vyshan's page

I would like to see the Dessamar in the future.

Obviously its not out yet and will have some spoilers. But Lost Omen High Seas will apparently have ship combat which means it should be rather useful for this AP.

I remember when one of the microfiction blogs in the lead up to Tian Xia World Guide came out, the author showed up in the blog comments (RIP) to talk about their love of Gong'an, chinese mystery fiction about Holmesy government magistrates. Seems like we're getting a whole AP in that vein!

Sounds like the main action of the "present" timeline will be your lawyer arguing on your behalf, which the PCs will have some influence over while observing their right to remain silent. Presumably casting mid-rank spells in court will be frowned upon.

I am not familar with that sort of Chinese fiction, I wonder what tropes and vibes is associated with it?

In my mind at least, the main difference is:

Oprak = Hobgoblin nation
Scorchome = Goblin nation

Different ancestries come with different vibes.

Yea, the two have different vibes. But even if they were of the same ancestry I think their location and history would make them different. Oprak is a mountianous land that won its freedom through conquest. While Scorchome is a forested land that won its freedom through fighting with allies against an empire.

the fact they are different ancestries IMO makes those differences stand out more. :)

I still confused about book. What EXACTLY it would describe? Low-religion folk practics like ancestor worship, nature and animal spirits and so on? Or about some Spirit World, something akin to First World, but for spirits?

Things I would expect to see in this book:

Rivethun: The dwarven spiritual which is very animistic and regards even the dwarven deities as just powerful spirits; honestly to me it comes across as something like Dwarven Shintoism.
Covenants that worship spirits: There are a number of covenants mentioned in divine mysteries that call out spirits of places. Good Neighbors mention household spirits, Light of the Everlasting Flame mentions fire spirits, Waves of the Boundless Sea mentions water spirits etc.
Information on the Forest of Spirits: It is in the freaking name. so I would be shocked if there is nothing about the forest of spirits.

The pathfinder wiki mentions the following things as spirits that I can see being talked about.

• Spirits of air and the clouds communicate with mortals non-verbally.
  
• Animists use spiritual magic to bond and communicate with an undefinable range of typically incorporeal spiritual entities called apparitions that can include human and animal spirits who have not yet succumbed to undeath; manifestations of locations, memories, and events; and other forms.
  
• Anito and kami of Tian Xia are often referred to as "nature spirits".
  
• The aesir monitors known as einherjar are sometimes referred to as spirits.
  
• The Dragon-Lotus Drum of Hwanggot binds the spirits of those who use it into service after their death. Such spirits are not souls that can be captured or resurrected, and the Drum releases them only after they fight battles on its behalf.
  
• The Rivethun tradition among dwarves teaches that every object and environment contains spirits with which they can communicate and attune themselves. These spirits in turn empower these dwarves' magic and ally themselves with the dwarves as necessary.
  
• Tales of Old-Mage Jatembe and the Ten Magic Warriors speak of the Empress of Stars, a ghost described as a spirit who once protected the city of Kin.
  
• Elementals are often described as being animated by elemental spirits that represent natural elemental phenomena. Elemental spirits of places, such as large bodies of water, can be manifested through ritual magic.
  
• Exemplars can channel their own spirit through their ikon toward different powers and benefits. Certain exemplars can draw upon the spirits of all past and future rulers for guidance and channel their authoritative presence. Others can call upon the spirits of combatants who died in glory or travel to the "world of the dead" through their ikon's connection to it.
  
• Loci spirits can form from accumulations of superfluous psychic energy combined with positive emotional resonances.
  
• Magical spirits can enter small hyenas to become the familiars of kholo.
  
• Nature and ancestral spirits might ally themselves with hag covens in pursuit of vengeance.
  
• Nature spirits commune with iruxi masked mummers.
  
• Ossumentals of the Slave Trenches of Hakotep are undead remains animated by elemental spirits.
  
• Rakshasas are spirits of unholiness manifested as corporeal beings.
  
• Skin shifters can shapeshift through the blessings of wild spirits.
  
• Incorporeal undead are sometimes generically referred to as "spirits".
  
• Incorporeal beings of the Forest of Spirits are sometimes known simply as "spirits".
  
• Spirit guides, such as the Trickster, are spiritual entities.
  
• Void spirits, sometimes channeled by users of occult magic.
  
• Yakshas are ancient, divine spirits who were banished from the First World to the Universe and take corporeal form in the presence of positive emotions and a need to protect a wilderness area.
  

Arcaian wrote:

Yakman wrote:

It being Paizo, it's entirely possible that, as a nigh-all-powerful, irredeemably evil FEMALE character, she redeems herself and becomes a good guy [Sorshen, Nocticula, Arazni].

I don't think it's fair to put Arazni in the same category there - she was never in that category of "loved being evil, loved doing evil, willing did it for millenia". She was obviously being forced into her role, and resented it - both the evil forces putting her in that role, and the forces that were aligned against Geb but did nothing to rescue her. She's angry, she's resentful - but she was never, in my opinion, irredeemably evil. She was doing evil things in a terrible situation.

Another important thing about Arazni is that she's not really one of the good guys. She might end up there eventually, but she's decidedly not good. The goddess of "survive at all costs" and "hurt the person who hurt you bad enough they can't hurt you again" is someone a good person *could* follow, but she's not personally invested in good except insofar as a good number of the entities she hates are evil.

Also in Lost Omens Legends, back when alignment was still a thing had her down as Lawful Evil.

** spoiler omitted **

We have two goblinoid nations in Avistan, but still no halflings one, somehow... What this could mean?

Maybe when we get an Arcadia book or Casmeron book we will learn of a gnomish or Halfling Realm.

Golarion has a lot of human nations in Avistan, Goblins can have their own. I really dislike the idea that non-humans are only allowed one settlement. Taldor, Andoran, Nidal, Isger, Ravenoul, Nirmathas, Molthune are all human nations around them. yet we don't go "is that too much."

Moreover the cultures of Scorchehome and Oprak are likely to be different. Which is good.

First is just geography. Oprak is in the Mindspin Mountains
and Scorchehome will be in the Chitterwood. So just from Cuisine, clothing, housing, will things be different.

Then we get into the natures of their histories. For Oprak, they waged a successful war to conquer their region with their Iron Fang Legion. while for the Goblins of the Chitterwood they first waged war on the humans lead by goblins only to be defeated. Then to only get it through diplomacy with humans during the hellfire crisis when their home was in danger. So more cultural differences.

Most likely even the Hobgoblins and Bugbears of Scorchehome will be less militerisitic then the ones in Oprak. Because Oprak is a Stratocracy. Azaersi's title isn't king, or archon, or Chief, it is General. She is a General and everything is run through the military. I highly doubt that the government and structure of Scorchehome will look like that.

We know that there are a lot of different tribes in the Chitterwood and Isger more broadly. We got Bulbhead who love to wear masks, the pan-tribe cinder Seekers that seeks to prevent goblins from being enslaved by hob goblins again, the Hookback who well love hooks in their back, Mudrub who put on mud before battle and fear getting wet will ruin this muck, and many others.

The war itself will have a great impact on Scorchehome and the chitterwood goblins compared to the Oprakian goblins. It is the Scorchehome goblins their defining event of their foundation.

adding to that some goblins will just prefer Oprak's culture to Scorchehome. So that is just some of the ways they are likely to be different.

Sailing stuff! Pirates, privateers, and sailors alike. combat and adventures in, around, and under water. There are SO many aquatic options in the game right now but almost no interaction with it from any of the adventure paths.

One of the ideas for an AP I had was remake of Skulls and Shackles but set in Minata in Tian Xia.

James Jacobs wrote:

Can confirm a few more...

** spoiler omitted **

If the prophecy about the sun being destroyed is still live, then I am now 100% committed to that being the (in my opinion, overdue) Bright Lions/"revolution in Mzali" AP.

Why do you say that this adventure is Overdue?

Place your bets on the Kuru: reworked into an Ancestry with some nuance, quietly minimized or renamed, or gracefully not mentioned at all?

What are the Kuru?

ties to the plane of water could be here?

I'm still hungry for the "tiny Kingmaker" experience of building a settlement up from almost nothing.

I quite like that idea. I wonder where might be the most interesting to do this?

One thing I would love is a slime or ooze creature. There is one in Galactic Ancestries for Starfinder, so I would love a pathfinder version. Especially since Aakriti is a fun deity. I am not sure if the darklands would be the best spot for them or not but you never know what sort of creatures are down there so maybe.

Don’t forget the Drathnelar gnomes! I want to see them too!

Their aesthetic is cool.

What is their aesthetic?

For Darklands regions I'd particularly like to see covered, the ysoki region/"empire" of Diguo-Dashu would solidly earn my "flip to this first". A section with some of the Vaults of Orv feels like practically a given, and while it's not my first stop, it's definitely the thing I'd feel most cheated to not have included.

I would also be interested in a slightly more ancestry-oriented look at the Darklands. Something that covers where kobolds, ysoki, dwarves, cavern elves, and other traditionally subterranean ancestries/heritages all fit in.

Yea, the Ysoki I want to see more of, dwarves, orcs and them. I honestly don't care much about the drow. They never felt tied to the rest of elven lore and culture of Pathfinder IMO that is and just felt like drow in other settings but with pathfinder demons. Oh and the fact that sometimes evil elves become black and turn into drow(not sure if that got retconned before drow but I hope so)

So I rather see the realms of the Ysoki, Orcish lands of Orcs who stayed underground, the Ghoul city, underground dwarf holds, and so on. The talk of Drow seems to suck up air that the other ancestries could use. :)

I like the idea that she ascends to Goddesshood and becomes a goddess serving asmodeus.

Anyways to get back onto the war between Andoran and Cheliax, or I guess in this case the conflict between Rahadoum and Cheliax.

I wonder who Khari ends up siding with, my guess would be the movement that leads to the creation of Corntyn as an independent state.

Because if they joined Rahadoum then anyone who follows a good deity regardless if it is Desna, Sheyln, Kurgess, Chaldiria, Kurgess, and any other deity will be horribly oppressed by the Pure Legion which seeks to enforce anti-theism. But on the other hand if they sided with Cheliax then well they are being oppressed by the forces of Hell, whose whole shtick is being the plane of oppression and tyranny. So its a choice between oppression or oppression.

I am curious what Qadira is doing in this conflict. Apparently some Qadiran Privateers are trying to break Taldor's blockade that some nobles are doing. The current Satrap Xerbystes II wants the glory of conquest, and Taldor has long fought with Qadira. I wander if the Privateers are going to be the spark to set off the next Taldane-Qadiran War?

I am curious what is the issue with Hellbreakers?

All the spoilery content about Nidal is making me wish we had an AP set there. that sounds like juicy juicy story seeds :D

Since the greeks were mentioned. They did name their children after their gods. The term Theophoric is greek after all.This includes Zeus and Hera.

I believe it was more common for Romans to outright name their children the same name as the gods they venerated while Greeks often used name + suffix. so for example the famous historian Herodotos means something like granted by or given by Hera.

Now what does this mean for Golarion? Well it means there are 2 sorts of theophoric names to use.

So lets use the example of a Chelixian noble family. they could name a son Asmodoros or gift of of Asmodeus. or perhaps they decide to name a son after one of the other divinities in Hell's hirearchy. So instead he is named Furcas after the infernal duke of the same name.

I think this also can be a good way of generating names for characters(PCs and NPCs) need to figure out some random dwarves that the party is speaking to. Well just pick some of the gods and then add some suffixs and name done or just name them after a god.

So there is a concept called a theophoric names, being named in honor of deities or attributes of them. This is why there are many Marys or variations on that for girls in Europe. Why Diana and Micheal are names.

As for names being the same. It is a rule I honestly dont care about. The real world is filled with names that are the same. first names especially.

I really like for example the detail that the church of Cayden Cailean often have orphans adopting the name surname Cailean.

I am going to assume that all the drow stuff is just going to be retconned away.

I wonder if we will get 2e stuff on Gathalians here?

One of the ideas I have for a character would be a human monk who is an ex-sister of the Golden Eriynes who has complicated feelinggs to her former sisters. For on one hand they saved her. She lost her family during the goblinblood wars, and the sisterhood took her in. She has friends there. They were the only family she knew.

However she has turned away from them, she believes in a different path, not bound to hell which doesn't serve the people of Iger. She would want to replace the Sisterhood with a new order, similarly disciplined and structured female organization of Nuns, one which would have orphan's interest at heart but more good aligned. I just am not sure as to which deity or deities for her.

But I like the idea of a Golden Eriynes Nun fighting against her former order to free Isger from tyranny that she once was taught to embrace.

I guess I was hoping for a kind of world war. Hell's presence on Golarion should be a concern even for nations far beyond the Inner Sea.

I think part of the issue is IIRC a couple of the streams mentioned this war would be like ww1. yet it isn't. Andoran v Cheliax are more good guys v bad guys. Unlike ww1 were all the sides were imperialist bastards. Nor did it trigger a cascading of alliances where Andoran invades Isger that prompts Molthune and galt to join Cheliax which prompts Nirmathas to join, Rahadoun joins, vidrian aligns with Andoran and the shackles decides to oppose them both.

I think using the analogy of ww1 failed here because of these expectations.

Yeah, I think it's been pretty clear that this is just *one* of the major conflicts finally coming to a head. I would not be surprised if next year we get some big Nex and Geb stuff with Impossible Magic tie-ins

Yea, Battlecry! lists a lot of future wars to break out not just Nex and Geb, or Andoran and Cheliax. There also is

- Various warlords on the Isle of Kortos
- The grasslands are gearing up for war in Casmeron; sounds like a ghengis khan guy might show up here
- Nirmathas and Molthune
- Belimarius and Sorshen in New Thassilon but not sure how Revenge handles that conflict.
- The reclaimer in the Mammoth Lords who is leading a host to destroy civilization
- new demonic warlords empowered by gorum's shards in the Sakorias Scar
- Usaro is being besiged by a demonic army
- Vidrian and the pirates of the shackles
- Something with Xiopatal
- Mistress Peony and Hao Jin in Tian Xia

and that is just here. IIRC a couple more nations in Tian Xia can go to war, so I can see that happening there.

glass wrote:

James Jacobs wrote:

glass wrote:

]Are they actually gone gone, in the sense that former drow cities are now not!drow cities. Or are they just not mentioned?

We can't/won't talk about drow going forward in the game so they're indeed gone gone.

You could not mention them by just not mentioning them - that would not have been what I meant by "gone gone". What I was asking was whether you were going to do that, or deliberately overwrite them. From the rest of your reply (and the Archpaladin's), it seems like you are doing the latter.

This would just be de-facto barring most Darklands content from the game; the Vaults of Orv are so distant and mythological that it'd be very hard to go to, so Nar-Voth would be the only place left you'd ever be able to go. Trying to write content in Sekamina without mentioning the Drow would be like writing about North America without mentioning the US.

Their will probably be a lot of retcons about the drow when this gets dropped.

I assume we are going to be getting information on the Cavern Elves? I assume that the drow cities are gone?

Honestly I would just let them fly. A lot of magic already is a ranged spell, and one could just add ranged units. Also one could always introduce their own fliers. Playing a sprite fighting against cheliax, well know there are some hawkmasters with hawks you have to fight. The enemies should change IMO not to be pushovers nor overpowered to your party.

moosher12 wrote:

Where is this info coming from? Did the stream already happen?

Paizo put up new product pages last night for a ton of books; they have since taken a majority of them down. We're likely to see those pages back up after the streams tonight and on the 27th.

What happens on the 27th?

That's okay! I really didn't care about Rusthenge, Revenge of the Runelords, Myth Speaker, or Shades of Blood!

And now I'm back and locked in for 2026. I hope we get hellknight lost omens at some point.

I will certainly go back to sleep when they start doing Arcadia content, and you will return.

Hellfire dispatches will have that:

With the Old Cheliax book announced that puts us up to 6 out of 10 Inner Sea Meta Regions!

Which ones don't have one yet?

A number of new books just popped up in the store, including Lost Omens: Cheliax, Infernal Inheritance for October.

Product Description wrote:

As the Hellfire Crisis comes to an end, the powers that be must reckon with a changed world. Within the Infernal Inheritance dwell scheming nobles, remnants of ancient empires, and Hellish dangers.

In this comprehensive regional gazetteer, readers will be able to explore:

Cheliax, a devil-bound nation transformed by war;
Corentyn, a naval power establishing its militaristic and economical might;
Isger, a recently liberated nation discovering its forgotten past;
Nidal, a nation wreathed in shadow and bound to a wicked god;
Ravounel, a former Chelaxian hold that is seeking its own place in the world;
Scorchhome, a nation for goblins and other outcasts.
Each entry within this gazetteer includes the history, culture, and current events of the region, as well as a major city to include in a variety adventures. The book also includes new character options and a fold-out poster map!

Seems Corentyn is due to carve off a chunk of western Cheliax and become its own nation by the end of Hell's Destiny.

Scorchhome, I wonder where that is my guess is Isger because of all the goblins there. and Isger is liberated. I would imagine that these two nations might have a complicated relationship.

I wonder how Andoran and Cheliax are going to be handling the aftermath of the war.

Also Nidal, what are they doing in the war.

If the AP hits March 4, when is the PG landing?

Yea I am wondering that too.

Well well, come May, Vidrian will have an ironclad cassus belli against Cheliax if it wants to use it.

The big question is do they want to use it. I see Vidrian and Andoran being allies, but the issue is the shackles. One of Vidrian's many rivals are the shackles pirates. and any conflict with Cheliax would have to go through them. And while the Pirates don't like Cheliax, they wouldn't want Vidrian to just go through them without paying tribute, which is what caused the conflict with them to begin with.

So lets look at some deities. I want to explore several evil deities that people might follow and how they can without just being 'insane'.

Lamashtu

The mother of Monsters, especially in 2e, can be seen far more beneficial then just pure evil villianly, or at least have avenues that make sense. Look at her edicts and anathamas. Moreover, she has several enemies that can work in some campaigns; ie Urgathoa, Rovugug, and Pazzuzu.

One idea I had for a PC cleric of Lamashtu would be in a Triumph of the Tusk game where the cleric was an orc priestess who saw Tar-Baphon as an agent of Urgathoa and ergo an enemy of the great mother so she would oppose the undeath. Second the various scarification practices of the Orcs would fit well with a Lamashtu cleric, Not to mention her allies among the Goblin Barghast gods would fit well with her.

Would such a character be considered a brutish savage by people from Cheliax, Andoran, Taldor, and many others? Absolutly. she wouldn't be nice but could easily work in such a game.

Urgathoa:
The Palid Princess most obvious thing is Undeath. But lets consider Geb. Geb is a land where the undead rule. There her religion is normal, and accepted. There an average citizen might worship her because it is the main religion. It is a route to acceptance and some influence.

Zon-Kuthon:
While Nidal is the first thought to where normal people might worship Zon-Kuthon, there is another land where his faith has plenty of influence: Geb. See in Geb, the church of Nidal is largely a religion of the living, the quick, not the undead. Because the undead don't feel pain as much as the living, it doesn't hold attraction to them, and thus has become a refuge and sanctuary for the living. This doesn't change the fact Zon-Kuthon is still the torture and pain god. Thus an average person might turn to Zon-Kuthon as his church is a refuge from the Undead.

Thamir
Thamir is IMO an easy one. He is the god of oppresed halflings who choose to take power and get revenge upon their oppressors, and in lands like Cheliax, halflings are an oppressed lot. I can see normal halflings turning to them in order to get revenge on those that wronged them.

Pretty important thing that I think deserves mentioning that really does remove some of the 'its like the real world' discussion: in Golarion, the gods are actual physical/metaphysical, provable, existing entities. They aren't things people believe are real but have no actual day to day presence. You can actually pray to Lamashtu and she will actually answer them.

It's not like someone in the real world calling out to some god and interpreting something as their will. It's like if an IRL Catholic priest called out to the Saints to smite some perceived Satanist and an actual real beam of light shone down and obliterated them. Or the Satanist conjured forth actual hellfire and burned down a cathedral.

Like we do need to approach this from that viewpoint. Of course someone who watches a priest of Zon-Kuthon summon shadows and sexy pain fiends to engage in their wild fantasies would be like 'oh okay that's kinda exciting'. A suffering person dying from a disease who longs for the taste of their favorite meal and another chance at life may call out to Urgathoa and actually be given just that. It's not wishing; it's measurable effect.

It's not just abstract philosophy in Golarion. It's real, actual, observable power.

Following an 'evil' god makes a lot more sense when you can see the actual benefit first-hand.

Except that people who are true believers in the real world really do believe. That catholic priest may vary well 100% believes in God. People in the real world do believe that miracles are real and given by God/the gods. Yes, we can say that they aren't real, but to the believers these miracles are very much real.

LegalKimchi has a great video IMO about fantasy religions, it focuses on DnD with an interview with Ed Greenwood but a lot of it can apply to Pathfinder too.

I wonder what regions will get details. Obviously the shackles are one and I imagine Minata also will be there. would be interested in seeing some stuff about Arcadia and the Linorm kingdoms and Vudra.

I am pretty sure there are newspapers and tabloids in Alkenstar.

Personally, I feel the Shoanti haven't gotten much love in 2E, so I would definitely appreciate them getting more than just a few lines of description.

They got quite a bit of love in the second book of triumph of the tusk. including backmatter! :)

I would really love to have a Jadwiga Heritage for humans and a Winter Witch class Archetype for the Witch.

We have that sort of.

There is the pre-remaster, winter-touched heritage for humans that explictly calls out the Jadwiga. Baba Yaga is a Patron as the slience in snow both of which seem fitting for witches. though we don't have a specific winter witch archetype. So that would be cool to have.

Since we have Revenge of the Rune lords coming up, I have wondered if we will get one so we can see more of New Thassilon. All the ruins of Thassilon sound cool.

As for Ulfen Land, I would love to see more especially with the death of Gorum. That has to have a major upset to their religious beliefs.

In regards to religion. I always love regions having their own pantheons where various divine beings are all worshipped together. For the Ulfen this could include the various Aesir Monitors, but also Desna, several giant deities like Skode and Aegirran.

Also I am wondering how much influence the Russians have on Irriseni culture. I certainly hope that the White soldiers didn't bring their homophobia, racism, anti-semitism and more that was prelevant in the white army and white adminstrated regions during the civil war with them when they came to golarion.

I do like that they brought Ice Hokey though; the fact Irriseni didn't have Ice Hockey before is a crying shame! I wonder if that sport has spread to the Ulfen, as I got to imagine it should. So I wonder what other sorts of things like this got imported. Related I really want to learn more about Stasian technology that Anastasia is developing.

Like with the Ulfen, I too am curious for the religion of Irrisen. I want to know what gods besides Zon-Kuthon and Lamashtu are worshipped. While I do want to know if Russian Orthodox Christianity was established or not in the land(one of the NPCs in frosty mug is explictly the daughter of a russian priest), in part due to the russians but also due to the new queen; and also potentially any other real faiths like Islam or Judaism. but even beyond that their are plenty of people who wouldn't feel drawn to either Zon Kuthon or Lamashtu in Irrisen. Where are the Ice gods or gods of the hearth or giant gods.

So, folks over on the Inner Sea War speculation thread seem to think that the war will be modeled on WW I.

So follows a list of technical advancements that were in play at the time on Earth. (Golarion is a magic realm so one can assume that magical versions would have been developed.)

** spoiler omitted **

There’s more, but that’s all I can think of for now. Not everything I mentioned is strictly infrastructure.

The funny thing is that all of that, as in the non-magical version, can exist on Golarion because there are a bunch of Russians from 1918 in Irrisen. we know at least Irrisen has modern rifles one of the images in one of the pathfinder society adventures has a Mosin-Nagant rifle mentioned explictly. So the rest can be presumed that they might know about, plus the whole stassian technology queen Anastasia is creating.

vyshan wrote:

Curious why was there no mention of Lissala, the runelord goddess. She got an entry in divine mysteries and war of immortals suggests IIRC she is getting supporters, including non-evil ones.

Because...

** spoiler omitted **

Curious why was there no mention of Lissala, the runelord goddess. She got an entry in divine mysteries and war of immortals suggests IIRC she is getting supporters, including non-evil ones.

So now the good clerics and good people of Khari are being oppressed by anti-theists of Rahadoum

Got to suck for them to go from being oppressed by asmodeus to being oppressed by rahadoum.

But I am curious to see it in that ap.

Pretty sure that there is no lore reason, and no lore reason is coming as it is done that way purely for game balance reasons.

vyshan wrote:

I really want to know more about the greater Empire. the 1e book Qadira Jewel of the east really added a whole lot of details and fleshed out that satrapy and details on the Kelishites. Notably the Kelishite ethnicity is a delibertly constructed identity to bring about unity to the empire. There are six major ethnicities(Aishmayars, Althameri, Khattibi, Mideans, Susianams, Tzorehiyi) Each is associated with a virtue , and the kelishite identity as a whole is associated with Unity.

While it's 100% headcanon, I love the notion that Qadira is IT, and that this great empire barely even exists, having collapsed into feuding city-states, and being even more 'vaporware' than the 'great Taldan empire' (which itself has fragmented into several other countries).

Qadira talks all sorts of talk about how they are just the tip of a much, MUCH bigger spear, and have this 800 lb. gorilla backing them up, but they are just a last lingering echo of the empire's former glory, and it's such a successful smokescreen that the average citizen of Qadira (who, like most people in that day and age, will never travel more than a few days away from where they were born), *have no idea* that they are alone, and that there isn't some magical super-empire standing behind them.

I am in the exact opposite camp as you. I really like the empire of Kelesh from what little we have gotten of it and want to explore it more.