Shining Kingdoms.
Andoran
Andoran is the first democratically governed republic in the Inner Sea region, and as a result is perhaps best known for its message of freedom. Though a young nation, having broken away from Chelish rule only 50 years ago, Andoran has earned its place among the recognized political powers through a strong economy, a powerful navy, and bold efforts to combat the practice of slavery even beyond its borders. Perhaps due to its youth, Andoran keeps a close eye on its neighbors. Taldor’s revitalization under Grand Princess Eutropia is not as welcome in Andoran as in other countries: despite Eutropia’s many reforms and improved diplomacy, she’s still a hereditary monarch who prevented a people’s rebellion. Andoran has also taken note of Cheliax’s recent weaknesses, and rumors abound that the two nations may be headed for war—a sentiment encouraged by Andoran’s leader, Supreme-Elect Andira Marusek, a retired general of the Steel Falcons known for her opposition to the Chelish slave trade. Last but not least, prudence leads Andoran to carefully observe the follies of its cousin nation of Galt in order to avoid repeating the same mistakes, lest bloody revolution undermine all that Andoran has achieved over the past decades. The Eagle Knights of Andoran, state-funded soldiers and spies dressed in iconic blue-and-gold uniforms, are often associated with abolitionist efforts, though the various divisions within the organization are seldom understood beyond the nation’s borders. The Golden Legion is composed of elite soldiers who fight alongside Andoran’s standing military. The Steel Falcons (and their naval counterparts, the Gray Corsairs) operate independent of the regular military, specializing in battling slavery and tyranny both at home and abroad. Most secretive of the knights are the Twilight Talons, who provide intelligence and espionage for a government that officially disavows any knowledge of their existence. Yet not every organization in Andoran lives up to the nation’s lofty ideals. Renowned across the Inner Sea region, the innocuous-sounding Lumber Consortium was originally a criminal syndicate predating Andoran’s independence, and the consortium’s financial influence remains unparalleled. Ties between the consortium and several longstanding members of the People’s Council have raised questions about whether the nation needs safeguards in place to prevent corruption of elected officials, yet somehow these measures never seem to come to fruition.Darkmoon Vale
An infamous region tucked along Andoran’s northern border, Darkmoon Vale is one of the nation’s few patches of truly dangerous wilderness. Its distance from Almas allows the Lumber Consortium to operate nearly unchecked here, claiming the city of Oregent as its headquarters. But the area’s riches—from darkwood and other lumber to silver and access to the Isgeri border—are not easily claimed. Centuries of logging have strained relations with the woodlands’ fey protectors, while bands of predatory lycanthropes and flame drakes hunt the lonely hills. More perils come from the nearby Candlestone Caverns, an extensive cave system home to kobolds, duergar, undead, and more, made all the worse by deep passages to the Darklands that allow even more dangerous creatures access to the surface.Magical Eagle Knight Epaulets
Epaulets are part of nearly every Eagle Knight uniform, so enchanted versions of these items are common among the Eagle Knights.Druma
The lands to the southeast of Lake Encarthan stand alongside the Five Kings Mountains as the only portions of the Shining Kingdoms to have never been claimed by the Taldan Empire. These plains and forests were first home to one of the oldest Kellid cultures on Avistan, along with a sizable fey contingent in the central Palakar Forest. Once the dwarves emerged, the region became a holding of the Five Kings Mountains, remaining so until 2332 ar, when the signing of the historic Kerse Accord simultaneously ended 700 years of dwarven civil war, gained Druma its independence, and proved once and for all the economic mastery of the Prophets of Kalistrade. To say Druma is run by the Prophets of Kalistrade—a Druman pseudo-religious group infamous for their strict self-denial and ceaseless pursuit of wealth—is only partially correct. Technically, the Resplendent Bureaucracy—a body of hundreds of civic administrators—governs the nation, and membership in the Prophets of Kalistrade imparts no official governmental power. In practice, however, the tremendous financial resources under the Kalistocrats’ control grant them more influence than that wielded by the official government. Furthermore, the Kalistocrats themselves are led by a High Prophet who legally has the authority to countermand the Bureaucracy’s rulings. The current high prophet, Kelldor, leverages powerful divination abilities and a sharp acumen to all but predict the future, and has used his power to build relationships with the rulers of several Inner Sea nations. While the white-robed Kalistocrats are recognized throughout the Inner Sea, Druma’s military is equally well known. Formally the Mercenary League, the organization and its members are generally referred to as “Blackjackets” due to their iconic all-black uniforms. Given their status as the army of a nation of phenomenally wealthy traders, the Blackjackets are outfitted with the highest quality armor and weaponry and receive some of the best training—and highest pay—of any Inner Sea military. As a result, the Blackjackets’ loyalty to the Resplendent Bureaucracy is legendary, and individual Blackjackets are decidedly and unhesitatingly amoral when carrying out their orders. The current power of the Blackjackets can be attributed to High Prophet Kelldor, who began building up the Mercenary League 2 years ago with an “Edict of Preparation”—orders to nearly double the army’s recruitment and training. The result has been an enormous force of highly skilled warriors with specialized training to combat orcs and undead, putting Druma in a unique position to weather the return of the Whispering Tyrant. As a result, the nation has not suffered as much as its neighbors from the rise of Tar-Baphon, though as lucrative trade routes have been choked off—particularly along Lake Encarthan—some citizens have begun to worry that the legions of undead may be a problem that not even money can solve. In the meantime, the Kalistocrats maintain their lucrative trade networks, welcoming the opportunity to increase trade with Kyonin and jockeying to establish themselves as a primary conduit between the elven nation and the rest of the world. Some attempt to force alliances with Galt’s new leadership in hopes that stability in that nation will prove more profitable, while others simply conduct what trade they can in basic supplies and armaments. Ultimately, Druma has changed little in response to recent events, with its citizens reminding each other that, regardless of who wears the crown in neighboring nations, money remains everyone’s king.Five Kings Mountains
Dwarves first emerged onto Golarion’s surface from the depths of the Five Kings Mountains. Looking out from those craggy peaks at an endless alien sky, their leaders understood for the first time just how tenuous and vulnerable their people would be in this strange land. Thus they built Highhelm, the first and greatest of their Sky Citadels, finding safety and familiarity in its stone halls and clever fortifications. From here, the kingdom of Tar Taargadth spread across the surface of Avistan, growing powerful and fruitful during the Age of Anguish. Yet it was not to last: in the millennia that followed, many subsequent Sky Citadels were lost or conquered, their territories increasingly invaded by orcs and humans, until in 1551 ar the kingdom finally collapsed. In its place rose the five fractious, smaller kingdoms that gave the mountain range its current name. These in turn fell to civil war and invasion, their communities growing small and insular. Today, the region still lacks a single central government, and while High King Borogrim the Hale convenes the Gathering Council among the region’s leaders, and many dwarves across the Inner Sea region view the mountain range as an ancestral homeland, it’s been over 250 years since the dwarves of these mountains could be said to be a single people. Despite this, the dwarves’ longstanding traditions have given their society tremendous stability. In addition to resisting invasion from without, they’ve weathered their own struggles from within, most notably the societal decline following the eruption of Droskar’s Crag in 3980 ar, during which much craft and culture was lost as the dwarves of the region turned to the worship of Droskar under Ordrik Talhrik. Since Ordrik’s fall 250 years ago, the dwarves of the region have revived many of their ancient ways. Today, the Five Kings Mountains are the center of a growing dwarven renaissance, as Five Kings dwarves begin to reestablish contact with other dwarven nations isolated by the fall of Tar Taargadth, or adopt ancient dwarven magical practices such as those of the shamanic Rivethun. This newfound confidence in dwarven culture has also led to increased traffic with the neighboring elven realm of Kyonin, and the ensuing surge of collaboration between artisans continues to produce works of unparalleled beauty and function. The major settlements of Larrad, Highhelm, Kovlar, Taggoret, Rolgrimmdur, and Tar-Kazmukh have remained relatively safe and stable despite recent upheavals in nearby nations. Tradition and stability don’t translate to ignorance or naiveté, though. The dwarves keep a wary eye on Tar-Baphon, the increased tensions between Cheliax and Andoran, the Ironfang hobgoblins, and even the newly established realm of New Thassilon. The cities here have maintained strong trade relations with neighboring nations, particularly mercantile Druma but also Andoran, Isger, and Taldor. Trade with Galt has largely ceased with that nation’s fall into chaos, though some merchants have no qualms about selling equipment to the Gray Gardeners or resistance fighters. Much of society in the Five Kings Mountains involves the worship of the traditional dwarven gods. While Torag is generally recognized as the foremost dwarven god, he is but one of a larger dwarven pantheon: Magrim and Angradd watch over battles, with many mentor-mentee relationships holding these two up as a model, though Trudd is popular among more impulsive youths.Folgrit represents mothers, wives, daughters, and those who provide emotional labor,
while dwarves look to Bolka for aid in matters of the heart—which,like emotional labor,
is seen as a challenge and vocation comparable to battle andforge-work.
Those dwarves who facilitate relationships and serve as diplomatsand ambassadors to other nations look to
Grundinnar for guidance and support.Kols is the subject of much respect and is invoked in formal oaths, such as
thecommon phrase “Kols witness these words.” Of the larger dwarven pantheon, onlyDranngvit and Droskar are
rarely worshipped, though they are still recognized asnecessary—albeit unsavory—parts of lived experience, and therefore the pantheon.
Though generally acknowledged as a geographic region, Galt is hardly a nation,
as its government and social structure have been shattered by decades of ceaseless,
bloody revolution. What was once a society known for brilliant poets, artists, and
philosophers flared into rebellion under Thrune-controlled Cheliax, but while
Andoran managed to follow its democratic ideals into peace, Galt is now inhabited
by mobs of paranoid, revolutionary fanatics. The nation’s out-of-control radicals
have overthrown the institution of nobility and most other institutions along with it,
and Galt’s bastions of education have been converted to political prisons. More than
a dozen governments have come and gone in the 50 years since the initial revolution,
with none able to govern effectively or hold control for more than a few years.
Infrastructure and social support systems fell by the wayside, leading to widespread
poverty and displaced citizens, banditry, and unchallenged attacks by fell beasts.
The current Revolutionary Council has existed for longer than most of Galt’s
regimes, though it shows signs of its own impending collapse. For more than a
decade, Citizen Korran Goss held the council together through a talent for
redirecting the mob’s rage away from himself and the council, blaming neighboring
nations for Galt’s troubles. But like so many leaders before him, Korran found
himself the target of a ruthless campaign of violence that even his tremendous force
of personality could not turn aside. The Revolutionary Council is now headed by
Citizen Camilia Drannoch, a populist leader who insists that Korran’s habit of
blaming external forces for Galt’s failings only led to a worsening of its condition.
Under her leadership, the Revolutionary Council has ostensibly begun a campaign
to root out rogue elements and destabilizing influences within Galt, though
in many cases this effort has merely allowed Camilia to manipulate
the mob into removing those who would threaten her position.
There have been only two constant factors in Galt since its fall
into chaos: the Gray Gardeners and the guillotines known as the final
blades. The Gray Gardeners are Galt’s executioners, an order of masked
enforcers based in the city of Litran. Anonymity is the key to the Gray
Gardeners’ safety and their power, as they can act as faceless arms of the
Galtan mob, yet their power is such that no individual dares risk their ire
out of fear of experiencing the final blades firsthand. The guillotines hold
powerful enchantments that trap their victims’ souls, lest the condemned be
revived through magic or delivered into the clutches of Chelish devils.
These instruments of death have proven impervious to physical
harm, though rumors have begun circulating in Isarn that
underground agents have finally found a ritual to destroy the
final blades and release all of the souls trapped within.
Galt has few relationships with any other nations or organizations.
Envoys from Kyonin have recently established a modest presence in
Isarn, and the Pathfinder Society maintains a small, secretive lodge in Woodsedge,
but most nations view Galt as a kind of a disease, watching from afar and hoping
its chaos doesn’t spread. Taldor is still reeling from its own revolution scare
during the convoluted succession from Grand Prince Stavian III to
Grand Princess Eutropia, and Andoran upholds Galt as a cautionary
tale, as both nations were founded upon the same principles.
Galt
Kyonin
Although many people in the Inner Sea region see the elves of Kyonin as standoffish and isolationist—a stereotype unintentionally reinforced by the elves’ long focus on various internal struggles—the newly returned threat of Tar-Baphon has drawn the elves’ attention outward once more. Elven experts’ own experience and historical records suggest that it’s only a matter of time before Tar-Baphon becomes an unavoidable threat to the entire region, and thus Kyonin’s leadership has begun sending more diplomatic emissaries to other nations in preparation for a large-scale war that could ravage the continent. At the same time, this need for greater cooperation with other nations has led Kyonin’s leaders to open their own carefully watched borders to ambassadors and visitors from a wide array of ancestries and nations. This elven push for international alliance is seen by many as a drastic change from Kyonin’s traditional policy, yet elven records and memories reveal many instances of similar collaboration against evil, now long forgotten by younger nations. Still, the elven love of freedom means that many of these efforts are the acts of like-minded individuals rather than ruling institutions—in truth, even the elves’ current undertakings are less the result of a formal governmental order and more a collective drive among individuals to work toward the greater good. The fact that Kyonin’s assistance is almost never a national decision, but instead the independent undertaking of numerous individuals, has given rise to the widespread opinion that elves as a whole care little for the other nations of Avistan. The recent destruction of Lastwall has rallied many younger elves into action, hoping to combat their nation’s reputation for ambivalence as well as the Whispering Tyrant. Despite a heightened involvement on the global stage, life in Kyonin has changed little over the centuries. The elves continue their appreciation of deep learning, crafting, and the arcane arts, though the influx of outsiders into the realm has led to the introduction of new ideas that diverge from purely elven tradition. Elves’ apparent disinterest and detachment belie a keen eye on current events, a shifting political landscape, and growing and changing threats on a global and long-term scale. Even within the courts of Queen Telandia Edasseril, intrigue abounds as disparate factions vie for influence, and not all players agree with the decision to allow outsiders into the realm. Likewise, even this increased outreach has not overcome longstanding rivalries: Kyonin remains at odds with the River Kingdoms, especially regarding the human-occupied elven ruin of Sevenarches, and Razmiran’s hostile policy toward the elves has caused an ongoing cold war across the West Sellen River. Those groups who question the wisdom of allowing outsiders into Kyonin have been most convincing with regard to the Fierani Forest, and especially the capital of Iadara, where several aiudara—elf gates—link the elven realm to distant lands, and where the Sovyrian Stone that powers all aiudara is carefully hidden away. For this reason, parts of the city remain swathed in illusion and supernatural mists to deter non-elven visitors from straying from their designated areas. Ironically, many of these same groups worried about the safety of the elven capital also appreciate the influx of non-elven warriors from the north, who bring experience from the demon-hunting Mendevian crusades that may be crucial in elven efforts to contain the threat of Treerazer in Kyonin’s southern reaches.Tanglebriar
The elves’ long retreat to Sovyrian during the Age of Darkness may have saved their people, but their escape left their ancestral lands to rot and ruin. During their absence, the nascent demon lord Treerazer claimed much of Kyonin, twisting and perverting its sylvan majesty, culminating in an attempt to warp the Sovyrian Stone itself into a permanent portal to the Abyss. Fortunately for Golarion, this last atrocity was detected before it could succeed, prompting the elves to return to Golarion en masse in a ferocious counterattack. In the centuries to follow, elven forces drove the nascent demon lord from the heart of their realm, sequestering him in a vast swamp they dubbed Tanglebriar. Yet in spite of their migration back to the world they’d abandoned and their reforged ties with humanity and other nations, they’ve remained unable to destroy Treerazer completely or force him out of their lands. While few elves would say their conflict with Treerazer has been a success, most acknowledge that the threat the demon lord poses has been largely contained. Of late, elven forces have gained reinforcements as some crusaders from the Worldwound chose to join in the efforts against Treerazer rather than continuing south to confront Tar-Baphon, giving defenders renewed hope that victory may finally be within sight. The guardians of Tanglebriar cannot rest easy, however. Threats still creep from the swamp with deadly regularity, in the form of demons, dark fey, carnivorous fungi, and several cults that worship the nascent demon lord. Additionally, Treerazer is the son of the demon lord of fungus and parasites Cyth-V’sug, and though the two are estranged, the waning of Cyth-V’sug’s influence in Fangwood Forest and the Worldwound has stirred fears that the two might reconcile. United, the two demon lords might have the strength to launch an offensive to take control of all Kyonin and beyond. Worse yet, either might form an alliance with Tar-Baphon, a possibility that has scouts and skirmishers on a perpetual lookout.Taldor
Taldor is one of the oldest nations in the Inner Sea region, at one point having held the majority of Avistan under the Lion Throne’s control. The empire’s history of expansion, military might, and heroic glory are baked into its citizens’ self-image, and even the lowliest peasant tilling Taldan soil takes pride in the fact that she’s Taldan. Millennia of tradition have taken their toll on the realm, however, and the empire now holds only a fraction of the lands it once controlled. An ongoing, intermittent war with the neighboring satrapy of Qadira has instilled an anti-Keleshite and anti-Sarenite prejudice among many Taldans, and the nation’s longstanding policy of agnatic succession, limiting the lines of succession to male descendants, has led to an unfortunately sexist trend in politics and society as a whole. The nobility’s focus on prestige and personal power has consumed a disproportionate share of attention and resources, leaving the lower classes in increasingly dire straits and allowing the empire’s once-magnificent infrastructure to slowly crumble. A recent and hotly contested transition of power in Taldor has begun to overturn some of these trends. Grand Princess Eutropia Stavian is the first woman to rule Taldor in the empire’s history, following the Taldan Senate’s vote to overturn the longstanding policy of limiting the crown to male heirs. Though still relatively new to the throne, Eutropia has already proven herself a formidable monarch with her wise arbitration and cunning diplomacy, upholding the proud and rich Taldan culture while investing in the realm’s long-neglected infrastructure. With the aid of her resurrected brother Prince Carrius—who bears a strong spiritual connection to some of the greatest of Taldor’s past emperors—she’s already managed to heal some of the divides caused by the bloody civil war that accompanied her rise to power, and by all accounts appears poised to revitalize Taldor as a nation. Yet the War for the Crown is still a fresh wound, and the old guard of Taldor has not yet fallen away. Many of Eutropia’s former rivals remain in powerful positions and still oppose her rule, and plots and schemes circulate within every echelon of Taldan society. Taldor has long maintained an impressive military whose forces include the Taldan Horse, Taldan Phalanx, and Imperial Navy, but these assets have come to the fore with Tar-Baphon’s move to claim Absalom—itself not so far from Taldor’s capital of Oppara. Nearly any Taldan can recount the nation’s glorious leadership in the Shining Crusade and the victory the Taldan General Arnisant achieved there, and many in the nation view Tar-Baphon’s return as an opportunity to once again shine on the field of glorious battle. Military outposts that not so long ago were devoted to skirmishes with Qadiran forces are now training troops for the potential return of the Whispering Tyrant, and the city of Cassomir has undergone a massive revival as the navy has begun building new ships at an unprecedented rate. Taldor as a whole maintains a close watch on neighboring lands. Some of this is handled through official channels, but a substantial portion of this work falls to the unseen hands of the secretive Lion Blades. Primarily recruited from Oppara’s famous bardic colleges, Lion Blades specialize in infiltration, espionage, and even assassination to further their nation’s goals. The Lion Blades’ current leader is Dominicus Rell, who officially served as an advisor to the previous Grand Prince Stavian III and continues in that role for Eutropia, though rumor within the Lion Blades suggests a growing divide in agents’ loyalty, with some favoring a senior agent named Laurisa Tromaine over Dominicus.Verduran Forest
The largest woodland in Avistan straddles the borders of Andoran, Galt, and Taldor. Despite existing at the crux of several major powers, the resident druids, gnomes, and fey within the Verduran Forest maintain a large degree of autonomy from the surrounding lands. Taldor long ago came to terms with its woodland neighbors through the Treaty of the Wildwood, which established peaceful and mutually beneficial terms for logging and preservation alike. Residents of the Andoren portion of the forest, however, have found themselves in a growing conflict with loggers and the Lumber Consortium, especially as impending war has driven up demand for raw timber throughout the region. Only the efforts of the gnomes of Wispil, in accordance with the Treaty of the Wildwood, have prevented similar tensions with Taldor, whose shipbuilding has also increased demand on Verduran timber. Long isolationist, the Wildwood druids have nevertheless found new allies in recent years. Some of Kyonin’s first overtures beyond their borders were to the Verduran Forest, given the two cultures’ shared appreciation for natural lands. The elves provide the Wildwood Lodge with current information on the outside world—an increasing necessity, as the forest’s proximity to Absalom means it will have little chance to remain neutral in any conflict with the Whispering Tyrant. A growing number of Rivethun dwarves from the Five Kings Mountains have also begun traveling to the Verduran Forest for mentorship.Natural Resources
Alcohol/Drugs, Armor/weapons, Cheese, Grain/Fruit/vegetables, Jewelry/Gems, Livestock/Hides, Lumber, Luxury Goods, Ores, Ships and Textiles.
History
The history of the region known as the Shining Kingdoms is long and storied, most
notably as the heart of the once-mighty empire of Taldor. While Taldan influence is
still heavy across the region—from ethnicity and language to cultural traditions and
even infrastructure—the area was already home to many before Taldor’s Azlanti
progenitors settled here. Humans of the Kellid ethnicity, along with elves, dwarves,
and gnomes, made their homes here in ages past, and their descendants remain to
this day, having witnessed the rise and fall of heroes, empires, and even gods.
Earthfall left its mark on this region, as it did on others. The elves, having some
foreknowledge of the disaster, fled through their magical portals called aiudara
to the realm of Sovyrian, leaving only a small number behind to eke out a living
on the ruined world. It was during this time that the dwarves undertook their
Quest for Sky, emerging from their underground homes to found the nation of Tar
Taargadth—and driving orcs onto the surface ahead of them. Not long after, gnomes
fleeing some unknown terror from the First World arrived via planar portals, settling
in this region’s rich, wild woodlands. Only as humanity began to recover from the
Age of Darkness did refugees from old Azlanti bloodlines join with local Garundi,
Keleshites, and Kellids to carve out homes along the northwestern border of the
Inner Sea. Centuries later, First Emperor Taldaris unified these city-states to found
what would become Taldor, the largest human empire in Avistan.
The thousands of years since Taldor’s founding have shaped the region in countless
ways. When Aroden became a god and raised the Isle of Kortos from the sea, his
worship was centered in Taldor’s capitol, Oppara. It was the Taldan Empire that led
the Shining Crusade to resist and eventually imprison the Whispering Tyrant. But the
empire was not infallible, and over time portions of the empire broke away. Elves
returning from Sovyrian reclaimed Kyonin as their own, and the dwarves of the Five
Kings Mountains retained their autonomy despite their own internal turmoil. Just how
weak the empire had grown was revealed when its western holdings revolted, breaking
off to become the empire of Cheliax in a relatively peaceful secession. The death of
the god Aroden and the subsequent strife within Cheliax sparked further divisions, as
the lands of Galt and Andoran, though partners in their succession from Cheliax and
founded on similar philosophies, diverged in practice, with the latter establishing a
functioning democracy while the former struggles in perpetual revolution. Even those
lands that Taldor managed to retain have seen tremendous change over the centuries,
most recently with the crowning of the realm’s first grand princess.
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