“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

Kadena AB Pathfinder Group

Days at Port: 33

Days at Sea: 71

Days on Smuggler’s Shiv: 30

Days in Eleder: 15

Days traveling to Kalabuto: 9

Total Journey: 158

How this works

“The jungles don’t recognize time. To them, every year is the same year: one of birth, and of death. The plants and beasts care little for the works of man, but those cities are there — oh yes, they’re there. Toppled spires of stone and stepped pyramids heavy with vines, their golden altars now roosts for chattering macaws. Inside, magnificent chambers stand empty, and those temples that aren’t abandoned are the worst yet—for the things that can survive a thousand years of silence are things best left undisturbed. The great cities, like their mysterious builders, have been forgotten. In time, they will be reclaimed completely by the jungle. As will we all, one day.”
— Shem Ervismor, Eyes in the Dark: My Life in the Expanse

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This site is meant as a resource for my players and is maintained directly and manually by the GM. This site is for use with the Serpents Skull adventure path.
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Home: Campaign and site details
Character Creation: Details regarding how to create a character for this campaign.
Discoveries: Details on information, magic items, and people encountered or recovered throughout the campaign.
Explorers: Details regarding living and dead player characters, missions, campaign traits, and the strange powers or occurrences affecting them.
Profiles: Details regarding all known allied, neutral, rival, enemy, or dead people and factions.
Surveys: A record and map of locations visited, along with a review of the party's current location.
Travel Log: A collection of discovered biographies and stories, and a running journal on the events of the adventure so-far.
Jungle Law: Rules details for playing at the table, in this campaign, and in the jungle.

Campaign Details

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Citizenship: While Sargava and the Mwangi Expanse are primarily home to Chelish Colonials and Mwangi natives, adventurers of all nations have reason to journey to the region, be they natives to the land returning home from travels abroad or foreigners venturing into uncharted territory for the first time. However, most adventurers in the region at this time would be expected to be colonial Sargavan or Mwangi natives, hail from either Cheliax, Mediogalti, Varisia, or the Shackles, or else at least be from the inner sea region.
Currency: As a former colonial territory of Cheliax, settlements in Sargava predominantly use Chelish currency - copper oars, silver ferries, gold helms, and platinum cabins, though they refer to all coins by these names and use them relatively interchangeably regardless of mint origin. Despite their usage in Cheliax proper, Sargava eschews the use of silver tithes, rejecting their infernal origins. The native Mwangi tribes have largely adopted the usage of Sargavan currency over the last 600 years of colonial occupation, though they do cling to exchanging several types of trade goods in lieu of currency, particularly dried cocoa beans, when exchanging with fellow Mwangi peoples.
Languages: Sargava uses the Taldan Common tongue as its official language, and all official business in Eleder is conducted in Common, though the local Polyglot is spoken by far more people, especially outside of the cities, while Dwarven, Elven, Gnome are common among those populations. Other useful languages for this campaign include: Abyssal, Aklo, Ancient Azlanti, Aquan, Boggard, Draconic, Giant, Infernal, Kech, Orvian, Undercommon, Sylvan, Terran, and Vegepygmy. A few secret languages (such as druidic) and magical communication - particularly speak with animals - will both feature prominently, but cannot be achieved by all characters. The regional dialects of Calda, Ekujae, Kibwani, Lirgeni, Mzuno, Ocotan, and Xamba, as well as both Kelish and Varisian will be encountered throughout the campaign, but its speakers will often also speak Common or Polyglot. Other languages may feature incidentally, but may not be the ideal choice when choosing a new one to learn.
Prejudice: Different towns have different feelings towards adventurers, and the native Mwangi have as much difficulty distinguishing inconsiderate adventurers from the colonists as the colonists have distinguishing one Mwangi tribe from another. Generally, however, all non-Mwangi are treated the same, which is usually better than the native Mwangi peoples are treated as they are rarely considered equals and are often either second-class citizens if not outright slaves. When exposed to xenophobia, it is usually in both directions across this divide, though some colonials look down on adventurers as troublemakers, not much different than the pirates that frequent their towns and shipyards.

Knowledge Breakdown

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All: Monster Identification - Most Knowledge's allow for identifying monsters. The DC's for these are DC10+CR for common creatures (typically CR9-), DC15+CR for uncommon creatures (typically CR10+), and DC20+CR for unique creatures (unique or CR20+). For every 5 points you exceed the DC, you may ask a question about the creature.

Arcana: Identifies dragons and magical beasts. Also identifies ongoing magical effects and transmuted/conjured materials (DC20+Spell Lvl). Can also decipher arcane mysteries, magical traditions, and magical auras. Also used in phrenology and magical rituals.
Dungeoneering: Identifies aberrations and oozes. Also identifies underground hazard's and how to bypass them (DC15+CR). Can also identify stones, metals, and minerals, identify makeup of caverns and underground tunnels, determine slope and depth underground. Also used in understanding and navigating the darklands
Engineering: Identifies constructs. Also identifies dangerous construction and a structures style, age, or weakness (DC10-20). Can also be used in construction, demolition, and renovation. Also used in inventions and innovations.
Geography: Does not identify creatures. Can identify a creatures' ethnicity (DC15 or 10+Disguise). Can also recognize climate, soil, and terrain features, and represents knowing the location of noteworthy sites and communities. Also used in astronomy and farming.
History: Does not identify creatures. Can identify past events and age of documents, items, structures, and styles. Also used in archeology.
Local: Identifies humanoids. Also identifies class levels (DC 15+lvl). Represents knowledge of local cultures, customs, folklore, legends, people, personalities, organizations, and traditions. Also used in secret organizations.
Nature: Identifies animals, fey, monstrous humanoids, plants, and vermin. Also identifies natural hazard's and how to bypass them (DC15+CR). Can also be used to identify plants and herbs, recognize weather patterns and phenomenon, and determine if something is natural or artificial. Also used in herbology.
Nobility: Does not identify creatures. Can recognize correct and proper etiquette, heraldry, lineages, nobility, and succession. Also used in interpreting rank and relationship in a court, social rounds, and social combat.
Planes: Identifies outsiders. Can also recognize planes, identify planar features, and identify planar magic. Also used in navigating teleportation magic.
Religion: Identifies undead. Also identifies haunts and how to lay them to rest (DC15+CR for general method, DC15+2xCR for exact method). Can also recognize deities by their holy symbols, recognize domains, recognize cults and worshippers, recognize burial rights and procedures, and recognize religious tenets. Also used in divine interventions and deific boons.

The 10 Commandments of Tomb Raiding

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Scout Ahead: (Recommended Skill - Linguistics) Before opening doors or rounding corners, gather as much information as you can. Deciphering ancient writings or maps can provide a massive advantage. Using magic to create maps, scry, or see through walls is incredible, but even listening at a door, using a mirror to look around a corner, peering through a crack in the wall, or (dangerously) sneaking ahead to take a peek, can all gather useful information about who to fight, what to prepare, when to move, or where to stand.
Use Diplomacy: (Recommended Skill - Diplomacy) There are more ways to deal with a monster than dangerous combat. Diplomacy can turn a dangerous encounter into an unexpected ally, and even unreasonable monsters might be persuaded (or tricked) with food, gold, magic items, or spells. Encounters bypassed are encounters overcome, and resources saved now are resources for later.
Understand the Environment: (Recommended Skill - Knowledge) Many dungeons have their own hazards, curses, terrain, or even political dynamics. Understanding who to negotiate with, what creatures lurk below, when to delve, where to find the treasure, how to avoid falling, or why you shouldn't touch the water can all be lifesaving.
Break Down Doors: (Recommended Skill - Initiative) While there is a time for quiet in a dungeon, there is also a time for action. When loot is identified or creatures are heard on the other side of a door, acting quickly can often end a fight before it even starts. When it comes to combat, hesitation is a character trait that is rarely rewarded.
Search for Secrets: (Recommended Skill - Perception) It often pays to be thorough, especially in ancient or powerful places. Small trinkets may hide powerful magic, secret passages may bypass danger, and treasures are often hidden away, buried by rubble, or disguised as something mundane (like furniture). Watch for tell-tale signs of monster activity which may give insight into the dungeon environment ahead.
Check for Traps: (Recommended Skill - Disable Device) Monster lairs and ancient tombs are often warded with traps and curses. A keen eye, particularly on doors and chests, as well as the occasional use of spells like Detect Magic will often feel unrewarded, but occasionally prevent a horrible death. Watch for monsters disguising their undead or monstrous features while feigning innocence in an effort to lure you closer.
Be Prepared: (Recommended Skill - Climb/Swim) Rope, pitons, tools, torches, mirrors, waterproof bags, ten-foot poles. Detect Magic, Dimension Door, Light, Levitation, Summon Monster, Silent Image, Unseen Servant. Whether you need a way up, down, or out, or you just need some fodder to distract a monster while you run, entering a dungeon unprepared is a way to die alone in the dark.
Set Traps: (Recommended Skill - Craft) Never forget to set traps of your own as you try to create a safe place. Ball bearings, strings, nets, oil, and more provide all the basics for building a safe place to fall back on, and clever crafter's and powerful conjurers can do far more to prepare a place for combat. Just as its easy to be led into a trap, only the most intelligent of monsters will even suspect a trap, meaning traps are a reliable way to gain an advantage.
Stay Stealthy: (Recommended Skill - Stealth) Staying stealthy can lead to gaining information, bypassing danger, and surprising an enemy in combat. Do not explore more than one room at once, and do not break line of sight for too long - if ever - but even pushing forward safely one-by-one can make a huge difference.
Never Split the Party: (Recommended Skill - Survival) It is dangerous to go alone. Don't leave line-of-sight or communication for long - if ever - and don't scout physically ahead without a plan of when they will come looking for you. Only rest in safe places, avoiding places out in the open or cornered with only a single way out, and keep someone on watch - preferably multiple someone's - at all times.

Tribes of the Frontier

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Forward: While colonists find it difficult to distinguish between the various tribes and ethno-linguistic groups in Mwangi, the local tribespeople recognize distinctions every bit as definitive as those between Ulfen and Taldan - and most all of them bristle at being lumped together colloquially as simply "natives." Those that interact with them frequently realize there are six major heritages within the blanket Mwangi ethnicity, each containing a handful of dominant tribes:

Bekyar - the Raiders: Bekyar tend to be tall, and their hairstyles often involve long and elaborate braids, sometimes incorporating silk headwraps. The majority of the Beckyar peoples hunt for game and raid other communities for food, resources, and - most importantly - people.

Bandu - These slavers infest the Bandu Hills, which are in turn named after this tribe, turning an already dangerous and hostile area into one fraught with enough peril that few brave the territory, despite the promised riches. Much of their civil dealings with outsiders is limited to human trafficking - either buying a slave or a captives freedom. Since the colonization of Sargava, they have come to view the light-skinned foreigners as emissaries of the "northern gods," and as such they particularly prize these captives as sacrifices to their nature spirit deities.
Yemba - The Yemba are a smaller tribe rarely encountered by colonists but often spoken of in ghost stories as they are, if accounts are accurate, cannibals. The Yemba (whose name translates to ghoul) supposedly live along the River of Lost Tears and its many tributaries, and can be found by following the sounds of beating drums deep in the dark forests at night, where they can be encountered feasting upon human flesh in a ritual presided over by witch doctors known only as the "Yemba-bo" or "Ghoul-talkers".

Bonuwat - the Seafaring: Bonuwat mostly appear along the coastline and are typically shirtless, sometimes wearing paint instead of cloth, and they usually keep their hair cropped short, in cornrows, or shaved for the sake of being hydrodynamic. The Bonuwat have a seafaring heritage, and their communities pop up everywhere both water and fish can be found.

Ijo - Perhaps the friendliest of the local tribes, the Ijo spend their days on the open waters. Their tendency to dress in little more than loincloths is a source of embarrassment to some of the more genteel colonials, but it is a matter of simplicity to the Ijo who spend most of their time either in or on the water under the hot sun. They sell their daily catch all across Sargava and maintain cordial relations with most colonials and tribespeople, keeping their clashes on and under the sea.
Ombo - These merchants have loosely aligned themselves with the pirates of the Shakles and have adopted much of their sense of style, often wearing loose-fitting pantaloons and jewelry, and little else. They have found the slave trade to be particularly lucrative, often trading captives with the Free Captains on behalf of the Bandu, and occasionally preying upon the Ijo when they're found alone in open water.

Caldaru - the Chosen: With skin tones ranging from olive to dark bronze, the Caldaru dress in long, flowing robes that take in the breeze and cool the skin. Believing themselves to be the chosen people, the majority of their people were enslaved or dispersed when outsiders first reached the Mwangi Expanse. Rather than assimilating, they have absorbed much of the knowledge of these far-flung communities while maintaining their identity, setting up their own communities to trade and sell their expertise.
Mauxi - the Mysterious: The Mauxi typically wear head wraps to protect themselves from the sun while favoring a variety of colorful robes and textiles. These people are typically nomadic and peaceful, but ready to defend themselves.

Bas'o - These Mauxi follow the antelope heard in and out of sargava, not caring for the borders drawn by the colonials anymore than the herds mind them. While peaceful, they have learned to be distrustful of strangers, and are not to be trifled with, having a deeply ingrained warrior culture ready to react violently to perceived challenges or threats.
Elephant People - Scattered groups of nomads living alongside their elephant companions, these groups are collectively known as the elephant people. While not numerous, their incorporation of mighty elephant cavalry alongside ivory spears make them dangerous to challenge. The communities have themselves forgotten their ancestral name, having thought of themselves as "elephants in man-skin" for generations.

Vidric - the Naturalized: With a skin tone ranging from fair to ebony, the Vidric people are those who have spent generations under colonial rule (either willingly or as servants), and after generations of intermixing and learning the ways of their colonizers, they no longer identify with the ethnic traditions or heritages of their ancestors. These people tend to wear a mix of Chelish and Mwangi clothing and worship gods from the inner sea (but with decidedly Mwangi traits). The name "Vidric" is derived from the ancestral name of modern Sargava, and those who visibly support independence or revolutionary movements tent to wear chains or a pair of chainless bracelets, though some view this tendency as tacky or confrontational.
Zenj - the People: While closely related and sharing many customs, the Zenj are more clearly divided between the matriarchal savannah dwellers and the patriarchal jungle dwellers. Despite their differences, the Zenj typically see themselves as one people who happen to be living in different communities, and they often trade freely, celebrate together, and even come to one another's defense or aid, though they rarely inter-marry due to cultural differences regarding gender. Legend says that long ago they were one tribe when a patriarch who was afraid of hunting a predator insisted that a vegetarian diet was far healthier, causing the two groups to split.

Zenje - The semi-nomadic matriarchs of the savannah, these people move between settlements they have constructed that they only occupy for a few months at a time, following the herds of their prey. The most popular Zenje fashions incorporate animal skins, with rarer animals denoting ones status.
Zenju - The highly stationary patriarchs of the jungle, these people live in long homes and live an agricultural lifestyle. They tend to wear simple textiles and are well known for medicinal herbs, making them tempting targets for Bekyar raiders, and for knowing how to safely cook foods that are ordinarily poisonous - often morbidly joking with outsiders about the chefs lack of skills while they dine on the ordinarily-deadly meals.

Others Groups: The Mulaa and Kalabuta peoples are quickly loosing their distinct identities as they become simply known as Vidric, but many of the Vidric people of Eleder consider themselves Mulaa, while the people of Kalabuto were predominantly Kalabuta (after whom the city is named) before colonization. Separately, the Lirgeni, Mzali, Uomoto, and Yamasan peoples occupy various settlements far outside of sargava, and consider themselves distint tribes, though they typically share a heritage with one of the other major groups.
Others Races: The elves native to the Mwangi expanse typically fall into either the Alijae, Ekujae, or Kallijae groups. The native dwarves are typically either of the Mbe'ke or Taralu clans if they didnt sail in with the colonists. Gnomes are not native to the area but have come in droves with the colonists, along with halflings and a handful or half-orcs, though rarely native Song'o halflings or Matanji orcs are encountered. There are also communities of several other intelligent (but not always humanoid) races native to the expanse, most of whom are hostile, but they include: Anadi, Biloko, Boggard, Catfolk, Charauka, Conrasu, Gnoll, Goloma, Grippli, Intelligent Animals (especially apes), Kaava, Ketch, Kobold, Leshy, Lizardfolk, Mbaiki, Planar Scions, Sabosan, Serpentfolk, and Shisk.

Where We Are Now: Eleder

Appearance: Eleder is dominated by extensive stone docks, where ships from most nations on the Arcadian Ocean lie moored. The city is an unusual blend of architecture, as the gothic stonework of the colonists’ native Cheliax has adapted to the native building styles in favor of less stuffy, open designs that better combat the heat. Although Eleder itself is surrounded by a sturdy stone wall, the individual homes of many colonials also feature low stone walls and iron gates—a decorative concession to their roots that does nothing to make their homes less comfortable. These buildings are joined by more practical wood and canvas structures, and outside the city walls, countless mud-daub huts — the homes of the native workers — stretch far out into the banana, cocoa, and pineapple plantations.

History: The original founders of Sargava selected a small, natural harbor as the site of their future colony, gradually expanding from a stockaded encampment to a walled city with a fully equipped shipyard. It was named Eleder after the daughter of one of the original colonists, whose gentle diplomacy and efforts to learn Polyglot enabled the colonists to live in cooperation with the locals. Though the city today is named for Eleder’s efforts, the first several decades were fraught with violent misunderstandings between Chelaxians and natives. Large numbers of Chelish troops were brought in to help bring the native tribes under control, and they gradually convinced the tribes to assist the colonists in bringing “order” and industry to their “savage” land. When Sargava broke from Cheliax with the help of the Shackles, the citizens of Eleder opened up their repair yards as docks to ships of any nation, provided they paid a hefty fee for the privilege. Eleder is now considered one of the finest shipyards in Garund, and certainly the finest on the western coast. With the appointment of Utilinus to the position of Grand Custodian, Eleder has even made a few strides toward attracting other foreign businesses — mainly merchants from Nidal, Varisia, and Rahadoum. But though he has gained popularity with the colonials, the Grand Custodian is not well liked by the Hurricane King, who heavily taxes the merchant fleets his pirates guide past the Eye of Abendego.

Society: Eleder is a city of contradictions. The colonials live in relative luxury, while the native workers dwell in poverty outside the city walls. While countless scruffy sailors and explorers parade through Eleder every year en route to adventures in the interior — or simply on their way to enjoy the brothels and clubs Eleder maintains near the docks to keep pirates out of the city proper — the colonials maintain high personal standards of decorum and propriety. Although Grand Custodian Utilinus is Sargava’s authority, the elderly Lady Madrona Daugustana is the city’s unofficial leader. As the oldest living colonial in all of Sargava, Lady Madrona bears the responsibility of upholding the ideals and customs of her forebearers, and any major undertaking must meet her approval.While the majority of colonials consider the native Mwangi to be a “lesser people” than themselves, they rely on them not only as a labor pool but as a standing militia of poorly paid volunteers. Eleder’s Praetor, Commander Ezio Egorius, regularly drills the Sargavan Guard, which consists of mixed units, though all Mwangi natives are enlisted regulars while the colonials are all officers, much to the ire of many Mwangi veterans.

Adventurers: Though Sargava relies on the influx of foreign money to pay its debts to the Shackles pirates, the Eleder colonials would much rather the seemingly constant stream of adventurers and explorers sail up the Korir River to their destinations incountry, bypassing Eleder completely. In the words of Lady Madrona Daugustana, “Adventurers merely pass through Eleder; we must live here when they are long gone.”The major problem most colonials have with adventurers is that the colonials are barely keeping the Mwangi populace under control as it as, and in their view, the last thing they need is thrill-seekers or would-be “liberators” stirring up the natives, either by picking fights with tribal warriors or speaking ill of the colonials to the workers.Adding to the problem, adventurers rarely bother to learn the local customs, let alone observe the agreements between the tribes and the colonials, and a single incident can sour an entire tribe against all foreigners.Finally, the people of Eleder are obsessed with dignity and decorum — going even beyond many northern countries in their attempts to prove that they’ve remained “civilized” — and consider the carousing of bored adventurers the height of impropriety. It is bad enough for dwarves to stagger through the streets singing after dark, but having one’s daughter indecently solicited by an Ulfen barbarian quickly alienates even the most open-minded Sargavan colonist.

Destination: Kalabuto

From a distance, Kalabuto seems to be nothing more than a low hill surrounded by fields of pineapples, with a few scattered buildings under a pall of smoke. This is because the city ruins are almost entirely covered with centuries of jungle growth. Closer up, visitors quickly notice the thousands of native Mwangi coming and going from the city in the hustle and bustle of commerce and daily life. For many, it’s not until they approach quite close to the city gates that they realize the hill is actually a collection of crumbling stone buildings covered in tangled vines and other greenery.

As it stands, the city appears to be overgrown by the jungle, with a large collection of shanties and warehouses along the riverbank. Kalabuto is a center of trade with the Mwangi interior, serving as a trade hub between foreign colonials, foreigners, and indigenous tribespeople. Over the years, overland caravans have declined in favor of more efficient river barges. To accommodate the increase in vessels, the city erected a snaking boardwalk connected to an elaborate tangle of docks. Warehouses make up the bulk of the structures along the water’s edge. Further inland, the ruins of the original ancient city begin, climbing up the hill to the more lavish private colonial residences.

While native Kalabuta-Vidric inhabit the majority of the city’s ruins, a small minority of Sargavan colonials rule the city and have claimed the highest buildings with the best views for themselves. Racial tension is thus rife in Kalabuto. But the city also serves as Sargava’s first line of defense against the city-state of Mzali. In this role Kalabuto has suffered greatly, and has been sacked by the Mzali forces on several occasions.

Not just the most populous city in Sargava, Kalabuto sits on the edge of the expansive jungle; the last bastion of civilization before the wilderness. In contrast to Eleder, explorers and adventurers find that Kalabuto awaits them with open arms. . Those who do not find work as soldiers in the Kalabuto militia usually find plenty of opportunities with expeditions setting out to explore the Bandu Hills, Mzali, and the Screaming Jungle; the colonials look forward to sending new adventurers on the dangerous missions the local Mwangi refuse to undertake, while the natives readily hire themselves out to adventurers, who often treat and pay them better than the colonials.

Sargava at a Glance

Beset by devil-binding pilgrims and inescapable debts to pirate lords, as well as generations of resentment from the nation’s subjugated indigenous peoples, the colony of Sargava remains a bastion of northern culture and civilization in the heart of the southern wilds. Once part of a vast and mighty empire long since fallen to dust, as evidenced by the crumbling ruins still lurking beneath the veneer of lush farmland and verdant jungle, Sargava’s rich landscape is home to fierce Mwangi natives and even fiercer predators of the deep jungle, as well as a dwindling population of northern colonials who seek to uphold their ideals of culture and breeding at all cost, straining against the tides of resentment that may soon sweep them into the sea and return the land to its original owners.

Founded over 500 years ago by Prince Haliad I as part of Cheliax’s expansionist Everwar, Sargava stood as the jewel of the empire for centuries. But when Aroden died, the empire was thrown into chaos, and Sargava’s ruler backed the wrong house in the Chelish Civil War. House Thrune took control of Cheliax and sent a flotilla of warships to retake the colony that had supported their enemy in the bloody conflict. Grand Custodian Grallus anticipated the onslaught, however, and made a fateful alliance with the Free Captains of the Shackles. Swooping out of Desperation Bay to pounce on the unsuspecting Chelish Navy, the pirates’ superior fleet swiftly ended the threat to their southern neighbor, and extracted a mighty price from Sargava for their efforts. To this day, vast portions of Sargava’s wealth flow into the Free Captains’ coffers for past assistance and assurance of continued naval protection.

Financially weakened by the Free Captains’ high demands and cut off from many of their former trade partners to the north, Sargava faces an even larger threat from within. The native Mwangi people, inspired by the teachings of a mysterious, undead child-god in the nearby city-state of Mzali, move ever closer to open rebellion to free themselves from colonial rule. While Cheliax no longer has an official stake in Sargava’s government, the colonial Sargavan minority maintains control of the vastly larger native population. But the natives know that they have the resources of the entire Mwangi Expanse at their backs, and that Grand Custodian Utilinus’s government is in a poor position to quell a rebellion.