Order and Duration of Adventure Paths

[Tacticslion]

That the adventure paths are more or less presumed to be "nowish", I understand, however there are some interesting links.

I'm planning on playing with some interesting things, soon, but I need some information.

For the (sort of) Varisian-origin adventure paths, I'm wondering if the following is kind of an accurate representation of what happens and the relationships between them?

Rise of the Runelords [4707] -> Jade Regent [4711 (directly related to RotRL by starting in the same spot)]
=====> Shattered Star [4712 (directly related to RotRL?)]
>Curse of the Crimson Throne [4708]
>>The Second Darkness [4708 (immediately after the end of CotCT, tangentially related to RotRL?)]
==> Serpent's Skull [4710 (directly related to SD/tangentially to RotRL)]

That leaves Legacy of Fire [4709], Council of Thieves [4709], Kingmaker [4710], Carrion Crown [4711], Skull & Shackles [4712], and the upcoming Reign of Winter [4713] without rather important ties to the Varisian APs. Is that correct?

In more direct chronology, ignoring ties, we've got:
[4707]: Rise of the Runelords
[4708]: Curse of the Crimson Throne, The Second Darkness
[4709]: Legacy of Fire, Council of Thieves
[4710]: Kingmaker, Serpent's Skull
[4711]: Carrion Crown, Jade Regent
[4712]: Skull & Shackles, Shattered Star
[4713]: Reign of Winter, Wrath of the Righteous

Are there any other ties that I'm missing?

While the APs can be modular, is there any particular reason why the Varisian ones should be done in a certain order (besides the fact that Ameiko looks younger in the RotRL art than JR art, or the fact that her becoming [SPOILERS] might be weird before RotRLs)?

I'm curious before we start launching ourselves into the Varisian APs if there's anything that might be just a little 'wonky' if we do them out of order.

EDIT: By the way, I'm totally good with spoilers!

[Urath DM]

Generally, the APs have very few links that would interfere with the order they are played.. most are totally stand-alone.

Each AP is presumed to start around the same time of year as Golarion as it begins being published in the real world. RotRL begins in "September" 4707, and Curse of the Crimson Throne is assumed to begin in "March" 4708, while Second Darkness would begin around "September" 4708. All of that assumes the GM has no desire to pick any other date.. although changing some dates (such as Rise of the Runelords) would require altering more details (RotRL begins on a specific holiday, so another would need to be substituted if changed).

There is one NPC that appears in Rise of the Runelords and Second Darkness, the elf Shalelu. That is the only direct tie between them that I know of.

There is an off-stage activity in Rise of the Runelords that ties to other off-stage activity in Curse of the Crimson Throne. There are not many (if any) other ties that come to mind between those.

There is a family, the Vancaskerkins, with members who each appear in one AP: RotRL, CotCT, SD, and Shattered Star; but they do not interact with each other in the APs as written.

Each AP takes as long to play out as it takes... RotRL, if started "on schedule", could still be playing out while CotCT is starting.. or even into the "scheduled" start of SD - in the latter case, if Shaleu is with the party in RotRL (perhaps she's a Cohort for a PC, for example), then the GM would need to replace her in SD. That would be the only consequence.

Kingmaker, by the way, can take decades in-game to play out.

Jade Regent by default assumes it happens 4 years after Rise of the Runelords.. but does not have to. If Ameiko was a casualty of the RotRL campaign, that is allowed for, and there are provisions to replace her.

At this time, Shattered Star is the *only* AP that assumes the others have already happened. One of the reasons given for the sponsor sending the heroes out in Shattered Star is that there have been such upheavals in Varisia in the recent past. There are elements of Shattered Star that draw on specific parts of previous APs, such as

Spoiler:

the Gray Maidens organization created and during CotCT plays a significant role in one adventure

[Tacticslion]

EDIT: by the way, I can't believe I forgot to say, but, "Thanks!" :)

While I was aware of most of what you were saying reference the APs in general (heck, I'm a player in KM!), I was curious about any of the more specific ties I might have missed (like Shelelu in both RotRL and SD - I was aware of her presence in JR).

But I am very interested in notes of connections like in your spoiler and the Vancaskerkins.

The other connections I alluded to:

RotRL, Second Darkness, Serpent's Skull:

... all have ties to Eando Kline, though I'm not sure of the specifics of RotRL and Second Darkness, and I think that kind of happens in the background for those two, but I'm not sure.

I'm really interested in any other additional connections and notes (between any of the APs, but especially the Varisian-related ones).

EDIT 2: to clarify, I'm a player in King Maker (we're now at year 4714 and adventure 5... rapid, I know), I'm a GM in Serpent Skull (again, stalled out at about adventure 5, but for different reasons), and I'm planning on doing more, but I'd like to make a loosely-cohesive narrative with many of our games and Golarion.

[Demiurge 1138]

There is a link between Curse of the Crimson Throne and Council of Thieves

Spoiler:

Ileosa Arabasti was originally Ilesoa Arvaxni, the daughter of the Mayor of Westcrown

[Tacticslion]

Oooooooh. That's a rather interesting and important note! Thank you!

[Urath DM]

RE: RotRL, SD, and Serpent's Skull

Spoiler:

Eando Kline appears in the Pathfinder Journals fiction pieces in Rise of the Runelords and Second Darkness, but not in the AP adventures themselves.

If you're looking for even loose connections,

Spoiler:

Ameiko Kaijitsu has a half-sister in Westcrown, linking RotRL and Jade Regent to Council of Thieves... but as she's just a name and makes no appearance, other than as a convenient way to replace Ameiko in Jade Regent if needed.. that's a very loose connection indeed.

EDIT: Added second paragraph .. and fixed my poor spoiler tag

[Tacticslion]

Sweet! Thanks!

And yeah, even loose connections are useful for background and world-building stuff, even if they can usually be ignored.

[Liz Courts]

Edited first post to include the August 2013 Adventure Path release, Wrath of the Righteous.

[Tacticslion]

Thanks, Liz!

[Scribbling Rambler]

Demiurge 1138 wrote:

There is a link between Curse of the Crimson Throne and Council of Thieves

** spoiler omitted **

Was the relationship that specific? I knew they were related...

Another link between those two AP's

Spoiler:

there is a member of the Arkona family who appears in The Infernal Syndrome

[John Mangrum]

It's an Easter Egg rather than a direct connection, but there's a loose link between Legacy of Fire and Serpent's Skull. Maybe two, possibly.

Spoiler:

In Dark Markets, the sourcebook on Katapesh that supports Legacy of Fire, there's a lizardfolk doomsayer whose apocalyptic predictions are clearly a distorted take on the looming return of Ydersius.

A much more nebulous connection may be hidden in "Coils of Flame," the set piece adventure in Pathfinder Adventure Path #20 ("House of the Beast"). The cavern detailed in the adventure features a statue of a snake-headed humanoid that the current residents have altered to more closely resemble a salamander. This otherwise mysterious deity may be Ydersius, which would mean in turn that the cultists who occupied the caves "long ago" and originally carved the statue might have been degenerate serpentfolk. (Not that long ago, though; the cave and even the mountain that houses it didn't exist until long after Ydersius was defeated.)

[ThreeEyedSloth]

Very loose connection, but...

Curse of the Crimson Throne & Carrion Crown:

The nosferatu Ramoska Arkminos appears in both adventure paths, working on some sort of alchemical creation of importance.

[Tacticslion]

I'm loving these connections and Easter Eggs. These are great!

[Mechalibur]

Another Easter Egg...

Spoiler:

In a number of the AP adventures there is an art object treasure described as a statuette of two entwined succubi kissing. According to the Magnimar book, these are the creations of a tiefling named Avayah, who gives you a side quest in Shattered Star: Curse of the Lady's Light

[Othniel Edden]

Mechalibur wrote:

Another Easter Egg...

** spoiler omitted **

Related to that...

Spoiler:

You also find one of these entwined succubi as a belt buckle piece of treasure in the Stag Lord's bed chamber in Kingmaker.

[Turin the Mad]

Kinda makes one wish a single PC had collected certain interconnected bits of loot, doesn't it?