Contact and Faction Profiles
Major Factions
Color Code: Blue = Helpful; Green = Friendly; White = Indifferent; Orange = Unfriendly; Black = Hostile - Approach with Caution
Gold Crown Shipping and Mining Company (G.C.S.)
Expedition Leader: Earl Ortho Vibius
Background: Although primarily known for hauling cargo between Port Freedom and Eleder, the G.C.S. originally made its profits from mining operations in the Bandu Hills. They ship everything valuable, from pineapples to gold, on their swift, well-armed barges and armored wagon trains, sometimes at a moment's notice. They've also proven willing to outfit and conduct expeditions into the dangerous interior of the Mwangi Expanse, and though many of these are forced to turn back with heavy losses, the dangerous missions bring in real money and never have a shortage of volunteers. While their veterans are expensive, they are the go-to contracts for Sargava in mapping out ruins and enemy territories, and their reports always prove to be 100% accurate.
Objective: The wealthy noble, Ortho Vibius, regularly contracts expeditions by the GCS into the Mwangi interior, and is personally accompanying this expedition. While he intends to mine out gold and artifacts from the city to recover the cost of the expedition, his primary goal is to find the lost Sixth Army of Exploration, who supposedly found Saventh-Yhi before being annihilated. If the artifacts of those ancient explorers could be recovered, if the reach of their expedition could be proven, and if the remains of Grand Prince Cyricas and his legendary Worldbreaker could be recovered, it would be a priceless find, and it would be of immense value to the noble families of those explorers.
Primary Rival: Vessels belonging to the G.C.S. are frequently prayed upon by the Rivermen's Guild, and the two have developed a survival instinct of attacking the other on sight.
Route Resources: The G.C.S. has knowledge of and access to secret, underground tunnels, roads, and shortcuts. Roll 1d6 instead of 1d4 on shortcuts.
Secrets: ???
Signing Bonus: Gold is the best signing bonus, and each signatory gains an immediate payment of 500gp.
Boon: Utilizes forward scouts to discover areas more easily, providing an additional +5 bonus on perception checks to discover new areas.
Ivory Cross
Expedition Leader: Mister Dargan Etters
Background: Sargava’s most organized guild, the Ivory Cross, began operations in Eleder only 30 years ago, but it has quickly established itself as a force to be reckoned with. Consisting of nearly a hundred mercenary soldiers and officers, all sporting the badge of their order, the Ivory Cross has a very visible presence in Eleder. While they regular escort expeditions into the Bandu Hills, they are not a treasure-hunting organization, instead they seek to maintain security and order. It is no secret that they desire an exclusive contract to serve as Sargava's standing army, or that the Grand Custodian is seriously considering the offer, though he fears that it would simply exchange one set of "protectors" for another. Especially with rumors from the interior suggesting the Ivory Cross uses violence and coercion to ensure cooperation, putting colonial ranches and Mwangi tribesmen to torch that refuse to grant favorable terms.
Objective: The Ivory Cross has been hired by Dargan Etters as a business venture, viewing the legendary city of Saventh-Yhi as a way to make money, nothing more and nothing less. He intends to maximize profits, carefully selling everything worth carrying to select clientele - mostly wealthy private collectors - while limiting the sale rate to keep prices high and preserve the artifacts future value. He compensates his employees according to their results.
Primary Rival: The Pathfinder Society and the Ivory Cross are often at odds with one another, undertaking similar, competing jobs while holding radically different values. This is yet another job where the two are competing, and its likely to be another bloody collision.
Route Resources: The Ivory Cross treats land trade routes as highways.
Secrets: The Ivory Cross is a front for the Aspis Consortium, a way for the consortium to make money within sargava through mercenary contracts. As the consortiums operations are heavily sanctioned within Sargava, this is a closely guarded secret, though those in the know are often powerless to do anything about it - the Ivory Cross is perhaps the only effective mercenary militia in the country; its too powerful to stop.
Signing Bonus: A selection of scrolls, potions, and wands worth 500gp per person.
Boon: The Ivory Cross grants +5 bonus on diplomacy checks to secure alliances or trade routes.
Pathfinder Society
Expedition Leader: Pathfinder Amivor Glaur
Background: A loose-knit group of explorers, archeologists, and adventurers, the Pathfinder Society searches the globe for lost knowledge and ancient treasures. Many of the greatest explorers of the modern age were members of this prestigious society, telling often unbelievable tales of discovery and ruin. While an honest desire to unlock history';s secrets motivates some Pathfinders, the promise of material fortune and fame propels others, who seek a sort of immortality in the publications of the Society, while still other Pathfinders take up the trade out of the simple thrill for perilous adventure.
Objective: The Pathfinder Society seeks Saventh-Yhi for the same reason they explore any other ancient ruin — for the lost knowledge it contains, not to mention the historical artifacts and rumored wealth that can be recovered from the fabled city. In addition, with the recent loss of their lodge in the city of Kalabuto, the Decemvirate is eager to expand their influence in the region, and Saventh-Yhi might just make a good site for a new Pathfinder Lodge.
Primary Rival: The Pathfinder Society and the Ivory Cross are often at odds with one another, undertaking similar, competing jobs while holding radically different values. This is yet another job where the two are competing, and its likely to be another bloody collision.
Route Resources: The Pathfinder Society can cross through settlements and ruins at 2x speed.
Secrets: Venture-Captain Finze Bellaugh believes theres more to the city than just wealth and lost knowledge. Yes, they hope the venture will bring fortune and archeological discovery, but they believe Saventh-Yhi may hold the key to locating other ancient cities and relics; particularly, they have reason to believe that old-mage Jatembe may have visited the ancient city shortly after the age of darkness, and legendary pathfinders have tried and failed to follow his footsteps. This is a chance to travel a path not walked in millennia, and the lost knowledge and fame that could be found along that path is priceless.
Signing Bonus: Field commissions to Pathfinders, granting Society membership complete with Wayfinders embedded with an ioun stone of their choice worth up to 400gp. This also paves the way for access to future PRCs.
Boon: The Pathfinder Society is quite adept at exploration, gaining a +4 to exploration checks.
Red Mantis
Expedition Leader: Mistress Chivane
Background: The Red Mantis are the most tenacious and efficient assassins the world has ever known. They usually kill their victims with a sacred saw-toothed sabre, so victims often drown in their own blood before their hearts cease beating. No palace, fortress, safe house, or cavern is secure enough to keep out the Red Mantis. And no matter how wealthy or powerful they were, victims of the Red Mantis stay dead - no matter what. As reliable as they are, even the most desperate plotters think twice before calling on the Red Mantis. One never knows what price they will ask - it varies widely based on the client and target - but it is always nonnegotiable. While they take on almost any job, they do have one unbreakable rule: they do not commit regicide against a rightfully sitting monarch.
Objective: The Red Mantis are not necessarily interested in the city of Saventh-Yhi itself, but what is rumored to lie inside it. Ancient texts hint at the existence of a temple to Achaekek the Mantis God within the legendary city, and the Red Mantis are eager to find this location, which is sacred to their cult. Within the lost temple, they hope to find powerful relics of the Mantis God unseen on Golarion since the days of Azlant, including the head of an assassinated god. They intent to kill anyone who trespasses on this holy site, keeping the location of Saventh-Yhi a closely-guarded secret.
Primary Rival: The Sargavan Custodial Government has no patience for Red Mantis Assassins, and while they wish to reach the Saventh-Yhi first, they know they can at least tax the others' findings; but Red Mantis is beholden to no one else, and only nations can compete with their power.
Route Resources: Particularly good at sabotage and assassination, the Red Mantis can sabotage two groups at a time when performing sabotage missions, and can always sabotage whomever is in the lead. Their sabotage opportunities can never backfire.
Secrets: ???
Signing Bonus: The Red Mantis provide each signatory with 500gp worth of poisons, antitoxins, and healer's kits, as well as association with the Red Mantis, potentially opening up future PRCs.
Boon: They gain a free condition (sow terror) to conquer each district within Saventh-Yhi
Rivermen's Guild
Expedition Leader: Captain Kassata Lewynn
Background: A coalition of barge sailors working along the Korir river, open to anyone who makes their living on the waterways, only those who actually own or operate a barge is allowed to hold one of the five voting seats in the Rivermen's Guild. While obviously not an entirely fair system, the people of Port Freedom know better than to speak openly of it, as it's an open secret that the Rivermen's Guild is just a collection of thugs, robbers, and thieves. Ruthless businessmen known to steal, sink, and hijack the cargo of non-guild members (chiefly those belonging to G.C.S.), many of their number are simply relatively-honest businessmen and workers, paying for membership to avoid being a target, and speaking only good of the organization who takes a dim view of careless talk. Several Grand Custodians have attempted to disband the Rivermen's Guild and arrest its leaders, but none have managed it, with guards generally refusing to arrest guild members for feat of their families safety.
Objective: Captain Kassata Lewynn of the Last Hurrah, and member of the Free Captains Alliance, has struck a deal with the Rivermen's Guild for use of their barges and knowledge of the waterways to reach Saventh-Yhi. While the exact details of the arrangement are private, what has emerged is a small fleet of river barges crewed by pirates and led by experienced navigators. Captain Lewynn hopes to recover enough treasure from the city to buy the allegiance of several pirate lords so she can make herself the Hurricane King, folding the Rivermen into the Free Captains in the process.
Primary Rival: Vessels belonging to the G.C.S. are frequently prayed upon by the Rivermen's Guild, and the two have developed a survival instinct of attacking the other on sight.
Route Resources: Highly experienced at getting underway quickly, the Rivermen's Guild moves twice as far as other groups along rivers and waterways on the same day they embark.
Secrets: ???
Signing Bonus: Captain Lewynn offers signatories either a small crew of able-bodied buccaneers, or up to 500gp worth of guns, powder, and shot.
Boon: The Rivermen's Guild is well stocked, gaining a +4 to supply and supply checks.
Sargavan Custodial Government
Expedition Leader: General Rotilius Havelar
Background: 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. 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.
Objective: The Sargavan government wants to stake a claim on Saventh-Yhi for two reasons. First, if they can establish an outpost there, it increases their presence and influence in the region, while at the same time denying the same benefits to rivals. Second, the city’s legendary wealth and the opportunity to open new trade routes would go a long way toward refilling Sargava’s depleted treasury, perhaps granting the former colony a greater independence from (or at least less reliance on) the Free Captains of the Shackles. This could be just the opportunity Sargava needs to throw off their shackles, or conversely, it could be its last chance to avoid complete collapse under the weight of its obligations.
Primary Rival: The Sargavan Custodial Government has no patience for Red Mantis Assassins, and while they wish to reach the Saventh-Yhi first, they know they can at least tax the others' findings; but Red Mantis is beholden to no one else, and only nations can compete with their power.
Route Resources: The Sargavan Custodial Government can force certain people to provide shelter and lodging while turning others away, opening up more safe places to rest and re-supply on the way to Saventh-Yhi.
Secrets: Out of money, the Sargavan Custodial Government cannot afford any more payments to the Hurricane King. This expedition may be their last chance, as they will be defaulting on their next payment to the pirates. Even if they had the money to pay them, they need it to pay off several independence factionalists who are threatening to break away from the colony and start a war for independence. Infrastructure is crumbling, the army is severely underpaid, people are angry. Change is coming, one way or another, but Saventh-Yhi is an opportunity for that change to be good.
Signing Bonus: They promise a noble title and a tract of land for each person, if they successfully manage to claim Saventh-Yhi first. They also offer each npc a personal guard or servant.
Boon: The sargavan military troops provide encampments with +4 defense.
Minor Factions
Color Code: Blue = Helpful; Green = Friendly; White = Indifferent; Orange = Unfriendly; Black = Hostile - Approach with Caution
Bekyar Raiders
Leader: None
Bekyar tend to be tall, and their hairstyles often involve long and elaborate braids, sometimes incorporating silk headwraps. The majority of the Bekyar peoples hunt for game and raid other communities for food, resources, and - most importantly - people. What they do with their captives varies by tribe, which tend to fall under one of two subcategories:
- 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 Seafarers
Leader: None
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. These people tend to fall under one of two subcategories:
- 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 Shackles 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.
Brotherhood of Cheerful Service
Leader: None
A noble order of mwangi elves and magical beasts, this dragon-led brotherhood is dedicated to safeguarding impoverished villages from the dangers of the Expanse, including disease, famine, pestilence, and wild animals. Each dragon within the order takes on the role of a guardian and mentor, providing protection and carrying out acts of kindness. While most recipients are grateful for the aid, there have been many terrible misunderstandings; while a village will not turn away a gift of food (needed or not), especially when given by a dragon, they are frequently annoyed when dragons kill their herds to protect them from "being overrun by wild beast," or when a magical beast replaces their food-store with lizards in the belief that the lizards are more nutritious.
Chosen Caldaru
Leader: None
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. These diaspora congregate close to one-another wherever they are found, looking forward to one day establishing a kingdom in a city of their own.
Colonial Settlers
Leader: Grand Custodian Utilinus
These people are descended from Chelish colonists, but were born and raised in Sargava, it being the only country and culture they know. While the culture and traditions of the inner sea are dominant amongst them, their style and lifestyle are shaped by their new environment. Many colonial natives speak polyglot (though it would be scandalous if they couldn't also speak proper common), and some have incorporated local religious adaptations into their own beliefs. Generations ago, it was disgraceful to intermix with the local Mwangi, but today intermarriages are not looked down upon, only uncommon, and multi-toned children join their fair-skinned families in the upper-crust of society.
Freemen's Brotherhood
Leader: None
A loose association of mwangi natives led by ex-slaves, the Freemen's Brotherhood is a radical abolitionist group. Their primary goal is to instill terror in the hears of foreigners, merchants, and any others they believe stand behind the slave trade. Some adherents go so far as to view all colonials as "Imperialist Thieves" responsible fo rall their ills, and will not rest until every foreigner is killed or expelled from their land.
Prone to violence and easy to incite, the lack of formal structure and quick anger towards law enforcement makes this group difficult to control, as vandalism from a member can quickly turn to violence, especially if the Sargavan Guard attempts to arrest anyone involved. Reactions from the Mwangi Natives to policy decisions have frequently led to riots, and the lack of any one leader makes them impossible to negotiate with.
Mauxi Nomads
Leader: None
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. The mauxi are further subcategorized by the heard animals they follow across the expanse, with the following two being predominant:
Order of the Coil
Leader: Lictor Vitova Racnhe
Partially at the request of Chelish settlers in Sargava, the Order of the Pyre sought to establish a Garundi headquarters near the nation’s capital, Eleder. In 4694 AR, nearly 200 Hellknights landed in Sargava and set to work constructing the fortress of New Krane and oppressing the faiths of the land’s tribal peoples. Within a year, though, the native residents retaliated, and more than half of the Hellknights were slaughtered. With the commanding paralictor slain, the majority of the surviving Hellknights retreated, abandoning Sargava entirely. Those who stayed behind took inspiration from the deadly vipers of the region and styled themselves as the Order of the Coil.
Now among the vilest of Hellknights, the Order of the Coil claims to be following the charge that originally brought the Order of the Pyre to Sargava. Destructive in the extreme, though, the order seeks to wipe out all evidence of Sargava’s native cultures. Under the command of the now-self-proclaimed Lictor Racnhe, the order’s roughly 60 mostly lawful evil members employ fire and poison to destroy Mwangi settlements and historical sites.
Aside from targeting the native peoples of western Garund, the Order of the Coil also strikes against archaeologists, explorers, and traders who would spread word of the indigenous cultures and their wonders to the outside world.
Zenj Peoples
Leader: None
While closely related and sharing many customs, the Zenj are clearly divided between the matriarchal savannah dwelling Zenje and the patriarchal jungle dwelling Zenju. 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. While pronounced the same, the details of these two subcategories are as follows:
Faction Leaders
Color Code: Blue = Helpful; Green = Friendly; White = Indifferent; Orange = Unfriendly; Black = Hostile - Approach with Caution
Pathfinder
Amivor Glaur
Pathfinder Society
Appearance: A wild-haired redhead with a neatly trimmed beard and mustache, Amivor keeps himself conspicuously clean. Eschewing a shirt for an open vest with plenty of pockets, Amivor is covered in easily accessed tools, and every piece of his clothing has utility.
Background: A veteran of several expeditions into the Mwangi interior, Amivor is skilled at organizing an leading such missions, as well as appraising and exploring historical sites. He has been somewhat hardened and made more wild by all his time in the jungle, and has come to generally prefer being in the field to the noise of civilization.
Mistress
Chivañe
Red Mantis
Appearance: Startlingly pretty, Chivañe takes the rare approach of removing her mask of the red mantis, allowing her to be recognized. This is likely due to the reality of leading an expedition of several assassins, rather than merely being on a job, but this decision enables the expedition leader to be recognized on sight at a distance.
Background: [REDACTED]
Patron
Dargan Etters
Ivory Cross
Appearance: Well adapted to the hot climate of the expanse, Patron Etters wears lose fitting and unrestricted clothing decorated in gold. He rarely ventures anywhere without his bodyguards, but his demeanor makes it clear that in any conversation, he is always the most important, powerful, and dangerous man in the room.
Background: A charismatic businessman, Patron Etters is solely interested in his own wealth and prestige. Based out of Blood Cove, he rose to upper echelons of a society built on subterfuge and skullduggery. Arrogant and utterly ruthless, he has a reputation for maximizing profits at the expense of lives; having no qualms about killing people in his way, either to lessen competition or to get what he wants.
Captain
Kassata Lewynn
Rivermen's Guild
Appearance: Strikingly pretty with long, curly red hair and delicate tattoos in both prominent and delicate places, Captain Kassata wields her looks like any other weapon. Jovial, prone to heavy drinking and wild partying, Kassata lives a one-life-one-shot mantra, never letting an opportunity for fun or adventure pass idly by.
Background: Captain of the Last Hurrah, Kassata Lewynn is an ambitious Free Captain of the Shackles. She craves authority and the admiration of her fellow captains, something she somewhat-rightfully believes can only be bought, and she will pursue fortune and glory with every drop of her blood.
Earl
Ortho Vibius
G.C.S.
Appearance: Middle aged and mildly foppish, His Honorable Lordship Vibius is a confirmed old bachelor possessing both wealth and station. At all times, he is dressed impeccably and acts with decorum, though he imperiously eyes the jungle with a combination of fright and disgust. His nobility has afforded him a fantastic and diverse education at colleges across Avistan, yet he retains an insatiable curiosity for the unknown, often asking pointed questions after concluding with pleasantries.
Background: The largest benefactor to the G.C.S., Earl Vibius typically pays them enough money to operate for a year in exchange for brief explorations of the Stasis Fields in th Bandu Hills, though he doesn't seem to do anything with the reports that return to him. Not a field man, he is funding the expedition entirely out of his own pocket, purely for the pursuit of knowledge, of course.
General
Rotilius Havelar
Sargavan Custodial Government
Appearance: An older man with a lifetime of military service, General Havelar keeps his grey hair and beard cropped short and neatly trimmed. His face is wrinkled and lined from decades of scowling, with a prominent scar across the left side of his face from a nearly-fatal encounter with an elephants tusk.
Background: Appointed to lead the expedition to Saventh-Yhi by Grand Custodian Utilinus, Rotilius Havelar is a general of the Sargavan Guard. A loyal supported of the Grand Custodian, General Havelar is a stereotypical self-important colonial officer, with traditionalist views of the Mwangi natives. He is a military man through and through, a veteran of several battles, highly educated, a skilled warrior and canny strategist, and a man who can be counted on to follow orders. Despite his qualities, however, he lacks any true leadership ability.
Other Important NPC's
Color Code: Blue = Helpful; Green = Friendly; White = Indifferent; Orange = Unfriendly; Black = Hostile - Approach with Caution
Aerys Mavato
Rival: Rivermen's Guild
Appearance: Aerys is a trim, athletic woman with short dark hair, tanned skin, and fierce blue eyes. She dresses in tightly fitted leather armor and favors dark clothing and tricorn hats.
Background: Aerys Mavato boarded the Jenivere at Port Peril, and immediately got in a fight with one of the ship’s crewmen when he made an ill-advised suggestion that he and Aerys could share bunks. Aerys soundly humiliated the crewman in the resulting scrap (much to the barely hidden delight of the Jenivere’s first mate), preventing further trouble during the rest of the voyage but sending the brooding half-elf into a self imposed isolation in her forward cabin where she spent much of her time half-drunk or passed out, filling the gaps between bouts of work on her secret passion — poetry. Aerys has been crafting an epic poem she calls the Abendego Cantos for many years, and worries that she’ll not be able to finish it before she gets herself killed.
Athyra "of the Jungle" Crinhouse
⤼Fanged Raptor⤼
Appearance: Athyra stands nearly 6 feet tall with a perfectly muscled figure and stunning features, her hair woven into clumped tangles. Dressed in wild scraps of animal hide, she carries a glaive-like spear she crafted from the toothed jaw of some fearsome jungle beast.
Background: The sole survivor (and heir) of the disaster at the Fzumi Salt Mines, Athyra was raised by velociraptors in the Screaming Jungle, and is always seen alongside her best friend and clutch-mate, Jaji.
Boon: Athyra can rally velociraptors to her, allowing them to be selected as animal companions. Additionally, she teaches everyone her naked-courage technique. Naked courage grants a +1 dodge bonus and a +1 morale bonus on saving throws versus fear effects to anyone not wearing armor.
Skipper
Cheiton
G.C.S.
Appearance: Cheiton is a brawny dwarf, easily recognizable by the tattoo on his shoulder belonging to a specific mining outfit within the G.C.S. A jovial drinker and fond storyteller, the Skipper is particularly fond of puns, and its endless usage is something passengers aboard his steamer sometimes find exhaust-ing.
Background: A former miner in the Bandu Hills, Cheiton earned a modest living working for the G.C.S. Now, he makes his living organizing expeditions into the Mwangi interior for the foolhardy, and occasionally he enjoys taking up contracts from his former bosses at the G.C.S.
Quest: The Skipper's Quest will be revealed at a later point in the journey.
Gelik Aberwhinge
Rival: Pathfinder Society
Appearance: Gelik is a spry, energetic gnome with blond hair and a neat goatee. He dresses like a noble at all times With liberal use of prestidigitation, his fine clothes always seem freshly cleaned. Only the ink stains on his fingers break the illusion of a proper gnome nobleman.
Background: Gelik boarded the Jenivere at Magnimar in something of a rush — when a local merchant discovered that Gelik had sold him a fake Thassilonian relic (a practice that has resulted in his poor standing in the Pathfinder Society), things quickly got out of hand and the Magnimar city guard became involved. After losing his pursuers in a market, Gelik found himself at the docks and, knowing that his welcome in Magnimar was over, secured passage on the first ship out of town he could — the Jenivere.
Ishirou
G.C.S.
Appearance: Ishirou is a rugged Tian man who appears much older than he is, with graying hair worn in a ponytail and a perpetual scruffy beard. His clothing and armor are well kept and clean, but obviously of low quality. Only his sword, a beautiful katana , has any real value. Ishirou is rightfully protective of it, as it is his only material link to his cultural heritage.
Ishirou grew up on his father’s ship, but grew to resent what he felt was a stolen childhood — he saw how those who stayed in one location set down roots, grew rich, and established empires. In a foolish attempt to force his family to settle down, young Ishirou stole down to the waterfront and lit his father’s ship on fire, only to watch in horror and shame as his father heroically leapt aboard the ship and tried to save it. His father died in the fire, and Ishirou’s secret drove him to stow away on an Aspis Consortium ship bound for Bloodcove. Ten years have passed since then, and Ishirou has worked as a sailor, thug, messenger, soldier, and guard for the Aspis Consortium the entire time. He boarded the Jenivere at Bloodcove, having finally paid off his debt to the Consortium, and is eager to seek a new life in Sargava.
Boon: Ishirou shares some of his sword-fighting styles and tricks, granting everyone a +1 bonus to CMB and CMD against disarm combat maneuvers.
Jask Derindi
G.C.S.
Appearance: Jask is a middle-aged, plain-looking Garundi man with hair starting to gray and watery eyes.
Background: A prisoner loaded at Corentyn, this man is bound and sequestered in the brig. Jask was once employed by the Sargavan government, but when he uncovered evidence of corruption involving illicit deals with the Free Captains of the Shackles, Jask confronted his superior, only to be betrayed and framed for the same crimes. Faced with imprisonment, Jask fled all the way to Corentyn, where he lived a modest life as a scribe for a decade. He’d thought his enemies in Sargava had forgotten him, but then a Sargavan agent caught up with him and put him in irons. The agent handed Jask over to the captain of the Jenivere with instructions to return Jask to Sargava for trial, but the captain disappeared during the shipwreck, leaving Jask alive but bound.
Boon: Jask shares a number of mantras and focusing chants. Everyone gains Meditation Master as a bonus feat.
Lady
Mindra Macini
G.C.S.
Appearance: Unassuming and fair, Mindra wears long knit clothes and wears large bucket hats to keep the sun off her skin, never removing her thick layers even when working under the hot son. Despite this, she has never been seen sweating or complaining about the heat, and those who assume she is frail have never seen her wrestle a bull into its pen.
Background: A Vidric native, Mindra was born and raised in freehold after the traditions of her noble family. A champion of Mwangi rights, her large ranch is the halfway-point between the capital city of Eleder on the west coast, and the great city of Kalabuto on the edge of the eastern frontier. More than just a hard worker and leader, she is a cunning politician who defends the heartlands of the nation with her own well-armed shepherd and ranch-hands.
Quest: The Skipper's Quest will be revealed at a later point in the journey.
Nkechi "The Tempest"
Cranky Crab
Appearance: The tempest eschews wearing shirts, and his single pair of trousers is heavily worn and patched, looking ragged from its constant exposure to the elements. In likewise fashion, his hair, beard, and eyebrows are permanently storm-strewn and loosing color at the ends, while he is clearly blind out of his left eye. Despite this, he bears a fine holy symbol of his patron in traditional construction, and he always wears a pair of sturdy shoes.
Background: An aged shaman of Shimye-Magalla, the man born named Nkechi is called "The Tempest" by the Vidric natives of Eleder. Knowledgeable and wise, he is also temperamental and, like his patron, prone to fits of rage and seeming madness. Over the years, hundreds have come to him seeking guidance, and his counsel has earned him both parishioners and angry enemies. Having now survived several attempts on his life, he has developed a healthy sense of paranoid vigilance.
Boon: The Tempest's can create powerful drugs that enable the adventurers to go on spirit journeys.
Upgraded Boon: The Tempest's full powers are not yet realized, and remain mysterious, even to himself.
Pezock "Crow Tooth"
G.C.S.
Appearance: This mad black tengu has seen too many days marooned on Smuggler's Shiv, and the combination of heat and isolation has taken its toll. He wears ragged pants and strips of white cloth bandaged around parts of his head, forearms, and tarses' in an effort to keep cool while covering small bites, cuts, and caught hooks.
Background: Pezock is the only survivor of the wreckage of the Crow's Tooth, which wrecked on the shores of Smuggler's Shiv sometime past. He was a passenger aboard the all-tengu vessel, and close personal friends of Captain Eraka Zoventai, a bright red cardinal-like tengu who gave Pezock his saw-toothed saber. All of the other survivors were killed by the shiv's cannibals.
Upgraded Boon: Cured of his madness (for the moment), Pezock is able to share some of his combat tactics. He grants everyone Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Sawtooth Saber), and anyone dealing sneak attack damage with a sawtooth saber may gain the benefit of the Bleeding Attack rogue talent.
Sasha Nevah
Rival: Red Mantis
Appearance: Sasha has tousled red hair and mischievous green eyes, and is missing the pinky finger of her left hand. She bears a tattoo between her shoulder blades . Slender and athletic, Sasha never stands still or stays quiet for long.
Background: Sasha Nevah is a daughter of the Red Mantis, yet while she shows great promise — she’s a natural fighter, takes pride in her grace, and delights in violence— she’ll never make it as an assassin because of her insatiable curiosity, her love of animals, and rebellious streak. Had her mother not been a highly regarded member of the Red Mantis, Sasha would have doubtless met with a tragic accident years ago. Sasha has little interest in joining the Mantis, as she rankles at even the thought of following orders. Impulsive and reckless, she’s caused plenty of awkward problems for her mother — and while being sent to Sargava to assist with Mantis interests in Eleder is not technically exile, her mother has certainly made it clear that if she returns to Ilizmagorti, she’ll never leave it again. Sasha understood what her mother meant (especially after she severed one of Sasha’s fingers to drive home the warning), but rather than dwell on the fact that her mother threatened her life, she sees this as a great opportunity for adventure.
Neiford "The Arrow" Sharrowsmith
G.C.S.
Appearance: While once a moderately-attractive man in his mid thirties, Sharrowsmith suffers from horrific swelling manifesting in large and painful lumps of skin and hair on his chest, back, and neck. In constant pain and straining his muscles to look in a specified direction (against his will), Sharrowsmith has become prone to regular mood swings, alternating between good days where his old enthusiasm for exploration is dominant, to days when he seems embittered and withdrawn, silently staring off into the distance.
Background: An acclaimed scout and explorer, sharrowsmith dropped out of college to join up with a wilderness-mapping team with the G.C.S. Proving naturally gifted at woodcraft and highly knowledgeable about a wide variety of things (due to his partial college education), he soon began leading expeditions into dangerous ruins, often going alone when a mission needed speed, secrecy, or security - especially if it required all three.
Boon: Once per day, Sharrowsmith can gift an explorer with a single scroll containing any 3rd level or lower bard spell for free - though while the scroll is free, if the spell has expensive material components, he will need those components to finish the scroll. These scrolls are custom-made for the person requesting it and cannot be sold, though the person who requested the scroll gains a +5 circumstance bonus on Use Magic Device checks to activate the scroll. Sharrowsmith can only make 5 spell-levels worth of scrolls in a week, and will not give you a new scroll if you already have 5 of his scrolls in your possession.
Unimportant NPCs
While not dead, the value of these NPC's has become a mere memory.
Aycenia - The Spirit of the Hill
Island Dryad
Appearance: The dryad of the single, 60 ft. banyan tree standing on the highest point of Smuggler's Shiv, Aycenia has light-bark skin, rain water eyes, and palm-frond hair. Her voice sounds like the rustling of the leaves of her banyan tree, and while she speaks eagerly, her language is as someone who rarely has a companion for conversation.
Background: She is a tree. Her life is the life of the tree that has been on this same hill for over a century. She's young for a tree, though still older than most of the trees on this island. The activities and intents of the cannibals are of no interest to her - she is a tree.
Boon: Aycenia not only promises to allow the PCs to rest on her hill as often as they wish, but she also pledges to use her magic to aid them in whatever method they desire. She also knows much about this island and its inhabitants, and can answer most specific questions, though her alien mind is unlikely to spontaneously think of information the survivors might find useful.
Captain Ekubus
Water Mephit
Appearance: This small humanoid creature has thin, leathery wings, small horns, and a mischievous smile. Water drips from the pores of his skin, rolling down his long ears and nose, and leaving wet footprints behind wherever they step.
Background: The sole survivor of the Salty Strumpet’s crew is a water mephit named Ekubus — or as he prefers to be called these days, “Captain” Ekubus. The mephit was once the familiar of the Salty Strumpet’s captain, but after the ship wrecked on smuggler's shiv and his master was carried off and eaten by the Red Mountain devil, Captain Ekubus decided to take up the mantle of command. He’s lived in the sunken shipwreck of the Salty Strumpet ever since, oft wearing his master’s jaunty cap and swimming through the wreck, giving orders to his crew of crabs, urchins, and fish.
Boon: Captain Ekubus is happy to escort the castaways to and though the vampiric temple, though he cannot leave his crew for more than an hour at a time.
Notable Dead
Alas, not all NPC's survived this adventure, and for better (or worse) they are remembered here.
Ieana
Boarded at Magnimar
Appearance: Mysterious and scantily clad, Ieana allows scarves to both hide and highlight her features, while the charms and bracelets move asynchronously with her movements, giving her an odd combination of graceful and awkward motions, like she doesn't quite fit in her slender frame.
Background: A bookish Varisian scholar who tends to keep to herself, Ieana is traveling to Sargava to explore the ancient ruins there. Rumors aboard the ship alternately suggest that she’s the Jenivere’s owner, a Chelish agent, or Captain Kovack’s secret lover. Ieana keeps mostly to herself, and grows more intent on her studies with each mile the ship travels closer to Eleder.
Death: Was killed and replaced before she got aboard the Jenivere.
Ship's Cook
Rambar Terillo
Crewmate
Rail thin and incredibly jumpy, Ship's Cook Terillo is most memorable for his shrill screams at the sight of all kinds of bugs. Meticulously clean, he keeps his blond hair cropped short and his beard and thin mustache precisely trimmed.
Background: A taciturn man from Senghor, Ship’s Cook Terillo has served in that capacity aboard several ships, though apparently not on account of his culinary skills, which seem to be limited to watery soups.
Killed by a snake bite aboard the Jenivere.
First Mate
Alton Devers
Crewmate
Appearance: A youthful but weathered man, First Mate Devers has an easygoing attitude coupled with an impeccable sense of honor and duty which he strives to impart to the crew.
Background: The Jenivere’s first mate is friendly with both passengers and crew, but he sometimes seems to chafe under the strong discipline of Captain Kovack.
Death: Succumbed to his mysterious injuries and eurypterid poison.
Captain
Alizandru Kovack
Crewmate
Appearance: Smartly but practically dressed, Captain Kovack has a precisely trimmed bears and mustache, a crisp tricorn hat he wears when above deck, and a particularly-piercing gaze.
Background: A Chelish man whose family has made the Magnimar to Eleder run for generations, Captain Kovack is pleasant enough with his passengers, but a strict disciplinarian when dealing with his crew.
Death: Turned into an undead monster by the Mother, and slain by the explorers.
Klorak "the Red"
Thrunefang Cannibals
Appearance: Known as "the Red" due to his vibrant red hair and his glorying in blood, Klorak stands 7'2" tall and has a very muscular frame for a 21yo. He wears a necklace of teeth belonging to the people and creatures he tore apart with his bare hands, and his chest is crudely tattoo'd with a boiling cook-pot in the shape of a skull.
Background: Called Klorak the Red as much for his wild red mane of hair as for his penchant for glorying in the feel of his enemies’ blood on his skin, the cannibal chieftain wields a scimitar that remains in remarkably good condition (thanks to its magic) despite the passage of decades. Klorak is the Thrunefangs’ seventh chieftain, and one of the longest serving. As chieftain, the duty and honor of fathering the tribe’s children are his alone, but he has been unable to sire an un-deformed child for several years, something that the rest of the tribe has started to view as an indication that his time to rule them has passed. Klorak spends much of his time sequestered in his den on the second floor of the lighthouse as a result, suffering through countless different herbal and alchemical “cures” provided to him by the tribes witch doctor.
Death: Stabbed in the eyes by Loric's thrown trident.
Yarzoth
Boarded at Magnimar
Appearance: Her slender frame and awkward grace are no longer incongruous, now that the illusion has been dropped. With two legs, clawed hands, and the head of a snake, this sorcerous looks almost as treacherous as she behaves.
Background: Arrogant and unconcerned with the fate of the survivors of the Jenivere, little is known about this serpentfolk's past. What has been pieced together is that she killed and took the place of Ieana, enthralled the captain, poisoned the crew, and wrecked the ship on Smuggler's Shiv in order to reach an ancient temple of Zura on the island. There, she pieced together a map to the lost city of Saventh-Yhi.
Death: Decapitated by Avarice, her severed head muttered, "Cut off One head, Two more shall take its place..."
Umagro
Freeman Brotherhood
Appearance: Umagro wears a dark cloak, and paints his face in tribal warrior patterns. His armor and weapons are clearly new, though they are designed to imitate the appearance of older weapons belonging to venerable Mwangi empires.
Background: At a young age, Umagro was captured by slavers and sold into slavery. Much of his youth was spent digging in the salt mines, until he was sold into the slave armies of a Chelish trading company. Stationed at Kalabuto, he and his fellow slaves revolted during a Mzali siege. Escaping to Eleder, he joined the movement of ex slaves known as the Freeman’s Brotherhood, eventually rising to power and turning the once peaceful organization into a group of violent revolutionaries.
Martyr'd by Dakota atop the flensing house roof of the South Arcadian Whaling Company, in front of a riotous crowd.
Amersanus Valacosti
Rival: Ivory Cross
Appearance: Amersanus Valacosti seems to have boundless energy; he carries himself with the poise and posture of nobility, affecting a Chelish accent and speech mannerisms to hide any telltale sign that would indicate his true nationality. The only tell of weakness Valacosti may have is his noticeable limp and the stiffness of his right leg, which requires Valacosti to walk with the assistance of an ebony cane topped with a black, serpentine dragon coiled into a figure eight.
Background: A shrewd politician working with the Ivory Cross, Valacosti seeks the moonstone of Ashkurhall, one of the keys to finding the lost city of Saventh-Yhi. Far too meticulous to to risk an open confrontation while within the borders of Sargava, he seeks to further his aims with minimal risk, relying on hired agents and mercenaries to carry out his whim.
Death: Killed by the Golden Guardian of Ashkurhall after being baited by the party.