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Purely a theoretical exercise to test out your plot-building or world-building chops on. I've put it here instead of Homebrew as I'm keen to discuss Golarion. Please don't move it, mods.
"For years, the Mana Waste has remained solitary. Suddenly, scholars begin to note some worrying changes.
They report that with every passing week the Mana Waste travels 100-200 kilometres North and grows by 5 per cent.
Oracles who venture into the Wastes have started hearing the consciousness of the Mana Waste and it's garbled thoughts, representing the Wastes attempts at communication. They return with strange new curses.
The Waste begins spawning horrors at an increased rate, including bizarre creatures that look like a twisted re-imagining of Nethys."
Some questions for the Golarion scholars and GMs out there.
-Who would react first?
-What would likely happen next?
-Is there anything that exists in Golarion that could counter such a threat?
-What would be your theory on what's causing the migration?
-What's a weird unearthly event that you would have the Mana Waste migration manifest?
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- possibly any of the nations bordering on the mana wastes, as they will be the first to notice.
- the panicking border-nations would do their best to find out what actually happens. Arcane research, adventurers send in to find out if there is anything new, strange in the wastes that would explain the late unpleasentness.
To keep itz semi secret, the nations would probably quarantine the areas overcome by the waste and start to blame any bad stuff happening on a) a minority b) a cult or c) another nation, to keep its own people distracted.
- there is no great conclave of archmages or 'organization to save the world (tm)', individual churches, academies, wizards etc. might be, but that dpends heavily on what really causes the change. Maybe something like the wardstones, but tuned to the mana wastes can be invented.
- since somehow Nethys seems to be involved, maybe it is linked to ancient Osirion, at a time where he was still semi-mortal and the unseen master behind Azgaad, the first pharao. Or maybe it isn't even nethys the people see in tose creatures, but a much darker and older entity called the black pharao in Osirion - in which case the migration might well be the dire signs of a much greater threat.
- I would start slow and raise the level of weirdness as the campaign progresses, while looking at the players and their expectations, to fulfil, twist and undermine them. But since you already brought oracles into play, have them react to the changes before they even appear, feel events day or hours before they happen, without knowing the details, of course. HAve religious and semi religious cults appear that see the divine in random manifestations and seek to behave (or even modify themselfs) according to their new believes.
RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32
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Its moving North?
Nex would be all over that, as its encroaching on its territory. Since most of Nex is a wasteland anyway, The Council of Three and Nine would probably research until it approached a warded city.
The Church of Nethys would be all over this, as it represents a threat to Magic in general, and because of the creatures' resemblance to their god.
Pathfinders would definitely be dispatched, to find out what's going on. The Aspis Consortium would probably try to orchestrate a Geb/Nex conflict, both to jack up food prices in troubled Nex, and lowering food prices from now overproducing Geb.
The people of Alkenstar would feel the uptick of monsters and probably wall up in their cities.
Geb or (less likely) Katapesh might take advantage of Nex's state and attempt to annex bits of territory.
Nex could send a crusade to Mendev, to modify the Wardstones to hold back the encroaching Wastes.
As far as theories...
Geb has created a necromantic ritual to harness the souls of those killed in the Mana Wastes when they were formed, and is pushing its collective will into Nex.
Someone in the Wastes has discovered an abandon Nexian Fleshforge and turned it on. Its powered by the magic of the land around it (that used to exist when it was built) and since that's no longer there, it has to siphon it by further increasing the Wastes. Someone is recalibrating the knobs to create perfect soldier for their personal army, and the Half-formed monsters are being spewed out because the forges were damaged.
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Awesome work guys.
I especially like the idea that the powers that be create a cover story to try and keep the horrible truth out of the knowledge of the general populace. Especially the populace that are living right in the direction that the moving waste is heading. Before the waste arrives, towns in the way could receive false rumours about a 'very minor' band of cursed cultists.
I like the concern that Osirion may have in the phenomena. Would Geb and Nex react badly if Osirion started sending their best sages in to take a look?
I am keen to think about how Oracles could simultaneously be the class that can gather the most clues about the cause but also the class that would be the most screwed up by the Mana Wastes corrupted magic. I'd love to hear any ideas for additional curses or spellblights, that sort of thing. Make it a risk/reward. They can gain clues, but risk their sanity/magic/safety.
I agree that Alkenstar would go isolationist if something like this happened. I can't see them helping out on an international scale.
Maybe Geb has a plan, but they didn't count on the whole 'grows 5 per cent every week aspect' of the new, moving waste ;) That could work into the 'increasing weirdness' aspect of the moving Waste.
Geshko - can Fleshforges be made mobile? Neat idea.
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I agree that Alkenstar would go isolationist if something like this happened. I can't see them helping out on an international scale.
I think they would start off isolationist (which, they kinda are already). But pretty soon, magic-starved nations and peoples are going to be clamoring at the gates with what wealth they have, looking for a solution to their problem.
Guns.
They're going to spread, and they're going to spread quickly. When a burning hands or shocking grasp can't be called upon to battle the newfound waste horrors knocking on your city's walls, you're going to need guns.
If Alkenstar is prepared to put guns into production, they may stand to become a new superpower. If not, some gunslinger with an agenda is going to spill the beans. Depending on how fast guns spread, this may give the southward nations of the Inner Sea a powerful boost (if only briefly, before the magic gives out).