(No, I'm not looking for a date.)
Now that I have your attention, here's my request: I'll be starting a new game soon in Tian Xia. The premise is to start the adventure with the Ruby Phoenix Tournament (all 6 of my players are level 11; perfect!) and after the tournament, there will be a Pathfinder Chronicler who will hire them as bodyguards, as he would like to explore and document the various regions... except that he's alone and doesn't like the idea very much of wandering on his own (can you blame him though?). He wants the best and of course, picking the winners of a massive tournament sounds like a good idea.
I'd like to have the group simply explore the continent without much restraint. Technically, they'll start in Goka, with the Tournament, and move progressively to the East. However, I have a little "restriction": I don't want to railroad them with a HUGE and complex plot. Basically, the main quest is to help the Chronicler document every region of Tian Xia. They can stumble on ruins, tribes, conspiracies and such, but I'd like to keep every hook isolated for each region. They can be captured and transport into another region against their will and such; I just don't want to have them follow a pre-traced path. At best, each region could contain a special item that could be used to unlock something greater when reunited.
For instance, the Chronicler bought a stone disc during the Tournament from a merchant. The disc has the map of Tian Xia engraved and there are slots for coin-like medallions, similar to a passport. The Chronicler would also like to uncover the mystery behind this disc. That's just an example to help driving the adventure. Then again, helping the Chronicler documenting each and every region and returning to tell the tale is still a perfect goal.
So, below are listed the regions of Tian Xia. I'd like to get a few hooks for each region. I'd like to know if you guys would have some ideas for hooks for each region.
AMANANDAR
BACHUAN
CHU YE
DARKLANDS
DTANG MA
FOREST OF SPIRITS
GOKA
HONGAL
HWANGGOT
JININ
KAOLING
KWANLAI
LINGSHEN
MINATA
MINKAI
NAGAJOR
PO LI
QUAIN
SHAGUANG
SHENMEN
SHOKURO
TIANJING
VALASHMAI JUNGLE
WALL OF HEAVEN
WANSHOU
XA HOI
XIDAO
ZI HA
Thanks in advance... and I'll see what I can provide on my side as well.
Really great great opening; don't know the regions well enough to think of anything too specific for them. . .
One of them or the other is probably suitable for a grove of shambling mounds?
Shambling mounds are great to include while exploring, just tuck in a little grove where lightning goes off all the time and grows them to abnormally large size.
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That's a cool idea for a campaign! My current campaign is also intended as sort of a "grand tour" type of plot, though it's in the Inner Sea region (mostly; they're on Castrovel right now -- long story). For my overarching plot, I have an artifact that they don't understand, and they've got to tour around to various experts to try to gather information about it. So that might be an option for you.
Sorry I don't have enough knowledge of Tian Xia to really help you with specifics; my one piece of general advice for when you're devising hooks for a traveling party is to always ask yourself, "Can the PCs just leave?" Because if they can leave without any consequences, then they very likely will.
With a date? Pshaw. No, when you said hook you up I was thinking wires and circuits.
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Here's what I got, after some research:
AMANANDAR: investigating Daigaki Castle and the plan of Tsubokandu's ghost
BACHUAN: exploring Szaezan Crags for treasure; helping revolutionists in Peijia
CHU YE: freeing slaves in Jyito
DARKLANDS: defeating a rampaging clockwork squadron emerging from the Clicking Caverns
DTANG MA: dealing with the volcano Mount Pho-Yim in Ramparassad; explore a ruined city in the Sikhyeu Rainforest
FOREST OF SPIRITS: defeating a group of oni that broke out of the House of Withered Blossoms
GOKA: aside from the Ruby Phoenix Tournament, the voyage home for the Chronicler could be plagued with a fetch quest in the Undermarket.
HONGAL: defeating Nghiem the ettin chieftain on behalf of Kiriltai Khan
HWANGGOT: getting captured by the Sunsu Godae in the Chang Liao Jungle; participating at one of Haseong's festivals
JININ: investigating a rusting curse involving the Mithral Roots in Ayajinbo
KAOLING: getting hired as bodyguards for a merchant to buy and sell weapons in Dhucharg... and survive the stay
KWANLAI: retrieving a sword, or a pair of swords, for a ghost in the City of Whistling Swords; killing a clutch of forest dragons in the Vale of Green Spears
LINGSHEN: in vestigating the thief of a supernatural siege engine in on the Battle Forges; stopping a ronin squadron of terra-cotta warriors from the Cradle of Immortality
MINATA: stopping a summoning ritual for a demon rumored to sleep under Inahiyi
MINKAI: thwarting a coup d'etat orchestrated by the Jade Regent in Kasai
NAGAJOR: healing members of the royal family to conduct the ritual to prevent Kullan Dei from erupting, as someone wants it to explode
PO LI: escorting an oracle to the Emperor’s Footprint; retrieving a magic flower from the Emperor’s Footprint as well
QUAIN: exploring the Temple of the Whispering Spider; retrieving treasure on the shell of the Four Winds Tortoise
SHAGUANG: repelling an invasion of Denizens of Leng in Yjae
SHENMEN: foiling a sacrificial ritual to a jorogumo in Yin-Sichasi
SHOKURO: hunting eels in the Sea of Eels... and ionvestigating the disappearance of the Makaitsu
TIANJING: destroying a portal in the Kaimuko Wood to prevent a qlippoth incursion; putting to rest several Zo pirates ghosts in Zetang
VALASHMAI JUNGLE: obtaining fire-using items from the Chenlun Mountains... to cross the plant-infested Sudisan Peaks
WALL OF HEAVEN: escorting a royal maiden to see the Celestial Dragon in the Iron Mountains; exposing Koeh Lau's true nature
WANSHOU: helping a tribe of locathahs to defeat Zhanagorr; recovering an item in the flooded city of Numijaan
XA HOI: saving a wronged spellcaster from harsh justice in Ngon Hoa
XIDAO: stopping merrows/sahuagins raids in Aya-Maru
ZI HA: traversing the Labyrinth of the Two Hells... and killing any troglodyte that stands in the way