PaizoCon Founder, Wayfinder Editor-in-Chief
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Shadows linger where the dead once ruled the living. Those who would cast aside the darkness may not be ready for what the light reveals...
The Whispering Tyrant and his armies controlled Ustalav for over six hundred years. The scars of his reign have not fully healed in the nine centuries since his defeat. In his wake, the old Kingdom could not be remade. The wealthy scheme and plot against one another, benefiting from membership in esoteric societies that promise power, worldly and otherwise, for a price. While nobles bicker and stab at each other from the cover of darkness, the orcs of Belkzen continue to press Ustalav’s borders. Meanwhile, the restless dead and other monsters haunt the mist-shrouded land. Whether created by the Whispering Tyrant, drawn here by the tainted energies that still linger, or trapped here by the horror of events from long ago, these terrors stalk ancient hallways, remote forests, and fog-bound streets. Enter, if you dare. There are great treasures to be found in Ustalav. But if you are careless, losing your life may only be the beginning of your nightmare.
Goal
The goal for the fanzine is to create a collection of fan-created articles and supporting art set in Paizo’s Pathfinder Campaign Setting world of Golarion.
The theme for Wayfinder #13 will be Ustalav! Please use the Inner Sea World Guide as your main reference (as well as the handy-dandy PathfinderWiki and the Archives of Nethys)! Preference will be given to articles that follow the issue’s theme.
Please read this entire Call for Submissions to ensure that you are following the most up-to-date guidelines.
Writers are invited to submit articles that fit within the following categories:
- Advice: Share valuable information or experiences with new GMs or players in the world of Golarion. Submission size: 750 words.
- Bestiary: New creatures to terrorize your PCs! Each creature counts as a separate submission. Submission size: Max 750 words per creature. (Because multiple creatures are combined into a single article, smaller entries will be considered as long as they are complete. See the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary for examples of proper formatting and content.)
- Fiction: Wayfinder now accepts fiction submissions directly from the public. Joining a writer’s group to help with editing and development is still highly recommended. Submission size: either 750 or 1,500 words.
- Flavor Articles: People, organizations, events, or other aspects of life in the Pathfinder Campaign Setting. These articles should build on the material already available in other sources. Flavor articles may include some rules material, such as item, location, or spell stat blocks, if necessary. Submission Size: 750 or 1,500 words.
- Golarion Gazetteer: Expand and explore places or towns on the Inner Sea maps that have little to no information about them in the campaign setting literature. If applicable, you may submit up to a 1/2-page map of your chosen locale. Submission size: 1,500 words.
- Of Chance and Skill: Games, new to or adapted for Golarion, to play at your table. Submission size: 750 or 1,500 words.
- New Rules: Articles devoted to new archetypes, prestige classes, class abilities, feats, spells or magic items for the world of Golarion. Multiple smaller entries (usually feats, spells, or magic items) may be grouped together by a clear theme and submitted as one article. Submission size: 750 or 1,500 words.
- Realm Building: Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Campaign contains rules for building armies, cities and kingdoms. This column is focused on building upon those rules. Submission size: 1,500 words.
- Side Trek Seeds: Side trek seeds are short outlines that provide GMs with ideas, either as side treks for a Pathfinder adventure or as mini-adventures set in Ustalav. Each side trek seed counts as a separate submission. Please refer to earlier issues of Wayfinder for the layout for this article. Submission size: 325 words.
- Poetry and Song: Music and poetry often define a culture. Share your vision of the best-known songs and poems of the Inner Sea, with special emphasis on the issue’s theme. Submission size: 325 or 500 words.
- Tales from the Front: Fiction articles based on any of Paizo’s adventure modules or Adventure Paths. Submission size: 1,500 words.
- Weal or Woe: Two 7th-level or lower NPCs (including statblocks)—one potential ally, one potential adversary (preferably with some connection to each other). Include hooks for how PCs might meet each NPC and how to use them in a campaign. Include a boon that can come from the Weal character and a drawback, from the Woe. Please reference earlier issues of Wayfinder for the layout for this article. Submission size: 1,500 words.
Guidelines
- Thou shalt not disregard canon, thou shalt build upon it.
- Keep in mind thy audience. Keep it PG-13. No slash fic/porn fantasies, cheesecake/beefcake/fan service. The Wayfinder staff will have the final call on whether article content meets this requirement.
- Short and sweet. Refer to the word count requirements for each type of submission. These are HARD targets, not a range. Articles submitted with word counts more than 5% above or below the target numbers will not be accepted.
- Limit of THREE submissions per person per issue. Pick your three best ideas!
- Do not submit an article that relies heavily on another submission, whether the other submission is yours or someone else’s.
- Stick to the theme. Articles that do not relate to the Ustalav theme will not be accepted.
- Submissions used to defame, harass, or threaten board members are not tolerated.
Submission Instructions
- Conditions for Submissions. All authors and artists must agree to have their works reproduced for this and other Wayfinder products, be it for translations into other languages (we will be responsible for the truthfulness of the translations), special publications, or use on a Wayfinder website. All of Wayfinder’s publications are NON-PROFIT, and authors and artists will be given proper credit where due.
- Send all submissions to: wayfinder.fanzine@gmail.com with the subject line containing “Wayfinder #13 Submission:”, followed by the article title.
- All text submissions must be submitted in DOC or DOCX format (doesn’t matter if you use Office or OpenOffice). Note: Files sent in RTF, TXT, or any other format than DOC will be rejected.
- Submit articles in standard font for the program you are using (e.g., Arial or Verdana) and do not use styles for formatting. Bold and italics are fine, where appropriate. Ask us for an example of our style templates, if you’d like to use that.
- DO NOT USE FORMATTED TABLES. Tables must be tab delimited. If your article requires a table and you are unsure about these instructions, please contact us for an explanation before submitting.
- Use standard Pathfinder RPG formats for stat blocks. Familiarize yourself with the style and wording choices used in Paizo products and apply those same style and wording choices to your submissions.
- For reference in this issue, the country’s name is Ustalav. People from Ustalav are called Ustalavs. The adjective used to describe things from Ustalav is Ustalavic. Languages spoken in Ustalav are Common, Skald, and Varisian.
- At the top of your submission, in the body of the article, provide the following information: article title (and subtitle, if any), author name(s), contact e-mail address(es), and word count of the submission. For example,
Article About Something Cool: Subtitle Would Go Here
Liz ‘Lilith’ Courts
Lilithsemail@cooldomain.com
Word Count: 1,501 words - Accepted entries will go through editing passes for clarity and concision. Depending on time constraints, you may or may not receive feedback from the editing process.
- Failure to follow these instructions or to meet one or more guidelines will result in rejection of the submission.
- DEADLINE: December 31, 2014, 11:59pm Pacific. All entries will be handled on a first come, first serve basis. Some articles may be rejected depending on the final size of the PDF.
Advertising
- Fan projects operating under Paizo’s Community Use Policy are welcome to advertise their websites and materials.
- Third party publishers wishing to advertise their Pathfinder Roleplaying Game-compatible projects in Wayfinder #13 are welcome to advertise as well. Space is available for 1/4, 1/2 and full page ads.
- Email wayfinder.fanzine@gmail.com for questions about placing an ad. Be sure to include “Wayfinder #13 Advertising” in your subject line.
- RESERVE YOUR AD SPACE BY January 31, 2015.
- ADS MUST BE RECEIVED BY February 28, 2015.
The horror, the horror...
Ahem, dotted.
Ruyan.
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Time to enter the bowels of horror itself to capture and reveal in dawn's golden light creatures of nightmare and fear...
Ahem, Dotted.
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Got a couple of ideas for this one. As usual I want to check they haven't been done by someone else, first.
If possible, try a category I haven't done before.
As with Osirion, Ustulav suffers a bit from being a country whose themes have been heavily mined for decades, but I think there's still enough distinct local cultures in the Balkans, with enough differences in their myths, to give more wiggle room than we had with Osirion's Pharaonic Egyptian monoculture.
Probably best to avoid the tired old 'Bela Lugosi' memes, and dig into the lesser-known imagery and tales, many of which are far more grisly, and satisfying.
What's that? An underwater, undead (possibly mer-undead), city off the coast of Ustalav?
That very well could be an idea I'm kicking around...
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Dotting for interest post-honeymoon (at which point I imagine I'll be in the perfect frame of mind for Gothic horror)...
Contributor
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A couple members of my group have culinary interests resulting in a variety of dishes inspired by Golarion cultures, much to the rest of the groups delight. I know recipes have found their way into Wayfinders in the past, but I see no ideal category for them now. Would one submit them as, dare I say it, a Flavor Article?
I just realized that I didn't really answer your question. Yes. The submission would be considered a Flavor Article, along with the associated word count requirements. I suspect you could probably fit one recipe in a 750-word article. If the recipes are about 325 words, and we get several of them, we might be able to combine multiple recipe submissions into a single article, in the same manner that we do with the bestiary.
Of note...I am quite fond of Hungarian and other Eastern European food.
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A couple members of my group have culinary interests resulting in a variety of dishes inspired by Golarion cultures, much to the rest of the groups delight. I know recipes have found their way into Wayfinders in the past, but I see no ideal category for them now. Would one submit them as, dare I say it, a Flavor Article?I just realized that I didn't really answer your question. Yes. The submission would be considered a Flavor Article, along with the associated word count requirements. I suspect you could probably fit one recipe in a 750-word article. If the recipes are about 325 words, and we get several of them, we might be able to combine multiple recipe submissions into a single article, in the same manner that we do with the bestiary.
Of note...I am quite fond of Hungarian and other Eastern European food.
I am pretty sure that they eat pierogi and bigos in Uberwald Ustalav...
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Shadows linger where the dead once ruled the living. Those who would cast aside the darkness may not be ready for what the light reveals...
Writers are invited to submit articles that fit within the following categories:
- Fiction: Wayfinder now accepts fiction submissions directly from the public. Joining a writer’s group to help with editing and development is still highly recommended. Submission size: either 750 or 1,500 words.
PM me for this part if you don't have a group already, I will help Unite other PaizoFans into a critique... uhmm... coven(?) :)
I shall... dot this. I already may or may not have written one story, and started working on another...
Though, now I'm curious. What would a single person from Ustalav be? An Ustalav?
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Judging from the fact that people of Ustalav are Ustalavs yes.
I guess this would be good place for the idea I had once. Too bad that I'm not writer not fluent in English, but I can give it away for anyone.
Fallen dryad tree, made into weapon, angry undead spirit included.
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Contributor
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I guess this would be good place for the idea I had once. Too bad that I'm not writer not fluent in English, but I can give it away for anyone.
Fallen dryad tree, made into weapon, angry undead spirit included.
Do you have contact with someone who is fluent in both English and your native language? Perhaps you can work together. We do allow articles with more than one author.
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Hmmm, a haunted bed & breakfast with a romantic carriage ride pulled by ghostly horses?
-ic or -s unless I misunderstand your question.
Do you have contact with someone who is fluent in both English and your native language? Perhaps you can work together. We do allow articles with more than one author.I guess this would be good place for the idea I had once. Too bad that I'm not writer not fluent in English, but I can give it away for anyone.
Fallen dryad tree, made into weapon, angry undead spirit included.
Wasn't there a monster in this year's RPG Superstar that riffed on this theme? That could be a place to start.
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To save Paris/Tim reposting again, here are the answers to the wording queries... ;)
For Ustalav, it's as follows:
Country: Ustalav
People from Ustalav are called Ustalavs.
The adjective to describe things from Ustalav is Ustalavic
Languages spoken in Ustalav are Common, Skald, and Varisian.
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Got an earworm working its way back into my brain. A tune I had rattling around from last year, has started suggesting new lyrics.
It whispers to me, in the rare moments of silence...it must be free...
I'll need to find the original source, though. I suspect (hope?) it's public domain, since it's from a folk song about the Levellers.
Mmm... I was thinking about a Weal and Woe related to a short fiction. Both pieces could be read individually, though, so if one's left out there would be no loss for the reader. Tim, should I send you a private mail about it?
WoW it is!
Maybe some relatives of Horrible Hanna and Mirthless Mia?
A servant girl stalked by some evil spirit/spurned lover?
Igorrrrr vs. a zealous constable?
And Hollow's Eve to come up soon, too... undead pumpkins vs. a bunch of kids... Do 6 kids already count as a swarm?
Adventure seeds...
Looking forward to your lyrics, Arbor, as I've some fond memories of them way back!
Ruyan.
Got a monster in the works (and it's not undead either.) We'll see what else rises from the bubbling black pools at the back of my brain. (Aside from completely unnecessary alliteration.)
Almost finished my 3!
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16
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You know, I never noticed until this thread that the languages listed for Ustalav were Common, Varisian, and Skald. Common (Taldane) and Varisian both make sense, since most civilized Ustalavs are ethnically Varisian and there is a sizeable ethnic Taldan population left over from the Shining Crusade.
You'd think instead of Skald it would be Hallit. There isn't anything in Ustalav's history that would lead you to believe that it was ever settled by Ulfen, but its original natives before the Varisian migration were Kellids, some of whom survive in Ustalav's backwaters. I wonder if Skald for Hallit is an error in ISWG.
You know, I never noticed until this thread that the languages listed for Ustalav were Common, Varisian, and Skald. Common (Taldane) and Varisian both make sense, since most civilized Ustalavs are ethnically Varisian and there is a sizeable ethnic Taldan population left over from the Shining Crusade.
You'd think instead of Skald it would be Hallit. There isn't anything in Ustalav's history that would lead you to believe that it was ever settled by Ulfen, but its original natives before the Varisian migration were Kellids, some of whom survive in Ustalav's backwaters. I wonder if Skald for Hallit is an error in ISWG.
I've wondered that myself, considering no Ulfen territories border Ustalav, but Numeria does.
As a fan of old school horror I'm really looking forward to this one. I've also got a couple of monster ideas I might submit.
I think that the main thing is that Hallit lack the proper Germanic accent vital to any self-respecting Uberwald gothic horror realm.
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I think that, whatever fictional language the Ustalavs are speaking, in-setting, what's most important (purely for the sake of immersion) is that the players and GM ensure they sound like The Cheeky Girls.
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Ustaaaaalav. Bleh.
I was really hoping this one would be Druma.
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You know, I never noticed until this thread that the languages listed for Ustalav were Common, Varisian, and Skald. Common (Taldane) and Varisian both make sense, since most civilized Ustalavs are ethnically Varisian and there is a sizeable ethnic Taldan population left over from the Shining Crusade.
You'd think instead of Skald it would be Hallit. There isn't anything in Ustalav's history that would lead you to believe that it was ever settled by Ulfen, but its original natives before the Varisian migration were Kellids, some of whom survive in Ustalav's backwaters. I wonder if Skald for Hallit is an error in ISWG.
I'd say it is for all the reasons you pointed out.
Soooo ...
Ustalavian? Ustalavic? Ustalavite? ;)
For all your country-related adjective and demonymn needs, check out Pathfinder Wiki. Mark keeps it updated with those straight from the Paizo styleguide.
In this case (combining answers from above),
Demonym: Ustalavs
Adjective: Ustalavic
Ustaaaaalav. Bleh.
I was really hoping this one would be Druma.
There is still a question how one Ustalavic person would be called? Ustalav? (guessing from the fact that Demonym is Ustalavs).
Ustaaaaalav. Bleh.
I was really hoping this one would be Druma.
Well, if there were more published materials for Druma...
You know, I never noticed until this thread that the languages listed for Ustalav were Common, Varisian, and Skald. Common (Taldane) and Varisian both make sense, since most civilized Ustalavs are ethnically Varisian and there is a sizeable ethnic Taldan population left over from the Shining Crusade.
You'd think instead of Skald it would be Hallit. There isn't anything in Ustalav's history that would lead you to believe that it was ever settled by Ulfen, but its original natives before the Varisian migration were Kellids, some of whom survive in Ustalav's backwaters. I wonder if Skald for Hallit is an error in ISWG.
I am reading the Pathfinder Wiki entry for Ustalav at the moment and found the answer to this conundrum: Soivida Ustalav, the unifier of the region into a single nation led the Variasns to drive away native orcs, Kellid Numerians and Sarkorians, explaining lack of Hallit language. Common language was probably widely spread during the Shining Crusade against Tar-Baphon. Presence of Skald is harder to explain... Maybe its speakers arrived at that time as well?
Maybe it's similar to the presence of the Romani language in Eastern Europe.
Weren't Taldorans using Ulfen mercenaries? Maybe that's how Ulfen and Skald were introduced into Ustalav? As a part of force that freed Ustalav from the undead grip of The Whispering Tyrant I can imagine them having positive reputation and incentive to settle there.
Could also be groups of settlers from pre-Baba Yaga Irrisen, in the same way they got to Iobaria.
"A Linguistic History of Ustalav" sounds like a fantastic Wayfinder article for someone. (Not me!)
I was going to say the same thing, Fashion Goblin. Sounds like there's an article here for someone...
Maybe it's similar to the presence of the Romani language in Eastern Europe.
Hmmm, I wonder if the Ulfen would be found in gypsy like caravans travelling the countryside - and if one of them happened to be a werewolf, ... wait for it... we could introduce the wolfen ulfen! :P
I am thinking about making a werewolf-like fey... Just saying...
Kitsune is already in the game...
Kitsune is already in the game...
Nothing like kitsune.