Second Edition LOST OMENS Legends
Lost Omens Legends
Introduction 6 Abrogail Thrune II 8 Andira Marusek 12 Anong Arunak 14 Ardax the White-Hair 16 Artokus Kirran 18 Avarneus 22 Azaersi 26 Baba Yaga 30 Belimarius and Sorshen 34 Camilia Drannoch 38 Choral the Conqueror 40 Eutropia Stavian 42 Geb 44 Hao Jin 46 Hashim ibn Sayyid 50 Irabeth Tirabade 52 Irahai 54 Jakalyn 56 Janatimo 60 Old-Mage Jatembe 62 Kalabrynne and Clarethe Iomedar 66 Kassi Aziril 70 Kevoth-Kul 74 Khismar Crookchar 78 Licktoad Goblins 82 Magdelena and Martum Fallows 84 Nankou 88 Nex 90 Razmir 92 Sapphire Butterfly 94 Shimali Manux 96 Sihar 98 Taargick 102 Tar-Baphon 104 Telandia Edasseril 106 Tessa Fairwind 108 2 Paizo Inc. 7120 185th Ave NE, Ste 120 Redmond, WA 98052—0577 paizo.com AUTHORS Table of Contents Amirali Attar Olyaee, Alexander Augunas, Kate Baker, Jason Bulmahn, Alexandria Bustion, Carlos Cabrera, Calder CaDavid, Jessica Catalan, Natalie Collazo, Ryan Costello, Jr, Greg Diaz, Fabby Garza Marroquín, Jaym Gates, Alice Grizzle, Steven Hammond, Nicolas Hornyak, James Jacobs, Michelle Jones, Kristina Sisto Kindel, Aaron Lascano, Ron Lundeen, Stephanie Lundeen, Sydney Meeker, Liane Merciel, Matt Morris, Patchen Mortimer, Hilary Moon Murphy, Dennis Muldoon, Andrew Mullen, Mikhail Rekun, Michael Sayre, Mark Seifter, Ashton Sperry, Owen K.C. Stephens, and Isabelle Thorne DEVELOPMENT LEADS Eleanor Ferron and Luis Loza DESIGN LEAD Mark Seifter EDITING LEADS James Case and Avi Kool EDITORS Judy Bauer, Erik Scott de Bie, Avi Kool, Kieran Newton, LuPellazar, Josh Vogt, and Vic Wertz COVER ARTIST Ekaterina Burmak INTERIOR ARTISTS Juan Miguel Lopez Barea, Dominik Derow, Tomas Duchek, Giorgio Falconi, Pedro Krüger Garcia, Alexander Gorbunov, Nazar Havrulyuk, Jordan Jardine, Koh Liang Jiang, Katerina Kirillova, Sarunas Macijauskas, Pixoloid Studios (Mark Molnar, David Metzger, Gaspar Gombos, Zsolt ‘Mike’ Szabados, Janos Gardos, Laszlo Hackl, Orsolya Villanyi), Vladislav Orlowski, Kiki Moch Rizky, Ruslan Skifonich, Firat Solhan, Anton Solovianchyk, Hassan Tabrizi, and Iana Vengerova ART DIRECTION Sarah E. Robinson PAGE LAYOUT Sonja Morris CREATIVE DIRECTOR James Jacobs PROJECT MANAGER Glenn Elliott PUBLISHER Erik Mona
Thira Ash-Eyes 110 Toulon Vidoc 112 Ulthun II 114 White Estrid 116 Wynsal Starborn 118 Xerbystes II, Hebizid Vraj, and Deena al-Parishat 120 Entwined Destinies 124 Glossary & Index 126 3
THE SKY TORE OPEN to reveal a silver void, dotted with the faintest hints of distant stars. Hao Jin wondered if, to those below, it would seem as if another Earthfall had come to Golarion. Yet the massive sphere that emerged from the Astral Plane was no meteor come to end all life, as its predecessor nearly had so long before Hao Jin’s time. It descended in a cradle of her magic, an entire mountain pulled from its current haven to finally return home. Even she might have balked at her task, had she not known for certain that it was well within her power; for it was she who had taken the mountain in the first place, pulling it up from the depths of the Darklands, when the ratfolk had invaded the surface of Tian Xia and no other peaceful solution could be found...
6 Introduction Golarion is a land made up of impenetrable forests, precipitous mountains, underground cities, vast oceans, sprawling metropolises, massive fortresses, labyrinthine dungeons, and, of course, monsters. But it is also populated by people, from the rulers of empires to the rebels that work to bring down their regimes, and everything in between. Heroes must navigate relationships with a variety of people to further their quests, including smugglers, mages, scholars, artists, wealthy collectors, evangelists, and charlatans. From encounters with the people that populate their world, PCs can make friends, learn new skills, buy armor and weapons, gain information, and even enjoy a good meal. As adventurers become more powerful, authority figures might draw them into complex strategies and schemes or ask them to solve complicated problems. Heroes might spend only a single hour or a day with a given NPC, or they might form enduring friendships and relationships. So too might these characters become one-time enemies or even persistent antagonists; heroes might repeatedly encounter the same opponents, as the fortunes of war and the rise and fall of different nations and philosophies shape their world. The Age of Lost Omens setting is rich in notable NPCs (non-player characters). This collection brings together a wide variety of the most memorable movers and shakers of the setting, as well as characters who have recently risen to the forefront. The Inner Sea region has evolved, shaped by the paroxysms of intense magic, the movements of armies, and the actions of tremendous heroes over the past decade. The pages ahead detail the lives and the connections among the powerful and the iconoclastic, the evil and the idealistic, the long renowned and the newly famous. Although these NPCs are spread throughout the world, they don’t exist in a vacuum. Many of them know each other, either as allies or enemies, and each entry describes connections that the NPC has with other NPCs in this book. These connections aren’t exhaustive; if your story demands it, practically any NPC presented here can have a connection to any other. At the very least, as these NPCs are all so notable in the world, each of them is very likely aware of the others. Where the notable NPCs presented in this book have relationships or rivalries with NPCs that aren’t fully detailed here, the text or sidebars instead include brief character information enclosed in parentheses, such as Xleighlei (LN female elf martial artist). For the GM, having a robust set of NPCs is a must for providing an immersive and engaging game. A solid knowledge of the motives, behaviors, and pasts of these influential characters adds greater depth. These portraits can help a GM gain a better understanding of a corner of Golarion that is new to them—the interactions between the linnorm kings and Baba Yaga, for example, or the relationships among the Bellflower Network, the Firebrands, and the rebels of Vidrian. GMs can use the pages that follow to bring these NPCs to life, whether to vividly sketch a certain scenario or place or to formulate new plot hooks. There’s nothing like the threat of the brig of Hurricane Queen Tessa Fairwind’s pirate ship to heighten the drama for your players! CAMPAIGN ELEMENTS Some of these NPC entries also include a tangible element associated with the character, such as a message, a map, or a portion of a contract. The GM may provide these items as handouts to the players to represent in-world documents or artifacts that relate to the NPC, and they can serve as springboards to further adventures. For the player, this book provides a window into many of the regions, philosophies, and relationships that shape Golarion, as well as a number of potential allies and rivals. A player might also find intriguing tidbits about organizations and philosophies that their character would want to follow, potentially drawing from these portraits to complete a compelling backstory or to explore a new direction for their character. Players might also want to read up on these various luminaries for more concrete reasons. Some of the following sections include rare elements for use in play, such MAJOR EVENTS Lost Omens: Legends features many NPCs who are or have been involved in major global events. These events are large enough that player characters might also have been involved before the start of a campaign, or might be pulled into their wake. Either way, getting player characters involved in major storylines in the Age of Lost Omens is an excellent way for characters to meet or know of these NPCs. Some of these storylines are below. The Devastation of Geb and Nex In the very distant past, two powerful and egotistical wizards encountered one another, leading to a series of events that spiraled into all-out war. Despite the bloodshed ending over 4,000 years ago, the land where they fought hasn’t recovered to this day. General Manumission In response to a sudden attack on the prominent city of Absalom, Siege Lord Wynsal Starborn offered freedom to any slave willing to fight in defense of their home, and later banned slavery entirely. The closure of a huge market for slaves, alongside other major abolitionist efforts, provided an economic push for many other nations to ban slavery in response, much to the displeasure of the slavers. The Ironfang Invasion An army of hobgoblins and other monstrous peoples swept through the region near Lake Encarthan—in part out of revenge for a previous war that cost thousands of lives. Though the militia of Nirmathas managed to forge peace and potentially end the cycle of violence, many people aren’t happy with their decision to form a truce with their enemies. New Thassilon The ancient Thassilonian mages known as the runelords have been troubling Varisia for the last decade, starting with the return and defeat of Runelord Karzoug. Recently an entire ancient Thassilonian city appeared in Varisia, alongside two more of the ancient runelords, Belimarius and Sorshen.
7 LEGENDS INTRODUCTION A—G H—M N—Z ENTWINED DESTINIES GLOSSARY AND INDEX as new feats, previously unknown spells, and unique magic items. To gain access to these rare options or items, heroes must meet the person in question (for those still living and whose whereabouts are known) or otherwise pursue their legacy. Thus, players might be inspired to suggest encounters or even quests involving these notable actors on the Inner Sea region’s wide stage. The entries also contain adventure hooks that might bring the heroes into contact with the NPC or even spawn campaigns of their own. In some cases, the NPC might have a mission they need loyal agents to perform, while other entries include motives that might put the heroes into conflict with the NPC. In either case, these stories and portraits are intended to provide seeds of encounters or adventures that allow the heroes to gain access to the new rules elements provided with each NPC. Remember that the GM is the ultimate arbiter in granting these rewards. A richer experience in the Age of Lost Omens setting awaits anyone who gets to know these intriguing characters. Their actions and passions have had an outsized influence in shaping the Inner Sea region, and that influence continues to this day. SPOILERS AHEAD! Many of the NPCs showcased in this book have been involved in major events and occurrences within the Inner Sea region. These events often coincide with Pathfinder Adventure Paths: pre-written campaigns that offer player characters the chance to be a part of Golarion’s ongoing history. While Lost Omens: Legends does its best not to spoil every twist and turn that players might encounter over the course of these Adventure Paths, it does make assumptions about how the Adventure Paths ended, and the very presence of certain NPCs within this book may provide spoilers for the ultimate fate of various characters. Characters that feature in prominent roles within Adventure Paths are accompanied by a sidebar labeled “Familiar Faces,” which indicates where these NPCs previously appeared. The Ravounel Rebellion Many seek freedom from Cheliax’s tyranny. Rebels in the nation of Ravounel gained succession from Cheliax, but a similar Westcrown uprising called the Glorious Reclamation was crushed by Cheliax’s forces. Revolution in Vidrian The former Chelaxian colony of Sargava in the Mwangi Expanse had been plagued by financial difficulties for decades. After the colony missed one too many payments to the local soldiers, the disgruntled army joined forces with the oppressed indigenous Mwangi in order to overthrow the colonial government. War Against Tar-Baphon The lich Tar-Baphon was imprisoned centuries ago but has been trying to break free ever since. He succeeded a year ago and mustered his undead forces to march upon Absalom, though he was routed by extraordinary heroes.
Abrogail Thrune II QUEEN OF CHELIAX LE FEMALE HUMAN SORCERER The Thrice-Damned House of Thrune brought order to a bleeding and chaotic nation, ending the Chelaxian Civil War in 4640 ar, but its scions could never maintain order among their own. While the nation submitted to a stringent and brutal law enforced by the Hellknights, House Thrune and its allies churned through intrigues and sabotage behind closed doors. Abrogail Thrune II, future queen of Cheliax, was born in 4692 ar, and named by her mother to invoke the power and longevity of her own grandmother, Queen Abrogail I, whose three decades of rule were legendary. However, as each of the five monarchs to wear the Crown of Infernal Majesty, including Abrogail I, met with untimely ends, Abrogail II learned early to trust nothing—nothing except Hell. Abrogail’s devotion to Asmodeus began early, out of necessity amid the turmoil of a home life marked by scheming diabolism, or perhaps from comprehending that, like all Thrunes, she was already damned. It’s said that Asmodeus himself responded by sending a winged devil, Contessa Lrilatha (LE female erinys), to tutor her. Young Abrogail quickly proved herself to be remarkably smart and even more devious, training with her inborn magical ability to become a powerful sorcerer in a few short years. Charismatic and visually striking, Abrogail mastered the art of manipulating others for her own gain. Abrogail would occasionally appear to be caught up in a romance or taken with a new celebrity, but such fancies were never unmotivated. The calculations behind all of her actions, even in adolescence, were in the name of power. But, in House Thrune, power is the only means to ensure survival. When yet another tragic death ended the reign of Infrexus Thrune in 4709 ar, Abrogail became the infernal majestrix, absolute ruler of Cheliax, at 17 years of age. Her word carries the full weight of law, although it is far from immutable. In fact, she frequently changes her mind and has her former edicts erased from the books of Chelaxian history; overnight, even the direst decrees become outdated and are no longer enforced. Keenly aware of her reputation as being immature, capricious, and demanding, Abrogail cleverly uses this image to keep those who underestimate her off-balance. Yet she controls the fractious noble houses and byzantine bureaucracy of Cheliax predominantly through fear. Against those who offend her personally, her favorite punishment is petrification—an eternity in stone under her watchful eye in the Imperial Palace. These ornamental traitors further serve to remind every visitor, courtier, slave, and fiend of the majestrix’s supreme authority. Even so, Abrogail’s rule has faced stronger challenges to Cheliax than any since her great-grandmother’s reign. Abrogail I saw the rebellions of the vassal states of Andoran and Galt; Abrogail II has fought against rebellions in Ravounel and Westcrown, with mixed results. While her forces stamped out the so-called Glorious Reclamation in Westcrown, Abrogail was forced to cede independence to Ravounel, and has failed to reclaim the former colony of Vidrian, which she still petulantly calls Sargava. These defeats are a still-festering wound as she ceaselessly contemplates how to extend her influence in the Inner Sea region. BLOODY REPRISALS Though Abrogail’s recent defeats have emboldened some of her enemies, those dissidents who operate in and around Cheliax are keenly aware these setbacks have bruised the queen’s ego more than her power. Though forced to accept Ravounel’s independence, Abrogail’s victory in Westcrown was far more significant than many realize. In addition to creating the Inferno Gate, a portal to Hell that has allowed Cheliax to summon legions of devils to serve at the queen’s command, Abrogail’s agents also crushed the powerful 8
warriors of good that fought in the Glorious Reclamation. Terrified citizens whisper of the souls and bodies of dead champions and celestials given over to the lords of Hell, and of more terrifying fates awaiting prisoners taken alive: sale to the shadow-sworn land of Nidal. Worse yet are tales of the queen offering refugees from the Gravelands safety if they agree to sign contracts of indentured servitude, then trading these contracts to Nidal’s priests of Zon-Kuthon in exchange for unknown favors. Abrogail’s most recent triumph was seizing the opportunity to massacre the church of Iomedae in Egorian for “seditious activity.” In a proclaimed act of solidarity against Tar-Baphon, Abrogail offered the clergy a sign of her good will: Heart’s Edge, the sword that Iomedae wielded before ascending to godhood, which Abrogail had claimed as spoils of war from the Glorious Reclamation. Yet a subtle trap in the legal conditions for the exchange tricked Iomedae’s faithful into inadvertently breaking the agreement and thereby committing treason, giving Abrogail free reign to slaughter them with the sword of their own goddess. The queen likewise executed those church members brave enough to speak out in protest, and she keeps the sword as a trophy by the side of her throne, still coated in the dried blood of Iomedae’s servants. While Cheliax’s capital of Egorian is firmly under Abrogail’s thumb, the Order of the Scourge Hellknights, led by Lictor Toulon Vidoc, are a notable exception. During the rapid successions of previous Thrune monarchs, these Hellknights took the opportunity to consolidate a good deal of power throughout the city. Abrogail has often faced opposition from the Order of the Scourge, and now Lictor Vidoc is investigating the recent turmoil in Cheliax. Vidoc earnestly believes that Abrogail contributed to the recent rebellions, and perhaps even staged them for her own political or financial gain. Infuriated by the mere suggestion, and especially enraged by what she sees as Vidoc’s swaggering arrogance, Abrogail has contacted Jakalyn of the Red Mantis assassins. Jakalyn responded by publicly announcing her assassins would eliminate certain targets that remain untouchable through normal political channels. This isn’t the only time Jakalyn has contacted Abrogail. The queen recently contacted the Red Mantis with a request to eliminate the Rahadoumi healer Kassi Aziril. Deeply offended by Kassi’s godless philosophies and concerned that they will attract adherents in Cheliax, Abrogail declared Kassi blasphemous against Iomedae and Asmodeus. But to Abrogail’s surprise, Jakalyn reached out and informed the queen she had voided the contract. Taking things into her own hands, Abrogail issued a public excruciation order—a process of public torture and humiliation (and in some cases, execution)—against Kassi, should she be found inside Cheliax at any time. Abrogail also has standing excruciation orders for Magdelena and Martum Fallows and any of their operatives in the Bellflower Network or their allies among the Firebrands, such as the Sapphire Butterfly. The two organizations’ efforts to free Chelaxian halflings from slavery is a constant thorn in Abrogail’s side, reminding her of the limits of her power and of the dissidents who challenge her rule. The Bellflower Network is headquartered in Andoran, where it receives support from that country’s abolitionist citizens; Andira Marusek, Andoran’s current leader, has refused to extradite any Bellflower Network operatives or liberated slaves. In response, Queen Abrogail recently placed an army of devils on the eastern borders of Cheliax, responding to Andoran’s outrage by claiming the army is meant to defend the people of Cheliax from the forces of the Whispering Tyrant. Andira’s contempt for Abrogail’s blatant intimidation tactic is obvious, and Abrogail returns Andira’s hatred, leaving open war between the nations closer than ever. INFERNAL CONTRACTS Abrogail Thrune II has established diabolically binding Thrune contracts (page 10) with several notable figures, including the following. Golath Thamus (N male halfling sorcerer): A manager in the employ of one of the secret blood kings and queens of Vyre—the rulers of that vice-steeped city in Ravounel—Golath entered into his Thrune contract after a terrifying attempt on his life, but ceded much of his personal will to House Thrune in exchange. Hedvend VI (LE male human aristocrat): The steward of the vassal state of Isger has a public Thrune contract permitting him full authority over the administration of Isger. Hedvend’s Thrune contract has so many loopholes and contingencies that it provides him no real protection; he serves merely at Abrogail’s whim. Maestro Quendle Strikrunner (N female human diva): The owner, master composer, and prima donna of the Warius Opera House, one of Egorian’s grandest entertainment venues. Her secret Thrune contract keeps Quendle supernaturally aware of changes in the ever-shifting Chelaxian art scene, in exchange for Quendle’s inability to utter anti-Chelaxian lyrics. PEOPLE OF NOTE Andira Marusek (page 12), Asmodeus (Lost Omens Gods and Magic 14), Hashim ibn Sayyid (page 50), Iomedae (Lost Omens Gods and Magic 28), Jakalyn (page 56), Kassi Aziril (page 70), Magdelena and Martum Fallows (page 84), Sapphire Butterfly (page 94), Tar-Baphon (page 104), Toulon Vidoc (page 112), Zon-Kuthon (Lost Omens Gods and Magic 50) 9 LEGENDS INTRODUCTION A—G H—M N—Z ENTWINED DESTINIES GLOSSARY AND INDEX
INFERNAL CONTRACTS Many devils enter into magical contracts with mortals to provide supernatural powers in exchange for their souls. Abrogail Thrune II is one of the few mortals empowered by Asmodeus himself to enter into such contracts with other mortals. Each of these Thrune contracts provide specific benefits and drawbacks. Little negotiation goes into a Thrune contract; Abrogail insists that prospective bargainers take her terms or go elsewhere (often, to Egorian’s excruciation fields). Thrune contracts must be willingly signed by Abrogail and the other signatory. The process involves creation of two copies of the contract, one retained by Abrogail and one by the other signatory. The effect of a Thrune contract is that of a magic item with the contract trait. The item has no physical substance and can’t be dispelled, altered, or destroyed except by destroying both copies of the contract. A Thrune contract is automatically invested and counts toward a character’s limit of 10 invested items—all Thrune contracts therefore have, as part of their cost, a fraction of the bargainer’s ability to use other magic items. Abrogail, however, can enter into any number of Thrune contracts without restriction, and some believe she is even siphoning the other parties’ investiture to increase her own. Once invested, Thrune contracts aren’t visible—even though their effects can be—although anyone who has one is constantly aware of its presence. If a creature dies while it has a Thrune contract invested, its soul is consigned to Hell and it can’t be restored to life unless its soul is freed. FIENDISH TELEPORTATION ITEM 11 RARE CONJURATION CONTRACT INVESTED MAGICAL You tap into the fiendish ability to slip through space. When you Stride, you gain a +3 item bonus to Armor Class against reactions triggered by your movement. Once per day, from any distance, Abrogail Thrune II can call on a provision in your Thrune contract as a single action, causing you to become paralyzed for 1 hour or until Abrogail releases you, whichever comes first. Activate[two-actions]command; Frequency once per day; Effect You recite a subclause of your contract regarding change in venue. You cast dimension door. The space you leave and the one you appear in are filled with the scent of brimstone, dealing 2d6 evil damage to creatures adjacent to both spaces. INFERNAL HEALTH ITEM 15 RARE CONTRACT HEALING INVESTED MAGICAL You regain triple the normal number of Hit Points when resting (meaning you regain triple your Constitution modifier multiplied by your level). The healing you gain from long-term rest is similarly tripled. Once per day, from any distance, Abrogail Thrune II can recite a voidability clause in your Thrune contract as a 1-minute activity to prevent you from regaining Hit Points from resting for 1 day. Activate [two-actions] command; Frequency once per day; Effect You recite a subclause regarding mandatory remediation from your Thrune contract. For 6 rounds, at the start of your turn each round, you recover 25 Hit Points unless you took good damage since the start of your previous turn. UNENDING YOUTH ITEM 20 RARE CONJURATION CONTRACT INVESTED MAGICAL You cease aging, and if you were older than young adult in age, you become a young adult again. You gain a +4 status bonus to saves against death effects and resistance to negative damage equal to half your level. Once per day, from any distance, Abrogail Thrune II can recite a mandatory appearance clause in your Thrune contract as a 3-action activity to summon you to her side, where you are controlled by Abrogail for 1 minute before you return. Activate [two-actions] command; Frequency once per day; Effect You recite a hold harmless provision from your Thrune contract. Reduce your doomed value to 0. Abrogail ThruneII is immediately made aware that you have used this ability. DEVILS ON THE SHOULDER For her closest advisors, Queen Abrogail chose her former tutor Contessa Lrilatha and Gorthoklek (LE male pit fiend), the devil who had served her great-grandmother. These powerful fiends beside the throne do not control it, however: Abrogail herself is firmly in charge of Cheliax. She has worked tirelessly and ruthlessly to consolidate her power, and rumors fly that Gorthoklek must counsel Abrogail against her most vicious impulses. 10
Subsection 14.50.010.004. No Limitations; Right of First Refusal. Nothing set forth in this Agreement (including, without limitation, the receipt of Infernal Services under this Agreement) shall: (a) limit the INFERNAL PARTY’s ability to make any similar arrangements as that set forth in this Agreement to any other mortal or immortal parties, including but not limited to any adversaries of the MORTAL PARTY, or (b) prevent the MORTAL PARTY from entering into any other agreement, whether similar to this Agreement or otherwise, with any other agent or representative of the Juridical Bureaucracy of the Boundless Pit (an “Other Infernal Agreement”); provided, however, that no such Other Infernal Agreement may involve the sale, lease, forfeiture, or other use of the MORTAL PARTY’s immortal soul without first providing the INFERNAL PARTY a right of first refusal to provide similar contractual services upon reasonable and equitable terms; or (c) create obligations binding in any way on the Juridical Bureaucracy of the Boundless Pit the ability to utilize any fiendish entity or fully corrupted mortal soul for any purpose for durations determined entirely by the Juridical Bureaucracy of the Boundless Pit in its sole discretion. Section 14.50.010.005. Severability. If any provision, or portion thereof, of this Agreement is found to be invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable to any extent by an infernal court of jurisdiction deemed competent by the Juridical Bureaucracy of the Boundless Pit, such provision of this Agreement will be enforced to the maximum extent permissible by applicable infernal law so as to affect the intent of the parties, and the remainder of this Agreement will continue in full force and effect. The parties will negotiate an enforceable substitute provision for any invalid or unenforceable provision that most nearly achieves the intent and economic effect of such provision; provided, however, that if the parties are unable to agree upon such a provision, a substitute provision advanced by the INFERNAL PARTY shall not be binding on the parties hereunder. Section 14.50.010.006. Waiver. Any waiver of the provisions of this Agreement or of a party’s rights or remedies under this Agreement must be in writing to be effective, with such writings delivered pursuant to the Notices provision hereof set forth below. Failure, neglect, or delay by the INFERNAL PARTY to enforce the provisions of this Agreement or such party’s rights or remedies at any time will not be construed as a waiver of the INFERNAL PARTY’s rights under this Agreement, and will not in any way affect the validity of the whole or any part of this Agreement or prejudice such party’s right to take subsequent action. Section 14.50.010.007. Successors and Assigns. Neither this Agreement nor any rights under this Agreement may be assigned or otherwise transferred by either party, in whole or in part, whether voluntarily or by operation of law, including by way of sale of assets, merger, consolidation or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the other party; provided, however, the INFERNAL PARTY shall have the right to assign this Agreement without the prior written consent of the MORTAL PARTY in the event of a transfer of the INFERNAL PARTY’s authority or titles within the Juridical Bureaucracy of the Boundless Pit to any quality or degree. Subject to the foregoing, this Agreement will be binding upon and will inure to the benefit of the parties and their respective successors and assigns. Any assignment in violation of this Section shall be null and void and, further, if made by the MORTAL PARTY, shall forfeit the immortal soul of the MORTAL PARTY to the Juridical Bureaucracy of the Boundless Pit. Section 14.50.010.010. Notices. Any notice required or permitted under the terms of this Agreement or required by law must be in writing and must be delivered directly to, and received by, the INFERNAL PARTY (for notices provided by the MORTAL PARTY) or delivered to a location on Golarion determined by the INFERNAL PARTY in such party’s sole discretion (for notices provided by the INFERNAL PARTY). Notices will be considered to have been given at the time of delivery pursuant to the provisions hereof. Section 14.50.011.100. Construction; Interpretation. Notwithstanding any other provision hereunder, including but not limited to Section 2.050.100.009, this Agreement and any instrument referred to herein or executed and delivered in connection herewith, including but not limited to amendments, exhibits, allonges, or other addenda, will not be construed against the INFERNAL PARTY as the principal drafter hereof or thereof. The section and paragraph headings used in this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and will not affect the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement, except that any section numbering omitted herein (including but not limited to Section 8.01.001.003 and Section 14.50.010.008 hereof) shall be inserted as provided by the INFERNAL PARTY in such party’s sole discretion and shall be agreed upon and binding upon, sight unseen, by the MORTAL PARTY. Unless otherwise expressly stated to the contrary herein, all remedies are cumulative, and the exercise of any express remedy by the INFERNAL PARTY herein does not by itself waive such party’s right to exercise other rights and remedies available at law or in equity. Regarding interpretation of the provisions hereunder, the parties hereto acknowledge and agree that this Agreement shall be interpreted in such a manner as to remove the word “not” from the final sentence of Section 3.100.250.010 and from the final sentence of Section 14.50.010.005, and that such interpretations shall be binding upon the parties hereto. 11 LEGENDS INTRODUCTION A—G H—M N—Z ENTWINED DESTINIES GLOSSARY AND INDEX
Andira Marusek SUPREME ELECT OF ANDORAN LG FEMALE HUMAN EAGLE KNIGHT The Marusek family originally hailed from the port city of Augustana and had enough wealth to enjoy comfortable lives there. As a result, Andira grew up a happy child without wants or complaints. As a gift for her fifteenth birthday, Andira’s parents paid for a voyage to Niswan in Jalmeray. A set of slaver galleys ambushed Andira’s ship during her return journey, and she soon found herself the latest in a group of slaves serving as rowers. After several months Andira lost all hope of ever returning home, until a fleet of Gray Corsair ships found the trio of galleys and liberated Andira in the process. Among the Gray Corsairs was a woman named Andira Galimnos (LG female human Gray Corsair); the young Andira believed the fact that two shared a name to be more than mere coincidence. During the voyage home, Andira made it her goal to join the Eagle Knights to help others, much like Andira Galimnos had helped her. JOINING THE EAGLE KNIGHTS Upon her return to Augustana, Andira found herself immediately clashing with her parents. The Maruseks had their daughter once more, and the thought of Andira setting out to dangerous locations to fight slavers brought fear to their hearts. After months of pleading, Andira eventually received her parents’ blessing and made her way to Almas to present herself at the Golden Aerie and join the Eagle Knights. The young Andira was a voracious learner, studying diplomacy, negotiation tactics, politics, and philosophy with the same zeal that she carried on the battlefield. Her expertise soon earned her a position among the Eagle Knight’s Twilight Talons branch, marking her as one of the youngest Eagle Knights to do so. Andira eventually tired of espionage and left her successful career as a spy in the Twilight Talons to better serve as a public figure to inspire others, much like Galimnos had inspired her long ago. Marusek joined the Steel Falcons, where her previous training served her well. As a result of her new position, Andira traveled farther than ever before, with easier access to ports replete with slavers. She publicly pushed for abolition when she could and boldly raided slaver galleons across the whole of the Inner Sea when policy was not enough. Her experience and success eventually earned her the title of General of the Steel Falcons. By 4716 ar, Andira had attracted the audience necessary to be voted into office as Andoran’s new Supreme Elect, a position she took in 4717 ar on the eve of her 30th birthday. COMMANDER IN CHIEF As Supreme Elect, Andira Marusek has found herself adjusting to a life of politics, where righteousness and bold action are more often detriments than strengths. Andira believes that freeing slaves and destroying slavers shouldn’t come second to the squabble of national dignitaries, but her duties have forced her to adopt a more tempered role on the world stage. Despite welcome overtures from the neighboring Grand Princess Eutropia, Andira finds that the relationship that the Andoran people have with Taldor is still strained, as Eutropia’s father, Grand Prince Stavian III, still considered Andoran part of the Taldan Empire, despite being either unable or unwilling to enforce the claim. Though on good terms with her neighbors in Kyonin, Andira is cautious to jump hastily into further relations with the elven queen, as she understands that many of Telandia’s maneuvers are governed in the background by different advisors and nobles. Also, Andira strongly believes in democratic rule and is reluctant to ally too strongly with nations ruled by monarchies. Despite this, Andira works to encourage Queen Telandia’s recent progressive policies, and the two have collaborated over the integration of elves and non-elves in the town of Greengold. Andira also has an interesting relationship with Galt. Both nations were founded on the same principles, but Galt collapsed into an eternal and bloody revolution 12 GET OUT AND VOTE! Although Andoran’s citizens have more say in their fates than most, this presents Andira with a challenge that most of her fellow leaders don’t have to face. Upcoming elections have forced her to juggle her current endeavors with a campaign for reelection, if she is to be able to accomplish her larger goals and make the most of her position.
BITTER EXPERIENCE Andira’s time with the Twilight Talons saw her on countless missions beyond Andoran’s borders. As part of her work, she met with Magdalena and Martum Fallows of the Bellflower Network and helped conduct several operations while in disguise. Andira’s efforts continued for nearly a decade as she slowly armed herself with new, aggressive fighting techniques as well as an extensive knowledge of Bellflower poisons and medicines that derived from plants and animals. Her experience steered her in the direction of some of the harshest slave ports, where she witnessed many horrific trafficking abuses. Andira’s early work with the Bellflower Network exposed her to the worst that Cheliax had to offer, especially to enslaved halflings and other non-human peoples, which only further instilled disgust for the nation and its thrice-damned leader. that proved just as tyrannical as any dictator. While Andira shares her nation’s caution around their former ally, she has slowly changed her position after Camilia Drannoch was named head of the Revolutionary Council. After Camilia shared her secret desire to destroy the final blades—the soul-trapping guillotines used to enforce the terror within Galt—Andira cemented a clandestine alliance, eventually extending the help of the Steel Falcons to aid Camilia’s ultimate goal of purging Galt of its cruelties. Relations with Andoran’s western neighbor are sourer. Cheliax’s extreme diabolism and the despotic rule of Queen Abrogail Thrune II repulse the Supreme Elect, as does its embrace of slavery. The people of Andoran largely echo this hostility, so when Andira took office as Supreme Elect, she inherited a country on the brink of war with Cheliax. Queen Abrogail returns the hatred with interest, and the two leaders’ barely disguised contempt for one another has dragged political tensions to greater heights, culminating with Queen Abrogail placing an army of devils on the border between the two nations. With Andira unwilling to back down against this threat, the dual powers may soon erupt into violence. WINDS OF LIBERATION Andira Marusek is among a short list of Supreme Elects, and her youth in comparison to her predecessor, Codwin I of Augustana (LG male human paladin of Iomedae), places an incredible pressure on her shoulders from both the people of her own nation and those neighboring. With her concrete and uncompromising opposition to slavery, Andira has found herself unofficially thrust into the role of leader of the abolitionist cause in the Inner Sea region. This has in turn garnered the attention, both positive and negative, of most neighboring nations and cities that don’t enforce universal anti-slavery laws toward all ancestries. Using her roles as a general and leader of the People’s Council, Andira has the Gray Corsairs dock at foreign ports and fight slavery in locations where it is most prominent. The yellow-sailed slave ships of Katapesh are a particularly favored target; Pactbroker Hashim ibn Sayyid seems to have given up on even token admonishments of Andoran for their sacking of such vessels. Absalom has become a favored refuge of these returning Grey Corsairs, ever since Wynsal Starborn manumitted the city slaves and subsequently banned the practice of slavery. Andoran’s leaders seem to have taken this move as an implicit sign of alliance between Absalom and Andoran, though no one has been so crass as to insinuate such out loud. Andira has opted for a gentler approach when it comes to Qadira, however, hoping that the new abolitionist shahiyan, Deena al-Parishat, can sway public opinion without the need for foreign force. Responses to Andira’s abolitionist crusade vary. In Katapesh, gnolls despise the Eagle Knights and fear that the Supreme Elect will further crack down on their trade. In Cheliax, Andira is jeered as weak, and even those that share her views are not optimistic about the Supreme Elect daring to wage war for the cause of abolitionism. The people of Andoran have a somewhat opposite sense of the situation, believing that if their Supreme Elect doesn’t act, Cheliax will do so first as a preventative measure against abolitionism. Andira still believes that the best strategy toward ending slavery altogether is through calm and organized dedication toward the common goal, though she wouldn’t abstain from doing so under a more forceful flag. She views the lack of faith some have regarding her leadership as a tool, rather than an obstacle, and looks forward to wielding it for her own ends. PEOPLE OF NOTE Abrogail Thrune II (page 8), Camilia Drannoch (page 38), Deena al-Parishat (page 120), Eutropia Stavian (page 42), Hashim ibn Sayyid (page 50), Iomedae (Lost Omens Gods and Magic 28), Magdalena and Martum Fallows (page 84), Telandia Edasseril (page 106), Wynsal Starborn (page 118) 13 LEGENDS INTRODUCTION A—G H—M N—Z ENTWINED DESTINIES GLOSSARY AND INDEX
HIGH KING OF DONGUN HOLD LG FEMALE DWARF ARISTOCRAT The dwarven fortress city of Dongun Hold, a rare and fiercely guarded outpost of civilization and safety in the magic-dead Mana Wastes, has been ruled for centuries by the dwarven High King Anong Arunak. It was High King Arunak who met personally with the eccentric exile Ancil Alkenstar (LN male human engineer), who went on to found the nation that shares his name, and it was Arunak who both directed the development of firearms in Dongun Hold and negotiated the lucrative trade agreements that permit Alkenstar’s Gunworks to manufacture and sell the dwarven inventions. Few people have been more instrumental in shaping the recent history and current position of the Mana Wastes than the High King of Dongun Hold, and yet very little is known about her. Anong Arunak began her life far underground in a cavern in the Darklands, where the dwarves of Dongun Hold had retreated to escape the unending war between the wizards Nex and Geb. Born to the royal house and trained since birth to rule her people, she complemented that education with her own studies to become one of the most far-sighted leaders of her generation. When Ancil Alkenstar discovered the dwarves and the gunpowder weapons that they had perfected, Anong accepted an audience with the refugee, listening to his news of an end to the war between the wizards and a refuge for exiles located in the Mana Wastes. Recognizing the unique opportunity presented by Alkenstar and his encampment, High King Arunak led her people back to the surface to retake their ancestral Sky Citadel, invested heavily in the nascent technology of firearms to protect her people from the lethal beasts of the Mana Wastes, and then further capitalized on that investment by licensing the technology to Alkenstar’s Gunworks. However, she also understood the threat that such weapons could pose in unworthy hands and has firmly restricted the number that become available for outside trade, though production limits have been increased in recent years. Similarly, High King Arunak pushed aside the hold’s entrenched xenophobia to aid and protect Alkenstar’s early settlers, ensuring that the nation would become a strong ally for Dongun Hold. High King Arunak was even willing to open negotiations with the magic-infused nation of Nex, whose arcane wars with Geb devastated Dongun Hold in an earlier age. Although the Nex-Geb war caused immense suffering in Dongun Hold as the fortress city was conquered and re-conquered by each side, High King Arunak overruled her isolationist advisors and chose to open trade lines with a nation that her people had mistrusted for centuries. TROUBLE IN PARADISE The high king’s decisions have led Dongun Hold to unprecedented prosperity, but her rulings haven’t gone unchallenged. Centuries of seclusion have left many Dongun dwarves with a profound mistrust of others, and though more than a century of alliance with Alkenstar has softened this view, extremists remain common. Each of Anong Arunak’s policies has invited its own set of enemies. The Keepers of the Skyflame, a cohort of traditionalist dwarves originally founded to maintain Dongun Hold’s cultural links to its fellow Sky Citadels, opposed the development of firearms as an unnecessary and dangerous innovation. The Skyflame also opposed letting any of that technology slip into human Though our acquaintance with the high king of Dongun is confined to letters, it remains exceptionally memorable. The king holds great wisdom beyond her centuries, and she always finds an answer for what troubles her people. It seems that anyone speaking with her will find exactly what they needed in her eyes: compassion, friendship, guidance, ruthlessness. —High King Borogrim the Hale 14 Anong Arunak
PEOPLE OF NOTE Ardax the White-Hair (page 16), High King Borogrim the Hale (LN male dwarf high king of Highhelm), Geb (page 44), Hashim ibn Sayyid (page 50), Kassi Aziril (page 70), Nex (page 90), Taargick (page 102) hands and they were infuriated by the idea of opening trade links with Nex and Alkenstar. The Goldhand Lodge, another frequent opponent of the king’s, is a mercantile association that wants to raise the Gunworks’ production quota so that they can increase their profits. Goldhand agents regularly try to evade the king’s restrictions; several of them have been arrested for smuggling firearms and other contraband out of Dongun Hold. High King Arunak has recently received envoys from Hashim ibn Sayyid, the enigmatic Pactbroker of Katapesh, who wishes to open trade negotiations—the Goldhand Lodge is now pressuring the king to embrace the Pactbroker’s offer immediately, and the suggestion has predictably infuriated the Keepers of the Skyflame. For now, the king is trying to chart a middle course. Another budding problem is the upwelling of popular anxiety about the rumored return of the archwizard Nex. The mighty fleshforges of Ecanus have suddenly begun to churn uncontrolled horrors into the Mana Wastes, putting both Alkenstar and Dongun Hold in peril. The possibility of Nex’s return, and the reignition of his country’s long war with Geb, has inflamed deep-rooted fears in Dongun Hold. Pressure has fallen on High King Arunak to re-open the old underground quarters, reinforce the old protections, and ensure that they are ready to receive the city’s population if the worst should come. After centuries of disuse, some of these tunnels have fallen into dangerous disrepair, and others have become infested with monsters. Clearing and restoring them is an expensive, hazardous endeavor. Despite these challenges, High King Arunak remains broadly popular with her people, for she has greatly elevated Dongun Hold’s power and prosperity. In Alkenstar, which would not exist as a nation without her help, the king is considered nearly a saint, and the companies of dwarven sharpshooters that Dongun Hold sends to help defend Alkenstar from marauding monsters are widely celebrated as heroes. Of course, the king’s support is not entirely altruistic: these sharpshooters also protect Dongun Hold by ensuring that Alkenstar is the first line of defense and bears the cost of maintaining the most sorely tested fortifications. Nevertheless, the dwarven companies are an integral part of the alliance’s shared defenses, and wanderers from the Mana Wastes who wish to earn citizenship in Dongun Hold often volunteer to serve with one of the companies as a starting point. High King Arunak also maintains cordial relations with the dwarves of the Five Kings Mountains, and she carries on a personal correspondence with the noted physician Kassi Aziril, whose achievements in non-magical healing are of considerable interest to the peoples of the Mana Wastes. Unknown to any of the other dwarves in Dongun Hold, the high king has also sent her most skilled and trusted envoy to seek a safe means to contact Overlord Ardax the White-Hair of Urgir—as Anong Arunak holds a letter with an apology so heretical to the dwarves that its delivery could dethrone her. POLITICAL LIABILITIES With each year, as the Skyflame dwarves lose more ground in the ideological war, their tactics become more extreme. Rumors link the Skyflame to several acts of sabotage, both of the firearms themselves and of trade negotiations, and whispers persist that they have even more violent actions planned: assassinations of diplomats, staged attacks they can blame on outsiders, and worse. The high king’s agents are looking for proof that might link the Keepers of the Skyflame to these acts and thus potentially bring down the venerable organization, though they fear the uproar that might follow if they find it. 15 LEGENDS INTRODUCTION A—G H—M N—Z ENTWINED DESTINIES GLOSSARY AND INDEX
OVERLORD OF THE HOLD OF BELKZEN NE MALE ORC BARBARIAN ROGUE The land of Belkzen is harsh, and the orcs that call it home know this better than any. The various orc holds have, for most of Golarion’s history, fought fiercely with one another, trading leadership at the edge of a blade and holding it through fear until death comes at the hands of another. Yet even death has not moved the orc warlord Grask Uldeth from the throne of Urgir. He sits there now, his desiccated eyes still seeming to stare at the blade in his chest, its slowly corroding point pinning him to the throne he guarded so cautiously. None are sure how the assassin slipped past the Closed Fist patrols and through the ranks of Empty Hand warriors to plunge the sword into Uldeth, but none doubt the devotion Uldeth’s advisor and majordomo, Ardax the White-Hair, still holds for his overlord. Within hours of Uldeth’s assassination, the fearsome Ardax cornered the killer in a subterranean section of Urgir and slew them with little ceremony. Though Ardax didn’t claim the throne from the former warlord, he was quick to consolidate power. He assumed the role of acting overlord, though he still refers to himself as the steward of Urgir—Ardax is quite capable of ruling from his own Halls of the Closed Fist and shuns the trappings of lofty titles. His pragmatism and disdain for typical displays of strength and power have led to rumors that the Throne of Urgir is cursed. Why else would Ardax refuse to take it? TERRIFYING WISDOM Ardax is highly unusual among the orcs of Belkzen for having lived to middle-age, avoiding an untimely death in the many battles and power struggles that plague that land. His age aside, Ardax is a perplexing sight among his kin: where most orcs have dark hair (or bald heads) and fearsome spiked armor, Ardax keeps his white hair held in a tight topknot and wears simple, close-fitting hide armor. He uses the confusion caused by this image as a tool of intimidation, appearing unarmed before other warlords, flanked only by a rust monster for protection. K’zaard the Drover (NE male orc barbarian), leader of the Cleft Head orcs, once spent so much of his meeting with Ardax looking for a weapon on him that K’zaard could remember little else of the meeting, let alone what he had agreed to. Ardax has an uncanny knack for divining useful information. Against the advice of the Twisted Nail hold, Ardax sent a small raiding party with the goblin Igaz (CE male goblin rogue) to find a supposedly hidden dwarven fort. To the surprise of all but Ardax, the party returned two weeks later hauling cartloads of dwarven armor, weapons, and artifacts. Likewise, Ardax’s efforts have deeply frustrated spymasters across the Inner Sea region; their agents have spent months attempting to infiltrate Urgir and learn more about its calculating new overlord, but no matter their approach, no agent has succeed in passing through the gates of Urgir undiscovered. This constant thwarting of espionage has drawn a significant amount of interest from many who would otherwise ignore the political machinations of orcs. Rumors of Ardax’s mysterious powers of insight abound, increasingly so since the stoic orc has been seen walking the ramparts of Urgir with the former Runelord Sorshen. Her ambassadors arrived in Urgir when orcs began fleeing into her territory after Tar-Baphon escaped Gallowspire. Ardax considered pursuing the cowards to be wasted effort and allowed the fleeing orcs to stay in New Thassilon, asking only for their names. This response seems to have gained a Mission failed. Agent N_____ barely finished their proposal before the orc lord reached out and snapped their neck. Orc lord then looked at me, told me curtly to leave. Considered it prudent to oblige. —Intercepted missive from a Varisian spy 16 Ardax the White-Hair
PEOPLE OF NOTE Anong Arunak (page 14), Azaersi (page 26), Kalabrynne Iomedar (page 66), Sorshen (page 34), Tar-Baphon (page 104) small amount of favor with Sorshen, who has since visited Ardax a handful of times. Though wary of her incredible power, Ardax is glad to have sown the seed of alliance with someone feared by those who may wish him harm. THE BATTLE OF NINE BROKEN SKULLS When the undead came to Urgir, looking to reaffirm the ancient oaths the orcs’ ancestors pledged to Tar-Baphon, Ardax wasted no words on them: he had the envoys cut down as soon as they had finished their speeches. He then hung their heads on the walls of Urgir and sent their mounts back over the border dragging the messengers’ corpses behind them, Tar-Baphon’s proposals stuffed into their necks. Tar-Baphon responded by sending a detachment of troops to crush the older orc and his forces, expecting the oft-fractured orc holds to fall easily. Ardax instead rallied a desperate coalition of orcs into one army, using Urgir as their fortress. When the long battle ended with the total rout of the Whispering Tyrant’s forces before the united strength of the holds, Ardax strode into the field and claimed ten skulls from the fallen undead. Nine times, Ardax held a skull in the air before the gathered might of the orcs. He named each after an enemy overcome by orcs’ strength and crushed them in his hands. The tenth he named Tar-Baphon and left whole, adorned with cow horns as a mockery of the Tyrant. He keeps the tenth skull nearby, bearing it as a reminder of the orcs’ shared enemy. BELKZEN, A FRAGILE NATION The Battle of Nine Broken Skulls cemented Ardax as the effective leader of the orc holds, and the remaining orc lords declared him overlord in the wake of their victory. Ardax accepted and has busied himself since with matters of state, trying to keep his fragile alliance from falling apart while working toward a self-sufficient Belkzen. The war machines left intact after the battle with the undead were repurposed into plows, and the hold of Regnat the Green (CN male orc druid) of the Storm-Screamers was given the oversight of potential crops in the churned and drying mud left by the retreating waters on the Flood Road. In recognition of the Burning Sun’s contribution in battle, Ardax gave the Sarenite orc hold sole rights to a stretch of hunting grounds bordering the Gravelands. Immediately following this edict, the Twisted Nail threatened to retaliate against Ardax, claiming the Burning Sun had no right to that land. Ardax responded by giving the Twisted Nail hold the honor of negotiating peace with Sheblis and Tyrkalis, the two red dragons living in the Tusk Mountains. Outside of Belkzen, Ardax has sent emissaries south to the nation of Oprak in hopes of allying with General Azaersi. Though it seems a natural alliance, negotiations with the hobgoblin nation have been tense and slow to resolve. The orc leader of the newly unified Belkzen remains hopeful that both nations can work together and establish their legitimacy against fear and disgust from the human-dominated nations. For if Belkzen is to survive another attack from the undead or an opportunistic assault by another nation, it must make new alliances. DESPERATE TIMES Ardax has not been shy in seeking allies against the looming threat of Tar-Baphon’s reprisals. Caravans claiming to have been saved from roving undead by orc patrols have arrived in cities near Lake Encarthan, with letters bearing the seal of Overlord Ardax the White-Hair. The letters have already reached the knight Kalabrynne Iomedar on the fringes of the Gravelands, and others offer rewards to anyone willing to carry diplomatic messages from Urgir to other nations of the Inner Sea region. 17 LEGENDS INTRODUCTION A—G H—M N—Z ENTWINED DESTINIES GLOSSARY AND INDEX
Artokus Kirran CREATOR OF THE SUN ORCHID ELIXIR N MALE HUMAN ALCHEMIST It was only after Artokus paid for the fried dough from the street vendor that his familiar, Tukalo, reminded him of the proprieties. Perched on Artokus’s shoulder, the meerkat nudged him. “You’re supposed to ask her name. It’s polite.” “Why, when I have no intention of telling her mine?” Artokus pushed his way through the crowds that thronged the streets of Lamasara. With his vigorous stride and vibrant brown skin, not one of them would guess the young man in the desert robes was over three thousand years old. “You could have made up a name,” Tukalo said, his voice taking on the professorial tone that he used for lecturing Artokus’s students. The meerkat cocked his head. “But you don’t ask because you don’t want to know. If you learn their names, they become real to you, don’t they?” Artokus frowned. “Why did I make you again?” “Because I know the best bugs to use for elixirs. Beetles are the tastiest.” Tukalo stood high on his hind feet to peer out at the crowd. People jostled one another as they moved back and forth through the streets—not just Thuvians, but hundreds of foreign adventurers. “Are they all here for Queen Zamere’s convoy?” “Most of them,” Artokus admitted. “The convoys need guards and pay well.” The pair paused to enjoy a street dance performance, right up until Artokus realized that the old actor surrounded by mincing dancers in floral costumes was supposed to be him. Tukalo stumbled as the alchemist turned in a swirl of cloth and squeaked in protest. “It was just getting good!” Artokus’ only response was a growl, so his familiar decided not to push his luck. “Who are we coming to meet?” Tukalo asked. “Who said we were meeting anyone?” The meerkat sighed. “Fried dough and a bit of theater is not enough to tear the famed hermit away from his chambers. You hole yourself up, you don’t even talk to your students–” “You do a fine job teaching them.” “And if I lecture them, you don’t have to meet them.” Tukalo sulked, drooping on Artokus’s head like a dead weight. “Do you know that many of them think you’re actually dead? What am I going to do with you, boss?” A spider crossed their path as the meerkat spoke. Then two. Then ten. Swarming spiders poured through the festival crowd, the unaware mortals chatting and laughing, heedless of the carpet of arachnids at their feet. “How can they not see this?” Tukalo breathed heavily, watching the spiders pass. Artokus said nothing. Slowly, the spiders converged around the alchemist, herding his heels like a pack of dogs. Artokus wordlessly followed, walking slowly and with respect, though seemingly heedless of where he stepped. The spiders led them through the city and into the Serene Spiral, Lamasara’s soaring temple of Pharasma. A young acolyte with umber skin and coiled black hair was waiting for them, blue robes gently swaying alongside the water in the flat pool that graced the temple’s foyer. “You are expected.” Artokus offered his sack of fried dough. With the air of a ritual, the acolyte produced a tea set, her garment slowly shifting from Pharasmin robes to gray spider silk, a webbed mask, and silver wings hung with spiders. “You’re a morrigna.” The meerkat hopped in front of Artokus as if his tiny body could defend the alchemist, scanning the stranger warily. “I am Tosof. I investigate those who thwart death or interfere with the flow of A PAIR OF MISSIVES Boss, we’re running short of saltpeter and phosphorus. This class likes explosive demonstrations more than usual. Also, when is the last time you took a break? Tukalo— Better they get the explosions out of their system now. I’ll order more saltpeter and phosphorus. Bring enough salve to reattach any missing fingers. I’ll have a break tomorrow. Be prepared to go to Lamasara. 18
souls.” The morrigna nodded. “Long ago, an exemption was made for Artokus Kirran in the church’s name. I have been following the case ever since.” “The church, yes.” Artokus stretched and gestured around him at the ornate and gilded stonework. “What a fine temple to Pharasma that was built, all with proceeds from the sun orchid. Come now, we have plenty of time for business, and Tukalo has just today lectured me to mind my proprieties. Shall we not share tea?” “Very well.” Tosof poured drinks for all assembled at the table, taking a single sip before leaving both cup and fried dough to sit untouched on her plate. Tukalo sniffed at the morrigna, watching the spiders spin webs between her silver wings and robes. “So, you’ve called us here to see if my boss has strayed out of line?” The meerkat’s tail twitched. “Something like that. We like to check in once every century or so. At one point, we knew when all this would end.” Artokus sighed. “Then prophecy broke, and so did my known terms of service.” “An oversimplification, but yes,” the morrigna said. “You could even live forever.” “No, I can’t.” Artokus stilled, his shoulders stiffening. He continued, in a strangled voice, “Do you know the other reason I came to Lamasara this year? It was to observe that university of arcane engineering that Lord Yamthar is building. The man hopes to wean Thuvia from the sun orchid elixir, and I pray that he manages it. Everything in all of Thuvia—the libraries, the schools, the civic halls—it all stems from the sun orchid. I dreamed of giving Thuvia its start. I was only going to do this until my nation stood on its own feet.” Artokus gestures out the window. “Look! What industry does my Thuvia have, save what I’ve created? If I pull back... If I stop, it all falls to ruin.” “All things fa—” Tosof broke off, staring at the chewing meerkat on the table. “Are you eating my spiders?” Tukalo popped the rest of the spider’s leg in his mouth, swallowing hard before speaking. “No, of course not. That would be rude.” The psychopomp pulled her robes hastily away. “I think we’re done here.” THE ARCHITECT OF IMMORTALITY Artokus Kirran is the most famous hermit of the Inner Sea region. Born in the city-state of Merab in Thuvia, Artokus Kirran discovered the secret to eternal life in 1140 ar: an alchemical elixir made from the nectar of the sun orchid. He brought his creation to the leaders of his city, and they forged a pact. Artokus alone, of all citizens of Thuvia, would partake of the elixir, out of respect for the goddess Pharasma. The alchemist would produce six more vials every year, which would be auctioned off to foreigners. The gold from these sales would be used to enrich and defend the nation. Of course, with such a valuable cargo, things often go awry with anything involving the sun orchid elixir. Those who can’t afford to purchase the elixir often seek to steal it—sometimes directly from the source. Of late, Razmir the Living God failed to purchase the elixir yet again, due to disputes over ownership of some of his collateral that devalued his bid. Despite being so far unable to obtain the elixir that he seeks, Razmir has managed to send multiple threatening letters directly to Artokus Kirran himself. Merely making the elixir is also a dangerous and difficult task, and Artokus’s servants pay handsomely for living sun orchids, Thuvian oasis bee honey, and other ingredients from harsh deserts plagued by fiends, water lords, and bandits alike. Sun orchid finds have become much rarer over the decades, a fact that worries many. Artokus keeps abreast of current events, always hoping to aid Thuvia’s economic independence. Each city-state sends him regular reports not just on auction prices but on the projects his sun orchid elixir finances. Although concerned about Tukalo’s Lectures: Insects in Alchemy The insect world is largely ignored by most people, unless they’re looking for ways to exterminate vermin and swarms. But bugs aren’t just delicious, they’re an alchemist’s best friend. Venoms: Many of our best poisons, from giant centipede to purple worm venom, come from vermin. Poison and medicine are flip sides to one another. A bit of venom used judiciously in a potion can help a patient overcome their worst symptoms or sometimes slow the spread of a disease. Mutagens: Can you imagine Leaper’s Elixir without essence of grasshopper? How about Juggernaut Mutagen without ant extract? Cleansing and Processing: Bees make honey, maggots clean out rotten flesh, spiders make the silken webs we use for filters. Dyes, Antiseptics, Reagents: Once you start looking, you will discover hundreds of specialized uses, which I will discuss in detail over the next four weeks. PEOPLE OF NOTE Abrogail Thrune II (page 8), Azaersi (page 26), Kassi Aziril (page 70), Pharasma (Lost Omens Gods and Magic 38), Razmir (page 92), Tosof (N female morrigna), Lord Yamthar of House Ormuz (LN male human noble), Queen Zamere (LN female human aristocrat) 19 LEGENDS INTRODUCTION A—G H—M N—Z ENTWINED DESTINIES GLOSSARY AND INDEX
Aspenthar’s growing militarism, Artokus refuses to take sides between the city-states. The alchemist has also recently caused a stir by accepting two hobgoblin alchemy students at General Azaersi’s request, though Artokus is keeping any motives for his decision close to his chest. Centuries of life and relative seclusion have taken their toll on Artokus’ personal life and social skills. He has not appeared as himself to anyone within living memory. He has close in-person relationships with his blind servants, but keeps even his students at a distance, teaching his alchemical lessons via Tukalo, his meerkat familiar. A dedicated correspondent, he does write diligently to his former students—including Kassi Aziril, a rising star—as well as to scholars, dignitaries, and economists around Golarion. One of his few non-business correspondences has been with Chancellor Irahai, a Mendevian dignitary of Thuvian heritage, with whom he discusses his hopes for his nation and shares his love of Thuvian literature and history. ARTOKUS’S DISCOVERIES Artokus Kirran’s legacy includes far more than just the sun orchid elixir. As one of the longest-lived alchemists in Golarion, he’s developed a number of other significant alchemical discoveries known across the Inner Sea region. The following are some of his more notable discoveries. Artokus is cautious about sharing his alchemical techniques and typically only does so with his most trusted students. ARTOKUS’S FIRE [free-action] FEAT 6 RARE ADDITIVE 2 ALCHEMIST Frequency once per round Trigger You use Quick Alchemy to craft an alchemist’s fire, and that bomb’s level is at least 2 levels lower than your advanced alchemy level. Artokus developed a mixture of volatile materials that burns hotter and longer than typical alchemist’s fire. You include this additive mixture when crafting your alchemist’s fire. The alchemist’s fire deals 1d4 persistent fire damage in addition to what the alchemist fire would normally cause (for instance, a moderate alchemist’s fire deals 1d4+2 persistent fire damage). A creature taking persistent fire damage from the alchemist’s fire requires two successful flat checks to end the persistent damage, or one check if the creature had an assisted recovery that reduces the flat check to DC 10. The enhanced alchemist’s fire burns even underwater, and any attempts to end the persistent damage by using water have no effect. SUN ORCHID POULTICE ITEM 18 RARE ALCHEMICAL CONSUMABLE Price 5,000 gp Usage held in 1 hands; Bulk L Activate [one-action] Interact The process of creating the sun orchid elixir leaves behind a large amount of thick paste with its own healing properties. Artokus commonly sells this paste to Thuvian natives who can’t purchase the elixir proper and uses the income to support his alchemy students. When you apply the sun orchid poultice, it reduces your clumsy, drained, and enfeebled condition values by 2. In addition, the poultice provides a youthful burst of energy, granting you a +3 item bonus to saves and 20 temporary Hit Points for 1 hour. WISH ALCHEMY FEAT 20 RARE ALCHEMIST You have learned Artokus Kirran’s most hidden secrets, granting you the ability to create alchemy infused with the power of wishes. Once per day when you use advanced alchemy during your daily preparations, you can spend a batch of infused reagents to create a wish vial containing a single common arcane spell of your choice of 8th level or lower. The spell must have a casting time of no more than 3 actions, no Cost, and must be able to target you. Only you can Activate the wish vial, which takes the same number of Interact actions as the spell’s casting time and grants you the effects of the spell. Notable Sun Orchid Elixir Buyers No Thuvian may buy sun orchid elixir. Queen Abrogail Thrune II—75,000 gp: The queen purchased her first vial after recent turmoil in Cheliax. Countess Carmilla Caliphvaso (LE female human aristocrat)—71,000 gp: The Ustalav countess insists that the next time she purchases the elixir, it must be hand delivered by “dear Artokus Kirran.” Queen Galfrey of Mendev (LG female herald of Iomedae)—64,000 gp: The Mendevian people purchased the elixir for their queen twice before she abdicated to become a herald of Iomedae. King Huang of Lingshen (LN male human fighter)—80,000 gp: The king sent two trusted generals with chests filled with magic weapons to purchase a vial. 20
Chancellor Irahai, You asked how I stumbled upon sun orchids. Very well. In fact, I was chasing a bee. The Thuvian oasis bee makes honey that luminesces, provides an excellent base for suspensions, and enhances every potion that utilizes it. I sought after their hives, and soon discovered these iridescent insects were the key pollinators of wild sun orchids, having an almost exclusive relationship with those flowers. This led to Tukalo and I living in a tent in an oasis, studying the flowers day and night. A tea made from the dried labellum and sepals tastes of vanilla and clears the mind. The thick, waxy leaves slow bleeding and have antiseptic qualities. The light white fungus that nourishes their root system makes an excellent alchemical catalyst. We discovered a secondary pollinator, the crimson pharaoh beetle—Tukalo claimed that these beetles were the tastiest. I was not as excited about them on my plate as he was, but they kept us both fed in lean times. Without them, my discovery would never have happened. Now, ask me why I would abandon my alchemical shop and comfortable life in Merab to live as a desert hermit. The truth is I was dying. My aged body was plagued by persistent illnesses that resisted magical cures, and the prognosis left me with only a few months. I thought that this study would be our final research, and I thought that by doing this we would not just advance science, but also die in a lovely place. Then the few months stretched into three years, and Tukalo and I realized my illness was gone. That is when our research truly began. But enough about deserts. Tell me more of Mendev. What sorts of plants grow there in that cool climate? —Artokus orchids typically have an exclusive relationship with their pollinators, but the shape of the sun orchid’s pollinia allows it to be spread by multiple carriers to survive in desert conditions, the sun orchid stores water in its thick leaves and fleshy roots; it is exceptionally sensitive to changes in environment, and refuses to thrive in captivity 21 LEGENDS INTRODUCTION A—G H—M N—Z ENTWINED DESTINIES GLOSSARY AND INDEX
Avarneus HEROIC SPY OF VIDRIAN CG NONBINARY HUMAN INVENTOR Avarneus has never been forthcoming with details of their past, though enough of it was dragged into the open during their public trials as a collaborator for the colonialist government after the revolution in Sargava gave birth to the nation of Vidrian. They grew up in Kalabuto, though the exact details of their youth are unclear. Some claim to have seen them begging in the streets, left alone in the world. Others will swear they were the child of one of the secretaries to a councilor in Eleder, seeing firsthand what Chelaxian rule did to people who once spoke of the importance of their culture and history—how they threw it away so simply, and how corruption festered. Still others say they lived a relatively easy life in Freehold and only began to question their status and situation as Salgarth began to plot the “restructuring” of their home. Some whisper Avarneus has the standoffish, overly quiet inconspicuousness of someone from the hive of criminals and ne’er-do-wells of Crown’s End. The most agreed-upon point is that Avarneus saw the suffering and hardships of their people, saw what could and needed to be done, and saw the holes in the armor of Sargava’s Chelaxian governmental administrators and the locals enlisted to preserve colonial rule. Avarneus themself refuses to confirm any story, always firmly stating that it is a thing of the past that has little bearing on what needs to be done now. The first place Avarneus begins to surface in the annals of history is working with the thieves’ guild in Eleder. Lonely individuals trapped in colonial life by their spouses’ work recall a young friend’s open ear and kind but tired eyes, though they could never remember the person’s name or when they discovered their purses were much lighter. Eager would-be politicians were always happy to have an attentive and obsequious native assistant but never managed to blame the right person when objects went missing or documents disappeared, only to mysteriously reappear after hours or days. Though Avarneus often lacked in easygoing charm when caught unprepared, they made up for it in their unparalleled ability to read people and situations and maneuver them into the positions needed. Avarneus is intelligent and efficient but, much more importantly, they are invisible to most. That social invisibility allows access to places, people, and things when others struggle to gain even a passing glance. For a time, Avarneus kept their distance from the brewing revolution and only financed those insurgents they knew could be trusted with earnings from fenced goods. However, it quickly became apparent that many things they seemed to have such easy access to were almost entirely closed off from those who shared their idealistic vision, as information and the trust needed to gain it were in short supply for natives of what would soon be Vidrian. So Avarneus took up the role that was needed without anyone asking. They used their privileges, access, and guile to embed themself and other skilled spies in Sargava’s colonial government. Key shipping routes and schedules, no matter how altered or convoluted, were disrupted and taken by pirates. The worst atrocities of cruel colonial rulers always seemed to end up presented to sympathetic eyes and hearts, who would then sever ties. Senior officials jumped at the offers of a Mwangi agent willing to sell out burgeoning rebellions, never assuming they might be sold out in turn. Slowly but surely, Sargava’s elite reconsidered how tenuous their hold truly was due to the tireless and thankless work of Avarneus and others. When victory finally came, Avarneus was arrested as a perceived collaborator, but they took solace in the fact that their home would be in good hands. They were quietly surprised to see how many vouched for them in the fledgling Vidrian council’s trials. Avarneus is measured, soft-spoken, and attentive as they aim to take in every detail and weigh every possibility and outcome. They only speak when they must and only as much as is needed. Otherwise, they simply listen, watch, and wait; every moment CHANGED CIRCUMSTANCES Avarneus had far less interest in altruism in the past, but they were forced to commit more and more of themself in order to win the fight for their country’s freedom. Their many quiet battles forged them into a hero, though it’s the current peace in Vidrian that allows them the leisure of virtue. 22
spent in the company of others is a chance to learn something new about those people, and an unguarded moment is all one needs to turn the tides in one’s favor. As a lingering effect of their work as a spy, Avarneus tends to dress inconspicuously, wears little that identifies them, and rarely uses gendered language about themself. Those that are close to Avarneus—as close as one can be to such an enigma—tend to use only their name. Historical records refer to Avarneus as a man, something the former spy has never taken the time to correct, as there are always more important matters at hand. When Vidrian is finally self-sufficient, perhaps then they will take on the task of making sure those who deserve to be honored and remembered are given their correct due as they should be addressed, themself included. DOSSIERS Avarneus tries to avoid attention and wishes for a quiet life in the freedom they fought for, yet they don’t seem to know how to rest. Despite now being a part of the governing council of Vidrian—or more likely, because of it—Avarneus has never stopped gathering intelligence, though they do recruit others for their missions when they absolutely must. They have thankfully also stopped reflexively spinning lies if allies catch them in one of their manipulations. Avarneus measures the value of relationships by their political potential. They recognize this is personally and professionally destructive in the long run, especially should someone take their indifferent nature personally and make their displeasure a problem for Vidrian. Even so, this is how they have learned to operate. They haven’t needed to change yet. AbrogAil Thrune ii Having seen what Cheliax is capable of, Avarneus knows an ever-watchful eye must be kept over Abrogail Thrune II and all her actions. Abrogail will undoubtedly attempt to consolidate her power and expand again soon, taking back anything she sees as hers by right. Vidrian will need to be prepared for the day she tries. A particularly ostentatious piece of art, a gift from some simpering foreign dignitary, is currently heading to Queen Abrogail Thrune II. Avarneus has tasked agents to intercept the shipment and conceal within it a clockwork recorder to record a single conversation. Avarneus knows this is a particularly risky operation, and the agents are under orders to destroy the recorder at any sign of it being discovered. ShimAli mAnux Despite their aloofness toward most people, including Shimali, Avarneus sees the Vidric admiral’s idealism as something that should be nurtured and cherished. Though they rarely mention it, they try to keep an eye on the Firebrands and those they associate with for potential dissension on Shimali’s behalf. SihAr It’s unclear if Avarneus sees themself or someone they knew in the rebel leader Sihar, but they do ask for regular reports on the state of Mzali to keep an active eye on the city-state. They have made sure that, when and if Mzali asks for aid, they are able to provide at least some. TeSSA FAirwind The Hurricane Queen swears she will never forgive Avarneus for betraying her. To hear her tell it, they courted her and the two had a whirlwind romance before PRIVATE OPINION Abrogail Thrune II: “Wants to reassert her rule and to do it soon. Retaking Vidrian would put wealth and therefore power into her treasury. I will not allow it. Cruel and conniving. Monitor closely and discreetly.” Shimali Manux: “Kind to a fault in some exploitable respects. I once exploited similar weak points in others and would prefer not to see her betrayed this way. In an ideal world, her optimism is what we need to guide Vidrian to its brightest future.” Sihar: “Vidrian will always need allies, especially ones that can be quickly reached. She has her own revolution to see fulfilled first.” Tessa Fairwind: “Passed intel on fleet to Shimali; cold since. Passionate to a fault and will turn fury on any who cross her. Upsets if romance is involved. Use caution in the future.” Toulon Vidoc: “Attempting to investigate a disappearance; need more information. Cannot understand that law is never applied equitably. Avoid; he would destroy Vidrian given the chance.” Wynsal Starborn: “New regimes always mean a reassessment of standing; Starborn is no different. Vidrian needs dependable allies, he needs to prove himself one.” PEOPLE OF NOTE Abrogail Thrune II (page 8), Shimali Manux (page 96), Sihar (page 98), Tessa Fairwind (page 108), Toulon Vidoc (page 112), Wynsal Starborn (page 118) 23 LEGENDS INTRODUCTION A—G H—M N—Z ENTWINED DESTINIES GLOSSARY AND INDEX
the revolutionary threw the Free Captains to the wolves. Avarneus denies the relationship outright but never denies that they manipulated Tessa to further the revolution. If they hold any remorse, no one would know. wynSAl STArborn When it comes to Absalom’s acting primarch, Avarneus simply doesn’t have enough information to judge Starborn for themself, a position they loathe to be in. Tales of the man have made it all the way to Vidrian, but the fact that Wynsal shuns his power concerns Avarneus. They aim to gather intelligence on Starborn as both a leader and a person to decide if a connection is worth pursuing. While other councilors of Vidrian welcome the recognition of such a well-regarded and influential ruler, Avarneus keeps their thoughts on the future. Knowing that Wynsal undoubtedly has foes and wishes to quickly abdicate his position means the acting primarch’s enemies might prove more valuable allies than his friends. News has reached Avarneus that the council of Absalom is planning some sort of gala or festival, which provides a perfect opportunity to investigate. AVARNEUS’S TOOLS As a spy, Avarneus preferred not to rely on magic, as it could be thwarted easily enough with just a few words and waves of a hand. On long-term missions of subterfuge, they would need something undetectable, and a practical sort of “magic” can be just as effective as any other. Avarneus shares the schematics with only their closest allies— once Avarneus trusts them completely, of course. These schematics serve as formulas, allowing anyone with the formula to Craft one of Avarneus’s many unique tools. CLOCKWORK RECORDER ITEM 6 RARE Price 250 gp Usage held in 1 hand; Bulk L This small recording device can be as tiny as a music box or around the size of large book and is typically concealed in hollowed-out books and jewelry. A clockwork recorder can record up to 1 hour of sound before its wax cylinders must be retrieved and replaced. Any given clockwork recorder can play back the recordings of a cylinder, regardless of whether it was the recorder used for the original recording. Activate [three-actions] Interact; Effect You wind the recorder to start recording sound or to play back a recording. You can have the recording or playback start immediately or be timed to start at any point up to one month later. “Walls might have ears, and statues can be fonts of information.” —a LOVERS’ INK ITEM 2 RARE ALCHEMICAL CONSUMABLE Price 5 gp Usage with writing set; Bulk L This ink, derived from inks used by lovers to deliver secret messages, dries to a color similar to most parchments. Avarneus’s version requires another dose of lover’s ink and a specific agitation to reveal the hidden message, preventing casual interception. Any message written with lovers’ ink is revealed by applying a page worth of lover’s ink and vigorously shaking, requiring 3 Interact actions. A typical vial provides enough ink to fill 1 page worth of text. While the text is hidden, a creature closely examining a surface marked with lover’s ink can detect the presence of the ink with a successful DC 25 Perception check. On a critical success, they can make out the ink well enough to use Society to Decipher Writing. “I assumed I would have no use for this sort of thing. I found one I can tolerate.” —a THE LOST, REMEMBERED One of Avarneus’ first motions as a part of Vidrian’s council was to have a memorial erected in honor of heroes of the revolution, yet the prominent names below were purposefully excluded. Some scratch their heads at this decision, but Avarneus’s only answer is that those who are absent know why. Masoud: “Alive, Vidrian, traveling. Spy turned merchant, wants quiet life.” Amadi: “Deceased, Mzali, cremated. Spy, killed by Walkena while on assignment.” Nour: “Alive, Cheliax, unknown. Traitor, no information disclosed and acted on; monitoring.” Raya: “Alive, Senghor, traveling. Ambassador, attempting to correct relations.” Efie: “Deceased or missing, High Seas. Joined Firebrands, missing in action.” Zola: “Alive, Alkenstar, Gunworks. Studying tinkering; contact soon.” Fahim: “Alive, Absalom, Pathfinder Society. Launderer, now working as accountant; nothing notable.” Fareeha: “Alive, Absalom, traveling. Spy, gathering information throughout the country. Missed scheduled check in, may be missing.” Kariuki: “Deceased, Mana Wastes. Wizard, became adventurer, killed by phantom army; good riddance.” 24
PALM CROSSBOW ITEM 3 RARE Price 60 gp Usage worn; Bulk L This thick, elegant bracelet conceals a specialized firing mechanism that can hold a single blowgun dart. You can fire the dart normally from the bracelet. Recognizing the bracelet’s nature requires a successful DC 25 Perception check. Activate [two-actions] Interact; Effect You expand the bracelet into a hand crossbow. The bracelet has enough pieces to assemble up to three bolts, but the bolts contain necessary components for the bracelet. Without all of the bolt pieces, you cannot collapse the crossbow back into a bracelet. “The most innocuous things oft make the best tools.” —a VESTIGE LENSES ITEM 3 RARE ALCHEMICAL Price 40 gp Usage worn eyepiece; Bulk L These simple lenses are alchemically treated to detect the faint smoke trail from a piece of specially formulated sandalwood incense. This incense has an odor undetectable by most people and a long burn time, making it perfect for discreetly tracking individuals. A stick of this incense costs 1 sp and can safely burn for up to 8 hours. While wearing the lenses, you see alchemical fumes in a distinct green tint, granting you a +1 item bonus to Survival checks to Track a creature marked with the incense and to Perception checks to Seek any alchemical vapors. If the smoke is fresh, Tracking via the incense’s fumes might use a lower DC than normal for tracking a creature walking on firm surfaces. “Inoffensive scents work best for tracking, though what that means often varies.” —a 25 LEGENDS INTRODUCTION A—G H—M N—Z ENTWINED DESTINIES GLOSSARY AND INDEX
FAMILIAR FACES General Azaersi served as the final villain of the Ironfang Invasion Adventure Path. Though she’s a brutal tactician and a peerless warrior, Legends assumes that Azaersi met her match in the commanders of the Nirmathas militia, as played by the PCs—not only did the militia rout Azaersi’s Ironfang Legion, but its commanders likewise achieved the impossible, and convinced Azaersi to end her conquest of her own volition. Azaersi GENERAL OF OPRAK LE FEMALE HOBGOBLIN SWASHBUCKLER Feared by humans and revered by her own people, the hobgoblin General Azaersi is a living legend across Nirmathas, Molthune, and the new-forged nation of Oprak. Her name roughly translates to “Aza the Immortal,” and her origins are shrouded in myth. Some say that Azaersi is the last surviving general of the Goblinblood Wars, while others insist she was the brutal Shrikewood Slayer who plundered Molthune’s forests for a decade. Still other rumors claim she mastered a great god of the Darklands and chained it as her slave. Though these rumors are obviously embellished, there is a grain of truth to each. General Azaersi did fight in the Goblinblood Wars, she did raid Molthune for years, and a mighty barghest served her throughout the Ironfang Legion’s campaigns. The greatest of the legends about her is the one that’s entirely true: that she came from nowhere to achieve the impossible, carving out a homeland for goblinkind that shows every sign of enduring. Azaersi began her life as a foot soldier named Aza. She was young during the days of the Goblinblood Wars, barely more than a child, and in the Valley of Iron Fangs, she saw her army utterly crushed. In that battle, humans vastly outnumbered the defending hobgoblins, and after five days of brutal fighting, they vanquished the half-starved, ill-equipped survivors of the goblin horde. The humans offered no terms of surrender. The campaign had been long and cruel, and the soldiers on both sides had witnessed and committed such atrocities that the idea of taking prisoners was inconceivable. Thus, they slaughtered every surviving goblin and hobgoblin to the last. Aza, too, fell in the Valley of Iron Fangs. An Eagle Knight ran the young hobgoblin through with a spear and left her lying amid the fly-speckled carrion of her people. When Aza came to, sprawled in a mass grave, her heart filled with a cold hatred unlike anything she’d ever felt before. In that moment, she renamed herself Azaersi, for the child-soldier Aza was dead, and in her place was a leader unlike anything Golarion had seen before. Turning at first to banditry, Azaersi gathered other surviving veterans of the Goblinblood Wars and the young goblins and hobgoblins who had been orphaned by the fighting. She drilled fierceness and discipline into these ragtag survivors, and then she unleashed them upon Molthune. THE IRONFANG LEGION Eventually, the Molthuni army dispatched a regiment to deal with the bandits in the woods. Defying expectations, Azaersi’s underfed, poorly equipped force destroyed the Molthuni regiment, and the generals of Molthune took notice. Rather than sending a larger force to stamp out Azaersi’s band, the Molthuni sent a single envoy with an offer: Azaersi could sign up as one of Molthune’s “monster regiments,” non-human mercenary companies who could ravage Nirmathi targets when Molthune’s government needed to maintain plausible deniability. Azaersi accepted, and her bandits were dubbed the Ironfang Legion. Her intention, however, was merely to use the opportunity to familiarize herself with Molthuni equipment and tactics. She also built loyalty among the other monster regiments, who soon learned to respect her ferocity and strategic acumen. When she felt she had obtained enough intelligence and had adequately equipped her soldiers with Molthuni steel, Azaersi and the Ironfang Legion quietly melted away, taking much of Molthune’s mercenary strength with them. Next, Azaersi embarked on several arduous journeys to gather allies. During this time, she met and enlisted the dark naga Zanathura (LE female dark naga sorcerer), the ex-gladiator Kraelos (LE male hobgoblin dragonslayer), and the 26
barghest cult leader Azlowe (LE male greater barghest warpriest). Each of these individuals shared their talents and wisdom willingly. With them at her side as advisors, Azaersi claimed the title of general. Finally, Azaersi infiltrated the dwarven citadel of Kraggodan, where she broke into the sacred Reliquary of Ascension and stole an artifact known as the Onyx Key. This artifact enabled her to create a near-impregnable stronghold and magical, ever-shifting pathways through the elemental plane of Earth—a network of “shortcuts” known as the Stone Roads. With her army prepared, Azaersi launched her campaign to establish a homeland for “monsters” such as herself, attacking first Nirmathas and then Molthune to claim the territory and resources she needed. Yet the true heart of her nation, though she did not realize it at the time, was and remains within the secret vault created by the Onyx Key. The fighting was as fierce as Azaersi anticipated. What she did not anticipate was the personal cost. Several of her closest friends and longtime companions died or deserted her during the campaign. Zanathura proved treacherous, and Azlowe unreliable. Those who stayed loyal often died, sometimes at the hands of less trustworthy comrades. Though she maintained an impervious confidence in front of her troops, privately Azaersi felt the toll of these losses profoundly. Thus, when Nirmathas and Molthune jointly offered her peace terms that included recognition of Oprak as an independent nation and an adequate concession of territory to support her people, Azaersi accepted the bargain. In her heart of hearts, she was tired of fighting. Two hobgoblin emissaries bearing shards of the Onyx Key—an onyx shard to Kraggodan, and a sardonyx shard to the leaders of the Nirmathas militia— signaled the end of the Ironfang Invasion. RISE OF A NATION General Azaersi had read enough history to know that empires built on conquest often collapse with the death of their original conqueror, and she was determined that Oprak would not succumb to this fate. She devoted her energies to nation building, aware that whether Oprak stood or fell would determine whether anyone believed that goblinkind and monstrous people as a whole could rule a unified nation at all. Tar-Baphon’s rise has, ironically, helped Azaersi solidify her position. While Nirmathas remains bitter about their losses, the nation has swallowed their enmity and sent additional envoys to General Azaersi, hoping that her formidable legions might help them defend against the Whispering Tyrant’s forces. Azaersi, for her part, recognizes the extreme threat posed by Tar-Baphon, and also recognizes that the human nations’ need for her armies and military leadership are an opportunity for her to improve Oprak’s standing. Yet she has also taken note of the military rulers of Molthune, who are less united in their commitments to alliance and show signs of becoming problems down the road. Partly to shore up their shared defenses against the Whispering Tyrant, and partly in service to her overarching goal of encouraging more “monster homelands” in Golarion, Azaersi has opened diplomatic channels to Ardax the White-Hair, though her stance remains cautious as she tries to feel out whether the orc overlord has enough control over his fractious holds to be worth her time. So far, Azaersi has made no formal commitments and has merely sent over a few military advisors to help the orcs organize their forces—and, of course, to report back to Oprak with their observations. Although Azaersi’s personal animosity toward humankind still burns fiercely, SIGNS OF STATION Azaersi sometimes rewards her agents with the right to wield one of the Ironfang Legion’s coveted enchanted weapons. These weapons include the following. Tamrakh’s Fist: This +1 striking composite bow generates two explosive arrows per day. These arrows can only be shot from Tamrakh’s Fist and crumble into ashes if used with any other weapon. Only two such arrows can exist at any time. Zhentarreth: A greater flame tongue longsword, this sword is named for the red dragon whose hide binds its hilt and in whose heart the new-forged blade is said to have been quenched. Volukkar: This +1 grievous shock glaive vanished in the Darklands along with the hobgoblin lieutenant who was carrying it. This weapon was a prize from one of the Ironfang Legion’s first battles, and apart from Volukkar’s significant monetary value, Azaersi cherishes it as a commemorative token of her army’s origins. While she is concerned with discovering her agent’s fate, she wants the glaive back even more, and any agent of hers who finds it is likely to receive the right to wield it as a reward. Four Claws of the Deepdread: Finally, Azaersi may reward her favored servants with one of the Four Claws of the Deepdread, described on page 28. PEOPLE OF NOTE Abrogail Thrune II (page 8), Ardax the White-Hair (page 16), Artokus Kirran (page 18), Kalabrynne and Clarethe Iomedar (page 66), Tar-Baphon (page 104) 27 LEGENDS INTRODUCTION A—G H—M N—Z ENTWINED DESTINIES GLOSSARY AND INDEX
she has willed herself to set that aside for the time being and has ordered her underlings to do the same. If Oprak is to last, it must have more friends and fewer enemies than it does now, and at least some of those friends will likely have to be humans. Therefore, she has negotiated non-aggression pacts with Nirmathas and Nidal, as well as entertained the presence of diplomats from the desperate Knights of Lastwall. Cheliax’s reputation for treachery has made her wary, but she respects Queen Abrogail’s ruthlessness and believes the empire may be a suitable ally for her goals. Meanwhile, Druma and Qadira seem like promising trade partners who might value Oprak’s access to new markets through the Stone Roads. The venture currently holding much of Azaersi’s interest is that of two hobgoblin alchemists who acquired the general’s leave to seek training at the Citadel of the Alchemist in Thuvia. That Artokus Kirran apparently accepted the two hobgoblins as students surprised Azaersi and has earned her complete, precise attention. THE GENERAL’S ARMORY Azaersi believes in rewarding loyalty and service, and she is always in search of reliable and trustworthy agents. Sensible officers, clever spies, and trade negotiators who show skill at dealing with non-hobgoblins are all likely to win General Azaersi’s favor, and rewards that only she can offer. AZAERSI’S ROADS FEAT 17 RARE HOBGOBLIN Azaersi has granted you limited access to the Stone Roads, attuning you to the tiniest sliver of the Onyx Key. You gain plane shift as a primal innate spell. You can cast it twice per week. This can be used only to travel back and forth between the Plane of Earth and the Material Plane. Due to your attunement to the Onyx Key, you can act as the spell focus, and you do not require a tuning fork. DEEPDREAD CLAW ITEM 14 RARE EVOCATION INVESTED MAGICAL Price 4,000 gp Usage held in 1 or 2 hands; Bulk 1 One of a set of four identical spears collectively known as the Four Claws of the Deepdread, this weapon is fashioned from a single seamless piece of matte-black metal with a razored silver edge. In bright light, it functions as a +1 striking spear, but in darkness or dim light, it becomes a +2 greater striking spear. You can upgrade its fundamental runes as normal for a specific weapon, starting from a +2 greater striking spear, but its fundamental runes are always one type worse in bright light. Activate [one-action] command; Effect You establish a telepathic link with someone else wielding a deepdread claw, enabling you to telepathically communicate with the creature while they possess the deepdread claw regardless of distance, so long as you remain on the same plane. You can end a telepathic link you create or that you are part of as an action, which has the concentrate trait. Activate [two-actions] command, Interact; Frequency once per day; Effect You cast 4th-level darkness. You can see clearly in this darkness. FLAMBOYANT CRUELTY FEAT 8 RARE SWASHBUCKLER You love to kick your enemies when they’re down, and you look fabulous when you do. When you make a melee weapon Strike against a foe that has at least two of the following conditions, you gain a circumstance bonus to your damage roll equal to the number of these conditions the foe has. The qualifying conditions are clumsy, drained, enfeebled, frightened, sickened, and stupefied. If you hit such a foe, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to skill checks to Tumble Through and to perform your style’s panache-granting actions until the end of your turn. THE STONE ROADS General Azaersi has used the Onyx Key to open magical pathways—the Stone Roads—into nations across Golarion. Foremost among these is the Tian hobgoblin nation of Kaoling, which offers not only rich trade, but a model of stable, long-established hobgoblin laws and society for Oprak to study and, perhaps, follow. Despite wary political relations as the distant hobgoblins take measure of each other, a busy interchange of commerce and culture already exists between the two nations. As a rule, Azaersi focuses her efforts on non-human nations, in part because she despises humans and resents the idea of them profiting from her possession of the Stone Roads, and in part because she would prefer to use the Onyx Key to uplift other “monstrous” peoples in addition to her own. However, because she is conscious of her need for regional allies, Azaersi could be persuaded to sell limited access to a human nation if she believed it would benefit Oprak to do so. For now, Azaersi’s efforts to negotiate the Stone Roads into advantages for Oprak are just beginning, and most have not yet borne fruit. Yet if the general can fully realize the Stone Roads’ potential, then Oprak stands to command wealth and mercantile power such as the world has never seen. RARE 28
IRONFANG RECRUIT MANUAL Peacetime Policies Keep your unit badge and travel papers on you at all times. These papers identify you as a citizen of Oprak entitled to full legal rights. They must be displayed to border guards when entering non-hobgoblin lands and in case of questioning by authorities. Failure to carry identification papers will be punished by ten lashes and half rations for a week. Stay with your unit at all times unless instructed otherwise by your commanding officer. Do not wander alone in non-hobgoblin lands. Do not seize or kill things, regardless of whether they are guarded or offer insult. Report challenges and insults to your commanding officer. Do not take direct action. Your commanding officer will be given a copy of local laws upon entering a new region. You are responsible for obeying these laws. INTERACTION WITH HUMANS Humans value displays of generosity toward weak creatures, such as: small humans, old humans, and dogs of useless types. You may offer food and assistance to such creatures to win favor with their masters. For best results, the food should be mushy and no longer alive. Humans also value complimentary words said about the diversion of resources to useless purposes. For example, humans enjoy wasting water and arable land on inedible flowers, and often walk in circles among such flowers for hours. Express approval of such activities and participate in them as directed by your commanding officer. Remember! Failure to adhere to the Peacetime Policies will result in flogging, branding, and the crushing of both arms, followed by permanent exile from Oprak! 29 LEGENDS INTRODUCTION A—G H—M N—Z ENTWINED DESTINIES GLOSSARY AND INDEX Proper Expression Aids Negotiations
Baba Yaga LEGENDARY WITCH QUEEN NE FEMALE HUMAN WITCH “Babushka, tell me a story.” “Anything for you, sunshine. Long ago and far away, there lived a little girl. One day, the girl hid from a blizzard in a valley, where she found a rowan tree next to a spring. The little girl was cold and tired, and she bathed in the spring... and the tree spoke to her. The rowan taught her secrets of birch and oak and ash, songs of wolves and stories of birds, and the wise tree taught her deep and ancient magic. When the little girl left the tree, she was no little girl, but a woman and a witch. “The witch lived with many peoples, learning more of power and magic. But as her fame spread, more and more people came to ask her for help. Some tried to force her, but forcing a witch never works the way people think it does. Others begged her, and the witch hated the begging. Why, the witch thought, did all these people come to her with problems instead of solving them for themselves? “So the witch started asking higher and higher prices from those who came to her. She asked for buckets of gold and threw them down the well. She asked for tracts of land and never visited them. She asked a man to cut off his ears to heal his blindness. She asked a farmer to burn his fields to save his cows. She asked for a child to cook her pet dog to give her parents wealth and glory. And people did all these things. The witch grew angrier and angrier with everyone’s begging, until she grew a wrinkle for every question asked and a wart for every favor given. “Old and bitter, the witch traveled far and wide, to the lands behind the moon and beyond the sun, and she found that everywhere she went, the people were foolish and the problems were the same. She found fault with everyone, from the angels in Heaven to the devils in Hell, and shook her fist at demigods and swore at queens. “Oh, child, I could tell you so many stories. I could tell you how she lived in a dancing hut on chicken legs; how she flew about in a mortar and pestle, sweeping her tracks away behind her; how she has three horsemen who she calls her Bright Dawn, her Red Sun, and her Dark Midnight. I could tell you about the Thrice-Tenth Kingdom and the firebird, the Island of Buyan, and Vasilisa the Beautiful, who escaped her. I could tell you about the warlord Kostchtchie of Iobaria, who came to her and demanded she make him live forever. She tore out half his soul and put it in his torc, that he might never die, but made him ugly in exchange. So hideous Kostchtchie was, he fled to the very Abyss, and rules there still, nursing an eternal grudge. “But let me tell you a different story. Long ago, when there was still summer, this land was ruled by the linnorm kings. But the old witch wanted the land, and she gathered a mighty host, of trolls and wolves and dark things that flitted in the night. Before the moon had turned round once, she broke Wise King Jarguut, and the great thanes of Djurstor. Then she wreathed the land in unending winter, and set her daughter Jadwiga as queen of Irrisen, with a crown of ice upon her brow. “A hundred years passed, and the old witch took Jadwiga away, and made Jadwiga’s sister Morgannan queen. And so it’s been ever since. Every century, the old witch came and took the queens away, and set a new daughter on the throne. Two of them fought back, cunning Tashanna and cold Elvanna. Now, one of the old witch’s granddaughters rules our land, fair and sweet-tempered Anastasia.” “Babushka, the old witch... she is Baba Yaga Bony-Legs?” “She is. And she is my great-grandmother, and yours as well, child.” —The Tale of Baba Yaga, as told by Zhoseniya Jadwiga Velikas FAMILIAR FACES Baba Yaga vanished at the start of the Reign of Winter Adventure Path, sealed by the combined efforts of Queen Elvanna of Irrisen and Baba Yaga’s abandoned son, the Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin. Legends assumes that Baba Yaga was freed by a group of heroes, as played by the PCs, who went on to defeat Queen Elvanna. Instead of crowning another one of her daughters, Baba Yaga was convinced to make the resurrected Earth princess Anastasia Romanov the new queen of Irrisen. 30
BABA YAGA IN GOLARION The ancient Sarmatian witch Baba Yaga is perhaps the greatest witch in existence. She is more powerful than most dukes of Hell, considers runelords to be bickering children, and isn’t a goddess only because the idea of answering prayers appalls her. She has a hundred schemes on a hundred worlds: on Earth (the land of her birth), on wintry Triaxus, across the Great Beyond, and on Golarion. Though few know the truth, recently her daughter, Queen Elvanna, trapped Baba Yaga in a set of matryoshka dolls. After being released by local heroes, Baba Yaga is willing to consider that perhaps she’d been too dismissive of this world. Ever since, Baba Yaga has taken to sticking her warty nose into every corner of Golarion. She isn’t looking for more power, though she won’t pass up a chance to learn a secret or steal a treasure. She isn’t looking for luxury, though she enjoys her comforts. Nor does she have any desire to rule, though she demands respect. No, Baba Yaga seeks out glorious heroes and infamous villains because they entertain her. Above all else, Baba Yaga appreciates wit, determination, and a certain brazenness, regardless of how it’s used (nothing made Baba Yaga prouder of her daughter than Elvanna’s attempted coup). She is interested in people who bend the world around themselves, the ones who start as paupers and end as princes. Baba Yaga sometimes appears to such people to give advice, grant a boon, or set a test. She never solves someone’s problem for them without giving them a bigger one in return, and she enjoys giving supplicants just enough rope with which to hang themselves. Some desperate individuals seek out Baba Yaga themselves. But Baba Yaga loathes being asked for help, and she sets unreasonable prices for her aid to discourage dilettantes. Still, if one can meet her price or pass her test, the Baba Yaga is honorable enough to fulfill her end of the bargain, albeit with some grumbling. Others know enough of Baba Yaga to fear or hate her. In Irrisen, she is the Queen of Witches and the ultimate arbiter of the nation’s destiny. For now, Queen Anastasia of Irrisen (LN female human winter queen) has a measure of the crone’s favor, though that might come at the cost of sharing her predecessors’ fate. The orcs of Belkzen tell dark tales of her, and the linnorm kings have never forgotten how easily Baba Yaga routed them. King Thira Ash-Eyes’s father, King Sveinn Blood-Eagle (CN male human barbarian), sought for years to overthrow the witch, to no avail. Baba Yaga and the other archmages of Golarion are distant colleagues at best. The witch claims to see no difference at all between the last two runelords, Belimarius and Sorshen, and enjoys tweaking their tails by sending curious curses or barbed gifts. She describes Tar-Baphon as a fool seeking a poisoned chalice, but of Old-Mage Jatembe, Baba Yaga says nothing at all. BABA YAGA AS A WITCH’S PATRON While witches’ patrons are typically mysterious, and many of the witch patrons presented in the Advanced Player’s Guide are great fits for Baba Yaga as a patron, some witches have a more direct connection to the ancient witch herself. For instance, Baba Yaga might appear before someone and demand they sweep the floor of her workshop with a tiny brush. If they don’t comply, Baba Yaga might eat them; if they do, they might discover that they’ve become a witch, with Baba Yaga as their patron. Baba Yaga acts via strange items as often as living creatures. A witch with Baba Yaga as their patron can choose an inanimate object as a familiar. If they do, they still can gain master abilities and some familiar abilities that don’t require movement. The object familiar has no Speeds and must select a Speed familiar ability before it can move, coming to life in a way appropriate to the chosen Speed and using the statistics of a normal familiar for that day. SIGHTINGS Though rumors persist that Baba Yaga has been banished from Golarion, secondhand reports of sightings of the witch likewise continue to surface. Old Acquaintances: The Dancing Dolphin tavern has stood in Oppara’s raucous Westport district for over a millennium, weathering war, fire, and storm. Every hundred years or so, a shabby old northern woman with a pet chicken meets an elderly Zenj gentleman leaning on a leopard-headed staff. They sit by the window and watch the ships go by, and they talk. Sometimes the chicken lays a painted wooden egg, sometimes the staff leans in to listen. Witch-Weather: Across the Saga Lands, unseasonably early frosts or unexpected hailstorms are called “witch-weather.” Some claim to have seen Baba Yaga riding before the storm front in her mortar and pestle. The Fence: Two brothers were traveling the forests of Ustalav when they came upon a fence set with human skulls, eyes all aglow. Two posts were empty, and behind the fence they could see a tall hut on two pillars. More wise than brave, the brothers fled. PEOPLE OF NOTE Belimarius and Sorshen (page 34), Old-Mage Jatembe (page 62), Tar-Baphon (page 104), Thira Ash-Eyes (page 110) 31 LEGENDS INTRODUCTION A—G H—M N—Z ENTWINED DESTINIES GLOSSARY AND INDEX
bAbA yAgA (rAre wiTch PATron) Baba Yaga teaches you how to transfer spirits into objects and freeze your foes. Spell List occult Patron Skill Occultism Hex Cantrip spirit object Granted Spell chilling spray (Advanced Player’s Guide 217) mAjor leSSon A witch with Baba Yaga as a patron can select the lesson of the frozen queen when a feat or other effect grants a major lesson. Other witches who find secret knowledge or magic from Baba Yaga hidden in Irrisen or elsewhere might be able to uncover this rare lesson as well. Lesson of the Frozen Queen (Rare): You gain the glacial heart hex, and your familiar learns wall of ice. SPIRIT OBJECT CANTRIP 1 RARE HEX NECROMANCY WITCH Cast [one-action] or [two-actions] (somatic, verbal) Range 30 feet; Targets 1 unattended object up to 1 Bulk Using a sliver of Baba Yaga’s power, you briefly bring an object to life. The object gains a means of locomotion, such as sprouting chicken legs, and Strides up to 25 feet to a space you decide within range. If you spent 2 actions Casting the Spell, the object then attacks one creature of your choice adjacent to its new space. Make a melee spell attack roll against the creature. On a success, the creature takes bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage (as appropriate for the object) equal to 1d4 plus your spellcasting ability modifier, and on a critical success, it takes double damage. Heightened (+1) Increase the maximum Bulk of the target by 1 and the damage by 1d4. GLACIAL HEART FOCUS 5 RARE EVOCATION HEX WITCH Cast[two-actions] somatic, verbal Range 30 feet; Targets 1 creature Saving Throw Fortitude; Duration 1 minute Ice and bone-deep cold assail the target, freezing it from the inside out. The frosty assault deals 10d6 cold damage, subject to the target’s Fortitude save. After the effects are resolved, the target is temporarily immune for 1 day. Critical Success The target is unaffected. Success The target takes half damage and is slowed 1 for 1 round. The spell ends. Failure The target takes full damage, is slowed 1, and must attempt a Fortitude save at the end of each of its turns; this ongoing save has the incapacitation trait. On a failed save, the slowed condition increases by 1 (or 2 on a critical failure), to a maximum of slowed 4. On a success, the slowed condition decreases by 1. If at any point the slowed condition is reduced to 0, the spell ends. Once a creature’s actions are reduced to 0 by this slowed condition, the creature is completely encased in ice. It continues making saves against glacial heart, possibly allowing it to reduce its slowed condition enough that it can act. This ice has Hardness 4 and 8 Hit Points, and its DC to Force Open is your spell DC. Breaking the ice frees the creature and ends the spell. If someone other than the target breaks the ice from outside, the target is stunned 1 and takes any damage dealt by the breaking effect in excess of the ice’s Hit Points. Critical Failure As failure, but the target takes double damage and is initially slowed 2. Heightened (+1) Increase the cold damage by 2d6. The coronation was a somber affair, with the new winter queen barely responding to the events around her. For just a moment when Baba Yaga’s back was turned, though, Anastasia stuck her tongue out at the old witch. —Anonymous palace servant 32
On the throne of Irrisen sits a murdered princess, pulled back to life from down among the earth around her family’s bones. With no place left to her in a nation that rejected kings and queens, she traveled instead to a land of fairy tales, where her royal blood was not so threatening. A crown of ice now adorns her head, placed there by her grandmother Baba Yaga. The winter queen Anastasia rules with what small joys she can offer and what little skill she has. She never expected to rule, but she never expected to die, and the cold of her kingdom is nothing to the chill of her grave. 33 LEGENDS INTRODUCTION A—G H—M N—Z ENTWINED DESTINIES GLOSSARY AND INDEX
RUNELORDS OF THASSILON Belimarius and Sorshen are living legends, powerful Thassilonian wizards that avoided the destruction of Earthfall and re-emerged, founding New Thassilon in the ruins of their ancient empire. Composed of two realms, Edasseril and Eurythnia, their nation is a collision of past and present. Runelord Belimarius clings to the traditions and tyranny of ancient Thassilon, while Queen Sorshen embraces the new, modern world and its people. BELIMARIUS RULER OF EDASSERIL LE FEMALE HUMAN RUNELORD Runelord Belimarius rose to her position through blackmail, slander, theft, and murder, ruthlessly disposing of her rivals with wit and wizardry. A practiced politician, Belimarius became a brutal tyrant unafraid of shedding blood. She was the most effective ruler Edasseril had ever seen, but even as her nation prospered, Belimarius never enjoyed the respect of her fellow runelords. Considered to be one of the weakest among the seven, she brooded and plotted her years away, crafting bargains and planning coups. Her petty grasping at power ended abruptly when Runelord Karzoug sabotaged her efforts to escape Earthfall. Her city of XinEdasseril was encapsulated in an impenetrable globe of force while she, her people, and the city were locked inside a time loop, reliving the same week over and over again for 10,000 years. As the ages wore on, Xin-Edasseril faded to myth, with most calling the entrapped city “Crystilan.” With her people and city now freed from her temporal prison by the meddling of heroes, Runelord Belimarius has stepped out of time to reassert her rule and lead her nation back to its former heights of prestige and prosperity. reclAmATion Finding herself surrounded by enemies on all sides—thieves that have stolen her lands, traitors that have forsaken the legacy of Thassilon, and upstarts that seek to undermine her glorious return—Runelord Belimarius has rebuilt her armies and expanded her territory, pushing into the Mierani Forest, Ironbound Islands, and Varisia’s Nolands. This aggressive expansion has brought her into conflict with bandits, outcasts, elves, and a few linnorm kings, but it has also won her the fealty of giant clans, xulgath clutches, and more. Despite her mounting victories, the imperious runelord desires more majestic servants, offering high prices for dragon eggs and wyrmlings. While the armies of Edasseril crushed the unpopular linnorm king Opir Eightfingers (CN male human barbarian) in response to his brash provocations, White Estrid’s forces in Flintyreach have been canny enough to deny Belimarius any pretense to retaliate. Belimarius instead plots to slay White Estrid’s linnorm servant Boiltongue and claim his head, an act that could simultaneously depose White Estrid and give Belimarius a legitimate claim to the throne of Halgrim. Despite expanding on multiple fronts, Runelord Belimarius remains sequestered in Xin-Edasseril’s palace, Miasmoria. Loathe to put herself at risk and paranoid of others seeking to claim what is hers, Belimarius issues commands via loyal FAMILIAR FACES Belimarius and Sorshen both returned to modern-day Golarion in the Return of the Runelords Adventure Path. Legends assumes that when the heroes who defeated Runelord Karzoug mysteriously went missing, Sorshen aided a new group of adventurers—as played by the PCs—against her former colleagues. While trying to right a rewritten timeline, the PCs freed Belimarius and the city of Xin-Edasseril from stasis and returned it to the land of Varisia. 34 Belimarius and Sorshen
servants, magical decrees, and hired mercenaries. Many of these mercenaries are directed toward Thassilonian monuments and vaults that Belimarius desires to claim. Primary among these locations was the Rune-Crossed Crucible, a magical laboratory built upon a powerful confluence of ley lines. Much to the runelord’s ire, the site no longer exists, having been plucked from the Material Plane and stolen away by the sorceress Hao Jin. Belimarius has vowed to address this heinous theft, though she has yet to retaliate against the so-called Ruby Phoenix. Of late, Belimarius has also shown interest in claiming the ancient Thassilonian artifacts known as runewells. These devices stored the sins of slain mortals and, if repaired, could enable Belimarius to raise an army of sinspawn. Fortunately for her enemies, the components necessary to complete such repairs are difficult to acquire. dominATion Despite Runelord Belimarius’s efforts to stamp out all traces of insurrection, rumors of discontent circulate, and seditious posters have been spotted throughout Xin-Edasseril. Citizens spreading subversive sentiments are violently detained and usually conscripted into military service, though a rare few vanish completely. Belimarius seethes over every treasonous act, blaming Sorshen for sowing discontent among her people. Though she won’t move publicly against Sorshen, Belimarius is already planning methods for her mercenaries to cause upheaval in Eurythnia. A growing number of charismatic wizards have also founded cults and cabals, proclaiming themselves the next runelords of the various unclaimed sins. Prominent among them is the conjurer Aethusa the Thrice-Born Queen (CE female human runelord). Claiming to be the reincarnated soul of two previous runelords, Aethusa seeks the runelord crown of sloth. Runelord Belimarius intends to add the audacious impostor to her collection of conquered foes: she plans to trap Aethusa alive in a coffin made of force, as Belimarius did to her own predecessor, Runelord Phirandi. That she has yet to corner the young conjurer has convinced Belimarius that spies hide among her soldiers, though her efforts to expose them have failed. Belimarius would pay well for actionable information on the traitorous impostor Aethusa. Belimarius’s most irritating adversary is Vexnill (LN female human ghost), the ghost of a child she murdered in her quest to become a runelord. The impish spirit enjoys playing all manner of pranks on Belimarius and her servants, interrupting meetings and events with mocking imitations and rude songs. That the runelord’s spells seem unable to harm the giggling girl has left Belimarius absolutely furious— an outcome Vexnill finds endlessly amusing. Runelord Belimarius has conquered adversity, countless rivals, time, and death. She saved her people from catastrophe, bringing them from the brink of extinction to a place of power and security. Yet no amount of accolades, territory, or wealth is enough for her. She views the world with cold thoughtfulness, coveting that which she does not possess and scheming to acquire it. SORSHEN RULER OF EURYTHNIA CN FEMALE HUMAN RUNELORD Among the most powerful of the runelords, Sorshen, runelord of lust, assisted First King Xin in establishing the empire of Thassilon. She ruled over the realm of Eurythnia in Thassilon for its entire existence. She watched dozens of other RELICS OF THE RUNELORDS The runelords of Thassilon created countless magical objects and artifacts, many of which survive to this day. Prominent among them are the Blood Engines of Eurythnia, Chalice of Lissala, Everdawn Pool, Gluttonous Tome, God Pool, Invidian Eye, Leng Device, Mirror of Sorshen, and Sihedron, as well as the runewells and scintillating garments. Seven Swords of Sin Intelligent blades wielded by the runelord’s most devoted champions, the Seven Swords of Sin (also known as Alara’hai or the Seven Blades of Conviction) have mostly gone inert. They were known as Asheia, Sword of Lust; Baraket, Sword of Pride; Chellan, Sword of Greed; Garvok, Sword of Wrath; Shin-Tari, Sword of Sloth; Tannaris, Sword of Envy; and Ungarato, Sword of Gluttony. Seven Weapons of Rule First King Xin crafted potent magical polearms for his runelords called the Seven Weapons of Rule (also known as Alara’quin). These are Alaznist’s Hateful Ranseur, Belimarius’s Invidious Halberd, Karzoug’s Burning Glaive, Krune’s Dragontooth Spear, Sorshen’s Sinuous Guisarme, Xanderghul’s Flawless Hammer, and Zutha’s Reaping Scythe. PEOPLE OF NOTE Ardax the White-Hair (page 16), Baba Yaga (page 30), Hao Jin (page 46), Nocticula (Lost Omens Gods and Magic 68), Tar-Baphon (page 104), White Estrid (page 116) 35 LEGENDS INTRODUCTION A—G H—M N—Z ENTWINED DESTINIES GLOSSARY AND INDEX
runelords rise and fall during her 1,200-year reign, surviving and surpassing them with caution and cunning. She made extensive use of divinations, employed legions of slavishly loyal servants, manipulated the dreams of others, and created numerous blood simulacra doubles of herself to interact with the world, as well as many powerful artifacts, including the first runewell. She acted with well-planned purpose, hiding her devious machinations under a vivacious veneer. Eternally youthful, with a beguiling voice and seductive smile, Runelord Sorshen indulged in all manner of salacious pursuits. A powerful enchantress and politician, she exploited the desires of her rivals with practiced subtlety, turning those that resisted into dominated thralls. As cruel and sadistic as any of her fellow runelords, she manipulated allies and enemies alike, paying for her deeds with the blood of others and reveling in the aftermath. reFlecTion Sorshen waited out Earthfall in her personal demiplane, the Eye of Desire, tended by favored servants and bound extraplanar creatures. Over millennia of waiting, her carnal appetites waned and her thoughts turned inward to her life, goals, and fallen empire. She stirred back to awareness when her runewell rippled with echoes of power. Curious, she watched and waited, scrying on a world she no longer recognized only to witness her contemporaries cut down by heroes of the new age. In the years since, Sorshen has rediscovered Golarion and its people, meditated on her seemingly endless and pointless sins, and concluded that a personal transformation would be necessary if she wished to survive. With an eye to the future, she freed her thralls, relocated many of her beloved artifacts into the Eye of Desire, and allied with heroes to save the Saga Lands from Runelord Alaznist. In the aftermath, Queen Sorshen rebuilt Eurythnia in the Kodar Mountains, ruling from the city of Xin-Shalast. She works to re-establish extensive mining of the region’s rich mineral deposits, though many promising locations are infested with monsters, including kobolds, yetis, and Shardrex (CE remorhaz aberration), a malformed remorhaz tainted by longtime contact with the nightmare realm of Leng. Guided by Sorshen’s blossoming faith in Nocticula, the Redeemer Queen, Eurythnia is a refuge that welcomes artists, outcasts, and the oppressed. PoliTicS Seemingly repentant over her past sins, Queen Sorshen has established herself as a confident, level-headed ruler who has forged pacts of peace with her neighbors, though her detractors question if this new worldview is simply another form of manipulation. A minority of her subjects, primarily the recently established wizard cabal Xin’s Chosen, believe that by abandoning her past, Sorshen has forfeited her right to rule Thassilon. Queen Sorshen has renounced her claim to her ancient seat of power, the Grand Mastaba of Korvosa, and given the city’s ruler her public blessing. She has encouraged the Sihedron Council of Magnimar to continue their study of Thassilon, offering them a bargain for her insights if they can return to her the evritas orb, a powerful artifact Sorshen believes lost in the Mushfens. Growing numbers of orcs have fled war with the Whispering Tyrant and entered Eurythnia as refugees, though this has done little to strain relations with the Hold’s leader, Overlord Ardax. On the contrary, Ardax seems unconcerned over these defectors and has recently formed a nonaggression accord with the new monarch. The pair have met a dozen times in the last year, causing many to gossip over the purpose of these continued meetings and whether Sorshen continues her use of plying enchantments in secret. Despite Queen Sorshen’s efforts to initiate diplomatic relations with Queen Anastasia of Irrisen (LN female human winter queen), Baba Yaga is proving a constant thorn in her side. Though the old crone is rumored to be banished from SORSHEN’S PATRONAGE Queen Sorshen adores being among her people, regularly attending gatherings and festivals throughout her nation. She takes pride in inspiring her subjects to greater accomplishments, often visiting artists, musicians, philosophers, and political exiles. The existence of Sorshen’s seven blood simulacra, which she sends in her place for safety reasons, is not common knowledge, though how heavily she utilizes them is a closely guarded secret. Adventurers seeking Queen Sorshen’s patronage must treat her respectfully, usually while accomplishing a series of mundane tasks for her pleasure, such as acquiring her favorite perfume, taming a wild beast, or hosting a social event. These tasks always contain hidden pitfalls, but adventurers who prevail without offending her find steady work battling monsters, bandits, and gangs, clearing out the tangled catacombs of the hypogeum, and closing planar rifts near the peak of Mhar Massif, a mountain which now bears the sigil of New Thassilon upon its face in place of its original decoration—the visage of now-dead Runelord Karzoug. 36
Golarion, Sorshen is convinced at least some of the cursed items and unseasonable blizzards that stray into Eurythnia are the deliberate work of the cackling witch. Sorshen’s poorest relations are with her counterpart in New Thassilon, and she knows it’s only a matter of time before she’s forced to interfere with Belimarius’s expansionist regime. Although she’d prefer to avoid killing the sadistic old woman, she worries any nonlethal outcome will leave Belimarius nursing a grudge. For now, Sorshen has decided to leave Belimarius to her own devices, hoping local heroes will topple the tyrant for her. Scholars and spellcasters have journeyed to Eurythnia in droves, seeking wisdom from the past. Sorshen welcomes these visitors with open arms. That few of these intellectuals decide to return home has caused some to accuse Sorshen of magically charming them to empower her nation. Queen Sorshen has responded to such accusations with a dimpled smile. MAGIC OF NEW THASSILON The runelords of ancient Thassilon pushed the boundaries of magic, creating new spells and school specializations. Though many of their discoveries are common knowledge, others remain lost to the ravages of time or are closely guarded by select practitioners. Below are two spells the rulers of New Thassilon can teach to casters, as a reward for service or a lesson for aspiring apprentices. AROMATIC LURE SPELL 4 RARE EMOTION ENCHANTMENT INCAPACITATION MENTAL Traditions arcane, occult Cast[two-actions] somatic, verbal Range 60 feet; Targets 1 creature Saving Throw Will; Duration varies You override a target’s olfactory senses, luring them to a specific location through tantalizing false scents. Select a single square within range that is not hazardous or occupied by a creature. The target is drawn to the selected location, becoming euphoric upon arrival. The target must attempt a Will save. Critical Success The target is unaffected. Success The target is distracted by the tantalizing scents, becoming stupefied 1 for 1 round. Failure The target is stupefied 2 and moves toward the selected location via the most direct route possible for 1 round, bypassing any obvious hazards and enemies in the way. Critical Failure The target is stupefied 4 and moves to the selected location via the most direct route possible for 1 round, bypassing any obvious hazards and enemies in the way. If the creature reaches the destination, it must remain in that location for 1d4 rounds but can otherwise act normally. Heightened (+2) You target 1 additional creature, selecting a different square within range as their destination. REBOUNDING BARRIER SPELL 4 RARE ABJURATION Traditions arcane, occult Cast [reaction] verbal; Trigger You are hit by a physical Strike. You swiftly raise a reflective barrier, reducing physical damage and rebounding it onto your attacker. You gain resistance 10 against one physical damage type the triggering attack deals. Your attacker takes 5 damage of the same type. Heightened (+1) The resistance increases by 2. Damage dealt to your attacker increases by 1. OLD HOBBIES, NEW MARKETS In her free time, the former Runelord Sorshen has taken to creating perfumes, both of old formulas and new scents. Though she hasn’t gone out of her way to sell her creations, her reputation has seen the fragrances slowly make their way to exclusive collectors at high prices. 37 LEGENDS INTRODUCTION A—G H—M N—Z ENTWINED DESTINIES GLOSSARY AND INDEX
Camilia Drannoch TENACIOUS REVOLUTIONARY POLITICIAN CN FEMALE HUMAN BARD A cunning and clever figure, Chairwoman Camilia Drannoch of the Revolutionary Council is currently one of the few politicians widely respected throughout Galt. Her dedication to the ideals of revolution and her widely espoused patriotism drove her popularity among revolutionaries and common citizenry. AN UNCOMMON MIND Born during the Red Revolution, Camilia escaped the early chaos alongside her mother, Apalma Drannoch, who served as the Galtan ambassador to Kyonin. Camilia spent her youth among the elves, rapidly coming of age in Iadara to the curious delight of the elven courts. She devoured her studies and proved to have an unusually sharp mind for someone so young, but it wasn’t long before the Red Revolution called the family home. As they crossed the border, a pair of Gray Gardeners—the hooded executioners of the Galtan revolution— apprehended Apalma, dragging her through the streets of Isarn before delivering her to the final blade, Silence. Watching her mother lose her head and soul to the bloody guillotine shattered Camilia’s world and served as her introduction to her homeland of Galt. Camilia threw herself into politics, mourning her mother and burning with spite toward the Gray Gardeners. She rapidly gained followers with her passionate words and radical ideals. It seemed then that she made a grave error, openly questioning the Gray Gardeners’ methods during a speech beside the final blade that had murdered her mother. The young revolutionary found herself spirited away under the light of a full moon, a black bag covering her head. Her kidnappers promised her a kiss from Silence to reunite her with her beloved family. 15 years later, Camilia Drannoch reappeared on the streets of Isarn. Her old enemies were dead through one end or another, and the Red Revolution had carried on gloriously without her. Upon exposing the Eye of Law—the ruling council of Galt at the time— a s a hag coven, Camilia Drannoch became a household name. She was immediately bequeathed a seat on the new Revolutionary Council formed to lead the nation, and she has maintained it ever since. Camilia has since survived multiple regime changes, making her one of the few politicians to ever consistently navigate the treacherous tides of Galtan politics. She saw Citizen Goss thrown down to the rabid crowd and took his place as the chair of the Revolutionary Council. She enacted several popular reforms to bring a small sense of stability back to the nation, notably when she announced an end to the xenophobic policies that had damaged Galt’s economic and political security. Her web of allies and resources extend throughout and beyond Galt, rewarding her supporters with prestige and power. Her detractors, however, are often either murdered by the mob or found dead, marred by deep blade wounds, their souls nowhere to be found. Camilia sees the Red Revolution as part of a rising tide of change, mirrored by the earth-shattering events taking place across the continent. In her mind, all of Golarion is primed to overthrow its outdated modes of thinking, as evidenced by recent uprisings and successful abolition efforts. She openly supports the rebels of Vidrian and Kintargo while also planting her own agents to speed such efforts along. Breaking the cycle of death that is the Red Revolution has proven to be Camilia’s greatest challenge. She knows the country will never realize its full potential while the final blades contribute to its cultural decline. Camilia has been building toward this moment for decades, since her own mother lost her life to the wicked devices, and she hopes that the removal of Galt’s final blades and dissolution of the Gray Gardeners will be her legacy. She is passionate, compelling, and brilliant, from ever since she was a child. And this world has no shortage of graves filled with the passionate, the compelling, and the brilliant—and most of all the young, all of whom were destined for great things. —Queen Telandia Edasseril 38
PEOPLE OF NOTE Andira Marusek (page 12), Eutropia Stavian (page 42), Geb (page 44), Nex (page 90), Telandia Edasseril (page 106) THE FACE OF THE REVOLUTION Camilia cares desperately for the souls locked away in the final blades and has turned to Geb as an unlikely ally, where death has revolutionized what it means to live. She sent envoys to the undead country seeking to foster an alliance with the grand necromancer, offering intelligence on both the nation and Spire of Nex in exchange for Geb freeing the stored souls of her fellow citizens. This is an ideal solution for Camilia, as the souls can either exist freely in Geb or pass onto their final judgment as they choose—and while Geb is a difficult ruler to reason with for both the living and the dead, his obsession with the archmage Nex and his lack of living spies to infiltrate his rival’s nation has left him considering the offer. Though Camilia has done her best to improve foreign relations after the damage done by her predecessor, Galt’s notorious instability has made this an uphill battle. Though Grand Princess Eutropia has offered Taldor’s friendship to the Revolutionary Council, the recent Taldan civil war has left her wary of anything resembling revolution. Camilia believes Eutropia is holding herself back from realizing Taldor’s true potential; she wants to push Eutropia further and radicalize the new grand princess. Camilia has diligently pursued an alliance with Andira Marusek of Andoran, in part to contrast herself publicly with Citizen Korran Goss, but also because Andira shares her wish to see the end of the final blades. Camilia knows that Andira would balk at some of the more violent things she’s done to secure Galt’s future, so she has thus far limited the information Andira receives to what she wants Andira to hear. Though Camilia spent her childhood in Kyonin, she never fell in love with the country. Queen Telandia Edasseril ruled as monarch and yet was reluctant to rally the elves toward any cause, leaving Kyonin seemingly adrift between the worst aspects of freedom and autocracy. Though Camilia has so far been diplomatic to the elven queen, she ultimately sees Telandia as an obstacle. The outward appearance of a close relationship between Camilia and the female rulers of Galt’s neighboring nations has not gone unnoticed, however; some of Camilia’s detractors have begun to refer to them collectively as the “Four Queens,” which only fuels Camilia’s discontent. A WEB OF INTRIGUE Camilia is determined to prove that Galt is a player on the world’s stage. Its prestigious universities may be destroyed, its people starving, its once-idyllic countryside now teeming with brigands—but none of that can hold back the Galtan spirit. Another revolution would hurt her goals; she instead takes on spies and agents, sending them across Galt to seek out information on the Gray Gardeners and others who would undermine Camilia’s position. Only Camilia’s most trusted agents know of her efforts to destroy the final blades and the Gray Gardeners. The people of Galt would doubtless reject her should they learn of her plan to end the blades’ hold on the country, and all of Camilia’s careful work will have been for naught. When she does strike against the Gardeners, it must be quick, and it must be final. THE WEIGHT OF LOSS Though she has learned to keep her dissent against the Grey Gardeners from becoming public, Camilia is never seen without a pair of striking accessories. She wears a polished steel choker and a red scarf around her neck at all times, a reminder of the weight of Galt’s troubles and the bloody price her family paid because of it. 39 LEGENDS INTRODUCTION A—G H—M N—Z ENTWINED DESTINIES GLOSSARY AND INDEX
FIRST RULER OF BREVOY CE MALE HUMAN TYRANT Over two hundred years ago, the warlord Choral Rogarvia swept out from obscurity to conquer the northern nations of Issia and Rostland. With two red dragons leading his forces, the so-called Choral the Conqueror was nigh unstoppable and, in less than a year, he united the two rival nations under his double-headed dragon banner as the new nation of Brevoy. Only ten years after seizing Brevoy, Choral vanished, along with his red dragon allies. Two hundred years later, every one of Choral’s descendants vanished as well— if, indeed, the royal House Rogarvia was truly his blood. No one knows why Choral the Conqueror abandoned his throne, what happened to his family, or where they went. Wild rumors flew in the wake of Choral’s disappearance, but for nearly two hundred and fifty years, as memory faded into myth, the truth seemed unknowable. Recently, however, this has begun to change. THE FISHERMAN’S CASKET “Is it valuable?” the fisherman asked. Wearily, Nephaira took off her spectacles and rubbed her eyes. The light was bad in this chilly, windowless shack on the shores of the Lake of Mists and Veils. Ordinarily the fishers used it for smoking fish, and decades of grimy pall blackened the interior. Not her usual environment. But ever since fishers had started pulling up curious artifacts in their nets, and glittering treasures washed up with the lakeweed on the shores, this cold, gray corner of the north had suddenly discovered a pressing need for her services. Treasure hunters and greedy nobles clamored for her to tell them what their finds were, and whether they could be kept without reprisal from Mendev or Brevoy. Every fisher and fur trapper who plied the lake hoped that they’d stumbled upon the key that would unlock a life of luxury, or at least a way out of relentless hardship. Nephaira hated disillusioning them. The nobles at least knew what gold looked like, and they weren’t often wrong. But the poor folk... they had no idea what they were looking for, and hope so blinded them that they brought her every glass bottle they saw glinting in the sun. Taking their coin to crush their hopes never sat well with her, but her business was built on honesty, even when that honesty came hard. Many of them had come to expect her harsh answers, but they came to her anyway, because they could do nothing else. Expecting more of the same, Nephaira unwrapped the water-stained burlap. Inside the coarse fabric was a casket of dark wood bound with tarnished metal. Its lock had been cunningly wrought as part of a large heraldic seal. Nephaira’s heart quickened at the sight. That crest— Her pulse racing, she wiped the lock with a damp cloth, forcing herself to remain calm until she could be sure. The cloth was soaked in alchemical solvents that melted away decades of mud and neglect. Bit by bit, it revealed the red and gold dragon crest of House Rogarvia. The emblem was authentic. The red dragon scales were shimmering enamel edged in real gold, too costly and finely wrought to be an imitation. The golden shield behind it bore a unique greenish tint. Electrum, a signature limited to Brevoy’s royal jewelers. 40 Choral the Conqueror
WITH SWORD AND FLAME For ten years, Choral sat on the Dragonscale Throne as the first king of Brevoy, but in all that time, he did little to unite the Issians and Rostlanders as a single people, leaving old divisions to fester while he amassed wealth in his Ruby Fortress. As king, Choral was a remote and terrifying figure, little seen by his people and less loved. Except for his rare, unpredictable tours across Brevoy—tours that he used primarily to visit terrible retribution on wayward vassals, to remind them of the price of disloyalty—Choral rarely left his seat of power in New Stetven. Without Choral or his heirs to maintain unity, the nation of Brevoy has remained split at the seams. Old rivalries and new grudges have pushed the Issians and Rostlanders to the brink of civil war. Yet some few still fear this political infighting will only attract the return and wrath of House Rogarvia, and that those who fight for the right of rule will pay the price for presuming to lay claim to King Choral’s crown. PEOPLE OF NOTE Irahai (page 54), Khismar Crookchar (page 78), Nephaira (N female half-elf archivist) “It’s real,” she told the fisherman. At first, he blinked, taken utterly by surprise. He’d not expected this either, but Nephaira saw hope rekindled in his eyes. “Is it valuable?” Desperation strained his voice. “My nets are old. My boat leaks. My children shiver for cold, day and night, and we have not enough bread. Can I sell this... this dragon box?” “The box itself is worth... two and a half weights in gold. Anyone who offers less is trying to cheat you.” Privately, Nephaira thought the fisherman would be lucky to get half that sum—his desperation was too obvious, and the nobles’ agents didn’t get paid for being soft-hearted—but she could at least tell him its true value. Honesty was her watchword. “I’d like to see what’s in it, though,” she said. When the fisherman nodded, Nephaira took out her tools and began cleaning out years of mud and corrosion. Slow going, but eventually she managed. Inside were... papers. Nephaira removed them one by one, baffled. A hodgepodge of village records, letters from the hinterlands, and other miscellany. The box had been well sealed, and none of the documents evinced water damage, but she couldn’t fathom why they would have warranted such protection. The fisherman waited, fidgeting. “What are they?” Puzzled, Nephaira began reading more carefully. Midway through the fourth letter, it dawned on her. Dragons. The documents were all about dragons. Aggrieved knights seeking recompense for burned lands. Village elders recording the deaths of devoured peasants. Astrologers noting incidental sightings in the sky; physicians requesting burn ointments to treat survivors. Some of the documents were dated. Others referenced contemporaneous events, setting signposts in time. Nephaira searched her memory, measuring what she knew against what she read. All the sightings matched times when Choral the Conqueror, first king of Brevoy, was known to be in that area—and when the royal red dragons were known to be elsewhere. Each letter was a brick in a wall of proof that Choral was not the human warlord that official historians had always claimed, but was himself a red dragon. It couldn’t be true. It had to be true. That ridiculous rumor, so long dismissed as the wild-eyed fancy of amateur cranks, was in fact a truth that Brevoy’s early government had gone to great lengths to suppress. She pushed her chair back, rubbing her eyes again. Outside, the sky had grown dark. She hadn’t even noticed the night falling. The fisherman, who’d dozed off, stirred. “Is it valuable?” Nephaira hesitated. The documents had been hidden, not destroyed, which suggested that someone had seen value in them centuries ago. To blackmail Choral’s descendants, perhaps. But now House Rogarvia was vanished without a single survivor, and she couldn’t imagine how revealing Choral’s true nature would help any of the noble houses maneuvering for Brevoy’s throne. The only value she could see was in completing the historical record. “I don’t think so,” she answered. “But I’ll buy them for a fair price.” It was the wrong thing to say. Nephaira saw the fisherman’s face harden. Her heart sank as he reached for the papers and swept them back into the box. “I will sell them myself,” he said, firmly, and left. Nephaira sank back into her chair. She didn’t see the dark figure that peeled off the hut’s shadowed wall to follow the fisherman, and she never learned what happened to the man. All she knew, then and there, was that the box with the dragon seal had been full. Too full to have held everything. Which meant there were more documents out there, somewhere. And she would find them. 41 LEGENDS INTRODUCTION A—G H—M N—Z ENTWINED DESTINIES GLOSSARY AND INDEX
FAMILIAR FACES Grand Princess Eutropia’s struggles to inherit Taldor’s rule were the center of the War for the Crown Adventure Path. Legends assumes that Eutropia’s agents, as played by the PCs, both aided Eutropia in taking the throne and rescued her resurrected brother, Prince Carrius, from the bizarre plots and circumstances the youth found himself trapped within. 42 Eutropia Stavian GRAND PRINCESS OF TALDOR NG FEMALE HUMAN SWASHBUCKLER 17 Calistril, 4719 My dear charlatans, traitors, backstabbers, vipers, and other colleagues, I arrived in Absalom on the ninth, to try and find what had befallen our mumble-tongued coreligionists. Some dedicated snooping revealed that the Brotherhood of Silence had committed the grave error of getting involved in local politics. (Yes, I am aware of the irony.) Since it doesn’t seem like the Brotherhood is going to get out of its defensive crouch anytime soon, I’ve spent my time putting together a dossier on the cause of their problems, Grand Princess Eutropia Stavian. If nothing else, it might keep us from making the same mistakes in Absalom. Let’s begin with the mundane details. Eutropia is the eldest daughter of the previous ruler, Grand Prince Stavian III, born in 4679 ar. Her brother, Carrius II, is born two years later, and their mother dies shortly thereafter. Nevertheless, her childhood seems happy enough. In 4698 ar, a teenage Carrius dies in an unfortunate accident, and Eutropia breaks with her father. She spends the next decade as a troublemaker and intellectual gadfly. In her thirties, Eutropia settles down into a somewhat more socially acceptable role as dedicated opposition to Stavian’s rule. Last year, Eutropia finally pushed a law through the Taldan Senate which repealed agnatic primogeniture and made her the rightful heir. Whereupon Stavian III launched a royal coup. I won’t go into the details of the Taldan War for the Crown, save that it was complicated, multifaceted, occasionally bloody, and that Eutropia won. Two key points, however. First, some bizarre minor cult managed to resurrect the late Carrius II. Then, toward the end of the crisis, our coreligionist Rhien secretly murdered Eutropia on the orders of some secret society or other, which led to Carrius II briefly ruling Taldor. Eutropia’s agents managed to resurrect her, Carrius stepped down, and Eutropia became grand princess; public opinion is that she faked her death. Their skepticism is unsurprising, given Eutropia seems to have weathered her own homicide without so much as a chipped nail or ruffled feather. Really, the agents even resurrected the dog that Rhien killed during the assassination (named Taldogis, on which I have no comment), so as to magically question the poor canine. I am gravely disappointed in the quality of assassination in this country. No one stays dead. Which brings us to today. Eutropia is the newly minted grand princess, the first woman on the Taldan throne, with her younger brother Carrius II at her side, as well as her faithful Taldogis. Last night, I weaseled my way into a royal salon and managed to speak with Eutropia for about an hour before Lady Gloriana Morilla recognized me and I had to escape the Ulfen Guard by way of a dumbwaiter. Eutropia is a canny politician and a dedicated Taldan patriot, but underneath I found her rather melancholy. Her brother’s death and subsequent resurrection, her father’s dementia, and her own struggles for the throne weigh on her, and though things seem to be on the upturn, I suspect she’s still waiting for fate’s next blow to fall. The only time she seemed truly happy was when speaking of her catch-dog, or talking about sport fencing, during which she betrayed a downright impish sense of humor. With regards to politics, Eutropia is a moderate reformer. She won the throne by carefully maneuvering between rival powers, sometimes displaying honest compassion, sometimes brutal efficiency, and sometimes level-headed practicality. For the moment, she’s been
putting Taldor’s financial house in order, working to root out corruption, and installing loyal and competent agents in positions of power—all necessary but tedious tasks. In terms of tactics, Eutropia has a marked preference for soft power and using discreet groups of agents, and I’ve already heard her called the Queen of Spies. Among her allies, Eutropia counts Ladies Martella Lotheed (part-Qadiran scion of the ancient Lotheed family) and Gloriana Morilla (of the Absalom Morillas and with connections to the Pathfinder Society) as her closest confidantes. Dominicus Rell, the leader of the Lion Blades, continues to serve Eutropia as he did her father, and acts as her liaison to the more recalcitrant nobles. Dominicus seems distressingly loyal to the nation of Taldor, though his struggles with Eutropia over who ultimately has control over the other are quite fascinating to watch. Unfortunately, not everyone is so fond of her. Oppara has enough conspiracies that even the underground mithraeums have scheduling issues, and several of these are less than benign. The Cult of the Twilight Child worships Carrius as Taldor’s savior, regardless of the poor youth’s ideas on the matter, and several old allies of former High Strategos Maxillar Pythareus have formed a semisecret pact in the military known as the Ninth Army. I’ve also heard rumors of some severe issues relating to foreign investments, which sounds dreadfully dull until you realize just how much money is involved. Most curious, graffiti depicting a three-headed crow has been popping up all over Oppara, to the confusion of most and the abject terror of a few. Finally, after the recent troubles, the question of succession is never far from people’s minds. Eutropia is unmarried and seems inclined to remain so. Her brother Carrius is her heir; nearly twenty years younger by quirk of magic and known for his gentle and thoughtful personality, the youth is presently the most eligible bachelor in the Inner Sea region. Oppara is positively swarming with pretty girls (and boys) with sterling political connections and impressive dowries. The sight is endlessly amusing, but not all the hopefuls are inclined to leave such a thing to chance—or to Carrius. Since taking the throne, Eutropia has sent emissaries of friendship to all her neighbors, including Andoran’s Andira Marusek, Galt’s Camilia Drannoch, and Kyonin’s Telandia Edasseril, with mixed success; Taldor’s history as the regional hegemon keeps relations from getting too cozy. She’s also been negotiating a new trade pact with Katapesh’s Hashim ibn Sayyid and has lent quiet support to Lady Darchana’s efforts to become primarch of Absalom. Relations with Satrap Xerbystes II of Qadira are a bit thornier; rumor has it that there were a few exchanges of assassins and agents before Xerbystes was forced to pull his horns in by his vizier. Ultimately, I like Eutropia. She has the instincts of a Norgorberite, though I doubt she’d appreciate the compliment. Regardless, we can expect little help with our own problems from our coreligionists, so I shall be sailing back home with the next tide. Your disobedient servant, S. Maleagant Senior Priest-Advocate of the Court of Black Paper PEOPLE OF NOTE Andira Marusek (page 12), Camilia Drannoch (page 38), Prince Carrius II (NG male human medium), Lady Darchana (N female human wizard), Dominicus Rell (N male human Lion Blade), Lady Gloriana Morilla (CN female human aristocrat), Hashim ibn Sayyid (page 50), Hebizid Vraj (page 120), Lady Martella Lotheed (N female human spymaster), Norgorber (Lost Omens Gods and Magic 36), Samel Maleagant (NE male human rogue), Telandia Edasseril (page 106), Xerbystes II (page 120) LEGENDS INTRODUCTION A—G H—M N—Z ENTWINED DESTINIES GLOSSARY AND INDEX 43 Eutropia aims to make Taldor the cultural capital of the Inner Sea region once more. If she has her way, it won’t be too long before everyone is again reading Taldan books, eating Taldan food, and listening to Taldan songs. And a few of her moody traveling poets also happen to be secret members of the Lion Blades, should soft words fail and a sharp knife become necessary. —Samel Maleagant
Geb GHOST KING LE MALE HUMAN GHOST NECROMANCER It is difficult to tell the story of the necromancer Geb without chronicling his centuries-long feud with the archmage Nex. The two great wizards of the Age of Destiny had no peer save one another, and so their proximity fostered rivalry, their rivalry gradually turned to obsession, and their obsession bloomed into all-out war. They unleashed unfathomable calamities against each other’s nations to further their battle, permanently devastating the surrounding landscape with magical fallout. Eventually, Geb gained the upper hand by casting forth a great storm of poison on the capital of Nex, killing thousands. In the aftermath, there was no sign of Geb’s rival archmage, who had escaped into a magical refuge only to vanish from Golarion entirely. While history claimed this as Geb’s victory, it rang hollow to the necromancer, who believed Nex had not only survived his final attack but was merely biding his time until the chance came to retaliate. Geb scoured the globe for any power that would let him discover Nex’s true fate, until he drove himself into despair with his own paranoia and finally took his own life. Yet even death could not deny Geb’s vendetta; consumed by anguish and surrounded by necromancy, his suicide trapped his spirit on the Material Plane as a ghost. With no purpose and no escape, Geb languished on the throne of a kingdom he felt no affection for. Many of his subjects chose to follow Geb into undeath, leaving him with the rotting corpse of the nation he had founded. His only relief came in the form of tiny sparks of emotion across the ages, when it seemed something might challenge him. When the Holy Knights of Ozem attacked his kingdom, he retaliated by stealing the corpse of their god’s deceased herald, Arazni, and turning her into his undead queen regent. When the armies of Holomog marched on Geb’s borders, he unleashed a spell that turned every warrior to stone and rained down a cataclysm on their capital city. No matter how many potential rivals rose against him, none could withstand even his opening salvo. Each time he dashed a new foe, he sank deeper into despair, unmoved by opponents that lacked even a fraction of Nex’s power. With the lich Queen Arazni running the day-to-day affairs of the nation, Geb retreated further into seclusion. Generations passed between sightings of the necromancer, and for many, it seemed best to ignore him and hope that he would waste away if left alone. Even many of the undead citizens of Geb preferred the efficient—if occasionally vindictive—rule of the enslaved Arazni to the erratic and violent whims of their king. In this age of relative peace, Geb nearly achieved true political significance on the world stage, despite the many nations unwilling to deal with undead as equals. That all changed the day Nex’s great engines of war, the fleshforges, began to activate on their own. Mighty beasts and monsters more powerful than anything the arclords had summoned in over a thousand years marched south into the Mana Wastes. They were the most wondrous sight Geb had seen since the height of the war. The day Geb had yearned for over countless lifetimes had finally come, and it was time to assemble his forces once again. Now, for the first time in 4,000 years, Geb faces new challenges. During his long wallowing fits, the ghost king failed to notice Arazni’s steadily growing independence or even her sudden disappearance as Tar-Baphon stirred far to the north. Without the lich queen, Geb is forced to step forward and act like a true ruler once again. For a war council, he has only his scheming, sycophantic governors, the blood lords, many of whom have taken QUIET NEIGHBORS Despite the malicious nature of most of its leadership, the nation of Geb has mainly been a peaceful one since the end of the war with Nex, showing no signs of expansion and only retaliating if provoked. After four centuries of calmly trading food for goods with other nations, even the most murderous Gebbite blood lords had grown used to the situation, and are now uneasy at the current change. 44
Arazni’s defection as a cue to turn upon each other in efforts to gain Geb’s favor. His greatest difficulty comes from the very magic that reanimated him, however, as Geb’s spirit is bound to the soil of Mechitar, the capital city where his palace rests. Until he can deal with these obstacles, Geb won’t be truly ready for Nex’s return. MARCH TO WAR For the first time in thousands of years, Geb is truly taking stock of his country. In doing so, he discovered that at least three cities, including a necropolis that once held the greatest school of necromancy in all of Geb, have been completely wiped from the map. Some of his more astute subjects have deduced that these locations were taken into the Hao Jin Tapestry but were not restored with the return of the Ruby Phoenix. Geb has sent a small group of ambassadors to the city of Goka to negotiate the return of the necropolis or, failing this, demand the aid of Hao Jin herself as compensation for its loss. Far to the north, Camilia Drannoch of Galt has been in secret negotiations to rid her country of their final blades once and for all. While many have expressed interest in destroying the blades to free the souls trapped within, Geb is more interested in reforging the blades themselves into horrific cleavers to arm his graveknight generals. Since the country of Geb grows far more food than its few living citizens need, it is in an excellent position to bargain with the starving rebels of Galt. While the dwarven Sky Citadel of Dongun Hold was little more than a footnote in the first war with Nex, this time Geb has been forced to take notice of the dwarven kingdom and the thriving city-state growing in its shadow. With the firearms of Alkenstar and the technological secrets of Dongun Hold, an alliance with High King Anong Arunak is something Geb now sees as in his best interests. Even if the dwarves ultimately prove of little use, snatching away one of Nex’s presumed allies would be an amusing preamble to the coming war. In a desperate bid to free himself of whatever power keeps him trapped in Mechitar, Geb has invited necromancers, clerics of death, mediums, and all manner of occultists to the capital in hopes that one of them will be able to solve the mystery of his curse. Despite his mastery of necromancy, he seems unable to recognize his own nature as a ghost as the culprit of his imprisonment; his suicide and subsequent revival are scars on his memory that he struggles to piece together. He has offered all manner of rewards for anyone who can aid him or, for the more reluctant, a cell in his dungeon until a solution has been found. While some scramble to choose a side in the looming war, many more wish to stop it before it can even begin, including ambitious liches and vampires who have no desire to play pawns in a ghost king’s war games, arclords who will lose all status and authority if Nex returns, and thousands of innocent bystanders who would be caught in the crossfire. Adventurers, pathfinders, and mercenaries all across the Impossible Lands have been hired in secret to find some way to preserve peace. Some of Geb’s more traitorous governors plot the ghost king’s assassination, ready to claim the throne for themselves, while others seek heroes who can find a way to prevent Nex from ever returning at all. Yet these agents must act with care: there will be no mercy for anyone who denies Geb his chance to face his old foe once again. ACADEMIC PRESSURE Geb seeks new weapons, advantages, and allies to prepare himself for the impending war, especially any that might have extraplanar magic or abilities. He has pushed for greater arcane developments from the various necromantic colleges throughout Geb, such as the Mortuarium in the city of Yled. 45 LEGENDS INTRODUCTION A—G H—M N—Z ENTWINED DESTINIES GLOSSARY AND INDEX PEOPLE OF NOTE Anong Arunak (page 14), Arazni (Pathfinder Lost Omens Gods and Magic 54), Camilia Drannoch (page 38), Hao Jin (page 46), Nex (page 90), Tar-Baphon (page 104)
Hao Jin PLANE-TRAVELING EXPLORER LN FEMALE HUMAN SORCERER Hao Jin, the Ruby Phoenix, is one of the greatest sorcerers ever to have lived on Golarion. Born in the Tian city of Goka in 4042 ar to an Abadaran priest and a successful painter, Hao Jin lived a privileged childhood. As a youth, she was fascinated by history and spent much of her time in the famed Empress Yin Museum until a bout of reckless play led to a fire that ravaged the museum’s collections and claimed her life. Hao Jin’s parents spent most of their modest fortune returning her from death, and in doing so awoke a spark of magical potential within her soul. Hao Jin’s raven hair turned bright red, scintillating like fire. Burdened with guilt over her role in the museum’s loss and her parents’ financial hardships, Hao Jin devoted her life to protecting the world’s culture from destruction. After several lifetimes of learning, the Ruby Phoenix created her masterpiece, the famed Hao Jin Tapestry. Woven together from her magic, creativity, and skill, the tapestry contained a demiplane that the Ruby Phoenix intended to use as a kind of museum world, allowing her to pluck places and people at risk of destruction from Golarion to preserve them forever within magically regulated biomes. Her greatest creation complete, Hao Jin departed Golarion to explore the cosmos, eventually arriving in the Eternal City of Axis. Though she dreamed of collaborating with the brilliant aeons who resided there, Hao Jin instead found herself reprimanded. Aeons are beings of absolute order, and they considered the creation of the Hao Jin Tapestry callous, irresponsible, and a threat to the planar stability across all realities. Axis called for the tapestry’s destruction, but Hao Jin struck a bargain to save it: she offered to serve the Eternal City and relinquish her memories of the tapestry’s creation for study. Axis agreed, and so Hao Jin disappeared from Golarion in 4391 ar for over 300 years. Assuming the Ruby Phoenix had perished, the city of Goka held a grand martial arts tournament at her estate as her will instructed, with the victor being allowed to claim a single item from Hao Jin’s vast treasury. Called the Ruby Phoenix Tournament, this competition was held every 10 years, starting in 4401 ar. At the most recent tournament in 4711 ar, a team of Pathfinder Society agents hand-picked by the Decemvirate were victorious, allowing them to claim the Hao Jin Tapestry. In the years that followed, Pathfinders studied the Hao Jin Tapestry, exploring Hao Jin’s museum world while thwarting the cult of Lissala and the Aspis Consortium; all of them learned that Thassilonian magic could be used to tear rifts in the tapestry for quick travel across Golarion. This consistent abuse took its toll on the artifact, and the tapestry, already in decline due to Hao Jin’s absence, rapidly began to unravel. Through the sacrifices of dozens of Pathfinder agents and former Master of Spells Aram Zey, the Pathfinder Society staved off the tapestry’s destruction long enough to find Hao Jin, exonerate her in the eyes of Axis and the Boneyard, and recruit her help in returning the tapestry’s inhabitants to Tian Xia. This effort bore fruit despite an assault by the hag Aslynn (NE female night hag merchant), but the tapestry itself ripped further in the process, scattering many of its contents across the Astral Plane. REPAIRING FRAYED THREADS Hao Jin took many steps to craft a worthy legacy on Golarion should she perish unexpectedly, but her 300-year exile in Axis forced her to consider that her true impact was not as she had intended. Instead of considering her a historian and preservationist, the aeons treated her as a nuisance who plundered others’ history and heritage. Questioning her life’s work and filled with regret, Hao Jin now seeks to help restore what she took and recover what was lost from her tapestry when the night hag Aslynn attacked, a mission that has left her traversing the heart of the Astral Plane. Yet Hao Jin is not the only legend to recently return from the depths of the past. When the sorceress was initially searching the world for sites for the Hao Jin Tapestry 46 FAMILIAR FACES Hao Jin and her tapestry have played a prominent role in the Pathfinder Society organized play campaign over the past decade, with players from around the world deciding the ultimate fate of the sorceress and her magical creation. To help shape the world of Golarion through organized play, visit pathfindersociety.club and join the community!
to preserve, she discovered the Rune-Crossed Crucible, an ancient Thassilonian ruin built upon a conflux of major Avistani ley lines just 12 miles south of time-locked Crystilan. Using the culmination of a century’s worth of research and planning, Hao Jin wove her tapestry around the crucible, placing it at the heart of her museum world. Upon reawakening to the world, Runelord Belimarius discovered the crucible missing, leading the runelord to use her magic to track down the ruin’s fate. Though Belimarius initially contacted Hao Jin regarding its return, the Ruby Phoenix no longer has the building either; when Aslynn attacked the Hao Jin Tapestry, the night hag’s agents reportedly stole the crucible for reasons unknown. Belimarius has sworn revenge on Hao Jin for this trespass, but the sorceress has ignored the threat, focusing instead on recovering the Rune-Crossed Crucible and bringing Aslynn to justice. The necromancer Geb has also sent ambassadors to the city of Goka, demanding either the return of cities that Hao Jin placed within her tapestry or equal favors from the sorceress in compensation for the loss. Even more so than Belimarius, this has left Hao Jin with a heavy ethical conundrum—she knows she does indeed owe the nation of Geb a debt, and that reneging on it due to her opinions of its undead leader would be an act of convenient moral cowardice. At the same time, if there is any magician who has left more of a scar on the world than Hao Jin, it’s Geb, through his war with his rival Nex. With rumors of Nex’s potential return and Geb’s obvious preparations to resume the war, Hao Jin wonders whether she would be returning the sites only to see them destroyed, or worse yet, if Geb might use them to inflict some new horror. Pressure from the aeons of Axis, who seek the return of the lost sites regardless of the moral consequences, has only further burdened her conscience. In addition to recovering historic sites, Hao Jin seeks to act as a shepherd to those communities she took into her tapestry, which have now been restored to a world that moved on without them. Her return to Golarion involved her ushering Round Mountain, a massive sphere of the Sekamina layer of the Darklands, from the Hao Jin Tapestry to its rightful place. This saved the occupants of the Hao Jin Tapestry from certain doom, but in the process, Hao Jin destroyed the ysoki settlement of Broken Ticker—though the citizens were fortunately evacuated beforehand. The residents of Broken Ticker and many of those returned with Round Mountain have since banded together to construct a new settlement called Second Ticker. Despite the ingenuity of its people, Second Ticker’s trading routes and much of their supplies were devastated by Round Mountain’s landing, and the residents now look to the Ruby Phoenix for help. Hao Jin seeks a council of seasoned individuals willing to act as her agents in Second Ticker, as she worries her legend would intimidate the vulnerable peoples from pushing back against any of her decisions. The most dangerous consequence of the Ruby Phoenix’s return may be her effect on her homeland. During Hao Jin’s long absence from Golarion, the empire of Imperial Lung Wa shattered into sixteen Successor States, each vying for control of the others’ territory. Upon visiting her home of Goka after satisfying her obligations to the Pathfinder Society, news of Hao Jin’s rebirth exploded a sense of national fervor in the city-state, inciting unrest among the Successor State governments, who see her return as an endorsement of Goka and a threat to their own sovereignty. As armies gather and assassins seek to claim her life, Hao Jin gathers agents who can help her avert both her own murder and a looming potential war. TREASURY OF THE RUBY PHOENIX While Hao Jin’s Vault has become famous thanks to the Ruby Phoenix Tournament, not all of the sorceress’s treasures reside within. The following are some of the items for which Hao Jin has found no rightful owner and might thus grant as a gift. BEHIND THE LEGEND A Tian-Shu woman appearing roughly in her 30s, Hao Jin’s shimmering red hair is by far her most striking feature, complemented by her ornate robes and bright crimson tattoos. While history paints Hao Jin as an eclectic collector of history and culture, her exile on Axis has given her time to reflect upon her previous choices. She recognizes the harm she has done to those she wished to preserve and is seeking ways to repair the damage she unintentionally inflicted. Hao Jin is asexual, a trait she once thought was caused her untimely death and resurrection and considered to be a driving factor behind her issues connecting with others. As a result, Hao Jin never sought romance prior to leaving Golarion, throwing herself into her work rather than face a persistent fear that she may be broken and unworthy of love. But centuries of introspection have helped Hao Jin rise above these toxic doubts with reborn confidence in herself and her identity, and she’s rumored to have visited several Gokan matchmakers since returning to Golarion. PEOPLE OF NOTE Belimarius (page 34), Geb (page 44), Empyreal Lord Korada (Lost Omens Gods and Magic 84), Lissala (Lost Omens Gods and Magic 130), Nex (page 90) 47 LEGENDS INTRODUCTION A—G H—M N—Z ENTWINED DESTINIES GLOSSARY AND INDEX
CELESTIAL PEACH ITEM 17+ RARE CONSUMABLE DIVINE HEALING MAGICAL NECROMANCY POSITIVE Usage held in one hand; Bulk L Activate [one-action] Interact Among Hao Jin’s most precious treasures are three living plants, the last surviving celestial peach trees taken from the mountains of Chu Ye. One of the trees grows pearls in place of flowers, but the other two bear fruit that is far more valuable. Eating one of these small red peaches can heal even the most grievous of injuries. Type rejuvenation; Level 17; Price 3,000 gp You gain the effects of 7th-level neutralize poison, regenerate, remove curse, and remove disease spells. The peach has a counteract modifier of +27. Type life; Level 20; Price 73,000 gp When you place the peach into the mouth of an intact corpse that died within the last year, it casts a 10th-level raise dead on the corpse. MOUNTAIN TO THE SKY ITEM 16 UNIQUE CONJURATION MAGICAL STRUCTURE Price 10,000 gp Usage held in 1 hand; Bulk — Activate 1 minute (Interact) This tiny, carved walnut shell contains a sacred mountain within. You can only activate mountain to the sky on an unoccupied patch of earth or soil. When activated, the walnut transforms into an impossibly steep mountain, 5,000 feet tall and 100 feet wide at the base. Climbing the mountain requires 8 hours and a successful DC 35 Athletics check. After activating it, if you climb to the top of the mountain without any assistance from flight or magic, the mountain plane shifts you to Heaven when you reach the summit. You can return the mountain to the sky into the shape of a walnut shell as a 1-minute activity, which has the concentrate and manipulate traits, so long as no living creatures are present on the mountain. RUBY STRING ITEM 14 RARE CONJURATION CONSUMABLE Price 900 gp Usage held in 1 hand; Bulk — The frayed threads from the rips and tears in Hao Jin’s Tapestry still contain traces of the Ruby Phoenix’s magic. Hao Jin has collected most of these loose strings, but others occasionally find these potent silk strands in unexpected places. A ruby string can fulfill the cost requirement for an 8th-level create demiplane ritual (Advanced Player’s Guide 241). When used in this way, the ruby string negates the need for secondary casters, and you get a success for all secondary checks. Alternatively, you can activate it to create a smaller demiplane without requiring the ritual. Activate 8 hours (envision, Interact); Effect You spin the thread to form a demiplane with the effects of a successful 8th-level create demiplane, but the space is a single 10-foot cube. STARSHOT ARROW ITEM 7+ RARE CONJURATION CONSUMABLE MAGICAL Ammunition arrow Activate [one-action] Interact The metal of these arrows is said to have come from a star that ventured too close to Golarion and was shot down by a moonlit archer. When you activate and shoot a starshot arrow, you take no range penalties against any target that you can personally detect. There must be a line of effect between you and the target. Type lesser; Level 7; Price 55 gp The target must be within the maximum range of your weapon. Type greater; Level 14; Price 800 gp You can fire at any creature you can detect, regardless of range. The arrow travels instantly, hitting your target as soon as you fire the arrow. This is a teleportation effect. REVISIONIST HISTORY Though Hao Jin’s actions are condemned by some, she was also responsible for saving many endangered people and relics from Tian Xia’s past, especially those threatened by the expansionist empire of Lung Wa. Hao Jin returned to Golarion over 100 years after Lung Wa collapsed, bringing with her a vast swath of history that had been erased by conquest. Her desire to return these cultural treasures to their rightful peoples has caused many ambassadors to approach the Ruby Phoenix and attempt to lay claim to her artifacts. 48
TAPESTRY SITES The following notable sites once dwelt within the famed Hao Jin Tapestry. ONHAE Home to the descendants of the Sunsu Godae people of the Chung Liao jungle, this humble village contained the last vestiges, traditions, and religion of this culture, as well as stories that have otherwise been entirely lost from Golarion. TAIKAGA TEMPLE One of the first locations that Hao Jin sought to preserve, this temple and its nearby lake were guarded by sovereign dragons who swore an oath that they and all their descendants would help to maintain balance within the tapestry. MOUNTAIN OF CHAINS The dwarves of this mountain, descendants of the last survivors from the Sky Citadel of Jormundun, lived peacefully until Hao Jin vanished and the magic of her tapestry began to fail, prompting the community to accept aid from the god Droskar. THE TEMPLE OF EMPYREAL ENLIGHTENMENT The hilltop Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment was originally from Tianjing, a nation of aasimars. Hao Jin was gifted it so that its beauty and the teachings of Empyreal Lord Korada could be preserved within the tapestry for all time. THE SUNDERED CITY Hao Jin claimed this crumbling ziggurat, part of a massive complex of serpentfolk ruins, to preserve the site and contain the undead serpentfolk still within, though she also accidentally pulled the Muckmouth lizardfolk into her tapestry in the process. 49 LEGENDS INTRODUCTION A—G H—M N—Z ENTWINED DESTINIES GLOSSARY AND INDEX C A B E D A B C D E
