This is a closed Agents of Edgewatch game. There's 4 players, I'm sure they'll introduce themselves in due time. So I'd like to start by just doing some housekeeping, the regular stuff, you know.
First of all, character creation. I can be pretty simple about this: Regular ol' standard Pathfinder 2e character building. All official Paizo resources are fair game. The setting, Absalom, is pretty dang cosmopolitan, so if you ask me, feel free to have as much fun in character design as you'd like! I'd suggest you take a good look through the official Players Guide as well, which comes with backgrounds for different branches of the City Watch that could help with inspiration for character creation.
https://paizo.com/products/btq024wj?Pathfinder-Adventure-Path-Agents-of-Edg ewatch-Players-Guide
The Players Guide also gives background information to Absalom as well as the big festival that the campaign uses as its backdrop. I won't call it required reading, but I'm going to assume at least a little bit of familiarity with the setting.
Speaking of the Players Guide, one thing I do want to draw attention to is the content warning early on. A lot of those content warnings are relevant as early as Book 1, though a cursory overview gives me the feeling most of them stop being relevant after that, even more after the second book, and then from that point on it's pretty standard Pathfinder dark fantasy faire. Feel free to communicate any themes in the content warning (or not in there if you'd like to communicate them). I'll try to be as conscious of it as possible to make sure everyone has a good time throughout!
I'll be tossing my personal alterations and flourishes throughout the campaign, but there's some things that I'd like to touch upon, especially in terms of how playing an Agent of Edgewatch is a li'l different from a typical adventurer. You're more than free to ignore all this, but I figured I'd share these for the sake of some transparency:
The basic concept of the AP is that you'll be new recruits within a new branch of the Absalom City Guard known as the Edgewatch. As guardsmen, any combat, at the very least in the initial stages, can be assumed to be nonlethal by default. This changes nothing mechanically, really, it just means that when you finish off the enemy, they'll be knocked out and they'll get back up soon enough. We could get really in-depth about how sharp blades can KO someone instead of slicing off limbs, but, honestly? I was just planning on handwaving it as convenient Absalom City Guard magic. Hope that's alright with everyone.
The AP describes the Edgewatch as comprised mostly of freelancers and mercenaries with, at the moment, very little budget. As such, Edgewatch officers are authorized to keep the money they get from fining people in lieu of a salary. This, I imagine, was mostly introduced to make it easy for the campaign to fit a typical "fight baddies and loot them afterwards" mold. But, thematically? This is extremely silly and makes the party seem like corrupt cops, imo. So there'll be no fines, and instead you can just expect the office to grant the party a salary that just happens to match what you would've gotten from looting.
Also a relatively small thing. This has no bearing to the AP's plot, but the Players Guide gazetteer mentions a camp of Precipice Quarter inhabitants that got displaced to make place for the big festival grounds. Aside from being pretty dang grim, everything I can find in the AP about the Precipice Quarters made it seems like an uninhabitable wasteland full of dangerous monsters. So as far as I'm concerned, there's no big displaced people camps because there were no people to be displaced to begin with.
Anyway, that's really all I wanted to share. If there's any questions, I'll gladly answer them of course! hope we can have a great game together, and good luck on making your characters! I look forward to seeing them.
Originally, Cheliax was founded as part of the massive Taldor Empire, and remained this way for over a thousand years. However, when Taldor started to succumb under its own weight and had to content with a massive invasion force, the governor of Cheliax swiftly called for independence, knowing that Taldor would not have the time and resources to fight this claim. Thus, the nation of Cheliax was born.
Cheliax started to expand and grow into greatness, taking over territory for itself. Its people were ambitious, in part due to the Starfall Doctrine: a prophecy that stated that in 4606 AD, the Last of the First People and patron god of humanity, Aroden, would return to the world in Cheliax, and lead humanity into an Age of Glory with Cheliax at the helm. As such, Cheliax became nation completely devoted to Aroden.
Instead, in 4606 AD, not only did Aroden fail to appear, those that followed his faith lost their divine powers altogether. Aroden had completely disappeared from existence. With the current King's divine mandate completely nullified, it didn't take long for the nation to fall into a civil war that would last over thirty yeras.
One of the main players of this war was House Thrune, a family as ambitious as they were cunning. In the end their matriarch, Abrogail I, struck a deal with Hell itself, promising that she and her entire family would devote themselves to their control. Her armies bolstered by devil soldiers, and her tacticians advised by devil advisors, Abrogail swiftly took out the opposition and became Queen of Cheliax, and ushered into a new and grim age of devil worship that lasts until this day.
-----
Infernal Cheliax has been tossed into chaos. About two months ago, a hellknight order, the Order of the Godclaw, recovered a relic, a sword said to be wielded by the Goddess of Justice, Iomedae herself. They claimed the sword for their own and presented it as a sign that their way was righteous.
Followers of Iomedae did not agree. They gathered their forces and managed to do the unthinkable: defeat the Order of the Godclaw. Bolstered with this victory and the retrieval of Iomedae's sword, they organized into an army calling themselves the Glorious Reclamation. Their mission? Take down the ruling House Thrune, do away with the national worship of the Lord of Devils, Asmodeus, and reclaim Cheliax in the name of Iomedae, Aroden's most loyal servant in life!
As a response, House Thrune imposed martial law over every major city in the country, and promised the cities that each one would be ruled over by a direct representative of the ruling family themselves. One of these cities would be Kintargo, in the Archduchy of Ravounel in the northeastern corner of Cheliax.
Kintargo was not a beloved city for the Thrunes and their loyalists. As a trade city, they did alright, and typically managed to keep themselves sufficient. But most of said trade goods did not typically leave the Archduchy due to its natural borders, and Kintargo's inhabitants were known as free spirits: artists, satirists, travelers and the like, the exact kinds of people to oppose a regime like Thrune's. The leading family saw little reason to intervene, however: Kintargo minded its business, and the Thrunes would mind theirs, and everything would be fine. But with a revolutionary army marching through the country, keeping cities like Kintargo from getting any ideas becomes a high priority.
To the surprise of the entire Thrune family, there was a volunteer that wished to head to Kintargo.
-----
Eight days ago, the city of Kintargo's new ruler arrived, directly following the mysterious vanishing of its beloved lord-mayor, Jilia Bainilus, two days earlier. His name: High Inquisitor Paracount (and new Lord-Mayor) Barzillai Thrune.
Less than a day after his arrival, Kintargo faced yet another setback with the incident now known as the Night of Ashes. Several buildings spread across the city burned to the ground with no discernible cause. The following day, Thrune immediately made a public announcement.
"My beloved subjects, proud Cheliaxians, each and every one of you. In the very first night of my tenure as your guardian, I have been welcomed to your fair city with multiple, heinous cases of arson. They have shaken me to my very core, and I assure you, my heart and support goes out to the victims and those they have left behind.
However, with this 'welcome', it is clear to me now the kind of city I have been given the honor to lead. Your hearts burn with the passion of Cheliax, but your minds are rot, lacking the sophistication and discipline of the Cheliaxian Heartlands!
But have no fear. I will guide you. Starting today, I will share with you proclamations. Consider these proclamations... Lessons. Good behaviour gives one rewards, and bad behaviour gives one punishment. Together, we will make Kintargo the shining jewel on the crown that is Cheliax!"
As he promised, the proclamations came. They started fairly reasonable, but quickly devolved into absurd demands and ridiculous restrictions.
Thrune's Proclamations:
Proclamation the First: All slayers of city pests (hereby ascribed as doves, mice, and ravens) who present said pests to the dottari shall be rewarded with a bounty of one copper piece.
Proclamation the Second: All places of public business must display in a position of prominence within the first room accessible from the building’s primary entrance a portrait of Her Infernal Magestrix Queen Abrogail II. Said portrait must measure no less than 17 by 11 inches.
Proclamation the Third: All those who capture, alive and unharmed, feral dogs of a weight exceeding 50 pounds are to be rewarded with a payment of two silver pieces upon transfer of the dogs to the dottari. Such noble guardian creatures should find homes worthy of their kind!
Proclamation the Fourth: The right to wear fine embroidered clothing in public is hereafter proscribed to anyone other than agents of House Thrune or the Holy Church of Asmodeus. Exceptions can be awarded or purchased at the city’s discretion.
Proclamation the Fifth: Grain is life! Should grain be spilled in public, all must be gathered, cleaned, and repackaged within the hour. Any person who allows grain to go ungathered after a spillage shall be fined one copper piece per grain.
Proclamation the Sixth: The imbibing of night tea brings a dangerous imbalance to the slumbering mind. Between the hours of sunset and sunrise, the taking of tea is proscribed.
Proclamation the Seventh: The odor and flavor of mint is an abomination to the refined palate. Be not the cretin! Mint use in candies, drinks, and all manner of confections is hereby proscribed.
Lore Codex: Abrogail Thrune:
Her Infernal Majestrix, Queen Abrogail II of the Thrice-Damned House of Thrune is the current queen of Cheliax, at the young age of 22. She rules from the country's capital of Egorian, but like many of the ruling class, has never expressed much interest in the goings-on of Kintargo.
Even with the advice and instructions of a Pit Fiend that served her great grandmother Abrogail I, and a devil sent by Asmodeus himself, she is known to be fickle and changes her mind often on edicts and laws that she herself set in place. Nevertheless, her word is law, and she holds absolute power.
It's only been a little over a week since Barzillai took over and the Night of Ashes occured, but already the city seems like a completely different place. For a city that prides itself on its diversity, creative spirit, and artistry, the yoke of martial law is particularly onerous, and the atmosphere is tense. Numerous minor protests have popped up, only to be quickly dispersed by dottari (Chelish city guards), Hellknights of the Rack imported from the south to aid in crowd control, or the local militia known as the Chelish Citizens’ Group.
However, that's not stopping Kintargans. All of you have heard word on the street that the largest protest yet will be gathering this morning in Aria Park, just across the road from the Kintargo Opera House that Barzillai claimed as his own home, to the frustration of Kintargo's theater-going crowd.
It is the morning of the tenth of Rova, 4715 AD. Autumn is truly starting to creep in now, as a light drizzle and a sky full of light gray clouds greet the day. The four of you, completely unknown to each other, are walking towards Aria Park, each for their own reason. But although your pasts that brought each of you to this moment could not be more different, you all share the same future. A future of revolution, a future of a brighter Kintargo.
Please all take a moment to describe your characters as they approach the slowly growing group of protesters in Aria Park, and also what they hope to gain from attending this protest. Once everyone's introduced themselves, the protest can start in earnest.
PS: Thank you all once again for joining me in this, I've been dreaming of running this for literal years!
I've started entertaining the idea of running a play-by-post for my friends who are completely new to Pathfinder (tho not new to rpgs in general). I'm considering to just jump into the deep, start an adventure path, and see where we end up. However, there's something I'm slightly worried about.
My players in general have pretty iron stomachs and such, but I like to err on the side of caution. For the PbP I've been considering Rise of the Runelords and Curse of the Crimson Throne. Then I remembered how the Hook Mountain Massacre book of RotRL is known to have like high amounts of gore and brutal scenes, courtesy of the ogres.
Which got me to thinking, how does the rest of Rise and the other paths of the series fare in that department? Aside from the last book of Hell's Rebels, I don't truly know any other extremely gory situations in APs. So I was wondering how gory people rank the different APs, and what specific segments come to mind.
Hey there. Although it's, for now, probably quite a bit into the future, I'm planning on DMing Hell's Rebels.
Now, I was thinking of how to work with the Rebellion system, and how many missions players could do in a week, etc etc.
And here's what I came up with. The players, as (most likely) citizens of Kintargo, will have a life built up here, including a full time job to support that life.
So I thought: Maybe, in order to fit the earlier campaign's small scale of the rebellion, I could let the player characters work full-time, then gather, do missions, in their free days, which would be on Sunday and maybe Starday as well.
This way, players get to do about 1-2 missions per Rebellion system gathering, which I think is a nice balance. Not only that, but players will have some extra chance for depth with their character.
