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Anchor's End: Manifest Destiny

Cheliax is a mighty Imperial Power in Golarion, and its navy has no rival. It is only natural, then, that it would choose to display its naval supremacy through the establishment of distant overseas colonies. Anchor's End is the most promising, and most distant, colony.

Arcadia lies across the great Arcadian Ocean. It is a land of serene beauty and vast untapped natural resources. And it is Cheliax's Manifest Destiny to one day rule over it all. You have answered the call to take on the monumental challenge of taming the wild land, and forging Order from Chaos.

The only problem is that each of your allies has designs on Arcadia that may not align exactly with your own. Will your vision guide the expansion of civilization across Arcadia? Will you lead, or will you be led, into the future?

The only limit you face is your ambition!

In the next round of the contest ...

I would like to see more Monkeys, Sombreros, Blink Dogs, Pirates, and Dinosaurs.

I have everyone I need. If any further folks are interested, please let me know and I'll add you to a wait list.

Thank you for your time and your interest!

She hates your people, your gods, and your laws which have befouled her blessed home with corruption and decay. Her scaly children dream of a return to ancient ways -- to hunt, to devour, to rule their world as they did long ago.

MWANA, QUEEN OF THE SLITHERING CR 14 [2 humanoid hit dice + 1 level adjustment + 11 druid levels]

Female Lizardfolk druid 11
CN Medium humanoid (reptilian)
Init +0 [+0 Dex]; Senses Listen +11, Spot +11

DEFENSE

AC 25, touch 10, flat-footed 25
(+6 armor [+5 from armor +1 enhancement], +0 Dex, + 9 natural [+5 racial +4 enhancement barkskin])
hp 114 (2d8+11d8+52)
Fort +15 [+7 class +4 Con +4 resistance], Ref +10 [+3 humanoid hd +3 class +4 resistance], Will +17 [+7 class +6 Wis +4 resistance]
Defensive Abilities freedom of movement (automatically succeed on grapple checks to resist being grappled and to escape grapples or pins); resist nature’s lure (+4 saving throws against spell-like abilities of fey), ring of counterspells (greater dispel magic); DR 10/adamantine (stoneskin absorbs up to 110 points before being discharged); Immune to poison, movement impairing magic, detect thoughts, discern lies, any magical attempts to discern alignment; Resist acid 10

OFFENSE

Spd 30 ft. [30 ft. modified for medium armor and longstrider], air walk, freedom of movement, tree stride.
Melee +1 longspear +12/+7 [+9/+4 bab +2 strength +1 enhancement] (1d8+4) [+2 strength x 1.5 for two-handed +1 enhancement] and
bite +12 [+9 bab +2 strength +1 enhancement, -0 for Improved Multiattack] (1d6+2) [1d6 for Improved Natural Attack (bite) +2 strength x 0.5 for secondary natural attack +1 enhancement] or
2 claws +12 [+9 bab +2 strength +1 enhancement] (1d4+3) [+2 strength +1 enhancement] and
bite +12 [+9 bab +2 strength +1 enhancement, -0 for Improved Multiattack] (1d6+2) [1d6 for Improved Natural Attack (bite) +2 strength x 0.5 for secondary natural attack +1 enhancement]
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks wild shape 4/day (11 hours)
Spells Prepared (CL 11th):
6th—greater dispel magic, transport via plants
5th—commune with nature, stoneskin, tree stride
4th—air walk, flame strike (DC 20, x2), freedom of movement
3rd—call lightning (DC 19), contagion (DC 19), greater magic fangi, poison (DC 21), water breathing
2nd—animal messenger, barkskin (x2), bear’s endurance (x2), bull’s strength
1st—charm animal (DC 17, x2), faerie fire, longstrider, speak with animals (x3)
0—cure minor wounds (x2), detect magic, know direction, light, purify food and drink

TACTICS

Before Combat Mwana uses her metamagic rod (extend) and casts stoneskin, tree stride, and freedom of movement. She uses her 2 lesser metamagic rods (extend) and casts greater magic fang, barkskin, bear’s endurance, bull’s strength, and longstrider. She also casts speak with animals to efficiently communicate with her minions and air walk to enhance her mobility in combat.
During Combat Against competent enemies, Mwana prefers to keep as many minions between herself and her adversaries, remaining at a distance to call down fire and lightning. She will use the effects of airwalk and tree stride to keep her distance. Should she be forced into melee, she will wild shape into megaraptor form and engage. If she faces a challenging foe and victory is crucial, she will use her scroll of summon nature’s ally IX, though she is aware of the danger of mishaps.
Morale She will flee if her minions and animal companion are defeated or immobilized, if most of her buff spells are dispelled, or if she has taken more than 60 points of damage. She saves her transport via plants spell for just such an escape. If Mwana plans a subsequent attack on foes that have defeated her before, she will use her potions of blur, heroism, shield of faith, and displacement ahead of time.
Base Statistics If Mwana is caught without her buff spells, the following changes apply to her statistics.

AC 21, touch 10, flat-footed 21
(+6 armor [+5 from armor +1 enhancement], +0 Dex, + 5 natural [+5 racial])
hp 88 (2d8+11d8+26)
Fort +13 [+7 class +2 Con +4 resistance]
No longer under the effects of freedom of movement, no immunity to movement impairing magic, no DR.
Spd 20 ft. [30 ft. modified for medium armor], no longer has air walk, freedom of movement, or tree stride
Melee +1 longspear +10/+5 [+9/+4 bab +1 enhancement] (1d8+1) [+1 enhancement] and
bite +9 [+9 bab -0 for Improved Multiattack] (1d6) [1d6 for Improved Natural Attack (bite)] or
2 claws +9 [+9 bab] (1d4) and
bite +9 [+9 bab -0 for Improved Multiattack] (1d6) and [1d6 for Improved Natural Attack (bite)]
Str 10, Con 14
Grp +9 [+9 bab]
Skills Jump -1 [+5 ranks +4 racial -6 movement penalty -4 ACP], Swim +1 [+5 ranks +4 racial -8 ACP]
Languages no longer has speak with animals.

STATISTICS

Str 14, Dex 10, Con 18, Int 12, Wis 22, Cha 13 [Elite Array; +2 Str, +2 Con, -2 Int from race; +3 Wis from advancement, +4 Wis from periapt of wisdom, +4 Str from bull’s strength, +4 Con from bear’s endurance]
Base Atk +9/+4 [+1 humanoid hd +8/+3 druid levels]; Grp +11 [+9 bab +2 Str +0 size]
Feats Animal Affinity, Eschew Materials, Improved Multiattack, Improved Natural Attack (bite), Multiattack
Skills Balance +5 [+5 ranks +4 racial -4 ACP], Diplomacy +6 [+5 ranks +1 Cha], Handle Animal +14 [+5 ranks +1 Cha +2 Animal Affinity], Jump +7 [+5 ranks +2 Str +4 racial -4 ACP], Knowledge (nature) +16 [+11 ranks +1 Int +2 synergy from Survival +2 nature sense], Listen +11 [+5 ranks +6 Wis], Ride +4 [+2 Animal Affinity, +2 synergy from Handle Animals] Spellcraft +7 [+6 ranks +1 Int], Spot +11 [+5 ranks +6 Wis], Survival +19 [+11 ranks +6 Wis +2 nature sense] (+21 in above ground natural environments) [+2 conditional synergy from Knowledge (nature)], Swim +3 (+5 ranks +2 Str +4 racial -8 ACP].
Languages Aquan, Common, Draconic, Druidic; speak with animals, helm of comprehend languages and read magic
SQ animal companion, hold breath, nature sense, resist nature’s lure, trackless step, venom immunity, wild empathy +12 [+11 druid levels +1 Cha] (+8 magical beasts) [-4 conditional modifier], woodland stride
Combat Gear 2 elixirs of fire breath, 2 lesser metamagic rods (extend), metamagic rod (empower), metamagic rod (extend), 2 potions of blur, 2 potions of displacement, 2 potions of heroism, 2 potions of shield of faith +2, scroll of heal, scroll of summon nature’s ally IX, wand of cure light wounds (50 charges); Other Gear Cloak of resistance +4, diamond and granite dust worth 2000 gp (enough for 8 uses of the stoneskin spell), dust of tracelessness, handy haversack, helm of comprehend languages and read magic, periapt of wisdom +4, +1 wild dragonhide breastplate of acid resistance, +1 longspear.

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Animal Companion (Ex) Gar (deinonychus, 6 hd) is a loyal companion. If Mwana releases Gar from her service, she may gain a new companion by performing a ceremony requiring 24 uninterrupted hours of prayer. This ceremony can also replace an animal companion that has perished.

Hold Breath (Ex) She can hold her breath for a number of rounds equal to four times her Constitution score before she risks drowning.

Nature Sense (Ex) Mwana gains a +2 bonus on Knowledge (nature) and Survival checks. This bonus has already been included.

Resist Nature’s Lure (Ex) She has a +4 bonus on saving throws against the spell-like abilities of fey.

Trackless Step (Ex) Mwana leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked. She may choose to leave a trail if she desires.

Venom Immunity (Ex) She is immune to all poisons.

Wild Empathy (Ex) Mwana can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check made to improve the attitude of a person. To use wild empathy, Mwana and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal conditions.

Wild Shape (Su) Mwana has the ability to turn herself into any Tiny, Small, Medium, or Large animal and back again four times per day. Her options for new forms include all creatures with the animal type, so long as they don’t exceed 11 hit dice. The effect lasts for 11 hours, or until she changes back. Changing form (to animal or back) is a standard action and doesn’t provoke an attack of opportunity. Each time she uses wild shape, she regains 11 hp. Mwana often takes the form of a megaraptor in combat. When she does so, the following changes apply to her statistics.

Large size
Init +2 [+2 Dex]; Senses Listen +9, Spot +9
AC 28, touch 12, flat-footed 26
(+6 armor [+5 from wild armor +1 enhancement], +2 Dex, + 10 natural [+6 natural +4 enhancement barkskin])
Fort +14 [+7 class +7 Con], Ref +8 [+3 humanoid hd +3 class +2 Dex], Will +11 [+7 class +4 Wis]
Defensive Abilities she no longer has ring of counterspells or immunity to detect thoughts, discern lies, or magical attempts to discern alignment. She also no longer has resist acid 10.
Spd 70 ft. [60 ft. modified for longstrider]
Melee talons +16 [+9 bab +7 strength +1 enhancement -1 size] (2d6+8) [+7 strength +1 enhancement] and
2 foreclaws +16 [+9 bab +7 strength +1 enhancement -0 for Improved Multiattack -1 size] (1d4+4) [+7 strength x 0.5 for secondary natural attack +1 enhancement] and
bite +16 [+9 bab +7 strength +1 enhancement -0 for Improved Multiattack -1 size] (2d6+4) [2d6 for Improved Natural Attack (bite) + 7 strength x 0.5 for secondary natural attack +1 enhancement)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks she gains the pounce special attack.
Spells she cannot cast spells with verbal or somatic components in animal form.
Str 25 [21 + 4 for bull’s strength], Dex 15, Con 25 [21 + 4 for bear’s endurance], Wis 18 [loses the effects of the periapt of wisdom +4]
Grp +20 [+9 bab + 7 Str + 4 size]
Skills Balance +11 [+5 ranks +2 Dex +4 racial], Jump +32 [+5 ranks +7 Str +4 racial +16 movement bonus], Listen +9 [+5 ranks +4 Wis], Ride +6 [+2 Animal Affinity +2 Dex +2 synergy from Handle Animals], Spot +9 [+5 ranks +4 Wis], Survival +17 [+11 ranks +4 Wis +2 nature sense] (+19 in above ground natural environments) [+2 conditional synergy from Knowledge (nature)], Swim +16 [+5 ranks +7 Str +4 racial].
Languages Mwana cannot form intelligible words, but may understand languages normally.
Gear all of Mwana’s gear melds with her and becomes nonfunctional while she is wild shaped.

Woodland Stride (Ex) Mwana may move through any sort of undergrowth at her normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. Woodland stride does not overcome thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that have been magically manipulated to impede motion.

DESCRIPTION

Manifestation and Mien
Before we could comprehend her terrible visage, her flesh melted and became all teeth, and claws, and death.

The scales of this supple creature glisten darkly, bound beneath oily black dragonhide. Her yellow slitted eyes reflect primeval pools of venom, aflame with madness and bloodlust. She moves with the sensual grace of a predator and speaks with the whispering sibilance of a viper.

Motivation and Method
A plague fell upon us, of poison, madness, and paranoia.

She has answered the dreaming call of the spirit of the swamp, giving birth to antediluvian horrors. She plans to one day lead her beloved children out of the swamp, to cleanse the world of the stagnant filth of civilization and return it to its lush primordial state.

To realize this goal, Mwana starts many subtle plots but has little patience to see them through. When she grows bored, she allows them to run their own wicked course. If she becomes frustrated, she unleashes the Slithering in a frenzy of thunderous rage upon her foes.

Minions and Machinations
I begged for mercy as their scaly limbs pinned me down on the edge of the ooze-covered pool. Something stirred in the greasy depths -- something hungry.

Mwana leads a tribe of lizardfolk who fervently serve the spirit of the swamp. They protect the swamp and its numinous spawning pools with unwavering zeal. They strike out from their primitive village to gather the fresh warm blood of sacrifice and awaken their queen’s sleeping children.

The swamp’s unfathomable will has claimed some of her lizardfolk tribesmen, infusing them with primal spirits. These new lycanthropes are able to shift between lizardfolk and dinosaur or crocodilian form. Mwana has sent many into nearby settlements to infect their leaders, transforming them into agents of the Slithering, craving the collapse of their own civilization.

She has awakened countless ancient beasts -- dinosaurs and giant crocodiles – stirring them from their eons of rest beneath the swamp. She calls upon them when she tires of her more slippery schemes.

Mwana uses the common reptilian inhabitants of her domain -- snakes, crocodiles, turtles, and lizards -- as guardians, spies, and venomous assassins.

She has discovered the overgrown ruins of an alien temple within her swamp, beneath which something truly horrible slumbers. Her agents travel to the ends of the earth, seeking the lore necessary to awaken this leviathan.

Malevolent Metaphor
The dreams of the swamp
Ancient and forgotten by men
Except in their fevered nightmares.
The Slithering returns.

Mwana represents the dissolution of civilization and a return to wild. She symbolizes our prehistoric fear of the fangs of the serpent, the claws of the beast, and the battering winds of the coming storm.

To my fellow contestants, I wish you all good luck.

Each and every one of the entries had something in them that would make them worthy of advancement to the next round. In my book, there's a little bit of a superstar in all of you.

Now for the waiting.

With the deadline now past, all that's left for me to do is wait. I am enjoying myself very much with this contest, even if the anticipation is going to drive me to an early grave!

Ghost Hound Kinships of the Rolling Plains
The Blink Dog Nation

Alignment: Lawful Good
Capital: The Dream Caves of the Ancestors
Rulers: High-Alpha Female Hurfgra Spiderslayer of the Skywatcher Kinship, High-Alpha Male Gurgrauf Cavekeeper of the Skywatcher Kinship

Government
A joint tribal council led by a High-Alpha Male and High-Alpha Female governs the Kinships. These leaders are selected through traditional dominance rituals.

Geography
The land consists of temperate plains, with warm plains and hills to the south and some temperate hills to the west. The Icemelt River flows through the region, and is fed by countless smaller streams and tributaries.

Culture
The blink dogs of the Kinships all share a basic tribal culture with an emphasis on honor, tradition, and the veneration of the celestial powers through the intercession of ancestor spirits. An alpha male and alpha female share leadership of individual packs. The most powerful and influential of these alphas come to dominate extended families known as kinships. The males of the kinships typically focus on gathering and keeping the oral history and traditions, while the females typically focus on hunting and protecting the young. The blink dogs have no written language, but often leave elaborate and long-lasting scent markings and coded colored rock arrays conveying complex messages throughout their territory.

History
Long before the arrival of the human settlers, before discovering the secret of blinking, the Kinships wandered the Rolling Plains living off the bounty of the land. With the rise of the Goblin King in the Verdant Peninsula to the south, the wheels of war began to turn. The Goblin King craved control over the sacred sites protected by the Kinships. He believed they would grant him the mystical power to become a living god. He sent forth his goblinoid janissaries, but they stood no chance against the combined cunning and feral might of the Kinships.
The Goblin King did not give up easily. Beneath his pyramid temple, he bred clutches of arcane phase spiders and trained them to execute his will in the Rolling Plains. The phase spiders marched north to exterminate the Kinships, and the Kinships could do nothing to stop them

The Kinships retreated to the Caves of the Ancestors, their most powerful sacred site, when High-Alpha Rufyar Stormherald answered the call of the Ancestor Spirits, traveling into the Ethereal Plane on a vision quest. The spirits granted him the gift of blinking, and sent him to teach the secret to the Kinships. With the power of blinking, the Kinships fought back against the phase spiders and reclaimed their sacred land.

When humans settled on the Pirate Coast over a hundred years later, the Kinships cautiously avoided the strange colonists. However, now that the human settlers are spreading across the Rolling Plains, the blink dogs have no choice but to deal with the strangers.

Relations
The Kinships are wary of the presence of human settlers in their midst and tensions have occasionally broken out into violence. The benevolent traditions of blink dog culture, however, compel many packs to protect the ignorant humans from the dangers that lurk in the Rolling Plains. The Kinships despise the Goblin King and his phase spider assassins. The savage gnolls of the west fear the Ghost Hounds who drive them ruthlessly from the Rolling Plains whenever they venture near.

Notable Settlements

The Dream Caves of the Ancestors (pop. varies)
The blink dogs perform their most sacred rituals within these winding sandstone caves in the southern hills. All young blink dogs must undergo a vision quest within these caves, communing with the spirits of their ancestors as a rite of passage. The Skywatcher Kinship protects the caves, but all the kinships gather for a great convocation on the winter solstice where they share news, perform rituals of friendship and grievance, and make decisions for the Blink Dog Nation as a whole.

Skywatcher Kinship (pop. 16,000)
The territory of the Skywatcher Kinship centers on the Dream Caves of the Ancestors in the southern hills. The Skywatchers uphold strict traditions of mysticism and spirituality. They spend as much of their time as possible at their sacred sites communing with the ancestors and protecting them from villainous phase spiders.

Rockjumper Kinship (pop. 9,000)
The territory of the Rockjumper Kinship extends from the Rolling Plains into the hills to the south and west. The Rockjumpers value courage and honor above all else and frequently test their mettle against the gnolls of the western hills. Rockjumper braves have saved many human settlers from gnoll raiders.

Elkchaser Kinship (pop 20,000)
The Elkchaser Kinship has the widest migration pattern of any of the major kinships and follows the great elk herds in their seasonal travels across the plains. Elkchaser life revolves around the family, with the most respect given to those who care for the pups.

Stormherald Kinship (pop 12,000)
The Stormherald Kinship roams between several sacred sites in the northern and eastern reaches of the plains. The Stormheralds see themselves as the protectors of the Rolling Plains and practice rituals designed to instill loyalty and foster prowess.

Behind the Scenes

The Gnoll Threat
The gnoll cleric Nergrosh has uncovered rituals to create powerful mummies to destroy his enemies. He is sending gnoll agents into the Rolling Plains in search of a mystic site to empower his dark necromancy.

Imminent Violence
Human settlers have unwittingly trespassed on a sacred site of the Stormheralds. The Stormherald warriors see this as a mortal crime as the site was clearly scent-marked as taboo. The Stormheralds are planning violent retaliation if this misunderstanding cannot be reconciled in time.

Sequel to Villainy
The Goblin King has overseen a vile union of goblin and infernal, and Barghests are the result. The Goblin King has ordered the first of these Barghests to go forth from the breeding pits from which they spawned and into the Rolling Hills to carry out his schemes.

Charts of the Shadow Voyage
These extensive nautical charts, maps, and instruments are contained within a black leather portfolio with silver clasps and fasteners. The portfolio has large pockets in the front and back which contain a nautical compass, a sextant and a mechanical clock. Once per night, if a direct course is plotted using these instruments, the navigator's ship begins an eerie voyage through the Plane of Shadow.

While in the Plane of Shadow, the vessel appears to travel at its normal rate of speed, but covers 50 miles per hour relative to the Material Plane. Due to the shadowy nature of the course, the travelers are unable to perceive details of the terrain they pass through until they exit the Plane of Shadow at the end of their trip or at dawn, whichever comes first. When the ship returns to the Material Plane, it returns only 1d10x100 feet from its course.

Anyone leaving the ship during its shadow voyage has a 50% chance of being trapped in the Plane of Shadow, otherwise they return to the Material Plane at dawn.

Strong illusion; CL 12th; Craft Wondrous Item, shadow walk; Price 30,000 gp; Weight 10 lb.