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Shadows of Thassilon Character Creation

2023-04-02T19:13:49Z

Gavin: Added campaign traits for the new party, following the original party's TPK under Jorgenfist

For the most part, ''[[Shadows of Thassilon]]'' uses the standard ''Pathfinder'' character creation rules.

==Player's Guides==
As mentioned under [[Shadows of Thassilon Campaign Basics|Campaign Basics]], there are two ''Player's Guides'' for ''Rise of the Runelords,'' one for the original 2007 edition of the adventure path and the other for the 2012 ''Anniversary Edition''. Both contain quite different information and I believe it's worth having a look at both, though much of the rules information presented in the 2007 edition has been superseded by subsequent ''Pathfinder'' publications.

[http://paizo.com/products/btpy8bd9?Pathfinder-Adventure-Path-Rise-of-the-Runelords-Players-Guide Rise of the Runelords Player's Guide, 2007 edition]

[http://paizo.com/products/btpy8tgl?Pathfinder-Adventure-Path-Rise-of-the-Runelords-Anniversary-Edition-Players-Guide Rise of the Runelords Player's Guide, Anniversary Edition]

Both of the above are free downloads, but if you don't have a Paizo account and don't wish to register one, please let me know via PM and I'll see about getting a copy to you.

==Alignment==
Most of Paizo's adventure paths are written primarily to accommodate relatively heroic characters of good or neutral alignments, and ''Rise of the Runelords'' is no exception. I am ''hesitant'' to allow evil characters as they tend toward disruptive behaviours and distasteful character concepts; if you have an idea for a character that ''only'' works with an evil alignment, I'm happy to give it consideration but I can't promise I'll accept it.

==Ability Scores==
Roll 4d6, discard the lowest die result, and add the three remaining results together. Record this total and repeat the process until six numbers are generated. Assign these totals to your ability scores as you see fit.

The ability score array used by NPCs with heroic classes (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8) generates a character with ability score modifiers totalling +5 before racial adjustments. Rerolls will be allowed at the GM's discretion, in the case of low ability score totals or arrays that the player finds unappealing.

==Races==
The races presented in the ''Core Rulebook'' (dwarf, elf, gnome, half-elf, half-orc, halfling, and human) are available for play as usual. Other races from other sources are available only at the GM's discretion.

==Classes==
The classes presented in the ''Core Rulebook'' are available for play as usual; the classes presented in the ''Advanced Player's Guide'', with the exception of the summoner, are also available for play. Other classes from other sources are available only at the GM's discretion. Consider also the following guidance.

===Summoner===
Summoners are not available for play. There are too many ways in which their particular combination of abilities (an extra set of actions every turn from their eidolon, strong buff spells, and increased access to summoned monsters through their ''summon monster'' spell-like ability) can lead to situations that are the opposite of fun for the group as a whole.

===Cavalier and Druid===
Druids share many of the same qualities as summoners (a companion that grants an extra set of actions, strong buff spells and abilities, and an increased focus on summoning spells compared to other spellcasters) but have a stronger history within the game that I'm not so willing to discard, and have access to alternative choices or class features that don't necessarily lead to the same problematic situations.

The cavalier presents a different set of problems, namely that cramped dungeons with five-foot-wide corridors appear extensively in the early modules of the adventure path, limiting the opportunities for Medium-sized cavaliers on Large-sized mounts to bring their most defining class feature into play. A Small-sized cavalier will more easily find opportunities to shine, earlier in the campaign, as will a cavalier who selects options that de-emphasise mounted combat; on the other hand, I appreciate that much of the appeal in this class lies in playing the archetypal armoured knight on horseback. I don't know that there's an easy solution to this; it's simply a point I feel is worth keeping in mind.

===Necromancer (wizard arcane school)===
Necromancers who create undead minions combine the problems of evil characters and summoners or druids, committing evil acts to clutter the battlefield with additional combatants taking extra actions. Thus, necromancers who create or command undead are not available for play.

==Feats==
The feats presented in the ''Core Rulebook'', the ''Advanced Player's Guide'', and the ''Inner Sea World Guide'' are available for play as usual, with the exceptions and guidance noted below.

===Restricted Feats===
The feats Additional Traits (''APG'' p. 150) and Leadership (''CRB'' p. 129-130) are not available. Note that characters in ''Shadows of Thassilon'' have three traits rather than the standard two.

===Item Creation Feats===
Item creation feats are available as usual. Please note that items created by PCs should be intended for use by PCs, rather than as part of a money-making venture; I'm aware that the magic trait Hedge Magician (''APG'' p. 329) and the campaign trait Merchant Family (''RotRLPG'' p. 4) interact in particular ways with the creation and sale of magic items by PCs, and will modify these traits if necessary to prevent abuse.

==Traits==
Characters in ''Shadows of Thassilon'' have three traits, rather than the two specified as standard in the ''Advanced Player's Guide'' (p. 236). One must be a campaign trait, selected from the ''Rise of the Runelords Player's Guide''. The other two can be selected from those presented in the ''Advanced Player's Guide'', following its guidelines for trait selections and excluding the sample campaign traits therein.

Note that, in case it's not clear, ''all'' of the benefits of the campaign trait Giant Slayer apply ''only'' against creatures of the giant subtype. Consider the latter portion of the trait to read as follows: ''“Against creatures of the giant subtype, you gain a +1 trait bonus on Bluff, Perception, and Sense Motive checks and +1 trait bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls.”''

===New Party: Campaign Traits (01/04/2023)===

Your new characters each begin play with three traits: two traits chosen from those available in the ''Advanced Player's Guide'' (p. 326), and one campaign trait chosen from those below. Each campaign trait is followed by a set of questions about your character's background and adventuring career; these questions don't need to be answered during character creation, but it would be useful to think about them during the first few sessions of play, and in some cases your answers to these questions might set up events that occur somewhat later in the campaign.

====Acadamae Aspirant====
Korvosa's Acadamae is one of Avistan's most famous (or notorious) colleges of wizardry, attracting prospective students from as far away as Geb. The Acadamae teaches all eight modern schools of magic, but specialises in the school of conjuration, and the imps that are such a persistent nuisance elsewhere in Korvosa mostly result from ill-conceived pranks or scholastic ineptitude by the Acadamae's would-be conjurers. You once sought entrance to the Acadamae yourself, and while the course of your life ultimately did not include the decade of gruelling instruction and dangerous apprenticeship that the school demands of its scholars, your retain the esoteric and specialist knowledge gleaned through your preparatory studies. Choose one subtype of outsiders. You gain a +2 trait bonus to Knowledge (planes) check to identify outsiders of that subtype and their abilities, and the save DC of your spells and abilities increases by 1 against outsiders of that subtype.

''Were you refused entry to the Acadamae, or was the decision not to pursue admittance mostly your own? How do you feel about that outcome? Do you have any friends or enemies among the Acadamae's student body or faculty?''

====Disgraced Noble====
You are a member or retainer of one of Korvosa's noble families, but through scandal or conflict, you have lost much of the cachet that your family name usually carries. Denied now the wealth, power, and prestige to which you might have grown accustomed, you have turned your efforts toward securing your own fortune and establishing your name as one that eclipses the fading glories of your former noble house. If you are a member of one of the noble families, you are most likely of Chelish ancestry, although evidence of an elven, orcish, Shoanti, or Varisian parent might be scandal enough in its own right to bar you from the corridors of power. If you hail from one of the great houses, then your surname is most likely Arkona, Jeggare, Leroung, Ornelos, or Zenderholm; if your house is of slightly lesser but still noble status, your family name might be Arabasti, Bromathan, Caligaro, Carowyn, Endrin, Fordyce, Galdur, Kroft, Peltherianon, Porphyria, or Viamio. A former retainer or once-trusted associate of the nobility, meanwhile, may be of any ancestry. Despite the scandal that dogs you, your name still carries weight in Korvosa, and you gain a +1 trait bonus to Diplomacy and Intimidate checks within the city. In addition to starting play with wealth appropriate to your level, you possess an heirloom, inheritance, or bequest in the form of a single item (magic or otherwise) worth no more than 2,000 gp.

''From which of Korvosa's noble families do you hail, and why have you been disavowed by your house? Did your fall from grace leave you with a specific rival or enemy? Do you have any sympathisers among your former family?''

====Dragonfriend====
Growing up in Korvosa, you were often witness to battles between two of the city's most unusual species: pseudodragons, native to the region since before the colony's founding, and imps, conjured inexpertly and turned loose through neglect or ineptitude by the students of the Acadamae. Your sympathies in these conflicts always lay with the pseudodragons, and your small acts of kindness and offers of assistance eventually grew into a closer kinship with the Korvosa's pseudodragon population as a whole. Choose one of the following as a benefit of your long-standing friendship:
*If you are a sorcerer with the draconic bloodline, the claws you grow using your 1st level bloodline power are treated as silver for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction. In addition, when you cast a sorcerer spell you that puts creatures to sleep, or which inflicts the dazed, staggered, stunned, or unconscious conditions, the save DC of that spell increases by +1. This is a trait bonus.
*If you possess a familiar, gained through a class feature or character option, and you begin play with the Improved Familiar feat, you may choose a pseudodragon familiar and ignore the arcane spellcaster level prerequisite to do so. Your pseudodragon familiar's natural weapons are treated as silver for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction. Upon reaching 7th level as an arcane spellcaster, your pseudodragon familiar gains bonus hit points equal to your arcane spellcaster level.
*Mishaps involving your pseudodragon allies, as well as brushes with their impish enemies, have inured you somewhat to the venomous stings of both creatures. You gain a +2 trait bonus to Fortitude saves against injury poisons.

''Has your friendship with Korvosa's pseudodragons ever led you into particular trouble or danger? Have you ever gained – or lost – any especially close friends among the pseudodragons? Have you fought, or been harmed by, their impish rivals?''

====Guild Agitator====
Korvosa's charter forbids the formation of guilds and trade unions within the city – ostensibly to prevent price-fixing, but also to more firmly secure the power of Korvosa's noble families and wealthy elites over the city's working classes. You hail from those working classes, whether through a family business, an apprenticeship, or some other bond, and you retain a sense of solidarity with those who labour to provide the city with the goods and services upon which it depends. Your determination to see the Korvosa's craftspeople and labourers placed on a more even footing with its merchants and its nobles marks you as a subversive, and you have seen your share of clandestine meetings and furtive unionists' gatherings. Reforming Korvosa's charter to revoke the prohibition against guilds and trade unions is an undertaking that will demand wealth, power, and determination, however, and it may be that you see your adventuring career as a means to that end. You must begin play with at least 1 rank in a Craft of Profession skill to choose this campaign trait. You gain a +1 trait bonus to checks using this Craft or Profession skill, and a +1 trait bonus to Bluff and Sense Motive checks. One of these skills (your choice) is always a class skill for you.

''What trade or profession do you practise? Have you witnessed violence against those agitating for reform in Korvosa, or have you suffered this as a result of your own efforts? Who is your closest ally among Korvosa's underground labour movement?''

====Harrowed====
In your travels throughout Varisia, you have frequently encountered the practice known as the Harrow, a method of divination using a deck of elaborately painted cards. Whatever your origin, and whatever your thoughts and feelings might be regarding the Harrow, you can't deny that Harrow readings regarding a certain aspect of your life have tended to be uncannily accurate. You might dismiss this as the vagaries of chance, or as the product of sleight-of-hand and chicanery by Harrowers manipulating their decks to show you what you want or expect to see – or you might instead believe that there is some greater design to your life that is being revealed to you piecemeal through every spread of Harrow cards. Choose one of the following suits of Harrow cards, each of which is associated with a particular ability score and a particular type of roll. Once per day, when you make a d20 roll using the ability score modifier for that suit's associated ability score, or when you make a check or roll of that suit's associated type, you may reroll that check, roll, or save. You must decide to use this ability before the outcome of the roll is confirmed, and you must take the second roll even if its result is less favourable.
*'''Hammer:''' Strength; attack rolls, both melee and ranged
*'''Key:''' Dexterity; Reflex saving throws
*'''Shield:''' Constitution; Fortitude saving throws
*'''Tome:''' Intelligence; Skill checks
*'''Star:''' Wisdom; Will saving throws
*'''Crown:''' Charisma; any ''one'' category of the above, made by others against you or to resist your abilities

''Do you embrace the Harrow and trust its omens, or do you dismiss it as superstition even as your life seems repeatedly nudged along a certain path? What is the most crucial choice you have made, either trusting or defying the Harrow?''

====Hellknight Prospect:====
The Hellknight Orders have arisen in recent centuries as a grim an unyielding bulwark against anarchy, corruption, and disorder. Clad in distinctively sculpted plate armour and enforcing order without pity, mercy, or distinction, the Hellknights possess a fearsome reputation – but in the tumultuous Age of Lost Omens, they are sometimes the best allies that can be found in the fight against monsters, subversives, and those who would place themselves above or beyond the law. At some point in your early life, you decided that you, too, would commit yourself to one of the Hellknight Orders and to the cause of stability and security in a world riven by uncertainty and grasping, self-serving ambition. Whether or not you trained formally under a senior Hellknight as an armiger, your have fortified your will against those who would sway you from your path, and you have been given the opportunity to study the denizens of the planes beyond in anticipation of an armiger's final test before joining the ranks of the Hellknights – single combat against a devil. You gain a +2 trait bonus on Will saves against charm or compulsion effects. In addition, Knowledge (planes) is always a class skill for you.

''What first put you on the path to becoming a Hellknight? Do you still aspire to join the Hellknights, and if not, what event made you decide to follow a different path? Do you count any Hellknights as friends, allies, or rivals?''

====Marked for Death====
Some past deed, misdeed, or association of yours has earned you the enmity of a powerful faction or individual, and you have become aware that their agents now stalk you with murderous intent. Constantly looking over your shoulder, wary of an assassin's knife aimed at your back, you may have come to Korvosa in the hopes of finding safety in obscurity amidst the city's masses, on in search of potential allies – or it may be that whatever person or power has put a price on your head is based in Korvosa, and you are determined to take the fight to your malefactor. You gain a +1 trait bonus to Perception checks while in urban areas (cities and settlements, ''not'' ruins) and a +1 trait bonus to Sense Motive checks, and one of these skills (your choice) is always a class skill for you. Should you successfully thwart an attempt on your life, you may choose to exchange the benefits of this trait for a renewed sense of confidence and security that grants you a +1 trait bonus to Will saving throws.

''What faction, organisation, or person has marked you for death? What did you do to earn their ire? Have there been any attempts on your life made thus far, and if so, what did your survival cost you? How much of this is known to other PCs?''

====Pathfinder Associate====
The Pathfinder Society has long sought to establish a lodge in Korvosa, but the city's monarchs, all too aware of the Society's low standing in post-revolutionary Cheliax, have consistently frustrated those efforts in an attempt to curry favour with House Thrune. This doesn't mean that the city is closed to individual Pathfinders or even expeditions, as long as they operate inconspicuously; you are one such associate or friend of the Pathfinder Society, drawn to Korvosa by its status as the gateway to Varisia from the south and its location atop the ruins of some of the most interesting sites from Varisia's pre-colonial period – or perhaps you are motivated simply by the desire to thumb your nose at the lords of “Little Cheliax.” While you are not acknowledged as a fully-fledged Pathfinder, your presence and investigations in Korvosa have the tacit approval of Venture-Captain Sheila Heidmarch of the Society's nearest lodge, in the city of Magnimar – as long as your actions don't bring the Society into ill repute. You begin play with a ''wayfinder'' (''ISWG'' p. 299) and can speak and read Thassilonian. In addition, choose one of the following skills: Knowledge (geography, history, or local), Linguistics, or Survival. You gain a +1 trait bonus on checks made with this skill, and it is always a class skill for you.

''Are you a local Varisian or Shoanti, or are you a foreigner to Varisia? How close is your relationship with Venture-Captain Heidmarch? What is your history with the Pathfinder Society, and how do you see your future within the Society?''

====Relic Seeker====
The influx of colonists, explorers, and adventurers into Varisia has included no shortage of thieves, scoundrels, and grave robbers intent on plundering the region's native peoples and their heritage. Heirlooms, relics, and burial goods of all sorts all too often find their way to the markets of colonial cities like Korvosa and Magnimar to be peddled as curiosities for a handful of coins, and you have come to Korvosa in search of one such relic that was looted from a Shoanti burial site by unscrupulous outlanders. You may be a Shoanti yourself, or a trusted non-Shoanti acting as an agent or middleman – most likely either a Varisian merchant or dwarf from Janderhoff. Whatever your background, you possess – or have been forced to acquire – the skills necessary to navigate the cities and markets of the colonial powers in search of the stolen relic you seek. You gain a +1 trait bonus to Appraise checks and to checks using your choice of one of the following skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, or Sense Motive. One of these two skills (your choice) is always a class skill for you.

''Are you a Shoanti, or an ally of some other heritage? If you are a Shoanti, from which'' quah ''do you hail? What is the relic that you are searching for? What hardships have you faced and overcome in the course of your quest?''

====Stricken Survivor====
Your adventuring career has been marked by tragedy, and you are the sole survivor of a terrible mishap, doomed endeavour, or confrontation with a fearsome monster or implacable foe. The loss of your party and the narrow margin of your own survival have left you scarred, emotionally if not physically; you may be motivated mostly by survivor's guilt, or by a desire to put things right as best you can, or even by a thirst for revenge upon those responsible for the tragedy that claimed the lives of your allies. In spite of this trauma, you have refused to abandon your adventuring career, and have even gone so far as to surround yourself with new allies and to forge anew the bonds of friendship and trust, aware as you are that those bonds can be so swiftly and cruelly severed. You are constantly wary, and quick to react to danger, determined to avoid a repetition of the disaster that befell you and your now-departed companions. You gain a +2 trait bonus on Initiative checks.

''What happened to your former allies? Did you do your utmost to save them, or did you abandon them to save yourself? Was there anything you could have done differently, with the benefit of hindsight, to change that outcome?''

[[Category:Pathfinder]]
[[Category:Shadows_of_Thassilon]]

Sandpoint in Shadows of Thassilon

2019-11-26T01:20:12Z

Gavin: /* 4718 AR */

The town of Sandpoint serves as a focus for the early chapters of ''Rise of the Runelords'' and can provide a base of operations for characters throughout the ''[[Shadows of Thassilon]]'' campaign.

==History==
Sandpoint is a new and young town, founded in 4666 AR, just over fifty years ago, though the land upon which it was built has been a gathering place for Varisian wanderers for centuries. The town owes its origins to Magnimar's ever-expanding population and growing dissatisfaction with Korvosa; large cities have large appetites, and rather than depend on support from Korvosa, the merchant families that would go on to form the Sandpoint Mercantile League instead set out to found a new town, beyond the borders of the swampy and inhospitable Mushfens, that could help to support Magnimar and its growing needs.

Despite a rocky start, marred by conflict between the Magnimarian colonists of the League and the local Varisians who held the site sacred, Sandpoint quickly flourished, and today is home to over a thousand people. The town's recent history is marred by what locals refer to as “the Late Unpleasantness,” a string of gruesome murders that occurred in 4712 AR, shortly followed by the destruction of Sandpoint's previous chapel in a fire. It is hoped that the consecration of Sandpoint Cathedral, built on the site of the ruined chapel, will mark an end to this sorry chapter in the town's history and the start of better and brighter things for the Light of the Lost Coast.

==Geography==
Sandpoint is located on the Lost Coast to the north of Magnimar, a distance of fifty-four miles by road – two days on foot, or one day or horseback, if travellers are willing to push themselves hard. Here, the Turandarok River empties into th Varisian Gulf, forming a natural harbour and the perfect spot for a small town. Good farmland lies a little way inland, separated from Sandpoint proper by limestone escarpments and small but dense thickets of forest.

The most notable local landmark is the Old Light, a towering pile of stone that bears the weathered but unmistakeable marks of Thassilonian runes. Quite what this ancient monument might have been before it time and calamity tumbled it into ruin, none can quite say – it draws its name from the popular theory that, given its scale and its location, it may originally have been a lighthouse. The Old Light has drawn its share of curious sages and greedy adventurers over the years, since Sandpoint's founding and before, but none have ever established that there are any chambers within or beneath the ruin.

==Society==
Sandpoint is dominated by the four families of the Sandpoint Mercantile League, each of whom exercises control over a certain aspect of the town's commerce and industry – the Deverins (farming and brewing), the Kaijitsus (glassmaking), the Scarnettis (logging), and the Valdemars (shipbuilding). Traditionally, of the four families, the Deverins have played the most prominent role in local politics; it was Almah Deverin who brokered the agreements that brought peace between the local Varisians and the Magnimarian settlers in the town's crucial early years, and Sandpoint's current mayor is Kendra Deverin. The town is more cosmopolitan than might be expected for a settlement of its size, and its shipbuilding and glassmaking industries in particular draw in skilled workers from as far afield as Korvosa and Riddleport.

==Faith==
Sandpoint is a tolerant town where matters of faith are concerned. The original chapel consisted of a series of six interconnected shrines, and the new cathedral has carried on this tradition, rebuilt on a more grand scale. Of the six deities worshipped in Sandpoint, Desna is the favoured goddess of the local Varisians, while Erastil is the most popular god among settlers from Magnimar; each of the other four deities – Abadar, Gozreh, Sarenrae, and Shelyn – was held in particular regard by one of the four families of the Sandpoint Mercantile League.

Beyond the six shrines that make up the cathedral, Sandpoint is also home to the House of Blue Stones – not strictly a temple, this training hall and library was founded by a wandering monk and worshipper of Irori. Sandpoint is generally tolerant of any faith outside of the wicked and malign – followers of evil gods should keep their faith hidden when dealing with these honest and hardy frontier folk.

==Events==
A chronicle of events taking place in or around Sandpoint over the course of the campaign.

===4718 AR===
'''Rova 23rd:''' The year's Swallowtail Festival is an especially grand affair to mark the consecration of the new cathedral. However, the consecration is interrupted by a raid on Sandpoint by goblins!

'''Rova 26th-27th:''' Lonjiku Kaijitsu is murdered and his daughter Ameiko is kidnapped; all indications are that goblins, led by the half-elf Tsuto Kaijitsu, are responsible for both crimes.

'''Rova 29th:''' Ameiko Kaijitsu is rescued from the goblin lair of Thistletop, and Tsuto Kaijitsu and an accomplice are taken into custody.

'''Lamashan 2nd-3rd:''' Arson and a jailbreak reveal the mastermind behind Sandpoint's recent troubles to be none other than the aasimar Nualia Tobyn, the adopted daughter of the town's former high priest, thought to have perished in the conflagration of the Sandpoint chapel years before.

'''Lamashan 10th-12th:''' The 'Skinsaw Murders' take place: a trio of local troublemakers are found slain in a barn south of Sandpoint, and later, sawmill worker Banny Harker and his lover Katrine Vinder are gruesomely murdered at the Sandpoint lumber mill.

'''Lamashan 14th:''' Local nobleman Aldern Foxglove is exposed as the 'Skinsaw Man,' responsible for the recent murders. He and his ghoulish minions at the nearby Hambley farm are eradicated.

'''Neth 17th:''' Investigating a monster that has been killing livestock, local heroes find and slay the black dragon Black Fang beneath Grimtooth Tor.

==Personalities==
A list of significant NPCs in and around Sandpoint.

===Mayor Kendra Deverin===
Kendra Deverin was elected to the position of mayor in 4712 AR, seeing off her rival Titus Scarnetti in a landslide victory. The Deverins have always been a popular family in Sandpoint, but Kendra is not content to simply trade on her family's good name and reputation, and has deftly directed the town's recovery from the Late Unpleasantness and the loss of its chapel; indeed, the rebuilding of the burned Sandpoint chapel as the grand Sandpoint Cathedral is one of Kendra's boldest and most significant initiatives.

===Sheriff Belor Hemlock===
Sandpoint's human population is fairly evenly divided between Varisians and Magnimarians of Chelaxian colonist stock, but a small number of Shoanti also make the town their home. Among those Shoanti is Belor Hemlock, Sandpoint's sheriff since the gruesome death of his predecessor, Casp Avertin, in the Late Unpleasantness of 4712 AR. Hemlock played a central role in bringing the Late Unpleasantness to an end, and was elected to the position of sheriff largely on the strength of his efforts during that troubled time, but he has subsequently proven himself to be a capable keeper of the peace and enforcer of the law, though recent events have certainly tested his abilities and strained his resources.

===Father Abstalar Zantus===
Abstalar Zantus was little more than an acolyte when Sandpoint's previous chapel burned to the ground (a tragedy that also claimed the life of Ezakien Tobyn, the town's high priest at the time), but in the intervening years, the modest Desnan cleric has risen to the status of the town's most senior priest, and now leads the congregation at the Sandpoint Cathedral. Father Zantus is well-liked for his humble, even-handed manner and his open-minded nature in matters of faith, acting as an advisor and mediator to worshippers of other gods in Sandpoint.

===Ameiko Kaijitsu===
Ameiko Kaijitsu is the proprietor of the Rusty Dragon, Sandpoint's oldest inn and one of its more popular taverns. Ameiko chose not to follow her father Lonjiku into the glassworking trade, instead embarking on a short but profitable career as an adventurer before returning to Sandpoint and buying the Rusty Dragon. These career choices scandalised the straight-laced Lonjiku Kaijitsu and opened a rift between Ameiko and her family, one that had not begun to heal before Lonjiku's murder at the hands of his son (and Ameiko's half-brother) Tsuto. Ameiko has weathered the tragedies of recent months as well as might be expected, and the Rusty Dragon remains as popular as ever.

===Shalelu Andosana===
The elf ranger Shalelu Andosana has occasionally been called "an unofficial member of Sandpoint's town guard," passing through town once or twice a season to pick up supplies and deliver news and reports from the hinterlands. It was Shalelu who brought Mayor Deverin and Sheriff Hemlock troubling reports of the local goblin tribes setting aside their typical squabbles and uniting behind Warchief Ripnugget of the Thistletop tribe. Shalelu also discovered that a black dragon, Black Fang, was preying on local livestock, but the dragon proved to be more than she could handle by herself.

Recently, Shalelu has chosen to leave Sandpoint behind for a spell, accompanying the heroes who defended the town from goblins, ghouls, and Black Fang on their latest adventure to the frontier village of Turtleback Ferry.

[[Category:Pathfinder]]
[[Category:Shadows_of_Thassilon]]

Shadows of Thassilon Handouts

2019-11-24T17:24:10Z

Gavin:

A repository for notes, letters, journals, and other documents presented to the PCs as handouts during the course of ''[[Shadows of Thassilon]]''.

==Chapter 1: Burnt Offerings==
===Handout 1-1: Tsuto's Note to Ameiko===
This note was given to the PCs by Bethana Corwin, a maid at the Rusty Dragon, on Rova 27th (Session 4, 28/07/2018).

''(The original note is written in a language that Bethana identifies to you as Minkaian; her translation, written on the reverse, is provided below.)''

Hello, sis!

I hope this letter finds you well, and with some free time on your hands, because we've got something of a problem. It's to do with Father. Seems that he might have had something to do with Sandpoint's recent troubles with the goblins, and I didn't want to bring the matter to the authorities because we both know he'd just weasel his way out of it. You've got some pull here in town, though. If you can meet me at the Glassworks at midnight tonight, maybe we can figure out how to make sure he faces the punishment he deserves. Knock twice and then three times more and then once more at the delivery entrance and I'll let you in.

In any case, I don't have to impress upon you the delicate nature of this request. If news got out, you know these local rubes would assume that you and I were in on the whole thing too, don't you? They've got no honour at all around these parts. I still don't understand how you can stand to stay here.

Anyway, don't tell anyone about this. There are other complications as well, ones I'd rather talk to you in person about tonight. Don't be late.

Tsuto

===Handout 1-3: Journal of Lonjiku Kaijitsu===
This journal was discovered during a search of Kaijitsu Manor on Rova 27th (Session 5, 11/08/2018).

''(Recent entries from the private journal of Lonjiku Kaijitsu, translated from Minkaian.)''

'''Entry dated Rova 22nd,''' the day before the Swallowtail Festival:

By all the Gods, I should have had that bastard smothered in his crib, and damn his mother's wailing! He comes here with his insinuations and his threats – what does he know? ''How'' does he know? Does he live for any purpose other than to bedevil me?

I don't know what game he's playing at, but what he demands of me seems harmless enough. He'd best make good on his promises to slink back into the shadows after all of this is done – if he knows half as much as he claims to, then surely he is aware of just how precarious his position is, should push come to shove...

'''Entry dated Rova 24th:'''

"A few simple requests," he said to me – oh, if I had known where this was going to lead! Goblins, of all things! What is the boy mixed up in? What has the boy gone and got ''me'' mixed up in?

Should the truth come out, I don't trust anyone in this ignorant pit to listen to reason. For safety's sake I ''must'' return to Magnimar before Tsuto's scheming comes to light. I can only hope that Ameiko will listen to reason.

'''Entry dated Rova 26th,''' the day before your visit to the Glassworks:

Unbelievable! My fool of a daughter won't abandon that damn flophouse, and now that thrice-accursed bastard boy dares to threaten me again – to expose the part he forced me to play in ''his'' scheme! I will not stand for it. Death will silence his lying tongue more surely than the gold he demands of me.

===Handout 1-2: Tsuto's Journal===
This journal was discovered in Tsuto's chamber at Thistletop on Rova 29th (Session 6, 25/08/2018).

''(This small, leather-bound booklet contains two dozen pages, many of which are filled with annotated maps of Sandpoint, scribbled notes, and sketches of a nude woman. Three passages in the latter pages of the journal are of particular interest.)''

'''First passage,''' accompanied by a map of sandpoint:

The raid went about as planned. Few Thistletop goblins perished, and we were able to secure Tobyn's casket with ease while the rubes were distracted with the rest. I can't wait until the real raid. This town deserves a burning, that's for sure.

'''Second passage,''' accompanied by a sketch of a woman's profile:

Ripnugget seems to favour the overwhelming land approach, but I don't think it's the best plan. We should get the quasit's aid. Send her freaks up from below via the smuggling tunnel in my father's Glassworks, and then invade from the river and from the Glassworks in smaller but more focused strikes. The rest except Bruthazmus agree, and I'm pretty sure the bugbear's just being contrary to annoy me. My love's too distracted with the lower chambers to make a decision. Says that once Malfeshnekor's released and under her command, we won't need to worry about being subtle. I hope she's right.

'''Third passage,''' accompanied by a sketch of the same woman, with horns, bat-like wings, and a forked tail:
My love seems bent on going through with it – nothing I can say convinces her of her beauty. She remains obsessed with removing what she calls her “celestial taint,” and replacing it with her Mother's grace. Burning her father's remains at the Thistletop shrine seems to have started the transformation, but I can't say her new hand is pleasing to me. Hopefully when we offer Sandpoint to Lamashtu's fires, her new body won't be as hideous. Maybe I'll luck out. Succubi are demons too, aren't they?

===Handout 1-4: Nualia's Journals===
These notes were recovered from the Catacombs of Wrath beneath Sandpoint on Lamashan 3rd (Session 10, 20/10/2018).

''(This collection of diaries, journals, and notes describes the life of Nualia Tobyn.)''

'''In her earliest journals,''' Nualia recounts the story of a lonely childhood. She was a foundling, raised by Ezakien Tobyn, a priest of Desna and Sandpoint's previous religious leader. Her silver hair and violet eyes marked her as an aasimar, though she did not view her celestial heritage as a blessing; on the contrary, her unearthly beauty inspired jealousy in other children, and she was frequently the target of cruel jokes. The adults of Sandpoint were little better; many of the superstitious Varisians viewed Nualia as blessed by Desna, and folklore and rumours that her touch or presence could cure warts or rashes, that locks of her hair brewed into tea could cure ailments, or that her voice could drive out evil spirits, led to a succession of awkward encounters and humiliating requests over the years. Her adoptive father seemed oblivious to this, concerning himself more with preparing her for entry into a prestigious convent.

'''The middle portions of Nualia's writings''' concern her romance with a Varisian youth named Delek Viskanta. While Nualia's infatuation is quite sincere, as you read between the lines it becomes apparent to you that Delek's courtship was anything but; you have a sense that the youth was preying on Nualia's loneliness and relative innocence. When their trysts eventually led to a predictable result, Delek denounced Nualia as a harlot and fled Sandpoint for parts unknown; Nualia revealed her pregnancy to her adoptive father (from whom she had kept the affair a secret) but received little sympathy. Instead, she was forbidden from leaving the church, subjected to nightly lectures about her “fall from grace,” and made to pray to Desna for forgiveness of her “transgression.” Nualia writes angrily of these betrayals, first by the man she loved and then by the man who raised her.

'''There is a gap in Nualia's journals''' that corresponds to a period of roughly two months before the fire of 4712, which claimed her father's life and supposedly her own as well. Her subsequent writings are disjointed and sporadic; she reflects on setting the fire in which her father perished, and refers to brief glimpses of her child, stillborn and monstrously deformed. She fled Sandpoint, leaving the townsfolk to assume she had perished along with her father, and eventually made her way to Magnimar, where she fell in with a group she refers to as the “Skinsaw Cult.” It was during this time that she renounced the worship of Desna and instead committed herself to Lamashtu, the Mother of Monsters.

'''Toward the end of her writings,''' several passages amidst Nualia's notes refer to her return to Sandpoint and her current plans:

...should have much to be thankful for, but the satisfaction of Delek's death was fleeting, and in its wake, I feel hollow. The mistress of the Skinsaw Cult seems to understand this, somehow. She has gifted unto me a trinket she called a ''Sihedron medallion;'' “Your dreams,” she has said to me, “are a map to your destiny.” Curious. Last night, and the night before, I dreamt of Delek, of our meetings in secret places. The old tunnels...

...demonstrated how these “sinspawn” might be conjured from the frigid waters of the ''runewell'' with a gift of life's blood. The creature obeys her commands, after a fashion - because she gave her blood to fuel its birth? Or simply because she speaks Thassilonian? The act seems to have diminished the ''runewell,'' and Erylium is loath to demonstrate its powers further; should its energies be exhausted, she isn't sure how - or ''if'' - it might be rekindled.

...something new in the Mother's whispers. A great beast, caged and chained, locked away beneath the earth. And a name - ''“Malfeshnekor.”'' One of Lamashtu's servants? She would not have shown me this without purpose. Erylium will help me divine the meaning of this. Her tutelage...

...seems as though the ''runewell'' has replenished its energies somewhat following the raid. Still, Erylium counsels caution in its use; a few dozen dead goblins do not amount to a bottomless font of power. Once the town has been razed and wrathful souls by the hundreds have infused the ''runewell,'' then can we begin to tap its potential. We are close, despite this latest setback, and I won't jeopardise all that we have worked for by squandering our greatest asset in haste. Sandpoint will be the burnt offering to Lamashtu that fuels the cleansing of my celestial stain...

==Chapter 2: The Skinsaw Murders==
===Handout 2-1E: Lumber Mill Note===
This note was found at the murder site in the Sandpoint Lumber Mill, pinned to Banny Harker's body by a splinter of wood.

''(The name "Ragnar" is written on the outside of this bloodied scrap of folded parchment.)''

We have spoken of this before, my master. Now it begins. Join the Pack and it will end.

Your Lordship

===Handout 2-2: Bradley's Barn Note===
This note was found on one of the bodies of the three men murdered at Bradley's Barn on Cougar Creek, south of Sandpoint.

''(This bloodied scrap of parchment was found on a mutilated body.)''

Messers. Mortwell, Hask, and Tabe -

A deal has come about that I need capital for. It involves property and gold, and though I am not at liberty to tell you the exact details, it will make us all rich. Come to Bradley's Barn on Cougar Creek tonight. We can meet there to discuss our futures.

Your Lordship

===Local Knowledge: Foxglove Manor===
This is what the party knows or has learned about Foxglove Manor, so far.

Foxglove Manor is over 80 years old, and has been the seat of the Foxglove family the whole time. Some sort of tragedy struck the family a few decades ago, and no one's lived there since. Common rumour holds that the place is haunted.

Foxglove Manor is known as the "Misgivings" by some locals, particularly by Varisians. It certainly has a bad reputation – sightings of strange lights in the attic windows, muffled sounds of screaming from above and below, and even rumours of a huge bat-winged devil living in the caves below the manor are but a few of the tales told about the place. The Foxglove family lived there as recently as 2 decades ago, but then a fire burned down the servants' building, Cyralie Foxglove was found dead – burnt and dashed on the rocks below the cliffs behind the house – and Traver Foxglove was found in his bedroom, dead by his own hand. The children, including young Aldern Foxglove, were sent away to be raised in Korvosa by distant relations.

Aldern Foxglove recently returned to live in the manor, but he had a hell of a time hiring locals to aid him in the reconstruction and repair of the old building. Until Aldern moved back in, the place was cared for by a man named Rogors Craesby (a retired innkeeper who lost an ear in a bar fight many years ago) who came in 3 days a week from Sandpoint to air the place out, check for squatters, and make minor repairs.

===Handout 2-5: Xanesha's Letter to Aldern===
This note was recovered from Aldern Foxglove's lair at the bottom of the caverns beneath Foxglove Manor.

''(A letter written on fine-quality parchment in a graceful hand, now marred with bloody smears and grubby marks.)''

Aldern,

You have served us quite well. The delivery you harvested from the caverns far exceeds what I had hoped for. You may consider your debt to the Brothers paid in full. Yet I still have need of you, and when you awaken from your death, you should find your mind clear and able to understand this task more than in the state you lie in as I write this.

You shall remember the workings of the Sihedron ritual, I trust. You seemed quite lucid at the time, but if you find after your rebirth that you have forgotten, return to your townhouse in Magnimar. My agents shall contact you there soon – no need for you to bother the Brothers further. I will provide the list of proper victims for the Sihedron ritual in two days' time. Commit that list to memory and then destroy it before you begin your work. The ones I have selected must be marked before they die; otherwise, they do my master no good, and the greed in their souls will go to waste.

If others get in your way, though, you may do with them as you please. Eat them, savage them, or turn them into pawns – it matters not to me.

Xanesha, Mistress of the Seven

''(Above the signature is the now-familiar seven-pointed Sihedron rune.)''

===Handout 2-3E: Hambley Farmhouse Note===
This note was found on the body of farmer Crade Hambley, whose farm had been overrun by ghouls. Hamblet's body had been marked with the Sihedron rune.

''(A bloody scrap of parchment, found pinned to the tunic of the decomposing body in the farmhouse.)''

Ragnar,

I fear you. I hate you. You must fear and hate me as well. You may unmask me, so I must unmask you first.

Your Lordship

===Handout 2-6: Deed to Foxglove Manor===
This document was found in a secure cache on the top floor of Aldern Foxglove's Magnimar townhouse.

''(A legal document, scribed in a careful but somewhat archaic hand.)''

Know all men and women present and future that we, the members of the Brothers of the Seven, upon this day the 6th Abadius in the year of 4624, Absalom Reckoning, hereby concede and by this deed confirm upon '''Vorel Foxglove''' provisional ownership of the holding to be known here and henceforth as '''Foxglove Manor,''' located north of Magnimar on the Lost Coast Road due west of Bleaklow Moor upon the promontory, for so long as he, Vorel Foxglove, shall live, or so long as his direct descendants shall live, to a period not to exceed one hundred years.

'''Construction of Foxglove Manor, having been financed partially on the holdings and coin of Vorel Foxglove to the amount of six and sixty percent, and partially upon the coffers of the Brothers of the Seven to the amount of the remiander, four and thirty percent, backed by collateral in the form of the Seven's Sawmill,''' located itself upon Kyver's Islet of Magnimar, shall ensure only the physical and initial construction of the aforementioned manor, with any subsequent repair and maintenance to be the sole responsibility of Vorel Foxglove or his descendants for the aforementioned period of one hundred years. Upon the passing of this time, on the date of 6th Abadius of 4724, Absalom Reckoning, ownership of Foxglove Manor, to include all lands within a mile around and below, immediately and forevermore reverts to the Brothers of the Seven, with the employment of the manor, its grounds, and all improvements placed upon it by any prior inhabitants to be subject to the Brotherhood's discretion.

And so that our gift, concession, warranty, acquittance, and defence have the best perpetual strength and security, we have affixed Magnimar's seal to the present charter, which shall serve in lieu of signatures, the names of the Brotherhood to remain apart from this or any other document.

''(Magnimar's seal depicts an angel soaring above the arch of abridge, encircled by the words "Where Freedom Can Never Be Lost," and "Magnimar – Founded 4608 AR.")''

===Handout 2-8: Ironbriar's Journal===
This journal, found at the Seven's Sawmill in Magnimar, belonged to the master of the Skinsaw cult, revealed to be Ilthrain Ironbriar, a member of the Justice Court of Magnimar.

''(A slim volume written in a unique cipher that combines Draconic, Elven, and Infernal characters.)''

This book seems to serve as both a ledger for the sawmill's operations and a journal for its owner or manager. The details of mundane business transactions sit side-by-side with accounts of stalking and murder in a chillingly matter-of-fact way. It is clear that the journal's writer has been directing the activities of a group of murderous cultists for years, and has been using his position as a Justice in Magnimar's legal system to suppress knowledge of the cult's activities and confound any attempt by the city's authorities to investigate the killings or assemble a clear picture of serial, ritual murder.

Interspersed with normal ledger and journal entries over the past year are references to “Lovely Xanesha,” with whom the writer appears quite smitten; she has stolen his heart, he writes, and provided him with a new method of murder. Although the precise details of this new method are not laid out anywhere in the journal, there are enough references to ritualistic killings and the carving of a specific mark into the flesh of a still-living victim for you to draw parallels between these murders and those you investigated in and around sandpoint. “Lovely Xanesha,” as well as instructing the journal's writer in this method of murder, has also been providing him with the names of specific victims to be killed in this way.

The journal is maddeningly imprecise about “Lovely Xanesha,” effusive with admiration and florid declarations of affection, but there are several references within the text to meetings with Xanesha at a place in Underbridge called the Shadow Clock. It was during these trysts that Xanesha would provide to him the names of additional victims.

===Handout 2-7: Letter to Xanesha===
This letter was found crumpled and discarded in the lair of the lamia matriarch Xanesha.

''(A crumpled wad of parchment bearing a letter written in an elegant hand.)''

My sister,

I trust your little band of murderers is doing well, gathering the souls of the greedy for our Lord's rise? Has Magnimar proven to be as sinful as you had hoped? It may interest you to know that my plan to nurture greed here in this backwater has blossomed – the quality of greed in a soul is ''so'' much more refined when it is given the proper care. Are you still simply carving the Sihedron on them as they expire? How crude! My method of marking is ''so'' much more elegant.

In any even, I'm sure that your plans for harvesting greed where and when you can find it “in the wild” are progressing well enough – I just hope that your raw, ungroomed, and likely inferior victims don't interact poorly when mixed with the purity of my own subjects. If you tire of your little project there, know that you're always welcome to come to Turtleback Ferry and serve as my assistant, little sister! Fort Rannick should be in our control by the time you receive this letter, in any event, so there'll be plenty of room for you if you wish to take me up on my generous offer.

Oh! Before I forget! Have you managed to harvest that Lord-Mayor yet? By all accounts, he might just be the cream of the crop in Magnimar – his soul might even rival several from my hand-grown harvest!

''(The letter is unsigned, but concludes with the seven-pointed Sihedron rune.)''

==Chapter 3: The Hook Mountain Massacre==
===Handout 3-2: Missive to Barl Breakbones===
This message was found within Barl Breakbones' treasure hoard, in the throne room of the Hook Mountain clanhold.

''(A missive written on mammoth hide in the language of the giants.)''

Barl –

Latest contact with Teraktinus indicates he has narrowed the search – he believes a human town called Sandpoint could hide what my Lord seeks. Teraktinus will lead several of the People, as well as the dragon, on a raid into the town soon. When they return, they may be pursued, and I may need your ogre slaves to aid Teraktinus in his retreat to Jorgenfist. Be ready to return at my command!

<div align="right">'''M'''</div>

[[Category:Pathfinder]]
[[Category:Shadows_of_Thassilon]]

Shadows of Thassilon House Rules

2019-05-31T17:10:23Z

Gavin: /* Nature of the target */

House rules and policies for the ''[[Shadows of Thassilon]]'' campaign. More to be added as necessary and discussed.

==Absent Player, Absent Character==
If you can't make it to a session, that's not a problem; I'll do my best to keep the Events Calendar up-to-date and make it easy for players to indicate planned attendance or absence. If you can't make it to a session, your character, as far as is possible, takes no part in the action of that session. They're doing other things – “watching the horses,” or “guarding the camp,” for example – or they're following along in the background, such that they're in the same place as the rest of the party at the session's end, ready to join in with the action at the start of the next session. Access to the skills, abilities, and resources of absent characters is limited – this is something to discuss on a case-by-case basis.

==Character Choices and Change==
A lot of character classes have features or abilities that grant the player some degree of choice, accompanied by the wording, “once this decision is made, it cannot be changed.” I'd like to be a bit more flexible than that; in general, I would suggest that you can change such a decision, made when you gain a level, at any point before you gain your next level. This should happen at the start or end of a session, or between sessions; I'd prefer for changes of this nature not to be made in the middle of a session. Similarly, “I thought I would use this ability, but I haven't,” and “I misread the ability when I chose it and it doesn't work the way I thought,” are good reasons to make such changes, but I'd rather people not make such changes to their characters in response to information learned about dangers ahead, nor in preparation for a specific, anticipated encounter.

==Encumbrance==
I'm not going to ask that keep a running total of every pound of gear that you're carrying as you loot treasure, drink potions, and otherwise adjust your load. Try to figure out what load category your weapons, armour, and significantly heavy items put you in, and don't worry too much about the rest. If it sounds like you're carrying everything ''but/and'' the kitchen sink without magical aid, I may ask you to check whether you can actually carry that much when you're running from the next dragon.

==Experience Points==
''Rise of the Runelords'' uses the fast advancement track, and I'm using a homebrewed method to award experience to characters absent from a session. All PCs present at a session earn an equal share of all experience gained during that session; absent PCs earn experience as though every PC had been present at that session.

'''For Example:''' Let's say we have six players, and four PCs attend a session in which 3,600 XP are earned. Those PCs present at the session earn (3,600/4) 900 XP each; those PCs absent from the session earn (3,600/6) 600 XP each.

This is the best method I've been able to come up with to ensure PCs are adequately rewarded for the greater challenges of facing encounters with a smaller party, without either excessively penalising PCs who miss sessions through no fault of their own, or creating a situation where they stand to gain more experience through absence than attendance.

New characters entering play after the start of the campaign (for example, if a player leaves and another joins, or if a character is killed and ''raise dead'' is unavailable or undesirable) begin play with experience points as though the character had been active from the start of the campaign, but absent from every session.

==Quorum==
As in, “How many players do we need, for this game to happen?”

''Half of the PCs, rounding up, or three PCs, whichever is greater.''

I'd like to have five or six PCs for this campaign, so that up to two PCs can miss any given session and we can still have a group of three or four PCs to face the adventure's challenges. If we can't get three players for any given scheduled session, then we can call it off if sufficient notice is given, or those who can make it can peruse the Games Hub's selection of board games, but either way, ''Pathfinder'' will not be happening for two PCs.

==When Mistakes Happen==
That's ''when,'' and not ''if.''

''Pathfinder'' is a somewhat complicated system with a great many feats, spells, class features, and monster abilities, the interactions between which aren't always clear or intuitive. Part of its design is deliberately exception-based, with specific cases overriding general rules at certain crucial moments.

What this means is that ''mistakes will happen,'' on both sides of the GM's screen. Exceptions will be forgotten, interactions will be misunderstood, restrictions will be missed, and modifiers will be improperly applied. My policy when this happens, and when the mistake is only noticed later, is as follows:

'''GM makes a mistake, to a PC's advantage:''' I screwed up, and because of this, you did something you shouldn't have been able to do, or succeeded at something you should have failed up. ''No big deal.'' I'll do my best to close that loophole, play closer attention to that part of the rules, or otherwise avoid making the same mistake again.

'''GM makes a mistake, to a PC's disadvantage:''' I screwed up, and because of this, you suffered something that you shouldn't have, or failed at something you should have succeeded at. I'll do my best to avoid making the same mistake again. If the consequences you suffered due to my mistake were serious ones, I'll also see what I can to do remedy the situation. ''For example,'' if your character is killed by an attack of opportunity that (we later realise) should not have been provoked, and the party recovered your character's body, the minimally invasive solution is simply to rule that the character was simply knocked unconscious rather than killed.

'''PC makes a mistake, to a PC's advantage:''' You made a mistake, and because of that, you did something you shouldn't have been able to do, or succeeded at something you should have failed at. Again, ''no big deal.'' I'll ask that you try to avoid having the same mistake occur again. That's all.

'''PC makes a mistake, to a PC's disadvantage:''' You made a mistake, and because of that, you suffered something that you shouldn't have, or failed at something you should have succeeded at. I'll ask that you try to avoid having the same mistake occur again, and if the mistake has serious consequences, I'll see if it's possible to remedy or mitigate them.

==Grab Attacks==
The Grab (Ex) special attack works as described in the ''Bestiary'' (p. 301), with the following exceptions, which apply primarily to creatures with multiple Grab attacks:
* The Grab property of an attack ''cannot'' be used against a target which the attacking creature is already grappling; in this case, the attacking creature does ''not'' attempt to start a grapple as a free action, nor do any additional special attacks trigger which depend upon a successful grapple check, such as Constrict (''Bestiary'' p. 298-299).
* The Grab property of an attack ''can'' be used as normal against a target which the attacking creature is ''not'' grappling, even if the attacking is already grappling another creature, or has made a successful Grab attack against another creature in the same turn.
* The attacking creature ''may'' choose to release the grapple as a free action as normal, but doing so ends the sequence of attacks; it may not make additional attacks during its turn. The creature may ''not'', for example, Grab and Constrict a creature with one attack, release the grapple, then Grab and Constrict the same creature with a second attack.
There is something of a gap in the existing rules as far as concerns creatures with multiple Grab attacks or which are otherwise able to grapple multiple opponents in a single turn: ''maintaining'' a grapple requires a standard action, and while there are feats which allow grapple checks to be made using other action types (Greater Grapple enables this as a move action; Rapid Grappler, from ''Ultimate Combat'', offers a grapple check as a swift action) these feel like they're written to address the needs of a PC or other humanoid grapplers. In the rules as written, there doesn't appear to be any way to maintain multiple grapples as part of a full attack action or other full-round action; a kraken, for example, can Grab up to ten targets using a full attack action, but can maintain only one of those grapples on its next turn, and must forgo its many other possible attacks to do so. I'd like to offer a way for creatures with multiple Grab attacks to maintain those multiple grapples.

Please note that this section of the house rules differentiates between ''grappling'' a creature (a "standard" or "full-body" grapple) and merely ''holding'' a creature as outlined under the Grab rules. An attacker that attempts to ''hold'' the target creature (using the body part associated with the natural weapon with the Grab property) takes a -20 penalty on its combat manoeuvre check to establish and maintain the grapple, but does not gain the grappled condition itself.
* A creature which begins its turn holding one or more opponents through the use of natural weapons with the Grab ability can, as part of a full-attack action, make grapple attempts against each of the creatures it is holding. The natural weapons originally used to Grab and hold those creatures are engaged in maintaining the holds and cannot be used to perform other attacks as part of the full-attack action. These attempts to maintain the grapples against held creatures are made at a -20 penalty to the attacker's CMB, and if successful, each deals the damage indicated for the attack that established the hold, as described under the Grab universal monster rule. Natural weapons not engaged in maintaining the holds can be used to attack held creatures or other opponents as the attacker wishes. A creature that possesses the ability to grapple opponents without gaining the grappled condition itself, such as a kraken's Tenacious Grapple extraordinary ability, does not take the -20 penalty to maintain a hold on creatures provided the limitations of its ability are otherwise adhered to.
This may be subject to revision in case of unforeseen consequences.

==Invisibility and Attacks==
The spell ''invisibility'' ends "if the subject attacks any creature," and CRB p. 208 notes: ''"All spells that opponents resist with saving throws, that deal damage, or that otherwise harm or hamper subjects are attacks."'' As a house rule, I feel that such spells and effects shouldn't be considered attacks if they are cast or created in such a way that no opponents are within their area of effect, ''even if'' opponents subsequently enter that area. For example, a ''web'' spell cast by an invisible wizard to fill a corridor and cut off a creature's escape route, without including that creature in its area of effect, would ''not'' be considered an attack, and it would not ''become'' an attack if the creature attempted to push its way through the webs. The spell does count as an attack if its area of effect moves or changes to subsequently include creatures either at the caster's direction (e.g. ''flaming sphere'') or as part of the spell's inherent behaviour (e.g. the slowly moving area of effect of a ''cloudkill'' spell), but not if a creature is forced into the area of effect by the actions of a third party (e.g. an awesome blow or bull rush combat manoeuvre performed by an ally of the invisible wizard).

==Magic Item Creation==
For avoidance of doubt, the circumstances of magic item creation ("the creator also needs a fairly quiet, comfortable, and well-lit place in which to work,") and the requirements for Taking 10 ("when your character is not in immediate danger or distracted, you may choose to take 10,") are entirely compatible; ''yes'', you can Take 10 on your Spellcraft or other Craft skill check to create a magic item.

I think it makes sense to treat the supplies/components for the crafting of a single magic item as a single purchase/item when it comes to "Can you get this here?" as determined by a settlement's base value. For example, Sandpoint has a base value of 1,300 gp; the base price of a ''+1 weapon'' enchantment is 2,000 gp, so the cost of supplies is 1,000 gp and thus the supplies needed to create a ''+1 weapon'' are available here. However, the base price of a ''+2 weapon'' enchantment is 8,000 gp, and with supplies thus costing 4,000 gp they're simply too expensive and exotic to be found in Sandpoint; you'd have to travel to a larger settlement to find them.

The other implication of this is that magic item supplies must be purchased and used for a specific project/item or for one of several broadly similar possible projects/items; this won't cause any trouble in a settlement, but there isn't any such thing as "generic all-purpose interchangeable crafting ingredients" that can be bought in a city and then carried out into the wilderness or a dungeon so that you can craft whatever you discover is needed while still out in the field. Assume that you don't have to roll the 75% "Is this available this week?" chance that you would for a magic item, since while supplies ''are'' project/item specific there are probably multiple viable “recipes” for each enchanted item allowing for some substitution of components.

''Pathfinder'' doesn't actually specify the nature or weight of magic item supplies; they're simply "supplies," and not "a hogshead of red dragon's blood, which will be used to repeatedly quench this masterwork breastplate following dozens of separate heatings over the three weeks it takes for me to enchant it as a ''+1 fire resistant breastplat''e." I choose to interpret this as an omission of convenience, since most PCs are going to be more interested in the results of magic item creation than the process and components, and there are better things for the ''CRB'' to spend its word and page count on than detailing crafting components that are probably going to be used in the same settlement where they're acquired. I don't think the lack of details of nature or weight is meant to imply that the "supplies" are some portable and fungible material like the ''residuum'' of ''D&D4E'', or the Strange Dust and Magic Essences of ''World of Warcraft''.

Some spot rules for specific cases:
* When adding new abilities or properties to an existing magic item, use the difference in price between the existing item and the desired item to determine the availability of the needed supplies; it costs more to add the ''frost'' property to a ''+1 longsword'' than to a ''+2 longsword'', and thus necessary components are rarer and less widely available.
* When considering the supplies needed for magic ammunition, use the cost of 50 units of ammunition when determining the availability of supplies, but you can buy supplies and craft ammunition in smaller batches if desired.
* When considering belt and headband slot items that improve the wearer's ability scores, these can be upgraded in the same way as a magic weapon or suit of armour, e.g. a ''belt of giant strength +2'' can be upgraded to a ''belt of giant strength +4''. They can also be improved “laterally,” e.g. a ''belt of giant strength +2'' can be upgraded into a ''belt of physical might +2'' that improves either Constitution or Dexterity in addition to Strength. However, the enhancement bonus to all ability scores improved by the item must be the same; it's not possible to create, for example, a ''belt of giant strength +4 and incredible dexterity +2''.
* A ''bag of holding'', ''necklace of fireballs'', or similar item of which multiple different "types" exist, has its type fixed upon creation and cannot subsequently be upgraded or altered.

==Spell Resistance and Saving Throws==
I couldn't quickly find a definitive ruling about the order of operations when a spell both grants a saving throw and is resisted by spell resistance. My inclination is to roll spell resistance ''first'', saving throws ''second''. This saves time in situations such as casting ''fireball'' on a group of spell resistant targets: rolling to overcome their spell resistance first, there is no need for those targets that resisted the spell to subsequently roll saving throws, whereas if the saving throws had been rolled first, every target would subsequently receive the protection of its spell resistance whether it had saved successfully or not. There are probably some edge cases where this has further implications, which will be adjudicated on a case-by-case basis (e.g. there's probably an argument to be made that if the primary target of a ''chain lightning'' spell is spell resistant, failure to overcome that creature's spell resistance prevents the lightning from arcing to additional targets).

Note that ''CRB'' p. 565 states: ''"Spell resistance does not apply if an effect fools the creature’s senses or reveals something about the creature."'' I feel this is a guideline that informs whether individual spells should be written to allow spell resistance or not, rather than something that overrules that. For example, ''scrying'' as written allows spell resistance, despite the fact that it ''"reveals something about the creature"'' the spell targets (indeed, arguably it does nothing but reveal things about the target creature). If the designers of ''Pathfinder'' had intended that spell resistance should not apply versus ''scrying'', they would have written the spell accordingly.

Note also that, while the ''Core Rulebook'' is silent on the subject, I intend to treat the failure to overcome a creature's spell resistance as equivalent to that creature having successfully saved against an effect, i.e. the creature feels "a hostile force or a tingle," and is aware that it was the target of an attempt to overcome its spell resistance.

==Some ''Scrying'' Clarifications (Second draft 19/05/2019)==
We have a wizard in the party who has chosen to specialise in the scryer focused arcane school, so it's probably worth taking a little time to clarify how ''scrying'' works and address some of the questions that might arise.

Unless you're scrying using a physical connection (see below), the ''scrying'' spell requires knowledge of your subject; you need to ''know'' and be able to define (via name, description, or other information) the individual subject of the spell, or it will fail. Actions, circumstances, status, or relationships are by themselves not enough information for ''scrying'' to succeed; the spell cannot "fill in the blanks," supply facts not in evidence, or solve or bypass unanswered questions about a creature's identity.

===Nature of the target===
First up, to examine the question of what ''scrying'' lets you see, or whether it works, depending on the target of the spell:

'''Living Creature:''' The spell targets the living creature that you name or define.

'''Dead Creature:''' There's a ''Dragon'' magazine column or article from the late ''D&D 3.5E'' era that suggests that ''scrying'' on a dead creature reveals its remains. This is from a previous edition and so I don't consider it authoritative or binding. As a house rule or clarification, if you cast ''scrying'' and attempt to target a dead creature, the spell simply fails. The failure of the spell may be informative in its own right, though other effects may also put a creature beyond the reach of ''scrying''.

'''Undead Creature:''' The spell targets the undead creature, even if you don't know when you cast the spell that the named or defined creature is undead.

'''False Creature:''' If you try to scry on a creature that doesn't exist, the spell simply fails. This may occur if the creature is or was illusionary, or if you're trying to scry based on or wildly inaccurate or incomplete information, or if you attempt to scry based on information that you ''know'' is false or fabricated; you can't cast ''scrying'' in the hopes that an imagined face and collection of personal information is, by chance, close enough to a creature that actually exists that the spell will "lock on" to that subject.

'''Living Creature vs. False Creature:''' The distinction between a living creature and a false creature can become blurred if careful measures have been taken to disguise a living creature or deceive any witnesses to its presence or actions. Although certain spells, items, and effects can block ''scrying'' outright, it may also be the case that magical or mundane disguises or illusions can prevent useful and accurate secondhand knowledge from being passed along; this isn't "deception can prevent scrying," this is "deception can prevent you from knowing who there is toscry on."

===Knowledge and familiarity===
Second, to examine the various degrees of knowledge and familiarity mentioned by the spell:

'''Secondhand Knowledge:''' There's an ''enormous'' gulf between "you have heard of the subject," and "you have met the subject," and a simlarly large gulf between "you have heard of the subject," and "you have secondhand knowledge of the subject." I want to err on the conservative side and say that your secondhand knowledge of the subject ''must'' be enough to identify or describe a unique creature or specific individual, or the spell will fail. This need not include a name! A description from an NPC who ''has'' met the subject, or a reference made by such an NPC, will generally suffice for the purposes of ''scrying''. Assume that this level of familiarity also applies to a creature that you ''have met'', but which has sufficiently disguised its true appearance or nature to the extent that you would not recognise it were you to meet it in another context.

'''Firsthand Knowledge:''' I think this level of familiarity requires that you have had some meaningful interaction with a creature and the opportunity to take note of its appearance; physical proximity and line of sight alone are not enough (I don't think you can claim this degree of familiarity and knowledge toward any of the hundreds or thousands of nameless NPCs from all walks of life who must surely have passed you in the streets of Magnimar during the weeks that you spent there, for example). Assume that you do have firsthand knowledge of any NPC with whom you've had a conversation or have been involved in a combat encounter, although an NPC determined to disguise their presence, appearance, or nature may reduce this to a level of familiarity equivalent to secondhand knowledge as noted above.

'''Close Familiarity:''' I think this encompasses friends, family members, and NPCs with whom you've interacted multiple times at some length. I feel it's unlikely that you'll ever achieve close familiarity with an enemy upon whom you might wish to scry as a hostile act; this seems most likely to apply when attempting to scry upon missing or kidnapped allies and the like.

===Connections===
Finally, to examine the various physical connections that can enhance the chances of the spell's success:

'''Likeness or Picture:''' In most cases, a likeness must be reasonably accurate in order to be useful. Paintings, statues, and other works of art will almost always qualify. Inaccurate likenesses may also qualify under certain circumstances; a voodoo doll will probably serve as a likeness for the purposes of ''scrying'', for example, but goblin graffiti left in the wake of a raid is unlikely to allow you to identify and scry on a goblin champion or chieftain. Trying to create a likeness from a description provided by a third party that knows the intended subject of your ''scrying'' is possible; if a question arises as to whether or not this is possible in a specific instance, I'll probably resolve this as an Intelligence check by the NPC supplying the information, with a DC based on how well they know the subject, and a PC's Craft (drawing) or similar skill serving to Aid Another on that check. (A good artist can create a better likeness than a poor artist, but both artists can only work with the information they're given.)

'''Possession or Garment:''' "Possession" in this case doesn't depend on legal concepts of ownership; if you can define a desired or intended connection between an item and a possible subject (e.g. “the person who used this dagger to murder the victim,”) then the item counts as a possession for the purposes of making that connection. Attempting to scry on “the person to whom this item belongs,” or similar definitions, may depend to some extent on who ''thinks'' the item belongs to them, who ''others'' might widely think the item belongs to, or who ''you'' think the items belongs to... but in most cases it's a question with a simple enough answer. Legal questions of rightful ownership are outside the domain of the ''scrying'' spell. An item that rapidly or regularly changes hands, or one that's owned or used by an organisation or institution rather than an individual, may not be usefully connected to any subjects for the purposes of ''scrying'', outside of those connections created or implied by circumstances.

To avoid endless permutations of "blind ''scrying''," once a spellcaster has established an item's connection to a given subject, that item can serve as a connection ''only'' to that subject for that spellcaster. Attempts to scry on dead or false creatures do not “waste” an item's potential for connection in this case.

'''Body Part:''' I'm going to say this excludes shed blood or expelled fluids or their residues (no scrying using trace saliva left in bite wounds, injected venom, or the corrosive blood vomited up by the Koruvus the three-armed mutant goblin, for example) although blood can of course be used as the target of a ''blood biography'' spell.

[[Category:Pathfinder]]
[[Category:Shadows_of_Thassilon]]

To Turtleback Ferry

2019-05-18T23:18:23Z

Gavin: Created page with "Having received instructions from Lord-Mayor Haldmeer Grobaras of Magnimar to travel to Turtleback Ferry and investigate the mysterious silence from Fort Rannick, and with an..."

Having received instructions from Lord-Mayor Haldmeer Grobaras of Magnimar to travel to Turtleback Ferry and investigate the mysterious silence from Fort Rannick, and with an ominous message from Xanesha's "sister" Lucrecia directing them to the same locations, the PCs of ''[[Shadows of Thassilon]]'' now face a journey halfway across Varisia to their next destination.

==The Yondabakari Route==
Traffic between Magnimar and Turtleback Ferry typically follows the Varisian ''Yondabakari Route'', one of the traditional caravan trails of the region's native wanderers, as far as Ilsurian; from there, a trail follows the eastern bank of the Skull River and the shore of Claybottom Lake north to Turtleback Ferry. The route can be broken down into segments as follows:
* Magnimar to Wartle, 184 miles;
* Wartle to Whistledown, 113 miles;
* Whistledown to Ilsurian, 64 miles;
* Ilsurian to Turtleback Ferry, 82 miles;
For a total distance of 443 miles. The roads and trails of this route closely follow Varisia's waterways, and there is no significant difference in length between the road and water routes.

===By Road===
Lone travellers, couriers, Varisian families, and those without significant cargo to transport generally make their way along the Yondabakari route by road, following the various roads and trails that run parallel to the Yondabakari and Skull rivers and the shores of Lake Syrantula and Claybottom Lake. The eastern part of the route, called the Dry Way, stands in contrast to the extensive swampland of the Mushfens south of the Yondabakari; this section runs from Magnimar to Whistledown. This route crosses the Lower Lampblack River at Wartle, and the Skull River at Ilsurian; ferries service both crossings and can transport people, horses, and even small wagons from one riverbank to the other. A wagon can cover this route in 28 days; a human on foot, in 19 days; and someone on a good riding horse, in a little over 9 days. Starting from Sandpoint and cutting across the moors to the south of town will shave about two days off this journey time for a human on foot, or one day for a rider on horseback; the moors and the Yondabakari fens are rough enough to make this impractical for wagons.

===By Water===
Goods typically travel between Magnimar and Turtleback Ferry by river and lake; while upriver travel is especially slow, boats and barges can haul far more cargo than pack animals or horse-drawn wagons at the same cost. Passage has to be arranged at a settlement; it's generally not possible to wander the riverbank waiting for a barge, boat, or draft team to pass by and simply “hop on” at that midpoint of the journey.

====Downriver====
A barge or keelboat travelling downriver from Turtleback Ferry will reach Ilsurian in roughly 24 hours of travel. From there, traffic follows the shore of Lake Syrantula toward Whistledown. There is no steady, directional current in the lake, so this takes roughly 13 days for barges, while a more agile keelboat can be rowed over the same distance in a week; both types of boat typically find sheltered spots along the lakeshore to moor between shifts of rowing or poling. From Whistledown to Magnimar usually takes from three and a half to four days. Those craft stopping at Wartle usually arrive there after about a day and a half; upon then departing from Wartle, it typically takes a little over two days to reach Magnimar. Total journey time is usually 12 days for a keelboat, 18 days for a barge.

====Upriver====
Travel upriver is a much slower process. Against any significant river current, it's impossible to make headway by rowing; draft animals must be used to tow the vessel upriver, and while a pair of donkeys or ponies will suffice for the smallest barges and boats, larger vessels such as keelboats demand teams of draft horses. Progress upriver is at a rate of roughly one-half mile per hour, or five miles per day assuming a ten-hour towing shift. The riverine portions of the journey upriver from Magnimar to Turtleback Ferry thus take a minimum of 76 days. A keelboat can be rowed from Whistledown to Ilsurian in about a week, while a barge can be poled over the same distance in 13 days; unencumbered draft teams on the shore can cover the same distance in about a day and a half. The minimum total journey time is 83 days for a keelboat, 89 days for a barge, though a more typical journey might be anywhere from 90 to 100 days. A keelboat that sacrifices cargo for additional teams of draft horses, working them in three shifts, can make continuous progress at a rate of twelve miles per day, covering the riverine portions of the route in 32 days and completing the journey in 40 days, assuming no mishaps.

==Other Routes==
While the Yondabakari route represents the most-travelled path between Magnimar and Turtleback Ferry, your party is setting out from Sandpoint rather than Magnimar, and may wish to consider other routes across the country.

===Nybor or Wartle and the Old Sanos Trail===
A party disinclined to follow the Yondabakari River can cut directly eastwards across the trackless moors of the Lost Coast, toward the Lower Lampblack River, crossing at either Nybor or Wartle; the former lies on the western bank of the river, at the south end of Ember Lake. This distance of roughly 100 miles will take a little less than three days on horseback, or about five and a half days for a human on foot. From there, the route turns north-east through the Sanos Forest; as the crow flies, it's about 150 miles to the north end of Claybottom Lake and from there on to Turtleback Ferry, but progress through the trackless Sanos Forest will likely be slow, taking six days on horseback or twelve on foot. The Old Sanos Trail winds through the Sanos Forest to connect several secluded gnome villages deep in the wood, but its route is not especially direct, and rumour holds that the gnomes of the Sanos Forest have enchanted the trail to misdirect unwelcome strangers to the region.

===The Cinder Road===
This route branches off from the Yondabakari Route at Wartle, though travellers starting out from Sandpoint might join the route at Nybor instead. From Nybor, the road follows the western shore of Ember Lake and the course of the Lampblack River until Ravenmoor, a distance of some 180 miles; at that point, travellers heading to Turtleback Ferry must depart from the Cinder Road and cut across roughly 120 miles of trackless wilderness. From Sandpoint, the journey will take around 21 days for a human on foot, or ten and a half for a rider on a good horse; however, much of the cross-country leg of the journey takes place in the shadows of the Iron Peaks and the Storval Rise, making this a rather more dangerous route than either the Yondabakari Route or the Old Sanos Trail.

==Along the Way==
Depending on the route chosen, the party will pass by or through a variety of settlements, regions, and features on its way from Sandpoint to Turtleback Ferry.

===Ashwood===
Said to be home to ghosts, werewolves, and other horrors, Ashwood has perhaps the darkest reputation of any of Varisia's forests.

===Churlwood===
This dark, dense, and tangled forest is known as a haven for bandits and goblins.

===Galdurian===
Galdurian depends on farming, fishing, and the trade of goods along the Lampblack River and across Ember Lake, timber and grain especially, but the town's claim to fame is the Twilight Academy. This college of the arcane was established to avoid what its founders regarded as the political pressures and intrigues of the academies in Varisia's larger cities; many of its students come from Korvosa and Magnimar, however, and they tend to bring their own intrigues with them.

===Ilsurian===
Ilsurian is named for the Korvosan expatriate who founded the town in the wake of the Chelish Empire's collapse and the subsequent upheaval in Korvosa. Its people are fierce and proud, clinging to Ilsur's ideals of martial merit and refusing to cede their independence to either Magnimar or Korvosa. Although Ilsurian prospers as a nexus of trade along Varisia's rivers, travellers may find the townsfolk rather intense in their convictions and inhospitable to those not of Chelish descent.

===Iron Peaks===
The ogres, hill giants, and stone giants that dwell amidst the valleys of this rugged mountain range are notoriously territorial, and while there's good farmland to be claimed in the southern foothills of the Iron Peaks, settlers must take great care to avoid rousing the wrath of their larger neighbours.

===Malgorian Mountains===
The Malgorian Mountains are one of Varisia's most geologically active mountain ranges, dotted with hot springs, geysers, tar pits, and other hazards that can surprise the unwary.

===Mushfens===
South of the Yondabakari River, Varisia's coastal lowlands slump into a broad belt of stagnant fens and salt marshes. The Mushfens are primarily the domain of boggard tribes and the occasional family of horrific marsh giants.

===Nybor===
A greater concentration of half-elves and half-orcs can be found in this Magnimarian holding than in any other town of similar size elsewhere in Varisia, and it has a reputation as a welcoming place to those of mixed or uncertain heritage.

===Ravenmoor===
The inhabitants of this isolated town are content to trade with those headed up or down the Lampblack River, but they are less welcoming to visitors who express an interest in staying overnight.

===Sanos Forest===
Here, the walls between Golarion and the First World grow thin, and the Sanos Forest has long held a reputation as the domain of the fey. Tiny, secluded gnomish hamlets dot the woods, unmarked on any outsider's map.

===Shimmerglens===
This eerie and ill-omened band of swampland lies between the Sanos Forest and the Skull River.

===Sipplerose===
Although Sipplerose is the largest of the Sanos Forest's gnomish enclaves, it's still little more than a village. While its existence isn't exactly a secret, most of the Sanos gnomes are content to live undisturbed and allow outsiders to think of Whistledown as the centre of Varisia's gnome population.

===Storval Rise===
This escarpment cleaves across Varisia from the north-west to the south-east and divides the "civilised" lowlands of the south, where native Varisians and Chelish colonists dominate, from the Shoanti-claimed highlands of the north.

===Wartle===
This soggy and ramshackle trading post serves as a ferry across the Lower Lampblack River where it merges into the waters of the Yondabakari, and as a base of operations for hunters, fur trappers, and other swampfolk who make their living off the Mushfens and its denizens.

===Whistledown===
Although Whistledown's population is split almost evenly between humans and gnomes, people tend to think of it as a primarily gnomish settlement. The town draws its name from the wooden charms and wind chimes that decorate the eaves of many of its houses; the whistling song they produce when the winds are right is considered unsettling by outsiders.

===Wolf's Ear===
The village of Wolf's Ear has a murky, persistent reputation as a haven for lycanthropes, despite attempts by both Magnimar and the village itself to silence such talk. Whether both parties are keen to suppress those rumours because they're false, or because they're actually ''true'', is something that varies from tale to tale.

[[Category:Pathfinder]]
[[Category:Shadows_of_Thassilon]]

Traveller SD2018 Map LR MR

2018-08-15T20:32:58Z

Gavin: /* Universal World Profiles */

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|AB
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|CD
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|AB
|colspan="2"|CD
|colspan="2"|CD
|-
|
|colspan="2"|AB
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|CD
|colspan="2"|AB
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|CD
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|AB
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|AB
|-
|colspan="2"|AB
|colspan="2"|CD
|colspan="2"|G
|colspan="2"|AB
|colspan="2"|CD
|colspan="2"|CD
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|G
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|G
|-
|
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|AB
|colspan="2"|AB
|colspan="2"|CD
|colspan="2"|AB
|colspan="2"|CD
|colspan="2"|CD
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|CD
|colspan="2"|CD
|-
|colspan="2"|CD
|colspan="2"|AB
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|G
|colspan="2"|CD
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|CD
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|AB
|colspan="2"|Void
|-
|
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|G
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|CD
|colspan="2"|CD
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|G
|colspan="2"|Void
|-
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|CD
|colspan="2"|CD
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|CD
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|AB
|colspan="2"|CD
|colspan="2"|AB
|-
|
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|CD
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|CD
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|Void
|colspan="2"|AB
|colspan="2"|AB
|colspan="2"|CD
|}

Key:

AB: A or B starport (refined fuel)

CD: C or D starport (unrefined fuel only)

G: gas giant (from which unrefined fuel can be gathered)

No H: System with a start and rocky planets, but no obvious hyrdrogen source

Void: No star or planets

==Map==
[[Image:Traveller_LRMR_1024.jpg|center|frame|Map of the Little Rift, Mid Rimward subsector @ session 12, 04/08/2018]]

==Universal World Profiles==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|'''Hex''' ||'''Name'''||'''Characteristics'''||'''Legality'''||'''TL'''||'''Bases'''||'''Trade Codes'''||'''Jump Hazards'''
|-
|0101 ||colspan="6"|Void ||
|-
|0102 || ||B50053 ||20107 ||8 ||Naval ||NI, Va ||
|-
|0103 || ||A10078 ||6B754 ||11 ||Naval, Scout, Research ||Na, Va ||
|-
|0104 ||colspan="6"|Void ||
|-
|0105 ||Zhi Ren ||D600AB ||6C9D6 ||7 ||Naval ||Hi, In, Na, Va ||
|-
|0106 ||colspan="6"|Void ||
|-
|0107 ||colspan="6"|Void ||
|-
|0108 ||colspan="6"|Void ||
|-
|0201 || ||B23089 ||B76D9 ||9 ||Research ||De, Na, Po ||
|-
|0202 ||colspan="6"|Void ||
|-
|0203 ||Spinning Skull ||C70056 ||89673 ||6 ||Naval ||NI, Va ||Scar
|-
|0204 ||Ghost ||B7109A ||B988A ||12 ||Naval ||Hi, Ht, In, Na ||
|-
|0205 ||Mirage ||B50075 ||35187 ||8 ||Scout, Research ||Na, Va ||
|-
|0206 ||colspan="6"|Void ||
|-
|0207 ||colspan="6"|Void ||Scar
|-
|0208 || ||D6008D ||HHCBD ||4 || ||Lt, Na, Va ||
|-
|0301 ||colspan="6"|Void ||
|-
|0302 ||Mummy ||C30136 ||8A7A7 ||7 ||Naval ||IC, Lo, Va ||
|-
|0303 ||Lagging Skull ||E70041 ||20506 ||7 || ||NI, Va ||Scar
|-
|0304 ||Shadow ||B03069 ||7AA9E ||13 ||Naval ||De, Ht, Na, NI, Po ||Scar
|-
|0305 ||colspan="6"|Void ||
|-
|0306 || ||E60030 ||20011 ||6 || ||Lo, Va ||
|-
|0307 || ||C84035 ||50727 ||6 ||Naval, Scout, TAS ||De, Lo, Po ||Scar
|-
|0308 ||colspan="6"|Void ||
|-
|0401 || ||C90055 ||57200 ||10 || ||NI, Va ||Scar
|-
|0402 || ||B33284 ||23755 ||12 || ||Ht, Na, Po ||
|-
|0403 ||Shimmer ||B41044 ||28433 ||12 ||Naval, Research ||Ht, NI ||Scar
|-
|0404 ||Cherub ||C40122 ||24702 ||7 || ||IC, Lo, Va ||Scar
|-
|0405 ||Revenant ||E31027 ||49867 ||8 || ||Lo ||
|-
|0406 ||colspan="6"|Void ||
|-
|0407 || ||D50085 ||38265 ||4 ||Naval ||Lt, Na, Va ||Scar
|-
|0408 ||colspan="6"|Void ||
|-
|0501 ||colspan="6"|Void ||
|-
|0502 ||colspan="6"|Void ||
|-
|0503 ||Will o' Wisp ||D64468 ||C787B ||5 || ||Ag, Ga, Lt, NI ||Scar
|-
|0504 ||Seraph ||B80022 ||24603 ||12 ||Scout, TAS ||Ht, Lo, Va ||Double Scar, Crystal
|-
|0505 ||Revenant ||C82155 ||28458 ||6 || ||NI, Po ||
|-
|0506 ||colspan="6"|Void ||Scar
|-
|0507 ||colspan="6"|Void ||Double Scar
|-
|0508 || ||D22064 ||63903 ||4 || ||De, Lt, Na, NI, Po ||Scar
|-
|0601 ||colspan="6"|Void ||
|-
|0602 || ||C92326 ||53A59 ||8 ||Naval ||Lo, Po ||
|-
|0603 ||Banshee ||D71073 ||03021 ||5 ||Naval, Imperial ||Lt, Na ||Scar
|-
|0604 ||Spirit ||C51022 ||53061 ||7 || ||Lo ||Scar
|-
|0605 ||colspan="6"|Void ||Scar
|-
|0606 ||Hollow ||D42000 ||00000 ||8 ||Naval ||Ba, De, Po ||Scar
|-
|0607 || ||D90087 ||48476 ||9 || ||Na, Va ||Double Scar
|-
|0608 ||colspan="6"|Void || Scar
|-
|0701 ||colspan="6"|Void ||
|-
|0702 ||colspan="6"|Void ||Scar
|-
|0703 ||colspan="6"|Void ||Double Scar
|-
|0704 ||Drawn ||D30077 ||7A575 ||9 ||Naval ||Na, Va ||Scar
|-
|0705 ||Phantom ||D80099 ||69D89 ||8 ||Naval ||Hi, In, Na, Va ||
|-
|0706 ||Dust ||D80075 ||69153 ||6 ||Naval ||Na, Va ||Scar
|-
|0707 ||colspan="6"|Void ||Scar
|-
|0708 ||colspan="6"|Void ||
|-
|0801 || ||A51053 ||51461 ||12 ||Naval, Research ||Ht, NI ||
|-
|0802 || ||B60065 ||4A944 ||9 ||Naval, Scout, Research ||Na, NI, Va ||
|-
|0803 ||Haunt ||E8309B ||CDBEG ||7 || ||De, Hi, Na, Po ||Double Scar
|-
|0804 ||colspan="6"|Void ||Scar
|-
|0805 ||colspan="6"|Void ||Scar
|-
|0806 ||colspan="6"|Void ||Scar
|-
|0807 || ||B33010 ||02020 ||10 ||Naval ||De, Lo, Po ||
|-
|0808 || ||BA0023 ||00535 ||11 || ||Lo, Va ||
|-
|0901 || ||C40003 ||50063 ||11 ||Naval ||Va ||
|-
|0902 ||colspan="6"|Void ||
|-
|0903 ||colspan="6"|Void ||Double Scar
|-
|0904 || ||C21033 ||48304 ||11 ||Naval, Scout ||Lo ||
|-
|0905 || ||B40045 ||40524 ||10 ||Naval, TAS ||NI, Va ||
|-
|0906 || ||E00030 ||02040 ||10 || ||As, Lo, Va ||Scar
|-
|0907 || ||C70053 ||00733 ||7 ||Naval ||NI, Va ||
|-
|0908 || ||B50033 ||26663 ||11 ||Research ||Lo, Va ||
|-
|1001 || ||C50048 ||86466 ||10 || ||NI, Va ||
|-
|1002 || ||B41044 ||16045 ||11 ||Naval, Research ||NI ||
|-
|1003 || ||E30024 ||51064 ||5 || ||Lo, Lt, Va ||
|-
|1004 || ||C6008D ||CFCED ||6 || ||Na, Va ||
|-
|1005 ||colspan="6"|Void ||
|-
|1006 ||colspan="6"|Void ||
|-
|1007 || ||BA0098 ||8998B ||11 ||Naval, Research ||Hi, In, Na, Va ||
|-
|1008 || ||C20031 ||00000 ||9 ||Imperial ||Lo, Va ||
|}

File:Traveller LRMR 1024.jpg

2018-08-15T19:37:42Z

Gavin: Map of the Little Rim Mid Rift subsector as at 15/08/2018, for PB66's Traveller campaign "Traveller SD2018."

== Summary ==
Map of the Little Rim Mid Rift subsector as at 15/08/2018, for PB66's Traveller campaign "Traveller SD2018."

Shadows of the Sandpoint Hinterlands

2018-08-02T23:07:45Z

Gavin: Created page with "Although Sandpoint has prospered for over fifty years as a bastion of civilisation on the Lost Coast, it remains an isolated outpost surrounded by wilderness, much of which is..."

Although Sandpoint has prospered for over fifty years as a bastion of civilisation on the Lost Coast, it remains an isolated outpost surrounded by wilderness, much of which is poorly-explored and potentially home to all sorts of dangerous denizens and undiscovered treasures.

==Ashen Rise==
The smaller of the two limestone escarpments that loom above the hinterlands, the heights of Ashen Rise are home to nothing more dangerous than swarms of hungry stirges and flocks of uncommonly aggressive crows and ravens.

==Brinestump Marsh==
This nasty tangle of overgrown swampland is inhabited by giant insects, hungry amphibious monsters, and the Licktoad goblin tribe, each of which largely keep the others' numbers in check. The marshes are mostly unexplored despite their proximity to the Lost Coast Road – travellers between Sandpoint and the south generally have little reason or desire to wander from the relative safety of the road into the treacherous depths of the swamp.

==Devil's Platter==
This limestone escarpment extends for roughly three miles to the south and east of Sandpoint and is a rather more forbidding landmark than the smaller Ashen Rise. Goblins of the Birdcruncher tribe are known to make their lairs here, especially in caves along the Platter's western edge; stories of devil-worshipping bugbears, hungry ghouls, and worse horrors dwelling amidst a labyrinth of caverns beneath the Platter are less well-grounded in the personal experiences of the locals, but persist nonetheless. There aren't many routes to the top of the Devil's Platter that don't involve a difficult and dangerous climb.

==Dragon's Punchbowl==
This bowl-shaped island amounts to a series of stony ridges surrounding a small lake. Despite its name there have been no confirmed sightings of anything more fearsome than the occasional hungry wyvern making its roost here.

==Mosswood==
This forest consists predominantly of redwoods with little undergrowth close to the forest floor, and would make for excellent logging country if not for the tenacity of the Mosswood goblin tribe that infests the woods. The Mosswood tribe is large enough that it would probably have torn itself apart into several smaller, squabbling clans if not for the brutality of its leader, Big Gugmut, who claims to be the offspring of a hobgoblin and a wild boar, though the tribe spends enough of its energy on barely-constrained internal bickering that it's less of a menace to outsiders than it otherwise might be.

==Nettlewood==
Clinging tenaciously to the hilly terrain and stony ground along the Lost Coast, the trees of the Nettlewood tend to grow stunted and twisted, and beneath the canopy, the forest is an unwelcoming tangle of nettles and thorny underbrush. The Lost Coast Road separates the Nettlewood from Mosswood to the south, but goblins of the Mosswood, Seven Tooth, and Thistletop tribes, as well as bandits and outlaws,

==The Pit==
This ominous cave mouth lies toward the centre of the Devil's Platter and sinks vertically into the heart of the plateau, its walls riddled with narrow ledges, treacherous stairs cut shallowly into the rock, and gloomy fissures hinting at tunnels twisting deep into the subterranean darkness. If the stories of a labyrinth of monster-infested caverns beneath the Platter are true, then the Pit gapes like an open wound straight into that labyrinth's heart. Rumours claim that the notorious Sandpoint Devil makes its lair in the Pit's deepest reaches – not that anyone foolhardy enough to delve into the Pit in search of the truth of the matter has ever returned to tell their tale.

==Paupers' Graves==
The are between Nettlewood and what would eventually be dubbed Shank's Wood has served as a graveyard for generations of Varisians. During the construction of Sandpoint, those labourers and settlers who died before the town's own graveyard could be established within its walls were instead buried here.

==The Pyre==
Before Sandpoint's founding, the local Varisians used this promontory for many of their rituals and gatherings, including their yearly Swallowtail Festival, but in the decades since the town was established, the site has fallen out of use.

==Shank's Wood==
Really little more than an overgrown copse of pine and eucalyptus, this small forest is the domain of the Seven Tooth goblin tribe, and gained its rather coarse name from the presence of a hermit – some say, a fugitive from justice – who dwelt there before the arrival of the goblins.

==Thistletop==
This small island lies just a short distance off the Nettlewood coast, its sheer cliffs rising to a defensible summit claimed by a ferocious tribe of goblins who have taken the island's name as their own. Sailors along the Varisian Gulf report that the goblins have strung a rope bridge connecting their island lair to the nearby coast, allowing them to come and go without risking their lives scrambling up and down the slick and dangerous cliffs. Curiously, some say that when the light of the afternoon sun strikes the western side of the island just so, the faint and worn outlines of a face can be seen in the rock, the features of a man gazing impassively out across the Varisian Gulf.

==The Tors==
These three groups of stony hills – Leb's Tors, Rigg's Tors, and Task's Tors – lie to the east of Devil's Platter and are named after the trio of adventurers who explored many of the nooks, caves, and old Varisian tombs to be found here, in the years before Sandpoint's founding.

[[Category:Pathfinder]]
[[Category:Shadows_of_Thassilon]]

Varisia in Shadows of Thassilon

2018-05-20T19:09:52Z

Gavin:

The ''[[Shadows of Thassilon]]'' campaign takes place entirely within the boundaries of Varisia, a sparsely-settled region in the north-west of the continent of Avistan. Below is the common knowledge that anyone in the area, native or visitor, might be expected to know.

==History==
Ten thousand years ago, the lands that are now Varisia were divided among the seven squabbling kingdoms of Thassilon, an empire founded by exiles and renegades from Azlant, best known in the present era for the strange and rune-scribed monuments that still dot the Varisian landscape. Thassilon ended as Azlant did – in the cataclysm of Earthfall, as fire rained from the sky to usher in a thousand years of darkness.

When the skies cleared, the ruins of Thassilon were inhabited by tribes of nomadic Varisians and Shoanti – natives to the continent of Avistan whose ancestors had toiled as Thassilon's slaves. The region remained a nameless and isolated frontier until 4405 AR, a little over three hundred years ago, when the rising empire of Cheliax began its efforts to colonise the area. Chelish soldiers fought the Shoanti and drove them into the inhospitable northern wilds, but the colonists were able to build a more peaceful relationship with the local Varisian tribes, after whom the region was eventually named.

==Geography==
Varisia's most defining feature is the Storval Rise, a thousand-foot-high escarpment that cuts across the nation from the south-east to the north-west. South of the Rise lie fertile lowlands, deep forests, and the greater part of Varisia's population; to the north, the Storval Plateau is a harsh, arid, and unforgiving domain where giants, Shoanti barbarians, and orc tribes from the Hold of Belkzen do battle.

Bounded to the south and west by the Arcadian Ocean, to the north by the Kodar Mountains, and to the south-east by the Mindspin Mountains, Varisia's isolation is largely a result of its geography. Aside from travel by sea – a difficult prospect in the centuries before the founding of Korvosa and other colonial coastal settlements – or crossing from neighbouring nations via dangerous mountain passes, the only routes into Varisia are the Urglin Gap between the Kodar and Mindspin ranges, leading east into the Hold of Belkzen, and a stretch of stony coastal moorland in the north-west of the region, beyond which lies the Land of the Linnorm Kings. Both are dangerous territories, guarded fiercely by outlaws and marauders.

==People==
Two human cultures have historically dominated Varisia: the hardy, clannish Shoanti, and the nomadic Varisians. Chelish colonists make up a third, prominent human group, though most of these colonists arrived from Cheliax during the Age of Destiny, before the rise of House Thrune and the fall of Cheliax to diabolism and the veneration of Asmodeus. Of the non-human races, the elves of Varisia are most numerous in the Mierani Forest in the north-west; the dwarves, in the citadel of Janderhoff in the foothills of the Mindspin Mountains; and the gnomes, in the Sanos Forest of southern central Varisia. As a frontier region, Varisia draws people from all corners of the world in search of new opportunities, hoping to make a fresh start, or fleeing the dangers of their past.

==Settlements==
Though dotted with villages, small towns, and the occasional larger settlement that has grown up around a particularly interesting ruin, Varisia's three largest cities are all coastal settlements that owe their existence to the Chelish colonisation effort.

===Korvosa===
The largest city in Varisia was founded in 4407 AR as a fortress for Chelish soldiers and settlers and a base from which the subsequent colonisation efforts could be launched, but has grown in the intervening three centuries into a bustling and cosmopolitan centre of trade. Korvosa's markets are likely the wealthiest in Varisia, but since the dawn of the Age of Lost Omens, the city has lost some of its splendour and status to the rising power that is Magnimar, and its rulers now eye the younger city with undisguised envy. Korvosa is home to roughly 18,500 people.

===Magnimar===
Founded shortly before the death of Aroden and the beginning of the Age of Lost Omens, Magnimar's star began to rise in 4608 AR when thousands of dissidents abandoned Korvosa for a new life free of Chelish influences and loyalties. In the century or so since its founding, Magnimar has expanded quickly, claiming nearby villages as its holdings and founding its own colonies in turn. The city's population now stands at roughly 16,500 people.

===Riddleport===
Varisia's third-largest city began as a haven for pirates, tucked away at the northern end of the Varisian Gulf. Colonists arriving from Imperial Cheliax to expand the newly-opened Varisian frontier were the prey of Riddleport's early pirate kings, and though it has since grown into a mercantile hub in its own right, the city retains a roguish atmosphere and is a haven for brigands and scoundrels of all sorts. Riddleport's population numbers roughly 13,300 souls.

[[Category:Pathfinder]]
[[Category:Shadows_of_Thassilon]]

Shadows of Thassilon Campaign Basics

2018-04-30T21:07:17Z

Gavin:

Introduction and basic information for the ''[[Shadows of Thassilon]]'' campaign.

The story of ''Rise of the Runelords'' begins in the town of Sandpoint, called by some the Light of the Lost Coast, in south-western Varisia. The campaign timeline begins on Sunday the 23rd of Rova, in the year 4718 of Absalom Reckoning, the day of the Autumnal Equinox and the Swallowtail Festival. The player characters may have their own reasons for being in Sandpoint at this particular time, but they will all be attending the Swallowtail Festival, a sacred celebration in the faith of Desna to mark the equinox, which is an especially grand affair this year as it coincides with the completion and consecration of Sandpoint's new cathedral.

'''Is this ''Rise of the Runelords'', then?'''

Yes, the Anniversary Edition from 2012 to be specific.

'''So why is it called ''Shadows of Thassilon''?'''

Because there are already two existing threads for ''Rise of the Runelords'' campaigns on the ORC Forum, and as well as differentiating this campaign from earlier campaigns, I'm taking a different name as cover to adjust and rewrite portions of the adventure path.

==Material in Use==
The ''Pathfinder Core Rulebook'', ''Advanced Player's Guide'', and ''Inner Sea World Guide'' are in full use, with exceptions as noted under the [[Shadows of Thassilon House Rules|House Rules]] and [[Shadows of Thassilon Character Creation|Character Creation]] pages. Both versions of the ''Rise of the Runelords Player's Guide'' (original and Anniversary Edition) are also in use; note that the original version of the ''Player's Guide'' was written for ''Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 Edition'' and so it's worth checking to see if any rules information included therein (deities, feats, items, etc.) has been updated and superseded in either the ''Pathfinder Core Rulebook'' or the ''Inner Sea World Guide.''

The ''Player's Guides'' can be downloaded from the Paizo website here:

[http://paizo.com/products/btpy8bd9?Pathfinder-Adventure-Path-Rise-of-the-Runelords-Players-Guide Rise of the Runelords Player's Guide, 2007 edition]

[http://paizo.com/products/btpy8tgl?Pathfinder-Adventure-Path-Rise-of-the-Runelords-Anniversary-Edition-Players-Guide Rise of the Runelords Player's Guide, Anniversary Edition]

Both of the above are free downloads, but if you don't have a Paizo account and don't wish to register one, please let me know via PM and I'll see about getting a copy to you.
I generally prefer not to open up “every book, every option,” as ''Pathfinder'' already offers a wide variety of character options within the limited set of material above. On the other hand, I appreciate that there's a significant volume of material available and that many fun, colourful, and entertaining character types are best expressed through character options from sources not listed above. If there's something you'd like to use that's not mentioned above, please ask!
[[Category:Shadows of Thassilon]]

[[Category:Pathfinder]]

Category:Shadows of Thassilon

2018-04-30T16:35:20Z

Gavin: Created page with " {{PAGENAME}} {{PAGENAME}}"

[[Category:Pathfinder|{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Shadows_of_Thassilon|{{PAGENAME}}]]

Geography of the Phoenix Empire

2018-02-27T13:03:03Z

Gavin:

[[Image:LostProvincesMapReduced.jpg|600px|thumb|center|A map of the Phoenix Empire]]

'''Scale:''' From the most north-western point of Hunbao to the furthest and most south-eastern point of Goyun, the Phoenix Empire spans somewhere between 1,100 and 1,200 miles. By way of real-world reference, this is approximately equal to the distance from Brest, in western France, to the eastern border of Slovakia; or from Cleveland, Ohio, on the southern shore of Lake Erie, to the southern tip of Florida.

==The Empire==
At its greatest extent, the Jaoshen Phoenix Empire comprised nine provinces, stretching from the Purple Mountains in the east to the Gleaming Gulf in the west, bounded by the Sea of Nine Great Winds in the south and the Thunderhead and the Desert of Sighs in the north. One entire province, now colloquially called the Lost Province, fell to internal strife and the depredations of monsters and invaders during the Succession Crisis; other provinces flouted Imperial authority during the Regency, and even now resist being brought entirely to heel. The original Imperial bureaucracy reserved to the Phoenix Throne and its agents the power to appoint, inspect, and dismiss provincial governors, but the Succession Crisis and Regency heralded the rise of a feudal system, with many governors rejecting the Regent's authority over their positions and instead naming their own successors from within their families. The Restoration offers hope to staunch Imperial traditionalists, but it remains to be seen whether the newly-crowned Phoenix Empress Su-Minh will be able to marshal the will and political clout to oppose these entrenched provincial dynasties.

The people of any given province are referred to by appending min to the name of the province; for example, the people of Danjao are the ''Danjaomin''. What constitutes "people" in this context depends upon the speaker; tax-paying citizens and those born within a province are the two most typical meanings. Similarly, when it is necessary to refer to all the people of the Phoenix Empire, the word ''Jaoshenmin'' is used.

===Danjao (Imperial Province)===
''Land Where the Phoenix is Enthroned''

Danjao is the heart of the Empire, its well-tended fields and orchards spreading out in a colourful patchwork from the banks of the Petal River and dotted here and there by orderly towns, all under the watchful eye of Imperial bureaucrats and soldiers and enraptured by the majesty of Jaoling, the Imperial City. The lands of the Imperial Province are safe and bountiful; its villages are handsome and well-patrolled; its people are virtuous, content, and loyal to the Phoenix Throne. Foreigners (and to certain, insufferably snobbish Danjaomin, everyone not of Danjao is a foreigner) may find close-ordered Danjao's regimentation and traditions stifling, and the unfaltering politeness of its people laced with insincere smiles and innuendo. On the other hand, Danjao is the colourful and cosmopolitan crossroads of the Empire, where a traveller can enjoy a little of what every province has to offer in comfort and safety.

Danjao remained loyal to the Phoenix Throne throughout the Succession Crisis and the Regency, and has welcomed the Restoration and the coronation of Phoenix Empress Su-Minh with great pomp and jubilation. Many prominent local nobles belong to the extended ''Fenghwa'' family and are staunch supporters of the Phoenix Dynasty.

===Jangwu (River Province)===
''Land Astride the Gleaming Ribbon''

From its headwaters in the Ti Shan Mountains, the Gilt River flows through the eastern Empire in a gently glittering arc. Upon its banks are gathered the villages and fields of Jangwu, the River Province. Next to the glittering grandeur and bustle of the neighbouring Imperial Province, Jangwu may seem a quiet land of humble people; but it is the River Province that produces so much of the grain and goods which sustain the Empire, and its people take pride in their toil. Trade along the Gilt River has made many Jangwumin quite wealthy, but even these rich merchants tend to comport themselves humbly, without the cadres of fawning servants and the gaudy clothes and jewels that so often signify wealth elsewhere in the Empire.

Politically, Jangwu is a land divided. West of the Gilt River, loyalist sentiments hold sway, and a branch of the ''Fengwha'' family loudly proclaims its support for the Phoenix Empress. The lands east of the Gilt River, further removed from Imperial influence, are the domain of the ''Seouyang'' family and its vassals, who regard the Restoration with rather less enthusiasm.

===Quinshen (Forest Province)===
''Land of the Host Bowed in Contemplation''

A vast, primeval forest stretching from the slopes of the Ti Shan Mountains almost to the coast of the Sea of Nine Great Winds, Quinshen is home to the greatest population of elves in the Empire, most of whom live in seclusion deep within the woods, far from outside concerns and the handful of Imperial highways that cleave through the Forest Province. While some outsiders admire the forest's stark beauty and serenity, many others find it to be a dark and sinister place, and few caravans making their way through Quinshen tarry without pressing need. Logging and hunting takes place along the outskirts of the forest, in accordance with ancient treaties negotiated between early Phoenix Emperors and elven nobles; those who flaunt these agreements, or press too deep into the woods, generally meet grisly ends.

The elves of Quinshen remain broadly loyal to the Phoenix Throne so long as the old treaties remain in force, no matter how strongly the scattered settlements along the forest's edge might desire to exploit the forest's potential more thoroughly. The ''Song-Linh'' family traces its roots to the intermarriage of aristocratic elven bloodlines and human noble houses, and counts elves, half-elves, and humans among its members.

===Tishan (Mountain Province)===
''Land of Delving and Striving''

If the Petal River basin of the Imperial Province is the heart of the Empire, then the Ti Shan Mountains are its backbone, a land of deep valleys, lonely plateaus, and towering peaks around whose southern foothills the provinces of Danjao, Jangwu, and Quinshen gather. The Mountain Province is a place of harsh beauty and stark contrast; while the deep-delving dwarves bore their mines and carve their halls into the roots of the mountains, ascetics and contemplatives build their monasteries on the upper slopes, seeking enlightenment beneath the gaze of snow-capped peaks. Most of the Empire's major rivers, including the Gilt and the Petal, have their headwaters in the Tishan, and marking the province's eastern border, the heavily fortified Gyao-Lai Pass divides the Ti Shan Mountains from the Thunderhead and permits passage between the forests of Quinshen and the borderlands of Shuyan.

Both the dwarves and monks of Tishan tend to remain largely neutral in political matters, proclaiming loyalty to the Empire and the Phoenix Throne rather than to any individual Emperor, family, or faction. The dominant noble house of the Mountain Province, the ''Gyakkho'' family, actively and avidly supports the Restoration.

===Hunbao (Lake Province)===
''Land of Mists and Plenty''

Countless streams and endless rains pour forth from the Thunderhead into Hunbao, a land of lakes and rivers cloaked in mist, fog, and cloud. Much effort has been spent taming the Lake Province, and its once-vast tracts of marshland have given way to carefully maintained paddies and plantations. This labour has turned Hunbao from a sparsely inhabited hinterland into one of the Empire's most productive provinces, and rice grown here graces tables as far afield as Jangwu and Shuyan. Adding to Hunbao's wealth are the opportunities for trade with the Thousand Scale Kingdoms, across the waters of the Gleaming Gulf. Despite this, many of the people of the Lake Province endure gruelling toil and live in abject poverty, and large swathes of undeveloped and trackless wilderness remain. Outsiders have often remarked that Hunbao's damp and gloomy climate has produced a cheerless, suspicious, and superstitious people.

Hunbao's governor at the time of the Succession Crisis was one of the first nobles to reject the Regent's authority and found his own dynasty, which endures to this day. The ''Daeyong'' family shows no inclination to surrender its influence here, cordially acknowledging the Phoenix Empress but rejecting the mandates of the Restoration.

===Daosei (Island Province)===
''Land That Beholds the Shining Seas''

The Island Province encompasses fully half of the Empire's oceanic coastline and the greater share of its islands, enduring the hardships and enjoying the bounty of the Sea of Nine Great Winds. Daosei's waters are bountiful with fish, seaweed, and pearls, and the islands themselves are home to exotic plants and animals unknown elsewhere in the Empire, but exploration and trade are its greatest source of wealth. All manner of unusual wares make their way into the Empire's markets through Daosei's ports, and the Island Province is home to the greatest number – and variety – of foreigners anywhere in the Empire, who bring with them strange customs, strange languages, and stranger gods. While the Daoseimin have grown accustomed to so many foreigners and their oddities, citizens of other provinces are not so inured and have likened the ports of the Island Province to towns ruled and populated by madmen.

Much of the Island Province now submits to the rule of the ''Angkyara'' family, who have come to count raiders and pirates among their vassals, and seem determined to reject the authority of the Phoenix Empress, retaining their stranglehold upon Daosei if not making a bid for outright independence.

===Goyun (Highland Province)===
''Land in Service to Order''

Goyun is a solemn land of windswept steppes and grey-sided hills beyond the verdant valley of the River Province, serving as the Empire's bulwark against the Purple Mountains and the distant Land of the Icewalkers. Much of the Highland Province is only sparsely settled; its population is concentrated in the west, close to the safety and bounty of Jangwu, while the eastern marches of the province are dotted with castles, fortified trading posts, and the occasional small village of brave souls. The Goyunmin know the Icewalkers and other foreign barbarians better than any other people of the Empire, and are not so quick to give in to superstitious fear... but they know well, too, how strange Icewalker customs can be, how fickle their moods, how terrible their fury. If the people of Goyun yet fear the Icewalkers, it is a fear born out of familiarity, not ignorance.

Goyun reverted to a feudal system during the Regency, with ambitious warlords fortifying themselves within its castles and squabbling for prestige, power, and control of its scarce resources. It remains to be seen whether the ''Byeon-Ji'' family that now rules Goyun intends to submit to the newly-crowned Phoenix Empress, or to defend its claim to the province in open defiance of Imperial power.

===Shuyan (Far Province)===
''Land of Faces Lifted to the Sun''

Shuyan lies on the northern side of the Ti Shan Mountains, and forms much of the Empire's northern and eastern border. The Far Province is both hot and dry, by Imperial standards, consisting of expansive grasslands that give way to semi-arid steppes where it borders the Desert of Sighs. Malkapur and the tribes of the Desert of Sighs are both strong influences upon its native population, who, before the coming of the Empire, lived nomadic lives as herders of horses and cattle. Modern Shuyan is roughly divided between those who maintain this way of life, and the Imperial migrants who have established permanent villages and fortresses in many of the province's most fertile and promising territories. The distant threat of invasion, from the deserts tribes of the east or the monster-haunted mountains and wilderness of the west, is the closest thing to a common banner to which both cultures can rally.

Two noble houses have rises to prominence in Shuyan, one from each side of the divide between nomadic and settled peoples. The ''Kyeonggao'' family welcomes the new Phoenix Empress, hoping to turn Imperial attention upon the province and thereby profit, while the ''Tenghen'' family stands in opposition to any further encroachment upon the native people of Shuyan, their way of life, and their ancestral lands.

===The Lost Province===
''Nameless Land Fallen From Imperial Grace and Majesty''

Once called ''Muyao, Land Where Many Roads Meet,'' the ''Trade Province,'' this region was settled at the height of Imperial power, as the Phoenix Emperor Lan-Biao sought to open new trade routes into Algolapata and Malkapur. Its distance from the Phoenix Throne and proximity to the monster-haunted mountains of the Thunderhead doomed Muyao during the Succession Crisis. Too remote to receive attention or support from the warring factions, the Trade Province succumbed to neglect and to monstrous incursions, and its surviving population retreated to the relative safety of the Far Province or fled into the depths of Malkapur or the Forest of Chembu. Today, the Lost Province is home only to bandits, monsters, and a scattering of determined frontiersmen and freeholders. No noble family yet lays claim to the Lost Province, and no political faction holds sway here.

==Beyond the Empire==
A traveller could spend his life walking the length and breadth of the Phoenix Empire and still not see all the Eight Provinces have to offer, but though Jaoshen is vast and full of wonder, it is not the whole of the world; it merely lies at its crossroads. Presented here are a selection of regions neighbouring the Pheonix Empire, and from which foreigners might hail. This is not intended as an exhaustive atlas of the world; lands stranger still lie beyond the horizon, though characters from such utterly foreign places might consider the ''Stranger in a Strange Land'' campaign trait.

===The Forest of Chembu and Algolapata===
North of the Empire lies the Forest of Chembu, a vast woodland stretching from the slopes of the Thunderhead to the savannahs of Malkapur. Frightful monsters make their lairs in the darkest reaches of the forest, but a greater concern to travellers is the coalition of fey creatures, giants, and jungle tribes that gives its allegiance to the mysterious lord Chemboku. Those who seek to traverse the forest, or who make their living along its borders, do so only with Chemboku's permission, swiftly revoked should the woodland lord feel he has been insulted, or his hospitality or generosity taken advantage of. Further still to the north, beyond the Forest of Chembu, are the kingdoms of Algolapata, home to proud, strange, and dark-skinned peoples. Those merchants willing to brave the long and dangerous journey from the Phoenix Empire to these distant lands often return with a fortune in emeralds and Algolapatan gold... or not at all, slain by monsters, bandits, or the offended whims of some foreign prince.

===The Gleaming Gulf and the Thousand Scale Kingdoms===
The Gleaming Gulf stretches almost 300 miles inland from the main body of the Sea of Nine Great Winds. On its eastern shore lies the Lake Province of the Phoenix Empire; to the west stretch the Thousand Scale Kingdoms, lands ruled by serpentfolk, lizardfolk, and other reptilian creatures. The true extent of the Kingdoms is not known to the scholars of the Phoenix Empire, though it is widely believed that they are not quite the equal of Jaoshen in either territory or population, divided between upwards of thirty separate realms rather than the Empire's eight provinces. While all the Kingdoms have so far declined invitations to join the Empire, those closest at hand are quite receptive to both diplomatic envoys and trading expeditions, exporting jewels, hardwoods, medicines, and narcotics. The common races that make up the majority of the Empire's population are rare in the Thousand Scale Kingdoms, but reptilian races such as kobolds and nagaji are far more numerous there.

===The Purple Mountains and the Land of the Icewalkers===
The highlands of Goyun are but the foothills of the Purple Mountains that form the south-eastern border of the Empire, a foreboding wall of barren cliffs and storm-shrouded peaks. The mountains themselves are barely inhabited, and give way in the east to high and windswept plateaus where scrawny goats, dull-feathered birds, and bands of rangy orcs eke out a meagre existence. To the south, the land grows steadily colder, snow covering the ground for an ever-greater part of the year until determined travellers arrive at the shores of a frozen ocean. This is the home of the barbarians called Icewalkers by the people of the Empire, a hardy race of hunters and raiders, all too willing to make the long journey to Jaoshen's borders to pluck the tender fruits of the Eight Provinces. At the height of summer, the ice cracks, and the brave captain of a small ship might make his way even further east to barely-known lands, should he have the desire.

===Malkapur and the Desert of Sighs===
The southern provinces of Malkapur are the Phoenix Empire's closest neighbour, a broad wedge of savannah between the Forest of Chembu and the Lost Province to the west and the Desert of Sighs to the east. The heartlands of Malkapur are distant, and as varied as the provinces and people of the Empire itself, but the common picture of Malkapurans in the minds of the Jaoshenmin is of a dark-haired and copper-skinned race with a talent for archery and a bloated pantheon of colourful and bestial gods. East of Malkapur lies the Desert of Sighs, an arid expanse of shifting sand and wind-scoured rock, but even this hostile land is not uninhabited. Oases support a network of trade routes to far-off ports and markets, for the daring and determined, and various nomadic tribes and creatures unknown elsewhere in the world make their homes here.

===The Thunderhead===
Though not so high as the Purple Mountains of the south, the grey peaks of the Thunderhead possess an even more fearsome reputation. Giants, thunderbirds, and tribes of monstrous humanoids make the Thunderhead their home; the last of these expend much energy warring among themselves, but have also been known to descend from their mountain strongholds into the provinces of Hunbao, Quinshen, and Shuyan to loot, slay, and despoil. The Thunderhead draws its name from the black clouds that seem to churn endlessly around the flanks of its highest spires, their ceaseless, ominous rumbling audible for miles around.

===The Sea of Nine Great Winds===
A great ocean lies to the south of the Phoenix Empire, its near coast stretching west around and beyond the Thousand Scale Kingdoms, and south-east to the frozen Land of the Icewalkers. The Nine Great Winds for which the sea is named are both a blessing and a curse, speeding the Empire's trading fleets to distant ports but also hurling violent storms upon its shores, especially during the summer months. The true extent of the Sea of Nine Great Winds has yet to be explored, and any maps or charts that purport to accurately show the lands more than several hundred miles distant from the Empire should be regarded as educated guesswork at best and outright, outrageous falsehood at worst.

[[Category:Lost_Province]]

Lost Province Treasury

2016-04-16T08:07:03Z

Gavin:

A record of the treasures found, and expenses... expended, by the PCs of the [[ The_Lost_Province | Lost Province ]] campaign. Credit, debit, and balance values are in gold pieces.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Date !! Item !! Credit !! Debit !! Balance
|-
| 25/07/15 || Troglodyte cave treasure (coins, gems, valuables, masterwork items) || 4,342 || || 4,342
|-
| 25/07/15 || Quest rewards (''Wanted: Stink-Lizards'' and ''River Drake Hunt'') || 700 || || 5,042
|-
| 25/07/15 || Spellcasting expenses (''restoration'' *2 for Zaleem ibn Falam ) || || 2,560 || 2,482
|-
| 28/07/15 || Payment from Even-Tongued Yeong for a quest completed || 3,031.6 || || 5,513.6
|-
| 09/08/15 || Lonely tomb treasure (jewellery, valuables, masterwork items) || 4,732.5 || || 10,246.1
|-
| 18/08/15 || Disbursal of 1,300 gp to each of 7 PCs || || 9,100 || 1,146.1
|-
| 06/09/15 || Greentongue ogre treasure (coins, valuables, masterwork items) || 7,011.83 || || 8,157.93
|-
| 19/09/15 || Withdrawal of 720gp for horses and sundry || || 720 || 7,437.93
|-
| 17/10/15 || Purchased new horses to replace previous ones || || 389 || 7,048.93
|-
| 17/10/15 || Looted body || 169.5 || || 7,218.43
|-
| 31/10/15 || Scribed scrolls of Delay Poison || || 300 || 6,918.43
|-
| 14/11/15 || Gems from the overgrown ruin || 1,150 || || 8,068.43
|-
| 29/11/15 || Payment from Lady Joo-Yun || 2,500 || || 10,568.43
|-
| 09/01/16 || Various items commissioned from Erudite Cheon-Jae || || 9,100 || 1,468.43
|-
| 23/02/16 || Terrible Demesne treasure (valuables, masterwork items, ''bracers of armour +1'') || 7,726.5 || || 9,194.93
|-
| 08/03/16 || Session 29, withdrawal for general expenses || || 4,000 || 5,194.93
|-
| 08/03/16 || Session 29, coins, gems, and valuables found and sold || 1,958.52 || || 7,153.45
|-
| 19/03/16 || Session 30, withdrawal for spell purchases || || 890 || '''6,263.45'''
|}

[[Category:Lost_Province]]

The Golden Khanate of Cogistan

2016-03-27T15:20:40Z

Gavin: /* Maps */

Founded in the year 739 of the Imperial Calendar, the Golden Khanate of Cogistan is the PCs' kingdom and the focus of the [[The_Lost_Province | Lost Province]] campaign.

==Cogistan==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Category !! Economy !! Loyalty !! Stability !! Consumption !! BP
|-
| '''Government''' || 24 || 24 || 25 || ||
|-
| '''Terrain''' || 13 || || 20 || -2 || 21
|-
| '''Settlements''' || 28 || 35 || 25 || ||
|-
| '''Edicts''' || 8 || 2 || 1 || 2 ||
|-
| '''Alignment''' || 2 || || 2 || ||
|-
| '''Reserve Armies''' || || || || 2 ||
|-
| '''Misc. Modifiers''' || || || 2 || ||
|-
| '''Events''' || || || || ||
|-
| '''Total''' || '''75''' || '''61''' || '''75''' || '''2''' || '''21'''
|}

'''Alignment:''' LN

'''Size:''' 36

'''Settlements (grids):''' 3

'''Control DC:''' 59

'''Current Unrest:''' 0

'''Current Treasury''': 60 BP

{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable"
|-
! Turn* !! Date !! BP !! Unrest !! Size !! Settlements
|-
| 1 || 739 Resplendent Air || ? || 0 || 1 || 0
|-
| 2 || 739 Descending Air || ? || 0 || 1 || 0
|-
| 3 || 739 Ascending Water || ? || 0 || 1 || 1
|-
| 4 || 739 Resplendent Water || 13 || 0 || 1 || 1
|-
| 5 || 739 Descending Water || 14 || 0 || 2 || 1
|-
| 6 || 740 Ascending Earth || 16 || 0 || 3 || 1
|-
| 7 || 740 Resplendent Earth || 23 || 0 || 4 || 1
|-
| 8 || 740 Descending Earth || 29 || 0 || 5 || 1
|-
| 9 || 740 Ascending Fire || 20 || 0 || 5 || 1
|-
| 10 || 740 Resplendent Fire || 29 || 0 || 6 || 2
|-
| 11 || 740 Descending Fire || 19 || 0 || 7 || 2
|-
| 12 || 740 Ascending Air || 34 || 0 || 8 || 2
|-
| 13 || 740 Resplendent Air || 21 || 2 || 9 || 2
|-
| 14 || 740 Descending Air || 35 || 1 || 10 || 2
|-
| 15 || 740 Ascending Water || 23 || 0 || 11 || 2
|-
| 16 || 740 Resplendent Water || 31 || 0 || 13 || 2
|-
| 17 || 740 Descending Water || 35 || 2 || 13 || 2
|-
| 18 || 741 Ascending Earth || 28 || 2 || 13 || 2
|-
| 19 || 741 Resplendent Earth || 35 || 0 || 15 || 2
|-
| 20 || 741 Descending Earth || 34 || 1 || 17 || 2
|-
| 21 || 741 Ascending Fire || 46 || 0 || 19 || 2
|-
| 22 || 741 Resplendent Fire || 37 || 0 || 21 || 3
|-
| 23 || 741 Descending Fire || 40 || 0 || 23 || 3
|-
| 24 || 741 Ascending Air || 38 || 0 || 25 || 3
|-
| 25 || 741 Resplendent Air || 49 || 0 || 27 || 3
|-
| 26 || 741 Descending Air || 65 || 0 || 30 || 3
|-
| 27 || 741 Ascending Water || 47 || 0 || 33 || 3
|-
| 28 || 741 Resplendent Water || 60 || 0 || 36 || 3
|}
*Note that the initial hex claim took place in 739 Ascending Air, technically 'turn zero' but not a full kingdom turn.

===Miscellaneous Modifiers, Permanent Bonuses and Penalties===

'''Resplendent Air 740:''' Completion of the quest ''Big Neighbours, Bad News'' imparts a permanent +2 bonus to Stability.

==Government==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Kingdom Role !! Appointed !! Bonus(es) !! Trait/Preferred/Misc !! Skill/ Leadership !! Economy !! Loyalty !! Stability
|-
| Ruler || Still Mi Soon || +4 Cha +5 Wis || Destined For Greatness || +1 || 10 || - || 10
|-
| Consort || Vacant || - || - || - || - || - || -
|-
| Councilor || Jo-Cham Tenghen || +1 Wis || - || - || - || 1 || -
|-
| General || Qiao || +2 Str || Preferred Role || - || - || - || 3
|-
| Grand Diplomat || Impudent Zhi || +4 Cha || - || +1 || - || - || 5
|-
| Heir || Aydaas Tenghen || +2 Cha (halved) || Noble Born || - || - || 1 || 2
|-
| High Priest || Mantrik Rawi Sadhuku || +3 Cha || Preferred Role || +1 || - || - || 5
|-
| Magister || Alabaster Lily || +4 Cha || Preferred Role || - || 5 || - || -
|-
| Marshal || Zaleem Ibn Falan || +4 Dex || Stranger in a Strange Land || - || 5 || || -
|-
| Royal Enforcer || Yulyeong-Ui Balam || +5 Dex || - || - || - || 5 || -
|-
| Spymaster || Honest Hyang-Yu || +4 Dex || Bounty Hunter || +2 || - || 8 || -
|-
| Treasurer || Boom || +4 Int || Disenfranchised || - || 4 || - || -
|-
| Warden || Statuesque Un-Suk || +5 Str +4 Con || Destined For Greatness || - || - || 9 || -
|-
| Viceroy || Vacant || - || - || - || - || - || -
|-
| Viceroy || Vacant || - || - || - || - || - || -
|-
| '''Total''' || - || - || - || - || '''24''' || '''24''' || '''25'''
|}

==Terrain==
Location coordinates are east-west and then north-south (taking the NW, NE, NW, wiggle starting from Crumbling Tower).

{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable"
|-
! Improvement !! Location !! Economy !! Loyalty !! Stability !! Consumption !! BP !! Other || Turn
|-
| Claimed hex || 0,0 || || || || 1 || || || 0
|-
| Sawmill || 0,0 || || || 1 || || 1 || || 2
|-
| Settlement || 0,0 || || || || 1 || || Crumbling Tower || 3
|-
| Canal || 0,0 || || || || || || || 8
|-
| Road || 0,0 || 1/4 || || 1/8 || || || || 20
|-
| Claimed hex || 0,1 || || || || 1 || || || 5
|-
| Quarry || 0,1 || || || 1 || || 1 || || 5
|-
| Claimed hex || -1,0 || || || || 1 || || || 6
|-
| Canal || -1,0 || || || || || || || 6
|-
| Farm || -1,0 || || || || -3 || || Stockyard || 6
|-
| Claimed hex || 0,2 || || || || 1 || || || 7
|-
| Resource || 0,2 || 1 || || || || || || -
|-
| Lair || 0,2 || || || 1 || || || || -
|-
| Mine || 0,2 || 3 || || || || 3 || Foundry (Crumbling Tower, A5-A6) || 7
|-
| Road || 0,2 || 1/4 || || 1/8 || || || || 20
|-
| Claimed hex || -2,0 || || || || 1 || || || 8
|-
| River || -2,0 || 1/4 || || 1/8 || || || || -
|-
| Farm || -2,0 || || || || -3 || || Stockyard || 8
|-
| Watchtower || -2,0 || || || 1 || || || Defence +2 || 15
|-
| Claimed hex || -1,-1 || || || || 1 || || || 10
|-
| Farm || -1,-1 || || || || -3 || || Stockyard || 10
|-
| Settlement || -1,-1 || || || || 1 || || Gachug/Slaughtertown || 10
|-
| Canal || -1,-1 || || || || || || || 26
|-
| Claimed hex || -2,-1 || || || || 1 || || || 11
|-
| River || -2,-1 || 1/4 || || 1/8 || || || || -
|-
| Farm || -2,-1 || || || || -3 || || Stockyard || 11
|-
| Claimed hex || 1,1 || || || || 1 || || || 12
|-
| Sawmill || 1,1 || || || 1 || || 1 || || 12
|-
| Road || 1,1 || 1/4 || || 1/8 || || || || 20
|-
| Claimed hex || -2,-2 || || || || 1 || || || 13
|-
| Farm || -2,-2 || || || || -3 || || Stockyard || 13
|-
| Claimed hex || -1,-2 || || || || 1 || || || 14
|-
| Farm || -1,-2 || || || || -3 || || Stockyard || 14
|-
| Claimed hex || -1,1 || || || || 1 || || || 15
|-
| Quarry || -1,1 || || || 1 || || 1 || || 15
|-
| Claimed hex || 1,2 || || || || 1 || || || 16
|-
| Sawmill || 1,2 || || || 1 || || 1 || || 16
|-
| Watchtower || 1,2 || || || 1 || || || Defence +2 || 18
|-
| Claimed hex || 2,1 || || || || 1 || || || 16
|-
| River || 2,1 || 1/4 || || 1/8 || || || || -
|-
| Sawmill || 2,1 || || || 1 || || 1 || || 16
|-
| Claimed hex || 1,3 || || || || 1 || || || 19
|-
| Sawmill || 1,3 || || || 1 || || 1 || || 19
|-
| Road || 1,3 || 1/4 || || 1/8 || || || || 21
|-
| Claimed hex || 0,3 || || || || 1 || || || 19
|-
| Mine || 0,3 || 1 || || || || 1 || || 19
|-
| Claimed hex || 0,4 || || || || 1 || || || 20
|-
| Sawmill || 0,4 || || || 1 || || 1 || || 21
|-
| Claimed hex || -1,3 || || || || 1 || || || 20
|-
| River || -1,3 || 1/4 || || 1/8 || || || || -
|-
| Farm || -1,3 || || || || -2 || || || 26
|-
| Claimed hex || 0,5 || || || || 1 || || || 21
|-
| River || 0,5 || 1/4 || || 1/8 || || || || -
|-
| Farm || 0,5 || || || || -3 || || || 22
|-
| Claimed hex || 1,4 || || || || 1 || || || 21
|-
| Road || 1,4 || 1/4 || || 1/8 || || || || 21
|-
| Canal || 1,4 || || || || || || || 27
|-
| Claimed hex || 1,5 || || || || 1 || || || 22
|-
| Road || 1,5 || 1/4 || || 1/8 || || || || 22
|-
| Canal || 1,5 || || || || || || || 27
|-
| Farm || 1,5 || || || || -2 || || || 28
|-
| Claimed hex || -1,6 || || || || 1 || || || 22
|-
| River || -1,6 || 1/4 || || 1/8 || || || || -
|-
| Settlement || -1,6 || || || || 1 || || Xin Jihui || -
|-
| Farm || -1,6 || || || || -3 || || || 22
|-
| Road || -1,6 || 1/4 || || 1/8 || || || || 24
|-
| Claimed hex || 0,6 || || || || 1 || || || 23
|-
| Farm || 0,6 || || || || -3 || || || 23
|-
| Road || 0,6 || 1/4 || || 1/8 || || || || 23
|-
| Claimed hex || 0,7 || || || || 1 || || || 23
|-
| River || 0,7 || 1/4 || || 1/8 || || || || -
|-
| Farm || 0,7 || || || || -3 || || || 23
|-
| Claimed hex || 1,0 || || || || 1 || || || 24
|-
| River || 1,0 || 1/4 || || 1/8 || || || || -
|-
| Sawmill || 1,0 || || || 1 || || 1 || || 24
|-
| Claimed hex || 1,-1 || || || || 1 || || || 24
|-
| Mine || 1,-1 || 1 || || || || 1 || || 24
|-
| Claimed hex || 1,-2 || || || || 1 || || || 25
|-
| Farm || 1,-2 || || || || -3 || || || 25
|-
| Claimed hex || 0,-1 || || || || 1 || || || 25
|-
| Resource || 0,-1 || 1 || || || || || || -
|-
| Sawmill || 0,-1 || || || 2 || || 2 || || 25
|-
| Claimed hex || -2,2 || || || || 1 || || || 26
|-
| Farm || -2,2 || || || || -2 || || || 26
|-
| Claimed hex || -2,1 || || || || 1 || || || 26
|-
| Farm || -2,1 || || || || -2 || || || 26
|-
| Claimed hex || -1,2 || || || || 1 || || || 26
|-
| Mine || -1,2 || 1 || || || || 1 || || 26
|-
| Claimed hex || 2,2 || || || || 1 || || || 27
|-
| River || 2,2 || 1/4 || || 1/8 || || || || -
|-
| Sawmill || 2,2 || || || 1 || || 1 || || 27
|-
| Claimed hex || 2,3 || || || || 1 || || || 27
|-
| Canal || 2,3 || || || || || || || 27
|-
| Claimed hex || -1,4 || || || || 1 || || || 27
|-
| River || -1,4 || 1/4 || || 1/8 || || || || -
|-
| Claimed hex || 1,7 || || || || 1 || || || 28
|-
| Sawmill || 1,7 || || || 1 || || 1 || || 28
|-
| Claimed hex || 1,6 || || || || 1 || || || 28
|-
| Sawmill || 1,6 || || || 1 || || 1 || || 28
|-
| Claimed hex || 2,5 || || || || 1 || || || 28
|-
| Sawmill || 2,5 || || || 1 || || 1 || || 28
|-
| Total || || 13 || 0 || 20 || -2 || 21 ||
|}

==Settlements==
====Crumbling Tower====
The capital city of Cogistan, so named for the ruined tower that was once the only structure for miles around. Elections are to be held for the position of mayor; the National Optimisation Committee handles zoning and development. Current size is 1 settlement grid.
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable"
|-
! Improvement !! Location !! Economy !! Loyalty !! Stability !! Consumption !! BP !! Other !! Turn
|-
| Watchtower || C3 || || || 1 || || || Defence +2 || 3
|-
| Brewery (1) || D3 || || 1 || 1 || || || || 3
|-
| Theatre || C4-D4 (2 lots) || 2 || || 2 || || || || 4
|-
| Brewery (2) || E3 || || 1 || 1 || || || || 5
|-
| House (1) || C2 || || || || || || || 6
|-
| Monument || D5 || || 1 || || || || || 6
|-
| Inn || D2 (C2) || 1 || 1 || || || || Base value +500 gp || 7
|-
| House (2) || E4 || || || || || || || 7
|-
| Tavern || E5 (E4) || 1 || 1 || || || || Base value +500 gp || 8
|-
| Noble Villa || C1-D1 (2 lots; E1) || 1 || 1 || 1 || || || || 9
|-
| Smithy || E2 || 1 || || 1 || || || || 10
|-
| Mint || B2 || 3 || 3 || 1 || || || || 13
|-
| Jail || D6 || || 2 || 2 || || || || 15
|-
| House || B6 (B5) || || || || || || || 15
|-
| "Dance Hall" || B5 (B6) || 1 || 2 || || || || || 16
|-
| House || B3 (A3) || || || || || || || 16
|-
| Library || F4 || 1 || 1 || || || || || 16
|-
| House || A1 (A2) || || || || || || || 18
|-
| Shrine || F3 || || 1 || || || || Leng Eryu || 18
|-
| Monument || B1 || || 1 || || || || || 18
|-
| Exotic Artisan (1,A1)|| A2 || 1 || || 1 || || || || 19
|-
| Exotic Artisan (2,B3)|| A3 || 1 || || 1 || || || || 19
|-
| Foundry || A5-A6 (2 lots) || 1 || || 1 || || || Mine (0,2) || 20
|-
| Pier || E6 || 1 || || 1 || || || Base value +1,000 gp || 20
|-
| Stable || E1 (C1-D1)|| 1 || 1 || || || || Base value +500 gp || 21
|-
| Park || C5 || || 1 || || || || || 25
|-
| Shrine || F5 || || 1 || || || || Parasra Vrani || 25
|-
| Smithy || A4 || 1 || || 1 || || || || 27
|-
| Mill || C6 || 1 || || 1 || || || || 27
|-
| House || F1 (F2) || || || || || || || 28
|-
| Luxury Store || F2 (F1) || 1 || || || || || Base value +2,000 gp || 28
|-
| Brewery (3) || B4 || || 1 || 1 || || || || 28
|-
| Total || 34 || 19 || 20 || 17 || || || Base value 4,000 gp (4,500 gp) ||
|}

{|
|-
| || A || B || C || D || E || F
|-
| 1 || [[File:House.png]] || [[File:Monument.png]] ||colspan="2"| [[File:Noble Villa.png]] || [[File:Stable.png]] || [[File:House.png]]
|-
| 2 || [[File:Exotic Artisan.png]] || [[File:Mint.png]] || [[File:House.png]] || [[File:Inn.png]] || [[File:Smithy.png]] || [[File:Luxury_Store.png]]
|-
| 3 || [[File:Exotic Artisan.png]] || [[File:House.png]] || [[File:Watchtower.png]] || [[File:Brewery.png]] || [[File:Brewery.png]] || [[File:Shrine.png]]
|-
| 4 || [[File:Smithy.png]] || [[File:Brewery.png]] ||colspan="2"| [[File:Theatre.png]] || [[File:House.png]] || [[File:Library.png]]
|-
| 5 ||rowspan="2"| [[File:FoundryV.png]]|| [[File:Dance Hall.png]] || [[File:Park.png]] || [[File:Monument.png]] || [[File:Tavern.png]] || [[File:Shrine.png]]
|-
| 6 || [[File:House.png]] || [[File:MillD.png]] || [[File:Jail.png]] || [[File:PierI.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]]
|}

=====Magic Items in Crumbling Tower=====
'''Shrine (Leng Eryu):''' (1 minor potion, scroll, or wondrous item) ''potion of endure elements'', CL 1st

'''Exotic Artisan:''' (1 minor ring, wand, or wondrous item) ''wand of comprehend languages'', CL 1st

'''Exotic Artisan:''' (1 minor ring, wand, or wondrous item) ''ring of feather falling''

'''Shrine (Parasra Vrani):''' (1 minor potion, scroll, or wondrous item) ''brooch of shielding''

'''Luxury Store:''' (2 minor rings, wands, or wondrous items) none

====Gachug====
Cogistan's second city and breadbasket. Because it is economically dominated by a stockyard, it is sometimes nick-named "Slaughtertown". Boom currently serves as mayor. Current size is 1 settlement grid.
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable"
|-
! Improvement !! Location !! Economy !! Loyalty !! Stability !! Consumption !! BP !! Other !! Turn
|-
| Stockyard || A3-B4 (4 lots) || 1 || || -1 || || || Adjacent farms +50% efficiency || 11
|-
| University || E3-F4 (4 lots) || 3 || 3 || || || || || 12/22/27
|-
| Tannery || A5 || 1 || || 1 || || || || 14
|-
| House || D3 || || || || || || || 14
|-
| Jail || A2 || || 2 || 2 || || || || 17
|-
| Park || E2 || || 1 || || || || || 17
|-
| House || E5 || || || || || || || 17
|-
| Barracks || B2 || || || || || || Defence +2 || 22
|-
| House || F2 || || || || || || || 22
|-
| Inn || D4 || 1 || 1 || || || || Base value +500 gp || 25
|-
| Pier || A6 || 1 || || 1 || || || Base value +1,000 gp || 26
|-
| Military Academy || ? (2 lots) || || 2 || 1 || || || || 27
|-
| Total || 19 || 7 || 9 || 4 || || || Base value 1,500 gp
|}

{|
|-
| || A || B || C || D || E || F
|-
| 1 || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]]
|-
| 2 || [[File:Jail.png]] || [[File:Barracks.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:Park.png]] || [[File:House.png]]
|-
| 3 ||rowspan="2" colspan="2"| [[File:Stockyard.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:House.png]] ||rowspan="2" colspan="2"| [[File:University.png]]
|-
| 4 || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:Inn.png]]
|-
| 5 || [[File:Tannery.png]]|| [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:House.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]]
|-
| 6 || [[File:PierI.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]]
|}
=====Magic Items in Gachug=====
'''University:''' (4 minor scrolls** or wondrous items, 2 medium scrolls or wondrous items) arcane scroll of ''jump'', CL 1st; divine scroll of ''zone of truth'', CL 3rd

'''Military Academy:''' (1 minor armour, shield*, or weapon, 1 medium armour, shield, or weapon) ''+1 heavy steel shield''

====Xin Jihui====
Founded in IY 681 as an Imperial penal colony, Xin Jihui village was cut off from the Empire and remained isolated until rediscovered and annexed by the Khanate of Cogistan in IY 741. After Erudite Cheon-Jae's brief tenure as mayor of Xin Jihui, Elder Cho-Yeul Kwan is the interim authority in the town, by the Khanum's grant of the ''injang'' ring recovered from Wu Feng's demesne. Current size is 1 settlement grid.
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable"
|-
! Improvement !! Location !! Economy !! Loyalty !! Stability !! Consumption !! BP !! Other !! Turn
|-
| House || E5 (E4) || || || || || || || When annexed
|-
| Tavern || E5 (E4) || 1 || 1 || || || || Base value +500 gp || When annexed
|-
| House || F3 (F4) || || || || || || || When annexed
|-
| Herbalist || F4 (F3) || || 1 || 1 || || || || When annexed
|-
| Jail || E3 || || || || || || Ruin || When annexed
|-
| Garrison || E2-F2 (2 lots) || || 2 || 2 || || || || 24 (restored from ruin)
|-
| Stockyard || C1-D2 || 1 || || -1 || || || Adjacent farms +50% efficiency || 23
|-
| Brewery || E1 || || 1 || 1 || || || || 24
|-
| Orphanage || B6 || || || 1 || || || || 25
|-
| Park || A6 || || 1 || || || || || 25
|-
| Total || 13 || 2 || 6 || 4 || || || Base value 500 gp
|}

{|
|-
| || A || B || C || D || E || F
|-
| 1 || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] ||colspan="2" rowspan="2"| [[File:Stockyard.png]] || [[File:Brewery.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]]
|-
| 2 || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] ||colspan="2"| [[File:Garrison.png]]
|-
| 3 || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || Jail (Ruin) || [[File:House.png]]
|-
| 4 || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:Tavern.png]] || [[File:Herbalist.png]]
|-
| 5 || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:House.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]]
|-
| 6 || [[File:Park.png]] || [[File:Orphanage.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]] || [[File:PHEmptyLot.png]]
|}
=====Magic Items in Xin Jihui=====
'''Herbalist:''' (1 minor potion or wondrous item) ''potion of delay poison'', CL 4th

====Summary of bonuses from all settlements====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Settlement !! Location !! Economy !! Loyalty !! Stability !! Consumption !! BP !! Other
|-
| Crumbling Tower || 0,0 || 19 || 20 || 17 || || || Capital
|-
| Gachug/Slaughtertown || -1, -1 || 7 || 9 || 4 || || ||
|-
| Xin Jihui || -1, 6 || 2 || 6 || 4 || || ||
|-
| Total || || 28 || 35 || 25 || ||
|}

==Edicts==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|'''Edict''' || '''Level''' || '''Economy''' || '''Loyalty''' || '''Stability''' || '''Consumption'''
|-
|'''Holiday''' || 1 per year || || 1 || || 1
|-
|'''Promotion'''|| Token || || || 1 || 1
|-
|'''Taxation''' || None || 0 || 1 || ||
|-
|'''Trade''' || || 8 || || ||
|-
|'''Total''' || || 8 || 2 || 1 || 2
|}

===Trade Routes===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! City of Origin !! Destination !! Type !! TRL !! RM !! LM !! IM || Successes !! Economy !! Established !! Expires
|-
| Crumbling Tower || Zhidon Crossing || - || 6 || 1 || 2 || 1 || 3 || 3* || Resplendent Air 741 || Resplendent Air 742
|-
| Gachug || Hwanghon Bu || - || 8 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 3 || 5* || Descending Air 741 || Descending Air 742
|}
* Note that this trade route's bonus to Economy is 1 greater than typical due to the ''Stranger in a Strange Land'' campaign trait.

==Major NPCs==
With more available leadership roles than PCs to fill them, the Khanate's government includes NPC followers. All major NPCs recruited as prospective government leaders are listed here, whether they're currently in a government role or not.

===Recruited NPCs===
These are the NPCs whom the PCs have successfully recruited to their cause.

====Jo-Cham Tenghen====
Human Ranger 4; Str 16, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 10; age 32 (Descending Earth)

'''Preferred Roles:''' General, Marshal, Royal Enforcer

'''Background:''' Jo-Cham is a member of the Tenghen family, a prominent clan among the nomadic herders native to the Far Province. His role in Zhidon Crossing was to keep an eye on the Tenghen family's local interests and to pay bounties on unusual or dangerous monsters that came to his clan's attention. Hearing of the PCs' intentions to found their own kingdom in the Lost Province, he threw his support behind this venture when the PCs sided with him over Nam-Kyu Kyeonggao in bringing the renegade mercenary Zhou-Ko of the Blazing Steel to justice.

'''Likes & Goals:''' Jo-Cham is an expansionist who wants to see the Khanate claim territory for the benefit of its people, his own house, and the Empire (in roughly that order). His discontent is reduced by 1 for every hex beyond the first claimed by the Khanate in any season.

'''Dislikes:''' In line with his expansionist leanings, Jo-Cham accrues discontent if too much time passes without the Khanate claiming additional territory. If two full seasons pass without any additional hexes being claimed, his discontent increases by 1. The claiming of the Khanate's founding hex does count for this; having claimed a hex already during the season of Air, Jo-Cham will begin to accrue discontent only if the seasons of Water and Earth pass without any further territory being claimed. It is likely that as the Khanate grows, Jo-Cham will have greater expectations for the rate at which the Khanate gains new territory.

'''Unique Trait:''' Jo-Cham Tenghen maintains strong connections to his family and a good reputation among local adventurers and bounty hunters, and can use these to the Khanate's advantage as long as he is not discontent. If the Khanate chooses to ''hire adventurers'' during the Event phase, you may first roll a Loyalty check; if this check is successful, the cost of hiring adventurers that turn is reduced by 1d4 BP. As with Jo-Cham's expectations that the Khanate will start to expand more quickly, this benefit is likely to improve as the Khanate grows.

====Qiao====
Human Warrior 4 (3); Str 14 (13), Dex 11, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 9; age 26 (Resplendent Fire)

'''Preferred Roles:''' General, Marshal, Royal Enforcer, Warden

'''Background:''' Qiao was a soldier in the Crimson Hawk mercenary detachment hired to defend Zhidon Crossing. She kept her head down and followed orders who Zhou-Ko of the Blazing Steel led the garrison in abandoning Zhidon Crossing and striking out into the Lost Province. Increasingly dissatisfied with events, she aided the PCs in subverting Zhou-Ko's leadership and was subsequently offered a place in the government of the Khanate. This is not a situation she expected to be in, nor a second chance she expected to receive.

'''Likes & Goals:''' Qiao is not particularly political and has few strong opinions on how the Khanate is run. Her goals are personal ones: she wishes to be respected, treated fairly, and dealt with honestly. Her discontent is reduced by 1 for ever full season which passes without the PCs acting in a manner that she dislikes.

'''Dislikes:''' Qiao dislikes being lied to, deceived, and disrespected, and accrues discontent if the PCs act in such a manner towards her.

'''Development:''' As of kingdom turn 27 (Ascending Water 741) Qiao has improved to Warrior 4.

====Alabaster Lily====
Half-Elf Oracle 4; Str 8, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 18; age 25 (Ascending Earth)

'''Preferred Roles:''' Consort, <strike>Heir,</strike> Magister (but see ''unique trait'' below)

'''Background:''' Alabaster Lily does her best to deflect efforts to pry too deeply into her background, although her good manners suggest at least a modest patrician upbringing. It's clear that, at the time you 'rescued' her from Smiling Jacinth's service, she was flattering his vanity and his whims, telling him what he wanted to hear, in order to stay on his good side. She is socially adaptable and values her own safety and comfort. She is also young, inexperienced, and a bit to fanciful for her own good, especially when it comes to the elven side of her heritage and elves in general.

'''Likes & Goals:''' Alabaster Lily wants the kingdom's leaders to be well-liked and is eager to pass edicts that increase Loyalty and Stability. She may, as an ''NPC Leader Request'' event rolled during the Event phase, advocate for the kingdom's holiday or promotion edicts to be increased. She expects these increases to persist for at least a year. Reduce Lily's discontent by 1 for every full season that passes with the holiday and promotion edicts maintained at her desired level, to a maximum of 4 per increase.

'''Dislikes:''' Alabaster Lily dislikes the thought of the kingdom's subjects enduring hardship. If a request to increase the holiday or promotions edicts is ''not'' acceded to, roll a Loyalty check; she accrues discontent on a failed check. If her request to increase the kingdom's holiday or promotions edicts is agreed to, but those edicts are reduced before a full year has passed, roll a Loyalty check; again, she accrues discontent on a failed check.

'''Unique Trait:''' ''Adaptable.'' Left to her own devices, Alabaster Lily would like nothing more than to imagine herself an elven princess, playing no more challenging a role in the kingdom's government than that of Consort or Heir. If you consider this a waste of her potential, then she can be placed in any non-favoured role and asked to learn that role. This process takes d8+4 months (kingdom turns; DM rolls secretly) during which her favoured role bonus does not apply and she additionally counts as discontent, taking a -1 penalty to her relevant attribute bonus (her actual discontent score remains zero). Once this process is completed she gains the role she has been performing as a favoured role, replacing one of her existing roles. She can do this twice. Only the Consort and Heir roles can be replaced in this way; she cannot learn one role and subsequently replace it.

====Chal Hwa====
Human (middle-aged) Expert 3; Str 7, Dex 8, Con 9, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 14; age 46 (Descending Fire)

'''Preferred Roles:''' Councillor

'''Background:''' Owner and proprietor of the Hwa Teahouse in Zhidon Crossing, Chal Hwa has travelled to the town of Crumbling tower with an eye to possibly relocating his business and family to the Khanate.

'''Likes & Goals:''' Chal Hwa likes peace, security, and stability. Reduce Chal's discontent by 1 for every full season that passes without his dislike being triggered, and by 1 for the construction of any building that improves the Defence of the settlement in which he and his family live.

'''Dislikes:''' Chal Hwa dislikes threats to his business and his family. Every settlement event which affects the settlement in which he and his family live, and which increases the kingdom's unrest, increases his discontent by a like amount.

'''Unique Trait:''' Chal Hwa reduces the cost of the first Inn built after his recruitment by one-half, if that Inn is located in a settlement with a positive Defence modifier and he is allowed to run the place as the 'new' Hwa Teahouse. If that settlement includes a building that provides a discount on Inn construction, Chal Hwa's involvement allows an Inn to be built for one-half of the discounted price.

====Jahta====
Half-elf Ranger 2; Str 12, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 13; age 35 (Ascending Water)

'''Preferred Roles:''' Marshal

'''Background:''' An outspoken hunter of Algolapatan heritage who maintains a small camp on the Gaur River about 50 miles north of Zhidon Crossing, Jahta might be considered the leader of the various hunters and trappers who make their living in this part of the Lost Province.

'''Likes & Goals:''' Jahta likes the forest and likes to see the PCs' kingdom add forest hexes to its territory. Reduce Jahta's discontent by 1 for every three hexes of forest that the kingdom claims.

'''Dislikes:''' Jahta is a huntress who dislikes the intrusion of civilisation into the wilderness. Jahta begins to accrue discontent if the kingdom builds a Sawmill terrain improvement; a Highway terrain improvement in a forest hex; or if any Settlement in a forest hex grows beyond 8 lots in size (beyond a population of 2,000 or the "small town" settlement size category).

'''Unique Trait:''' As long as Jahta is in a preferred leadership role, the kingdom's Economy increases by 1 for every 5 forest hexes it controls.

====Mantrik Rawi Sadhuku====
Gnome (middle-aged) Cleric 7 (Parasra Vrani); Str 11, Dex 11, Con 9, Intelligence 11, Wisdom 17, Charisma 16; age 119 (Resplendent Air)

'''Preferred Roles:''' Councilor, High Priest

'''Relevant Skills:''' (5+ ranks) Knowledge (religion)

'''Background:''' Rawi Sadhuku is a Mantrik (scholar-priest) of Parasra Vrani from the Malkapuran city-state of Adwarat. He and his followers were expelled from Adwarat on the orders of Sardar Nandan following the death of one of the Sardar's favoured consorts. Mantrik Sadhuku led the pilgrims of Parasra Vrani into the Lost Province following rumours of the Golden Khanate, and arrived in Crumbling Tower in Ascending Water of IY 740.

'''Likes and Goals:''' Mantrik Sadhuku seeks to follow the teachings of the Charnel Merchant in peace, and wants the pilgrims who followed him to be allowed to worship freely. If acts of vile necromancy cause him to accrue discontent, the construction of religious buildings may appease him.

'''Dislikes:''' ''Vile necromancy.'' Always a devout follower of Parasra Vrani, the events that led to Mantrik Sadhuku's expulsion from Adwarat have further soured him on vile necromantic magic. He accrues discontent when acts of vile necromancy, such as casting ''animate dead'', are performed within the Khanate, or by its citizens, with the knowledge and permission of the kingdom's leaders. He accrues discontent more quickly if these acts are performed or directed by the Khanate's leaders themselves.

'''Unique Trait:''' ''Funereal evangelist.'' As a devout follower of Parasra Vrani, Mantrik Sadhuku knows how to propitiate the dead and put unquiet spirits to rest. Should one of your kingdom leaders die, Mantrik Sadhuku may commune with the deceased leader's spirit to discern their final wishes and aid their passage to their next incarnation. This negates the vacancy penalty for that leader's role during the kingdom turn immediately following their death. If multiple kingdom leaders are killed in the same turn, Mantrik Sadhuku may only negate one vacancy penalty in this way; you may choose which leader's spirit he communes with. This ''only'' negates the vacancy penalty; any modifiers to kingdom attributes from the deceased leader's ability score modifier, skill ranks, campaign trait, and/or Leadership feat are lost as normal. Note that a character whose spirit has been put to rest in this way will reincarnate quickly into a new existence, and is beyond the reach of ''reincarnate'' or ''raise dead'' spells.

===Prospective NPCs===
These are the NPCs whom the PCs are interested in recruiting, or who have expressed their own interest in joining the Khanate.

====Lady Sae Joo-Yun====
Though the PCs declined Lady Joo-Yun's offer to join their government, preferring instead her aid in establishing a university, she remains in the Khanate as a noble guest and a potential source of information.

==Timeline==
'''Imperial Year (IY) 739, Ascending Air 6:''' Founding of the Kingdom of Cogistan.

'''IY 739, Ascending Water:''' Founding of the settlement of Crumbling Tower.

'''IY 739, Resplendent Water:''' Population of Crumbling Tower reaches 1,000.

'''IY 740, Descending Fire:''' Founding of the settlement of Gachug, also known as Slaughtertown.

'''IY 740, Ascending Water:''' Population of Crumbling Tower reaches 4,000.

'''IY 741, Resplendent Fire:''' Annexation of the village of Xin Jihui.

==Maps==

[[Image:LostProvinceLg28_1600.jpg|600px|thumb|left|Full map of the Lost Province @ turn 28, session 30]]

[[Image:LostProvinceLocal28_Upload.png|400px|thumb|left|Local map of Cogistan and its environs @ turn 28, session 30]]

===Places Explored===
'''1: Jahta's Camp.''' Base of operations for the ranger Jahta and several other hunters and trappers in the Lost Province.

'''2: Ruined Mill & Weir.''' This is the centre of the area where Even-Tongued Yeong directed the PCs to begin their exploration of the Lost Province. A knowledgeable engineer might want to take a look at the ruin...

'''3: Crumbling Tower.''' The Khanate's first city and current capital. So named for the formerly ruined watchtower, once occupied by “cannibals,” put to the sword in a vicious melee in which Clever Cog was slain.

'''4: Unknown Hobgoblin's Camp.''' He didn't last very long.

'''5: Wounded Megatherium.''' The “beast” sought by the PCs on one of their quests.

'''6: Crimson Hawk Camp.''' After the Crimson Hawk detachment hired to protect Zhidon Crossing turned renegade, this is where they set up camp. Partially burned by Mr. Dokkaebi and dismantled by the surviving mercenaries.

'''7: Bamboo Thickets.''' The thick bamboo growth in this hex makes it an especially attractive site for a future sawmill. It is considered a ''resource''.

'''8: Ogre's Lair.''' An isolated cave formerly inhabited by a single ogre.

'''9: Ruined Mansion.''' An ancient, ruined mansion, formerly the lair of the outlaw Smiling Jacinth and his cronies.

'''10: Ghoul's Lair.''' Hidden in a riverbank, these flooded caves were the lair of a giant ghoul.

'''11: Hyaenodon Lair.''' This grisly burrow was once the den of a bloodthirsty dire hyena.

'''12: River Drake's Nest.''' A river drake once made its lair on an island in the middle of the Gaur River here, until it was chased off (and its hoard looted) by adventurers from Cogistan.

'''13: Embertongue Mine.''' A productive salt mine, now that the Khanate has claimed it and ousted the Embertongue kobolds that once made their lair here.

'''14: Ruined Bridge.''' It's clear that a bridge once spanned the rivers here, but only its stone pilings remain, protruding in a line above the sluggishly coursing waters.

'''15: The Lonely Tomb.''' Rumours brought this isolated mausoleum to the party's attention. Thoroughly looted, though the ultimate fate of the three sisters entombed within remains uncertain.

'''16: Shrine to River Eye.''' Once defiled and long ago the site of a presumed massacre. The shrine has been cleansed.

'''17: Troglodyte Lair.''' A small tribe of troglodytes once laired here in a network of caves above the Gaur River. Maybe the air will have cleared by the time the Khanate's reach extends far enough to claim this hex.

'''18: Gachug/Slaughtertown.''' This town (its name is a matter of ongoing dispute) is Cogistan's breadbasket. Prior to its founding, the most noteworthy thing locally was a krenshar den.

'''19: Ebon Peck's Nest.''' The nest of a once-notorious local pest, the axe beak Ebon Peck. Put to the sword by adventurers.

'''20: Ogre Hovel.''' This imposing stone structure and adjacent plot of farmland were once home to the Greentongue tribe of ogres. The champions of Cogistan vanquished them in late IY 740. Now informally claimed by the Khanate as a lodge for the use of well-intentioned travellers.

'''21: Vodyanoi Hermit.''' Sashi, the mutilated vodyanoi rescued from the dungeon of the Greentongue ogres, and his grandfather, Ut-Nam, dwell here.

'''22: Stone Bridge.''' An intact stone bridge spanning the Bitter Water. Its scale and construction suggest it was built by larger-than-human masons.

'''23: Goblin Lair.''' A small cave network once used as a lair by goblin raiders who made themselves a nuisance to both the Khanate and Zhidon Crossing. The goblins were driven out by adventurers and the caves are currently unoccupied as far as anyone knows.

'''24: The Unfortunate Myung-Un.''' Here the party found the remains of a hunter who had been investigating the Khanate at the behest of a mysterious 'H.' before running afoul of the jaws of hyaenodons.

'''25: Basking Rock.''' This large rocky pile, jutting from the surrounding swampland, was once home to a fierce pair of fat-tailed monitor lizard alphas.

'''26: Star-Marked Ruin.''' This overgrown ruin, once inhabited by dire apes and protected by a guardian daemon, is the 'star-marked ruin' long sought by Lady Sae Joo-Yun.

'''27: Remains of a Palisade.''' The dilapidated remnants of earthen and wooden fortifications indicate that an encampment or fort once stood here.

'''28: Xin Jihui Village.''' This village is all that remains of a penal colony established by the Empire some 60 years ago. Its name means ''New Hope'' or ''Second Chance''.

'''29: Jinhong Gang.''' The capital city of the Honnangal Freehold. Its name means ''Crimson River''.

'''30: Wu Feng's Mansion.''' Once the home of the evil wizard Wu Feng. Yet to be explored, believed to lie at least partially in ruins.

'''31: Hwanghon Bu.''' A new city founded by the Honnangal Freehold. Its name means ''Twilight Brings Wealth''.

'''32: Taeyang Mun.''' A minor settlement of the Honnangal Freehold in the far east of its territory. Its name means ''Gate of the Rising Sun''.

'''33: Savage Elf Ruins.''' The original purpose of this ruined structure is impossible to discern. Its materials were salvaged for the building of the longhouse inhabited by the hill giant Ju Shan and his forlarren companion; the longhouse has been burned, and the two have fled to parts unknown.

'''34: Citadel Do Jaan.''' The capital of the Dominion of Do Jaan, as yet unexplored.

'''35: Ironlord Mine.''' A mine built upon an especially rich vein of iron ore, controlled by the Dominion of Do Jaan and operated by the Ironlord ogres.

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Lost Province House Rules

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Gavin: /* Trade Edicts (Rewrite/House Rules) (updated 27/01/2016) (2ND DRAFT) */ Updated to 3rd draft

The ''Lost Province'' campaign makes use of rules for [http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/other-rules/exploration-and-movement-sandbox exploration] and [http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/other-rules/kingdom-building kingdom-building] first laid out in ''Kingmaker'' and later updated in ''Ultimate Campaign'' and the online ''Pathfinder'' SRD. Deviations from those rules, and any other related house rules, are given here.

===Material In Use===
The ''Lost Province'' campaign uses some material beyond the ''Core Rulebook,'' but not everything in the [http://www.d20pfsrd.com/home Pathfinder SRD] will be available. Consider this a 'master list' of material in use and allowed - I hope not to have to update this unless I've overlooked something significant and obvious. If in doubt, please ask!

'''Pathfinder Core Rulebook:''' It's the ''Core Rulebook;'' everything in here is okay for play.

'''Advanced Player's Guide:''' Most of the additional material in the ''APG'' will be in use and okay for play. Traits will be in use; hero points will not.

'''Advanced Race Guide:''' Additional races as noted in [[Races of the Phoenix Empire]], and expanded options for core races. The exception to this is anything that references material from ''Ultimate Combat'' or ''Ultimate Magic'' - these books will not be in use, and character options that depend on material from these sources should be avoided.

'''Ultimate Campaign:''' As noted above, the exploration and kingdom-building rules. There probably won't be any call to use the other rules and subsystems and I would prefer to avoid making things any more complicated than is already the case.

===Hex Size===
Kingmaker describes each hex as measuring 12 miles between opposite corners and covering "just under 150 square miles of area," which doesn't ''quite'' add up. Ultimate Campaign and the SRD maintain the figure of 12 miles from corner to corner, and correct the area of each hex to just under 95 square miles.

The ''Lost Province'' campaign instead uses hexes that measure 12 miles from the centre of one edge to the centre of the opposite edge (or from the centre of one hex to the centre of any adjacent hex) and which cover an area just under 125 square miles each. There are a few reasons for this:

1) Edge-to-edge and centre-to-centre distances are more useful than corner-to-corner distances when handling exploration and travel;

2) The travel times listed in ''Ultimate Campaign'' and the SRD are more consistent with hexes of this size than those which are 12 miles corner-to-corner (closer to 10.5 miles edge-to-edge);

3) Many calculations involving area become easier with hexes of 125 square miles rather than 95 square miles.

Some approximate points of reference or comparison include:

''8 hexes = 1,000 sq. miles:'' the size of Luxembourg.

''77 hexes = 9,625 sq. miles:'' one ''Kingmaker'' wilderness map. The size of Macedonia.

''241 hexes = 30,125 sq. miles:'' total area of the ''Lost Province'' campaign map. The size of Scotland or the Czech Republic.

''308 hexes = 38,500 sq. miles:'' all four ''Kingmaker'' wilderness maps. The size of South Korea.

===Hex Claims and 'Border Patrols' (added 16/12/2015)===
Although the PCs can find out what lies within a hex by exploring it, and can befriend, defeat, or otherwise deal with any creatures or dangers there in preparation for later claiming that hex for their kingdom, their knowledge of any given hex is only as up-to-date as their most recent foray into that hex, unless an exploration edict has traversed it, rumours from other travellers within that hex have reached them, or they have some other way of knowing about events there.

Claimed hexes can 'see' into adjacent unclaimed hexes and are aware of certain events in those hexes - for example, if a monster or a group of NPCs overtly occupies a vacant site (such as a ruin or lair) within that hex, or if a rival kingdom lays claim to it. Assume that local settlers are keeping watch over their own lands and a little ways beyond, that soldiers within that hex at a structure such as a Watchtower or Barracks are patrolling the kingdom's borders, etc.

With this in mind, within any kingdom turn the PCs' kingdom can only claim hexes that are adjacent to those controlled by the kingdom at the start of its turn, i.e. those hexes whose contents are known because they can be 'seen' from within a controlled hex. It is not possible to claim a hex 2 or more hexes away from controlled territory - events may have transpired since your last visit to that hex to make it impossible to claim.

NPC kingdoms operate under the same restrictions. However, within each step of the kingdom turn sequence, the PCs' kingdom always 'wins initiative' and has the option of acting first. For example, if both the PC's kingdom and an NPC kingdom are adjacent to an unclaimed hex, the PCs' kingdom performs step 2.2 of the kingdom turn sequence and has the option of claiming that hex before the NPC kingdom performs the same step of the kingdom turn sequence.

===Terrain Improvements===
''Kingmaker'' has only rudimentary rules for terrain improvements (roads and farmlands) but ''Ultimate Campaign'' and the SRD develop this aspect of the kingdom-building rules rather further.

The ''Ultimate Campaign'' terrain improvement rules indicate that mines, quarries, and sawmills cannot share hexes with other terrain improvements. I don't feel this entirely makes sense – while digging a quarry or open-cast mine into a hillside might prevent the use of that same hillside as farmland, it shouldn't prohibit the construction of forts, roads, watchtowers, or similar improvements nearby. Instead, the ''Lost Province'' campaign will treat these improvements as follows:

Farms, quarries, and mines should are considered mutually exclusive; you can only build ''one'' of these terrain improvements in any given hex. In addition, a fishery ''cannot'' be built in the same hex as a quarry or mine. Sawmills would also be considered mutually exclusive with farms, quarries, and mines, if not for the fact that they depend upon different terrain types and can't be built in the same hex anyway. A fishery ''can'' be built in the same hex as a farm or a sawmill, if the terrain would normally permit this.

====Canals (added 22/10/2015)====
The kingdom building rules presented in ''Ultimate Campaign'' state that "settlements in a hex with a Canal treat the hex as if it had a river." Further information in ''Ultimate Campaign'' suggests one other context in which a Canal is functionally identical to a river: enabling the creation of the Farm terrain improvement.

For reference, here are the ways in which a Canal is like a river:

'''Settlements:''' a Canal permits the construction of settlement buildings that depend upon the presence of a water or river settlement border, and converts one of a settlement's borders to a water or river border at no cost.

'''Trade Routes:''' a Canal allows the establishing of a trade route as though it were a river. A trade route counts each Canal hex normally, as though it were a river.

'''Travel:''' a Canal permits the passage of any watercraft normally able to navigate a river or lake.

And here are the ways in which a Canal is ''not'' like a river:

'''Fisheries:''' a Canal is not sufficient to enable to construction of a Fishery in a hex.

'''Kingdom Attributes:''' A Canal does not provide any benefit to a kingdom's Economy and Stability attributes.

'''Road Bridges:''' a Canal does not double the cost of a Road subsequently constructed in the same hex, nor does the presence of a Road in a hex modify the cost of a subsequent Canal. Assume that canals are uniformly narrower that natural rivers, with sturdy artificial banks that enable easy bridge construction.

===Population===
While the kingdom-building rules do not require PCs to track their kingdom's population, ''Kingmaker'' suggests a population of the kingdom's Size (in hexes) x 250, plus the total population of its settlements (250 per filled lot). In the ''Lost Province'' campaign, each terrain improvement in a hex is assumed to increase the kingdom's population by a further 250 people, as the wilderness is tamed and made steadily more habitable; assume that highways and forts, as upgraded roads and watchtowers respectively, count as 2 improvements each.

===That 'Dance Hall' Business===
Among the various buildings that ''Kingmaker'' PCs could include in their settlements was a brothel; at some point late in the production of ''Ultimate Campaign'', it was decided to rename this to 'dance hall,' though its building icon and mechanical effects remained the same. Unfortunately, multiple references to 'brothel' still exist elsewhere in the settlement-building rules in ''Ultimate Campaign'' and the SRD. Assume the two are interchangeable; if you build one, it may be either, or some other, functionally equivalent establishment.

===Starting From Scratch===
The ''Lost Province'' campaign assumes the PCs are starting their kingdom from scratch, without the benefit of a grant, a charter, or a wealthy sponsor. With this in mind, the PCs' kingdom will initially enjoy a more beneficial exchange rate of gold to BP based on its size, as listed on ''Ultimate Campaign'' p. 205.

===NPCs in Kingdom Government===
When NPCs are recruited into leadership roles in a kingdom, the following house rules and considerations apply.

Most significantly, I'm using a modified version of ''Ultimate Campaign's'' '''Table 4-7: Event Type and Danger Level''' (p. 220) which now includes entries for, essentially, "NPC leader does something" and "NPC leader wants something," the ranges for which expand as the number of NPCs in your government grows.

====Kingdom Experience Points====
When a significant NPC agrees to join your kingdom and perform a leadership role, even if that NPC is not immediately placed into such a role, the party earns kingdom XP as though they had defeated that NPC in combat. Named, unique NPCs are generally considered significant; the PCs cannot "farm" XP by continuously hiring and firing level 1 commoners to fill vacant leadership roles, for example.

====Preferred Roles====
NPCs typically do not have traits and, in particular, do not have access to campaign traits. Instead, each NPC has a number of ''preferred roles'', based on their personal history and overall competence. An NPC in one of his or her preferred roles grants a +1 bonus to the kingdom attribute that role modifies; for example, an NPC who prefers the Magister role grants adds their Intelligence or Charisma modifier +1 to the kingdom's Economy when placed in the Magister role. If an NPC's role allows them to modify multiple kingdom attributes (for example, a Ruler in a larger kingdom) the preferred role bonus applies to only one such attribute.

====Discontent====
Just as the kingdom as a whole may suffer unrest, so too may an NPC in government become ''discontent'' with the way things are running. Think of discontent as unrest specific to a particular NPC. Discontent has the following effects on NPCs:
*A discontent NPC in one of his or her preferred roles no longer grants the +1 preferred role bonus.
*A discontent NPC ''outside'' of his or her preferred roles instead suffers a -1 penalty to the attribute bonus they provide.
*Subtract the total number of discontent NPCs (not the totalled discontent ''values'' of all discontent NPCs) in leadership roles from all Economy, Loyalty, and Stability checks.
*NPCs recruited to the kingdom but not placed in leadership roles may still become discontent, but these NPCs do not affect kingdom checks.
*An NPC whose discontent climbs too high will abandon his or her leadership role and leave the kingdom.
The threshold of discontent beyond which an NPC will quit his or her post varies from one NPC to the next, and is not known to the PCs, but can generally be assumed to be significantly lower than the threshold of 20 unrest before a kingdom descends into anarchy. Gratuitous transgressions against an NPC or his or her interests may bypass the discontent rules entirely. Discontent, like unrest, can never be reduced below zero.

====Likes and Goals====
Most NPCs have particular goals which they will attempt to influence the kingdom towards. This might be claiming more territory, founding additional settlements, or something more unique. An NPC's goals may be represented as events, rolled randomly during the Event phase, or as periodic or continuous behaviour. An NPC whose attempts to advance his or her goals are frustrated may become ''discontent'' as detailed above. Accommodating an NPC's likes and goals in the running of your kingdom is the primary means of reducing discontent.

====Dislikes====
Most NPCs would prefer to avoid certain events or situations. They might discourage the kingdom from doing certain things, or they might find particular events, rolled randomly during the Event phase, to be especially upsetting. When something occurs that is called out as being especially disliked by an NPC, that NPC may become ''discontent'' as detailed above. In some cases an NPC's dislikes may mirror their likes and goals; an NPC with the goal of claiming more territory, for example, may well dislike the kingdom going too long without expanding.

====Unique Traits and Benefits====
Certain NPCs may provide additional unique benefits. For example, a studious wizard might research arcane spells or produce scrolls which are subsequently made available to PC spellcasters; a well-connected merchant might occasionally divert funds and resources to the PCs' kingdom. Details of these traits and benefits will be provided as and when particular NPCs are recruited.

===Trade Edicts (Rewrite/House Rules) (updated 28/02/2016) (3RD DRAFT)===
Trade edicts are special edicts that allow you to create a trade route with another kingdom, increasing your Economy and possibly the BP you gain every month. If the option rules for Fame and Infamy are in use, a successful trade route may also increase your kingdom's Fame, while the early termination of a trade route may raise your kingdom's Infamy.

To plan a trade route, select another kingdom as your trade partner and determine the distance in hexes from a settlement in your kingdom to a settlement in the target kingdom, tracing the path of the trade route rather than a direct line. a trade route can pass through grassland, desert, or any terrain that has a road or highway. If your settlement contains a Pier, the trade route can pass along rivers and coastal hexes. If your settlement contains a Waterfront, your trade route can pass through river, coastal, and water hexes.

'''Trade Route Length (TRL):''' Calculate the length of your trade route as follows, ''inclusive'' of the origin and destination hexes:

''Roads or Rivers:'' 1 per hex

''Deserts or Plains (without roads):'' 2 per hex

''Highways or Water:'' 0.5 per hex; round a fractional total down as usual

''Forests, Hills, Mountains, or Swamps (without roads):'' trade routes cannot cross these types of terrain

'''Route Modifier (RM):''' Count the number of hexes between the origin and destination settlements, ''inclusive'', using the shortest possible route and ignoring the underlying terrain. Subtract this from the TRL to determine your ''route modifier'', with a minimum value of 0; a very direct routes that makes use of highways or open water ran reduce the route modifier to nothing, but no further.

'''Length Modifier (LM):''' Determine which parts of your planned trade route pass through unclaimed, wilderness terrain, and which parts pass through lands claimed by other kingdoms, ''including'' the hex which contains the destination settlement. Also determine the number and size of any settlements ''other'' than the origin and destination settlements along the planned trade route; your own settlements and those of other kingdoms both count for this purpose. Then calculate your ''length modifier'' as follows:

''Unclaimed/Wilderness:'' 1 per hex

''Other Kingdoms:'' 0.5 per hex; round a fractional total down as usual

''Settlements:'' 1 per district

The minimum length modifier for any trade route is 0, if you are trading goods from one of your settlements to a foreign settlement in an immediately adjacent hex.

'''Initial Investment and Investment Modifier (IM):''' Your kingdom must invest a certain minimum amount into the initial trade expedition using this trade route. The minimum ''initial investment'' is 5 BP. Paying this minimum initial investment gives you an ''investment modifier'' of 1; this is used when calculating the benefits of a successful trade route. You may invest more than this minimum amount in order to increase the benefits of a successful trade route; for every ''additional'' 5 BP that you invest in the expedition, the trade route's investment modifier increases by 1. ''For example'', a kingdom that can afford to invest 25 BP in a trade expedition has an investment modifier of 5 for that trade route if it is successfully established. The maximum possible investment modifier is limited by kingdom size as follows:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Kingdom Size !! Maximum IM
|-
| 1-10 || 1
|-
| 11-25 || 2
|-
| 26-50 || 3
|-
| 51-100 || 4
|-
| 101-200 || 5
|-
| 201+ || 6
|}

'''Escorts (EM):''' A trade expedition can be provided with additional guards to assist in its safe passage through dangerous wilderness areas, and with diplomatic and financial experts to help navigate the bureaucracies of foreign kingdoms, all of which increases the expedition's chance of successfully establishing a trade route. Sending these escorts with your trade expedition provides you with an ''escort modifier'', which can be applied to one or more of your kingdom's statistics when you attempt to determine the success of your trade route. Escorts cost 1+(TRL/10) BP for an escort modifier of +1 to one kingdom statistic of your choice (Economy, Loyalty, or Stability). To apply your escort modifier to additional kingdom statistics, pay +1 BP per additional kingdom statistic you wish it to cover. If you want an escort modifier greater than +1, multiply its cost by the desired modifier. You cannot hire multiple sets of escorts to provide different escort modifiers to different kingdom statistics. ''For example'', a trade route of length 22 will cost 3 BP for escorts that provide a +1 escort modifier to Loyalty alone; 5 BP for escorts that provide a +1 escort modifier to Economy, Loyalty, and Stability; 9 BP for escorts that provide a +3 modifier to Stability alone; or 8 BP for escorts that provide a +2 modifier to Economy and Loyalty.

Establishing a trade route takes 1 hex per day along roads and rivers (upstream), 2 along coastlines, and 4 along water or rivers (downstream). If the journey requires 30 days or fewer, its benefits, if successful, apply from the end of the Event Phase of the turn in which the expedition was dispatched. If the journey requires more than 30 days, do not determine its success or failure, or apply its benefits, until the end of the Event Phase of the turn in which the expedition reaches its destination.

====Success or Failure====
Once your expedition arrives at its destination, attempt an Economy check, a Loyalty check, and a Stability check. Calculate the DC as follows; if settlement modifiers are being calculated, apply the Corruption and Productivity modifiers of the originating settlement.

'''DC = Control DC + Corruption + RM + LM – Productivity'''

Apply your EM, if any, to the appropriate kingdom statistics when attempting these checks.

''No successes:'' the expedition is a total loss. Either it fails to reach its destination, falling prey to monsters and bandits along the route, or there is no market for its goods. Fame decreases by 1, and unrest increases by 1d4.

''1 success:'' the expedition is unable to establish a trade route, but is able to sell its goods elsewhere for (IM)d4 BP.

''2 successes:'' the trade route is established. Your Treasury increases by (2IM)d4 BP. Your economy increases by IM for the duration of the trade route.

''3 successes:'' the trade route is a great success. You Treasury increases by 1+(2IM)+(TRL/10)d4 BP. Your economy increases by 1+IM+(TRL/10) for the duration of the trade route. If the optional rules for Fame and Infamy are being used, Fame increases by 1.

An established trade route provides its benefits to Economy (and, optionally, Loyalty) for 1 year, after which it may be established again (by sending a new trade expedition) or abandoned.

====Special Trade Routes====
A kingdom can have one of each of the following special types of trade route. Each type requires certain buildings in your settlement, and each increases the Economy bonus from a successful trade route. Whether a trade route is special or standard must be determined when the trade route is first established; a standard trade route cannot become a special trade route once established, nor may one type of special trade route become another.

''Food:'' If your kingdom has surplus production from farms and fisheries that reduces its Consumption to below 0, you may export food. a successful food trade route increases Economy by 1 for every 10 Farms and Fisheries in the kingdom; this benefit is lost in any month that Farms and Fisheries do not reduce Consumption below 0. You must have at least 1 Granary and 1 Stockyard in the origin settlement.

''Goods:'' The trade route transports goods such as weapons and textiles. Count all Guildhalls, Smithies, Shops, Trade Shops, and Tanneries in the origin settlement and divide by 10; a successful goods trade route increases Economy by this amount. You must have at least 1 Guildhall in the origin settlement.

''Luxuries:'' This trade route carries exotic goods such as art, musical instruments, books, spices, dyes, and magic items. Count all Alchemists, Caster's Towers, Exotic Artisans, Herbalists, Luxury Stores, and Magic Shops in the origin settlement and divide by 10; a successful luxuries trade route increases Economy by that amount. You must have at least 1 Luxury Store in the origin settlement.

''Raw Materials:'' This trade route carries common raw materials such as lumber, stone, ore, or metal. a successful raw materials trade route increases Economy by 1 for every 10 Mines, Quarries, and Sawmills in the kingdom. You must have at least 1 Foundry in the origin settlement to count Mines.

====Trade Route Limitations====
There are certain limitations on how many trade routes a kingdom may establish, as follows.

''1 Trade Route Origin per Settlement District:'' Each of your settlement districts may only act as the origin settlement for one trade route. A settlement large enough to span multiple districts may act as the origin settlement for as many trade routes as it has districts.

''1 Trade Route Destination per Settlement District:'' Each foreign settlement district may only act as the destination settlement for one trade route; a city of any given size may only support a certain amount of foreign trade. A settlement large enough to span multiple districts may act as the destination settlement for as many trade routes as it has districts.

''1 of each Special Trade Route:'' As noted above, a kingdom may only maintain one of each type of special trade route.

====Knowledge of Trade Routes====
It may not be immediately apparent that a foreign settlement is already the destination of a trade route from a third party.

If you establish an ''Embassy'' in a foreign settlement, your diplomats can keep advised you of any trade routes that start or end in that settlement, and when they are due to expire.

If you establish a ''Treaty'' with a foreign kingdom, you may negotiate to share information regarding trade routes. In a ''balanced'' treaty, the party with the advantage gets to decide whether or not information about trade routes is shared (either making such a request, or rejecting a request from the other party), and both parties share the same information with each other. In an ''unbalanced'' treaty, the party with the advantage may demand to see the disadvantaged party's trade route information, but need not share its own trade route information in kind.

Visiting a foreign settlement or establishing a correspondence with an NPC in a foreign settlement may also reveal to you information about trade routes that start or end in that settlement.

None of these options will tell you what Economy bonus a particular trade route grants.

====Terminating Trade Routes====
A kingdom may terminate a trade route early during the edict phase. Terminating a trade route is not considered a special edict and does not prevent the kingdom from issuing a new Diplomatic, Exploration, Trade, or Vassalage edict in the same turn. A kingdom may wish to terminate a trade route in order to establish a more advantageous trade route, either from a different origin settlement, or to a different destination settlement, or as a different type of special trade route.

''Effects Abroad:'' Terminating a trade route generates ill feeling in the destination settlement. The DC of Economy, Stability, and Loyalty checks made to establish a subsequent trade route with that settlement increases by 1 for each month by which the trade edict was truncated. This penalty diminishes by 1 each month.

''Effects at Home:'' If you immediately and successfully establish a new trade route which provides an Economy bonus at least equal to the trade route you have just terminated, there is no ill effect at home. Otherwise, attempt an Economy check, a Loyalty check, and a Stability check, increasing the DC of each check by the number of months by which the trade edict was truncated; this should be done during the Edict Phase, if you are making no attempt to establish a new trade route or if your trade expedition will not arrive until the next turn, or during the Event Phase, if your attempt to establish a new trade route fails or if the new, successful trade route results in an Economy loss compared to the terminated trade route.

''3 successes:'' Unrest increases by 1.

''2 successes:'' Unrest increases by 1d4 or the Economy loss, whichever is ''lesser''.

''1 success:'' Unrest increases by 1d4 or the Economy loss, whichever is ''greater''.

''No successes:'' Unrest increases by 1d4 + the Economy loss.

====Competing Trade Routes====
If two or more trade expeditions reach a settlement in the same turn, but that settlement is only large enough to support one additional trade route, the Economy, Loyalty, and Stability checks are considered opposed checks. Each kingdom must attempt to equal or exceed the DC of its own check, and also to beat the result of the opposing kingdom's check.

Any attempt that fails versus its target DC is considered a failure, regardless of whether or not it beats the opposing kingdom's check, or whether the opposing kingdom succeeds or fails in its own check. Otherwise, a kingdom achieves a number of successes equal to the number of opposed rolls it wins. A kingdom that succeeds versus the target DC of at least 1 check, but fails to beat the results of the opposing kingdom's checks, achieves a result equivalent to 1 success.

If you attempt to establish a trade route with a foreign settlement that can support no more trade routes, attempt Economy, Loyalty, and Stability checks as normal, but the best possible result you can achieve is equivalent to 1 success. You also learn when the settlement's established trade route(s) will expire.

[[Category:Lost_Province]]

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Gavin: Gavin uploaded a new version of File:Orphanage.png

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Gavin: Lost Province local map of Cogistan and the western Gaur River region as at 12/02/2016, Session 27, Turn 24

Lost Province local map of Cogistan and the western Gaur River region as at 12/02/2016, Session 27, Turn 24

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Gavin: Lost Province large map as at 12/02/2016, Session 27, Turn 24 {{PAGENAME}}

Lost Province large map as at 12/02/2016, Session 27, Turn 24

[[Category:Lost_Province|{{PAGENAME}}]]

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Gavin: Honnangal city of Hwanghon Bu, year 741

Honnangal city of Hwanghon Bu, year 741

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Gavin: Honnangal city of Taeyang Mun, year 741

Honnangal city of Taeyang Mun, year 741

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Gavin: Honnangal capital city of Jinhong Gang, year 741 {{PAGENAME}}

Honnangal capital city of Jinhong Gang, year 741

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Gavin: Lost Province local map of Cogistan and the western Gaur River region as at 20/01/2016, Session 25, Turn 23

Lost Province local map of Cogistan and the western Gaur River region as at 20/01/2016, Session 25, Turn 23

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Gavin: Lost Province large map as at 20/01/2016, Session 25, Turn 23 {{PAGENAME}}

Lost Province large map as at 20/01/2016, Session 25, Turn 23

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Gavin: Lost Province local map of Cogistan and the western Gaur River region as at 19/01/2016, Session 25, Turn 22 (new format)

Lost Province local map of Cogistan and the western Gaur River region as at 19/01/2016, Session 25, Turn 22 (new format)

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Gavin: Lost Province large map as at 19/01/2016, Session 25, Turn 22 {{PAGENAME}}

Lost Province large map as at 19/01/2016, Session 25, Turn 22

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Gavin:

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Gavin: Lost Province local map of Cogistan and the western Gaur River region as at 09/01/2016, Session 25

Lost Province local map of Cogistan and the western Gaur River region as at 09/01/2016, Session 25

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Gavin: Lost Province large map as at 09/01/2016, Session 25 {{PAGENAME}}

Lost Province large map as at 09/01/2016, Session 25

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Gavin:

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Gavin: {{PAGENAME}}

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Gavin:

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