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Just a quick question to the writers of our beloved Golarion-is most of the world you've created already decided upon? Like, do you already know what killed Aroden and what happened to the undead ruler that disappeared (Nex or Geb or something, I don't have my book with me)?
Do you know some of it...most of it...none of it?
I'm just curious if you've already decided/know these things and they're just waiting to be expanded upon, or if they're completely open waiting for an enterprising writer to flesh them out.
I suppose I could direct a similar question to the DM's out there about how much of a world do they flesh out before they present it to the players. Sure the starting area/town and populace-but do you first flesh out the mythology of creation...and the structure of the planes...and the history of the world before PC's set foot in the world? How much is enough for you when you create you're world?
This is mostly idle pondering-but I am curious how much of Golarion is already decided upon.
For most of the big ideas in Golarion, yeah, we have ideas. What happened to Aroden? There's a plot. The situation with Nex and Geb, sure, there's ideas. Will we ever come right out and say what's the deal with these mysteries? Probably not. At least, not any time soon. Why? Because these amount to Campaign Setting Spoilers. Mysteries are fun and GMs who work their own stories up detailing their takes on these mysteries can do some really cool stuff, but us just saying "Oh, it's like this" relegates an interesting facet of the world into just another bit of trivia.
Take the Far Realm for example. In the second and even much of the third edition D&D days, its was this spooky other place where awesome monsters came from, full of potential for aberrant horror. Now it's been largely revealed and it's just another place gross monsters come from. Details kill imagination fast.
So we'll be keeping a lid on our secrets, many of them forever if some of us get our ways. Golarion is a shared world, between both us as designers and GMs, and you shouldn't have to feel like we're going tromp down the aisle stepping on everybody's toes with each new product. You do what you want with these big mysteries in your game, and we'll do what we want in ours.
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For most of the big ideas in Golarion, yeah, we have ideas. What happened to Aroden? There's a plot. The situation with Nex and Geb, sure, there's ideas. Will we ever come right out and say what's the deal with these mysteries? Probably not. At least, not any time soon. Why? Because these amount to Campaign Setting Spoilers. Mysteries are fun and GMs who work their own stories up detailing their takes on these mysteries can do some really cool stuff, but us just saying "Oh, it's like this" relegates an interesting facet of the world into just another bit of trivia.
Take the Far Realm for example. In the second and even much of the third edition D&D days, its was this spooky other place where awesome monsters came from, full of potential for aberrant horror. Now it's been largely revealed and it's just another place gross monsters come from. Details kill imagination fast.
So we'll be keeping a lid on our secrets, many of them forever if some of us get our ways. Golarion is a shared world, between both us as designers and GMs, and you shouldn't have to feel like we're going tromp down the aisle stepping on everybody's toes with each new product. You do what you want with these big mysteries in your game, and we'll do what we want in ours.
Thanks for the response. I had figured that most of the big plot points had answers, but also were put there as building blocks for GM's to further develop. I suppose I wanted to know if they would be revealed in the future as a way to advance the global plot somehow-and you answered without my actually posing the query! Good work!
Ah well, it doesn't matter either way if anything was revealed...my Golarion is different from everyone else's.
Keep up the fantastic work! Looking forward to the new rules.
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I figured that would be the answer.
In MY Golarion, Aroden DID return as a mortal man. He gave his godhood to Iomedae. He belived she would be the one to lead humanity in the future against the Demonic threat taht would come through the Worldwound. The Worldwound is caused by the use of Arcane Magic, weakening the barrier between worlds. The Knights of the Temple of the Ascended Lord, the guards at Aroden's temple in Oppara, Taldor, learned these great mysteries after his disappearance. They now form a secret society simply known as the Templars, who combat the demonic threat, support Iomedae, and seek out and stop Arcane Magic abuse.
I am still working on a plan for Nex. So far, the idea is that Nex was the victim of an assassin. A member of his own family attempted to murder him during the crisis with Geb. In an attempt to foil the assassination Nex created or fell into a frozen demi-plane, where he and his would-be assassin are frozen in time and space during the very moment of the attack. Anyone who can find, free and heal Nex would be greatly rewarded by the archmage and his return would throw the world balance of power into chaos. SO far anyway. That one may change.
I figured that would be the answer.
In MY Golarion, Aroden DID return as a mortal man. He gave his godhood to Iomedae.
Doesn't sound like me. Would a CEO give full power of attourney to his secretary and then take a personal day?
Doesn't sound like me. Would a CEO give full power of attourney to his secretary and then take a personal day?I figured that would be the answer.
In MY Golarion, Aroden DID return as a mortal man. He gave his godhood to Iomedae.
Not a personal day...it sounds more like retirement, which could be for any number of personal reasons. Perhaps Aroden fell in love with a mortal (yeah, probably a little too cliche) or something like that. I think Krome's idea has a lot of potential.
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Not a personal day...it sounds more like retirement, which could be for any number of personal reasons. Perhaps Aroden fell in love with a mortal (yeah, probably a little too cliche) or something like that. I think Krome's idea has a lot of potential.
I'm liking it too...the Whispering Tyrant could have found some chink in Arodens' armour and Aroden gave up his portfolio rather than have some undead monster ruin a power for good...or something like that. I plan to steal Krome's beginning and whip something up with it.
Thanks Krome!
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I had some half-arsed notion that Aroden isn't dead, but imprisoned, quite willingly so, having bound himself into an endless conflict with a nameless diety of storms and destruction, an elemental female counterpart to Rovagug, who manifested on Golarion physically as an enormous storm, which was headed towards Rovagug's prison, where she would tear him free and, together, they would destroy the world, consummating their union.
Aroden now stands at the center of the Eye of Abendago, keeping it from moving inland, stalling it's fury, but unable to kill it.
Or not.
I like the idea that the god is trapped somehow, locked in an endless conflict that is sparing the world some great disaster, and it could just as easily have something to do with the Worldwound, which may have been about to tear open and swallow the entire world, and only Aroden's act of self-sacrifice has bought Golarion an unknown quantity of extra time...
Alternately, the 'dame of disaster' could be a diety born from the dying desperation and denial of thousands of Azlanti during Earthfall, wrenched into terribly birth amidst death and disaster, and whose endless anguish and confusion will never end until the Last Azlanti joins his people in death's embrace. Aroden went to her willingly, to spare the many other races of man her attentions, as she was lashing out at them for surviving what her people had not, seeking to bring the entire world as low as the Azlanti had fallen.
Or maybe he just went out for a beer with the guys and never game home. Iomedae may be the only one who knows for sure...
Doesn't sound like me. Would a CEO give full power of attourney to his secretary and then take a personal day?I figured that would be the answer.
In MY Golarion, Aroden DID return as a mortal man. He gave his godhood to Iomedae.
Hey, it happened on The Simpsons. The legal owner of the power plant was Canary M. Burns, after all.