sized races of the Inner Sea Region don't have nations of their own is an important aspect of their cultures. Gnomes are fey exiles who basically have a biological imperative not to settle down and build stable communities. They're probably the least "human" of the core races, and aren't particularly well suited to nation-building

Halfling culture, on the other hand, is shaped on every level by the fact that they are a people without a history, who live basically at the mercy of human nations. Like any number of oppressed, stateless minorities in the real world, they struggle with issues of identity and self-determination in a world that systematically devalues everything they are. For me, at least, that's what makes them interesting, and not just off-brand hobbits.

That said, my personal headcanon (at least until future publications contradict me) is that halflings are originally from Arcadia, and have their own cultures and nations there. The Segada chapter of Distant Shores suggests that halflings are among the more populous races in Arcadia, and have their own settlements in the Grinding Coast region.

In the Inner Sea region, on the other hand, the earliest solid historical evidence of halflings comes from after the Age of Darkness. It's also been mentioned that the Azlanti launched attacks along the coast of Arcadia in the waning years of their empire, and it seems logical, as a slave-holding society, that they would have taken as many captives as they could. My theory is basically that the halflings of the Inner Sea are the descendants of slaves who arrived along with Azlanti colonists and refugees.

BigNorseWolf wrote:

we should NOT have given kreighton shane the time turner...

Yup. That could explain it all. Just an accident with th Sky Key.

Or maybe it was that odd scepter Durvin Gest brought back from the ruins of Ninshabur. Of course, that was ages ago...

So, it's a tiny part of the adventure (only mentioned in one rumor as far as I know), but for some reason I got inspired to come up with a plot outline for Shensen's cancelled opera, Huntress of Heroes, complete with song ideas! You'll find that the half-elven luminary has taken some creative liberties with the source material, but the general framework of the legend remains the same. I don't honesty know that much about opera, but let me know what you think!

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Huntress of Heroes
A dramma giocoso in two acts

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Act 1

Act 2

Arcadia has very little published information at present, but could provide a very interesting setting. I've been playing with an idea involving the Andoren colony of Elesomare vanishing a la Roanoke. The PCs are among a new group of settlers sent to rebuild the colony and find out if possible, what became of its former inhabitants.

Arcadia is much more isolated than the Stolen Lands, so I figure the colony would grow much more slowly than the players' "kingdom" in Kingmaker. There'd be more of a focus on individual characters and what they can contribute to the colony, and their survival would depend heavily on establishing friendly (or at least peaceful) relations with the poorly-understood native peoples.

In Planescape (a "darker and edgier" setting if there ever was one) the leader of one of the factions that ran the multiversal hub city of Sigil was a half-orc (despite them not being a Player's Handbook race at the time) with a refreshingly different backstory.

In this case, the character's parents were a loving couple who had fled their home prime material word to escape persecution over their unusual choice of spouse. As I recall, the orc parent was his mother as well, which is a little unusual in-and-of itself.

As I recall, the couple had been forced to settle down in the poorest part of the city and had died as victims of some kind of violence while their son was only an infant, so he grew up an orphan and never knew his origin. So, it's still a "gritty" story, but with more of a Romeo and Juliet (or perhaps Westside Story) angle rather than the typical inter-species rape scenario.

Nyarlathotep is the "soul and messenger" of the Outer Gods, and is particularly associated with Azathoth. Azathoth isn't just dumb, he's effectively mindless - more like an inconceivably vast and complex chemical or nuclear reaction than a living, thinking being. Rather than wielding the power of creation and destruction, he simply is that power.

Nyarlathotep, on the other hand, appears practically human by comparison. This is, of course, a facade, but unlike the other Outer Gods he seems to be both capable to recognizing and understanding humanity, and interested in doing so. When he takes on human form, he sometimes seems to be a hedonistic trickster with a pronounced sadistic streak. Other times he seems more like a prophet or even a scientist, revealing mind-shattering cosmic secrets with neither mirth nor remorse. In all cases, however, he is both profoundly knowledgeable and capable of expressing that knowledge in a way that human beings can understand, much to their detriment.

The idea of Nyarlathotep serving Azathoth in the way that a vassal serves his king doesn't make any sense. Rather, it seems to be closer to the truth to say that Nyarlathotep and Azathoth are two aspects of one being - Azathoth is power manifest, and Nyarlathotep is the will and consciousness through which that power expresses itself.

It's worth noting that there are actually a few other Avistani colonies in Arcadia, and the Chelaxian outposts of Canorus and Anchor's End are explicitly noted as sources of slaves. Arcadia is quite remote, and the journey is dangerous, but there nevertheless seem to be quite a few ships that make the journey, since there's an architectural style popular with the super-elite in Egorian (the capital of Cheliax) that makes use of red-veined black marble quarried only on the distant western continent.

Therefore, there might actually be quite a few Arcadian slaves in Cheliax, which means there could very well be a population of Arcadian ex-slaves in Andoran as well.

Varisia might have a small population of Arcadian exiles too, since Kintargo, the main port of entry for goods from the colonies, is also a major trading partner of the Varisian cities of Korvosa and Magnimar. Amusingly, that makes it a technical possibility that there could be some half-Arcadian, half-Shoanti kids running around the streets of Magnimar. :P

Some time after the Ulfen founded Valenhall, epidemic diseases ravaged the Arcadian population, much as happened in the rl Americas. However, that was thousands of years prior to the present of the setting, so by this point Arcadians probably don't have any more to worry about from Avistani diseases than native Avistani do.

As an aside, the city of Senghor in the Mwangi Expanse seems to have originally been an Arcadian colony in the Inner Sea Region. The Caldaru people, of whom there are about 10,000 in the city, are the descendants of these mysterious travelers from the west, and are noted for having lighter skin and straighter hair than the other Mwangi peoples, as well as (oddly enough) a high incidence of blue or green eyes. The Bonuwat and Lergeni, also native to the western coast of Garund, may also be partly descended from these advanced ancient seafarers, but essentially nothing of the mysterious culture remains aside from the astonishingly advanced fortifications around Senghor.

A true Andoren cares not for the vagaries of birth and breeding, and true freedom must include freedom from ignorant superstitions and small-minded prejudices. A dhampir looking to prove the quality of his character could find no better place than among the defenders of liberty, and all true lovers of freedom would be no less grateful for such an unexpected ally.

I get the impression that the failure of prophecy is something specifically tied to Golarion itself, a side effect of the death of a god so intimately tied to that world and it's subsequent cosmic shift toward the Abyss. It's conceivable that the defining feature of the Age of Lost Omens is being caused by some kind of cosmic dissonance radiating from places like the Worldwound, Tianjing, the Tanglebriar, and parts of the Mwangi Expanse, where primordial manifestations of evil and chaos spill over into the material plane. Kind of a "the dark side clouds everything" sort of deal.

Having altogether too much time on my hands, I've lately developed an interest in linguistics and constructed languages. Looking at the old Languages of Golarion thread, it appears that there are at least a few other folks around here who share that interest, and have some neat ideas about what the languages of the Pathfinder setting might be like.

I've been toying with some similar ideas of my own, so I figured I'd poke my head up and see if anybody would be interested in collaborating on something a little more in-depth. I think it could be a lot of fun and, if nothing else, it'd be a unique opportunity to geek out on two of my favorite topics (linguistics and fantasy setting lore) at the same time! :P

Having glanced over this thread, I've reached a startling conclusion!

I know who the decemverate are! Their members are as follows:

1. A Veiled Master
2. An ordinary human whose mind has been swapped with that of a Yithian
3. The unwitting thrall of a powerful succubus living on the moon
4. A cleverly disguised Mi-Go
5. A serpentfolk reincarnated into a human body
6. One of the thousand avatars of Nyarlathotep
7. Durvin Gest
8. Old-Mage Jatembe
9. Aroden
10. Three goblins in a long coat

I think Kofusachi is sort of a love god, though he mostly seems to be associated with happiness in a more general sense.

In the real world, mythological figures embodying love and beauty do seem to be disproportionately female cross-culturally, though a quick search of Wikipedia indicates that Kāmadeva and Yue Lao are noteworthy love-gods in India and China, respectively.

One option would be to play said character as a total hedonist who takes pleasure from shocking others, and takes pride in being good at it. A sort of bored and cynical type who doesn't really want to hurt anyone, but loves to make people squirm, and gets off on transgressing social norms. After all, what greater transgression could their be than devoting oneself to demon-worship? Calistria is positively mainstream by comparison, and nothing's more boring than the mainstream. If people are horrified and revolted by you... well, that's kind of the point now, isn't it?

In order to make the character fit into a PG-13 rated game, you could go the route that most TV shows and movies seem to go with prostitute and dominatrix type characters. Be sultry, worldly, and confident, and drop suggestive comments and innuendos wherever you can, but always imply your perversions, rather than saying or doing anything explicit.

Cities that float on water might be interesting, too, as a more fantastical version of Tenochtitlan. As I recall, the (highly inaccurate) Golarion world map shows a large inland sea in north-central Arcadia; maybe there could be some manner of mesoamerican-esque empire based around the lake, wherein the floating capital city "migrates" cyclically from province to province.

One thing I really love about Golarion is that it's got plenty of grime to it, without it venturing into Warhammer-style grimdark territory. Slavery is an accepted fact of life in many parts of the setting, rulers are often cruel or incompetent, crime and corruption eat at the heart of even the good-aligned nations, the gods are distant and sometimes difficult to understand, and genuinely unsettling acts of violence and cruelty take place all the time.

At the same time, however, there are genuine heroes, good and honest men and women, and virtuous leaders even in most of the "evil" parts of the world. There's hope as well as despair, light as well as darkness, and I feel like the writers have done a good job of striking a balance between the two. The imperfectness, for lack of a better term, of both good and evil in the setting, and the fact that the writers drew inspiration from the crimes and cruelties of history as well as its wonders and exoticisms makes Golarion feel more real to me.

Ooh, if you're going for contempt, maybe John Malkovich could be Asmodeus. He always kind of sounds like an angry restaurant patron explaining in detail how unsatisfied he is with his meal.

I couldn't resist:

The official anthem of Shelynite paladins and inquisitors: "Love is a Battlefield" by Pat Benatar

Alternately, for the gunslinging-types "The Warrior" by Patty Smyth

Sissyl wrote:

My twice half dragon gelatinous cube nymph was ignored... I feel betrayed!

So... Its full half-dragon, full gelatinous cube, and full nymph? Maybe it just blew their minds to try and imagine it or how it came to be. It could be either a truly beautiful or horrifying sight and many places in between, dontcha' know.

Maybe it's two-thirds dragon, like how Gilgamesh was two-thirds divine. :P

Where does it 'imply' that undeath steals a soul out of normal circulation? As far as I can tell, undeath does nothing of the sort. Only very certain undead have anything to do with the person killed. A lich, is of course, out of the normal circulation until the phylactery is destroyed. Many incorporeal undead are the spawn or tormented soul of a living being, but once they have been put to rest, they return to the normal circulation.

Animating skeletons, or zombies, doesn't interfere with the soul in anyway. Hell, the Positive Energy Plane is the birthplace of all souls, so once a Skeleton is animated, you could say it now posseses a Negative Energy Soul.

Turning a body into a zombie *must* interfere with the soul in some way, because any person whose body has *ever* been turned into an undead creature cannot be returned to life without very powerful magic.

... is also incorrect, unless Positive Energy is also evil.

Carnivores: kill and devour living creatures.
Herbivores: kill and devour living plants.
Plants: leach the soil of useful nutrients that are necessary to sustain life.
Omnivores: everything that lives fears these because they kill and eat anything.
Positive Energy doesn't create life-generating machines...

In point of fact, that's exactly what it creates. When a prey animal dies, it feeds predators, scavengers, and decomposers, giving them life. The plant takes unliving elemental matter and turns it into a living thing which can then be sustainence for other living things.

Nothing eats the undead, and the undead don't need to eat. Creatures they kill become more undead, so that the corpse can no longer sustain life. They don't even poop and return nutrients to the soil. They're a dead-end in the food web, a nightmarish ecological disaster.

Plus, I'm willing to embrace enough moral relativism in my games to accept that "Good" is defined from the perspective of living beings, not unliving magical construct, intelligent though they may be.

Look, childbirth is a magical and wondrous thing, and I can accept that the biological parents of a child have a very strong bond with that child. However, I also know that there are parents of adopted children, children born from a surrogate mother, and step-parents of children who have lost one of their biological parents one way or another, who give their children all the love they have to give and do everything they can to ensure their well being.

I'm not accusing anybody of denying that fact, per-se,but let me just ask this: if you're willing to accept so many different kinds of families already, why should the junk between the parents' legs matter so much?

And yes, I know that there are other differences between men and women, but regardless of those differences every study I know of has shown that children raised in same-sex households are no less healthy or happy than children raised by opposite-sex couples.

From a mechanical standpoint, it's important that planetouched be visually recognizable as such. Being able to pass for human is potentially a major tactical advantage, since it means that enemy spellcasters may waste turns casting things like Hold Person and Dominate Person on you, which will have no effect at all on a native outsider.

I believe that under the rules for the knowledge skill, a planetouched individual, as an outsider with 0 racial HD, can be recognized as such with a DC 10 Knowledge (planes) check, which can be made untrained. That means that a commoner of average intelligence will have a decent chance of pretty much immediately recognizing an Aasimar, Tiefing, Undine, or what have you, upon first meeting them.

From a rules perspective, at least, planetouched are *much* less human than an elf or a halfling, because they're not even the same creature type.

Matt Thomason wrote:

Being pro-natural marriage isn't the same as discriminating against LGBT marriage (unless I'm misreading the idea of the stance).

It is the same, because the pro-natural marriage stance is pro-natural marriage because of certain biological qualities which are guranteed to be absent in L and G marriage. Hence, L and G marriage are treated differently.

Okay, so, setting aside the odious assumptions built into the term "natural marriage," you're making a big assumption there. Just what biological qualities are you talking about?

Are you talking about the ability to have children? Should infertile couples have their marriages declared null and void?

Are you talking about intercourse involving both a penis and a vagina? Should other forms of intercourse be disallowed by law to married couples?

The truth of the matter is that there's really no fundamental difference between a married homosexual couple and a married heterosexual couple. Both couples live together, love each other, share their lives and their possessions, and may choose to raise children if they so desire.

Charisma is a tricky stat to characterize, because a low score doesn't just mean you're not witty or charming. It means you're not *scary* either, and also (if you're an NPC, at least) that you're easily manipulated through Diplomacy.

So when a character with single-digit charisma comes into the room, people don't see a slavering death-dealer (unless you've put a lot of points into intimidate). What they see is a dumpy, unimpressive looking guy who mumbles and fidgets and probably smells bad. Not, like, frighteningly bad, just "wow, I really don't want to be in the same room with this person" bad.

To put it another way, having a low Charisma and no social skills means that, even if you're the legendary savior of all worlds known and unknown, when you show up some place everyone looks disappointed and mutters something about how they thought you'd be taller.

I know I keep saying this, but:

FIVE. THOUSAND. YEARS. THIS IS NOT A PRE-COLUMBIAN SOCIETY BY THE FAINTEST POSSIBLE STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION.

It is almost inconceivable that the Arcadians still lack iron and horses.

*Valenhall* has been in Arcadia for 5,000 years. Valenhall is basically magical viking heaven on earth, guarded by Norns and Valkyries and every other Norse thing you can think of, and populated entirely by possibly undying Ulfen kings and their retainers. They do *not* have anything like normal relations with the natives, and sure as hell aren't trading horses and iron to them.

It's unclear how long the other colonies have been in Arcadia, but it's been explicitly stated that no settlement other than Valenhall has lasted more than 100 years. They are *extremely* isolated, because Arcadia is farther away from Avistan than North America is from Europe, and there are crazy magical and monstrous navigational hazards in the way.

In short, I think it would be entirely believeable for people in most of Arcadia to not have been affected by Avistani discovery of their continent in the slightest.

Other than that, I would point out that weapons made from fragile materials are really quite competative with metal weapons in Pathfinder. Masterwork obsidian weapons don't even have the fragile quality. That doesn't really make any sense; real obsidian and flint tools and weapons are good for one use only, unless there's enough material there to make something new when they break or go dull; but it does mean that a masterwork obsidian weapon is actually slightly better than a corresponding masterwork steel weapon, since it weighs less.

I, for one, would love to have an in-setting excuse to use "stone age" weapons; the related feats are pretty cool!

The designers seem to have taken the Byzantine comparison pretty far themselves. The Taldan people look (roughly) Greek, many of the example Taldan names are taken from historical figures in the Eastern Roman Empire, Taldor is described (as I recall) as having a "senatorial class" called the "bearded ones," a Byzantine term, and the Grand Prince is guarded by the "Ulfen Guard," whose description in the books makes them sound basically identical to the historical Varangian Guard in Constantinople, all the way down to their wages being "as much as they can carry out of the Imperial treasury."

Then again, it's clear that not every element of Taldan society is inspired by Basileia Rhōmaiōn. Descriptions of the Taldan aristocracy make it sound like Taldor operates on a feudal system more similar to that of medieval western Europe than the governmental bureaucracies of Constantinople (though there are certainly still plenty of bureaucrats). Most significantly, the owners of large provincial estates in the Eastern Empire don't seem to have been permitted to raise their own armies, whereas the vassals of the Grand Prince of Taldor clearly do.

I would say, then, that Taldor is probably socially a lot like the Byzantine Empire, but with internal politics more like those of medieval France. I would shy away from making a close comparison to Versailles-era France - I get the impression that the Grand Prince has much less power over his own vassals than Louis XIV, which is probably the main reason that Taldor hasn't reclaimed any of its former territory from Galt or Andoran.

What would be a good first scenario to get PCs embroiled in the conflict and give them that push?

One idea that springs to mind is to have an altruistic local cleric captured by the Imperial authorities and sentenced to death. Maybe he/she's a cleric of Iomedae who has been denying the divinity of the so-called god-king to her flock, or a cleric of a goodly non-human deity (Torag springs to mind), or simply one who has been casting banned high-level magics for the benefit of the community.

The PCs should have a personal stake in the matter; the cleric could have healed or otherwise aided them, their families, or those they care about. A religiously-inclined character may look to the accused cleric as a mentor, or possibly even a parent-figure. Maybe the cleric ran a shelter for those orphaned by the empire's wars, and some or all of the PCs were raised there. If you want to do campaign traits, every character could have one tied to the particular way in which they are connected to the accused cleric.

The first adventure could begin when the cleric is captured by the authorities. Another NPC who cares about the cleric might call the PCs together, convinced (rightly) that the cleric is destined for a short show trial followed by execution, unless the PCs do something about it first. From there they have to plan and execute a jailbreak with a short and perhaps uncertain deadline.

In the midst of their preparations, the Viceroy could arrive in town, having taken a personal interest in the case of the cleric for whatever reason seems appropriate. He could be staying at the local stronghold/government building where the cleric is being held awaiting trial, and his assassination could take place while the PCs are carrying out their jailbreak. In the chaos that ensues they encounter the assassin and may become accused of being involved in the killing themselves. From there they must escape the city, at which point they are wanted men with few options (at least in the short term) besides following the Assassin's map to (relative) safety, however they might feel about the assassin himself.

A rough sketch of the ensuing adventures, following the 6-part Adventure Path format, might go something like this: