Explorer Biographies
Starring
Benjamin Hebert as Ezekiel, Johnathan
Danielle Hutchinson as Ivy Whitebriar
Emma Hutchinson as Astra, Alhemija, Bellah
Mike Hutchinson as Loric Tidewalker
Alice Merrill as Dakota Ravenwood
Nick Inglis as Avarice de tu Sinclaire
Harrison Merrill as Everyone Else
“'Oops.' That's the last word I want to hear inside one of these deathtraps. 'Oops' implies that something has just gone horribly, probably lethally, wrong. There are a thousand different ways to die in any one of these gods-forsaken pits, and when it comes to risking our necks for a grab at some of the most fantastic treasures these jungles have to hide, I'm telling you now, there ain't no room on my expedition for 'oops.' And you can all bet your shares on one thing: If your 'oops' doesn't kill you, I sure as Hell will.”
— Pathfinder Venture-Captain Imrin Vanks
Hero Biographies
Reputation and Renown: Wanna-be Explorers
Avarice de tu Sinclaire
♪Tapping Thrush♪
Mwangi Tiefling Stygian Slayer 3 Vivisectionist Alchemist 1
Campaign Trait: Boarded in the Shackles at Port Peril
Appearance: Described by the authorities as a humanoid male of average height and increased build, suspected of having sticky fingers in all of the wrong cargo boxes. Described by pirates as a fun loving chap who is good for a round... either with a knife or a pint.
Description: A local of the expanse, he was 'rescued' by some colonists who brought him with them in their travels to "civilize". He's had to keep on the move due to unnerving the locals at every port who remark 'how strange, did you see that...'
Divine Patrons: None, and keep your juju to yourself.
- Social Profile:
- Aspirations: Uncover the mystery behind why he had to leave home; catch the thing he cant quite see but sometimes peeks out from the corner of his eye...
- Anathema: Doesn't like to be exceptionally clean - both people and cities - as being too neat and orderly is just wrong.
- Phobia: Waking up in a white king sized bed that smells of flowers with fresh pajamas and neatly combed hair.
- Quirks: He has odd eyes with a bright green iris and black sclera. Seen on many occasions rubbing dirt into his skin.
- Flaw: Sociable, but Doesn't like to be the center of attention.
Bellah
⤼Flying Horse⤼
Plumekith Aasimar Draconic Druid 4
Campaign Trait: Former Crewmate
Appearance: Bellah has long golden-blond hair with amber eyes like an eagle
Description: ??
Divine Patrons: ??
- Social Profile:
- Aspirations: Wants to raise her little sister, Ipha, to adulthood as a full-grown drake.
- Anathema: Naga and those with naga heritage.
- Phobia: Ophidiophobia - Fear of snakes and snake-like creatures.
- Quirks: ??
- Flaw: Very unsure of herself and weak willed, she often relies on others to command her (especially her little sister).
Dakota Ravenwood
®Professor Bear®
Taldan Human Vampire Hunter 5
Campaign Trait: Mwangi Scholar, Boarded at Corentyn
Appearance: Dakota has her father's brown eyes and dark brown hair that is usually tied back in a bun or braid. She may have a serious resting face, but she is very laid back and loves to laugh.
Background: Dakota's father was an explorer and archeologist of great renown. She grew up on his stories and the ones about the Mwangi Expanse were her favorite. After years of study, she is finally on the adventure she's been waiting for.
Divine Patrons: Shimye-Magalla
- Social Profile:
- Aspirations: Fortune & Glory - specifically, to have a high enough standing to be recognized in the same scholarly circles as her father.
- Anathema: Selling historical relics to evil creatures and private collectors - they belong in a museum!
- Phobias: Rats... She hates rats.
- Quirks: Calls her father "the Professor" and almost everyone else "Sir"; She has a distinctive childhood scar above her right eyebrow that she leaves visible even when wearing a hat.
- Flaws: Her research often doesn't translate well to fieldwork.
Ivy Whitebriar
♪Serenading Eagle♪
Colonial Half-Elf Voice of the Wild Bard 5
Campaign Trait: Boarded in the Shackles, at Ollo
Appearance: Ivy has lustrous, jet-black hair that is cut to ear length, giving her a fresh and youthful look. Her skin is porcelain fair, almost glowing, with warm and inviting eyes. She wears practical armor for her protection under a signature yellow and blue tunic, paired with a deep forest green cloak.
Background: Ivy Whitebriar grew up in a small village nestled in the forests, where her parents always encouraged her curiosity and love for nature. Ivy prefers the company of nature over people, and is both quiet and softspoken, much like her father.
Divine Patrons: Shelyn
- Social Profile:
- Aspirations: Master the art of "Bird Calls" to the point of charming audiences; overcome her shyness until she can speak in crowds without hesitation; form a bond with a mystical bird.
- Anathema: Ivy cannot tolerate any form of bullying or harassment.
- Phobias: Ivy has a dep-seated fear of being abandoned by those she cares about.
- Quirks: Pipes, squeaks, and squawks in bird calls, particularly when nervous; has a feather collection.
- Flaw: Ivy often doubts herself and her abilities, sometimes causing her to hesitate or second-guess her actions.
Johnathan "The Lion Slayer" Kieran
Citrine Turtle
Colonial Human Musket Master Gunslinger 5
Campaign Trait: Get the Cargo Through
Appearance: Jonathan wears a wide-brimmed hat adorned with a large white feather as well as layered armor, seeking a compromise between flexibility and protection from the elements.
Description: The valet of Ezekiel, the renowned arcane gunsmith, Johnathan held a position of status as he carried, polished, and managed Ezekiel's estate and firearms. Now without a master, Johnathan has taken up his master's weapons and cause, continuing to bear his burdens, as he had sworn to do, even beyond his grave.
Divine Patrons: Desna
- Social Profile:
- Aspirations: Johnathan wants to uncover and restore apiece of lost ancient technology, something that can improve the world.
- Anathema: Deliberately hindering advancements in magi-technology goes against everything Johnathan stands for.
- Phobia: Claustrophobia - Fear of Enclosed Spaces
- Quirks: Johnathan has a few superstitious habits he follows for good luck. He is also most active at night, often staying up late and struggling to get moving in the morning.
- Flaw: Johnathan is quite impatient, having little tolerance for delays, and will often press on when people spend too much time deliberating, consequences be d***ed!
Loric Tidewalker
♪Screaming Hawk♪
Ijo Human Ranger 5
Campaign Trait: Boarded in the Shackles at Quent
Appearance: Loric has a lean and athletic built, with toned muscles and an average height. His dark hair is cropped short though his hair remains unruly. He wears practical clothing suited to the outdoor lifestyle, and he carries himself with what appears to be confidence and purpose.
Description: Loric Tidewalker was born in a coastal village on the fringes of the Mwangi Expanse, where the jungle meets the sea. From a young age, he was fascinated by the ocean and the creatures within it. His father, a fisherman, taught him how to use a trident, while his mother, a skilled tracker, taught him the ways of the jungle. He recently escaped a pirate vessel and crew where he had been captured and forced to work as a deckhand.
Divine Patrons: Shimye-Magalla
- Social Profile:
- Aspirations: Loric dreams of tracking down and dismantling the pirate crew that captured him; He aspires to become a legendary trident wielder, known across the lands for his unmatched skill and precision.
- Anathema: Loric Despises betrayal above all else.
- Phobia: Loric has a fear of enclosed spaces, developed after his time aboard.
- Quirks: Loric has a habit of collecting unique seashells from every beach he visits; Loric has a fascination with the night sky and can often be found stargazing and trying to navigate by starlight; Loric has a peculiar habit of talking to plants in the jungle as if they could understand him; Loric is obscessed with tying knots during his downtime.
- Flaw: Loric is highly mistrustful of strangers.
Retired
For one reason or another, their adventure has come to an end.
Astra
Turquoise Tiger
Varisian Human Oracle 4
Campaign Trait: Boarded in Varisia, at Magnimar
Appearance: Astra has long platinum - almost white - hair which she never wears up to allow it to "be free." She wears turquoise Varisian dancer attire with open sleeves to showcase her tattoos, along with various jingling pieces of butterfly-patterned jewelry and holy symbols. Tall and quite thin, she relies on grace over strength.
Background: Astra is very private about her background and protective of her family. She does come from varisia however, and appears to be on a pilgrimage towards redemption.
Divine Patrons: Desna
- Social Profile:
- Aspirations: Earn enough money for her parents to travel freely.
- Anathema: Does not tolerate slavery or restrictions to freedom.
- Phobias: Terrified of being hated (or even slightly disliked) by others.
- Quirks: Even though she speaks sign language, she often opts for vague gestures; her service tiger sometimes looks almost... bluish?
- Flaw: So vain she will actively lie to make herself seem more likable.
Obituaries
Ezekiel Thorne
Crimson Fox
Elf Cardinal Cleric 3 Spellslinger Wizard 1
Cause of Death: Lived on Borrowed Time
Campaign Trait: Boarded in Cheliax
Appearance: Ezekiel likes to wear fine blue clothes as a nod to his deity, Silver colored hair with a singular blue hair strip he dyed to signify to himself his attachment to the arcane.
Background: Ezekiel spent his childhood obsessed with the smell of gunpowder and the arcane; figuring how to weave these together became his life's goal.
Divine Patrons: Sarenrae
- Social Profile
- Aspirations: Incorporate a relic into an ultimate spell-gun of his own design.
- Anathema: Sounds from empty spaces, the whispering abyss, gazing too long into the sea or sky.
- Phobias: Kenophobia - An intense fear of empty spaces (void).
- Quirks: Laughs at jokes, especially puns, sometimes way after it was told; prefers dressing up for all occasions, even when its uncomfortable; hilariously self-aware of his short-comings.
- Flaw: Ezekiel is sometimes found conversing with people that aren't there, responding to questions that none asked.
Alhemija
♪Drumming Crow♪
Zenju Human Mindchemist Alchemist 4
Cause of Death: Devoured by a Hyenadon
Campaign Trait: Boarded in the Shackles
Appearance: Alhemija is a very simple looking Zenju woman, with black hair and brown eyes and skin. She appears slender, agile, and frail, carrying bottles on strings and bandoliers.
Description: Alhemija keeps her past to herself; her future yet undetermined, the only certainty being its end in flames.
Divine Patrons: Brigh
- Social Profile:
- Aspirations: She wants to build a bomb big enough to ransom a city.
- Anathema: She hates being cold. HATES it.
- Phobia: Aquaphobia - Fear of drowning.
- Quirks: A slight pyromaniac; she likes to steal things she hasn't seen burn before.
- Flaw: Alhemija does not give adequate spacing between her (or her allies) and the fires she starts. While she doesn't intentionally burn her friends, they do get burned.
Campaign Traits and Powers
Boarded in Cheliax
Carmine Hyena
Description: While you aren’t necessarily a native of Cheliax, you boarded the Jenivere at one of that country’s port cities. As the people of Cheliax generally know the Mwangi Expanse as a near legendary land home to strange beasts and exotic treasures, your views of the region have a distinctly romantic tinge, and the desire for fame, wealth, and adventure likely motivate your travels.
Bonus: You begin the campaign with a detailed map of the Mwangi Expanse (this grants +2 competence bonus on all Knowledge [geography] checks made regarding this region) and 200 gp worth of mundane equipment to aid your exploration of the jungle.
Spirit Totem: Red-Hued Canines (Hyena, Jackal, Wild Dog, etc.)
Totem Magic: This totem is still mysterious.
Boarded in Mediogalti
Verdant Spider
Description: Your travels have brought you to the Jenivere through the dangerous port of Ilizmagorti, home to both pirates and assassins. Perhaps you’re fleeing a price on your head, perhaps you’ve jumped ship from another vessel, or perhaps you’re merely looking for a new start in a land where the dangers make themselves more obvious.
Bonus: Your familiarity with subtle slayings and toxins grants you a +2 trait bonus on all saves against poison. In addition, you can pick one type of poison listed below to be immune to, having undergone a long and painful process of building up an immunity to its effects: blue whinnis, giant wasp poison, medium spider venom, small centipede poison, or spider vine poison.
Spirit Totem: Green-Hued Carnivorous Vermin (Mantis, Spider, Wasp, etc.)
Totem Magic: This totem is still mysterious.
Boarded in the Mwangi Expanse
Black Heron
Description: You boarded the Jenivere in the Mwangi Expanse, where you’ve lived or recently traveled through. You harbor no illusions regarding the deadliness of the jungles, the creatures that inhabit it, or the peoples that make their home therein.
Bonus: You gain Polyglot as a bonus language and receive a +1 trait bonus on all Knowledge (nature) checks regarding the jungle.
Spirit Totem: Dark-Hued Simian (Ape, Gorilla, Lemur, Monkey, etc.)
Totem Magic: This totem is still mysterious.
Boarded in the Shackles
Whistling Kite
Description: Your last home was in the Shackles, a dangerous land of pirates and treachery, but also of fantastic opportunity. A life of weal and woe on the sea and amid the pirate controlled lands has toughened you to a variety of hardships.
Bonus: Pick one of the three categories of saving throws — you gain a +1 trait bonus on all saving throws of that type.
Spirit Totem: Musical Bird (Eagle, Hawk, Owl, Vulture, etc.)
Totem Magic: This totem is still mysterious.
Boarded in Varisia
Azure Leopard
Description: Traveling from lands far to the north, you likely have little experience with the jungle, its denizens, or its strange forces. Just as the lands of Garund are wild and exotic to you, so are you to them.
Bonus: This unusualness manifests in one of two ways. Choose to gain either a +2 trait bonus on all Bluff checks made against inhabitants of the jungle, or treat your spells with the mind-affecting descriptor as being +1 caster level higher when cast against creatures and natives of the jungle.
Spirit Totem: Blue-Hued Feline (Cheetah, Lion, Leopard, etc.)
Totem Magic: This totem is still mysterious.
Colonial
White Bull
Description: You come from a long line of Sargavan colonists, stretching back to Cheliax’s original expansion into the land during the Everwar. While your people’s control of Sargava wanes every day, and Eleder has functioned independently from Cheliax since House Thrune brought diabolism to the political forefront, you nevertheless maintain a hardy Chelish constitution and natural sense of survival. What took you away from home is up to you, but you return to the land of your birth on the Jenivere in the hope of putting Sargava back on the map. Characters with this trait are Sargavan natives and might be returning via any city, but especially from the Chelish ports of Kintargo, Pezzack, or Corentyn.
Bonus: You gain a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (local) checks relating to Sargavan settlements and politics and a +1 trait bonus on saving throws against disease.
Spirit Totem: Pale-Hued Hoofed Mammal (Antelope, Buffalo, Cow, Goat, etc.)
Totem Magic: This totem is still mysterious.
Get the Cargo Through
Golden Snake
Description: Sea trade is never safe, even on the highly trafficked waters of the Inner Sea, but the way to Eleder is more perilous still. The ever-present hurricane known as the Eye of Abendego blows hundreds of ships each year off course, into jagged rocks, or directly to the sea floor. Pirates operating out of the Shackles Isles wait on the other side to take cargo from ships lucky enough to traverse or bypass the storm. Your job is to ensure a precious cargo aboard the Jenivere arrives safely in Eleder—what form this cargo takes and the nature of your relationship to it are up to you and your GM. Characters with this trait likely boarded in Magnimar, Corentyn, Ilizmagorti, Port Peril, or Bloodcove.
Bonus: Your character’s history as a merchant or mercenary has earned her a respectable living, and you begin the campaign with an additional 300 gp in starting wealth.
Spirit Totem: Yellow-Hued Reptilian (Crocodile, Dinosaur, Lizard, Turtle, etc.)
Totem Magic: This totem is still mysterious.
Jenivere Crew
Foraging Ibex
Description: This trip to Eleder is just one of many in a long career as a sailor aboard the Jenivere and other cargo vessels. Whether you joined the crew with the hope of one day captaining your own ship, as the means of paying your way to a foreign port with sweat and blood, or as a slave or indentured servant, you now call the ship home. Characters with this trait have likely been on the Jenivere since it departed Magnimar.
Bonus: Pick one of the following skills: Acrobatics, Climb, Knowledge (nature), Knowledge (geography), Swim, or Survival. You gain a +1 trait bonus on that skill, and that skill is always treated as a class skill for you.
Spirit Totem: Verbatious Equine (Horse, Wild Donkey, Zebra, etc.)
Totem Magic: This totem is still mysterious.
Mwangi Scholar
Chronicler Elephant
Description: The Mwangi Expanse is one of the richest regions in all of Golarion, and also one of the most mysterious. Despite its history of countless years and its fostering of nameless empires, very little is known of the Mwangi Expanse by outsiders or even natives of the primeval, jungle - covered land. You have long studied the region and its lore, and count yourself among a small handful of genuine experts throughout the Inner Sea. The Jenivere promises to take you to the very subject of your fascination, and you eagerly await firsthand investigation of the deep jungles and cyclopean ruins of Garund’s interior. Characters with this trait likely boarded the Jenivere in Ilizmagorti or one of the cities of the Shackles or the Mwangi Expanse.
Bonus: You gain Polyglot as a bonus language and receive a +1 trait bonus on all Knowledge (history) checks regarding the Mwangi Expanse.
Spirit Totem: Professional Large Mammal (Elephant, Hippopotamus, Rhinoceros, etc.)
Totem Magic: This totem is still mysterious.
Stowaway
Shifting Frog
Description: Not all passengers on seafaring vessels are legal or even known to the captain and crew, and the Jenivere is no exception. Whether too poor to book legal passage on the ship or fearing discovery by customs officials in your home port, you or an ally stowed away on the ship in secret. This may mean that the crew doesn’t know you’re on board, or perhaps they do now but didn’t when the ship set sail. Characters with this trait might have boarded the Jenivere at any port, but especially in the cities of the Shackles.
Bonus: You gain a +1 trait bonus on Stealth checks and Survival checks to find food.
Spirit Totem: Stealthy Small Mammal or Amphibian (Rat, Porcupine, Salamander, Weasel, etc.)
Totem Magic: This totem is still mysterious.