TEXT: ADVENTURE PATH  PART 6 OF 6
  by Richard Pett
  ®
  Sound of a
  Thousand
  Screams
  Sound of a
  Thousand
  Screams
  
  Source: A curious scholar.
  Task: Not all linnorms are equally huge. Rarely, one 
  of these dragons doesn’t grow to full size. 
  Tarlen Zheed, a noted scholar of all things 
  draconic, would like to see proof. If one could 
  find a linnorm runt, Tarlen promises a significant 
  reward for the delivery of samples of its blood, 
  flesh, teeth, and eyes. 
  Completion: Slay a linnorm runt and collect the parts.
  Reward: 4,000 pp. 
  Source: Reports from the field.
  Task: Reports from a nearby fort claim that a 
  dozen ettins led by a helmed satyr have been 
  causing problems. While their leader is intimidating, 
  it’s the twelve ettins who have been doing the 
  most physical damage. Stop them before they cause 
  any more devastation!
  Completion: Defeat all twelve of the ettins.
  Reward: The defeat of the murderous ettins raises 
  the kingdom’s spirits, resulting in Stability and 
  Loyalty increasing by +2 each. 
  Source: A strange tiefling wizard.
  Task: Anamar Lellewen wants to know why some 
  fiends, when they perish in strange corners of 
  the multiverse, become devourers. He is willing to 
  pay handsomely for a vial of “depleted essence” 
  (essentally blood) from a powerful devourer that 
  perished in the First World. 
  Completion: Find a devourer in the First World, kill 
  it, and bottle a sample of essence.
  Reward: A scarab of protection with 9 charges. 
  Source: A traveling druid.
  Task: Vezakus Windthorn, a traveling druid who 
  has come to the region to observe the strange 
  blooming manifestations of the First World, seeks 
  bark samples of lightning-scarred treants. These 
  monsters, the druid believes, are more common in 
  the First World, and he would like to study how 
  lightning causes the treant to transform into a 
  strange new form of life.
  Completion: Secure a lightning treant bark sample.
  Reward: A wand of barkskin (CL 12th, 20 charges). 
  A “LittLe” Linnorm
  Stop the ettinS!
  BottLed eSSence
  chASing Lightning
  
  Sound of a
  Thousand 
  Screams
  ADVENTURE PATH PART 6 of 6
  ®
  
  ®
  credits
  Creative Director • James Jacobs
  Senior Art Director • Sarah E. Robinson
  Managing Editor • F. Wesley Schneider
  Editors • Judy Bauer, Christopher Carey, Rob McCreary, and James L. Sutter
  Editorial Assistance • Jason Bulmahn, Erik Mona, Sean K Reynolds, and Vic Wertz
  Editorial Intern • Patrick Renie
  Production Specialist • Crystal Frasier
  Publisher • Erik Mona
  Cover Artist
  Vincent Dutrait
  Cartographer
  Rob Lazzaretti
  Contributing Artists
  Eric Belisle, Andrew Hou, Jon Hodgson, Peter Lazarski, Damien Mammoliti,  
  Sara Otterstätter, Florian Stitz, Francisco Rico Torres, and Tyler Wapole
  Contributing Authors
  Gareth Hanrahan, Richard Pett, Patrick Renie, F. Wesley Schneider, 
  James L. Sutter, and Jay Thompson
  Paizo CEO • Lisa Stevens
  Vice President of Operations • Jeffrey Alvarez
  Events Manager • Joshua J. Frost
  Corporate Accountant • Dave Erickson
  Financial Analyst • Christopher Self
  Technical Director • Vic Wertz
  Special Thanks
  Ed Greenwood and 
  the Paizo Customer Service, Website, and Warehouse Teams
  “Sound of a Thousand Screams” is a Pathfinder Adventure Path scenario designed for four 15th-level characters. By the end of this adventure, characters should reach 17th level.  
  This adventure is compliant with the Open Game License (OGL) and is suitable for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game or the 3.5 edition of the world’s oldest fantasy roleplaying game.  
  The OGL can be found on page 92 of this product.
  Product Identity: The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a, Section 1(e), and are not Open Content: All trademarks, 
  registered trademarks, proper names (characters, deities, etc.), dialogue, plots, storylines, locations, characters, artwork, and trade dress. (Elements that have previously been designated as Open 
  Game Content or are in the public domain are not included in this declaration.)
  Open Content: Except for material designated as Product Identity (see above), the game mechanics of this Paizo Publishing game product are Open Game Content, as defined in the Open Game 
  License version 1.0a Section 1(d). No portion of this work other than the material designated as Open Game Content may be reproduced in any form without written permission.
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  Printed in China. It’s good to be the king.
  
  table of contents
   
  Foreword 
  4
  Sound of a Thousand Screams 
  6
  by Richard Pett
  Beyond Kingmaker  
  56
  by F. Wesley Schneider
  The First World 
  64
  by James L. Sutter
  Pathfinder’s Journal: Prodigal Sons 6 of 6 
  72
  by Jay Thompson
  Bestiary 
  78 
  by Gareth Hanrahan and Patrick Renie
  Pregenerated Characters 
  90
  Preview 
  92 
  
  4
  Part 6 
  of 6
  Part 6 
  of 6
  Bonus Content!
  Bonus Content!
  W
  es disapproves when I use the foreword as a 
  sneaky way to put in additional adventure 
  content. Well, not only is that precisely what 
  I’m doing now, but I’m gonna do it again next month!
  You see, sometimes when I’m developing an adventure, 
  an idea comes to me that suddenly explodes into a rush 
  of words and ends up being a key part of the adventure. 
  This time around, the creation of Zuddiger’s Picnic did 
  just that. In the adventure, the PCs might seek out a 
  copy of this relatively rare picture book after learning 
  that it might have some clues pertaining to the realm of 
  Thousandbreaths. Unfortunately for the adventure’s word 
  count, the description of the contents of Zuddiger’s Picnic 
  ended up being well over 1,000 words—as you can see here, 
  that’s about a page. I couldn’t really justify cutting a page 
  of actual load-bearing content from Rich Pett’s adventure, 
  but neither could I bear losing the Picnic...
  And so, here it is! I hope it does the mad brilliance 
  that Richard Pett brought us with “Sound of a Thousand 
  Screams” proud!
  Zuddiger’s Picnic
  If the PCs seek out a copy of this rare book, they’ll be 
  rewarded with an important guide to Thousandbreaths. 
  Zuddiger’s Picnic is a short picture book, written and 
  published in Pitax 42 years ago. With a DC 20 Knowledge 
  (history) check, the PCs can learn more about its mysterious 
  author and history.
  The author and artist of this book was a talented painter 
  named Karn Zuddiger. His inspiration for this book was 
  not imagination but the result of an actual horrific and 
  frenzied accidental journey through Thousandbreaths. 
  This adventure and his miraculous escape did not leave 
  him unscathed—mad with inspiration, he spent the next 
  3 years of his life crafting the woodcut illustrations and 
  story for Zuddiger’s Picnic, hoping to drive out the images 
  in his head with art.
  Only a month after the book’s publication, however, 
  Zuddiger succumbed to the madness inflicted by his trip 
  through Thousandbreaths—creating the book had not 
  expunged his visions, only inflamed them. He went on a 
  
  Fore ord
  5
  m
  Fore ord
  m
  killing spree, murdering a new victim every week and using 
  the remains to restage scenes from his illustrations for the 
  citizenry of Pitax to find the next morning. He was caught 
  soon enough and swiftly executed, and the majority of his 
  books were burned by shocked and scandalized parents.
  Since then, Zuddiger’s Picnic has become a highly sought-
  after collectible. The PCs can locate a copy by making a 
  DC 35 Diplomacy check to gather information—a copy of 
  the rare text is worth 1,500 gp. The contents of Zuddiger’s 
  Picnic are summarized below. Lines in italics indicate 
  lines of the story that appear on the left-hand pages, 
  while the words that follow the story’s line describe the 
  facing woodcut illustration. 
  Page 1: This page is blank save for a tiny woodcut 
  illustration of a young man and a crow sharing a picnic lunch 
  and a single line of text that reads, “All of what follows is true.”
  Pages 2–3: I was having a picnic that first day of spring 
  when a pesky crow flew down and stole my spoon. Zuddiger 
  jumps up and down and waves a sword in anger while a 
  crow flies away into the woods, a spoon clutched in its 
  beak. The jar of raspberry preserves Zuddiger had been 
  about to spoon onto a biscuit lies neglected on the ground. 
  In the background, a scary castle with knife-like towers 
  protrudes above the treetops.
  Pages 4–5: The nasty bird flew into the trees and then through 
  a gate, but I followed with haste. Zuddiger runs down a forest 
  path that passes through an immense iron gate flanked by 
  iron statues of beautiful women.
  Pages 6–7: He flew over a swirling lake, and the black swans 
  honked at him in anger. Zuddiger races along the edge of a 
  lake, the center of which is a whirlpool and on which float 
  several black swans.
  Pages 8–9: I chased him through a garden and tried not 
  to disturb the locals. Zuddiger races through a garden of 
  strange fungus and a carpet of tiny, misshapen, vegetable-
  like humanoids that crawl and run from him; the crow 
  perches atop a mushroom and watches.
  Pages 10–11: Unfortunately, some of the locals were already 
  disturbed. Zuddiger climbs into a leaf-shaped boat on a 
  river while an angry flying owlbear intercepts the crow’s 
  flight, forcing the smaller bird to veer away downriver. In 
  the background, two immense stone hands at the top of a 
  cliff seem to pour a waterfall into the river below.
  Pages 12–13: It got very cold and my boat froze, so I had to 
  chase the crow through the graveyard on foot. Zuddiger chases 
  the crow through a snowy graveyard, the gravestones of 
  which are three times as tall as they should be. His boat is 
  frozen in a lake in the background, and the shadowy form 
  of a four-armed giant seems to rise up beyond a large crypt 
  to watch the chase.
  Pages 14–15: But the crow had an older brother. Zuddiger 
  cowers in a large forest clearing at the center of which is a 
  large stone spire. The crow hovers near the top and points 
  down at Zuddiger with a wingtip while the “older brother,” 
  an immense crow perched atop the spire, peers down with 
  angry eyes.
  Pages 16–17: I was beginning to worry that I would not be able to 
  finish my picnic after all. The bigger crow clutches Zuddiger in 
  its talons and flies over a swamp filled with scary worms that 
  rise up to bite at Zuddiger’s feet; the smaller crow flaps along 
  behind the bigger bird, spoon still clutched in its beak.
  Pages 18–19: Fortunately, I landed on something soft. The 
  giant bird and the crow fly off into the sky laughing 
  as Zuddiger, recently dropped, lands on the belly of a 
  particularly hideous troll. In the background rises an iron 
  cage shaped like a beehive, from which dozens of smiling 
  but disembodied faces shine down.
  Pages 20–21: And also fortunately, I’m faster and craftier 
  than a silly old troll. Zuddiger sneaks down a forest path; 
  the angry troll is far behind. The troll carries a large 
  ranseur and is climbing around on a crooked house as 
  if he’s looking for Zuddiger among the house’s dozens of 
  mismatched roofs.
  Pages 22–23: But I still didn’t have my spoon. Zuddiger 
  wanders forlornly through a forest glade filled with statues; 
  in the background, a tall tower rises from a round hilltop.
  Pages 24–25: As it turned out, neither did that nasty crow! 
  An elated Zuddiger finds the crow caught by a beautiful 
  woman—she holds the spoon in one hand and a scared 
  crow in the other. In the background, a strange house 
  looms on an island.
  Pages 26–27: So I traded my sword for a spoon and a bird. 
  The now smiling woman gives a grinning Zuddiger the 
  spoon and the crow and accepts his sword as a gift.
  Pages 28–29: And made it back home in time for dinner. 
  Zuddiger, spoon in one hand and the tied-up crow tucked 
  under an arm, walks down another forest path, at the 
  end of which can be seen his picnic basket, blanket, and 
  raspberry preserves sitting patiently in a clearing.
  Pages 30–31: It was the best picnic ever. Zuddiger sits down 
  to a picnic meal of raspberry preserves while a delicious-
  looking crow roasts over an open fire.
  Page 32: The last page of the book presents a full-color, 
  hand-painted map of Thousandbreaths—you can present 
  this map (reproduced on page 25) to the PCs as a handout 
  if you wish.
  James Jacobs
  Creative Director
  james.jacobs@paizo.com
  
  6
  Part 6 
  of 6
  Part 6 
  of 6
  o not fear these uncertain times, my friends. This is not a new age 
  of lost omens, but a new age of hope and freedom! We have seen the 
  results of prophecy too many times before, and those who believe the 
  future is preordained are but fated to set their own fates in stone. For yea, 
  those who would look to tomorrow are destined to create that tomorrow, and 
  those who would cast their stones to seek enlightenment from the spirits of 
  the future do not know that they only slave their will to destiny. Only those 
  who wake to each new day with eyes shrouded to their fate are truly free to 
  forge their own destinies. And now, in this new age of hope, we shall all 
  forge our own fates!
  —Hadkathos Vanshavilae, 
  two weeks before his execution for heresy
  Sound of a 
  Thousand Screams
  Sound of a 
  Thousand Screams
  
  7
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Adventure BAckground
  The words on the preceding page were first spoken by 
  Hadkathos Vanshavilae, a priest of Pharasma, in his sermon 
  to a frightened mass in Ustalav’s city of Caliphas after the 
  onset of the Age of Lost Omens. Hadkathos taught that only 
  by leaving the future unforeseen and prophesy unspoken 
  can mortals truly shape their destinies, for only when the 
  future is unknown can hope and free will survive. Alas, his 
  church was not ready for his wisdom, and he was burned at 
  the stake only 2 weeks later for heresy. Yet  his words held 
  a core of wisdom that the nymph queen Nyrissa could well 
  have learned from—that to look into the future and to see 
  one’s fate is a sure way to meet it. Nyrissa has long known 
  that heroes would come to her home and defeat her with 
  a sword forged from her own fractured spirit, and though 
  she has hoped that this vision—this prophecy—was but a 
  nightmare, it was not until the Age of Lost Omens brought 
  an end to the tyranny of prophecy that she began to feel 
  hope that her future was not writ in stone.
  Yet she is taking no chances. In order to fully render this 
  vision of her own death impossible, she hopes to reclaim 
  the sword Briar, to mend her own shattered mind and 
  spirit, and to remove from existence the very weapon so 
  long ago foretold to herald her death. Yet in taking these 
  steps to destroy Briar, she may have empowered the very 
  heroes that could be her undoing.
  Nyrissa has not always been a power in the First World, 
  but when she fell in love with one of the realm’s Eldest, 
  Count Ranalc, she forever changed her place in this reality. 
  Touched by Count Ranalc, Nyrissa grew in power rapidly, 
  yet this power also corrupted her, as power is wont to do. 
  She began to think of herself as the newest of the Eldest, 
  and worse, proclaimed this power to any who would listen, 
  beginning to build her own empire in the First World—a 
  realm she named Thousandbreaths. The other Eldest did 
  not react well to Nyrissa’s bold claims, and sent one of their 
  monstrous champions, the Tane known as the Jabberwock, 
  to slay her. Nyrissa escaped the monster, but in so doing 
  fell into the clutches of the Eldest. Their judgment was 
  swift—they tore from her mind and spirit her capacity to 
  love, coalesced these powerful and deadly emotions into 
  physical reality in the shape of a magical sword called Briar, 
  and then cast the sword into the Material Plane where the 
  nature of reality would hide Briar forever beyond Nyrissa’s 
  sight. Their punishment extended to their fellow Eldest 
  as well, whom they suspected had used Nyrissa all along 
  as an experiment. Count Ranalc was sent into exile in the 
  Shadow Plane, eventually to meet his own humiliating fate 
  (see page 67).
  The matter settled, the Eldest quickly moved on with 
  their own inscrutable agendas. Yet while they seemed 
  to forget about what they’d done to Nyrissa, the nymph 
  herself did not. As the ages wore on, she grew more and 
  more obsessed with her loss of love—or perhaps it was 
  the loss of love that caused her to grow more violent and 
  obsessed. In her early attempts to discover the location of 
  Briar, she received the visions and prophecies that would 
  come to haunt her so—that Briar would be returned to her, 
  but only as an instrument of her own death, wielded in 
  the hands of a mortal hero. Regardless, Nyrissa began the 
  long task of shaping Thousandbreaths and wearing down 
  the boundaries between it and the Material Plane, so that 
  someday the boundary between realities would crack and 
  the region known as the Stolen Lands would bloom with 
  life as it and Thousandbreaths merged. The War of the 
  River Kings was but one of the steps toward this goal—by 
  weakening the kingdoms that occupy the land she wishes 
  to claim, she weakens the opposition to her goal. Now 
  that both kingdoms are reeling in the aftermath of their 
  war, Nyrissa prepares to draw the Stolen Lands into her 
  realm and bottle it, an act that will leave a wasteland on 
  the Material Plane and give her the perfect gift or bribe to 
  repair the damage her reputation suffered with the Eldest. 
  That her acts will destroy a significant region on Golarion 
  is irrelevant to the loveless nymph—for in her obsession, 
  she fails to see that these acts may be the very thing that 
  drives the enemies from her vision to slay her.
  Adventure SynopSiS
  This adventure begins after the War of the River Kings 
  has ended—the PCs, be they the war’s victors or losers, 
  are faced with the task of rebuilding their kingdom or 
  perhaps helping to rebuild Pitax. Yet soon after the war 
  is over, a new peril strikes the region as strange monsters 
  and violent bursts of rapid vegetation growth and bizarre 
  weather plagues the Stolen Lands. At the same time, the 
  PCs learn that one of the treasures discovered in Pitax’s 
  House is a nascent vorpal sword, a weapon of immense 
  power, and as the strange weather and blooms of life 
  and monstrous incursions increase, so does this sword’s 
  intelligence and power.
  Advancement Track
  “Sound of a Thousand Screams” assumes four player characters using the medium advancement track for XP. Characters 
  should be well into 15th level when they begin this adventure—if they’re still a bit shy from 15th level, consider giving them a 
  few more years of kingdom expansion and exploration before you begin this adventure. By the time the PCs are ready to enter 
  the First World, they should be 16th level, and they should reach 17th level by the end of the adventure.
  
  8
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  The PCs soon learn that their kingdom faces an 
  invasion, but this time not from the physical world. Some 
  fell force from the legendary First World is attempting to 
  expand into this world, and when the PCs begin to fight 
  back against these verdant blooms, they discover that 
  it’s possible to step from this world into the First World 
  realm of Thousandbreaths. There, the PCs face powerful 
  new threats unlike anything they’ve seen before, and learn 
  that the dangers facing their kingdom are even greater 
  than they feared, for the fey ruler of Thousandbreaths is 
  about to absorb the Stolen Lands into a bauble for her own 
  purposes, an act that would scour clean the region and 
  leave behind nothing but a wasteland.
  If the PCs hope to save their new kingdom from this 
  threat, they must combat the nymph queen Nyrissa both 
  by stopping the various blooms in their kingdom and 
  by traveling into Thousandbreaths itself to confront the 
  dangerously insane nymph. 
  QueStS
  Eight quests appear on the inside covers of this book, 
  additional opportunities for the PCs to earn some rewards 
  and XP by accomplishing great deeds. Unlike previous 
  installments in the Kingmaker Adventure Path, no 
  additional quests beyond these eight await discovery—in 
  “Sound of a Thousand Screams,” the PCs have but one 
  primary goal: the defeat of the nymph queen Nyrissa.
  Each of the Thousandbreaths Quests presented in this 
  book is worth 102,400 XP when completed—this amount 
  is in addition to any experience points the PCs might earn 
  while attempting to complete the quest.
  pArt one:  
  A Month of deStruction
  Although “Sound of a Thousand Screams” assumes that 
  the events begin soon after those of “War of the River 
  Kings” ends, you can, of course, alter the start of this 
  adventure as you see fit. Certainly, if the PCs’ kingdom 
  hasn’t yet grown to span all four regions of the Stolen 
  Lands, you’ll want to run a few more years of kingdom 
  growth until the PCs’ kingdom covers a wide enough 
  area that when Nyrissa starts her assault, the PCs will be 
  compelled to oppose her.
  The intrusion of the First World into the Stolen Lands 
  can be thought of rather like a levee breaking. At first, 
  the appalling weight of the First World strains at this 
  levee like the weight of a mighty river straining to flood 
  the surrounding kingdom. Early bloom events occur at 
  a trickle as the First World seeps slowly into the lands 
  of humanity. These trickles quickly become full-fledged 
  breaches as the blooms pour forth into the region, and 
  as these breaches grow, the strength of the monsters and 
  strange weather increases as well, eventually culminating 
  in the arrival of a deadly predator from the First World—a 
  lesser jabberwock spawned from the blood of the most 
  legendary Tane of them all.
  denizenS of the firSt World
  In this adventure, many of the monsters the PCs face are 
  more powerful than their Material Plane versions. Statistics 
  for these creatures have been generated by simply advancing 
  existing monstrous stat blocks through the addition of 
  several Hit Dice, and in some cases increasing size. All 
  of these monsters possess at least one additional physical 
  power as well, be it an extra set of arms or a long prehensile 
  tongue or wings capable of flight. No monstrous template, 
  simple or complex, is provided to allow GMs to create 
  new First World monsters, because no two such monsters 
  should be exactly the same. It’s better to simply advance 
  these monsters by 10–20 HD and give them a new ability 
  of your choosing if you’re looking to build new First World 
  opponents; the rules for advancing monsters and creating 
  new monsters in the Appendices of the Pathfinder RPG 
  Bestiary provide a wealth of advice on the subject.
  BriAr
  At the end of the previous adventure, the PCs likely 
  recovered a powerful magic sword from a hidden chamber 
  below Irovetti’s Palace—a +4 bastard sword named Briar. 
  This sword was formed ages ago by the Eldest after 
  they tore from Nyrissa’s mind and spirit her capability 
  to love—they transformed this emotional energy into 
  a sword and cast it into the Material Plane, making the 
  sword effectively invisible and undetectable to Nyrissa. 
  She’s had agents scouring the River Kingdoms for the 
  sword for ages, but servants of the Eldest have done their 
  best to counter her efforts, resulting in a stalemate that 
  persisted until recently, when Irovetti’s agents found the 
  sword. The ex-king of Pitax kept the discovery secret, 
  hoping to save the revelation of its discovery for a point 
  in the future when he desperately needed Nyrissa’s aid—
  unfortunately for him, he waited just a bit too long to 
  send word to her, and he paid for this mistake with the 
  loss of his kingdom.
  If the PCs haven’t discovered Briar, you should give them 
  a chance to do so by letting them further explore Irovetti’s 
  Palace. Alternatively, the sword could be recovered by the 
  Horned Hunt (see page 13), and these hunters could be on 
  their way back to deliver the sword to Nyrissa when the 
  PCs encounter them.
  As a +4 bastard sword, Briar is already rather powerful. 
  Yet the weapon has much more potential than this—as the 
  First World begins to intrude into the Stolen Lands, and as 
  the PCs slay creatures from that dimension with the sword, 
  
  9
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Briar slowly but surely regains its true powers. At its height 
  an intelligent vorpal sword, Briar is also a deadly weapon 
  against its source—the nymph queen Nyrissa. Since 
  Briar is a key part of this adventure, you should consider 
  changing it from a bastard sword into some other weapon 
  if no one in your campaign uses swords—the point is to 
  give the PCs a weapon they can use, not to punish them 
  for deciding to build characters who focus on other types 
  of weapons. Note that Briar is a vorpal weapon, so it should 
  be a slashing weapon if possible—if this isn’t possible, 
  you can allow it to function identically to a vorpal weapon 
  but with a change in flavor. A Briar that inflicts piercing 
  damage might be called a brainstriking weapon, while a 
  Briar that inflicts bludgeoning damage might be called 
  a skullsmashing weapon—in both cases, it instantly slays a 
  creature it strikes with a confirmed critical after a natural 
  20 in the same way a vorpal weapon does, but with slightly 
  different gory effects.
  The process of awakening Briar requires that the 
  weapon be present when First World blooms are defeated 
  or when powerful creatures from the First World are 
  slain—Briar need not be the weapon that defeats a bloom 
  or slays a monster, but it should be in the immediate 
  area (within 100 feet). Defeating a bloom or slaying a CR 
  15 or greater monster from the First World (this includes 
  all creatures closely associated with a bloom, unless 
  otherwise indicated in the text) gives Briar a sharpness 
  point. As it accumulates these points, it gains additional 
  powers, as detailed below.
  Regardless of its sharpness points, Briar is considered 
  to be a major artifact for the purposes of detect magic, 
  and all effects created by it function at CL 20th. Briar’s 
  abilities can be discerned via divination magic such as 
  legend lore or simply by speaking with the nereid Evindra 
  (see below). A DC 35 Spellcraft check identifies the powers 
  of the sword, including the fact that it has the potential 
  to gain more powers, although the methods by which it 
  gains Sharpness Points is something the PCs will need to 
  learn from more powerful divinations, discussions with 
  Evindra, or simple experimentation.
  Empathy: When Briar gains 4 Sharpness Points, it 
  becomes intelligent. It becomes chaotic neutral, can 
  communicate via empathy, and has Int 10, Wis 10, and Cha 
  16. Its senses extend to 30 feet, and it can cast barkskin on 
  its wielder 3/day.
  Speech: When Briar gains 8 Sharpness Points, it can 
  communicate via speech and can speak Aklo, Common, 
  and Sylvan. Its senses extend to 60 feet and it gains 
  darkvision. It can now cast blight 3/day as a swift action 
  upon a creature it strikes in combat.
  Telepathy: When Briar gains 14 Sharpness Points, It can 
  communicate via telepathy. Its senses extend to 120 feet. 
  It gains a special purpose to defeat denizens of the First 
  World—when wielded against such creatures, it gains 
  the vorpal weapon quality. In addition, it can cast true 
  resurrection on its wielder once per month.
  Vorpal: When fully awakened at 20 Sharpness Points, 
  Briar functions as a vorpal sword against all targets. 
  It is unlikely that Briar will reach this stage of full 
  awakening until Nyrissa’s death, so only if you continue 
  the campaign beyond this last adventure will the PCs 
  have a full vorpal weapon at their disposal.
  evindrA
  In the previous adventure, the PCs may have rescued a 
  beautiful fey creature from a prison under a haunted abbey. 
  This is the nereid Evindra—her stats are not reprinted here, 
  but if she remains allied with the PCs and they’ve finished 
  the quest to recover her missing shawl, you can use her to 
  help the PCs however you wish. She remains quite grateful 
  to the PCs for rescuing her and returning her property, 
  and at the very least she can serve as an excellent source of 
  information about the dangers the PCs will soon face.
  Even before the first blooms manifest, Evindra can 
  warn the PCs that a powerful creature from the First 
  World named Nyrissa is likely to come after them now that 
  they’ve recovered the sword Briar. Evindra can explain how, 
  many long years ago, she was charged with watching over 
  Briar, and how she eventually lost the weapon. She blames 
  Kingdom in the Background
  “Sound of a Thousand Screams” occurs after the bulk 
  of the kingdom-building aspect of Kingmaker has 
  passed—certainly, the PCs can continue building and 
  expanding their kingdom, but those elements are not 
  directly supported by this final adventure. As a result, if 
  you aren’t using the kingdom-building rules, you can run 
  this adventure more or less unchanged. Simply assume 
  that their nation of Narland now covers the majority of 
  all four Stolen Land regions, and that Pitax itself has been 
  annexed by the kingdom (although Narland allows Pitax 
  to more or less carry on with its own self government).
  Briar’s Awakening
  Sharpness 
  Points 
  Power Gained
  0  
  +4 bastard sword
  1–3 
  +4 cold iron bastard sword
  4–7 
  +4 intelligent (empathy) cold iron bastard sword
  8–13 
  +4 intelligent (speech) cold iron bastard sword
  14–19 
  +4 intelligent (telepathy) cold iron bastard sword
  20 or more 
  +5 intelligent (telepathy) cold iron vorpal  
    
  bastard sword
  
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  herself for allowing the weapon to fall into Irovetti’s hands, 
  and even though this didn’t result in the sword’s return 
  to Nyrissa, the close call shames and distresses Evindra 
  for some time. As a result, she wants to stay close by the 
  sword at all times and help the PCs protect it from being 
  reclaimed by Nyrissa.
  Evindra can tell the PCs much about both Briar 
  and Nyrissa, even though she knows relatively 
  little about the whole.
  Briar: Evindra was ordered to watch 
  over the sword Briar long ago—she can’t 
  remember how long ago, but knows it was 
  before humans first came to the Stolen 
  Lands. Nor can she say much about who 
  set her to the task of watching over the 
  sword—she’s certain the shadowy fey 
  worked for those who serve the Eldest of 
  the First World, though, and thus 
  she knew better than to disobey. 
  Those who ordered her to guard 
  Briar told her the sword was 
  valuable to an “upstart” named 
  Nyrissa—that 
  this 
  Nyrissa 
  desired the blade greatly, and that 
  the Eldest did not want her to have it. 
  Evindra can confirm to the PCs that 
  Briar is a +4 bastard sword now, but that its 
  powers would likely start to reawaken once 
  it is exposed to the raw energies of the First 
  World or is used to slay denizens of that 
  realm. While Evindra doesn’t know all of 
  Briar’s potential powers, she does know that, 
  fully awakened, the sword is both intelligent and a 
  vorpal sword, among other things. She can also tell the PCs 
  what she knows of the secret history of Whiterose Hill (see 
  pages 28–29 of Pathfinder Adventure Path #35: “War of the 
  River Kings”), although this information has little bearing 
  on the current adventure.
  Nyrissa: Evindra knows the legend of how Nyrissa fell 
  in love with one of the Eldest, how the nymph’s resulting 
  rise in power led her to proclaim herself one of the rulers 
  of the First World, and how the Eldest reacted by sending 
  the Jabberwock to slay her and exiling her lover from 
  the First World to the Shadow Plane. She knows Nyrissa 
  survived, and suspects she harbors a grudge against the 
  Eldest. She also knows that the nymph queen rules a 
  realm called Thousandbreaths, and that it lies close to 
  the Material Plane in the similarly named Thousand 
  Voices, or Forest of Breath. She knows too that Nyrissa 
  has long had an interest in the Stolen Lands, and that 
  many of the region’s fey know of her and fear her—there 
  are even rumors that the nymph queen walks the Stolen 
  Lands now and then, visiting cruelties on those who 
  annoy her and strange rewards upon those who please 
  her. These rumors make Evindra suspect that there may 
  be some physical connection between the Stolen Lands 
  and the First World—and logic would dictate that a likely 
  place for such a connection to exist would be the depths 
  of the forest of Thousand Voices.
  the BlooMS Begin
  Part One of “Sound of a Thousand Screams” 
  is different than most of the Kingmaker 
  Adventure Path—the events of this part 
  occur on a set schedule. In previous 
  adventures, the PCs could afford to take 
  months or even years off during the course 
  of the adventure, especially during periods 
  where the only thing going on was region 
  exploration. If there are still parts of the 
  Stolen Lands the PCs have yet to (and wish 
  to) explore, you should consider delaying 
  this adventure until that itch for exploration 
  is at least scratched, because once Nyrissa’s 
  blooms begin to manifest, they come fast 
  and furious. This is by design—the PCs 
  should not have a lot of time to rebuild 
  resources and recover between blooms, 
  since the assault on their kingdom is 
  meant to be a furious one.
  The events in this chapter take place over 
  the course of a single month, with only a few 
  days passing between each new manifestation 
  of a bloom. This means that no kingdom 
  management or development can occur once the blooms 
  begin, since a kingdom phase lasts a month.
  Of course, assuming the PCs defeat all of the blooms 
  and survive this month of destruction alive and with 
  their kingdom intact, the adventure and campaign can 
  immediately return to a more laconic pace if you desire. 
  After the month of destruction, if the PCs have not yet 
  fully explored Thousandbreaths or defeated Nyrissa, 
  they’ll be rewarded for enduring that month by being able 
  to tackle Parts Two and Three of this adventure at a pace 
  of their own choosing—although if they take too long, you 
  should feel free to have Nyrissa start a second or even a 
  third round of blooms.
  All of the events detailed in this chapter start with a 
  date listed as “Day 1,” “Day 14,” “Day 27,” and so on. This 
  allows you to pick the start day to be any day you wish—it’s 
  convenient if you set Day 1 to be the same as the first day of 
  the month, but not required.
  Any firsthand examination of a bloom combined with 
  a DC 25 Knowledge (planes) check is enough to confirm 
  that the incident is caused by a planar breach between 
  the Material Plane and the First World, although the 
  
  11
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  breach is not large or stable enough to allow creatures 
  from the Material Plane to actually enter the First World. 
  Learning the same information secondhand increases 
  the DC to 35.
  Fortunately, as blooms manifest, the PCs can defeat 
  them. The method of defeating each bloom is different for 
  each one. Once a bloom is defeated, the PCs can harvest 
  special trophies (see sidebar) that allow them to enter and 
  navigate Thousandbreaths with increasing ease (note 
  that they’ll need at least three such trophies before they 
  can even enter the realm of Thousandbreaths). Of course, 
  defeating blooms and harvesting trophies won’t prevent 
  Nyrissa from eventually stealing the PCs’ kingdom, but 
  the more blooms the PCs defeat, the longer it’ll take the 
  nymph to achieve this goal.
  When a bloom manifests, it does so in a hex located 
  somewhere in the Stolen Lands. Each bloom is assigned a 
  type of hex that it can appear in—the exact hex in which the 
  bloom appears is left to you to determine. You can either 
  randomly determine where a bloom occurs or simply select 
  an area. Once a bloom manifests, it changes the nature of 
  reality in some unique manner within the reach of that 
  hex. Worse, that hex is immediately removed from the PCs’ 
  kingdom. This not only reduces the kingdom’s size by 1, 
  but also increases Unrest by 1 (or by 4 if the hex contained 
  a city). Any improvements in that hex are lost, including all 
  city-based improvements and modifiers and all special hex 
  features such as resources. If the bloom in the lost hex is 
  defeated, the hex can be reclaimed during the kingdom’s 
  Improvement Phase (this counts against the limit on total 
  number of hexes the kingdom can claim in a phase as 
  normal) for a cost of 5 BP (this is greater than the normal 
  cost for reclaiming a hex since the changes and damage 
  done by a bloom require more work to fix).
  Once a bloom appears, it spreads at a rate of 1 hex per 
  day. Determine the hex into which the bloom spreads 
  randomly (it can only spread into an adjacent, unbloomed 
  hex). The original hex always remains the core hex in 
  which the mechanism for defeating the bloom remains. 
  When a bloom is defeated, all of the hexes it has spread to 
  revert to normal (but must be reclaimed individually).
  Although a newly formed bloom is obvious to those 
  in the hex in which it appears, it sometimes takes time 
  for word to spread. As long as the PCs are active in their 
  kingdoms, though, it should never take more than a few 
  days for news of a bloom to reach their ears. Blooms that 
  manifest in areas that aren’t part of their kingdoms, 
  though, can go on for some time before anyone notices. If 
  a bloom manifests in such an area, make a secret Loyalty 
  check for the PCs’ kingdom against the kingdom’s Control 
  DC. If the check is a success, the PCs hear rumors of the 
  bloom a few days after it manifests, but if the check fails, 
  no one reports the bloom for a month and it spreads. If this 
  spread enters a hex controlled by the PCs’ kingdom, they 
  learn about the bloom automatically; otherwise you’ll need 
  to make additional secret Loyalty checks until they do.
  At your discretion, the PCs can learn about blooms 
  much more quickly if they take special measures to patrol 
  and observe the Stolen Lands, including recruiting local 
  monsters, casting spells like commune with nature, or 
  physically patrolling their kingdom for at least 2 weeks 
  per month.
  Bloom Traits: While the exact nature of a bloom varies, 
  depending on the source of the bloom in Thousandbreaths, 
  all blooms have similar traits, as detailed below.
  •	 Movement	through	a	bloom	hex	is	difficult	because	
  of the rampant and uncontrolled plant growth—
  treat bloom hexes as dense forest for the purposes of 
  overland movement, or difficult terrain for tactical 
  movement. Note that two of the blooms (the Whirling 
  Lake and Nights of Dread) do not have physical effects 
  of increased vegetation.
  •	 Wandering	 monster	 encounters	 are	 twice	 as	 likely	 to	
  happen in a bloom hex. Encounters in a bloom hex are 
  Bloom Trophies
  When the PCs successfully defeat a bloom, the strange 
  energies and First World power are released in a 
  dramatic way. The energy that suffuses the area rises up 
  from the surrounding terrain in a vortex of green light 
  and a high-pitched keening not unlike the sound of a 
  mortally wounded rabbit or deer. This energy is eerie and 
  disturbing, but ultimately harmless. The majority of the 
  energy returns to the First World, spiraling down through 
  a number of identical objects left behind by the bloom and 
  infusing those objects with power. These objects become 
  bloom trophies. A dead body that becomes a bloom 
  trophy does not decay for many weeks, as if affected by a 
  gentle repose spell for 100 days. All bloom trophies radiate 
  strong conjuration and transmutation magic, but with 
  the exception of any magic properties the item may have 
  possessed before it became a bloom trophy, these objects 
  possess no apparent abilities of their own.
  A DC 30 Spellcraft check made while examining a bloom 
  trophy under the effects of detect magic (as if identifying 
  a magic item) is enough to discern that while the bloom 
  itself has vanished, this object remains as a sort of link or 
  anchor between the Material Plane and the First World. 
  Such an object would likely function as an activation key 
  or component for a portal to the First World, and could 
  perhaps have additional strange properties if brought into 
  certain regions of the First World.
  A trophy’s link to the First World fades 100 days after it is 
  created, and it returns to being a normal object of its kind.
  
  12
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  always resolved by rolling on the First World Random 
  Encounter chart located on page 79 of this book, not the 
  standard tables for the hex’s base terrain.
  •	 Although	life	is	fecund	in	a	bloom,	it	is	also	much	more	
  dangerous—Survival checks in a bloom hex suffer a 
  –10 penalty.
  dAy 1: the Whirling lAke  
  (cr 15; firSt BlooM)
  The first bloom is not a bloom of vegetation but a bloom 
  of churning water that spreads disease among those who 
  drink it. Unlike the land-based blooms, which manifest 
  as sudden tangles of overgrowth, this bloom manifests as 
  a slowly churning whirlpool of black water in one of the 
  Stolen Lands’ lakes.
  Location: This bloom can appear in any of the lakes 
  in the Stolen Lands. Its effects can spread only through 
  water—it cannot spread into hexes that don’t contain water 
  connected to the source bloom via a lake or river.
  Link: Lake of Midnight Swans (area B).
  Bloom: The whirlpool that appears in the lake is 500 
  feet across and reaches all the way down to the bottom of 
  the lake, where the vortex is only 50 feet across, leaving a 
  circular area of the lakebed exposed to the air. The water in 
  the vortex doesn’t “drain” anywhere, but it does continue 
  to churn nonstop. It’s a DC 30 Swim check to avoid being 
  caught up by the vortex’s current up to its edge—failure 
  results in a creature falling into the vortex and suffering 
  4d6 points of nonlethal damage for 2d6 rounds before the 
  vortex hurls them out into the surrounding waters.
  Eerie, silent black swans seem to congregate in the 
  waters surrounding the whirlpool; as they’re drawn into 
  the vortex, they fly up into the air and settle down back 
  in the water some distance away only to slowly drift back 
  into the whirlpool over time. The swans are ill-tempered, 
  but otherwise normal. Attempts to communicate with 
  them via speak with animals or similar magic reveals that 
  they fear the whirlpool because it’s loud and scary—they 
  don’t have memories of their life in the similar lake in 
  Thousandbreaths (area B). The swans are immune to the 
  disease brought by the churning waters.
  Anyone who drinks the water in this hex or any hex that 
  the bloom has spread to is exposed to blinding sickness 
  (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 557).
  The heart of this bloom consists of the four elder water 
  elementals that swim and froth in the region surrounding 
  the vortex. The elementals ignore the swans and any 
  animals of that size or smaller, but quickly move to attack 
  other creatures that approach the vortex, splitting off of the 
  whirlpool in their own vortex shapes and assuming their 
  natural forms to attack as soon as they take any damage. 
  In their natural forms, these water elementals look like 
  immense swans of dark water.
  If all four elder water elementals are slain or banished 
  from the Material Plane, the central vortex immediately 
  collapses in on itself as the bloom vanishes. The resulting 
  geyser of water calms quickly, and all of the black swans 
  die and bob to the surface.
  Elder Water Elementals (4) 
  CR 11
  XP 12,800 each
  hp 152 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 127)
  Trophy: Black swan carcass.
  dAy 8: the Shrieking children  
  (cr 15; Second BlooM)
  This bloom manifests either in the Narlmarches or 
  Thousand Voices. The sudden growth in this bloom 
  consists of a foul tangle of enormous mushrooms, 
  molds, and thick fibrous roots and vines that quickly 
  start to choke out existing plant life. Along with this 
  fungal bloom come swarms of tiny humanoid plantlike 
  monsters—mandragoras.
  Location: This bloom can occur in any hex that 
  contains forest.
  Link: The Fruiting Orchard (area E).
  Bloom: Thousands of mandragoras infest this bloom—
  each of these misshapen plants looks vaguely humanoid, 
  with tiny eyes, leaves for hair, and sharp wooden teeth. 
  Normally a mandragora is the size of a human child, but 
  these are much smaller—the typical mandragora here is 
  only 4 inches high, but there are enough of them to form 
  into swarms.
  It’s possible that this bloom can go unnoticed if it 
  appears in a forested area the PCs haven’t yet fully explored 
  or claimed. In this case, you should have nearby farms 
  and towns start to become plagued by small numbers 
  of these Fine-sized pests, doing things like biting the 
  ankles of livestock or children, chasing pets, or climbing 
  up onto sleeping citizens to drink blood from exposed 
  necks or arms.
  The bloom itself consists of a sudden infestation of 
  fungus and mold, among which the carpets of mandragoras 
  swarm and caper and shriek. The mandragora swarms 
  sleep at night, but during the day anyone who enters 
  the bloom can’t help but notice the countless tiny cries, 
  not unlike miniature babies, that sound throughout the 
  fungal bloom.
  While there are tens of thousands of mandragoras in 
  this bloom, the PCs need only defeat two swarms before 
  the entire flood of tiny mandragoras shrieks and dies. 
  Both swarms must be slain within 1 minute of each other, 
  though—otherwise the PCs must locate and confront 
  another pair of swarms after a day has passed to have 
  another opportunity to defeat this bloom.
  
  13
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Mandragora
  Mandragora Swarm 
  CR 13
  XP 25,600
  Pathfinder Adventure Path #17 84, Advanced Bestiary 45
  CE Fine plant (swarm)
  Init +13; Senses low-light vision; Perception +14
  DEfEnSE
  AC 28, touch 28, flat-footed 18 (+9 Dex, +1 dodge, +8 size)
  hp 220 (21d8+126); fast healing 10
  fort +19, Ref +18, Will +8
  Defensive Abilities swarm traits; Immune plant traits, weapon 
  damage, Resist acid 5, cold 5, electricity 10
  Weaknesses vulnerable to darkness
  OffEnSE
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee swarm +23 (5d6 plus blood drain, distraction, and poison)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
  Special Attacks distraction (DC 25), shriek
  TACTICS
  During Combat A mandragora swarm begins battle by 
  shrieking. It then swarms over as many foes as it can, 
  chewing and draining blood and leaving confused victims 
  in its wake.
  Morale A mandragora swarm fights to the death.
  STATISTICS
  Str 11, Dex 29, Con 20, Int 8, Wis 13, Cha 10
  Base Atk +15; CMB +16; CMD 27
  feats Ability Focus (poison), Combat Reflexes, Dodge, 
  Great Fortitude, Improved Great Fortitude, Improved 
  Initiative, Improved Lightning Reflexes, Lightning 
  Reflexes, Mobility, Skill Focus (Stealth), Toughness
  Skills Perception +14, Stealth +45 (+53 in heavy plant growth)
  Languages Abyssal, Common
  SQ hive mind, vines
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Blood Drain (Ex) Whenever a mandragora swarm 
  damages a foe with its swarm damage, it 
  also drains blood, dealing 1d6 points of 
  Strength damage. A mandragora 
  that drains blood from a target 
  with 0 Strength instead deals 
  2d4 points of Constitution 
  damage.
  Hive Mind (Ex) The mandragora 
  swarm has one central mind, but retains its 
  immunity to mind-affecting effects due to its plant 
  traits.
  Poison (Ex) Swarm—injury; save Fort DC 27; 
  frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect confused for 
  1 round; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is 
  Constitution-based.
  Shriek (Su) Once per day as a standard action, a 
  mandragora swarm can give voice to an 
  unsettling shriek that sounds not unlike 
  the cry of a thousand tiny babies. Any creature within 
  30 feet of a shrieking mandragora swarm must make a 
  DC 25 Will save or become nauseated for 1d4 rounds. 
  This is a sonic, mind-affecting effect. The save DC is 
  Constitution-based.
  Vulnerable to Darkness (Ex) A mandragora swarm in an area 
  of darkness loses its fast healing and becomes slowed, as 
  per the spell.
  Trophy: One of the little dead mandragoras.
  dAy 9: the horned hunterS (cr 17)
  Nyrissa knows that Briar can slay her, and as this adventure 
  progresses, she becomes aware of rumors that the PCs 
  have discovered the sword. This element, seemingly 
  fitting so perfectly into the ancient visions she received 
  of her own death, begins to increasingly distress Nyrissa, 
  and on day 9 of this adventure, she sends a group known 
  as the Horned Hunt—the protectors and wardens of the 
  realm of Thousandbreaths—into the Material Plane to 
  find the PCs and secure the sword.
  Creatures: The Horned Hunt consists of a large 
  group of particularly muscular and violent 
  ettins led by a deadly satyr ranger known 
  only as the Horned Hunter. They first 
  appear in the Stolen Lands deep 
  in Thousand Voices, at the site of 
  the Castle of Knives—the point 
  at which the boundaries between 
  Thousandbreaths 
  and 
  the 
  Stolen 
  Lands are the most fragile. They 
  immediately set out into the Stolen 
  Lands, seeking the PCs 
  and leaving devastation 
  in their passing. The 
  Horned Hunt knows 
  quite a bit about 
  
  14
  The Horned Hunter
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  the PCs, and assuming the PCs have displayed a tendency 
  to be protective of their people, the Horned Hunter knows 
  that the best way to lure the PCs into a conflict is to begin 
  wreaking havoc. If the PCs seem not to care about their 
  people, the Horned Hunt either travels to the next bloom 
  site to ambush the PCs when the come to defeat it, or they 
  could just as well attempt to infiltrate the PCs’ homes at a 
  point where they’re alone to try to take them down one at 
  a time. In the end, the way in which you use the Horned 
  Hunt is up to you.
  The Horned Hunter 
  CR 16
  XP 76,800
  Male satyr ranger 12 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 241)
  CN Medium fey 
  Init +10; Senses low-light vision; Perception +26
  DEfEnSE
  AC 31, touch 17, flat-footed 24 (+5 armor, 
  +6 Dex, +1 dodge, +9 natural)
  hp 206 (20 HD; 8d6+12d10+112)
  fort +14, Ref +20, Will +15
  Defensive Abilities evasion; DR 5/cold iron
  OffEnSE
  Speed 40 ft.
  Melee +2 horns +23 (1d6+9)
  Ranged +3 seeking composite longbow 
  +23/+18/+13/+8 (1d8+19/19–20/×3) or
  Rapid Shot +21/+21/+16/+11/+6 
  (1d8+19/19–20/×3)
  Special Attacks favored enemy (human +6, 
  elf +4, gnome +2), pipes, quarry
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 8th; 
  concentration +12)
  At will—charm person (DC 15), 
  dancing lights, ghost sound (DC 
  14), sleep (DC 15), 
  suggestion (DC 17)
  1/day—fear (DC 18), summon nature's 
  ally III
  Spells Known (CL 9th; 
  concentration +13)
  3rd—cure moderate wounds, 
  greater magic fang
  2nd—barkskin, cat's grace, 
  protection from energy
  1st—charm animal (DC 14), 
  entangle (DC 14), pass 
  without trace
  TACTICS
  Before Combat The Horned Hunter casts greater magic fang 
  on his horns every day. Before entering battle, he casts 
  barkskin and cat’s grace on himself.
  During Combat The Horned Hunter always uses Deadly Aim 
  in battle, and prefers to use Rapid Shot as often as he can. 
  On the first round of combat, he grants his favored enemy 
  bonus to his ettins via his hunter’s bond. Although his 
  natural inclination is to fire upon humans before any other 
  target, if it’s obvious who’s carrying Briar, he and his ettins 
  focus their attacks on that target. The Horned Hunter’s 
  not really interested in slaying the entire party as much 
  as he is in capturing Briar. If the person carrying Briar is 
  defeated, the Horned Hunter claims the sword as soon as 
  he can, teleporting to the Castle of Knives after claiming 
  the sword (or the body of the PC he suspects carries it), and 
  then stepping through the portal that 
  has opened at the castle and into 
  Thousandbreaths, at which point 
  he makes his way to the House at 
  the Edge of Time to present the 
  sword to his mistress. See Part 
  Three for details on what happens 
  if Nyrissa reclaims Briar.
  Morale The Horned Hunter fights 
  to the death in his pursuit of Briar, but 
  once he has the sword, he flees as 
  detailed above.
  
  15
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  STATISTICS
  Str 20, Dex 23, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 19
  Base Atk +16; CMB +21; CMD 38
  feats Deadly Aim, Dodge, Endurance, Improved Critical 
  (composite longbow), Improved Initiative, Improved Precise 
  Shot, Iron Will, Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, 
  Shot on the Run, Toughness, Vital Strike, Weapon Focus 
  (composite longbow)
  Skills Acrobatics +29 (+33 jump), Escape Artist +29, Knowledge 
  (nature) +23, Perception +26, Stealth +29, Survival +26
  Languages Common, Sylvan
  SQ camouflage, favored terrain (forest +4, plains +2), hunter's 
  bond (companions), swift tracker, track +6, wild empathy +16, 
  woodland stride
  Gear +3 leather armor, +3 seeking composite longbow with 20 
  arrows, greater bracers of archery, helm of teleportation
  Advanced Ettins (12) 
  CR 7
  XP 3,200 each
  hp 85 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 130, 294)
  dAy 12: nightS of dreAd
  The most insidious of the blooms does not manifest in a 
  physical sense, but in the dreams of those it touches upon.
  Location: This bloom can appear in any hex that 
  contains a settlement of any size—it’s best if this bloom 
  manifests in the PCs’ capital city.
  Link: The Nightmare Spire (area D).
  Bloom: This bloom manifests without anyone’s notice—
  it has no immediate effect on the physical world until 
  nightfall. At that point, many who sleep in the hex suffer 
  horrific nightmares of being chased through the woods, 
  being savaged by wild animals, and especially of being 
  pursued by an immense night-black bird whose wings blot 
  out the stars. In some cases, these dreams have a greater 
  effect than merely unsettling sleep—for some, they become 
  living nightmares.
  A living nightmare manifests as a spontaneously cast 
  spell that functions at CL 20th, focused on the sleeping 
  victim of the effect. On this first night, only one victim 
  succumbs to the effect, but as this bloom spreads, one 
  additional victim succumbs each night—this bloom does 
  not spread to additional hexes as much as it spreads to new 
  victims in the same city. Any spell can manifest as a living 
  nightmare, but you should make an attempt to have spells 
  with particularly gruesome effects appear. One night, a 
  person might be targeted by a creeping doom spell. Another, 
  someone might wake from a dream about being strangled 
  by an octopus to find himself caught in the area of a black 
  tentacles spell. Summon monster and summon nature’s ally 
  spells are an excellent way to have the monstrous antagonist 
  of a nightmare manifest in reality to attack the dreamer 
  and perhaps seek out the dreamer’s family, friends, and 
  neighbors. You can use the table on page 16 to randomly 
  generate a spell effect for each living nightmare if you wish. 
  Living nightmares are mind-affecting fear effects.
  If the bloom manifests in an area where one of the 
  PCs is sleeping, you should have one of these living 
  nightmares target a random PC. Otherwise, PCs likely 
  first hear of this bloom’s effects as news of a terrible, 
  grisly fate that strikes a local farmer, shopkeeper, or 
  other innocent citizen.
  Regardless of the nature of the living nightmare 
  a given victim endures, the living nightmares share 
  a feature in common with the standard nightmares 
  suffered by everyone in the bloom—the presence of an 
  immense black bird that watches over the nightmare 
  from the dark night skies above. This monstrous shape 
  never takes part in the nightmares, but the dreamers 
  always wake with the conviction that the bird is what 
  brought them these nightmares.
  This shape is a creature called the Nightmare Rook, 
  an immense avian that dwells in Thousandbreaths and 
  is directing the horrific nightmares from beyond. The 
  Nightmare Rook can be identified with a DC 20 Knowledge 
  (planes) check as a mythical creature said to dwell in the 
  First World—if this check exceeds the DC by 10 or more, 
  the character also remembers that the Nightmare Rook 
  was a character in a strange picture book published long 
  ago in Pitax by a mad artist—see the beginning of Part 
  Two for more details on this book. In the tales and the 
  picture book, a hero manages to drive off the Nightmare 
  Rook by ignoring the nightmares in his dreams and 
  confronting the Rook itself, threatening to attack it. The 
  Rook is startled by this unexpected aggression and flies 
  away, and the nightmare ends.
  Herein lies the key to defeating this bloom—when a 
  character suffers a living nightmare, he must ignore the 
  nightmare itself and confront the watching, ever-present 
  Nightmare Rook. Whenever you describe a PC’s nightmare 
  but before he wakes to endure the resulting spell effect, 
  describe the nature of his nightmare and the fact that a giant 
  black bird is looming over the horizon, watching. Give the 
  PC a chance to react to his nightmare. If he does anything 
  other than ignore the nightmare and confront the black 
  bird in any way, describe the nightmare doing something 
  horrific to his dreaming self, then have him awaken and 
  endure the effects of the living nightmare as appropriate.
  If, on the other hand, the character confronts the 
  Nightmare Rook, he may make one of the following rolls—
  an attack roll (using his best weapon attack), a caster level 
  check, or an Intimidate check. The DC for all three of these 
  checks is 30. If the check fails, the PC doesn’t impress the 
  Nightmare Rook—it laughs a raucous cawing laugh, and 
  the PC wakes and must endure the effects of his living 
  nightmare. With a successful check, the PC startles the 
  
  16
  Part 6 
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  Part 6 
  of 6
  Nightmare Rook and drives it off, and he wakens with a 
  scream but does not suffer a living nightmare. Clutched 
  in the PC’s hand is a large black feather—a token of his 
  triumph over the Nightmare Rook. As soon as someone 
  drives off the Nightmare Rook, this bloom is defeated.
  Trophy: A black raven feather pulled out of a nightmare.
  Story Award: Award the PCs 51,200 XP if they defeat 
  this bloom.
  dAy 16. the frozen BlooM (cr 15)
  An incursion of frost giants occurs on Day 16—thugs 
  invading from a frozen graveyard ruled by a deadly four-
  armed warlord.
  Location: This bloom can appear in any mountain hex.
  Link: The Frozen Boneyard.
  Bloom: Snow begins falling over this hex, regardless of 
  any weather conditions in the skies above. The vegetation 
  that blooms and grows here consists of tangles of alpine 
  shrubbery, twisted pine trees, and sheets of thick, slippery 
  lichen. The temperature in this area drops to extreme cold 
  (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 442), and any water in the 
  region freezes over.
  The four-armed frost giant Kargstaad commands these 
  giants, although he does not leave the Frozen Boneyard. 
  When the bloom between the Stolen Lands and the Frozen 
  Boneyard opens, he sends six hearty giants through 
  to protect the site. These giants are natives of the First 
  World, with skin as clear as ice and eyes that glow with 
  blue light—they heal wounds at an astounding rate and are 
  stronger and more dangerous than normal frost giants. 
  Yet once the giants arrive in the Stolen Lands, the urge to 
  savage and crush the delightfully fragile creatures they 
  find there proves too much to resist. They begin to explore 
  the Stolen Lands, leaving the bloom behind to defend 
  itself. The wandering band of giants can be encountered 
  anywhere you wish, but most likely the PCs will first hear 
  of them after they attack a small outlying village or start 
  crushing merchant caravans. The giants meet no real 
  opposition as they travel and raid, and they quickly come 
  to see this world’s denizens as trivial challenges. Only with 
  the first giant’s death do the remaining giants realize that 
  there are dangers on the Material Plane, like the PCs, that 
  are capable of meeting the challenge they provide. At this 
  point, the giants adopt a more defensive pose and make a 
  fighting retreat back toward the Frozen Bloom.
  The Frozen Bloom itself has a singular link to 
  Thousandbreaths—at the center of the hex it manifests 
  in rises a towering, 30-foot-tall gravestone made of ice 
  on which are inscribed tens of thousands of names. The 
  language of these names appears to be in the reader’s 
  native tongue, and anyone who thinks to look up their own 
  names or the names of friends or family invariably finds 
  them on the gravestone with eerie speed. This effect is a 
  powerful programmed image (DC 19 Will save to disbelieve 
  if interacted with)—it is nothing more than a threat, 
  but could well unsettle the PCs. To destroy this bloom, 
  Living Nightmares
  d% Roll 
  Spell Effect 
  Living nightmare Description
  1–8 
  black tentacles (CMB +25) 
  You’re attacked by a kraken while drowning at sea.
  9–14 
  call lightning storm (DC 17) 
  You’re caught in a violent storm with no cover.
  15–17 
  create greater undead 
  You’re lost in a graveyard and chased by a devourer.
  18–24 
  creeping doom (DC 20) 
  You’re sinking in quicksand while bugs eat you alive.
  25–36 
  dominate person (DC 16) 
  Your friends are possessed—kill them with an axe.
  37–39 
  earthquake (DC 22) 
  You’re trapped in your home during an earthquake.
  40–46 
  feeblemind (DC 17) 
  You become a newborn baby or a senile old wreck.
  47–49 
  fire storm (DC 22) 
  You’re a helpless forest creature caught up in a forest fire.
  50–51 
  imprisonment (DC 23) 
  You’re buried alive by friends who think you’re dead.
  52–57 
  insanity (DC 20) 
  Hideous alien monstrosities devour your mind.
  58–60 
  storm of vengeance (DC 23) 
  The gods open the heavens and smite the world.
  61–63 
  summon monster IX 
  You’re attacked by a glabrezu.
  64–69 
  summon monster VI 
  You’re assaulted by a succubus.
  70–74 
  summon monster VII 
  You’re attacked by a bebilith.
  75–78 
  summon monster VIII 
  You’re attacked by a barbed devil.
  79–81 
  summon nature’s ally IX 
  You’re attacked by 1d3 purple worms.
  82–87 
  summon nature’s ally VI 
  You’re attacked by a dire tiger.
  88–91 
  summon nature’s ally VII 
  You’re attacked by a tyrannosaurus.
  92–96 
  summon nature’s ally VIII 
  You’re attacked by 1d4+1 giant scorpions.
  97–100 
  whirlwind (DC 22) 
  You have a broken leg but must outrun a tornado.
  
  17
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  this massive ice gravestone must itself be destroyed. The 
  gravestone is 10 feet wide and as hard as stone, but it need 
  only be toppled over to be destroyed, so inflicting enough 
  damage to its base can do the job (hardness 8, hp 1,800, 
  Break DC 65). The ice is immune to acid damage, but 
  takes double damage from fire and sonic damage. Cold 
  damage actually repairs the gravestone for a number of 
  hit points equal to the damage the cold would normally 
  have inflicted; the freezing temperatures in the bloom 
  effectively grant the stone fast healing 5. If destroyed, 
  the icy gravestone topples and shatters into millions 
  of razor-sharp shards, each the size of a dagger. These 
  shards remain cold and do not melt (unless put in direct 
  contact with flame, in which case they melt normally) for 
  100 days.
  Kargstaad’s Giants (6) 
  CR 10
  XP 6,400 each
  Advanced frost giants (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 149)
  hp 161 each; fast healing 10
  Trophy: Icy gravestone shard.
  dAy 17: the knurly BriArS (cr 15)
  This bloom links the Stolen Lands to one of the more 
  disturbing locations in Thousandbreaths—the not-quite-
  abandoned Knurly House.
  Location: Any hill or plains hex.
  Link: The Knurly House (area H).
  Bloom: When this bloom manifests, it does so as a sudden 
  mound of creeping briars and brambles. The runners and 
  roots of these large plants grow unnervingly quickly, the 
  sound of the vines digging through the ground making a 
  rasping grind. These hideous, fast-growing brambles extend 
  from the unkempt yard of the Knurly House, the home of a 
  bitter and wretched hag known as the Knurly Witch.
  The brambles and briars grow to a height of 15 feet, and 
  create heavy undergrowth (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 
  426), making it difficult for any creature to move around 
  in the thorny brush. In addition, the sharp thorns are, in 
  a strange way, mobile and angry—whenever a creature not 
  native to the First World makes an aggressive action (such 
  as casting a spell or making an attack) the thorns slash 
  and grasp in response. Effectively, the briars are capable 
  of making an attack of opportunity against any target 
  that stands in the undergrowth, but no more than once 
  per round per target. A thorn lash has a +15 melee attack 
  roll and inflicts 1d8+4 points of damage on a hit. A 5-foot-
  square section of thorns can be destroyed by the application 
  of at least 40 points of damage from any area effect attack 
  or slashing damage, although destroyed brambles regrow 
  back to undergrowth levels (at which point they can make 
  attacks of opportunity again) in 1 minute.
  While the Knurly Witch doesn’t emerge from her house 
  and travel into the Stolen Lands, her presence can be felt 
  throughout these briars in the form of half-heard cackles, 
  muttering, and brief glimpses of a strange but towering 
  humanoid shape moving just out of sight through the 
  brambles. These shapes are the “gardeners” of the Knurly 
  Briars, immense and hideously malformed giants known 
  as athachs.
  An athach stands about 20 feet in height. Burly and 
  muscular, with no neck to speak of, an athach’s human-like 
  shape is marred by its sabre-like poisonous fangs and the 
  gangly third arm that grows out of one of its armpits. This 
  third arm is tipped with a sharp talon incapable of wielding 
  a weapon or fine manual manipulation, but quick and 
  sharp, striking almost with a mind of its own.
  As the Knurly Witch’s gardeners, these athachs carry 
  sickles and large bags of strangely pulsating seeds. 
  They move through the brambles slowly, pruning back 
  dead brambles and harvesting the eerie red seeds that 
  periodically grow on the vines, only to replant the seeds 
  in the ground. It is this act of pruning and seeding that 
  keeps this bloom growing, and if all three athachs are 
  slain, the bloom reacts by causing the brambles and vines 
  to shriek and whip about in a frenzy. All creatures in the 
  brambles at this time take 8d6 points of slashing damage 
  from the thorns (DC 15 Reflex halves the damage). One 
  round later, three foul-smelling pods of plant matter erupt 
  from the ground at the locations where the athachs were 
  slain—these pods take 1 minute to grow to full size, after 
  which point three healthy new athachs emerge and return 
  to work. In order to truly defeat the bloom, the three pods 
  (hardness 5; hp 50; Break DC 25) must be destroyed. At this 
  point, the brambles shriek again, but instead of slashing at 
  those caught within them, they melt away into green light 
  and smoke, leaving behind scattered lengths of knotted 
  vines and brambles.
  Athachs (3) 
  CR 12
  XP 19,200 each
  CE Huge humanoid (giant)
  Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +11
  DEfEnSE
  AC 23, touch 9, flat-footed 22 (+2 armor, +1 Dex, +12 
  natural,–2 size)
  hp 161 each (14d8+98)
  fort +16, Ref +5, Will +7
  Resist cold 10
  OffEnSE
  Speed 50 ft.
  Melee sickle +19/+14 (2d6+11), claw +17 (1d10+5), bite +17 
  (2d6+5 plus poison)
  Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
  Special Attack third claw
  
  18
  Athach
  Part 6 
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  Part 6 
  of 6
  TACTICS
  During Combat The athachs prefer to move about as they 
  fight, using Lunge to reach foes that they can’t reach and 
  attacking with Vital Strike sickle blows and their third claws 
  even if they move.
  Morale The athachs fight to the death.
  STATISTICS
  Str 32, Dex 13, Con 25, Int 7, Wis 12, Cha 6
  Base Atk +10; CMB +23; CMD 34
  feats Cleave, Improved Iron Will, Iron Will, Lunge, 
  Multiattack, Power Attack, Vital Strike
  Skills Climb +16, Fly +0, Perception +11, Stealth +0
  Languages Giant
  Other Gear leather armor, sickle
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Poison (Ex) Bite—injury; save Fort DC 24; frequency 1/round 
  for 6 rounds; effect 1d4 Str; cure 2 consecutive saves.
  Third Claw (Ex) An athach’s third claw attacks with a mind of 
  its own—the athach can attack with its third claw as a swift 
  action if it wishes.
  Trophy: A 2-foot-long section of tangled, knotted 
  bramble vine.
  dAy 22. riSe of the Mire WorMS 
  (cr 16)
  A worm-infested bloom of algae, moss, and drooping swamp 
  trees erupts into a remote part of the Hooktongue Slough.
  Location: Any swamp hex.
  Link: The Mire (area G).
  Bloom: The source of this bloom is a hideous swampland 
  in Thousandbreaths known as the Mire, a trackless, soggy 
  realm ruled by a squirming, noxious wizard called the 
  Wriggling Man. This dangerous foe does not enter the 
  Material Plane with this bloom, but he does send a number 
  of little red worms cast off from his writhing body into 
  the Stolen Lands. Upon arriving in the swamp, these 
  worms rapidly grow to immense sizes and make their 
  way out into the surrounding swampland, consuming 
  any living creature they come across. These three worms 
  travel as a single group at a rate that matches the bloom’s 
  expansion—the worms can always be encountered in the 
  latest hex to be claimed by this bloom.
  These mire worms are hideous, red, segmented creatures 
  with hook-shaped jaws that extend from their rubbery 
  maws when they bite. Each worm is also armed 
  with a jagged, poisonous stinger-tipped tongue. 
  Statistically, they function identically to advanced 
  purple worms, save that their sting attack is at the 
  tip of their tongue instead the tip of their tail.
  This bloom is relatively easy to defeat—
  simply killing the three worms does the trick. 
  When the bloom is defeated, the bodies of the 
  worms steam and writhe and shrink back down 
  to their original size—about the length of a man’s 
  finger. Although dead, these red worms continue to 
  sporadically twitch in a most unsettling manner.
  Mire Worms (3) 
  CR 13
  XP 25,600 each
  Advanced purple worm (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 230, 294)
  hp 232 each
  Trophy: A twitching red worm.
  dAy 25: the MiSBegotten troll 
  (cr 16)
  A bloom manifests on the site of a large structure or ruin, 
  filling the surrounding lands with tangles of vegetation and 
  introducing a dangerous new menace to the Stolen Lands.
  
  19
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Location: Any hex with a structure, lair, or ruin.
  Link: The Baleful Lantern (area I).
  Bloom: While the majority of the blooms manifest in 
  the Stolen Lands without bringing along the powerful 
  denizens that rule the various glades in Thousandbreaths 
  from whence the blooms originate, this one does. 
  Sprouting in an immense cagelike fortress called the 
  Baleful Lantern, this bloom of tangled trees and spiny 
  berry bushes manifests in the Stolen Lands along with the 
  Lantern’s denizen—a hateful and cruel monster known 
  only as the Misbegotten Troll.
  When this bloom manifests, it does so in a hex that 
  contains a structure, lair, or ruin. The tangle of vegetation 
  that radiates out from it grows swiftly, as with all other 
  blooms, but the core of the bloom is linked to the 
  Misbegotten Troll, who hitched a ride into this world in 
  hopes of finding himself a new bride—the Misbegotten 
  Troll is somewhat rough on his paramours.
  The location of where this bloom manifests is left to you, 
  but it should be at a site the PCs have already explored but 
  haven’t developed into a settlement or (if possible) haven’t 
  even claimed as part of their kingdom—it’s best if this is a 
  site that is supported by a map from a previous adventure, 
  so that when the PCs come to this bloom, they’ll be on 
  familiar ground yet facing a new enemy. Some excellent 
  choices for sites for this bloom to manifest include the 
  Ruined Keep or the Troll Lair in the Greenbelt, Vordakai’s 
  Tomb in the Nomen Heights, Whiterose Abbey in the 
  Glenebon Uplands, or the boggard village of M’Botuu in 
  the Slough. You can certainly repopulate these areas with 
  monsters of your choosing if the PCs haven’t been back 
  to the site, but keep in mind that any who would come 
  into conflict with the area’s new master are likely dead. If 
  your PCs are particularly low on XP, this bloom site gives 
  you a perfect chance to drop in a new dungeon filled with 
  monsters and traps for the PCs to face (and to gain much-
  needed experience defeating).
  It’s likely that the PCs will first hear about this bloom 
  and its cruel master after rumors of raids on outlying areas 
  of the kingdom appear. The Misbegotten Troll is seeking a 
  new and beautiful bride, and after countless years preying 
  upon fey, he’s looking for some variety—a human or half-
  orc bride in particular. Whether the PCs come to confront 
  the troll after he’s first started to raid or after he’s abducted 
  one or more possible candidates is left to you to decide. If 
  you want to inject a particular sense of urgency, the troll’s 
  victim could well be an NPC important to the PCs.
  As the PCs approach the Misbegotten Troll’s new home, 
  it should be obvious that someone has moved into the ruin. 
  Smoke from unseen cook fires pours from the entrance 
  or vents, and numerous territorial markers made of fresh 
  bones, slaughtered locals, or other grisly trophies decorate 
  the approach to the site.
  The methods that the Misbegotten Troll uses to 
  defend his new lair from attackers depend greatly on 
  the layout and nature of his new home, and thus no 
  details are given here apart from the villain’s stat block 
  and notes on his basic combat tactics. The troll is a 
  loner, but he does keep several particularly large and 
  ill-tempered, black-pelted smilodons handy to serve 
  as guardian beasts. The Misbegotten Troll keeps six of 
  these enormous beasts, two as guards near the entrance 
  to his lair and the other four at his side at all times for 
  additional protection.
  The Misbegotten Troll 
  CR 16
  XP 76,800
  Male troll fighter 11 
  CE Large humanoid (giant)
  Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +17
  DEfEnSE
  AC 29, touch 12, flat-footed 26 (+12 armor, +3 Dex, +5 natural, 
  –1 size)
  hp 268 (17 HD; 6d8+11d10+181); regeneration 5 (acid or fire)
  fort +21, Ref +8, Will +7; +3 vs. fear
  Defensive Abilities bravery +3
  OffEnSE
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee +2 vicious ranseur +26/+21/+16 (2d6+17/19–20/×3 plus 
  2d6), bite +20 (1d8+8) or
  bite +25 (1d8+12), 2 claws +25 (1d6+14/19–20)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. (15 ft. with ranseur)
  Special Attacks rend (2 claws, 1d6+7)
  TACTICS
  During Combat The Misbegotten Troll enjoys the wounds 
  his ranseur causes his enemies almost as much as those 
  it causes to his own body, and howls in delight with each 
  successful hit. He also takes great delight in breaking the 
  weapons of other foes, and often makes sunder attacks 
  against those who wield particularly large weapons. If he 
  faces a foe that seems capable of staying inside the reach of 
  his ranseur, he casts the weapon aside with a frustrated roar 
  and uses both claws in battle.
  Morale The Misbegotten Troll fights to the death.
  STATISTICS
  Str 26, Dex 16, Con 28, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 4
  Base Atk +15; CMB +24; CMD 37
  feats Critical Focus, Improved Critical (ranseur), Improved 
  Critical (claws), Improved Sunder, Improved Vital Strike, 
  Iron Will, Staggering Critical, Toughness, Vital Strike, 
  Weapon Focus (ranseur, bite, claws), Weapon Specialization 
  (ranseur, bite, claws)
  Skills Perception +17
  Languages Giant
  SQ armor training 3
  Gear +3 full plate, +2 vicious ranseur, necklace of lovelies
  
  20
  Misbegotten Troll
  Part 6 
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  Part 6 
  of 6
  tall alabaster tower atop a hill that looks too round to be 
  natural. This is a projection of a structure called the High 
  Folly in Thousandbreaths—the lair of the black dragon 
  Ilthuliak, one of Nyrissa’s most dangerous denizens and 
  the final guardian of the approach to her home. A ghostly 
  image of the black wyrm flying in circles around the 
  tower should give the PCs cause to worry, but at this time 
  Ilthuliak has no way to physically strike at the PCs and 
  does not factor into the battle.
  When this bloom manifests, the clamor coming from 
  the tangle of vegetation makes it sound as if an entire 
  army of First World monstrosities hides within—this 
  is not far from the truth. An army of murderous beasts, 
  crazed satyrs, giant worms, slavering deformed wyverns, 
  lumbering giants, and blood-drinking plants lurks in this 
  bloom, and these creatures do not wait long before they 
  march from the bloom upon the PCs’ capital city.
  This is a mass combat encounter that utilizes the rules 
  for such presented in Pathfinder Adventure Path #35. If you 
  don’t 
  have 
  access 
  to that book, you 
  can simply ignore  
  this event, or run it 
  strictly as a narrative 
  encounter in which Nyrissa’s 
  gibbering army surges against the 
  city’s walls but is defeated through a 
  heroic defense of the city. If you’re 
  using the kingdom-building rules, 
  you can simply have the PCs make 
  a Stability check against their 
  kingdom’s Control DC to determine 
  if they win the battle—if they fail, 
  the monstrous army overruns the 
  city and destroys 1d6 blocks of 
  buildings. The PCs should keep 
  attempting Stability checks until 
  they succeed or until the city is 
  totally destroyed.
  If, on the other hand, you have access 
  to the mass combat rules, you can run the 
  battle with the PCs defending their capital city 
  with any armies they happen to have stationed there. If 
  the PCs have no armies stationed in their capital city, they 
  can call upon the city guard to defend the place—in this 
  event, you can use the stats for a regular army as presented 
  on page 59 of Pathfinder Adventure Path #35.
  The enemy army is unusual in that it consists of a horde 
  of varied creatures—this is a mob of monsters and debased 
  fey creatures, with no true commander. A mob can never 
  have any special abilities  from its members’ races, nor 
  can it know tactics or use resources—it’s simply 
  an disorganized but no less dangerous army. 
  Black Smilodons (6) 
  CR 9
  XP 6,400 each
  Advanced dire tiger (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 265, 294)
  hp 133 each
  Trophy: A broken cage from the necklace of lovelies (see 
  the sidebar on page 21).
  dAy 26. WAr of the high folly 
  (cr 11 MASS coMBAt)
  The final bloom opens near the PCs’ capital city, unleashing 
  a horde of First World soldiers upon the kingdom in a 
  penultimate clash with the denizens of Thousandbreaths.
  Location: Any hex adjacent to the PCs’ capital city.
  Link: The High Folly (area J).
  Bloom: The final bloom emerges dangerously close to 
  home, at the heart of the PCs’ kingdom and within sight 
  of their capital city. When this bloom manifests, it does 
  so with a sudden and explosive growth of twisted trees, 
  thorny vines, and evil-looking fungi. Protruding from the 
  center of this bloom is a ghostly image of an impossibly 
  
  21
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  A mob always fails morale checks when it needs to make 
  them, as it has no leader to rally behind. It always adopts 
  the standard strategy track. The mob strikes against the 
  PCs’ city, but the distance it has to cover gives the PCs 3 
  rounds of ranged combat if their defending armies have 
  ranged capability.
  If the army is destroyed, the bloom itself is destroyed. 
  The ghostly image of the High Folly fades, as does the 
  projection of the black dragon Ilthuliak, and the tangles 
  crumble into dust. Yet the ground at the point where 
  the High Folly once stood is scoured clean of vegetation, 
  leaving behind a perfectly round patch of barren sand a 
  hundred feet in diameter. If the army survives, the bloom 
  grows as normal, and its mob continues to strike against 
  the PCs’ kingdom. Unlike other blooms, this one does not 
  expand in random directions; it always expands towards 
  the closest city.
  first World Mob 
  CR 10
  XP 9,600
  CN Gargantuan army of monsters
  COMBAT
  hp 45; DV 20; OM +10
  Weakness mob
  LOGISTICS
  Speed 2; Consumption 5; Morale always fails
  Trophy: A handful of sand taken from the scar left by 
  the High Folly’s passing.
  dAy 28. BeWAre the JABBerWock 
  (cr 20)
  If the PCs don’t force the House at the Edge of Time to 
  manifest on the Material Plane in the forest of Thousand 
  Voices by the 28th day (see page 35), then Nyrissa sends her 
  deadliest minion into the Stolen Lands to finish the PCs 
  off—a lesser jabberwock that Nyrissa grew from blood left 
  over from her ancient battle with the true Jabberwock so 
  long ago. The procedure by which she created and raised 
  this lesser jabberwock is a closely guarded secret known 
  only to a few denizens of the First World, for the resulting 
  monster, while not as deadly as a true jabberwock, is a 
  devastating monster nevertheless.
  On the day of this final event, a strange thing happens 
  in the skies above—although there’s not a cloud in the 
  sky, roars of thunder echo across the Stolen Lands. The 
  thunder comes in regular intervals every 10 minutes or 
  so; by noon, however, the thunder begins coming more 
  quickly, almost like the approaching footsteps of an 
  immense creature. Use this ominous event to let the PCs 
  know that something is coming.
  Exactly 1 hour after noon, the loudest peal of thunder 
  strikes yet, and with a flash of unsettling green light 
  above the PCs, the boundaries between this world and 
  the First are sundered and a true monster steps through. 
  Of course, if the PCs use powerful magic to hide their 
  location, Nyrissa might not be able to locate them by 
  scrying and will need to wait for another opportunity to 
  send her monster after them.
  A lesser jabberwock is, despite its name, a deadly 
  foe. This hideous reptilian beast stands nearly 30 feet 
  high, with a long, scaly neck, a vaguely draconic body, 
  and a long whiplike tail. Its arms and legs are thin but 
  incredibly strong, ending in sharp talons. Immense 
  draconic wings f lap on its back, and its ovoid head is a 
  nightmare of bulging eyes, sharp teeth, and long, thin 
  antennae or whiskers.
  This monster, Nyrissa’s most deadly pet, has orders 
  to destroy the PCs—Nyrissa figures that their deaths 
  necklace of Lovelies
  Aura abjuration (evil); CL 17th
  Slot neck; Price 36,000gp; Weight 4 lbs.
  DESCRIPTIOn
  This repugnant and cruel magic item consists of a chain 
  of cold iron on which dangle six tiny, cold iron cages, 
  each of which contains a living but miniaturized pixie. 
  While the pixies are free to shriek and yell and cry, the 
  item prevents them from taking any action that would 
  directly free them from their cage and suppresses all of 
  their supernatural and spell-like abilities.
  As a swift action, the wearer of a necklace of lovelies can 
  redirect hit point damage inflicted on him from any single 
  attack or effect that damages him onto one of the pixies on 
  the necklace—doing so automatically kills the poor pixie in 
  a tiny explosion of blood. Once all of the necklace’s pixies 
  are dead or released, the necklace becomes nonmagical.
  The magic of a necklace of lovelies can also be released 
  by breaking open one of the tiny pixie cages (hardness 10; 
  hp 10; Break DC 20). If the cage contains a living pixie, the 
  grateful fey quickly escapes and returns to normal size—in 
  so doing, the wash of energy allows the pixie to bestow luck 
  upon the creature who broke that particular cage if the pixie 
  so chooses (most pixies are grateful enough to a rescuer 
  to automatically grant this boon). An instant after the luck 
  is bestowed, the grateful pixie vanishes (presumably back 
  to the area in which he or she was first imprisoned in the 
  necklace during its creation). The luck granted by this effect 
  can be used at any point once during the next 7 days as a 
  swift action whenever a d20 is rolled—it allows the lucky 
  soul to roll 2d20 and pick which result he wishes to accept.
  COnSTRuCTIOn
  Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, imprisonment, shield 
  other, 6 willing or helpless pixies; Cost 18,000 gp
  
  22
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  of 6
  should render her visions of her own demise moot just 
  as surely as her retrieval of Briar. If she’s already retrieved 
  the weapon, she won’t send the lesser jabberwock to attack 
  the PCs—in this case, feel free to have the PCs encounter 
  the monster in Thousandbreaths or in the House at the 
  Edge of Time/Castle of Knives as you wish.
  As this battle begins, if the PCs have the weapon Briar, 
  the sword immediately glows with a vibrant green light. 
  For this battle, the sword wakens to its full capacity, as if 
  it had gained 20 sharpness points. The sword returns to 
  its proper level of awakening once the lesser jabberwock 
  is defeated.
  If this battle takes place in a city, the lesser jabberwock’s 
  thrashing and destructive nature can destroy buildings. 
  Every 1d4 rounds, the PCs’ kingdom must make a Stability 
  check against its Control DC; if the check is failed, one 
  nearby building is destroyed.
  Lesser Jabberwock 
  CR 20
  XP 307,200
  CE Huge dragon (air, fire)
  Init +3; Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., low-light 
  vision, scent; Perception +35
  Aura frightful presence (120 ft., DC 28)
  DEfEnSE
  AC 38, touch 12, flat-footed 34 (+3 Dex, +1 dodge, +26 natural, 
  –2 size)
  hp 387 (25d12+225); fast healing 10
  fort +23, Ref +17, Will +21
  DR 15/vorpal; Immune fire, magic paralysis and sleep; Resist 
  acid 20, electricity 20, sonic 20
  Weaknesses fear of vorpal weaponry, vulnerable to cold
  OffEnSE
  Speed 40 ft., fly 60 ft. (poor)
  Melee bite +36 (3d6+13/19–20), 2 claws +36 (2d6+13/19–20 plus 
  grab), 2 wings +31 (1d8+6), tail +31 (2d6+6)
  Ranged 2 eye rays +26 touch (15d6/19–20 plus burn)
  Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
  Special Attacks burble, burn (6d6, DC 31), whiffling
  TACTICS
  During Combat The lesser jabberwock races into the midst of 
  the PCs on the first round of combat to make a vital strike 
  with its bite. On the second round, it burbles to confuse 
  the PCs that surround it. On following rounds, it makes 
  full attacks—preferably against the PC wielding Briar. If the 
  monster is reduced to fewer than 200 hit points, it takes to 
  the air and circles, firing one eye ray per round with Vital 
  Strike while it heals back up to at least 300 hit points before 
  landing and entering melee again. If denied this level of 
  mobility, the monster simply focuses its full attacks on single 
  targets, hoping to take the PCs down one at a time. At your 
  discretion, if the monster defeats the wielder of Briar, it could 
  scoop up the weapon and take to the air. The gate through 
  which Nyrissa sent the creature into the Material Plane is 
  closed, so it must return to the First World via the portal at 
  the Castle of Knives—it flies toward that site with all due 
  haste, eager to return the hated weapon to its mistress.
  Morale The lesser jabberwock fights to the death.
  STATISTICS
  Str 37, Dex 16, Con 29, Int 8, Wis 25, Cha 22
  Base Atk +25; CMB +40; CMD 54
  feats Awesome Blow, Bleeding Critical, Critical Focus, 
  Dodge, Flyby Attack, Improved Bull Rush, Improved 
  Critical (bite, claws, eye rays), Mobility, Power Attack, 
  Spring Attack, Vital Strike
  Skills Fly +23, Intimidate +34, Knowledge (nature) +27, 
  Perception +35, Sense Motive +35
  Languages Aklo, Common, Draconic, Gnome, Sylvan
  SQ whiffling
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Burble (Su) A lesser jabberwock can burble once every 1d4 
  rounds as a standard action. This blast of strange noises and 
  shouted nonsense in the various languages known to the 
  jabberwock (and invariably some languages it doesn’t know) 
  affects all creatures within a 60-foot-radius spread—these 
  creatures must make a DC 28 Will save or become confused 
  for 1d4 rounds. Alternatively, the lesser jabberwock can focus 
  its burble attack to create a 60-foot-line of sonic energy that 
  inflicts 20d6 points of sonic damage (DC 28 Reflex save for 
  half). The confusion effect is mind-affecting; both are sonic 
  effects. The save DC is Charisma-based.
  Damage Reduction (Ex) A lesser jabberwock’s damage 
  reduction can be bypassed only by weapons with the vorpal 
  weapon enhancement.
  Eye Rays (Su) The lesser jabberwock can project beams of fire 
  from its eyes as a ranged touch attack as a standard action. 
  It projects two beams, and can target different creatures 
  with these beams if it wishes as long as both targets are 
  within 30 feet of each other. A creature that takes damage 
  from an eye beam suffers burn.
  fear of Vorpal Weaponry (Ex) A lesser jabberwock knows 
  that a vorpal weapon can kill it swiftly. As soon as it takes 
  damage from a vorpal weapon, a lesser jabberwock becomes 
  shaken. If it is hit by a critical threat from a vorpal weapon, 
  whether or not the critical hit is confirmed, the jabberwock 
  is staggered for the following round.
  Whiffling (Ex) A lesser jabberwock’s wings and violent motions 
  create a significant amount of wind whenever it makes a 
  full attack action. These winds surround the monster to a 
  radius of 30 feet, and are treated as severe winds—ranged 
  attacks suffer a –4 penalty to hit a lesser jabberwock when 
  it is whiffling, and Medium creatures must make a DC 10 
  Strength check to approach the creature. Small or smaller 
  creatures in this area that fail a DC 15 Strength check 
  are blown away. See page 439 of the Pathfinder RPG Core 
  Rulebook for further details on the effects of severe winds.
  
  23
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  AfterMAth
  After the jabberwock’s attack, one of two things occurs, 
  depending on how many blooms are still active.
  If at least one bloom is active, Nyrissa can attempt to 
  take the Stolen Lands out of the Material Plane and into 
  her specially prepared receptacle in the First World. Her 
  chance of success is equal to 10% per functioning bloom. If 
  she’s successful, consult Concluding the Adventure for the 
  ramifications of this disastrous development. If she fails, 
  all of the blooms collapse and she must wait 1d12 months 
  before attempting the theft again by causing new blooms
  If no blooms are active, the PCs have thwarted her plans 
  for now. She must wait 2d12 months before attempting the 
  theft by causing new blooms to appear. This should give 
  the PCs plenty of time to take the fight to the nymph’s own 
  realm of Thousandbreaths.
  pArt tWo:  
  A thouSAnd BreAthS
  The dense woodlands in the shadow of the Branthlend 
  Mountains have been known as Thousand Voices (or the 
  Forest of Breath) for as long as the rivers in these regions 
  have been ruled by kings. Yet these kings did not name the 
  woodland—it earned this name long before humanity came 
  to this region, for the woodlands grow in a region where the 
  boundaries between this world and the First are thin. On the 
  far side of reality lies the forest realm of Thousandbreaths, 
  a deadly, beautiful, and hideous tangle ruled by the nymph 
  Nyrissa. The influence of Thousandbreaths infected the 
  dreams and idle thoughts of the first to settle Thousand 
  Voices long ago, and that influence is felt today in the 
  similar names given to the woodland.
  As this adventure begins, the PCs should quickly realize 
  that their kingdom is under attack by something beyond 
  the mortal realm. The manifestation of the blooms, the 
  incursions of strange monsters, and even the appearance 
  of the strange trophies after a bloom is defeated all point to 
  the First World as the source of the dangers.
  reSeArching thouSAndBreAthS
  There are many events in Part One of this adventure 
  that should convince the PCs that some force from the 
  First World has taken an interest in the Stolen Lands—
  speaking with the nereid Evindra or interrogating 
  captured prisoners from blooms will confirm this. The 
  article that begins on page 64 of this book provides 
  baseline information about the First World, but the PCs 
  should soon realize that their destination, if they wish 
  to confront their enemy, is a specific part of the First 
  World called Thousandbreaths.
  A DC 20 Knowledge (history or planes) is enough to know 
  that the legendary land of Thousandbreaths is said to lie 
  somewhere “within” or “behind” the forest of Thousand 
  Voices. Indeed, the strange denizens and rumors of eerie 
  monsters of that woodland are likely explained by bleed-
  over from the First World. The nereid Evindra can also 
  confirm that Thousandbreaths lies in conjunction with 
  this woodland.
  Further attempts to research Thousandbreaths can be 
  accomplished by a Knowledge (nature or planes) check. 
  Evindra herself has never been to Thousandbreaths, but 
  she has Knowledge (nature) +17 and could be a source of 
  information for the PCs. Consulting a well-stocked library 
  can, of course, aid either check (ranging from +2 to +8 at 
  your discretion). Spells like vision and commune can also 
  reveal information about Thousandbreaths as you see fit.
  Thousandbreaths Lore
  Knowledge 
  Check 
  Lore
  DC 20 
  The realm of Thousandbreaths is a forested part of the First World said to have some sort of connection to the 
  Stolen Lands in the woods of Thousand Voices.
  DC 25 
  Most of what is commonly known about Thousandbreaths today comes from a highly collectible picture book 
  called Zuddiger’s Picnic. This book, published more than 4 decades ago in Pitax, was quite a sensation when it was 
  first released, but the disturbing nature of the pictures coupled with the artist’s murderous killing spree only a 
  month after the book’s publication resulted in many copies of the book being destroyed. If the PCs wish to seek 
  out a copy of this book, its contents are described in this volume’s Foreword on pages 4–5.
  DC 30 
  The ruler of Thousandbreaths is a mysterious nymph named Nyrissa, known in some tales as the Queen of 
  Forgotten Time or the Count’s Last Mistress. Her realm consists of several glades connected by rivers and paths—
  each of these glades is ruled by one of Nyrissa’s favored minions. Nyrissa herself dwells in a strange house called 
  the House at the Edge of Time.
  DC 35 
  The glades in Thousandbreaths not only provide a path to Nyrissa’s home, but actually function as the foundation 
  of the realm. Without these glades, Nyrissa’s hold over the realm would weaken.
  DC 38 
  At this level, and for every 3 additional points, you can divulge to the PCs one more bit of specific information about 
  a randomly determined glade in Thousandbreaths as you see fit.
  
  24
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  entering thouSAndBreAthS
  The First World is a difficult place to reach, and mortal 
  magic can be untrustworthy in providing a means of 
  travel there. Plane shift does not normally allow travel to 
  the First World, although it functions fine when used to 
  travel to other planes from the First World. Gate is the only 
  mortal magic capable of providing a guaranteed link to 
  the First World, and even then the points at which a gate 
  opens into the First World are subject to the whims of the 
  rulers of whatever lands the gate leads to—a gate opened to 
  Thousandbreaths always opens to the Byway (area A).
  Yet a fixed portal does exist that links Thousandbreaths 
  and the First World—it is via this portal that many of 
  Nyrissa’s agents, like the Horned Hunt, come and go 
  during this adventure. While the PCs may have discovered 
  the Castle of Knives in Thousand Voices already, it’s not 
  until the blooms begin that it functions as a portal to the 
  First World. The PCs can learn this information from 
  Evindra or perhaps even make the logical connection by 
  studying the illustration on page 3 of Zuddiger’s Picnic. 
  Alternatively, they can learn of this portal via divination 
  magic or by interrogating captured or charmed monsters 
  from blooms.
  The Castle of Knives is little more than a crumbled 
  ruin today, hidden away deep in Thousand Voices near the 
  central Branthlend Mountains—its exact location is given 
  on the map in “War of the River Kings.” Once the blooms 
  begin, though, a remarkable transformation takes place—
  the castle seems to appear as it did long ago, a strange 
  structure of sharp towers and confusing architecture of 
  dozens of colors that seem strangely too vibrant for the 
  surroundings. The entire castle is surrounded by a wrought 
  iron fence that contains a single gate flanked by statues of 
  beautiful women (in fact, each is an image of Nyrissa). The 
  majority of this effect is a mirage arcana (CL 20th) that lasts 
  until the PCs disrupt Nyrissa’s realm, but the iron gate is in 
  fact a two-way gate to area A of Thousandbreaths. This gate 
  does not normally permit non-natives of Thousandbreaths 
  to pass, but the presence of at least three different trophies 
  gathered from blooms is enough to trick the portal and 
  allow those who carry enough trophies to pass in and out. 
  A DC 35 Use Magic Device also allows a character to trick 
  the portal into allowing any creature to pass through it for 
  a minute per successful check.
  Note that while Thousandbreaths is Part Two of this 
  adventure, the PCs need not wait until Part One resolves 
  to begin exploring this realm. Indeed, if they can force 
  Thousandbreaths to collapse and merge wholly with 
  the Material Plane (see page 35), they can prevent the 
  manifestation of blooms to come and even, perhaps, the 
  eventual attack of Nyrissa’s lesser jabberwock—at the very 
  least, they can delay this dangerous encounter until they’re 
  higher level.
  An unStill lAnd
  Thousandbreaths lies within the eerie realm of the First 
  World, and as such conforms to the rules and descriptions 
  presented in the article beginning on page 64. Yet as 
  this realm is under the direct control of Nyrissa, certain 
  other realities exist as well. The following paragraphs 
  summarize the major features of this unstill land.
  Eternal Twilight: It is always twilight in Thousandbreaths, 
  a sunset realm alive with cries of fear and fury.  No matter 
  what time the PCs enter and how long they stay there, 
  time doesn’t seem to advance (although in fact time is 
  unaffected and passes normally—the time of day is merely 
  fixed in place).
  Glades: A number of large clearings exist in 
  Thousandbreaths—these are known as glades, and each 
  contains a unique encounter area detailed below. Each 
  glade is also linked to one of the blooms that manifests in 
  the Stolen Lands—a character carrying a trophy from one 
  of those blooms receives a +2 luck bonus on all attack rolls, 
  weapon damage rolls, skill checks, saving throws, CMB 
  checks, and ability checks (such as concentration or caster 
  level checks) while in that glade.
  Sleeping: Any non-natives of the First World who sleep 
  in Thousandbreaths are subjected to living nightmares if 
  the Nightmare Rook (see area D) still lives.
  Sounds: These are the voices: the thousand voices of 
  Thousandbreaths, the source of the region’s name. In 
  truth, there are far more than a mere thousand breaths 
  in Thousandbreaths, as the disembodied voices are from 
  those taken and remade by the queen, cries of helplessness 
  in a pitiless and unending twilight. Beyond the screams 
  there are other sounds: weeping, singing of children’s 
  rhymes, shouts of anger, feral cries, and howls—PCs 
  who listen too closely might even hear familiar voices 
  that could well sound like villains or friends who have 
  died or gone missing over the course of the Kingmaker 
  Adventure Path.
  The Woods: Travel through the wood is difficult beyond 
  the paths and rivers (see the next section). Off the path, 
  the woods are the equivalent of a wall of thorns that cannot 
  be dispelled. Moving through these woods is difficult and 
  painful. Fortunately, there is nothing of any real import 
  hidden in the deeper parts of these woods.
  pAthS And riverS
  Simple travel through Thousandbreaths is possible via 
  a network of paths, yet even walking on these paths and 
  moving down these rivers is nerve-wracking. Eyes blink 
  from the screaming dark of the forest, lights are dim and 
  seem to have trouble illuminating beyond the paths, and 
  stranger lights dance and twitch in the sky above, almost 
  as if the few stars could not decide on their paths through 
  the darkening sky.
  
  25
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  A
  B
  C
  D
  E
  F
  G
  H
  I
  K
  J
  
  26
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  Two types of passages exist within the realm of 
  Thousandbreaths—paths and rivers. Travel along a path 
  is possible in both directions, but travel along a river 
  always leads downstream—even if a person attempts to 
  follow a river upstream by flying above it or swimming 
  against the current, the next destination he reaches 
  is always the ones he would have reached by moving 
  downstream. The rivers always flow away from area K 
  toward area B.
  Any character who tries to fly above the wood’s tree 
  line discovers an unsettling truth about the reality of this 
  realm—there seems to be no world above the canopy. No 
  matter how high she flies, the tops of the trees extend to 
  what seems to be 200 feet above her. Only the Nightmare 
  Rook (see area D) can actually travel above the treetops of 
  Thousandbreaths.
  Regardless of the speed or method used to navigate a 
  path or river, it always takes 1d4 hours to reach the next 
  glade. Check for wandering monsters once each time the 
  PCs use a path or river to travel to another glade. Every 
  time the PCs move onto a pathway, there’s a 50% chance 
  the pathway is perilous in some way—roll on the Pathway 
  Perils table to determine in what way.
  A. entering thouSAndBreAthS
  This area is where the gate in Thousand Voices at the 
  Castle of Knives leads to—an archway called the Byway, 
  formed by a pair of beautiful women carved from iron. 
  The statues make an arch with their raised hands, while 
  in their other hands they hold high a sword that bears 
  a striking resemblance to Briar. Indeed, the first time 
  Briar is brought through this gate, it gains a Sharpness 
  Point—as this occurs, both it and the two blades held by 
  the statues momentarily glow with green light. Nyrissa 
  notices this effect and thus knows when Briar enters 
  Thousandbreaths, but she does not react. If the sword 
  is in the hands of her agents, they’ll bring it to her soon 
  enough, and if it is in the hands of her enemies, she 
  does not want to confront them and instead hopes that 
  the various perils of Thousandbreaths finish them of 
  before they reach her.
  B. WAtcherS on the Whirling 
  Shore (cr 15)
  The forest clears, and a broad lake of dark water fills the 
  majority of the resulting glen, leaving a fifteen-foot-wide path 
  around the lake’s edge. Dozens of black swans glide along 
  the lake’s surface, apparently unimpressed by the immense 
  but strangely silent whirlpool that churns at the lake’s center. 
  Along the forest edge, many of the trees seem to be dying 
  or dead, their twisted branches drooping and their trunks 
  scarred with disease and burns.
  The swans are simply swans, and while the lake’s vortex 
  is powerful (functioning in a similar way to the vortex that 
  appears on Day 5 of Part One), it doesn’t present a threat to 
  those who wade along the shores. The lake itself is roughly 
  circular in shape and about 200 feet across.
  Creatures: The true threat in this area comes from 
  the treants that guard the lake’s shores. Although these 
  lightning-scarred guardians might look to the casual 
  observer like dead trees, they are very much alive and 
  quickly move to attack anyone that passes nearby. There 
  are four treants in all—one stands guard next to each exit 
  from the lake glade.
  Advanced Lightning Treants (4) 
  CR 11
  XP 12,800
  Tome of Horrors III 119
  NE Huge plant 
  Init +5; Senses low-light vision; Perception +20
  DEfEnSE
  AC 24, touch 9, flat-footed 23 (+1 Dex, +15 natural, –2 size)
  hp 162 (12d8+108); fast healing 10
  fort +17, Ref +7, Will +9
  Defensive Abilities electric healing; DR 10/slashing; Immune 
  electricity, fire, plant traits
  OffEnSE
  Speed 40 ft.
  Melee 2 slams +21 (2d8+14)
  Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
  Special Attacks double damage against objects
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th; concentration +14)
  Constant—greater magic fang (self only)
  At will—faerie fire
  3/day—call lightning storm (DC 17), lightning bolt (DC 15), 
  protection from energy
  1/day—chain lightning (DC 18)
  TACTICS
  During Combat If a lightning treant can’t reach the PCs, 
  it uses its spell-like abilities to attack from afar, making 
  sure to catch other treants in the area of effect if it can to 
  provide healing.
  Morale The lightning treants fight to the death.
  STATISTICS
  Str 32, Dex 13, Con 28, Int 15, Wis 21, Cha 15
  Base Atk +9; CMB +22; CMD 33
  feats Cleave, Greater Sunder, Improved Initiative, Improved 
  Sunder, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack
  Skills Knowledge (nature) +14, Perception +20, Stealth +8 (+24 
  in forests), Survival +17
  Languages Aklo
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Double Damage Against Objects (Ex) A lightning treant that 
  makes a full attack against an object or structure deals 
  double damage.
  
  27
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Electric Healing (Ex) Electricity damage heals a lightning 
  treant 1 point of damage for every 3 points it would 
  otherwise deal. If the amount would cause the lightning 
  treant to exceed its full normal hit points, it gains any 
  excess as temporary hit points—these temporary hit points 
  last for 2 hours.
  Development: If this glade’s linked bloom has not 
  been defeated, four elder water elementals lurk within 
  the waters of this lake—these elementals work with the 
  lightning treants to defend the glade.
  c. the frozen BoneyArd (cr 17)
  Snow falls steadily in this forest glade, which appears to be 
  an ominously oversized graveyard. Dozens of ten-foot-tall 
  headstones rise from the snow, with what must be drift-
  buried paths winding through the graveyard where no stones 
  loom. An old tower leans precariously against the supportive 
  branches of several trees at one end of the glade, while an 
  immense marble vault looms at the other, at the edge of a 
  frozen lake.
  The temperature in this glade is rather frigid, 
  functioning as extreme cold (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 
  442). Nyrissa rarely comes to this grove anymore; she has 
  little interest in this frigid corner of Thousandbreaths 
  and leaves its care to Kargstaad, a foul-tempered and 
  four-armed frost giant who lives in the mostly empty 
  vault at the edge of the boneyard’s frozen lake. This glade, 
  despite the appearance of a frozen cemetery, is not an 
  actual cemetery—Nyrissa simply found the appearance of 
  a frozen graveyard soothing when she was in her darker 
  moods not long after she survived the aftermath of her 
  affair with one of the Eldest.
  The leaning tower is little more than a spiral stair built 
  into a 200-foot-tall circular stone shell. The tower is in 
  dreadful repair, but is in no danger of collapsing. The stairs 
  end at a dizzying vantage point in the open rooftop that 
  allows a view over the tops of the tree line (although anyone 
  who attempts to fly from this tower finds the tree line 
  suddenly extends above as normal for Thousandbreaths).
  Creature: The four-armed frost giant barbarian 
  Kargstaad and his six giant followers dwell here, eternally 
  provided for by the glade when it comes to hunting for 
  food or water. Collected as trophies ages ago by Nyrissa, 
  these giants know little but their lives in this glade. When 
  this glade’s bloom opens, Kargstaad sends his giants 
  through to protect the bloom, but his giants, starved for 
  entertainment, quickly abandon it.
  Once the bloom closes, Kargstaad knows his giants 
  have failed him, and the arrival of the PCs gives him an 
  opportunity to smooth over this failure if he can only 
  capture them for his mistress.
  Kargstaad 
  CR 17
  XP 102,400
  Male frost giant barbarian 8 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 149)
  CE Large humanoid (cold, giant)
  Init +1; Senses low-light vision; Perception +26
  DEfEnSE
  AC 27, touch 11, flat-footed 25 (+7 armor, +2 deflection, +1 Dex, 
  +1 dodge, +9 natural, –2 rage, –1 size)
  hp 343 (22 HD; 14d8+8d12+228)
  fort +25, Ref +12, Will +18
  Defensive Abilities rock catching; improved uncanny dodge, 
  trap sense +2, DR 1/—; Immune cold
  Weaknesses vulnerable to fire
  OffEnSE
  Speed 40 ft.
  Pathway Perils
   d%
  Roll 
  Result
  01–25  
  This is a grassy trail, the edges of which are littered with statues of curious creatures that are at once human and 
  animal. The trees here have an unsettlingly fleshy look about them, with parts of people woven or grafted into them, 
  some of which speak nonsense to the PCs as they pass. At one point during the journey, all of the PCs must make DC 
  15 Will saves to avoid becoming confused by these voices for 1d6 rounds.
  26–50  This path is narrow, only 10 feet wide, with thorny branches hanging low over it. Medium or larger characters take a –2 
  penalty on attack rolls and Dexterity-based checks due to the low branches. 
  51–75  
  The edges of this path grow thick with strange flowers that seem to writhe and move on their own. Each flower has 
  a tangle of tentacle-like vines hanging down from its stem. These plants are dangerous, and exude nightmare vapor 
  (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 560) for 1d8 rounds once the PCs are halfway down the path to their destination—if the 
  PCs encounter a wandering monster on this path, the plants wait until a battle begins to gas the region.
  76–100  This 10-foot-wide path seems to be a barely used animal track, although countless bloated animal carcasses lie strewn 
  amid the undergrowth along both sides of the path. Characters who travel this path are exposed to bubonic plague 
  (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 557).
  
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  Kargstaad
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  Melee mwk cold iron handaxe +25/+20/+15/+10 (1d8+23/19–
  20/×3), 3 mwk cold iron handaxes +25 (1d8+11/19–20/×3)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
  Special Attacks rage (26 rounds/day), rage powers (guarded 
  stance [+2 + Con bonus], quick reflexes, swift foot +5 feet)
  TACTICS
  During Combat Kargstaad rages at the start of any fight and uses 
  Power Attack while in melee. If he can’t engage foes in melee, 
  he uproots tombstones and hurls them as thrown rocks.
  Morale Kargstaad fights to the death.
  STATISTICS
  Str 36, Dex 13, Con 30, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 9
  Base Atk +18; CMB +32; CMD 44
  feats Critical Focus, Dodge, Improved Bull Rush, 
  Improved Critical (handaxe), Improved Iron Will, Iron Will, 
  Multiweapon Fighting, Power Attack, Staggering Critical, 
  Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (handaxe)
  Skills Climb +34, Intimidate +22, Perception +26
  Languages Giant
  SQ fast movement
  Gear +3 hide armor, masterwork cold iron handaxes (4), amulet 
  of natural armor +3, ring of protection +2
  Development: If this glade’s linked bloom has not yet 
  been defeated, Kargstaad’s six frost giant minions are 
  encountered here as well.
  d. the nightMAre Spire (cr 16)
  A 1-mile-wide clearing in the endless forest opens under 
  the twilight sky to make way for a field of jagged hills and 
  thorny plains. A single stone spire rises like a needle nearly 
  a mile into the sky—and perched atop it is what appears to 
  be an immense but motionless crow.
  Creature: The enormous crow is one of the most 
  notorious of Thousandbreaths’ denizens: the Nightmare 
  Rook. This monstrous guardian of the skies above 
  Thousandbreaths can visit the dreaming minds of 
  outlanders who are foolish enough to sleep in Nyrissa’s 
  realm, inflicting horrific living nightmares upon them. 
  Yet it also serves as an expedient way to travel for many of 
  the region’s creatures, for the Nightmare Rook is one 
  of two creatures (the other being Nyrissa herself) that 
  can fly above the trees of this realm.
  The Nightmare Rook only agrees to carry 
  passengers from the Material Plane at Nyrissa’s 
  direct request or perhaps as a result of magical 
  control (note that carrying such passengers is 
  fundamentally against the rook’s nature, and it 
  may gain additional saving throws to resist such 
  magical commands). The Nightmare Rook has 
  excellent vision, and unless the PCs take pains 
  to be stealthy as they enter this glade, the immense bird 
  sees them and turns to face them as they approach. If 
  they move more than a hundred feet into the clearing, it 
  shrieks, spreads its wings, and swoops to attack.
  Although the monstrous Nightmare Rook 
  has the nightmare creature template from 
  the Advanced Bestiary, its powers function 
  somewhat differently, as detailed below.
  nightmare Rook 
  CR 16
  XP 76,800
  Male awakened advanced nightmare roc (Pathfinder 
  RPG Bestiary 236, Advanced Bestiary 187)
  CE Colossal magical beast (augmented animal, evil)
  Init +5; Senses darkvision 120 ft., low-light vision; 
  Perception +28
  Aura fear aura (60 ft., DC 26)
  
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  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  DEfEnSE
  AC 30, touch 8, flat-footed 24 (+5 Dex, +1 dodge, +22 natural, 
  –8 size)
  hp 252 (24d8+144); regeneration 5 (silver or good)
  fort +20, Ref +19, Will +11
  Defensive Abilities feign death; DR 5/silver or good; 
  Immune illusions
  OffEnSE
  Speed 20 ft., fly 80 ft. (perfect)
  Melee 2 talons +23 (3d6+13/19–20), bite +23 (3d8+13/19–20)
  Space 30 ft.; Reach 20 ft.
  Special Attacks living nightmares
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th; concentration +24)
  Constant—protection from good
  TACTICS
  During Combat The Nightmare Rook uses Flyby Attack 
  and Vital Strike bite attacks to devastating effect, relying 
  on its fear aura and frightful presence to scatter its 
  foes. If this tactic works, it uses Snatch to grab a PC 
  and then flies off with its foe. If the Nightmare Rook 
  makes it over the tree line, it is effectively out of reach 
  of other players and free to travel to any other glade it 
  wishes to drop its stolen PC—the bird has a particular 
  fondness for dropping prey into the Mire (area G) or the 
  Fruiting Orchard (area E). It can’t drop a PC into the deep 
  woods, as the nature of Thousandbreaths prevents such 
  a stranding, and if a PC manages to wrestle out of the 
  Rook’s clutches while hanging over the vast green forest 
  below, she falls a distance of well over 200 feet to land at 
  the edge of the glade from which she most recently left. 
  If the Rook isn’t able to separate the PCs, it lands and 
  makes full attacks until reduced to 100 hit points or less, 
  at which point it flies back up to its spire to heal and glare 
  malevolently at the PCs.
  Morale If confronted at the top of its perch (a circular area 90 
  feet in diameter), the Nightmare Rook fights to the death.
  STATISTICS
  Str 36, Dex 20, Con 22, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 18
  Base Atk +18; CMB +39; CMD 55
  feats Dodge, Flyby Attack, Improved Critical (talons, bite), 
  Improved Iron Will, Improved Natural Armor (3), Improved 
  Vital Strike, Iron Will, Snatch, Vital Strike
  Skills Fly +32, Intimidate +34, Knowledge (planes) +27, 
  Perception +28, Stealth +22
  Languages Aklo, Sylvan
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  fear Aura (Su) Creatures affected by the Nightmare Rook’s 
  fear aura become shaken the first time they fail their save 
  and cower in fear each round they fail a save thereafter. 
  Once a creature succeeds on a saving throw against this 
  effect, it is immune to the effect for 24 hours.
  Living nightmares (Su) The Nightmare Rook has the ability 
  to inflict living nightmares on any non-native of the First 
  World who sleeps in Thousandbreaths, at the rate of 
  one nightmare per person per night. A living nightmare 
  functions as detailed on page 15—this ability cannot be 
  used in combat.
  Development: If the PCs have not defeated the Nights 
  of Dread bloom, the Nightmare Rook gains the benefits of 
  haste and displacement—these effects can only be removed 
  by defeating the Nights of Dread bloom.
  e. the fruiting orchArd (cr 15)
  A thirty-foot-high brick wall encircles a large clearing in the 
  woods—within, the riot of growth continues, but as a tangle 
  of mushrooms and fungus rather than actual leafy plants. 
  Bulbs of brightly colored fruits the size of a man’s head hang 
  from or grow on the trunks of many of the mushrooms—
  many of these bulbs twitch and pulse as if something within 
  were attempting to escape.
  Creatures: This noxious orchard is where Nyrissa 
  allows the “children of Thousandbreaths” to dwell—
  hundreds of thousands of tiny little mandragoras. The 
  bulbous “fruits” on the mushrooms are in fact growing 
  mandragoras nearing “birth.” A solid blow to such a 
  hanging fruit causes it to burst and shriek like a newborn 
  baby as it disgorges its malformed contents onto the 
  thick, moldy soil below.
  While this garden is infested with mandragoras, just 
  as the bloom of the Shrieking Children was infested, 
  these mandragoras do not attack intruders as a swarm. 
  Instead, they swarm up into a mound, quickly building 
  their mass up and spreading their malleable bodies apart 
  and together to form a single 35-foot-tall mandragora—an 
  impressive trick they do quickly as soon as the PCs kill any 
  single mandragora, living or unborn.
  Immense Mandragora 
  CR 15
  XP 51,200
  CE Gargantuan plant 
  Init +7; Senses low-light vision; Perception +12
  DEfEnSE
  AC 18, touch 9, flat-footed 15 (+3 Dex, +9 natural, –4 size)
  hp 232 (16d8+160); fast healing 10
  fort +20, Ref +10, Will +6
  Immune plant traits; Resist acid 5, cold 5, electricity 10
  Weaknesses vulnerable to darkness
  OffEnSE
  Speed 40 ft., burrow 10 ft., climb 40 ft.
  Melee 2 vine whips +25 (2d8+17/19–20 plus poison), bite +25 
  (2d8+17)
  Space 20 ft.; Reach 20 ft. (30 ft. with vine whips)
  Special Attacks shriek
  
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  TACTICS
  During Combat The mandragoras require the entire first 
  round of combat to collect into their Gargantuan form. 
  During this round, the immense mandragora cannot make 
  attacks. Once it is fully formed, it uses Power Attack with 
  every strike, and Awesome Blow against characters that are 
  able to make large numbers of melee attacks trying to force 
  the characters to take move actions to get back in range, 
  thus minimizing the damage they do.
  Morale The immense mandragora fights to the death.
  STATISTICS
  Str 45, Dex 17, Con 30, Int 8, Wis 13, Cha 10
  Base Atk +12; CMB +33; CMD 46
  feats Awesome Blow, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical 
  (vine whips), Improved Initiative, Improved Vital Strike, 
  Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Vital Strike
  Skills Climb +25, Fly +0, Perception +12, Stealth +0 (+8 in 
  heavy plant growth)
  Languages Aklo, Common
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Poison (Ex) Vine whip—injury; save Fort DC 28; frequency 
  1/round for 6 rounds; effect confused for 1 round; cure 2 
  consecutive saves. The save DC is Constitution-based.
  Shriek (Su) Once per day, as a standard action, an immense 
  mandragora can give voice to an unsettling shriek that 
  sounds not unlike the cry of gargantuan baby. All creatures 
  within 30 feet of a shrieking immense mandragora must 
  make a DC 25 Reflex save or take 15d6 points of sonic 
  damage and a DC 25 Will save or become nauseated for 
  1d4 rounds. A successful Reflex save halves the sonic 
  damage, while a successful Will save negates the nausea. 
  This is a sonic, mind-affecting effect. The save DC is 
  Constitution-based.
  Vulnerable to Darkness (Ex) An immense mandragora in an 
  area of darkness loses its fast healing and becomes slowed, 
  as per the spell.
  Development: If the PCs have not yet defeated the 
  bloom of the Shrieking Children, they face two immense 
  mandragoras here rather than one.
  f. the Shunned fAllS (cr 16)
  A waterfall cascades between two immense stone hands carved 
  from the peak of a stony cliff, tumbling into a large pool in this 
  two-hundred-foot diameter forest glade. The pool is crystal 
  clear, its shores thick with reeds and water-flowers of dazzling 
  hue. A number of great trees hang over this pool as though 
  trying to protect it from something above. Several large leaves 
  the size of small boats float near the pool’s shore.
  The Shunned Falls is unique among the glades of 
  Thousandbreaths in that it does not generate a bloom in the 
  Stolen Lands—this is the one place in Thousandbreaths 
  that has fallen from Nyrissa’s direct control, for it is here 
  that evidence of her shame and guilt persists. This glade is 
  maintained by the Eldest as a constant reminder to Nyrissa 
  that no matter how powerful she thinks she can become, 
  the Eldest are more powerful still. As a result Nyrissa hates 
  this glade with a passion and rarely, if ever, visits here. Once 
  the glade’s current denizens (see Creatures, below) leave, it 
  can be a safe place for beleaguered PCs to camp—Nyrissa 
  and her minions do not intrude upon this region.
  The large leaves that float on the water can serve 
  as impromptu rafts for characters who wish to float 
  downstream on the river.
  Creatures: A mated pair of what serve in the First World 
  as predators dwell in this glade—flying owlbears. While 
  intelligent enough to understand Sylvan, the winged 
  owlbears are little more than wild beasts as far as denizens 
  of the First World are concerned, and exist here simply 
  because the glade is otherwise uncontrolled.
  Winged Owlbears (2) 
  CR 14
  XP 38,400
  CN Gargantuan magical beast 
  Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; 
  Perception +14
  DEfEnSE
  AC 28, touch 11, flat-footed 23 (+4 Dex, +1 dodge, +17 natural, 
  –4 size)
  hp 248 each (16d10+160)
  fort +20, Ref +14, Will +8
  OffEnSE
  Speed 30 ft., fly 50 ft. (average)
  Melee 2 claws +26 (2d6+14/19–20 plus grab), bite +26 (2d6+14)
  Space 20 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
  TACTICS
  During Combat The two winged owlbears rise up as one to 
  attack anyone who intrudes on their territory. They have 
  little interest in creatures on the ground unless a flying or 
  climbing creature retreats to it.
  Morale The winged owlbears fight to the death.
  STATISTICS
  Str 39, Dex 18, Con 31, Int 6, Wis 16, Cha 14
  Base Atk +16; CMB +34; CMD 49 (53 vs. trip)
  feats Bleeding Critical, Critical Focus, Dodge, Improved 
  Critical (claws), Improved Natural Armor (3), Vital Strike
  Skills Fly +9, Perception +14
  Languages Sylvan (cannot speak)
  g. the Mire (cr 16)
  The trail ends at a great space in the forest that opens up into 
  a foul-smelling marsh perhaps a mile or so across. A few trees 
  stand defiantly in the fen, but they are sick things that grow from 
  
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  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Winged Owlbear
  algae-choked water. Tiny red dots squirm in the water—closer 
  inspection reveals them to be countless tiny, twitching worms.
  The mire’s waters average 10 feet deep, but numerous 
  crisscrossing troughs drop down to depths of 30 feet 
  throughout the swamp. Likewise, a maze of ridges that 
  come within inches of the water surface (but average 1 
  foot below it) wind throughout the mire—a character can 
  move through the mire along these ridges as long as 
  she moves at half speed. If she moves faster, she must 
  make a DC 10 Acrobatics check to avoid slipping into 
  a deeper trough.
  Creatures: This bog is normally the den of one of 
  Nyrissa’s most valued advisors—the Wriggling Man. 
  She’s asked this monstrous wizard to join her in 
  her Home while she prepares to absorb the Stolen 
  Lands, for his advice and magical aid are invaluable. 
  Yet the Wriggling Man has not left his swamp 
  unguarded—three immense mire worms swim 
  through the waters of the marsh, and they quickly 
  surge forth to attack anyone who enters the glade.
  Mire Worms (3) 
  CR 13
  XP 25,600 each
  Advanced purple worm (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 230, 294)
  hp 232 each
  Development: If the PCs have not yet defeated the Rise 
  of the Mire Worms bloom, they face three additional mire 
  worms in this encounter.
  h. the knurly houSe (cr 16)
  The forest opens into a narrow clearing surrounded by bent, 
  extremely broad trees. At the center of the clearing rises 
  a strange sight—what appears to be two dozen different 
  houses tangled together in a semi-organized mess, forming a 
  conglomerate building where right angles seem unwelcome. 
  The smoke rising from a few of the house’s chimneys indicates 
  that the strange structure is not abandoned. A tangled yard filled 
  with bristly vines and thorns surrounds the cottage.
  This building is the Knurly House, all that remains of 
  Nyrissa’s first attempt to craft herself a House from the 
  raw potential of the First World. She learned much from 
  this initial attempt, and the House at the Edge of Time is a 
  much more stable and well-organized affair.
  The thorns that surround the Knurly House are 
  identical to those that manifest in the Knurly Briars 
  bloom (see page 17).
  Creature: Nyrissa gave this house to one of 
  her few true friends (who is also one of only 
  two nonindigenous creatures allowed to dwell 
  in Thousandbreaths as if they were true natives of the 
  First World). This creature is a powerful hag cleric of the 
  goddess Gyronna—a twisted crone who has abandoned 
  and forgotten her true name in favor of being known as the 
  Knurly Witch. She is an annis, a towering hag with skin, 
  teeth, and fingernails as hard as iron.
  Not many clerics dwell in the First World, and although 
  Nyrissa shares the contempt many of this world have 
  for the gods, she also recognizes the value of having 
  a cleric nearby. When the Knurly Witch first stumbled 
  into Thousandbreaths 220 years ago, Nyrissa offered the 
  annis a choice—die and feed the tarn linnorm, or live 
  as Nyrissa’s servant. The annis made the choice 
  easily enough, and does not regret it, for she 
  has been treated well by Nyrissa.
  
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  The Knurly Witch doesn’t live alone in this house 
  unless her athach gardeners have already been dispatched 
  to (and possibly slain on) the Material Plane. She spends 
  the majority of her time sleeping, cooking, repairing her 
  home, or sitting on her front stoop and watching the weeds 
  in her yard grow. It’s this latter pastime that she’s engaged 
  in when the PCs arrive.
  Although the Knurly Witch is as evil as they come, 
  she doesn’t immediately attack. She’s been warned of 
  the PCs by Nyrissa, and she’s curious. She invites the 
  PCs up to share “tea” with her (a foul concoction of 
  crow’s blood and powdered maggots that, if imbibed, 
  nauseates for 2d6 rounds unless a DC 18 Fortitude save 
  is made) as soon as she spots them—if the PCs agree 
  to the invitation, the Knurly Witch adopts a strangely 
  forthcoming and honest tactic. She simply starts asking 
  the PCs what they’re doing here in Thousandbreaths 
  and tries to discern their powers, their goals, and their 
  weaknesses through blunt questioning. If she thinks 
  that it’ll make the PCs more cooperative, she proposes 
  a free trade of information—for every 
  question 
  they answer of hers, she’ll answer one 
  of theirs about Nyrissa. Of course, 
  the Knurly Witch lies with each 
  answer, trying to feed the PCs 
  completely 
  false 
  information 
  about the nymph queen 
  in hopes that even if 
  they believe one of 
  her lies, their 
  tactics will be compromised in a later confrontation. 
  Eventually, either the Knurly Witch or the PCs are likely 
  to grow tired of this game (likely at a point when the 
  Witch still has at least a minute’s duration left on her 
  bead of karma—see her Tactics below), at which point the 
  witch simply starts casting a summon monster VII spell to 
  begin combat with 1d3 huge earth elementals.
  The Knurly Witch 
  CR 16
  XP 76,800
  Female annis cleric of Gyronna 13 (Pathfinder RPG Bonus 
  Bestiary 11)
  CE Large monstrous humanoid 
  Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +28
  DEfEnSE
  AC 27, touch 12, flat-footed 24 (+5 armor, +2 Dex, +1 dodge, 
  +10 natural, –1 size)
  hp 249 (20 HD; 7d10+13d8+153)
  fort +16, Ref +11, Will +20
  DR 2/bludgeoning; SR 17
  OffEnSE
  Speed 40 ft.
  Melee 2 claws +23 (1d6+7/19–20 plus grab), bite +22 (1d6+7)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
  Special Attacks aura of madness (DC 21, 13 rounds/day), 
  channel negative energy 4/day (DC 17, 7d6), destructive 
  smite (+6, 8/day), destructive aura (+6, 13 rounds/day), 
  rend (2d6+10)
  Domain Spell-Like Abilities (CL 13th; concentration +18)
  8/day—vision of madness
  Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 13th; concentration +18)
  7th—insanityD (DC 22), summon monster VII
  6th—harmD (DC 21), heal, word of recall
  5th—flame strike (DC 20), greater command (DC 20), 
  shoutD (DC 20), summon monster V, wall of stone
  4th—air walk, confusionD (DC 19), cure critical wounds, 
  divine power, sending, spell immunity
  3rd—bestow curse (DC 18), contagion (DC 18), cure 
  serious wounds (2), dispel magic, rageD
  2nd—cure moderate wounds (3), hold person (DC 17), 
  spiritual weapon, touch of idiocyD
  1st—command (DC 16), cure light wounds (4), lesser 
  confusionD (DC 16), shield of faith
  0 (at will)—bleed (DC 15), detect magic, mending, read magic
  D Domain spell; Domains Destruction, Madness
  TACTICS
  Before Combat The Knurly Witch activates her bead of karma, 
  then casts shield of faith and air walk as soon as she sees the 
  PCs approach her home.
  During Combat The Knurly Witch casts summon monster 
  spells for the first 2 rounds of combat to liven up the 
  battlefield, moving into the air above her home via air 
  walk if she can before she begins casting. She uses 
  
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  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  her ranged spells as much as possible, but if melee 
  becomes unavoidable, she casts divine power, activates 
  her destructive aura, and attacks with tooth and claw (and 
  periodic touch spells).
  Morale If reduced to fewer than 100 hit points, the Knurly 
  Witch casts word of recall. As an “adopted” native of 
  the First World, she can use this spell to retreat to her 
  sanctuary—area K16 in the House at the Edge of Time. 
  There, she seeks out Nyrissa to report her failure to defend 
  the Knurly House and prepares as mentioned in area K16 to 
  confront the PCs one last time.
  STATISTICS
  Str 25, Dex 14, Con 22, Int 11, Wis 20, Cha 12
  Base Atk +16; CMB +24; CMD 37
  feats Combat Casting, Dodge, Improved Critical (claws), 
  Improved Vital Strike, Iron Will, Lunge, Power Attack, 
  Toughness, Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (claws)
  Skills Intimidate +16, Knowledge (religion) +15, Perception +28, 
  Spellcraft +13
  Languages Common, Giant
  Gear +3 leather armor, scarab of protection (9 charges), strand of 
  prayer beads (standard)
  Development: If the PCs have not yet defeated the 
  Knurly Briar bloom, they face the Knurly Witch’s three 
  athach gardeners as well as the crone herself.
  i. the BAleful lAntern (cr 14)
  This small clearing is lit by ghastly yellow-green light that 
  flickers like torchlight. The sources of the light are dozens of 
  female human heads that hang by their hair from spikes on the 
  outer edge of a towering beehive-shaped structure in the center 
  of the clearing—these heads function as horrific lanterns, with 
  the light emerging from empty eyesockets and gaping mouths. 
  Worse, the eyes and lips of several of these grisly lanterns seem 
  to be twitching and writhing as if in pain.
  This horrific building is the home of one of 
  Thousandbreaths’ most hateful denizens: the Misbegotten 
  Troll. The dozens of severed heads that decorate his 
  strange home are the remains of his previous “wives,” 
  unfortunate victims harvested from across Golarion 
  over the past several hundred years. The twitching and 
  wriggling is little more than an eerie side effect of the 
  minor necromantic enhancement that makes the heads 
  function as lanterns—the souls of these unfortunate 
  victims have long since moved on to the Boneyard.
  Creatures: The Misbegotten Troll left another six of his 
  black smilodons behind here to guard his home while he 
  was out—if the PCs come to this area after defeating the 
  troll on the Material Plane, these advanced dire tigers are 
  frenzied and eager for anything, and they attack on sight.
  Black Smilodons (6) 
  CR 9
  XP 6,400 each
  Advanced dire tiger (Pathfinder RPG  Bestiary 265, 294)
  hp 133 each
  Development: If the Misbegotten Troll escaped death 
  on the Material Plane, he can be found here, brooding 
  over his failures and eager for a rematch against the 
  PCs. Likewise, if the PCs come upon this area before 
  the Misbegotten Troll’s bloom manifests in the Stolen 
  Lands, they’ll encounter him and his extra black 
  smilodons here.
  J. the high folly (cr 17)
  This huge clearing consists of a grassy field in which stand 
  thousands of stone statues. Each statue depicts a different 
  strange denizen of the First World, from mire worm to treant 
  to linnorm to nymph and more, and each is encrusted with 
  moss and grime. At the center of the clearing rises a low but 
  strangely round hill, atop which rises a three-hundred-foot-
  high tower of white stone with a peak consisting of three 
  conical rooftops. An immense archway gapes at the base of 
  the tower, wide and tall enough for a pair of elephants to walk 
  through side by side.
  This glade contains the High Folly, a sort of “gatehouse” 
  that watches over the only path that leads to Nyrissa’s home. 
  The field of statues that surrounds the central tower is 
  an entire army of petrified First World monstrosities—a 
  stone army that Nyrissa has been collecting with the aid 
  of her medusa ally Phomandala for many years. When the 
  War of the High Folly begins, the final bloom restores this 
  army to flesh, and they are unleashed upon the PCs’ capital 
  city. Here on the First World, though, they are harmless.
  The High Folly itself rises in the center of the clearing, a 
  hollow tower within which a single curving stairway rises 
  to an observation platform under three open roofs—the 
  structure and purpose of the tower is similar to the leaning 
  tower in area C, but a character who looks out from this 
  tower’s observation platform can see all of Thousandbreaths 
  laid out below—almost exactly how the map at the end of 
  Zuddiger’s Picnic shows. Nyrissa often uses the High Folly to 
  oversee her Kingdom or simply to contemplate.
  Creature: The High Folly has served as the lair of one 
  of Nyrissa’s more powerful Material Plane allies for some 
  time now. This ally is the notorious black wyrm Ilthuliak, 
  a dragon who, in her youth, often scoured and raided the 
  River Kingdoms of Pitax and Mivon as well as Numeria and 
  Brevoy. She murdered and ate all would-be dragonslayers 
  who hunted her, and eventually attracted Nyrissa’s 
  attention. The nymph wooed Ilthuliak to relocate her lair 
  to Thousandbreaths with promises of power, treasure, 
  
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  and glory—and so far, Nyrissa has made good on those 
  promises. Ilthuliak hopes that if she can help Nyrissa 
  rebuild her reputation with the Eldest, she’ll be rewarded 
  with a small fraction of the strange favor and power the 
  First World manifests in the world’s linnorms.
  As such, it is in Ilthuliak’s best interest to keep the PCs 
  from reaching the House at the Edge of Time. She remains 
  vigilant at all times, a light sleeper and a keen observer. As 
  soon as she notices intruders in this glade, she immediately 
  swoops down to attack.
  Ilthuliak 
  CR 17
  XP 102,400
  Female wyrm black dragon (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 92)
  CE Huge dragon (water)
  Init –1; Senses blindsense 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., dragon 
  senses; Perception +32
  Aura frightful presence (330 ft., DC 31)
  DEfEnSE
  AC 48, touch 7, flat-footed 48 (+4 armor, –1 Dex, +33 natural 
  armor, +4 shield, –2 size)
  hp 324 (24d12+168)
  fort +21, Ref +13, Will +21
  Defensive Abilities evasion; DR 20/magic; Immune acid, 
  magic paralysis and sleep, dragon traits; SR 28
  OffEnSE
  Speed 60 ft., fly 200 ft. (poor), swim 60 ft.
  Melee bite +34 (2d8+18), 2 claws +34 (2d6+12), 2 wings +32 
  (1d8+6), tail slap +32 (2d6+18)
  Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft. (15 ft. with bite)
  Special Attacks acid pool, acidic bite, breath weapon (100-ft. 
  line of acid, 22d6 damage, DC 31), crush (2d8+18, DC 31) 
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 24th; concentration +28)
  At will—darkness (110-foot radius), insect plague, plant growth
  1/day—corrupt water
  Spells Known (CL 13th; concentration +17)
  6th (4)—acid fog, flesh to stone (DC 20)
  5th (6)—teleport, transmute rock to mud, wall of force
  4th (7)—dimension door, enervation, hallucinatory terrain, 
  mass reduce person (DC 18)
  3rd (7)—clairaudience/clairvoyance, dispel magic, haste, 
  suggestion (DC 17)
  2nd (7)—acid arrow, detect thoughts (DC 16), 
  invisibility, resist energy, scorching ray
  1st (7)—charm person (DC 15), grease (DC 15), 
  mage armor, ray of enfeeblement (DC 15), shield
  0 (at will)—acid splash, bleed (DC 14), dancing 
  lights, detect magic, mage hand, message, 
  prestidigitation, read magic, resistance
  TACTICS
  Before Combat Ilthuliak casts mage armor, 
  shield, and invisibility (in that order) on herself 
  before she initiates combat. As a result, the 
  dragon’s AC increases to an impressive 
  48—this may be far too high for your PCs 
  to handle, so if you are worried that 
  the battle won’t be fair, feel 
  free to replace mage armor 
  or shield with other 1st-level 
  spells like magic missile and 
  obscuring mist.
  During Combat The dragon 
  opens combat with her breath 
  weapon, following up with a few 
  rounds flying overhead and casting 
  spells like acid fog, mass reduce person, and 
  flesh to stone at PCs on the ground below. When 
  her breath weapon recharges, she casts haste, then on 
  the next round swoops down to land amid the PCs and 
  uses her breath weapon again—on the following 
  several rounds, she loses herself in the glory 
  
  35
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  of melee battle, periodically taking to the sky to cast a few 
  more spells.
  Morale Ilthuliak fights to the death.
  STATISTICS
  Str 35, Dex 8, Con 25, Int 18, Wis 21, Cha 18
  Base Atk +24; CMB +38; CMD 47 (51 vs. trip)
  feats Awesome Blow, Bleeding Critical, Critical Focus, 
  Eschew Materials, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Iron Will, 
  Improved Vital Strike, Iron Will, Multiattack, Power Attack, 
  Quicken Spell, Vital Strike
  Skills Bluff +31, Fly +22, Intimidate +31, Knowledge (arcana) +31, 
  Knowledge (history) +31, Knowledge (planes) +31, Perception 
  +32, Sense Motive +32, Stealth +18, Swim +39
  Languages Aklo, Common, Draconic, Skald, Sylvan
  SQ speak with reptiles, swamp stride, water breathing
  Gear ring of evasion
  Treasure: Ilthuliak’s treasure, already considerable 
  before Nyrissa gave her more to help seal their alliance, lies 
  atop the High Folly in an impressive mound at the center of 
  the observation platform. This hoard consists of 570,400 cp, 
  48,200 sp, 11,950 gp, 1,240 pp, and several dozen gemstones 
  and minor trinkets worth a total of 24,000 gp. In addition, 
  her lair contains several potent magic items: a suit of +4 elven 
  chainmail, a +2 wild buckler, a sylvan scimitar, a +3 returning icy 
  starknife, a rod of the python, a staff of defense, a cloak of the bat, 
  bracers of armor +7, a gem of seeing, and a mantle of faith.
  Development: If the war of the High Folly has taken place, 
  the thousands of statues are shattered and crumbled.
  uprooting thouSAndBreAthS
  Nyrissa, despite her power, does not actually have within 
  herself the ability to shape and maintain the realm of 
  Thousandbreaths. She can create glades and their contents, 
  but in order for them to maintain their shape, each glade 
  must be “tethered” to a powerful entity so full of life that 
  its presence acts as an anchor—without these entities, the 
  10 glades of Thousandbreaths would drift apart like so 
  many leaves floating on the surface of a wind-tossed sea.
  Whether they realize it or not, by defeating these 
  anchors, the PCs are weakening Thousandbreaths’ place in 
  the First World. Each time they defeat all of the guardians 
  of a glade, there’s a cumulative chance that the defeat is 
  enough to cause Thousandbreaths to calve off of the First 
  World and tumble cataclysmically into the Material Plane 
  in a reversal of the act that Nyrissa so desperately wants to 
  perform to the Stolen Lands.
  Note that the denizens of area F already count as a 
  defeated glade, as they are not under the direct command 
  of Nyrissa.
  When Thousandbreaths is uprooted, it manifests entirely 
  within the forest of Thousand Voices in the Stolen Lands, 
  its glades replacing 10 different areas in the forest, with 
  the House at the Edge of Time merging with the Castle of 
  Knives. When the uprooting occurs, the sound of a thousand 
  screams tears through the air, a horrific noise as the realm 
  expels its thousand breaths at once in a traumatic death. The 
  denizens of the glades are traumatized by this event, and all 
  surviving guardians (with the exception of those who were 
  inside of the House at the Edge of Time when the transfer 
  occurred and the two non-natives—the Knurly Witch and 
  Ilthuliak) become staggered as long as they remain on the 
  Material Plane. Creatures permanently staggered in this 
  manner are reduced in CR by 2.
  All of the otherworldly elements of Thousandbreaths 
  vanish when it uproots—this can have a number of effects 
  if you wish, but for the most part the general natures of the 
  encounters in the glades should be relatively unchanged.
  Given time, Thousandbreaths rebuilds and repairs itself 
  and can return to the First World, but this process takes 
  several years—and if Nyrissa is slain, it will never occur. 
  If the PCs can uproot Thousandbreaths from the First 
  World, they’ll gain a major advantage over their enemy.
  Story Award: If the PCs uproot Thousandbreaths, award 
  them 102,400 XP.
  pArt three:  
  houSe At the edge of tiMe
  At Thousandbreaths’ heart lies a House; yet this is no 
  earthly citadel, no mortal edifice. The House is a creation 
  of a powerful entity of the First World, and its architecture 
  is a part of the world itself. Known as the House at the 
  Edge of Time for its timeless quality (it alone has existed 
  unchanged for Thousandbreaths’ long existence, whereas 
  the glades themselves periodically shift and change as 
  Nyrissa’s needs and interests change), this House sits at 
  Guardians of the Glades
  The various guardians who must be defeated in the 
  glades and the increase to the chance of uprooting 
  Thousandbreaths with each successive defeat are 
  summarized below.
    
   
  uproot 
  Area 
  Guardian 
  Chance Increase
  B 
  4 advanced lightning treants 
  +5%
  C 
  Kargstaad 
  +20%
  D 
  Nightmare Rook 
  +10%
  E 
  Immense mandragora 
  +5%
  f 
  None (automatic for PCs) 
  +10%
  G 
  3 mire worms 
  +5%
  H 
  The Knurly Witch 
  +15%
  I 
  6 black smilodons 
  +5%
  J 
  Ilthuliak 
  +25%
  
  36
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  the center of an isle in a large lake atop a mesa. On one 
  side, it overlooks the panorama of Thousandbreaths itself, 
  while the other side looks out over time and space—an 
  endless gulf of stars and blackness. There are pathways 
  from the House at the Edge of Time to the rest of the First 
  World, but for the purposes of this adventure, they do not 
  currently exist—Nyrissa has willed them out of reality.
  While in Thousandbreaths, the lake surrounding the 
  House is effectively bottomless—just as one can fly upward  
  and never rise above the tree level, one can swim down 
  into the lake without ever reaching the bottom—
  but fortunately the surface is never more than a few 
  hundred feet away should a swimmer elect to return. 
  The lake spills over the edge of its mesa in two places, 
  to the left and right, to form the twin nameless rivers 
  that frame Thousandbreaths and eventually meet again 
  at the Whirling Lake, where the waters drain away to 
  nowhere. If Thousandbreaths is uprooted, the waterfalls 
  soon vanish as the lake drains to a point where the 
  water no longer pours over the edges—this results in a 
  surface height change of only 20 feet. Additionally, the 
  lake gains a bed once it appears on the Material Plane, 
  although at 150 feet, it is still quite deep.
  The House can be reached via a long stone causeway 
  that connects its island to the mesa’s edge. A gatehouse 
  flanked by towers guards the entrance beyond this bridge, 
  while in the courtyard beyond, tall dark trees rise and 
  rustle in the constant soft breeze. Hundreds of windows 
  stare out of the House itself, and stone angels hang from 
  every gable. The outline of the House is as beautiful as it 
  is dangerous, with knife-like crenellations, spear-topped 
  towers, and eaves and shingles made of blades. Some parts 
  of the House seem new and others old, but the structure as 
  a whole is ancient and unchanging—even those sections of 
  the House in ruins have always been that way.
  One more curious feature of the House—it casts a sort 
  of “shadow” into the Material Plane. Deep in the woodland 
  of Thousand Voices lies a mysterious ruin that has long 
  been known as the Castle of Knives. In appearance, this 
  ruin resembles the House at the Edge of Time, but after 
  some unknown calamity has brought it down and left 
  only a few crumbling walls and ruined towers of knives 
  in its place.
  ApproAching the houSe (cr 18)
  Regardless of whether the house exists on the First World 
  or has been uprooted, the approach to the house is well 
  protected. A single tarn linnorm named Tarlaxian 
  dwells in the lake, and it keeps a watchful eye on those 
  who fly above its waters or cross the bridge. Note that if 
  Thousandbreaths has been uprooted, Tarlaxian becomes 
  staggered and easier (but by no means safe) to fight—in 
  this case, his CR drops to 16.
  Tarlaxian 
  CR 18
  XP 153,600
  Male variant tarn linnorm "runt" (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 192)
  CE Gargantuan dragon (aquatic)
  Init +12; Senses all-around vision, darkvision 120 ft., low-light 
  vision, scent, true seeing; Perception +36
  DEfEnSE
  AC 35, touch 14, flat-footed 27 (+8 Dex, +21 natural, –4 size)
  hp 279 (18d12+162); regeneration 15 (cold iron)
  fort +20, Ref +21, Will +18
  Defensive Abilities freedom of movement; DR 15/cold iron; 
  Immune acid, curse effects, flanking, mind-affecting 
  effects, paralysis, poison, sleep effects; SR 29
  OffEnSE
  Speed 40 ft., fly 100 ft. (average), swim 80 ft.
  Melee 2 bites +26 (2d8+12/19–20 plus poison), 2 claws +26 
  (1d8+12), tail +21 (2d6+6 plus grab)
  Space 20 ft.; Reach 20 ft.
  Special Attacks breath weapon (DC 28), constrict (tail, 2d6+18), 
  death curse (DC 26)
  TACTICS
  During Combat Although small for a tarn linnorm, Tarlaxian 
  is still rather enormous—if he notices anyone approaching 
  the House, he bursts from the still waters of the lake to roar 
  a challenge and then attacks.
  Morale Tarlaxian fights to the death.
  STATISTICS
  Str 34, Dex 26, Con 28, Int 7, Wis 25, Cha 27
  Base Atk +18; CMB +34 (+38 grapple); CMD 52 (can’t be tripped)
  feats Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Improved Bull Rush, 
  Improved Critical (bites), Improved Initiative, Improved Vital 
  Strike, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Vital Strike
  Skills Fly +23, Perception +36, Stealth +17, Swim +41
  Languages Aklo, Draconic, Sylvan
  SQ amphibious, flight
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Poison (Su) Bite—injury; save Fort DC 28; frequency 1/round for 
  10 rounds; effect 4d6 acid damage and 1d6 Con drain; cure 3 
  consecutive saves. The save DC is Constitution-based.
  houSe feAtureS 
  The House exists in the past and the future, the maybe 
  and the never. One room may be clean and bright, with 
  liveried servants and gaiety, while others are collapsing 
  and decayed. Some have been damaged by the arrival 
  of the PCs who slew the Queen yesterday and will do so 
  tomorrow in this land of the impossible. Yet as strange as 
  these warpings in time may be, stranger still is the fact 
  that they remain constant, as if a storm of fractured time 
  tore through the structure, only to be frozen forever in the 
  middle of a chaos of a hundred different eras. This is how 
  the House was when Nyrissa created it so long ago, and how 
  it will remain—until the uprooting of Thousandbreaths.
  
  37
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Doors, Walls, and Windows: The outer walls are covered 
  in ironwood vines that have grown over the windows, 
  effectively barring them. While these vines make 
  climbing the walls easy (DC 10 Climb check), they make 
  breaking in through windows very difficult (the ironwood 
  has hardness 10, 90 hit points, and Break DC 28). Anyone 
  climbing the outer walls also quickly attracts the attention 
  of the creatures that dwell atop the ivy tower (area M2), or 
  the denizen of the courtyard (area K2). The doors are good; 
  they are carved with faces and open with a touch (a free 
  action) unless otherwise indicated. The stairs are steep and 
  narrow (functioning as difficult terrain).
  Phantoms: The House is full of phantoms of yesterday 
  and tomorrow. They can be glimpsed in mirrors, the scent of 
  their perfume lingers at times in the air, and the meals they 
  have yet to eat lie steaming on the table. The PCs may even 
  be able to see or hear these phantoms, if only briefly. These 
  phantoms can variously be of people and creatures they do 
  not recognize, but now and then the phantoms draw from 
  the PCs’ own minds, pasts, and futures—these phantoms 
  might remind the PCs of allies, old enemies thought dead, 
  or even younger or older versions of themselves. In some 
  cases, these temporal phantoms can actually interact with 
  the present—the text of the encounter provides details as 
  to where these effects can occur.
  Static Time: Features in the house can be altered (walls 
  destroyed, doors bashed down, windows broken, furniture 
  burnt, and denizens slain), but every 24 hours the contents 
  of the house “reset” as long as Nyrissa still lives. This can 
  make exploring the site frustrating and exhausting—the 
  PCs have only a single day to navigate the place without 
  repeating their trials unless they opt to rest and recover 
  while inside the house. Unfortunately for the PCs, the fact 
  that they are from the Material Plane means that while 
  the House’s denizens are restored to full health every 24 
  hours, they are not—personal resources consumed by 
  them remain consumed, and treasure looted from areas 
  within the house vanish back to their original sites. 
  Beneficial effects granted by any items or magical effects 
  from treasure or objects in the House vanish upon this 
  
  38
  K1b
  K1d
  K1d
  K1c
  K1c
  K1a
  K2
  K3
  K4
  K5
  K16
  K17
  K19
  K20
  K18
  K8
  K9
  K13
  K10
  K11
  K12
  K15
  a
  d
  e
  f
  i
  g
  h
  b
  c
  K6
  K7
  K14
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  Part 6 
  of 6
  24- hour mark, but unfortunately, afflictions, damage, and 
  other negative effects remain.
  k1. gAtehouSe (cr 16)
  A shining gatehouse bars entry into the courtyard of the large 
  building with a lowered portcullis. In the walls above, arrowslits 
  leer down while a solid smooth wall some forty feet high 
  extends away from the gatehouse in both directions to connect 
  to two more towers.
  The gate is an iron portcullis (hardness 10, 60 hp, Lift 
  DC 25, Break DC 28) that can be raised or lowered from the 
  upper floor of the gatehouse (area K1b). Although there are 
  several guards posted here and along the wall, the denizen 
  of the courtyard (area K2) comes to defend the area if it 
  notices anyone breaking into area K1a.
  Creatures: Undead are rare in the First World, for this 
  realm is infused with life. At worst, undead take constant 
  damage from what is essentially a continuous influx of 
  positive energy, but here in the House at the Edge of Time 
  the overabundance of life is muted.
  Nyrissa’s favored house guards and servants are thankful 
  for this, as they are ghosts. Once members of an ancient 
  elven community that formerly dwelled in the Stolen 
  Lands, these elves were abducted by Nyrissa and executed 
  in a foul ritual that, with the aid of the Fable, caused their 
  bodies to die but transformed their souls into undead 
  minions enslaved to the nymph’s every whim. These 
  ghosts rejuvenate as long as Nyrissa lives—her death is the 
  only thing that can set them free.
  As ghosts, these guards are eternally vigilant—they 
  need not take breaks to eat, sleep, or entertain themselves. 
  At any one time, four stand guard in area K1b, two atop 
  each of the towers (areas K1c and K1d), and two atop each 
  of the walls to either side of the gatehouse, amounting to 
  12 ghostly guards in all.
  Ghostly Guards (12) 
  CR 9
  XP 6,400 each
  Male elf ghost rogue 10 
  CE Medium undead (augmented, elf, incorporeal)
  Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +24
  DEfEnSE
  AC 23, touch 19, flat-footed 19 (+4 armor, +5 deflection, +3 Dex, 
  +1 dodge)
  hp 115 (10d8+70)
  fort +8, Ref +12, Will +4; +2 vs. enchantment
  
  39
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Defensive Abilities channel resistance +4, improved evasion, 
  improved uncanny dodge, incorporeal rejuvenation, trap 
  sense +3; Immune undead traits
  OffEnSE
  Speed fly 30 ft. (perfect)
  Melee +1 ghost touch rapier +12/+7 (1d6+3/18–20), corrupting 
  touch +5 (11d6 [Fort DC 20 halves])
  Special Attacks frightful moan (DC 20), sneak attack +5d6 plus 
  5 bleed, telekinesis (DC 20)
  TACTICS
  During Combat When these ghosts spot intruders, they 
  use their frightful moan more as an alarm than an attack, 
  then proceed to use telekinesis to attempt to disarm the 
  intruders or hurl them against the walls of the House. After 
  a few rounds, the ghosts swoop down to engage the PCs in 
  melee—note that with their solid equipment, these ghosts 
  cannot easily pass through walls.
  Morale The ghostly guards fight until destroyed.
  STATISTICS
  Str —, Dex 17, Con —, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 20
  Base Atk +7; CMB +7; CMD 26
  feats Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Lightning 
  Reflexes, Toughness, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (rapier)
  Skills Acrobatics +16 (+20 jump), Bluff +18, Disable Device +16, 
  Fly +11, Intimidate +18, Knowledge (local) +15, Knowledge 
  (planes) +12, Perception +24, Sense Motive +14, Sleight of 
  Hand +16, Stealth +24
  SQ rogue talents (bleeding attack +4, combat trick, improved 
  evasion, surprise attack, weapon training), trapfinding +5
  Gear +2 ghost touch leather armor, +1 ghost touch rapier
  k2. the greAt courtyArd  
  (cr 20 or 16)
  This large courtyard is a two-tiered region covered with thick 
  grass. Paths wind to and from various doors, and a single, wide 
  flight of stairs allows easy access to the courtyard’s second tier, 
  where several towering oak trees loom over the main body of 
  the house.
  A subtle but strange warping of reality exists in this 
  courtyard—while the main body of the house is all on 
  the same level as the upper tier, the entrance to area K14 
  lies on the same level as the lower tier despite the fact that 
  one can walk from area K14 to K2 via the house without 
  seeming to change elevation. If the House is uprooted to 
  the Material Plane, this warped bit of reality cannot exist, 
  and area K14 is violently thrust up on a pinnacle of rock, 
  causing the short hallway that connects K14 to K1d to 
  crumble into rubble.
  The branches of the tallest tree in the courtyard (the 
  one south of area K12) are one of the four entrances to the 
  Fable—they lead to area M7b.
  Creature: The guardian of the Great Courtyard is a 
  huge and dangerous creature—but its nature depends on 
  whether the PCs have already slain the lesser jabberwock 
  at the end of Part One. If the events of Day 28 have yet to 
  occur, then the lesser jabberwock still lurks here amid the 
  trees of the courtyard’s upper tier. If, on the other hand, 
  the lesser jabberwock has already been slain, Nyrissa has 
  replaced it with a less dangerous but equally enormous 
  zomok. In either case, the monstrous guardian won’t 
  pursue foes into the house itself, but it will chase intruders 
  for several minutes if they attempt to flee the region.
  Ghostly Guard
  
  40
  Part 6 
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  Part 6 
  of 6
  Lesser Jabberwock 
  CR 20
  XP 307,200
  hp 387 (see page 22)
  Zomok 
  CR 16
  XP 76,800
  hp 297 (see page 88)
  k3. StABleS
  A set of six narrow stalls line the far wall of this stable.
  Soon after the PCs enter, the unsettling sight of a dead 
  horse hanging its head miserably over a stable door confronts 
  them. Despite appearances, this is no undead horse. Rather, 
  these six stalls each maintain a phantom steed (CL 20th)—a 
  steed can be “keyed” to a rider by simply opening the door 
  to a stall and beckoning the undead-looking horse out. A 
  phantom steed created in this manner persists for 20 hours 
  before unceremoniously vanishing, and after another 4 
  hours a replacement appears in its stall here.
  k4. loWer hAll (cr 18)
  The polished marble floor of this otherwise empty chamber 
  depicts a carving of the sun being devoured by a great dragon. 
  The walls are painted to resemble a twilit forest with strange, 
  dark shapes hiding in the trees as if peering out into this room.
  Creatures: The carving on the floor is harmless, but the 
  strange, dark shapes that seem to lurk amid the trees on 
  the walls are not. These are shadowy fey assassins known as 
  ankous, guardians bound here by Nyrissa, eager to attack 
  intruders and feel hot blood run over their dark talons. 
  What Nyrissa doesn’t realize is that these ankous are in 
  fact also spies working for the Eldest of the First World—if 
  she manages to capture the Stolen Lands or reclaim Briar, 
  the ankous abandon this area and return to their true 
  masters elsewhere to report. Otherwise, they’ll slip out of 
  hiding among the shadows on the walls to attack as soon 
  as anyone notices that they’re not merely decorations, or as 
  soon as someone attempts to leave the room.
  Ankous (4) 
  CR 14
  XP 38,400 each
  hp 133 each (see page 80)
  k5. dining rooM
  This dusty dining room seems to have remained unused for 
  decades. A huge wooden table fills the chamber, eight fine 
  chairs drawn up to its sides. What appears to be a faintly 
  glowing phantom meal is laid out on the table, and periodically 
  bits of food or drink rise up and vanish as if being consumed 
  by invisible diners. A statue of a beautiful woman stands in one 
  corner of the room.
  The feasting hall has not been used in centuries. The 
  phantasmal food itself is an echo of the ancient past—the 
  last time Nyrissa had a dinner party. The diners are not 
  present, but the dinner moves and floats as if they are. A 
  PC that sits at the table can partake of the feast—doing 
  so forces him to make a DC 20 Fortitude saving throw. If 
  the save is a success, he gains the effects of a heroes’ feast 
  (CL 20th) after a single round of eating, but if the save is a 
  failure, he instead gains 1d6 negative levels as the phantom 
  food drains his soul of life.
  Treasure: The statue is a faithful rendition of the 
  nymph Nyrissa, but is otherwise unremarkable save for the 
  poisonous cloak draped over her shoulders and naked form.
  k6. dAncing BeAr (cr 10)
  This room is dominated by a domed cage, its verdigris-encrusted 
  surface caked with muck. A black bear stands lifelessly within the 
  cage. A rubble-choked hall extends from one side of the room.
  The rubble filled hall that leads to area K17 is treated as 
  difficult terrain.
  Creatures: Moments after the PCs enter the chamber, the 
  bear in the cage lumbers onto its hind legs and begins a slow 
  but strangely graceful dance, made all the more grotesque 
  by the fact that the bear is obviously dead. One of Nyrissa’s 
  many amusements, the bear is not in fact undead but rather 
  The House Uprooted
  If the PCs uproot Thousandbreaths, the House at the Edge 
  of Time is torn out of the First World and merges with the 
  ruins of the Castle of Knives—the two locations become 
  one. In addition to now functioning according to the 
  realities of the Material Plane, rather than being subject 
  to the traits of the First World, this merging causes a 
  number of changes to the House’s defenses and features, 
  as summarized below (additional changes are noted in the 
  encounter text as appropriate).
  nyrissa: The nymph will not leave the Fable as long as 
  the House at the Edge of Time is trapped in the Material 
  Plane and she suspects the PCs are nearby.
  Phantoms: The phantoms and their effects are 
  suppressed entirely.
  Static Time: This effect vanishes entirely, and damage or 
  changes to the House and its denizens no longer reset after 
  24 hours, regardless of whether Nyrissa lives or dies.
  Teleport Trap: This effect vanishes entirely.
  
  41
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  a stuffed animal that has been turned into an animated 
  object. The bear doesn’t attack, even if the characters attack 
  it, but Nyrissa has rigged the bear to punish anyone who 
  destroys it—1 round after the bear’s “death,” it explodes into 
  a blast of fire, filling the room and inflicting 20d6 points 
  of fire damage to everyone within the room (DC 20 Reflex 
  for half damage).
  Explosion Bear 
  CR 10
  XP 9,600
  Variant animated object (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 14)
  hp 36
  k7. oBServAtory
  An arched opening looks out from the far side of this room, 
  providing the large brass telescope in the middle of the room 
  an excellent field of view.
  The spyglass was formerly used by the Queen to look at 
  the stars and moon and planetary bodies on the far side 
  of Thousandbreaths, but she hasn’t used the telescope in 
  some time. From the outside, the “window” that looks 
  out of this room simply doesn’t exist as long as the House 
  exists in the First World, but once the place is uprooted, the 
  window functions like a normal opening (and provides an 
  easy, unguarded entrance into the structure)—of course, 
  on the Material Plane, the window looks out at the trees of 
  Thousand Voices rather than a wondrous vista of space.
  Treasure: The telescope is heavy (800 pounds) but quite 
  valuable—it’s worth 3,500 gp.
  k8. dooMed StorerooM
  While on the First World, this is an empty room. Once the 
  House uproots, though, a nearby tree shifts and crashes 
  against this room, knocking a hole in the wall and creating 
  a new entrance into the building.
  k9. the SWill feASt
  This room was obviously some sort of dining room. A great 
  oaken table is pushed up against the wall, while several rickety 
  chairs line the opposite wall. The rotting remnants of a vast 
  feast lie upon the table—silver tureens spill fungal rot, a 
  tarnished silver salver lies ruptured on its side, and old bones 
  cover a number of plates.
  Treasure: This room is unremarkable, but if the silver 
  service is cleaned, it’s worth 1,300 gp.
  k10. poiSoned Well
  A covered well is this chamber’s only feature.
  This well is 100 feet deep while on the First World, and 
  the waters, while cool and crystal clear looking, are in fact 
  tainted with disease—anyone who drinks from the well is 
  exposed to blinding sickness (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 
  557). Once the House is uprooted, the well is only 20 feet 
  deep and contains no water at all.
  k11. teleporter entrAnce
  This small chamber is clearly set aside for meditation. The 
  themes herein are all of the natural world; a sumptuous stained 
  glass window dominates the far wall, while green candlesticks 
  carved to look like writhing trees light the room. A large round 
  dais of stone sits in one corner of the room.
  While on the First World, the stone dais can function 
  as a teleporter that bypasses the building’s teleport 
  trap, although while Nyrissa lives, the teleporter only 
  functions for those who have her express permission. 
  This teleporter leads to other realms in the First World, 
  and if the PCs defeat Nyrissa while the House at the Edge 
  of Time remains on the First World, they can use this 
  teleporter as a means to continue exploring the First 
  World. The teleporter does not function while the House 
  is uprooted.
  Treasure: The six intricately carved jade candlesticks 
  are worth 500 gp each.
  k12. StAirWell
  These stairs lead up to area L5.
  k13. SAlon of confuSing SoundS
  This salon is sumptuously decorated with vivid frescoes depicting 
  primeval forests filled with incredible blooms and women of 
  breathtaking beauty. The sounds of some sort of celebration may 
  be heard in this room as if from a great distance.
  With a DC 25 Perception check, the faint sounds 
  of celebration—dancing, singing, and the playing of 
  unearthly music—can be discerned. Further details 
  cannot be heard save that the noises come from the floor 
  above. These sounds are simply phantoms from the past, 
  but if a PC listens for more than a minute, unless he 
  makes a DC 18 Will save, the whispers turn sinister and 
  disorienting, causing the character to become confused 
  for 1d4 rounds.
  k14. hAll of Weeping deMonS
  This room is lined with strange, decaying plants. An empty pool 
  sits in its center, and the walls are decorated with hundreds of 
  small statues of sobbing demons.
  
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  This room serves as a guest entrance to the House—it 
  hasn’t been used in years.
  Treasure: A DC 25 Perception check notes that one of 
  the hundreds of sobbing demons in fact appears to be 
  laughing. Removing this demon from the shelf causes the 
  plants in the room to bloom into life and the empty pool to 
  fill with water as the weeping demon statues cry streams 
  of real tears that run down to collect in the center of the 
  room. The pool takes 1 minute to fill completely, at which 
  point anyone who steps into it receives the benefits of a 
  heal spell (CL 20th). Each use causes the pool to shrink in 
  size—there’s enough water in the pool for three heal spells. 
  The room “recharges” after 24 hours during the House’s 
  reversion, but if the House has been uprooted, this pool can 
  only form once before the room’s magic is expended.
  k15. ServAntS’ Wing (cr 16)
  This wing of the House serves as workrooms for the servants 
  —a group of a dozen ghostly guards. The rooms themselves 
  are relatively unremarkable, but if the PCs enter this wing, 
  they’ll quickly attract the anger of the ghostly elves.
  Area K15i contains a trap door that opens at a touch (like 
  the other doors in the complex) to reveal a ladder leading 
  down to area K16.
  Creatures: The first group of ghostly guards the PCs 
  encounter use their frightful howl to alert the others, who 
  come running as quickly as possible. Remember, these 
  ghosts wear armor and carry weapons, so they can’t pass 
  through walls, but the doors all open at a touch as a free 
  action, so the ghosts should be able to gang up on intruders 
  relatively quickly. If the Knurly Witch has retreated to area 
  K16, she hears these howls and clambers up the ladder to 
  join the fight. She makes good use of her ability to channel 
  negative energy to keep the ghosts healed.
  The function of each room (and the number of ghosts 
  that start in each) are as follows.
  K15a: Room used for quick naps and relaxation.
  K15b: Ruined room (difficult terrain) once used as a food 
  prep room.
  K15c: Parlor used to relax and discuss the day’s duties 
  (2 ghosts).
  K15d: Anteroom used to prepare flower garlands and 
  prep meals (2 ghosts).
  K15e: Kitchen used to cook and prepare food (2 ghosts).
  K15f: Well room (identical to area K10).
  K15g: Servants’ dining room (3 ghosts).
  K15h: Pantry used to store food and drink (2 ghosts).
  K15i: Room used to grow delicate herbs and other spices 
  (1 ghost).
  Ghostly Guards (12) 
  CR 9
  XP 6,400 each
  hp 115 each (see page 38)
  k16. cellAr (cr 16)
  This earthen-floored cellar contains all manner of mundane 
  supplies, such as firewood, food, tools, lumber for repairs, and 
  a surprising number of gourds drying on twine hanging from 
  the rafters.
  The cellar is split into three rooms, with the farthest 
  from the ladder having been converted into a bedroom. 
  This chamber is the home-away-from-home for the Knurly 
  Witch when she visits the House—she chose this room out 
  of all those offered her by Nyrissa because she likes the 
  ambience. If the Knurly Witch fled a previous encounter 
  from the PCs, she can be found here nursing her wounds 
  and her pride. If confronted here, she fights to the death.
  The Knurly Witch 
  CR 16
  XP 76,800
  hp 249 (see page 32)
  k17. throne rooM (cr 18)
  This richly decorated, cathedral-like chamber appears to be 
  almost new. Turquoise tiles adorn the walls, with a false gallery 
  hanging some ten feet above the tiled floor. An ornate wooden 
  bridge crosses the chamber thirty feet above the floor, connecting 
  doors on the building’s second floor—the vaulted ceiling rises 
  another ten feet above that. Incredible paintings cover this 
  ceiling, depicting animals in sylvan scenes. The first scene shows 
  a wolf in a forest with a child’s severed hand clenched in its jaws. 
  The second depicts a great viper approaching a crib, while the 
  third shows a huge bear stalking a mother and child. An archway 
  decorated with a scene of a dragon eating a mounted knight at 
  one end of the room opens to a great iron spiral staircase leading 
  upward, while at the other end of the hall sits a regal throne made 
  of marble shot through with green veins. Two statues of beautiful 
  women wielding upraised swords stand behind the throne, while 
  a long purple carpet runs the length of the room. Numerous 
  chairs and benches line the walls.
  Nyrissa has not used this room in ages—her followers 
  know what to do and there is little need for the nymph to 
  address them. The stairs lead up to area L1. The walls can 
  be climbed with a DC 20 Climb check.
  The throne is one of the four entrances to the Fable—it 
  leads to area M7c.
  Creature: Unless the PCs have means to defeat detection 
  from Nyrissa’s use of the Fable (area M7), this room’s 
  denizen is waiting for them—one of Nyrissa’s more 
  hideous minions and her personal advisor, a worm that 
  walks known as the Wriggling Man.
  The Wriggling Man does not recall his life before his 
  death, save that he was a powerful human wizard who had 
  
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  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  come to the First World for a now-forgotten mission. That 
  he failed in this mission seems obvious, for it was after 
  his failure and death that his mind and spirit infested 
  the worms that fed upon his rotting remains, and he 
  was reborn. The Wriggling Man now exists as a hideous 
  creature known as a worm that walks, a swarm of worms 
  that maintains the general shape of its previous body 
  and that retains all of its previous life’s power—and then 
  some. The worm that walks template can be found online 
  in the 3.5 SRD, but this incarnation has been updated to 
  work with the Pathfinder RPG and adjusted to function as 
  a non-epic (but still powerful) monster.
  The Wriggling Man soon found work as Nyrissa’s 
  advisor in all things arcane—while Nyrissa herself is 
  a talented arcanist, her gifts are inborn, not the result 
  of study, and she often needs help with her more 
  complex plans. The theft of the Stolen Lands is 
  one of many such projects the Wriggling Man has 
  helped the nymph with over the ages. Currently, 
  his only task is to await the PCs, ambush them, 
  and kill them.
  The Wriggling Man      
  CR 18
  XP 153,600
  Male worm that walks transmuter 17 
  NE Medium vermin (augmented human)
  Init +10; Senses all-around vision, 
  blindsight 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft.; 
  Perception +28
  DEfEnSE
  AC 34, touch 22, flat-footed 27  
  (+6 armor, +2 deflection,  
  +6 Dex, +1 dodge, +3 insight,  
  +2 natural, +4 shield)
  hp 144 (17d6+85); fast healing 18
  fort +8, Ref +11, Will +13 (+21 vs. 
  mind-affecting)
  Defensive Abilities worm that walks 
  traits; DR 15/—; Immune disease, 
  paralysis, poison, and sleep 
  effects; Resist cold 30, fire 10 
  OffEnSE
  Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft.
  Melee swarm slam +14 (5d6 
  plus grab)
  Special Attacks discorporate, 
  engulf
  Arcane School Spell-
  Like Abilities (CL 17th; 
  concentration +23)
  At will—change shape 
  (beast shape III/elemental body II, 
  17 rounds/day)
  9/day—telekinetic fist +14 touch (1d4+8)
  Transmuter Spells Prepared (CL 17th; concentration +23)
  9th—summon monster IX, time stop
  8th—quickened greater invisibility, mind blank, polymorph 
  any object (DC 26)
  7th—quickened fireball (DC 19), mass hold person (DC 23), 
  mage's sword, reverse gravity
  6th—chain lightning (DC 22), disintegrate (DC 24), flesh to 
  stone (DC 24), mage's lucubration, quickened resist energy, 
  quickened scorching ray 
  5th—feeblemind (2; DC 21), overland flight, quickened shield, 
  telekinesis (DC 23), telepathic bond
  4th—black tentacles, confusion (DC 20), dimension door, mass 
  reduce person (DC 22), mnemonic enhancer, phantasmal 
  killer (DC 20)
  3rd—dispel magic (2), fireball (DC 19), protection from 
  The Wriggling Man
  energy, slow (DC 21), 
  stinking cloud (DC 19)
  2nd—invisibility, pyrotechnics 
  (DC 20), resist energy, 
  scorching ray (3), web (DC 18)
  1st—grease (DC 17), expeditious 
  retreat, feather fall, magic missile 
  (3), reduce person (DC 19)
  0 (at will)—acid splash, light, mage 
  hand, mending, prestidigitation
  Opposition Schools Divination, 
  Necromancy
  TACTICS
  Before Combat The Wriggling Man 
  casts mind blank every day, and activates 
  his ring of invisibility as soon as the PCs 
  enter the House at the Edge of Time. He 
  casts overland flight and resist energy (cold) 
  once updates from Nyrissa convince him the 
  PCs will soon be entering this room.
  During Combat As soon as the PCs enter the 
  room, the Wriggling Man, who stands near 
  the throne but is invisible, casts time stop. He 
  has at least 2 rounds to cast spells while time is 
  stopped—he first casts quickened shield and 
  then summon monster IX to summon 
  an astral deva. The next round, he 
  
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  casts telepathic bond on the deva so he can communicate 
  with it silently and quickened fire shield (chill shield) on 
  himself. If he has enough time during time stop, he’ll also 
  cast quickened resist energy (acid) and protection from 
  energy (sonic) on the third round, mage’s sword on the 
  fourth round, and reverse gravity on an area where he can 
  affect the most walking PCs. When his time stop ends, he 
  telepathically commands the summoned astral deva to 
  imperiously demand that the PCs leave this place, claiming 
  that they tread upon the works of one under the protection 
  of Heaven itself. This is, of course, a lie—the Wriggling 
  Man doesn’t expect the PCs to fall for it, but the tactic 
  does amuse him and it could work, especially if the PCs 
  don’t ask to make Sense Motive checks to see through the 
  angel’s forced lie. If the PCs persist, the Wriggling Man 
  telepathically orders the angel to attack the PCs, starting 
  with a blade barrier and following up with melee attacks 
  with its hammer. The Wriggling Man keeps in motion, 
  flying around the room invisibly as a move action after each 
  time he casts an attack spell on the PCs each round so that 
  it’s difficult to track his position. The Wriggling Man tries 
  to avoid melee combat if possible, but if his magic manages 
  to incapacitate a character, he won’t be able to resist 
  approaching to engulf the poor PC.
  Morale If the Wriggling Man’s contingency activates, he uses 
  dimension door to retreat to area M6. He waits until he’s 
  recovered, then casts dimension door to return to this room 
  to start the attack anew—this time he fights to the death.
  STATISTICS
  Str 10, Dex 22, Con 16, Int 22, Wis 16, Cha 8
  Base Atk +8; CMB +8 (+16 grapple); CMD 31
  feats Arcane Armor Training, Combat Casting, Combat 
  Expertise, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wondrous 
  Item, Dodge, Greater Spell Focus, Improved Initiative, Light 
  Armor Proficiency, Quicken Spell, Scribe Scroll, Spell Focus 
  (transmutation), Toughness, Weapon Finesse
  Skills Bluff +16, Fly +26, Knowledge (arcana) +26, Knowledge 
  (local) +26, Knowledge (nobility) +26, Perception +28, Sense 
  Motive +28, Spellcraft +26, Stealth +31
  Languages Abyssal, Aklo, Common, Draconic, Sylvan, 
  Terran, Undercommon
  SQ arcane bond (staff), contingency, physical enhancement 
  (Dex +4), tenacious
  Combat Gear staff of transmutation; Other Gear +4 fire 
  resistant leather armor, amulet of natural armor +2, headband 
  of mental prowess +2 (Int [fly], Wis), ring of invisibility, ring 
  of protection +2, portable hole (contains a small library, 
  a reading desk, and all of his spellbooks—these books 
  contain all of the wizard spells in the Pathfinder RPG Core 
  Rulebook save for Divination and Necromancy spells)
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Contingency If the Wriggling Man’s hit points drop below 30, a 
  dimension door activates.
  Discorporate (Su) The Wriggling Man can collapse his body 
  into a shapeless swarm of worms as a free action. He 
  drops all held, worn, and carried items, and his Strength 
  score changes to 1. He functions as a true swarm while 
  discorporated, and has a reach of 0 feet (his space 
  remains unchanged). While discorporated, he loses all 
  of his defensive abilities but gains all of the standard 
  swarm traits. He also loses his slam attack and all special 
  abilities and special attacks, but can make a swarm 
  attack that inflicts 5d6 points of damage. He can reform 
  into his true form as a full-round action, as long as he 
  has at least 1 hit point—doing so provokes an attack of 
  opportunity.
  Engulf (Ex) If the Wriggling Man successfully grapples a 
  foe, he can engulf that foe as soon as the attempt to 
  grapple succeeds. He then sends a large number of 
  the worms that comprise his body to swarm over the 
  grappled creature. He can only engulf one target per 
  round. These worms inflict 5d6 points of damage per 
  round. The damage caused by an engulf attack is treated 
  as swarm damage for the purposes of what creatures it 
  can affect. Any creature damaged by this engulf attack 
  is also subjected to distraction, and must make a DC 21 
  Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC 
  is Constitution-based.
  Grab (Ex) The Wriggling Man can use his grab attack on targets 
  that are no more than one size category larger than himself.
  Tenacious (Ex) The Wriggling Man gains a +8 racial bonus 
  on CMB checks made to grapple a foe, rather than the 
  normal +4 racial bonus granted to most creatures with the 
  grab special attack. In addition, he gains a +4 racial bonus 
  to his CMD.
  Worm That Walks Traits The Wriggling Man has no 
  discernable anatomy, and is not subject to critical hits 
  or flanking. He can be damaged normally by weapons 
  (such blows scattering worms or temporarily disrupting 
  a portion of its body), but damage is mitigated normally 
  by fast healing and damage reduction. Reducing him 
  to 0 hit points forces him to discorporate—at 0 hit 
  points he is staggered, and at negative hit points he is 
  dying. He is immune to any spell or effect that targets 
  a specific number of creatures (including single-target 
  spells such as disintegrate), with the exception of such 
  spells and effects generated by himself, which treat him 
  as a single creature if he so chooses. Mind-affecting 
  effects that target single creatures also function 
  normally against him since his individual components 
  share one hivemind in common. He takes half again as 
  much damage (+50%) from spells or effects that affect 
  an area, such as splash weapons and many evocation 
  spells. The Wriggling Man is susceptible to high 
  winds—treat him as a Fine creature for the purposes of 
  determining the effects of wind.
  
  45
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Summoned Astral Deva 
  CR 14
  XP —
  hp 172 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 10)
  k18. dreSSing chAMBer
  Clearly a dressing chamber, this room has several wardrobes 
  and long mirrors.
  Treasure: Long-neglected clothes for visiting guests fill 
  the wardrobes. There are 20 noble outfits and a similar 
  number of courtiers’ outfits. A DC 30 Perception check 
  finds in the pocket of one of the noble outfits a beautiful 
  signet ring made of platinum worth 1,500 gp.
  k19. ruined WAShrooM (cr 16)
  The walls of this high-ceilinged room have fractured, and the 
  elements have rushed in. This was clearly once some sort of 
  washroom with stone walls and numerous tubs, but now the 
  place is in a shambles.
  Creatures: This room was destroyed even as Nyrissa 
  created it—the elementals that ruined the place still dwell 
  here, boiling around the room in a rage. The Wriggling 
  Man loathes this chamber, as the elementals have more 
  than once torn him apart in a most embarrassing manner. 
  The elementals attack any intruders on sight, fighting to 
  the death. Although the elementals are Huge, the room’s 
  40-foot-high ceiling allows them some additional room 
  while flying (but does limit their simultaneous access to 
  foes on the ground and forces them to make swooping 
  Flyby attacks each round).
  Enraged Air Elementals (4) 
  CR 12
  XP 19,200 each
  Advanced elder air elementals
  hp 184 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 121, 294)
  k20. the dripping clock (cr 3)
  A large and convoluted water clock, constructed of darkwood, 
  twisted crystal, and bronze tubes and built to look like a tree, 
  drips quietly away in this dust-layered chamber. The walls of the 
  room are given over to books—hundreds of them.
  Creature: The clock continues to tick away the seconds, 
  never losing time as it is inhabited and constantly tended 
  and adjusted by a water mephit named Pludock. While 
  the mephit would never dare to neglect his duty for fear 
  of punishment, he’s a chatty creature and can be a useful 
  source of information for the PCs. His initial attitude is 
  indifferent. If made helpful, he happily talks with the 
  PCs. He knows the secret of the healing pool in area K14 
  and the danger of damaging the dancing bear in area 
  K6—he might be able to inform the PCs of other minor 
  traps or beneficial areas as well. If asked about Nyrissa, 
  he grows silent after saying, “I’d better not say.” If forced 
  into talking, he admits that she’s likely hiding out in the 
  Fable—a chamber high above that allows her not only to 
  manipulate things in the house but to watch over every 
  room. When he says this, he clamps his hands over his 
  mouth, his eyes bulge as he looks around at the corners of 
  the room... and a moment later, he bursts into an explosion 
  of water—slain by an unhappy Nyrissa via the Fable.
  Pludock has no desire for combat, but if assaulted, he 
  breathes acid and casts stinking cloud to keep attackers at bay. 
  After this, he flees shrieking through the House’s halls.
  Pludock 
  CR 3
  XP 800
  Water mephit
  hp 19 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 203)
  l1. greAt hAll (cr 17)
  Here is a huge and ornate chamber fallen into terrible decay. The 
  ceiling of this huge chamber is vaulted, with supports carved to 
  resemble serpentine dragons holding great beams aloft. Seven 
  statues of a beautiful woman holding a sword or posing in a 
  seductive way stand against the walls, along with several chairs 
  and tables, while two long tables with benches sit in the middle 
  of the room astride a large marble statue of a snakelike dragon.
  This room serves as a grand banquet hall for when 
  Nyrissa has enough guests to warrant such an occasion. 
  The secret door to the servant’s wing can be found with a 
  DC 30 Perception check. It hasn’t been opened in ages, and 
  is somewhat stuck—a DC 24 Strength check is enough to 
  dislodge it and force it open.
  Creatures: A pair of Nyrissa’s pets, lithe and quick 
  wyverns with long, barbed tongues capable of lashing out 
  and pulling prey into their jaws, sleep and play in this 
  chamber. Their attitude quickly shifts to one of aggression 
  if they sense intruders—they attack on sight.
  Barbtongued Wyverns (2) 
  CR 15
  XP 51,200 each
  Advanced variant wyvern (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 282, 294)
  NE Huge dragon
  Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; 
  Perception +28
  DEfEnSE
  AC 27, touch 11, flat-footed 24 (+2 Dex, +1 dodge, +16 natural, 
  –2 size)
  hp 250 (20d12+120)
  
  46
  L1
  L7
  L8
  L8d
  L8e
  L8f
  L8g
  L8a
  L8b
  L8c
  L2
  L3a
  L3b
  L6
  L6a
  L6b
  L6c
  L6d
  L6e
  L6f
  L3d
  L4
  L5
  L3c
  Part 6 
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  Part 6 
  of 6
  fort +18, Ref +14, Will +13
  Immune paralysis, sleep
  OffEnSE
  Speed 20 ft., fly 60 ft. (poor)
  Melee sting +26 (2d6+8 plus poison), bite +26 (4d6+8/19–20), 
  2 wings +21 (2d6+4), tongue +21 (1d4+4 plus grab)
  Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.; 30 ft. with tongue
  Special Attacks pull (tongue, 30 ft.), rake (2 talons +26, 1d8+8) 
  TACTICS
  During Combat If they can, the barbtongued wyverns start 
  combat by swooping in to attack the PCs before the party 
  can fully deploy into this room, limiting melee combat 
  options while still being able to take advantage of their 
  reach to strike at foes farther up the stairs or down a hall.
  Morale The barbtongued wyverns fight to the death.
  STATISTICS
  Str 27, Dex 14, Con 22, Int 7, Wis 12, Cha 9
  Base Atk +20; CMB +30; CMD 43
  feats Critical Focus, Dodge, Improved Critical (bite), Improved 
  Natural Attack (bite), Improved Vital Strike, Improved 
  Natural Attack (sting), Improved Natural Attack (wing), 
  Power Attack, Staggering Critical, Vital Strike
  Skills Fly +17, Perception +28, Sense Motive +24, Stealth +17
  Languages Draconic
  l2. StAirWell
  These stairs lead up to area M3.
  l3. gueSt rooMS
  This wing of the House contains four large guest rooms. None 
  of these chambers have been used in a long time, but each 
  seems brand new and ready to receive guests. If the House is 
  on the First World, temporal ripples and phantoms sometimes 
  flit around the place, echoes of long-departed guests.
  l4. StAirWell
  This flight of spiral stairs leads up to area M1.
  l5. StAirWell
  These stairs lead down to area K12.
  l6. ServAntS’ Wing
  This wing of the house once served as private chambers for 
  servants, but since Nyrissa created her ghostly guardians, 
  these rooms have gone unused. Areas L6a and L6b are both 
  bedrooms. L6c is a storeroom, while L6d is a privy. L6e is 
  a lounge stocked with a large number of old (but relatively 
  mundane and worthless) books, while L6f is an open room 
  for exercise and gatherings.
  
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  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  l7. throne rooM Bridge
  This walkway crosses over the throne room (area K17) 
  below. The door to area L8 is one of the few that is kept 
  locked. It is made of ironwood (hardness 10, hp 60, Break DC 
  28); its lock can be picked with a DC 35 Disable Device check.
  Development: If the Wriggling Man has not yet been 
  encountered, he’ll react to intruders on this bridge as 
  detailed in area K17.
  l8. nyriSSA’S chAMBerS (cr 16)
  This wing of the House contains Nyrissa’s private 
  chambers for relaxing, although since the beginning of 
  this adventure, she’s spent the majority of her time in the 
  Fable, where her personal bedchamber is. All of the rooms 
  in this wing are opulent and extravagant; the function of 
  each room is summarized below, but the area’s guardians 
  are mobile and quickly react to intrusions, so combat here 
  is likely to spill through multiple chambers.
  L8a. This large room is a private ballroom, the walls of 
  which are hung with floral tapestries. 
  L8b. This washroom contains a porcelain tub that fills 
  with hot, scented water on command.
  L8c. This room is a study—a search of the room reveals 
  several sheets bearing flowery script and illustrations of 
  plant and fey creatures. 
  L8d. This room is, in theory, Nyrissa’s bedroom, but in 
  fact the bed is one of the four entrances to the Fable—it 
  leads to the nymph’s true bedroom (area M7d).
  L8e. This drawing room is a relaxing venue in which to 
  paint and pursue other artistic endeavors.
  L8f. This large closet contains the majority of Nyrissa’s 
  impressive collection of dresses and clothing.
  L8g. This is a combination reading room and lounge.
  Creatures: Although Nyrissa’s true valuables are kept 
  in the Fable or other rooms of this tower, enough objects 
  of value (either sentimental or otherwise) remain here 
  that she never leaves her suite of rooms unprotected. The 
  safekeeping of these objects, the cleaning and tending of 
  these rooms, and, when she is present, assisting Nyrissa 
  are the duties of eight defaced nymphs.
  Nyrissa once counted these nymphs her sisters and 
  friends. Their beauty rivaled her own, but when Nyrissa 
  suffered at the hands of the Eldest, these six did as well, 
  and Nyrissa had the Nightmare Rook pluck out their eyes. 
  These six defaced nymphs can still see and utilize their 
  gaze attacks, but their beauty has been forever marred. They 
  know that Nyrissa is responsible for their unending pain, 
  but cannot bring themselves to hate her for it—instead 
  spending their days in constant pain and servitude here. 
  When they notice intruders, they silently move to attack, 
  tears of blood running freely down their cheeks.
  You can place the defaced nymphs as you wish 
  throughout the rooms of this wing.
  Defaced nymphs (8) 
  CR 10
  XP 9,600 each
  Female broken soul advanced nymph (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 
  217, 294, Advanced Bestiary 34)
  CN Medium fey 
  Init +5; Senses low-light vision; Perception +15
  Aura baleful gaze (DC 20), blinding beauty (30 ft., DC 20)
  DEfEnSE
  AC 29, touch 25, flat-footed 23 (+9 deflection, +5 Dex, +1 dodge, 
  +4 natural)
  hp 108 each (8d6+80)
  fort +11, Ref +11, Will +10
  DR 10/cold iron, 5/—; Resist acid 5, cold 5, electricity 5, fire 5, 
  sonic 5
  OffEnSE
  Speed 20 ft., swim 10 ft.
  Melee torturous touch +9 touch (2d6 plus 1d6 Dexterity plus 
  convulsions)
  Special Attacks agonized wail, baleful gaze, torturous touch, 
  stunning glance (DC 20)
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 8th; concentration +14)
  1/day—dimension door
  Druid Spells Prepared (CL 7th; concentration +13)
  4th—air walk, flame strike (DC 18)
  Barbtongue  Wyvern
  
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  3rd—call lightning (DC 17), poison (DC 17), spike growth
  2nd—barkskin, flame blade, resist energy, tree shape
  1st—charm animal (DC 15), endure elements, entangle (DC 15), 
  obscuring mist, produce flame
  0—detect magic, guidance, light, stabilize
  TACTICS
  Before Combat If a defaced nymph has the opportunity 
  before battle, she casts air walk and barkskin.
  During Combat A defaced nymph uses her baleful gaze on the 
  first round of combat, then activates her blinding beauty, 
  saving her stunning glance to use against non-humanoid 
  foes or creatures that manage to engage her in melee. 
  She prefers to hang back and cast spells on foes, using her 
  agonized wail if she’s surrounded.
  Morale A defaced nymph fights to the death, as if 
  eager for release from her painful existence.
  STATISTICS
  Str 16, Dex 21, Con 28, Int 20, Wis 19, Cha 23
  Base Atk +4; CMB +7; CMD 32
  feats Combat Casting, DiehardB, Dodge, 
  EnduranceB, Mobility, ToughnessB, 
  Weapon Finesse
  Skills Acrobatics +16 (+28 jump), Bluff +17, 
  Escape Artist +16, Intimidate +22, Knowledge 
  (nature) +16, Knowledge (planes) +13, 
  Perception +15, Perform (string) +17, Sense 
  Motive +15, Stealth +16, Swim +22
  Languages Aklo, Aquan, Common, Draconic, 
  Giant, Sylvan
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Agonized Wail (Su) As a standard action, a 
  defaced nymph can emit an agonized 
  wail that affects all creatures within 
  120 feet—this wail causes those who 
  experience it to become shaken (Will 
  DC 20 negates) as long as they remain 
  within 120 feet of the defaced nymph. 
  A successful save renders a creature 
  immune to that defaced nymph’s 
  agonized wail for 1 minute. This is a 
  mind-affecting fear effect. The save 
  DC is Charisma-based.
  Baleful Gaze (Su) Any creature within 
  60 feet of a defaced nymph must 
  succeed on a DC 20 Fortitude 
  save or take 1d4 points of Strength, 
  Constitution, and Charisma drain. 
  Whatever the result of the saving throw, 
  the creature cannot be affected by the 
  same defaced nymph’s baleful gaze again 
  for 1 minute. The save DC is 
  Charisma-based.
  Torturous Touch (Su) A defaced 
  nymph can make a touch attack to cause hideous, painful 
  wounds to rip open in the target’s body. This touch causes 
  2d6 points of slashing damage and 1d6 points of Dexterity 
  damage, and causes the touched creature to fall prone in a fit 
  of convulsions (during which the creature is helpless) for 1d4 
  rounds. A DC 20 Fortitude save negates the Dexterity damage 
  and the convulsive fit. The save DC is Charisma-based.
  Treasure: A search of area L8a reveals a dozen 
  cloth patches on a shelf that depict various musical 
  instruments. These patches are actually masterwork 
  instruments under the effects of a permanent shrink 
  item spell (CL 20th; a DC 30 Use Magic Device check or 
  a dispel magic spell allows an item to be restored to 
  its true shape and size)—one of the instruments is 
  actually a horn of blasting.
  The 43 dresses in area L8f are each 
  worth 200 gp—one of them 
  is actually an elegant (and 
  scandalously cut) dress that 
  duplicates the abilities of a 
  robe of stars.
  M1. Attic (cr 15)
  The bare wooden floor of this attic space is 
  covered with thick layers of dust. Cobwebs hang 
  in curtainlike sheets, and the slumped figures of 
  what seem to be a three demonic skeletons 
  lie against the walls. A ladder leads up 
  to a trap door in the ceiling in one 
  corner, but the door seems clogged 
  with vines and roots.
  The stairs lead down to area L4. 
  The trap door leads up to M2, but is 
  overgrown above by vines and roots—it’s 
  a DC 26 Strength check to push the door 
  open from below. This entire chamber 
  is protected by a permanent 
  dimensional lock effect (CL 20th).
  Creatures: This room has 
  long been abandoned. The 
  skeletal remains are of a group of 
  demons that Nyrissa used to aid 
  in building her home and then 
  grew tired of. She bound them into this 
  room and, over time, they succumbed to 
  each other’s anger. Shielded from the 
  multiverse and, more to the point, 
  the life-infused reality of the 
  First World, these doomed 
  demons 
  came 
  back 
  as 
  
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  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  advanced devourers. They’ve managed to devour the 
  essence of several curious and unwary visitors over the 
  centuries, and each has 12 Essence Points available.
  Advanced Devourers (3) 
  CR 12
  XP 19,200 each
  hp 161 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 82, 294)
  M2. ivy toWer (cr 16)
  This tower looks out over the house grounds, leaning at a 
  vertiginous angle over the courtyard below. The entire area 
  has been covered over with a tangle of vegetation, much like 
  a nest.
  It’s a DC 35 Perception check to note the vine- and root-
  covered trap door that leads down to M1 below.
  Creature: This tower is the den of Nyrissa’s zomok, 
  a draconic plant that serves as both a decoration and 
  a guardian. Note that if the PCs have slain the lesser 
  jabberwock in Part One, the zomok relocates down to area 
  K2, in which case this area is empty.
  Zomok 
  CR 16
  XP 76,800
  hp 297 (see page 88)
  M3. the ruined hAllS (cr 16)
  This series of rooms, once Nyrissa’s private sanctuary, 
  suffered greatly from the nymph’s frustrations and wrath 
  after she survived the Eldest’s attempt to have her killed 
  by the Jabberwock—she never bothered restoring these 
  rooms and converted the suite of rooms at area L8 to serve 
  as her new private quarters, leaving this area in shambles. 
  Today, these rooms are a tangle of rubble, stones, and 
  thick, creeping vines and plants that have grown riotously 
  to a height of 1 foot throughout the entire area, making 
  this area difficult terrain. In addition, a large number of 
  damaged or destroyed statues of all manner of creature 
  lie strewn about the place—these were left by this area’s 
  dangerous guardian.
  Creature: When Nyrissa first began experimenting 
  with the Jabberwock’s blood in her attempts to create a 
  lesser version of the creature, one of her first experiments 
  involved infusing creatures with the ichor. All but one of 
  these experiments died, but that one, a medusa ally named 
  Phomandala, transformed into a scaly but quite healthy 
  monster. Phomandala has lived in these ruined halls ever 
  since, serving as a guardian for the upper floors of the 
  House. Over the years, the infusion of jabberwock blood 
  and her life on the First World have granted her sorcerous 
  powers as well, and the medusa is well on her way to 
  becoming a powerful sorcerer in her own right.
  Phomandala 
  CR 16
  XP 76,800
  Female saurian medusa sorcerer 12 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 
  201, Advanced Bestiary 213)
  LE Medium monstrous humanoid 
  Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, all-
  around vision; Perception +26
  DEfEnSE
  AC 32, touch 19, flat-footed 26 (+4 armor, +3 deflection, +5 Dex, 
  +1 dodge, +5 natural, +4 shield)
  hp 238 (20 HD; 8d10+12d6+152)
  fort +12, Ref +15, Will +17
  DR 10/adamantine
  OffEnSE
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee 3 bites +20 (1d8+7 plus poison), 2 claws +20 (1d4+7)
  Special Attacks laughing touch 8/day, leaping pounce, 
  petrifying gaze (DC 21), poison (DC 20)
  Sorcerer Spells Known (CL 12th; concentration +17)
  6th (3/day)—chain lightning (DC 21)
  5th (6/day)—cone of cold (DC 20), nightmare (DC 20), tree stride
  4th (7/day)—bestow curse (DC 19), dimension door, poison 
  (DC 19), stoneskin
  3rd (7/day)—deep slumber (DC 18), displacement, lightning 
  bolt (DC 18), major image, vampiric touch
  2nd (7/day)—bull’s strength, cat’s grace, glitterdust (DC 17), 
  hideous laughter (DC 17), scorching ray, spectral hand
  1st (8/day)—charm person (DC 16), disguise self (DC 16), 
  entangle (DC 16), mage armor, magic missile, shield
  0 (at will)—acid splash, detect magic, ghost sound (DC 
  15), mage hand, message, prestidigitation, read magic, 
  resistance, touch of fatigue (DC 15)
  Bloodline Fey
  TACTICS
  Before Combat Phomandala casts bull’s strength, cat’s grace, 
  mage armor, stoneskin, spectral hand, and shield before 
  combat begins if she has the time.
  During Combat On the first round of combat, Phomandala 
  uses spectral hand to make attacks with bestow curse, poison, 
  and vampiric touch while attempting to stay at range—her 
  woodland stride ability should make it easy for her to 
  remain more mobile than the PCs in these tangled rooms, 
  allowing her to make hit-and-run attacks.
  Morale Phomandala fights to the death.
  STATISTICS
  Str 18, Dex 20, Con 22, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 20
  Base Atk +14; CMB +18; CMD 37
  feats Ability Focus (petrifying gaze), Arcane Strike, Dodge, 
  Empower Spell, Eschew Materials, Improved Natural Attack 
  (bite), Quicken Spell, Toughness, Vital Strike, Weapon 
  Finesse, Weapon Focus (bite), Weapon Focus (claws)
  Skills Acrobatics +21 (+29 jumping), Perception +26, 
  Spellcraft +23, Survival +11
  
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  The majority of the notes on the tables are poetry 
  written by Nyrissa, but if the PCs still have some 
  unanswered questions about what Nyrissa is up to or 
  why she’s out to take the Stolen Lands, you can have them 
  discover some fragmentary notes here to help clear up 
  any lingering last-minute questions the PCs may have. 
  The PCs can also learn about the Fable by studying these 
  notes—with a DC 30 Knowledge (arcana or planes) check, 
  a character can decipher these notes to not only learn 
  what the Fable is capable of and how it works, but also the 
  locations of the four portals that open into the Fable and 
  the method of opening the portals (as well as, perhaps, 
  the even more important method of leaving the Fable 
  once one is inside it). See area M7 for these details. Note 
  that if the PCs aren’t stealthy about investigating these 
  notes, Nyrissa notices from her vantage point in the Fable 
  and alerts her surviving minions to make all haste to this 
  area and stop the PCs from learning too much from her 
  carelessly forgotten notes.
  Treasure: This library contains a large number of books 
  about the First World, the Stolen Lands, and magic theory. 
  A Knowledge (arcana, history, local, nature, or planes) check 
  made while using the library to research a topic tied to one 
  of these three subjects gains a +6 circumstance bonus on 
  the check. The collection weighs several hundred pounds 
  in all, but as a set is worth 5,000 gp.
  A forgotten and unread manual of gainful exercise +3 sits 
  on a shelf in one corner of the room.
  M5. the ABAndoned treASury
  This room is falling into ruin; plaster hangs from the ceiling, 
  furniture lies buried in fallen leaves, the walls sag, and dust 
  covers everything. Numerous empty and toppled treasure 
  chests strewn about the place hint that it may have once been 
  a grand treasury. 
  Although it appears close to collapse, the room is 
  structurally sound. This is indeed Nyrissa’s treasury, but 
  the majority of the magical items and treasures kept here 
  were taken long ago by the Eldest as a sort of fee after 
  Nyrissa survived the Jabberwock’s attack. The nymph never 
  bothered restocking the place, instead opting to keep her 
  greatest treasures close at hand.
  Treasure: The agents of the Eldest didn’t take 
  everything—a 10-minute search of this area 
  reveals bits and pieces of treasure that still 
  remain. This search reveals a miniature 
  castle of jade wrapped in the coils of a silver 
  serpent (an old table centerpiece designed 
  to hold flowers) worth 1,200 gp, a pig-
  shaped casket containing 999 pp with 
  each coin set comfortably in its own 
  Languages Common
  SQ bloodline arcana, fleeting glance 12 rounds/day, 
  woodland stride
  Gear amulet of natural armor +3, ring of protection +3, 1,500 gp 
  in diamond dust
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Leaping Pounce (Ex) When Phomandala charges a foe and jumps 
  at least the last 10 feet of it, she may make a full attack.
  M4. nyriSSA’S liBrAry
  This well-lit chamber is something between a laboratory and a 
  library, with numerous large tomes sitting on sagging shelves 
  along the walls and several tables covered with notes and 
  strange schematics.
  
  51
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  M1
  M2
  M3
  M4
  M5
  M6
  M7d
  M7c
  M7b
  M7a
  velvet slot, a gold decanter bound in gold with a ruby 
  stopper worth a total of 2,000 gp, a +2 adamantine construct 
  bane rapier, a gold and ivory scroll tube worth 750 gp that 
  contains a scroll of form of the dragon II, and a slightly 
  dented helm of brilliance that has only one prismatic spray 
  and two fireball gems left.
  M6. nyriSSA’S gArden (cr 14)
  The vines and leaves of an overgrown garden fill this high 
  chamber. The walls are difficult to make out through the 
  riotous green growth, but at the room’s center sits a rippling 
  pool of water.
  The pool of water is one of the four entrances to the 
  Fable—it leads to area M7a.
  Creature: The majority of the overgrowth in this room 
  actually consists of three ravenous giant flytraps of immense 
  size; they can’t move around much in here, but their bites 
  allow at least two to reach any point in the room. 
  Advanced Giant flytraps (3) 
  CR 11
  XP 12,800
  hp 175 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 134, 294)
  M7. the fABle (cr 20)
  For all of the impressive features possessed by the House 
  at the Edge of Time, none can match Nyrissa’s greatest 
  creation—an extradimensional tower known as the Fable. 
  This region exists as part of the House, but not wholly in the 
  same place or time. The Fable consists of four similarly sized 
  but overlapping circular rooms, each 20 feet in diameter 
  and 20 feet high, but each quite different in contents.
  In order to open a portal into the Fable, a character 
  must physically contact the portal trigger and focus his 
  mind on opening the portal by concentrating on a specific 
  image. All four portal triggers radiate strong conjuration 
  magic—a legend lore or vision spell can identify their use 
  and the thought image that activates them, as can a DC 
  35 Spellcraft check made with the aid of detect magic. 
  Alternatively, a DC 30 Use Magic Device check can blindly 
  activate a portal. Once activated, the portal immediately 
  transports the activating creature and up to five other 
  creatures who are touching him to the linked area inside 
  the Fable—if there’s not enough room for all of these 
  creatures to appear in that particular Fable chamber, the 
  excess travelers are either left behind at the portal (75% of 
  the time) or sent at random to one of the other three Fable 
  chambers (25% of the time).
  
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  and making a mental picture of the room from which they 
  originally entered the Fable. Plane shift and other planar 
  travel also functions to leave one of these rooms—but 
  otherwise each of these extradimensional spaces is treated 
  as its own demiplane and is very difficult to escape from. 
  Exiting the Fable in this manner is a move-equivalent 
  action. If the PCs don’t already know the method of exiting 
  the Fable, a spell like legend lore or a DC 30 Spellcraft check 
  made while examining the chamber with detect magic 
  reveals the method of exit. Alternatively, a DC 30 Use Magic 
  Device check can trigger the exit. A creature that exits the 
  Fable can bring with it as many willing creatures as it is in 
  physical contact with.
  Creature: Nyrissa spends most of her time in area M7c 
  so she can use the Fable to track visitors and intruders in 
  her House, and she does so as soon as the PCs arrive. If the 
  PCs still possess Briar, she is in no hurry to confront them 
  and remains here, but if she’s reclaimed Briar and placed 
  the sword in her personal chambers, she watches the PCs’ 
  progress through her lair with amusement and, perhaps, a 
  growing sense of worry.
  Nyrissa, it must be remembered, is not only a capricious 
  and inscrutable creature of the First World—but even 
  by those doubtful standards she is fully insane, and her 
  tryst with one of the Eldest, her near death and effective 
  exile punishment, and her long years spent festering and 
  brooding in Thousandbreaths have done little for her 
  peace of mind. She sees the PCs as a manifestation of this 
  betrayal, and her visions have convinced her that the PCs 
  mean her no good. Her attitude toward friendly approaches 
  (even the surrendering of Briar) is at best one of unyielding 
  suspicion and paranoia—especially if the PCs have 
  uprooted Thousandbreaths. She takes the sword, listens to 
  speeches and smiles knowingly to the PCs’ requests, and 
  then unleashes her fury.
  Nyrissa is a woman of unearthly beauty and grace, yet 
  she is obviously far from human. Her body bears numerous 
  thorns and ridges, as if aspects of the natural world were 
  trying to form out of her flesh.
  Although Nyrissa is an exceptionally powerful foe, there 
  are two key methods by which the PCs can make their 
  confrontation with her a little easier.
  Uprooting the House: If the PCs confront Nyrissa on 
  the First World, she functions at full capacity. If, on the 
  other hand, the PCs manage to uproot Thousandbreaths, 
  The contents of each of the four chambers within the 
  Fable are detailed below. These chambers function quite 
  differently if the House is on the First World than if it’s 
  been uprooted, as indicated. In cases where a room’s 
  appearance is actually a permanent image, the image 
  functions at CL 20th—a DC 20 Will save is enough to see 
  through the illusion if it is interacted with.
  M7a. This chamber appears to be a boundless open field 
  under the noontime sun on a bright summer day. When 
  the House is on the First World, the field goes on forever 
  in every direction, but on the Material Plane the field and 
  sky are permanent images.
  M7b. This chamber appears to be a single, immensely 
  tall tree that extends forever in either direction inside a 
  silo of impenetrable green leaves. The tree’s branches can 
  be moved onto with a DC 10 Acrobatics check or its trunk 
  climbed with a DC 15 Climb check; a creature that falls 
  drops for 1d20 × 10 feet before crashing into a wide-enough 
  branch to end its fall. On the Material Plane, this chamber 
  is instead only 20 feet across and 20 feet tall—the tree’s 
  extension above and below is a permanent image. To those 
  who believe the image, creatures that stand upon the floor 
  seem to be walking on air.
  M7c. This chamber is a plain circular room with stone 
  walls, floor, and ceiling, lit by several dancing lights floating 
  near the ceiling. A statue of Nyrissa stands in the center of 
  the room, one arm held out as if in greeting. It is in this 
  room that the Fable’s power is concentrated, and where 
  Nyrissa spends much of her time—in this room, she can 
  observe every single room in her House simultaneously as 
  if via clairvoyance/clairaudience. She can also use the Fable to 
  immediately destroy any of her allies (but not intruders) in 
  the house by simply snuffing out their lives and causing 
  their bodies to burst. Nyrissa only uses this ability to 
  destroy an ally who has become controlled by or seems to 
  be allying with the PCs—an event likely to occur only with 
  the unfortunate mephit in area K20, but if the PCs manage 
  to dominate or charm an important ally, Nyrissa opts for 
  its destruction as well. Likewise, if the PCs are about to 
  learn something important, the nymph may well send her 
  closest allies to intercept the PCs.
  M7d. This chamber is Nyrissa’s private bedchamber—
  it’s lit by several everburning torches.
  Exiting the Fable: Once the PCs enter the Fable, they can 
  exit it simply by touching any solid surface within the room 
  Fable Portals
  Portal Trigger 
  Activating Thought 
  Portal Destination
  Tallest tree in area K2 
  Flying as a crow through an endless forest 
  Area M7b
  Throne in area K17 
  Holding court before a crowd of thousands 
  Area M7c
  Bed in area L8d 
  Caressing or embracing a lover 
  Area M7d
  Pool in area M6 
  Lying on one’s back on the grass in the sun 
  Area M7a
  
  53
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  Nyrissa
  Nyrissa becomes horrifically distracted by the pain and 
  despair being forced wholly into the Material 
  Plane inflicts on her. On the first round of 
  combat on the Material Plane, Nyrissa acts as if 
  confused. Every 1d4 rounds, she automatically 
  becomes confused again. In addition, she is 
  constantly shaken and fatigued while on 
  the Material Plane, and must make a DC 
  35 Concentration check in order to cast any 
  of her spells.
  Briar: The sword Briar is particularly 
  effective against Nyrissa, and when the 
  sword is first brought within 30 feet of her, 
  it automatically gains enough Sharpness 
  Points to fully awaken (and stays awakened 
  after this first encounter). Furthermore, 
  the wielder of Briar gains SR 30 against 
  Nyrissa’s magic, and each time Briar 
  strikes Nyrissa, she must make a DC 40 
  Fortitude save to avoid being staggered for 
  1 round—multiple hits in a single round 
  do not increase this duration.
  nyrissa 
  CR 20
  XP 307,200
  Female nymph sorcerer 6/mystic theurge 10 (Pathfinder RPG 
  Bestiary 217)
  CE Medium fey 
  Init +14; Senses low-light vision; Perception +39
  Aura blinding beauty (DC 29)
  DEfEnSE
  AC 51, touch 34, flat-footed 40 (+8 armor, +13 deflection, 
  +10 Dex, +1 dodge, +5 natural, +4 shield)
  hp 378 (24 HD; 8d6+6d6+10d6+294)
  fort +32, Ref +35, Will +41
  Defensive Abilities evasion, protection from decapitation; DR 
  10/cold iron; SR 20
  OffEnSE
  Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft., fly 60 ft. (average)
  Melee flame blade +23/+18/+13 (1d8+8)
  Special Attacks laughing touch 16/day, stunning glance (DC 29)
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 9th; concentration +20)
  1/day—dimension door
  Druid Spells Prepared (CL 18th; concentration +31)
  9th—quickened cure critical wounds, quickened death ward
  8th—quickened cure serious wounds, finger of death (DC 29), 
  reverse gravity
  7th—quickened cure moderate wounds, fire storm (DC 28), 
  heal (2), summon nature’s ally VII
  6th—antilife shell, greater dispel magic (2), summon nature’s 
  ally VI, wall of stone (2)
  5th—cure critical wounds (4), quickened cure light wounds, 
  wall of thorns
  4th—cure serious wounds (4), flame strike (DC 25), rusting grasp
  3rd—cure moderate wounds (5), poison (DC 24), speak 
  with plants
  2nd—barkskin, flame blade, gust of wind, lesser 
  restoration (4)
  1st—cure light wounds (5), produce flame, speak 
  with animals
  0—create water, guidance, light, stabilize
  Sorcerer Spells Known (CL 17th; concentration +30)
  8th (5/day)—maze
  7th (7/day)—greater teleport, prismatic spray 
  (DC 30)
  6th (8/day)—chain lightning (DC 29), geas/
  quest (DC 29), greater dispel magic
  5th (9/day)— dismissal (DC 28), 
  dominate person (DC 28), sending, 
  telekinesis (DC 28)
  4th (9/day)—bestow curse (DC 27), 
  charm monster (DC 27), dimension door, 
  greater invisibility
  3rd (9/day)—displacement, haste, lightning 
  bolt (DC 26), suggestion (DC 26)
  2nd (9/day)—detect thoughts (DC 25), glitterdust (DC 25), hideous 
  laughter (DC 25), resist energy, scorching ray, spectral hand
  1st (10/day)—charm person (DC 24), disguise self (DC 24), 
  entangle (DC 24), magic missile, ray of enfeeblement (DC 
  24), shield
  0 (at will)—acid splash, detect magic, dancing lights, 
  ghost sound (DC 23), mage hand, mending, message, 
  prestidigitation, read magic
  Bloodline Fey
  TACTICS
  Before Combat If she can, Nyrissa casts death ward,  
  shield, barkskin, spectral hand, and flame blade before 
  combat begins.
  During Combat Nyrissa is a complex character with a huge 
  number of choices in battle. She also has the advantage of 
  being able to watch everything the PCs do in her home via the 
  Fable. As a result, you should take the time to tailor Nyrissa’s 
  tactics to match the PCs’ tactics as closely as possible. She 
  begins most battles by casting antilife shell to prevent the 
  PCs from approaching her if she can (although in the small 
  confines of the Fable, she’ll likely need to move up against 
  a wall to make sure that the spell’s emanation excludes the 
  PCs when she casts it). She uses quickened spells to great 
  effect, healing herself of damage or using them to cast spells 
  like haste, displacement, or greater invisibility to bolster her 
  defenses. If one of the PCs wields Briar, she focuses all of her 
  attention on that PC, doing everything she can to defend 
  herself from that PC and either defeat him or separate him 
  from Briar. As an artifact, Briar is immune to dispel magic and 
  damage, but that doesn’t mean she can’t use telekinesis to try 
  to disarm it, dismissal on its wielder (only if the fight takes 
  
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  place on the First World), or (her favorite tactic) maze to keep 
  that foe out of the battle (remember, though, that Briar grants 
  SR 30 against her spells).
  Morale If Nyrissa is reduced to fewer than 100 hit points, 
  she exits the Fable, then casts dimension door to reenter a 
  different Fable portal long enough to use her magic to heal 
  herself before she returns to area M7c to confront the PCs 
  again. In the end, Nyrissa’s madness and pride push her to 
  the edge—she fights to the death.
  STATISTICS
  Str 14, Dex 30, Con 32, Int 22, Wis 32, Cha 36
  Base Atk +12; CMB +22; CMD 48
  feats Ability Focus (blinding beauty, stunning glance), Agile 
  Maneuvers, Combat Casting, Craft Wondrous Item, 
  Defensive Combat Training, Dodge, Eschew Materials, 
  Extend Spell, Improved Initiative, Quicken Spell, Silent 
  Spell, Toughness, Weapon Finesse
  Skills Acrobatics +38, Bluff +41, Climb +10, Diplomacy +41, 
  Fly +43, Knowledge (nature) +34, Knowledge (planes) +31, 
  Perception +39, Sense Motive +23, Stealth +38, Swim +30
  Languages Aklo, Common, Draconic, Elven, Giant, Gnome, 
  Hallit, Skald, Sylvan
  SQ bloodline arcana, contingency, inherent bonuses, inspiration, 
  unearthly grace, wild empathy +21, woodland stride
  Combat Gear rod of maximize metamagic; Other Gear belt 
  of physical perfection +6, bracers of armor +8, headband of 
  mental superiority +6 (Acrobatics, Fly, Swim), ioun stones 
  (orange prism, pale green prism), ring of evasion, ring of 
  freedom of movement, scarab of protection (fully charged), 
  wings of flying, fancy anklet worth 10,000 gp, 500 gp
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Contingency If Nyrissa is brought below 0 hit points, a cure 
  critical wounds spell heals her of 4d8+16 points of damage.
  Inherent Bonuses Nyrissa has used a manual of gainful 
  exercise +4 and a tome of understanding +5 to increase her 
  Constitution and her Wisdom.
  Protection from Decapitation Nyrissa has used a wish from 
  a ring to gain a special defense against beheading—the 
  first time she is beheaded by any effect (including a vorpal 
  weapon), the wound immediately heals after it is dealt, 
  effectively inflicts no damage, and does not decapitate her. 
  A second decapitation effect inflicted before she can secure 
  another wish to replenish this defense can kill her normally.
  Treasure: If Nyrissa has reclaimed the sword Briar, the 
  weapon lies on the bed as if casually tossed there in an 
  afterthought. In addition, her bedroom (area M7d) contains 
  a large number of trophies and prizes she’s picked up or 
  had her minions collect over the years—all of which have 
  been collected from the Stolen Lands and help to focus 
  the Fable upon this region. If these trophies are taken out 
  of the Fable, Nyrissa cannot bottle the Stolen Lands until 
  they are regained. These trophies consist of things such 
  as a unicorn’s horn, a silver dragon’s claw, a tooth from 
  Armag’s skull, and so on. In addition, you should add 
  other objects that the PCs at one time possessed but have 
  since lost or sold. The more unique and recognizable these 
  items are (like the Stag’s helm, Ovinrbaane, or the oculus of 
  Abaddon—even if they thought some of these items forever 
  destroyed), the more disturbing it will be for the PCs to 
  find the items here.
  The crystalline bottle she hopes to use to contain the 
  Stolen Lands sits on the bookshelf—this item radiates 
  overwhelming transmutation magic, but is little more 
  than a focus for the act of absorbing the land—the bottle 
  itself is worth 8,000 for its otherworldly workmanship, but 
  does not possess any intrinsic magical powers.
  concluding the Adventure
  With Nyrissa’s defeat, the greatest current threat to the 
  PCs kingdom and, indeed, all of the Stolen Lands, is 
  removed. When the nymph dies (likely to an unfortunate 
  beheading from a sword forged of her own capacity to love), 
  a strange and violent transformation ripples through the 
  First World. If Thousandbreaths still exists there, it is 
  immediately uprooted and cast into the Material Plane. 
  The House at the Edge of Time immediately crumbles 
  and suffers thousands of years of erosion at once as if 
  inflicted by constricting vegetation, rainfall, lightning 
  strikes, and subsidence—effectively transforming into 
  the ruins known today as the Castle of Knives. If they 
  make a DC 20 Will save, characters inside the House or 
  the Fable when this occurs gently float to the ground 
  at the center of the ruins as it all comes down around 
  them—otherwise the chaos of the devastation stuns them 
  for 1d4 rounds and inflicts 1d4 negative levels.
  During this reversion and devastation, Nyrissa’s body 
  rises up on a pyre of black lightning. As it does, a terrible 
  gale rips through all of Thousandbreaths. The Queen’s 
  body acts as the center of this whirlpool and soon vanishes 
  in a black pall of madness. Within a minute, the unraveling 
  is over. The House finishes its collapse and the surviving 
  denizens of the building and Thousandbreaths flee into 
  the strange new world they find themselves in.
  WhAt if nyriSSA WinS?
  If the PCs are unable to defeat Nyrissa before she’s able to 
  capture the Stolen Lands, you’ll have on your hands the 
  seeds for an exciting new campaign. Perhaps the PCs are 
  caught along with the rest of their kingdom as the realm is 
  pulled into the special bottle Nyrissa has prepared for the 
  region—in this case, the PCs can continue to rule their 
  kingdom but cannot leave it. They may even be content to 
  rule this kingdom in a bottle, but the knowledge that they 
  
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  Sound of a Thousand Screams
  are nothing more than a bauble on a shelf may soon drive 
  them to seek a way to escape.
  Alternatively, the PCs could be left behind when their 
  kingdom is whisked away. When this occurs, the region 
  known as the Stolen Lands is immediately transformed 
  into a lifeless desert—the rivers that once flowed through 
  the region are quickly absorbed by the thirsty sands, while 
  the event causes much panic in neighboring kingdoms—
  particularly Brevoy and Pitax, whose borders now lie 
  uncomfortably close to a wasteland.
  The method by which the Stolen Lands can be restored 
  is left to you, but it likely requires a journey into the First 
  World—perhaps even the attention of the region’s Eldest. 
  Certainly the PCs will need to face their nemesis Nyrissa 
  once again—only this time, with her bribery to the Eldest 
  successful, she’ll be even more powerful than before.
  continuing the cAMpAign
  Yet for all of these dire possibilities, this adventure 
  assumes that such an end does not come to the Stolen 
  Lands, and that the PCs manage to defeat Nyrissa and 
  save their kingdom. In this case, the end of the blooms 
  herald a time of much rejoicing for the PCs—not only 
  is any damage to their kingdom’s Economy, Loyalty, 
  and Stability scores caused by blooms restored, but in 
  addition, all three scores are increased by +4. For the 
  first time, the Stolen Lands may have a chance for peace. 
  Now that the area’s unruly bandits, dangerous wildlife, 
  ancient cyclopean liches, violent barbarian tribes, 
  jealous River Kings, and mad nymph queens have all 
  been dealt with, the PCs can finally enjoy the fruits of 
  their rule.
  Or can they? On the following pages, the “Beyond 
  Kingmaker” article explores several possible ways you 
  can continue your Kingmaker campaign into even 
  higher levels of experience. Of course, before you move 
  on with a war against Brevoy or the possible return of 
  Choral the Conqueror, you should give the PCs a chance 
  to rest and recover.
  They have, after all, earned it!
  
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  Beyond Kingmaker
  Beyond Kingmaker
  o the villainous warlord occupying southern Rostland, thief of the 
  Stolen Lands:
  The crown and citizens of Brevoy demand you cede all holdings 
  along the Rostlandic border, abdicate your unlawful throne, and surrender 
  yourself and all agents of your illegal government. Refusal will be considered 
  nothing less than an act of rebellion against the Ruby Fortress and a 
  declaration of war against the people of Brevoy. The forces bearing this 
  command await your immediate reply and stand ready to escort you and your 
  accomplices to New Stetven to face true justice.
  In the name of Noleski Surtova, Regent of the Dragonscale Throne, 
  Blood of the Conqueror, overlord and rightful king of all Brevoy
  
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  Beyond Kingmaker
  Beyond Kingmaker
  A
  lthough this volume marks the official conclusion 
  of the Kingmaker Adventure Path, “Sound of a 
  Thousand Screams” doesn’t need to be the end of 
  your campaign. Countless plots and lurking dangers still 
  exist within the Stolen Lands and beyond its borders, all 
  ready to confront its rulers. The following pages present 
  a variety of options GMs might choose to employ to 
  continue their campaigns beyond 17th level. Whether the 
  PCs continue to rule their kingdom and perhaps indulge 
  in imperial aspirations, or leave their lands in the hands 
  of allies to seek adventure elsewhere, the fate of the Stolen 
  Lands now lies entirely in the hands of the GM and that 
  realm’s rulers.
  EndlEss AdvEnturEs
  What course the Kingmaker Adventure Path might set the 
  PCs and their lands upon can vary wildly depending on 
  the interests of the characters, the tastes of the GM, and 
  the stories they’ve chosen to explore. While books like 
  Guide to the River Kingdoms and past articles included in 
  the Adventure Path provide GMs with a wealth of options 
  to expand their exploits, noted here are several plots that 
  might naturally grow from seeds planted in the past 
  six adventures. While developing each still requires a 
  significant amount of creativity and refinement, the tools 
  on the following pages should aid in crafting new tales. 
  Ultimately, this is an opportunity for the GM to let the PCs 
  take the wheel and guide their fates where they please, in 
  effect finally becoming masters of their lands.
  Fury of the First World: With the defeat of Nyrissa and 
  her attempt to draw the Stolen Lands into the First World, 
  the frontier realm returns to a state of near tranquility. But 
  such is not the fate of the First World. Soon after the PCs 
  return to their capital, one of the rulers of the First World, 
  Magdh the Eldest, appears before them, demanding 
  recompense for the destiny and future deeds of Nyrissa 
  that their intervention has altered. Only by seeking the 
  forgiveness of the First World’s rulers can the PCs save 
  their nation from the vengeance of that insane other 
  dimension. See pages 57–59 for more details.
  Into the East: Beyond the Tors of Levenies sprawls 
  the mysterious, rugged land of Iobaria, a realm that has 
  known both savagery and empire. In the eerie ruin of 
  Hask-Ultharan, the “Cairn of Many Torments,” something 
  ancient stirs to a perverse new life, awakened by the magic 
  of the oculus of Abbadon at the hands of the cyclops lich 
  Vordakai. Now, the giants of that accursed monument 
  delve into the darkest ruins of Iobaria, breathing new life 
  into the cinders of a monstrous empire. Does the cyclops 
  empire stir anew? Or has a more fiendish menace arisen 
  in the heart of Fangard? See the Pathfinder Campaign Setting 
  World Guide: The Inner Sea, Pathfinder Adventure Path #33, and 
  Lords of Chaos: Book of the Damned, Vol. 2 for more details. 
  Iron Storm: While few held any love for Castruccio 
  Irovetti, his name and ties to the barbarian realm of 
  Numeria did much to hold the merciless raiders of 
  that realm at bay. With the fall of Pitax and the relative 
  inexperience of the Stolen Land’s rulers, warlords along 
  the Numerian border eye new lands in the River Kingdoms 
  and covet the PCs’ throne. Among these barbarians, two 
  warmongers rise to lead barbaric legions against the 
  Stolen Lands: Coclavlis the Iron Wizard, heir to the secrets 
  of Numeria’s ageless mystical lore, and the mercenary lord 
  Angdrathus, whose ties to the Technic League of Starfall 
  have granted him an army and weapons like no other. See 
  the Pathfinder Campaign Setting World Guide: The Inner Sea 
  for more details on Numeria.
  The Outlaw Council: With the solidification of their 
  realm, the PCs receive word from Raston Selline of Mivon 
  inviting the ruler of the Stolen Lands and her retinue to an 
  upcoming meeting of the River Kingdoms Outlaw Council. 
  But do the lawless lords of that wild country actual seek 
  to invite a new despot into their midst, or is this meeting 
  of merciless rulers merely a stage for assassination and 
  warlike aspirations? And might the masterminds of 
  such schemes be the PCs themselves? See the Pathfinder 
  Campaign Setting World Guide: The Inner Sea and Guide to the 
  River Kingdoms for more details.
  The Rostland Revolution: King Surtova has watched 
  with dread as his nation’s southern frontier has turned 
  from a lawless land to the realm of a new princeling. Yet 
  with the fall of Pitax, it seems the PCs’ kingdom threatens 
  to become an empire in its own right. Refusing to let 
  Brevic lands slip through his grasp and to appear weak 
  in the face of rebellious Rostlanders, he sends one of the 
  nation’s Talon Armies to the border and demands the PCs’ 
  surrender. Can the PCs defend their nation from their 
  own fatherland? And will their act of defiance stoke the 
  flames of a full-scale revolution in Brevoy? See pages 61–63 
  for more details.
  Return of the Conqueror: When a great wyrm red dragon 
  of incredible size and power sweeps across the waters of 
  the Lake of Mists and Veils, all of Brevoy trembles. Yet, 
  when it declares itself Choral the Conqueror, legendary 
  unifier and rightful lord of all Brevoy, scheming nobles 
  divert its imperial eyes toward the Stolen Lands, a realm 
  long claimed by the nation but now held by new rulers: the 
  PCs. See pages 59–61 for more details. 
  Fury oF thE First World
  After a period of peace and entrenchment within their 
  nation, the PCs find a mysterious creature upon their 
  throne, a being of swirling mists, alien stars, and silent 
  doom. This creature, the Eldest Magdh, one of the 
  unpredictable and godlike rulers of the First World, comes 
  before the PCs to exact a price for their actions. While the 
  
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  nymph Nyrissa distinguished herself as troublemaker 
  among the lords of the First World, she was nevertheless 
  one of their sisters. Yet more than that, life, death, and 
  fate flow differently in the realm of the fey. In the First 
  World, a creature might die and live again a thousand, 
  thousand times, and find itself little changed. The strands 
  of destiny stretch continuously for the denizens of that 
  strange land, knotting and twisting but never ending. The 
  death of Nyrissa upon the Material Plane or by the blade 
  of the sword Briar, however, served not just to 
  end her life, but cut her existence off from her 
  home realm, annihilating her absolutely.
  Thus, Magdh comes seeking something other 
  then vengeance. She seeks an apology, and a personal 
  one at that, not just for herself, but for those Eldest with 
  the deepest interests in Golarion. To satisfy Magdh, her 
  kin, and the fey realm’s tangled web of predestiny, the 
  three-faced emissary demands that the PCs seek out 
  the domain of the Green Mother in the First World, 
  apologize for their trespass, pay her any service she 
  might require to ease her mourning (and untangle her 
  fate from Nyrissa’s broken fortunes), and then move 
  on to pay the same respects to the next Eldest. Thus, 
  only by touring the whimsically deadly First World 
  and courting its stormy lords can the PCs repay the 
  questionable debt perceived by these godlike beings.
  Should the PCs balk at such an elaborate apology, 
  Magdh elusively hints that the connection between 
  their land and the First World did not end with 
  Nyrissa. After a few weeks, when First World blooms 
  and minor gates to the fey realm begin reopening 
  and threatening the PCs’ kingdom, even the most 
  unapologetic sovereigns might rethink undertaking 
  Magdh’s personalized act of contrition.
  Actually entering the First World might be the PCs’ 
  initial challenge, should they lack the magic to hop from 
  one plane to the next. Determining whether they can enter 
  through newly opened blooms or need to find another gate 
  could take some research and travel—especially if they 
  seek an entrance that reliably allows them to return to 
  the Material Plane. Regardless of how they reach the First 
  World or where they enter, Magdh waits for them, and 
  serves as an elusive guide—disappearing and reappearing 
  as she will, often couching her directions or warnings in 
  riddles or doublespeak.
  Following is a list of the Eldest with domains or interests 
  with the closest ties to Golarion. While a campaign 
  venturing into the unpredictable and often dangerous 
  First World might lead the PCs into the realms of several 
  of these deific beings (or any of the other lands described 
  in the tour of the First World presented later in this 
  volume), ventures into this realm don’t need to include 
  every Eldest and every destination. The GM should lead 
  the PCs to as many strange realms and saddle them with 
  as many strange deeds as proves enjoyable, perhaps even 
  revealing that there might be more to Magdh’s wish for 
  an elaborate apology than mere extraplanar courtesy.
  The Green Mother: The vine-veiled salons and secret 
  rendezvous of the Hanging Bower form the court of the 
  Green Mother, sensual mistress of the Silkwood. Reaching 
  her throne room-boudoir requires the PCs to navigate a 
  maze of decadences, inviting company, fey temptations, 
  and pseudonatural wonders. While little rises 
  to confront visitors—aside from the occasional 
  surly arachnid—the dangers of becoming 
  entranced and trapped within a web of ecstasies 
  and fairy illusions are real. When the PCs gain an 
  audience with the Green Mother, she is grief-stricken 
  to again hear of dear Nyrissa’s death—even though the 
  Eldest had only encountered the nymph a handful of 
  times. She first insists that the only way to assuage her 
  erratic mourning is to leave the comeliest of the PCs 
  with her for all time. Resistant PCs might convince 
  her to accept another favor, though. The Witch-Tree 
  known as the Sard currently stalks the canopy of the 
  Riftwood. Sneaking into the presence of the Tane, one 
  of the impossibly massive monster-titans of the First 
  World, stealing one of its soul-shearing leaves, and 
  returning it to the Eldest also satisfies her. Should the 
  PCs do this for the Green Mother, she thanks them 
  passionately, and begrudgingly points them to the 
  court of Ng the Hooded.
  Ng the Hooded: The Eldest himself greets the PCs at 
  the gate of the Palace of Seasons. Already knowing why 
  they have come, he offers them four empty glass spheres, 
  and bids them return to Golarion and capture within 
  each sphere one of their world’s seasons. Upon their 
  return to the First World, he greets them, takes back the 
  spheres, and points them to the sea of Ragadahn.
  Ragadahn the Water Lord: Three great challenges 
  confound those who would treat with the Father of 
  Dragons. First, no seaside entreaty summons the Eldest to 
  the PCs, requiring them to venture into his underwater 
  realm. Second, his sunken metropolis, Karaphas the 
  Drowned, is a maze of uncanny undersea ruins infested 
  by curious and ill-tempered ocean creatures, sea serpents, 
  linnorms, and worse. Third, the Water Lord’s temper makes 
  approaching him and interrupting his wandering revery a 
  dangerous proposition, one that only a remarkable gift or 
  particularly flattering—but not too flattering—entreaty 
  might assuage. Ragadahn cares not about Nyrissa’s death 
  and dismisses the PCs to bother Imbrex.
  Imbrex the Twins: Though also caring little about the 
  death of Nyrissa the nymph, the massive, statue-like Eldest 
  that is Imbrex chooses not to show its favor or disfavor 
  with the PCs. Their challenge thus becomes finding a way 
  
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  to commune with Imbrex and learn what the dual-lord 
  requires. While the residents of Anophaeus might be of 
  some help or might even offer to “interpret” the Eldest’s 
  will—potentially for their own ends—likely only by 
  entering a realm of dreams might the PCs learn the Twins’ 
  desires. Upon awaking, the telepathically blared name 
  “Shyka” leads the PCs on.
  Shyka the Many: Within the lofty House of Eternity, 
  the multitude that is Shyka the Many makes its home. 
  Wandering the time-maze of this ever-changing citadel 
  likely leads the PCs to encounter numerous strange 
  creatures, from beings lurking past, beyond, or before 
  time, to figures lost to history, and even to past or future 
  incarnations of themselves. Approaching Shyka’s throne, 
  the distracted and seemingly panicked Eldest asks for a 
  desperate boon: a single year. Fortunately, the PCs have 
  already acquired a year for Ng. Thus, Shyka begs the PCs to 
  make haste to steal into the Palace of Seasons, reclaim their 
  gift to Ng, and bear it to him instead. The dangers and traps 
  Ng has prepared to defend his seasons prove as numerous 
  and strange as they are deadly, but should be achievable. 
  With their infiltration complete, the PCs return to Shyka 
  and find the Eldest changed into another, far calmer 
  persona. This new Shyka thanks them, but has no need for 
  the gift. She hands the orbs containing Golarion’s seasons 
  directly to Ng, who waits at hand to receive them. The Eldest 
  then asks the PCs to pay a visit to the Lost Prince.
  The Lost Prince: Upon reaching the Crumbling Tower, 
  the PCs find it in the throes of a violent anti-magic storm, 
  one that seems to take a particular interest in the PCs 
  themselves. Scaling the tower thus becomes a challenge of 
  acrobatics and cunning as the structure rises and collapses 
  around them. Gaining the highest chamber actually means 
  pursuing the constantly moving door to the throne room, 
  as rivers of crumbling architecture threaten to dash it to the 
  ground while the franticly building army of servitors fights 
  to keep it aloft. As the storm disperses and the PCs gain 
  access to the audience hall, they find it a claustrophobic, 
  drafty attic room with a single, sad-looking stool. On it lies 
  a worn doll missing a button eye, with a note pinned over its 
  mouth: “Thank You, but No Thank You. See M. ~P.”
  Magdh: The PCs find Magdh amid the vision-pools of 
  her home in the Evergrove. There, she has a final task for 
  the PCs: restore the nymph Nyrissa to life. Apparently the 
  whimsical Eldest known as the Lantern King somehow 
  managed to snatch up Nyrissa’s fading life energy and 
  spirit it back to the First World. Yet, rather than allowing 
  it to restore the nymph in her homeland, he’s bottled it in a 
  weird parody of the sword Briar and set it at the heart of the 
  restored House at the Edge of Time. Now the Lantern King 
  entertains himself playing gentleman caller to his bottle-
  belle, all in an even stranger vision of Thousandbreaths, 
  reshaped to his whimsically demented pleasure. Thus, 
  the PCs must revisit Nyrissa’s realm, an even more wildly 
  crazed reflection of the First World expanse detailed in 
  this volume, and release the nymph’s soul from its prison, 
  either by talking the Lantern King out of his current 
  fancy or in complete defiance of the Eldest’s will. Freeing 
  Nyrissa’s essence allows the nymph to be reborn elsewhere 
  on the First World, but likely as a whole creature again. 
  And should the PCs have concerns about restoring their 
  old enemy, Magdh can assure them that they’ll all be long 
  dead before the nymph ever remembers enough of her 
  past lives to contemplate revenge. Whisking the PCs back 
  to their kingdom and assuring them that the fates of the 
  First World and their realm are now restored to the proper 
  balance, Magdh leaves the PCs with one final request: 
  Meddle in the affairs of the fey no more!
  rEturn oF thE ConquEror
  Soon after the PCs return from Thousandbreaths, word 
  reaches them of a most unprecedented marvel in Brevoy: 
  Choral the Conqueror, historic but lost unifier of Brevoy, 
  has returned. Yet, in an unthinkable outrage, rather than 
  being a man of flesh and blood, the more than 2-centuries-
  old king is a draconic titan! Sweeping down upon New 
  Stetven and proclaiming his right to the Dragonscale 
  Throne, the great red dragon obviously differs from the 
  historians’ tales of the father of Brevoy. Yet, tales of the 
  Conqueror’s draconic allies and the wyrm’s more than 
  encyclopedic knowledge of the lost lord’s life and secrets 
  make his claim all the more possible—to say nothing of the 
  fact that none in New Stetven dare denounce the fortress-
  sized monster. In a cunning gambit to rid the capital of 
  the beast and buy the country time to muster its armies 
  to drive back the dragon, King Surtova guilefully asks the 
  dragon Choral to submit to a test. Just as the legendary 
  Choral forged Brevoy from disparate lands, Surtova posits 
  that, should the dragon be able to reunite the Stolen Lands 
  with the rest of the nation, such a feat would go far to prove 
  the wyrm’s identity. Thus, the dragon readies itself for a 
  campaign of conquest, sharpening its claws to sink into 
  the Stolen Lands and the PCs themselves.
  Choral the Conqueror 
   
  CR 25
  XP 1,638,400
  Advanced great wyrm red dragon
  CE Colossal dragon (fire)
  Init +4; Senses dragon sense, smoke vision; Perception +29
  Aura fire, frightful presence (360 ft., DC 32)
  Defense 
  AC 43, touch 2, flat-footed 43 (+41 natural, –8 size)
  hp 507 (29d12+319)
  fort +27, Ref +16, Will +26
  DR 20/magic; Immune fire, paralysis, sleep; sR 36
  Weakness vulnerability to cold
  
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  Offense
  speed 40 ft., fly 250 ft. (clumsy)
  Melee bite +47 (4d8+27/19–20), 2 claws +47 (4d6+18), 2 wings 
  +45 (2d8+9), tail slap +45 (4d6+27)
  space 30 ft.; Reach 25 ft. (30 ft. with bite)
  special Attacks breath weapon (70-ft. cone, DC 35, 24d10 fire), 
  crush, incinerate, manipulate flames, melt stone, tail sweep
  spell-Like Abilities (CL 29th, concentration +37)
  At will—detect magic, discern location, find the path, 
  pyrotechnics (DC 20), suggestion (DC 21), wall of fire
  spells Known (CL 19th, concentration +27)
  9th (4/day)—shapechange, time stop
  8th (7/day)—iron body, polar ray, polymorph any object (DC 26)
  7th (7/day)—greater teleport, limited wish, spell turning
  6th (7/day)—antimagic field, contingency, greater dispel magic
  5th (7/day)—polymorph, telekinesis (DC 23), teleport, wall of force
  4th (8/day)—fear (DC 22), fire shield, greater invisibility, stoneskin
  3rd (8/day)—dispel magic, displacement, haste, tongues
  2nd (8/day)—alter self, detect thoughts, misdirection, resist 
  energy, see invisibility
  1st (8/day)—alarm, grease (DC 19), magic missile, shield, true strike
  0 (at will)—arcane mark, bleed, light, mage hand, mending, 
  message, open/close, prestidigitation, read magic
  stAtIstICs
  str 47, Dex 10, Con 33, Int 26, Wis 27, Cha 26
  Base Atk +29; CMB +55; CMD 55 (59 vs. trip)
  feats Awesome Blow, Cleave, Great Cleave, Greater Vital 
  Strike, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (bite), 
  Improved Initiative, Improved Iron Will, Improved Vital 
  Strike, Iron Will, Multiattack, Power Attack, Quicken Spell, 
  Stunning Critical, Vital Strike
  skills Appraise +29, Bluff +29, Diplomacy +29, Fly +29, 
  Intimidate +29, Knowledge (arcana) +29, Knowledge 
  (history), +29 Knowledge (local) +29, Knowledge (nobility) 
  +29, Perception +29, Sense Motive +29, Spellcraft +29, 
  Stealth +29, Survival +29
  Languages Abyssal, Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Giant, 
  Hallit, Ignan, Orc, Skald
  thE ConquEror’s hoArd
  The dragon claiming to be Choral the Conqueror is a 
  crafty foe, and should he face his end, he likely does so on 
  his own ground, where his lair lies hidden—somewhere 
  in Brevoy, north of the Lake of Mists and Veils, or 
  elsewhere. Those who survive an epic battle against the 
  terror receive an equally epic reward. The hoard of Choral 
  the Conqueror is valued at approximately 630,000 gp and 
  consists of the following.
  •	 1,950,008	cp
  •	 160,000	sp
  •	 22,000	gp
  •	 1,100	pp
  •	 Dozens	 of	 types	 and	 shapes	 of	 both	 raw	 and	 cut	
  gemstones, meticulously organized by type and size in 
  numerous chests and coffers (worth 19,300 gp in total), 
  along with two masterpieces: a silver hourglass filled 
  with small but flawless white pearls (worth 5,000 gp) and 
  a ruby cut with unnerving precision into the shape of a 
  human heart (worth 6,696 gp).
  •	 A	 stunning	 variety	 of	 jewelry,	 from	 simple	 rings,	
  brooches, and pendants to elaborate jeweled armbands, 
  precious torcs, and filigree masks, fill several delicate 
  displays and padded cases (worth 23,000 gp altogether). 
  Eclipsing the assortment’s other splendors, a collection 
  of six crowns—each a masterpiece from a different era 
  and culture—sit upon six yellowed skulls, glimmering 
  as grim but striking trophies (worth approximately 
  4,000 gp apiece). One of these crowns is firmly nailed to 
  its skull mount.
  •	 30	masterwork	weapons,	mostly	overly	long	and	sturdy	
  lances of Brevic make dating back to the time of the 
  country’s unification, worth 9,300 gp in total.
  
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  Beyond Kingmaker
  Beyond Kingmaker
  •	 12 masterwork suits of armor, several still bearing the 
  distinct	odor	of	charred	meat,	worth	10,800	in	total.
  •	 A	 centuries-old	 copy	 of	 the	 Record of Truan Iolavai, 
  written in Common and bound in thick green scales, 
  which bears thorough amendments and marginalia in 
  the Cyclops language, a language that seems to backdate 
  the already ancient book by untold ages. Several rough, 
  hand drawn maps of Iobaria, the Windswept Wastes, 
  and western Kaladay fill the end papers, also bearing 
  annotations and corrections. The most noteworthy 
  alteration pushes the northwestern arm of the Castrovin 
  Sea several dozen miles south and marks what looks 
  like a maze of trees and a man-shaped tower about 150 
  miles south of modern Mirnbay. This unique, ancient 
  document is worth 15,000 gp.
  •	 A	black	marble	statue	of	a	7-foot-tall	warrior	dressed	in	
  the airy robes of an ancient Jiskan noble. While most 
  of the sculpture’s body bears a flesh-like appearance, 
  purposefully carved cracks reveal gear work designs 
  beneath—though its body is entirely stone. As an 
  oddity and stunning piece of ancient art, the statue is 
  worth 22,000 gp. However, those who dispel the magic 
  affecting the statue (DC 32 dispel check) reveal it to be 
  a powerful kolyarut inevitable called Lirjox (see the 
  Pathfinder RPG Bestiary II), possessing several levels of 
  fighter or inquisitor. Lirjox has been trapped for several 
  thousand years, yet after a brief period of confusion, 
  seeks to fulfill his ancient mission to wipe out an 
  ancient family of foul magic-users. Unfortunately, 
  Lirjox does not see a distinction between his ancient 
  mandate to exterminate a handful of wizards and the 
  hundreds of innocents who can trace their ancestry 
  through the generations to these long-dead villains.
  •	 A	 masterwork	 mandolin,	 carved	 from	 lacewood	 and	
  etched with images of intertwined snakes and graceful 
  angels, with a neck sculpted like the serpentine body of 
  a lillend azata. As an instrument, the mandolin is worth 
  4,000	 gp.	 Those	 who	 make	 a	 DC	 18	 Perception	 check	
  notice that the body of the instrument hides a folded 
  piece of handwritten sheet music, its song a simple but 
  very catchy melody, sure to be popular if played in public. 
  Aside from notes, the paper bears the initials “S.P.”
  •	 A	 green	 acorn	 the	 size	 of	 a	 human’s	 head.	 A	 DC	 25	
  Knowledge (nature) check reveals it to be a treant’s seed. 
  Returning the seed to a treant, goodly fey creature, 
  druid, or other agent of nature is sure to win thanks. 
  Alternatively, planting and tending the seed for 5 years 
  sees it grow into a young treant. The acorn is worth 
  6,000 gp to some eclectic gardeners and wizards.
  •	 The	 incredible	 armored	 ball	 gown	 of	 Aidiusphine,	
  Choral the Conqueror’s infamously brutal lieutenant 
  and rumored lover. Shinning studs, mithral chains, 
  and filigree “embroidery” replace the silks and lace that 
  would commonly compose such an elaborate outfit. The 
  gown is effectively +4 mithral full-plate of etherealness, worth 
  75,800	gp.	If	need	be,	the	armor’s	dress	can	be	removed,	
  making the armor usable as half plate rather then full 
  plate, but retaining all of its magical properties.
  •	 Three	sizeable	pieces	of	adamantine	ore.	These	slabs	
  of skymetal are worth a total of 15,000 gp, and could 
  easily be used by a skilled craftsman to forge new 
  weapons or armor—using the value of the ore to forgo 
  the additional cost of creating an adamantine item. 
  •	 Two	 collections	 of	 spellbooks,	 one	 set	 bound	 in	 pale	
  leather and bearing the emblem of an elaborate 
  cartouche circling crossed swords, and the other 
  made of sheets of thick papyrus covered by panels of 
  lacquered wood. These tomes might bear any spells the 
  GM wishes to introduce into the campaign.
  •	 A	+3 speed falchion
  •	 An	amulet of mighty fists +2
  •	 A	bronze griffon figurine of wondrous power
  •	 2 carpets of flying (5 ft. by 10 ft.)
  •	 3	elixirs of love
  •	 Iron	bands	of	binding
  •	 A	ring of x-ray vision
  •	 A	rod of security
  •	 A	set	of	horseshoes of speed
  •	 A	tome of leadership and influence +2
  thE rostlAnd rEvolution
  The ascension of King Noleski Surtova to the Dragonscale 
  Throne has not been popular among the proud people 
  of Rostland. Throughout the frosty Rostland Plains 
  fester memories of generations-old slights and injustices 
  committed by arrogant Issians in the days before Choral 
  the Conqueror united the nation. In the Free City of Restov, 
  firebrands whisper of the days when no Rostlander would 
  bend his knee to a northerner lord and their lands were 
  theirs to do with as they pleased. Even in the council halls 
  of Lord Mayor Sellemius echoes such dissent, urging the 
  city’s ruler to reclaim a measure of the land’s former 
  glory. Yet rather than turn his eyes to the strength of the 
  capital and crown guard at New Stetven, Sellemius sets 
  his sights south, on the Stolen Lands, testing his people’s 
  willingness to let action match their words.
  In the months since Restov sponsored bands to enter 
  and reclaim the Stolen Lands, ostensibly for the Brevic 
  crown, but in truth for the honor of Rostland, much 
  has changed. Where once ran a wilderness of lurking 
  beasts and elusive bandits now sprawls a new kingdom, 
  beholden to its former masters only in the most tenuous 
  of terms. Restov’s trick to galvanize the pride of its people 
  and expand its holdings as a prelude to challenging New 
  Stetven has failed in a remarkably unforeseen way, yet 
  one that might still play into the Rostlanders’ needs. 
  
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  In the capital, however, the growing power in the Stolen 
  Lands symbolizes both an insult to the Dragonscale 
  Throne and a potential threat to Brevoy 
  as a whole. Seeing only that Restov’s 
  attempt to reclaim the southern frontier 
  has facilitated the rise of a resourceful 
  warlord, King Surtova acts to decisively 
  quash this fledging kingdom. Backed 
  by the Company of the Red Claw and 
  the Crown Knights of Issia, armies in 
  service to the throne, two messengers 
  leave New Stetven. One travels to 
  Restov, bearing tidings of suspicion 
  and royal disapproval, and a command 
  to sever all ties with agents in the 
  River Kingdoms—with the scarlet 
  lances of hundreds of Issia’s finest 
  horsemen reinforcing the decree. 
  The other messenger, accompanied 
  by the mercenary hill folk of the 
  Red Claw, delves into the Stolen 
  Lands with a simple ultimatum meant to test that region’s 
  ruler: surrender, or face open war.
  The threat of war again looms over the Stolen Lands, and 
  now the PCs must decide whether they want to relinquish 
  their hard-won country or lead their people to war.
  thE BrEviC CAmpAign
  Should the PCs decide to wage war against Brevoy, they 
  need not be alone. To the north, only steel lances hold 
  Restov’s rebellious dreams at bay, and while Lord Mayor 
  Sellemius balks at leading his people to war, he eagerly 
  backs any righteous banner marching toward New 
  Stetven. Numerous other forces might also be turned 
  toward Brevoy’s heartland, from ambitious lords of the 
  River Kingdoms and Numeria eager to claim noble titles, 
  to peoples like the Nomen Centaurs, inflamed by the 
  chance to lay their arrogant neighbors low. By the same 
  token, though, Brevoy is far from undefended. Multiple 
  armies guard the capital, notably the various regiments 
  of the Crown Knights of Issia and the home guard of the 
  Stetven Shield. Should war come to Brevoy, King Surtova 
  proves both wily and merciless. He acts swiftly to move 
  the Dragonscale Throne to his family’s ancestral fortress, 
  the White Manor in Port Ice, deep amid friendlier Issian 
  lands. Any who would seek to depose Surtova must then 
  fight their way through all of Brevoy, facing not only 
  armies loyal to the crown, but also mercenaries bought 
  by royal gold and the private forces of nobles desperately 
  clinging their lands. This is not to say that diplomacy, 
  cunning, and gold might not win allies for either side, and 
  just as Surtova might purchase aid from Numeria, so too 
  might the PCs win the support of noble forces. 
  Although much of a campaign dealing with the conquest 
  of Brevoy doubtlessly takes place on the field of battle, 
  there are still plenty of adventures that might see the 
  PCs riding forth without their armies. Any attempt 
  to win new allies to the PCs’ cause is likely best 
  conducted without legions of soldiers waiting 
  over the hill—though that might not hold 
  true when dealing with Numerian warlords 
  and certain regents of the River Kingdoms. 
  The Ruby Fortress in New Stetven might 
  also hold secrets to be used against 
  Surtova, whether those secrets be 
  weapons of Choral the Conqueror 
  or shocking revelations about the 
  disappearance of the members 
  of House Rogarvia. Other famed 
  and notorious sites might also 
  await 
  Brevoy’s 
  invaders, 
  each 
  bearing its own mysteries, challenges, 
  and opportunities for altering the course of 
  the war, from the weird magical observatory of 
  Skywatch to the haunted, dragon-scarred lands of 
  the Valley of Fire. In any case, few adventurers put 
  down their swords and staves just because they’ve become 
  generals or kings, and leading an army doesn’t need to 
  mean one’s dungeon delving days are past.
  What follow are several new armies that, along with 
  those presented in Pathfinder Adventure Path #35, can help 
  GMs run dozens of new conflicts upon new battlefields, 
  in Brevoy and beyond. GMs are also encouraged to 
  use the rules presented in that volume to create any 
  additional armies their campaigns might require.
  AlliEd ArmiEs
  Restov Rebels 
   
  CR 8
  Gargantuan army of humans (warrior 4)
  COMBAt
  hp 44; DV 18; OM +8
  special Ability crusader
  LOgIstICs
  speed 2; Consumption 3
  Prerequisite Must have liberated the city of Restov
  Aldori elite 
   
  CR 9
  Large army of humans (fighter 8)
  COMBAt
  hp 49; DV 19; OM +10
  tactics Dirty Fighters; Resources Improved Weapons
  special Ability crusader
  LOgIstICs
  speed 2; Consumption 3
  Prerequisite Must have liberated the city of Restov
  
  63
  Beyond Kingmaker
  Beyond Kingmaker
  numerian Marauders 
   
  CR 9
  Huge army of humans (barbarian 6)
  COMBAt
  hp 59; DV 19; OM +9
  tactics Relentless Brutality
  special Ability mercenary
  LOgIstICs
  speed 2; Consumption 4
  Prerequisite Allied with a Numerian warlord
  River Kingdom Renegades 
   
  CR 4
  Medium army of humans (ranger 5)
  COMBAt
  hp 22; DV 14; OM +4
  tactics False Retreat; Resources ranged weapons
  special Ability mercenary
  LOgIstICs
  speed 2; Consumption 2
  Prerequisite Allied with another River Kingdom
  lEgions oF BrEvoy
  the Assassin Army 
   
  CR 7
  Medium army of humans (rogue 8)
  COMBAt
  hp 31; DV 17; OM +7
  special Ability poison
  LOgIstICs
  speed 3; Consumption 3
  Company of the Black Claw 
   
  CR 6
  Huge army of humans (warrior 4)
  COMBAt
  hp 33; DV 16; OM +6
  tactics Taunt
  LOgIstICs
  speed 2; Consumption 3
  Crown Knights of Issia 
   
  CR 8
  Huge army of humans (cavalier 5)
  COMBAt
  hp 44; DV 20; OM +10
  Resources mounts
  LOgIstICs
  speed 3; Consumption 4
  noble House Private Army 
    
  CR 6
  Large army of humans (fighter 5)
  COMBAt
  hp 33; DV 18; OM +8
  Resources mounts
  LOgIstICs
  speed 3; Consumption 3
  Prerequisite Allied with a Brevic noble house
  Port Ice Privateers 
   
  CR 13
  Gargantuan army of humans (fighter 8)
  COMBAt
  hp 71; DV 23; OM +13
  tactics Dirty Fighters; Resources ships
  LOgIstICs
  speed 3; Consumption 6
  skywatch spellguard 
   
  CR 8
  Large army of humans (wizard 6)
  COMBAt
  hp 28; DV 21; OM +11
  tactics 
  special Abilities spellcasting
  LOgIstICs
  speed 3; Consumption 6
  Prerequisite Control Skywatch
  the stetven shield 
   
  CR 12
  Colossal army of humans (fighter 5)
  COMBAt
  hp 66; DV 22; OM +13
  Resources improved armor
  LOgIstICs
  speed 1; Consumption 6
  New Resources and Special Abilities
  In addition to those strategies presented in Pathfinder 
  Adventure Path #35, these new armies make use of several 
  new tactics.
  special Ability: Crusader: Whether a legion of holy 
  warriors or a band of freedom fighters, this army is 
  particularly dedicated to its cause. Its consumption is 
  reduced by –1 (to a minimum of 0). 
  special Ability: Mercenary: This army fights for the 
  highest bidder. Its weekly consumption points can be paid 
  in either Build Points or gold. It costs 1,000 × the army’s CR 
  to pay for 1 Build Point. A mercenary army can be overpaid 
  in gold to increase its morale. For every additional Build 
  Point (or its worth in gold) paid in addition to its normal 
  consumption, the army gains +1 Morale for that week (to a 
  maximum Morale bonus equal to half the army’s CR). 
  Resource: ships (10 BP per 100 soldiers): This army is 
  capable of moving over water through a single body of 
  water (and connected bodies that a ship could reasonable 
  reach) at a rate equal to their normal speed +1.  The army 
  receives +4 DV and –4 OM if on the water and battling an 
  army on land. Having ranged weapons negates the penalty 
  to OM. 
  
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  The First World
  The First World
  f the multiverse is the gods’ finest work of art, as their priests so 
  often claim, then the First World is their rough sketch. Crumpled 
  and tossed away in a time before time, this world has no place 
  in the conventional cosmology of the planes. Instead, the First World 
  exists behind the Material Plane, as a palimpsest in which one reality 
  is laid over the top of the other, effectively erasing the original from the 
  multiverse. It is the birthplace of gnomes and the fey, and within its wild 
  and ever-shifting borders roam strange entities, both the eerily familiar 
  precursors of mundane animals and beings alien beyond measure. It is a 
  realm of life and nature run rampant, both beautiful and terrible, and the 
  same could be said of its disconcerting residents.
  
  65
  The First World
  The First World
  l
  n a more concrete sense, the First World is a chaotic 
  realm that incorporates elements of both the Material 
  Plane and the Shadow Plane, as it is coterminous with 
  both and represents a blueprint left over from a time before 
  those two realms split in earnest. Cosmologists sometimes 
  explain the current location and relationship of the three 
  planes as being like white light split apart by a prism: once 
  all three planes occupied the same space, yet over the ages 
  the Negative Energy Plane has pulled the various realms 
  out of phase, with the Shadow Plane pulled faster than the 
  First World, which in turn is more susceptible than the 
  Material Plane. The result is that while all three are still 
  coterminous, the First World has more in common with 
  both the Material Plane and the Shadow Plane than the 
  latter two do with each other, and possesses many qualities 
  that mortals normally associate with the Shadow Plane.
  GeoGraphy
  In all aspects, the First World is both primal and primordial, 
  appearing as a bigger and brighter version of the Material 
  Plane. While other infinite planes still bear plenty of 
  familiar, constant locations, the First World is a universe of 
  possibilities, and the path you take between landmarks today 
  might be twisted or gone tomorrow. In many ways, the First 
  World is similar to the chaos of the Maelstrom, yet while the 
  Cerulean Void is the chaos of entropy and destruction, the 
  First World is the chaos of birth and fertility. Rather than 
  lacking natural laws, it is a jumble of conflicting and half-
  considered rulings, as well as the endless drive of nature to 
  exploit such flaws.
  The First World is infinite, and given over to wilderness in 
  all of its forms: impossibly vast forests and mountain ranges 
  that mirror our own, yet with infinitely more variation. 
  These places are constantly blooming and evolving, and 
  the creatures that run within them are prototypes of every 
  creature in existence, in varying stages of completion. 
  Natural phenomena themselves take strange forms, and 
  what seems like rain may upon closer inspection turn out 
  to be only an artist’s impression of rain, dumping oceans of 
  water without getting anything wet.
  Stability and ShapinG
  Natural laws rarely last long in the First World, and have 
  a disturbing tendency to vary from region to region, as if 
  someone were slowly tweaking the world’s design—which 
  in many cases is the literal truth. For while constants are 
  hard to come by in the land of the fey, willpower counts 
  for everything, and many of the more powerful residents 
  and artifacts—such as the mysterious rulers known as the 
  Eldest—have the ability to bend and mold the world around 
  them at will. While far from static, the landscapes within 
  these regions can be manipulated only by their masters, 
  making them welcome islands of stability for extraplanar 
  travelers. This process of bending the First World around 
  oneself is known as “shaping,” and while only the Eldest 
  are capable of doing it on a grand scale, many residents of 
  the First World engage in it to some extent. Even visitors 
  to the realm might unintentionally find themselves subtly 
  manipulating the landscape and natural laws.
  A second form of stability comes in the form of randomly 
  occurring singularities. Sailing through the First World 
  like comets, these invisible forces create swaths of 
  stability anywhere from a few feet to hundreds of miles 
  wide, meandering trails in which the natural laws are 
  locked in place. Though rarely dangerous to locals, these 
  singularities spawn thousands of explanations. Are they 
  the souls of dead or transcendent gods? Are they a cancer 
  on the First World itself, one that will eventually render it 
  as systematic and bland as the Material Plane? Whatever 
  the truth may be, the trails seem to have a set length, 
  lasting anywhere from hours to centuries before slowly 
  rolling up behind themselves without a trace—though 
  some residents fear they’re steadily growing longer.
  The form of stability in the First World most commonly 
  encountered by travelers from the Material Plane is the 
  breach scar. These regions occur around open portals and 
  rifts to the Material Plane that allow some of its stability 
  to seep into the First World. While these scars give 
  adventurers a locked position to map out and return to, 
  locals rarely take kindly to such uninvited intrusion, and 
  most First World creatures stumbling across a breach scar 
  do their best to repair the damage, taking out their ire on 
  the parties responsible.
  travel
  Moving between the First World and the Material Plane is 
  more difficult than traveling between planes, as the First 
  World exists behind reality rather than within it. Passing 
  between the conventional cosmology and the First World at 
  will requires magic at least as powerful as gate, but more 
  often travelers seek out portals known as breaches. These 
  tears in reality occur at weak points between the First 
  World and the Material Plane, places where the fabric of the 
  universe has worn thin to reveal the world behind it. Such 
  breaks sometimes occur naturally, but are often the result 
  of powerful magic straining reality past its breaking point. 
  Here beings from both sides can move between worlds with 
  impunity. Breaches are frequently identifiable by energy 
  from each world leaking through into the other—in the 
  First World, the area around such a rift crystallizes into 
  the stable breach scars, while on the Material Plane, the 
  area near a breach suddenly blooms with strange life as 
  the fertility of the First World makes a mad rush into new 
  territory. In both cases, a breach tends to attract immediate 
  attention from locals, eager to either destroy it or harness 
  the portal and energy leakage for their own purposes.
  
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  On Time
  Like all laws and constants, time has less of a foothold in the 
  First World. It progresses faster in some areas and slower 
  in others, sometimes according to the whim of powerful 
  individuals. Creatures may exist right next to each other but 
  in different timestreams, potentially making them invisible 
  to each other (for to a creature as slow as a starfish, does 
  a hummingbird even exist?). While such variances seem 
  strange to outsiders, most First World natives think nothing 
  of the occasional chronological incompatibility, and the most 
  powerful individual in a group or area tends to enforce its 
  own time scheme upon the others. Fortunately for visitors 
  from the Material Plane, their own sense of time—hard-
  coded into them by their mortality—tends to keep them 
  rooted in their own timestream while in the First World. 
  Unfortunately, this means that it generally roots those 
  around them as well, which isn’t always appreciated.
  Travel within the First World is much easier, and like the 
  Shadow Plane, its strange relationship with distance is one 
  of its most attractive features to visitors from the Material 
  Plane. According to theorists, part of the reason the 
  landscape of the First World is so mutable is that the fabric 
  of the plane itself is constantly undulating, bunching and 
  unbunching like a page being crumpled and smoothed. To 
  those within the First World, this undulation manifests as 
  distances never being fixed; two locations that are leagues 
  apart one moment can be neighbors in the next as the plane 
  scrunches itself into a new arrangement. For those like the 
  Eldest who have sufficient willpower, it’s even possible to 
  temporarily direct the folding of the plane’s fabric and 
  step straight from one location to another.
  Unlike the Shadow Plane, however, the First World is 
  not a direct reflection of the Material Plane, and hence is 
  not bound to the same dimensions. The First World exists 
  behind the entirety of the Material Plane, not just Golarion, 
  and doesn’t follow the same model of scattered worlds in 
  interstellar space. Thus, an enterprising scholar attempting 
  to reach one of the other planets in the night sky might 
  simply enter the First World and begin walking, knowing 
  that the mutability of distance and time might eventually 
  allow him to exit through a breach onto another world. 
  Certainly, some of the stranger beings in the First World 
  (and even the Material Plane) may have emigrated from the 
  stars in the same manner. What residents of Golarion refer 
  to as the First World is merely that patch of the fey realm 
  resting directly behind their own, and distant worlds harbor 
  similarly distant (and alien) regions of the First World.
  MaGic and reliGion
  The First World was the rough draft for the Material Plane. 
  And like most rough drafts, it was abandoned by the artists 
  once the final work was complete. For most gods, the First 
  World holds little entertainment compared to the Material 
  Plane, and such prejudice is reinforced by the First World’s 
  lack of those items that most hold deities’ interest: souls.
  Creatures of the First World have no souls, and thus 
  have little to offer the gods. Accordingly, most First World 
  residents have little time for religion, and those few who 
  still agitate for the gods’ return find their prayers falling 
  upon deaf ears. On the plus side, however, the gods’ 
  negligence makes the First World a perfect place to hide 
  from their sight, should one incur divine wrath.
  Faith within the First World is a curiosity, and most 
  residents of a worshipful bent tend to place their faith in one 
  of the Eldest. Those faithful who pass into the First World 
  from the Material Plane often report a terrifying feeling 
  of disconnection from their patrons, and divine magic 
  functions even more strangely within the fey realm than its 
  arcane counterpart. Spells contacting deities or summoning 
  outsider allies have a high probability of failing or acting in 
  unforeseen ways, and spells intended to summon animals 
  tend to summon their strange First World versions instead. 
  Of course, the fact that clerics can still cast spells within the 
  First World at all leads many Material Plane practitioners 
  to smugly assert that the gods haven’t actually abandoned 
  the First World. Yet the fey are just as quick to point out 
  that the clerics' spell effects may be the result of the will and 
  conviction behind their faith, with the casters shaping the 
  world around them through traditional First World means.
  reSidentS
  The First World is known throughout the Material Plane 
  as the ancestral home of the fey and the place from which 
  gnomes emigrated long ago, yet it is home to more than just 
  dryads and pixies. Its varied environments boast ecosystems 
  a hundred times more complex than those of the Material 
  Plane. Nearly every creature that has ever existed on the 
  Material Plane still has a prototype within the First World, 
  many with strange traits that never made it into the final 
  design. In the First World, wolves might have tentacles, 
  birds reptilian tails, or badgers giraffe-like necks to steal 
  honey from the hives of intelligent bees. Given the plane’s 
  vastness, the variations are literally endless, and some posit 
  that summoners tap into this to create their eidolons.
  Within this world, the fey are dominant, existing in 
  harmony with the landscape much as their Material Plane 
  counterparts do. Yet to equate two dryads from different 
  planes is a mistake, for while their forms may be similar, 
  their mindsets are distinct for several reasons, the most 
  significant being the immortality of First World natives.
  Simply put, creatures of the First World do not die—at 
  least, not without powerful magic. Cut off from the cycle of 
  souls, a mortally wounded native reforms from the stuff of 
  the First World after a variable amount of time. As a result, 
  
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  The First World
  a First World native’s concept of death is sketchy at best, 
  leading to customs and a capricious sense of humor that 
  can be unintentionally murderous to outsiders. Similarly, 
  the mutability of their home in all respects makes them 
  inherently fickle and untrustworthy, with priorities that 
  rarely align with those of mortal creatures. They are 
  fundamentally disconnected from all the things that give 
  mortal life balance and significance, and this disconnect 
  makes them a dangerous unknown in most matters.
  Oddly enough, one thing that doesn’t change much in the 
  First World is language. With few exceptions, all speech-
  capable beings within the First World communicate in the 
  same unnamed universal language, a tongue that may be 
  the foundation of both Sylvan and Aklo, and that speakers 
  of either can generally understand.
  In addition to conventional fey, several other prominent 
  Material Plane races have their origins on the First World. 
  Gnomes live here in abundance, though immortal and 
  even stranger than their Material Plane kin. Linnorms 
  also roam the forests and mountains, claiming to be the 
  ancestors of all modern dragons (who supposedly descend 
  from linnorms that emigrated long ago). And hundreds of 
  others, from lesser jabberwocks to treants and vegepygmies, 
  make their way in the wilderness of the First World.
  Most creatures from the First World, however, never 
  venture to the Material Plane—for if a First World creature 
  dies on a different plane, it ceases to exist. Faced with such 
  a risk, it’s a wonder that any of the fey remained on the 
  Material Plane long enough to become part of it.
  the eldeSt
  While no one truly rules the First World, there are those 
  entities so powerful as to command respect and obedience 
  from other residents, and even from the land itself. These 
  all-powerful personalities go by many names—the fey-
  lords, the shapers—yet to most they are simply the Eldest. 
  Parents, dictators, and forces of nature all in one, the Eldest 
  have little interest in the fairy circles and fey courts of either 
  the First World or the Material Plane, and even the hangers-
  on that make up their personal courts matter no more to 
  them than oxpecker birds matter to a hippopotamus. For 
  the most part, the Eldest are content to commune with each 
  other and pursue their own cryptic plots and curiosities. Yet 
  when their ancient eyes focus on outsiders, dreams can be 
  granted, and whole worlds can feel their touch.
  Manifestations of their masters’ will, the demesnes of 
  the Eldest are the stablest landmarks in the First World, 
  yet tend to follow their masters around unless specifically 
  anchored. While Eldest presumably exist throughout the 
  infinite reaches of the First World, the term is usually used 
  on Golarion to refer specifically to the eight (formerly nine) 
  known entities who live close enough to make their presence 
  felt. The members of this strange cohort are listed below.
  Count Ranalc: The third volume of Hobard’s Catalogue 
  of Impossible Beings describes a regal fey lord named Ranalc 
  among the Eldest. A primal being of darkness and the 
  chaos of creation, Ranalc was exiled from the First World 
  millennia ago by his fellows, carving out a forlorn barony 
  in the depths of the Shadow Plane, from which his sworn 
  agents manipulated events on the Material Plane. Records 
  of Ranalc’s interference date back to the earliest days of 
  the Age of Anguish, but by the third century of the Age 
  of Enthronement his name had disappeared from most 
  new texts. Ranalc’s disappearance (some say murder) dates 
  almost exactly to the siege of Absalom by the archwizard 
  Nex, a longtime foe of the fey lord, and Hobard himself 
  suggests that the shadowy creatures Nex used to raid the 
  city may have some connection to the missing Eldest.
  The Green Mother: This tall, beautiful woman resembles 
  a cross between a nymph, an elf, and a dryad, and has 
  shocking green hair. Her flawless skin constantly shifts 
  to resemble natural features—sometimes her hands are 
  gnarled tree roots, other times the flesh of her stomach and 
  legs smoothes into liquid, enveloping any who dare touch it. 
  This is the Green Mother, and within her forest bower she 
  is the most seductive and manipulative creature in the First 
  World. Attended by a legion of admirers and would-be lovers, 
  she weaves her delicate webs of intrigue with the grace and 
  subtlety of a peerless courtesan, though when enraged she 
  is a terrible sight to behold, distorting her shape horribly 
  in order to swallow offenders whole. For ages, her greatest 
  desire has been to bring the Lost Prince under her spell, but 
  to date the Melancholy Lord has rebuffed all her advances.
  Imbrex the Twins: Whether the entity known as the 
  Twins is truly a pair of siblings or simply one creature split 
  into two bodies is a question that may never be answered. 
  Hundreds of feet tall, the vaguely reptilian humanoids that 
  refer to themselves collectively as Imbrex stand silent and 
  unmoving, their androgynous faces never flickering with a 
  hint of expression. Yet those devotees who live at their feet 
  have no question as to their lords’ will, for the telepathic 
  word of the Twins reaches everyone within 20 miles, and 
  the terrible power of the living statues stands guard over the 
  settlement that has sprung up around their feet. Legends 
  whisper that one day the Twins will shake off their torpor 
  and begin walking, heralding the end of the First World and 
  the retiring of the Material Plane, but so far Imbrex itself 
  has refused to confirm or deny this possibility. 
  The Lost Prince: Often referred to as the Melancholy 
  Lord, the gaunt, dark-haired individual known as the Lost 
  Prince is a morose and dour individual, generally rejecting 
  the company of other Eldest in favor of brooding in his 
  domain, the Crumbling Tower. While his servants expound 
  with fervor on his good works, the truth is that the Lost 
  Prince attempts to remain neutral in most matters, which 
  makes him all the more important when other Eldest seek 
  
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  to arbitrate disputes. Strangely, while all of the Eldest’s 
  origins have been lost to time, rumors persist that the Lost 
  Prince is the only one not originally from the First World, 
  having emigrated from some alternate reality. Why he left, 
  and when and how he might return, may well be the subject 
  he ponders as he sits alone on his blackened throne.
  The Lantern King: If the First World can be said to have 
  a trickster god—no easy feat in a world where capricious, 
  reality-bending mischief is standard practice for many 
  natives—then the title belongs to the Lantern King. 
  Generally appearing as a foot-wide ball of floating light, 
  the Lantern King has been pointed to by some as the 
  progenitor of all will-o’-wisps, but such allegations meet 
  with derisive laughter from the King himself. Forgoing an 
  established realm of his own, the Lantern King roams as 
  he wills through the fields and forests of the First World, 
  and those lives he touches are rarely the same afterward. 
  For though the Lantern King’s sense of humor is vast, it 
  can easily turn dark or incomprehensible.
  Magdh: Capable of seeing farthest into other realms and 
  down the long lines of probability and fate, Magdh is the 
  prophetess and seer of the Eldest. Though her form can 
  change, even splitting into three parts when necessary, the 
  woman known sometimes as the Three most commonly 
  appears as a robed and well-proportioned human female 
  with three faces set equidistantly around her head. Though 
  not independent entities, the three faces each appear 
  to represent a different part of her personality, and in 
  conversation may cut each other off suddenly, as her head 
  swivels to present another face to her audience without 
  adjusting the rest of her body. Those seeking her wisdom 
  and second sight are welcomed according to strange and 
  mysterious guidelines, her required tributes ranging from 
  a child’s shoe to the heart of a star. The knowledge Magdh 
  gleans from her forest pools is often opaque, yet many 
  supplicants believe that the Three sees far more in her 
  divinations than she lets on, and already knows how every 
  story will end—even her own.
  Ng the Hooded: If Ng the Hooded has a face, no one has 
  ever viewed it. Always garbed in long, flowing silver robes 
  that keep the space below the cowl in total darkness, Ng is 
  a detached and dispassionate entity, with a patience and 
  logic that could drive the axiomites mad. Often lairing 
  at the Palace of Seasons—which he maintains is not his 
  home, merely a site he’s maintaining for some unnamed 
  other—he can also be found wandering paths throughout 
  the First World or standing completely motionless while 
  studying someone with unseen eyes. Some whisper that 
  the delicate gloves that are his only visible body part hide 
  whirring clockwork, others that he’s the mouthpiece of a 
  distant god or the First World itself. Whatever the truth, Ng 
  meets questions regarding his nature with silence, leaving 
  the asker looking at his trail in the dust—a trail that shows 
  only the swishing of robes, with no sign of footprints.
  Ragadahn the Water Lord: Despite their serpentine 
  shape, most linnorms live on land—and Ragadahn the 
  Water Lord may be the reason. Also known as the Serpent 
  King, the World Serpent, and (somewhat heretically) the 
  Father of Dragons, Ragadahn claims to be the progenitor 
  from whom all linnorms are spawned. Certainly he's old 
  enough, and it’s true that few of his First World “children” 
  dare enter the sea for fear of arousing his ire, as Ragadahn 
  claims all oceans and lakes as his own, having ceded the 
  land and its shallow tarns to his brood. Those few creatures 
  other than the Eldest who dare seek his counsel find him 
  wise and knowledgeable, if somewhat quick to wrath, and 
  are advised to call his name from a peninsula or seaside 
  cliff rather than approaching his aquatic lair directly.
  Shyka the Many: Time is fickle in the First World, and 
  Shyka knows this better than any. Over the eons, many men 
  and women have borne this title—and continue to. For in 
  all of his incarnations, Shyka the Many is a master of time, 
  and sees no reason to restrict himself to any particular age. 
  Long ago, the original Shyka—whichever one that may 
  be—made a deal with all those who would eventually bear 
  his title, sharing his reign not chronologically but in fits 
  and flickers, that each might experience representative 
  samples of eternity. As such, though there’s never more than 
  The Origin of Gnomes
  No one has ever conclusively nailed down why the gnomes 
  first immigrated to the Material Plane from the First World, 
  yet one theory holds particular weight. According to it, 
  gnomes traveled to the Material Plane because they were 
  intrigued by the cycle of souls, and wanted to see what it was 
  like to transform through death the way mortals do. In twos 
  and threes, they passed through the barrier between worlds, 
  yet discovered upon doing so that only beings born on the 
  Material Plane can bond with a soul from the Positive Energy 
  Plane. Nevertheless, some stayed and procreated, and their 
  children were the first Material Plane gnomes, endowed with 
  souls and able to progress through Pharasma’s Boneyard. 
  This mortality came with a price, however, for though the 
  new gnomes could age, die, and pass on, their bodies still 
  cried out for the constant flux of the First World, and began 
  to break down without it.
  Thus was born the Bleaching, a sort of allergic reaction 
  to the structure and stasis of the Material Plane. Even today, 
  this lack of malleability and stimulus physically drains 
  the vitality from gnomes, and only through the search 
  for constant novelty can they maintain their resistance 
  against the murderous dullness of the Material Plane. This 
  weakness often leads First World gnomes to look on their 
  mortal kin with pity, disgust, and—of course—curiosity.
  
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  The First World
  The First World
  one present at once, there's no telling which incarnation of 
  Shyka may have claim to an existing moment. Sometimes 
  he’s a young black-skinned man, other times a pale elven 
  woman, or any of dozens of other forms. His personality 
  varies accordingly, but though each Shyka is his own entity, 
  all have spent enough time living each other’s lives to have 
  amassed the same amazing stores of knowledge, and when 
  Shyka speaks, he speaks for all of him, past and future.
  locationS
  While the distances between them vary, numerous locations 
  in the First World remain stable in their composition, held 
  by the will of a powerful being, ancient magic, or other 
  unknowable means. Below are the few notable sites most 
  familiar to travelers from Golarion.
  Anophaeus, the First City: Often calling themselves 
  the Children of the Twins, the citizens who make their 
  homes within the telepathic cocoon of Imbrex’s cyclopean 
  thoughts exult in the powers of their lord, building their 
  modest towers and streets right over the feet and legs of 
  their god-rulers. Imbrex doesn’t show any objection to this 
  practice, or any concern at all for the ants that live and die 
  in its shadow, save for the strange and pleasantly addictive 
  dreams that it chooses to share with Anophaeus’s residents, 
  as well as the occasional booming, telepathic command that 
  brings all intelligent beings within range to their knees. 
  The Crumbling Tower: Usually found far from the 
  domains of the other Eldest, this jet-black tower is the 
  domain of the Lost Prince. As befits its master’s mood, 
  the tall, gothic spire pours forth a steady stream of 
  detritus from its crumbling battlements, sometimes 
  losing room-sized chunks of masonry, yet never quite 
  managing to fall. This constant destruction is ameliorated 
  to some extent by the efforts of the Lost Prince’s menagerie 
  of minions, who show their fervent 
  love and loyalty by keeping up the 
  place as best they can. Of course, the 
  magical nature of the tower itself causes 
  the structure to discreetly regenerate 
  at the same rate that it crumbles, 
  making the servants’ efforts purely 
  symbolic, but the residents of the 
  Crumbling Tower have long since made 
  peace with their strange home.
  The Evergrove: A pastoral forest hundreds 
  of miles wide, the Evergrove is a fairy tale made life. 
  Here fey of all sorts cavort between enormous trees, 
  hedge-mazes of topiary animals, and the deep loam 
  tunnels of the Blind Land, home to the fungus fey and 
  entrance to vast networks of subterranean caverns.
  Godsarm: While it’s common knowledge that the living 
  gods have long since abandoned the First World, the 
  same can’t be said for dead ones, and the corpses of 
  long-forgotten deities still dot the face of the First World, 
  infusing the terrain around them with their magic and 
  even traces of consciousness. The quaint gnome village 
  of Godsarm is a prime example. Nestled in the valley 
  between the immense corpse’s arm and torso, the gnomes 
  believe their unidentified patron to have been a god of 
  creativity who continues to grant strokes of genius to his 
  residents even in death. Though many of the gnomes live in 
  modest cottages ascending the slopes of stony flesh, others 
  bore deep into the chest cavity, creating grand halls and 
  circumspectly searching for the legendary heartstone.
  The Hanging Bower: Located deep within the Silkwood, 
  the Hanging Bower is precisely what its name implies: 
  a sensual palace of boudoirs and feast halls, all hanging 
  from the forest canopy on ropes of silk woven by the 
  forest’s monstrous spiders. Even the floors of these floating 
  chambers are made of silk stretched taut enough to support 
  the weight of dozens of courtesans, and in this diaphanous 
  strength lies a metaphor for the Green Mother herself. 
  Within the curtained and lantern-lit twilight of her forest 
  
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  home, the Mother calls the dance as she sees fit, and any of 
  the revelers and lovers foolish enough to question her purred 
  desires are likely to end up consumed by her attendants. 
  Hollow Hall: This gargantuan tree stump has been 
  hollowed out and now hosts one of the biggest parties 
  in the First World. Walkways corkscrew up the sides of 
  the stump’s caldera, offering balconies with views of the 
  festivities below. Tunnels into the root network provide 
  even more rooms, but the central floor of the hollow is 
  the primary attraction, for here satyrs and their admirers 
  dance and feast in a never-ending orgy of music and wine. 
  The House of Eternity: High in the mountains rises 
  the lonely fortress of Shyka the Many. A conglomeration 
  of impossibly narrow spires, Shyka’s mountain castle 
  is accessible only from the air or via a narrow, winding 
  staircase. Like Shyka himself, the House of Eternity has a 
  set position in space, but none in time, and its architecture 
  shifts constantly to reflect its various incarnations. 
  Karaphas the Drowned: All the seas of the First World may 
  belong to Ragadahn, but Karaphas is his capital. A sunken 
  city of soaring bridges and domes, Karaphas predates even 
  Ragadahn himself, its original, non-humanoid inhabitants 
  long since departed. The city gleams like a jewel in its 
  dark ocean trench, lit by globes of eerie light. Though the 
  ocean has reclaimed much of sleeping Karaphas, and its 
  chambers are filled with scuttling crab-things larger than 
  men, Ragadahn permits no visitors to enter its buildings, 
  and those who know the linnorm best whisper that he still 
  searches for something within the flooded chambers.
  The Palace of Seasons: In the middle of a trackless desert, 
  this onion-domed structure rises like a mirage out of the 
  sand, with no path leading to its golden gate. Here Ng 
  the Hooded watches over the carefully bottled labels and 
  samples of all those seasons that never saw implementation 
  on the Material Plane, such as the Season of Growth and 
  Death, the Season of Mist, the Season of Dreams and 
  Ancestors, and the Season of Carnivorous Light.
  Palenhyr, City of Faith: Palenhyr is a bazaar of tents, 
  shanties, and most of all churches. Shrines big and small, 
  some magnificent and others built out of trash, all clog the 
  nexus of the First World’s few faithful. Dozens of cults of 
  gods both real and imagined mix and war in the narrow 
  alleys of the city, seeking expansion of their marginalized 
  cults. Of late, several of the more powerful sects have 
  secretly begun work on the Apostolic Engine, a magical 
  item designed to draw a deity back into the First World and 
  bind it there, forcing it to embrace the fey faithful.
  The Quickening: If the First World represents change, 
  than the Quickening is its defining location. Creatures 
  that pass within its rippling boundary find themselves 
  in nature’s crucible, evolving in unexpected directions at 
  a furious rate. Limbs and tails sprout and wither, heads 
  enlarge and split, and feet grow roots. Even when protected 
  by strong magic, most visitors can only manage a few hours 
  without changing permanently beyond all recognition. 
  Young fey sometimes dare each other beyond the barrier, 
  sporting the unpredictable modifications like badges of 
  honor, but wiser heads give the region a wide berth, lest 
  they become the plantlike mounds or fell beasts seen 
  wandering through the landscape, seemingly worshiping 
  the mysterious pillar barely visible at the region’s center.
  The Riddled Sphere: Just as powerful individuals can 
  warp the landscape of the First World, so can powerful 
  artifacts. The dungeon complex called the Riddled Sphere 
  is rumored to have formed around an artifact known as 
  the Archetype like a pearl around a grain of sand. A mile 
  in diameter, this sphere of black stone sits lightly on the 
  ground, barely bending the grass beneath it, its surface 
  broken by dozens of doors, archways, and fissures. Within 
  the sphere, a three-dimensional network of rooms and 
  passageways honeycombs the rock, constantly shifting and 
  guarding the item at its center. Exactly what the Archetype 
  is remains anyone’s guess—some say it’s a small-scale 
  model of the Material Plane, through which the bearer can 
  bend or shape that realm, others that it’s a key to Abadar’s 
  First Vault. Regardless, countless treasure-hunters have 
  ventured into the sphere, returning in frustration or 
  disappearing altogether when the door through which 
  they entered closes. In the meantime, the Riddled Sphere 
  continues to wander slowly on its own errands.
  Riftwood: Also known as The Bottomless Grove, 
  The Forest Well, or simply The Deep Woods, this forest 
  appears strangely uniform from beyond its borders, 
  with all treetops coming to roughly the same level. As 
  The Tane
  The most feared residents of the First World, the Tane are 
  living engines of destruction created by the Eldest during a 
  time of internal strife now long forgotten. Horrors beyond 
  mortal conception, these beings are now held as guard 
  dogs by the lords of the First World, ready to be unleashed 
  upon the Material Plane should its petty mortals infringe 
  too far upon their realm. Known only as fairy tales to most 
  mortals, the Tane are described in the book The Serpents 
  Tane as: "goliaths of war and madness dreamt and stitched 
  into being by the Eldest… terrible to behold, they descend 
  upon those kingdoms that offend their masters, ravaging 
  the land with firestorms and crushing cities underfoot." 
  Though no one beyond the Eldest knows just how many of 
  the Tane still breathe within their hidden barracks, the book 
  mentions several Tane by name, including the Dreaming 
  Hill of the Dark (also known as Thrasfyr, a mountainous 
  mass of hooks, barbs, and iron); the witch-tree Sard, Storm 
  of Insanities; and the infamous Jabberwock.
  
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  The First World
  The First World
  travelers move farther into the woods from any side, they 
  find the ground sloping downward, and the trees getting 
  steadily thicker and taller. Before long the slope becomes 
  exponential, and all creatures making their homes in the 
  deep Riftwood do so in the canopy, brachiating, gliding, 
  or creating villages of ropes and bridges. Those explorers 
  who dare seek ground in the forest’s heart are forced to 
  descend carefully down trunks hundreds of feet thick, 
  some of which bear ancient carved steps.
  Ulas, the Mountain That Walks: Though many 
  mountains shift positions with the warping of the First 
  World, Great Ulas takes an active role. Massing as much 
  as any Material Plane volcano, the bulk of Great Ulas 
  lifts itself just inches off the ground on an uncountable 
  number of tiny, writhing green tentacles, propelling itself 
  across the landscape with the speed of a walking man and 
  crushing all in its path. Worshiped by primitive tribes of 
  brownies, redcaps, and warrior nymphs that reside on its 
  slopes, Ulas might be counted as one of the Tane save for 
  the fact that its wanderings don’t appear malicious, and its 
  residents see it as both a parent to be obeyed and a child 
  to be comforted. Those who’ve cut through the rocks and 
  trees that cover Ulas report that its flesh bleeds gray, and 
  the mountain itself keens with despair—at least until its 
  “children” descend on the attackers. 
  Witchmarket: The Witchmarket is a roving caravan of 
  merchants and hucksters that migrates between breaches 
  and portals to the Material Plane, setting up shop nearby 
  in hopes of peddling its wares to foreigners. While much of 
  the business is legitimate, the currency of the First World 
  is strange, and a warrior seeking magic arms might pay 
  a year of his life, a kiss, a drop of blood, all his childhood 
  memories—or just the shiny buttons off of his coat. The 
  wares offered are equally varied, and range from love potions 
  and magic beans to an entire shop of items pulled from the 
  buyer’s memory (such as perfect replicas of childhood toys 
  or lost magic items). The Witchmarket is run by Aggys, the 
  Crone in the Cart, an impossibly old woman with the ability 
  to look into the future and provide customers with what they 
  need most—at dangerously steep prices.
  
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  Prodigal Sons: 6 of 6
  I 
  must admit, I’d hoped our military camp of 
  weedy old men, emaciated bondsmen, and 
  general riffraff would have held up better in 
  a skirmish. Instead, they’d scattered as soon as the 
  first Tymon spear thudded into our camp. As well, I’d 
  hoped Tymon’s soldiers might have greeted our little 
  expeditionary force with more courtesy. Instead, they 
  came with shackles.
  “What would you say, brave soldier of Tymon,” I asked 
  the brutes bearing the pole from which we hung like 
  trussed deer, “to loosening these ropes, so that we might 
  tell you of our offer?”
  From where I wobbled upside down, I could pick out the 
  distant line of Daggermark’s army to one side of me, and 
  smell the stench of Tymon’s gladiator forces to the other.
  “A fabulous offer!” I clarified.
  The soldiers carrying the pole said nothing. Then, all 
  at once, my nose was buried in a bootprint in the black 
  mud around us. I pried myself up and saw that one of the 
  soldiers had cut my bonds after all. He’d even deigned to 
  cut the bonds of Phargas.
  The dirty swarm of gladiators and soldiers around us 
  parted. Two beat drums, and stepped aside to reveal Makoa, 
  the gladiator who had officiated over our chariot race in 
  Tymon, now with a heavy, expensive sword at his hip.
  “Tell me,” Makoa said, conversationally, “you sons of 
  vermin, why I shouldn’t have you both flayed alive, bathed 
  in salt and acid, and fed to razorcrows in the arena?”
  I like a man who gets to the point. I opened my mouth, 
  but before I could explain, Phargas butted in. 
  “Generous and clever commander of the Tymon host,” 
  Phargas said, falling to one knee, “you have honored us 
  by sparing our lives thus far, and we truly apologize that 
  our—carelessness—has led to this misunderstanding 
  with your most undignified neighbor of Daggermark. 
  May the blood of the great bull burn in your veins.”
  There went Phargas, laying it on again. Makoa, I was 
  surprised to see, paused to frown at my companion. 
  “What did you say?”
  “May the blood of the great bull burn in your veins. May all 
  false friends flee the sheen of your blade, and the Lord in Iron 
  harden your will.” 
  Running for Cover
  
  Running for Cover
  Running for Cover
  73
  Makoa leaned close—not the freshest-smelling of 
  sword-swingers, him.
  “Slave,” he asked, “why did you not mention that you 
  and your companion were adepts of Gorum?”
  “Commander,” Phargas said, inclining his head once 
  more, “my companion and I only wished for a moment 
  wherein your warrior’s heart might recognize the fact.” 
  Gorum—of course. The god of battle and slaughter was 
  no doubt a favorite among these lowborn warriors.
  Makoa gave a bass-drum rumble I realized was a laugh. 
  “So. The rumors of magic that traveled with you from the 
  Sellen pleasure craft have some truth.”
  Phargas nodded. “We came like any other indentured 
  servants to Lord Ungin’s city. Yet could we have eluded your 
  soldiers as long as we did, Commander, without the favor 
  of he who watches over all warfare? And, without his favor, 
  could we have the confidence to unveil this proposal?”
  I wasn’t sure I liked where this was headed. A famous 
  name and a swift double-cross might be the best way out of 
  any tight spot, but I’d have preferred to take the lead.
  I chanced a look around. The ugly Tymon force that 
  pursued us and the slaves we’d freed had swelled in 
  number. Several hundred soldiers surrounded our little 
  camp of recaptured servants. Some of Makoa’s gladiators 
  looked at us as if any spot of dirt would do for a pit to 
  polish us off. Others sharpened tridents, spears, and 
  broadswords; smithed their armor; or just watched the 
  opposite horizon. Where their eyes pointed, the single 
  black line of Daggermark’s own army waited, its signal 
  fires sending even columns of smoke up to a murky sky.
  “My terrifying and noble commander,” Phargas went 
  on, “though we came as captives and departed in secret, 
  my companion and I may yet signal great blessings for 
  you—and for Champion Ungin’s kingdom.”
  “Blessings?” Makoa raised an eyebrow.
  “Clearly, my lord, aged and corrupt Daggermark sees 
  hostile intentions in your massed force.”
  “This we can sort out later. But you stung my lord with 
  your betrayal.” Makoa gave a knife-wound smile. “I came 
  to convince you to return and make amends properly.” 
  “But my lord,” Phargas continued, undeterred, “their 
  army watches you as you watch theirs. If Gorum wills the 
  bull’s blood to burn in your veins, what better moment 
  than right now to finish what unnumbered others have 
  sought in vain—the conquest of Daggermark!”
  A wire-thin old human pushed forward to Makoa’s side. 
  “The conquest of Daggermark?” He snorted. “You, slave, 
  have lost your wits, or are playing us for fools!” He turned 
  to Makoa. “Commander, surely you see the foolishness of 
  such an attack. Daggermark’s militia has held this land 
  for generations. The pranks of these slaves, charging the 
  border as if the outriders of an invasion, have brought us 
  to the brink of war. You see Daggermark’s legions massed 
  on the horizon. And we are to make this absurd aggression 
  a reality without the Champion’s orders?”
  Makoa tapped a long fingernail on his sword hilt. “You 
  speak prudently, Caziar.” 
  Caziar cringed. “You never mean that as a compliment.”
  Makoa laughed again. 
  I glanced at Phargas. For a man who’d just sent us all to 
  our suicides, his face was downright serene. 
  “What was that about you being a priest of Gorum? Last I 
  checked, you were a priest of Desna! Or was it Calistria?”
  Adding insult to injury, you see, hadn’t seemed quite 
  enough. Commander Makoa had been so persuaded by 
  Phargas’s speech that this time, he and I really were to lead 
  the way: to scout a path through the abandoned peat farms 
  and fens separating Tymon’s force from Daggermark’s 
  army. If Makoa had any doubts about Phargas’s sincerity, 
  our deaths in battle would settle the question. 
  “If you can think of a better way to save our skins,” 
  Phargas said, “I’m all ears.”
  We crept our way slowly under the shadow of a recently 
  emptied farmhouse toward Daggermark’s line. Makoa had 
  given us until dusk to determine how many soldiers the 
  opposition had fielded, then report back. At sunset, he’d 
  attack, then send word to Tymon of the new territory it held 
  and press on toward the city of Daggermark itself. 
  I peered from behind an abandoned peat farmer’s cart. 
  In the distance I saw lines of footmen and bowmen, and, 
  winding among them, the strong, sharp-edged outlines of 
  the women—never accuse a Daggermark swordswoman of 
  being less than a man in battle.
   “For all we know,” I said, “we’ve already been spotted.”
  “If we had, we’d no longer be breathing.”
  “Phargas, old friend,” I said, “wasn’t it the great 
  Pathfinder Durvin Gest himself who said that no hero 
  ever died by a wound to his retreating boot heel?”
  “If he did, it wasn’t in the Chronicles.”
  “What would you know about the Chronicles?”
  Instead of answering, Phargas tugged me behind the 
  cart. “Foot soldier,” he hissed. “Don’t move.”
  I ventured a look around the edge of the cart; a silhouette, 
  some score of yards away, was making straight for us. “Too 
  late. He’s seen us.”
  I reached for my knife. In that instant, the cart burst 
  into flame and toppled over on its side.
  “What in the Kingdoms...?”
  “Never be without a small incendiary.”
  Just like him to keep secrets from me. “Where did you 
  get alchemist’s fire?”
  Instead of answering, Phargas dug frantically into his 
  pack and came up with a dark bundle, which he slipped 
  his chin into.
  “What are you doing?”
  
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  “To a gladiator, the whole world is an arena.”
  He tossed another bundle to me. “Put it on.” He stood 
  and shook the fabric out over himself, revealing one of the 
  habits we’d worn back at the convent.
  “Get dressed,” he whispered, “—Olive.”
  I could hear the clink of the soldier’s chainmail as he 
  ran toward us. Seeing little alternative, I forced my head 
  through my bundle. Phargas stepped from behind the 
  burning cart. 
  “Fellow soldier!”
  How could he make his voice so high and so low at once? 
  I scurried into sight as well, and the soldier froze. He 
  squinted at us. “And who might you two ladies be?”
  Phargas set his feet apart. “Mistress Francis of the 
  Reckless Fireballs, servant of Our Lady of the Fiercely 
  Virginal Order of Blessed Exoneration, and warrior—
  today—of Daggermark.”
  The soldier’s face glowed red from the burning cart, and 
  he pointed. “What happened to that thing?”
  I looked over at the shattered boards and smoking wood, 
  and tried my squeakiest, fiercest voice. “Does our target 
  practice disturb you?”
  “Well, I—”
  “Soldier,” Phargas said. “Among our sisterhood’s holiest 
  vows is that of the chastisement of the Hated Sex.” He 
  reached to his side to clasp a splinter of wood that would 
  do for a wand. “We nuns emerge to serve Our Mistress of 
  General Slaughter alongside your gender only in times of 
  great need, and Daggermark sent a messenger astride an 
  immense avian mere hours ago, to plead just such a need 
  in the face of Tymon’s unjust advance.” 
  The soldier looked ill at ease. Phargas pointed at me: 
  “This is my companion, Mistress Olive of the Clumsy 
  Castration. Perhaps you’re in need of her services?”
  That did it. “Sisters,” he said hastily, unconsciously 
  lowering his spear to guard his nethers, “allow me to lead 
  you to my commanding officer—Lady Ommarra of the 
  Broadsword. It was she, no doubt, who sent the call for 
  your services.”
  Lady Ommarra of the Broadsword, eh? “Not bad,” I 
  whispered to Phargas, as the soldier turned and trotted—
  perhaps fled would be a better word—toward the front 
  line ahead of us. 
  Lady Ommarra turned out to be a tall, dark-haired, 
  armor-plated beauty carrying a brass horn and a sword 
  that justified her name. She was also happy to see two 
  more troops. “Mistresses Francis and Olive, you say? 
  Well, it wasn’t me who sent for you, but I’m glad 
  the Order spared both a long- and a short-range 
  fighter. Fireballs and…?”
  “Castrations.”
  “Superb.” Her eyes sparkled. “I never would 
  have thought Ungin stupid enough to challenge 
  Daggermark, but Tymon’s field commander is 
  summoning the last of his forces, and it looks like 
  he may have finally decided to try Daggermark’s mettle.” 
  Surrounded by several hundred militia swordsmen and 
  a company on horseback, I thought their mettle seemed 
  decent enough. 
  “What’s more,” she continued, “rumor has it that 
  two who’ve gravely offended our poisoners’ guild 
  are serving as his counselors. In any case, I’m glad 
  you sisters aren’t too proud to fight alongside 
  men. And you,”—she patted my arm—“might 
  just get to practice your specialty by sunrise.” 
  A soldier hailed her, and taking her leave of 
  me and Phargas—whom she looked over once 
  more with that same sparkle in her eye—she 
  jogged away over the darkening plain.
  The next half-hour passed in a blur. As soon as we 
  were alone, I politely reminded Phargas that our goal was 
  
  Running for Cover
  Running for Cover
  75
  escape, not fighting for either kingdom. No sooner had 
  my words come out, however, than we heard the horns of 
  Daggermark commanders gathering troops and the hum 
  of arrows taking flight. The bulk of the force double-timed 
  forward. Tymon had fired the first shot; we were suddenly 
  surrounded by hoarse shouts. “They’re attacking from the 
  southeast,” Phargas called, pocketing a silver amulet I’d 
  never seen him produce before. “Come north, and we’ll 
  skirt the lines.”
  “What was that amulet?” I asked as we slunk along.
  He glanced sideways at me. “Something any Pathfinder 
  could tell me about.”
  I was about to ask him what he meant by that little 
  comment when a dozen Daggermark soldiers barreled up 
  behind us. One soldier crashed into me, pulling me down 
  in a tangle of arms and legs. 
  I stood up with battle fully pitched a dozen yards from 
  me, ducked an arrow, and turned to face the little wretch 
  who’d collided with me. All of a sudden, I realized I was 
  looking in the eyes of the soldier who’d first found us. 
  I cleared my throat and tried out my high voice. “Well, if 
  it isn’t our old friend. Back to take us up on our offer?”
  Instead of stepping back, the soldier narrowed his eyes 
  and gave a nasty chuckle. 
  That didn’t sound good. I held up my knife. “We’re here 
  to practice our blessed gift on our mutual enemies.”
  “Well, I happen to know—Mistress—that Our Lady has 
  nothing to do with this fight.” 
  I stepped backward, toward the skirmish.
  “That’s right,” he continued. “I asked my commanders. 
  No one from Daggermark sent word for any warrior nuns.” 
  He lifted his halberd again. “You’re a spy for Tymon, and 
  it’s going to be my pleasure to run you through.”
  “A spy for Tymon?” Where was Phargas? I tried a hearty-
  yet-feminine laugh. One of the horses in the battle gave a 
  short, screeching neigh as it went down. The two sounds 
  were remarkably similar. “Absurd!”
  “Then where’s your friend?” the soldier said. I heard a 
  familiar bellow and glanced back; in the half-dark, I saw 
  two horsemen locked in combat with a gladiator in full 
  armor, heavy sword chopping deep into the flesh of man 
  and horse. Commander Makoa. He was framed on either 
  side by two more opponents, unlikely soldiers dressed in 
  plain black and armed with thin staves, who seemed unable 
  to do more than fend off his vicious blows.
  The soldier inched toward me; I inched away. Screams 
  and the splintering of wood were very close behind me 
  now. Well, this was it. 
  “I’m no spy, soldier,” I proclaimed, pulling back my hood. 
  “Ollix Kaddar’s the name—scion of Kadria, Pathfinder 
  extraordinaire, and adoptee of your army.” Introducing 
  myself, no matter the circumstance, gave me a touch of 
  pride. “Now kindly let me pass and rejoin your struggle.”
  I felt a shock through my feet and saw, at the corner of my 
  eye, a Daggermark rider fall dead along with his horse. 
  I started to turn; the soldier looked up, and his eyes 
  widened; an arrow struck him in the chest.
  A voice thundered behind me. “Again? The wretch dares 
  to betray Tymon again?” The voice broke off in a bellow 
  of rage and all around me was a bristle of spears. I saw 
  suddenly I was alone—no warrior of Daggermark still 
  stood within eyesight.
  Makoa broke through the line of his troops, swinging 
  an immense broadsword, bloodshot eyes fixed on me. The 
  Tymon lieutenant, Caziar, pushed along behind him.
  Perhaps it hadn’t been the choicest moment to remove 
  my cowl.
  “Prepare to die, traitor!” Makoa called, and I found 
  myself without a comeback. The big man sneered as he 
  paced around me, sword point level with my chest. His 
  other hand reached to his belt and drew out a short crescent 
  blade. “The tide is turning on Daggermark. Tonight we 
  take this land, and tomorrow we march on Daggermark 
  itself. Lord Ungin’s flag will fly on its battlements, and I 
  will hold it in his name. But I think I’ll start the celebration 
  early by skinning you here and now.”
  A cry went up from Makoa’s troops. Through the shine 
  of armor and the flash of swords, I saw that Ommarra had 
  leapt into their company, blade swinging. Another noise 
  sounded beside me—Phargas. He shrugged off his cowl 
  and stepped between Makoa and me.
  “You won’t harm him.”
  Above the noise and clash of blades, I heard Ommarra 
  say, “Olive? Francis?”
  Caziar, spiked mace raised, laughed involuntarily. “By 
  Gorum’s eyes—it’s a woman soldier and our lying priest!”
  Phargas lifted his walking stick. A flame lit the tip. “You 
  will not harm the young one.”
  Makoa pointed his broadsword at Phargas. His breath 
  came in pants, but a hint of a smile played across his 
  features. “Well—this is a little more sporting.”
  Phargas murmured a few words under his breath, then 
  said louder in a dreamy, hypothetical tone, “And what is 
  sport for you, Lord Makoa?”
   “Sport for you is an arena of slaughter!” The words 
  jumped out of my mouth before I could catch them. “You 
  call yourself a warrior, but your only taste of blood comes 
  from watching undeserving creatures die in your pit.” As 
  if pulled by a string, my knife leapt upward in my grip. I 
  had never felt such a thing before—like the words were 
  flying from my lips. “The weak and foolish are brought 
  from across the River Kingdoms, but are never enough to 
  slake your mad thirst. You organize death, but dare not 
  deal it. And you call yourself a warrior!” My chest felt like 
  it was on fire. “A warrior? A wart-riddled orc raider begot you 
  on some peddler’s mother in a reeking ditch!”
  
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  Makoa’s face darkened steadily. He lifted a hand to hold 
  back his soldiers. 
   “You may have your pleasure on that Daggermark girl 
  and the false priest,” he said to Caziar. “This one’s mine.”
  “Come on then, coward!” The voice sprung unbidden 
  from my mouth, but it was my own, as were the arms that 
  spread wide in challenge. 
  A vein throbbed in Makoa’s pitted forehead. He hefted 
  his blade, and I felt myself step into what I could muster of 
  a defensive pose. He opened his mouth—and suddenly, a 
  look that was almost thoughtful stole across his face.
  He lifted one hand to his side, and looked around in 
  surprise. Then his fingers stiffened, and he toppled over 
  into the dirt like a sack of rags. Startled, Caziar twisted to 
  look—and kept on twisting, falling beside him.
  The soldiers howled. Ommarra used their moment of 
  distraction to run two of them through, and the gladiators 
  of Tymon—unused to the chaos of proper warfare—
  scattered. Ommarra lifted the horn around her throat 
  and blew three clear notes. I started toward her, only to be 
  pulled down into a crouch by Phargas.
  “Desna’s sake, Ollix, look around! This is poisoners’ work.”
  My mind leapt back to Makoa and Caziar fighting in the 
  press of bodies. Two humans in plain black, with hoods low 
  over their eyes, had fought near them, only for a moment; 
  I’d taken them for some sort of priesthood.
  “You mean—”
  “These darts are called Midnight’s Toll.” He pointed to 
  the gap between groin and breastplate in fallen Caziar’s 
  armor. A tiny flash of light there, no brighter than a strand 
  of fey’s hair, caught my eye. “Makoa and Caziar had been 
  dead half a minute. They just hadn’t felt it yet.” He lifted 
  a hand to display the slenderest of needles, tipped in 
  ornamental blue.
  “You mean—”
  “And you’d taken off your hood! These poisoners know 
  our faces. If they’d glimpsed you out of our disguise, you’d 
  have gotten a dart as well.”
  “You mean—”
  “Listen!” The noise of battle had changed. The clash 
  and collision had given way to bayings, trampling feet, and 
  screams. One theme in particular caught my attention.
  “Every Tymon commander?” I asked, incredulous.
  “The Poisoners’ Guild doesn’t lie down on the job.” He 
  reached for his walking stick and made to crawl forward, 
  but suddenly I realized that I’d had enough.
  “Now wait a second, Phargas,” I said, and to my surprise 
  there was steel into my voice. “How do you know so much 
  about poison? And what witchery did you use back there? 
  Those weren’t my words that challenged Makoa. I think 
  you owe me some answers.”
  Phargas stared at me for a long moment, considering. 
  Then he took a deep breath and let it out. 
  “Very well, boy,” he said, and crouched down beside me 
  in the shadow of the dead horse. The ground thundered as 
  cavalry rode past us, chasing the retreating Tymons.
  “Ollix,” he began, “I’ve never been truthful with you 
  about my mission, though on occasion I thought you 
  might figure it out yourself. It’s been months since your 
  father sent you away. Since then we’ve traveled together, 
  you believing I was your bodyguard.”
  “I prefer ‘sidekick,’” I responded, “but yes.”
  “We found a wayfinder and a cloak pin with the Glyph of 
  the Open Road early in our journey, and you had the nerve 
  to start calling yourself a Pathfinder. But as a servant of 
  the Decemvirate—”
  “The what?”
  Phargas rolled his eyes. “Forget it,” he said. “The 
  thing that you need to understand, Ollix, is that you’ve 
  indeed been working for the Pathfinder Society. But not 
  intentionally.” He gestured. “I’m the Pathfinder, Ollix. I 
  was sent out months ago on a mission to chart the ever-
  changing borders between the lesser River Kingdoms. One 
  of my first stops was Kadria.” He pursed his lips. “Lord 
  Kaddar approached me with an offer the first night I was 
  in town.”
  “But you called yourself a priest!” I cried. Phargas smiled, 
  and his expression of casual, paternal disdain would have 
  been at home in any noble court.
  “Country boy, I’ve been a Pathfinder for eight years. I 
  speak ten languages and have mastered the magic of speech 
  and song. Believe me, I can appear as I need to appear.”
  Country boy? “If my father,” I continued, “was sending me 
  out with a top-notch sidekick, he should have told me.”
  A cloud passed over Phargas’s face. “My charge from 
  your father wasn’t to guard you, Ollix.”
  “What?”
  “Think about it: your old man instructed you to make 
  a name for yourself or die trying. Given your track record, 
  which do you think he expected to happen? And if it didn’t, 
  well—no harm in purchasing a little insurance.”
  It took me a moment to make sense of his words. He put 
  up his hand.
  “Believe me,” he said, “I’ve been tempted. At the Swaddled 
  Otter? That mess with Jedda’s captain of the guard, or 
  the ridiculous wagers on the river barge? All moments I 
  smiled to imagine leaving you to your fate—and earning 
  the second half of my reward.”
  What he proposed was inconceivable. “Phargas, my 
  father would never have sent me to die.”
  “Oh really?” he asked, and this time his tone was almost 
  gentle. “And why would that be? Because of his great love 
  for you? Tell me—which is worth more to a petty warlord: 
  A son who’s a constant embarrassment? Or a son whose 
  tragic murder in a nearby kingdom might just be the 
  impetus for one last war of expansion?”
  
  Running for Cover
  Running for Cover
  77
  “How could anyone pass 
  up a woman like that?”
  That sounded uncomfortably like my father’s thinking.
  “But—with Makoa,” I asked. “You just saved my life.”
  “That’s right, I did. Because I’m fed up with doing other 
  people’s chores.” He yanked off his habit, revealing his 
  mud-stained cloak and breeches. He stood, heedless of a 
  troop of cavalry who pounded past us led by Ommarra. 
  Gingerly, I rose to my feet as well.
  “I can’t believe it.” The battlefield was growing deserted. 
  Up ahead, Tymon’s troops were fleeing west toward their 
  distant city, Daggermark’s militia hot on their heels.
  “If I’d died under Makoa’s sword, you’d have had your 
  fee, plus Ommarra’s eye. I saw how she looked at Francis.”
  Phargas laughed—a full, rich sound. “Watching a 
  buffoon die is no compensation for serving another one.” 
  He gestured at Daggermark’s lines. “Besides, I 
  suspect Ommarra will lose interest now that 
  she knows you and I aren’t mistresses after 
  all. And I’ve always preferred the company of 
  gentlemen, anyway.”
  “Well, who doesn’t? But I meant that she might 
  take you as a lover.”
  Phargas sighed. “Never mind. Anyway, this dung-
  showered detour of ours will make a fine addition to my 
  report, but if I’m ever to write it,” he snatched up his 
  pack and dusted it perfunctorily, “I must be on my 
  way. Your Glyph of the Open Road, please.” He 
  put out his palm. 
  It took a moment to process the request, then 
  I dug in my pocket for the dented iron pin and 
  dropped it into his hand. With the wayfinder in the 
  leucrotta’s possession, my time as a Pathfinder was 
  officially over.
  “Thanks,” he said, and began to turn away. Then he 
  stopped and studied me for a moment.
  “You know, Ollix, for all I’ve said, your road isn’t set.” He 
  tossed up the pin and caught it. “If you ever want to earn 
  one of these,” he said, “you know where to find us.” Then he 
  turned on his heels and was quickly lost to view.
  Ommarra found me sometime later, still standing next to 
  the dead horse. “Where’s he gone, Olive?”
  “It’s Ollix. He was Phargas. And I’m apparently 
  not qualified to follow where he’s going.”
  Her smile was wry. “It seems we’ve repulsed Tymon’s 
  little assault—their leadership has been found lying 
  down on the job. That wasn’t a bad trick, slaying the two 
  commanders at once. Whether you’re with the Poisoners’ 
  Guild or working freelance, your skills are impressive.”
  “Phargas was full of good ideas,” I said generously.
  “Pity, he made a stunning mistress. And you? Do you 
  care to return with us to the city you fought for?”
  It occurred to me that some guildsmen in black 
  might not be pleased to see me. “No, thanks. I have 
  an appointment of my own to keep, back home. Family 
  business.”
  “Family business?”
  My head spun with a thousand plans, none of them 
  gentle. Perhaps it was time to show my father exactly what 
  I’d learned on the road.
  “Family’s like any band of outlaws, my lady—we have to 
  see to our own.”
  And with that, I began the long walk back to Kadria. 
  Behind me, Ommarra blew her horn twice more. Then the 
  soldiers returned, and the notes were lost in the cutthroat 
  clamor of the crowd.
  
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  Part 6 
  of 6
  Part 6 
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  Bestiary
  Bestiary
  Aberration
  Animal
  Construct
  Dragon
  Fey
  Humanoid
  Magical Beast
  Monstrous Humanoid
  Ooze
  Outsider
  Plant
  Undead
  Vermin
  Desert
  Forest/Jungle
  Hill
  Mountain
  Plain
  Ruins
  Swamp
  Sky
  Underground
  Urban
  Water
  Cold 
  Extraplanar 
  Temperate 
  Tropical
  Creature Type
  Environment
  Climate
  S
  potty regional records say the natural 
  harbor of Vaidencoast once teemed not 
  only with emerald-flecked trout, but also 
  with sharp rocks that made it dangerous for 
  vessels putting into port unawares. To guard 
  visiting ships, the town raised a stout lighthouse 
  to warn of the dangerous harbor. It’s said 
  the towering light had not shone a week before 
  rousing the ire of a terrible dragon, which scoured 
  the town with waves and green ruin. Yet where 
  Vaidencoast once stood now spreads only rubble 
  and a monstrously thick bramble patch spilling 
  from the ruined beacon tower. Locals say a dragon 
  pulled this tower down, but from what I’ve seen, 
  I’d say it was something far, far worse.
  —From The Record of Truan Iolavai
  
  Bestiary
  Bestiary
  79
  First World Random Encounters
   
  d% 
  Encounter 
  Avg. CR 
  Source
   
  1–5 
  1d8 unicorns 
  7 
  Bestiary 269
   
  6–9 
  2d8 nixies 
  7 
  Bonus Bestiary 15
   
  10–14 
  1d6 grodairs 
  8 
  see page 84
   
  15–19 
  2d4 dryads  
  8 
  Bestiary 116
   
  20–23 
  1d4 dweomercats 
  9 
  see page 82
   
  24–29 
  2d6 satyrs 
  9 
  Bestiary 241
   
  30–35 
  2d12 faerie dragons 
  9 
  Bonus Bestiary 9
   
  36–41 
  1d8 skrik nettles 
  10 
  see page 86
   
  42–47 
  3d6 pixies 
  10 
  Bestiary 228
   
  48–53 
  1d8 nymphs 
  11 
  Bestiary 217
   
  54–56 
  1d6 giant slugs 
  11 
  Bestiary 254
   
  57–62 
  1 athach 
  12 
  see page 17
   
  63–67 
  2d6 treants 
  13 
  Bestiary 266
   
  68–70 
  1 mandragora swarm 
  13 
  see page 13
   
  71–75 
  1 winged owlbear 
  14 
  see page 30
   
  76–80 
  1d8 giant flytraps 
  14 
  Bestiary 134
   
  81–84 
  1d3 athachs 
  15 
  see page 17
   
  85–87 
  2d8 frost giants 
  15 
  Bestiary 149
   
  88–91 
  2d8 nuckelavees 
  15 
  Pathfinder #34
   
  92–94 
  1d4 crag linnorms 
  16 
  Bestiary 190
   
  95–97 
  1d6 ankous 
  17 
  see page 80
   
  98–99 
  1d4 zomoks 
  18 
  see page 88
   
  100 
  1 lesser jabberwock 
  20 
  see page 22
  *See paizo.com for the Pathfinder RPG Bonus Bestiary.
  T
  he denizens of the First World invade in this 
  month’s entry into the Bestiary. From prowling 
  predators and alien natives of that weird world 
  to dragon-like terrors and servants of the mysterious 
  Eldest, these dwellers beyond the edge of the reality 
  creep forth, ready to invade the Stolen Lands or any other 
  unsuspecting campaign.
  What’s Old Is NeW
  Alien in the extreme, the First World constantly shifts and 
  warps, as do many of the creatures native to that realm. 
  GMs planning to add random encounters to their PCs’ 
  adventures in the First World can, of course, make use of 
  any of the thematically appropriate monsters listed on the 
  table here. The strange powers and twisting nature of the 
  plane also mean that few beings have direct or obvious 
  analogs among the creatures of the Material Plane. Thus, 
  while every adventurer might know what a chimera looks 
  like on his home world, in the First World such creatures 
  have the potential to look and act radically different, as 
  well as to exhibit unexpected powers. The First World 
  gives GMs the opportunity to wildly alter the descriptions 
  of even the most mundane creatures, making their First 
  World counterparts feel exotic and unknown. While the 
  statistics behind the GM screen might be for a standard 
  chimera, a description of a winged beast with three huge 
  crocodile heads and a legion of centipede legs hardly 
  evokes images of such a legendary monster. As the First 
  World offers limitless potential for creation and change, 
  GMs should feel free to let their imaginations run wild 
  with each creature description.
  Such freedom need not be limited to cosmetic details, 
  though. There are dozens of minor changes that a 
  GM could make to a creature on the fly to render an 
  encounter weirdly memorable without the need for a 
  great deal of pre-planning. While the simple templates 
  in the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary allow for a range of quick 
  adjustments, the First World opens the door for a variety 
  of other unexpected adjustments and mutations. A GM 
  might change the energy type of a creature’s breath 
  weapon, swap out one spell-like ability for another of the 
  same level, or replace a natural attack with another that 
  does the same amount of damage, to give a few examples. 
  Such ad-libbed changes should be minor and in general 
  should not change underlying statistics—GMs should 
  avoid making the creature an unbalanced challenge—but 
  when teamed with an unusual description, they can make 
  a party think they’re facing an entirely alien menace. 
  Several such encounters, together with the ones already 
  in this month’s adventure and those noted here, might 
  go far toward making the First World feel like a place of 
  inscrutable creatures and unpredictable danger.
  
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  Part 6 
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  aNkOu
  Cloaked by wings of darkness, this horrific, skeletal alien appears 
  to be burning from within, a flaming glow shining through its 
  emaciated chest. Among this gaunt being’s most prominent 
  features are shimmering black wings, sharp talons, and yellow 
  eyes that radiate a lambent malice.
  Ankou 
  CR 14
  XP 38,400
  LE Large fey (extraplanar)
  Init +13; Senses blindsense 120 ft.; Perception +21
  DEfEnSE
  AC 31, touch 19, flat-footed 21 (+9 Dex, +1 dodge, +12 natural, 
  –1 size)
  hp 133 (14d6+84)
  fort +10, Ref +18, Will +13
  DR 10/cold iron
  OffEnSE
  Speed fly 90 ft. (perfect)
  Melee 2 claws +14 (1d6+8), tail +9 (1d8+4 plus bleed), 2 wings 
  +9 (1d8+4 plus bleed)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
  Special Attacks bleed (2d6), cold iron killer, shadow doubles, 
  sneak attack +3d6
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 15th; concentration +22)
  At will—deeper darkness, ray of exhaustion (DC 20), silence 
  (self only)
  3/day—dimensional anchor, greater teleport, true seeing
  1/day—circle of death (DC 23), discern location, prismatic 
  spray (DC 24)
  STATISTICS
  Str 26, Dex 28, Con 22, Int 17, Wis 19, Cha 25
  Base Atk +7; CMB +16; CMD 36
  feats Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Flyby Attack, 
  Improved Initiative, Lightning Stance, Wind Stance
  Skills Bluff +24, Escape Artist +26, Fly +32, Intimidate 
  +21, Knowledge (nature) +20, Knowledge (planes) +17, 
  Perception +21, Sense Motive +21, Stealth +22 (+30 in dim 
  light or darker); Racial Modifiers +8 Stealth in areas of dim 
  light or darker. 
  Languages Common, Sylvan (cannot speak); telepathy 100 feet
  ECOLOgy
  Environment any (First World)
  Organization solitary
  Treasure standard
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Cold Iron Killer (Su) All of an ankou’s natural weapons are 
  treated as cold iron for the purposes of overcoming 
  damage reduction.
  Shadow Doubles (Su) Once per day, as a free action, an ankou 
  can conjure up to four shadowy duplicates of itself, which 
  appear anywhere within 60 feet of the ankou and last for a 
  number of rounds equal to the ankou’s Charisma modifier 
  (typically 7 rounds). These shadow doubles are identical to the 
  original ankou in all respects, except that they have hit points 
  equal to 20% of the true ankou’s hit points when conjured 
  (26 hit points if conjured by an ankou with full hit points). The 
  shadow doubles have all of the true ankou’s melee attacks 
  and abilities, except that they cannot use the ankou’s spell-
  like abilities with the exception of deeper darkness, and cannot 
  create more shadow doubles. Any creature that interacts 
  with a shadow double can make a Will save to disbelieve the 
  duplicate (DC 10 + 1/2 the ankou’s Hit Dice + the ankou’s 
  Charisma modifier, typically DC 24). Against a creature 
  that recognizes a shadow double for what it is, the shadow 
  double functions as a shadow conjuration (Pathfinder RPG Core 
  Rulebook 340). Shadow doubles take double damage from 
  any spell with the light descriptor. If the true ankou is slain, 
  is rendered unconscious, or is ever more than 120 feet away 
  from a shadow double, the duplicates instantly vanish. 
  Death is a passing inconvenience to the folk of the First 
  World. If a fey is slain in its home realm, it reforms 
  sometime later from the mutable stuff of reality. To them, 
  violence and mayhem are somewhere between a sport and a 
  mode of criticism. If a fey lord chops the head off one of his 
  knights, it might be little more than a dramatic rebuke.
  Therefore, the creatures known as ankous should not 
  be considered simple killers. Their duty is not merely 
  to kill—it is to terrify and torture, to wring every iota of 
  suffering out of their target in a pageant of cruelty before 
  the final act, the bloody murder itself. Ankous are the 
  servants of powerful fey nobles who rule with cold-iron 
  fists, and whose subjects live in terror of a visit from the 
  dark ones. They cannot permanently kill those of the First 
  World, but they can make victims long for oblivion.
  Physically, ankous are a fearful sight—that is, when they 
  permit themselves to be seen, instead of blinding their foes 
  with darkness. The ankous themselves never speak—the 
  only words they can utter are those whispered telepathically 
  into the victim’s ear an instant before death, and those words 
  are spoken in the voice of the one who sent the killer.  
  A typical ankou measures approximately 10 feet tall, and 
  about 8 feet across its ebon wings. Exceedingly light, the 
  dark fey seem to be made of little more than shadows and 
  gossamer, weighing less than 100 pounds.
  ecOlOgy
  Servants of the Eldest, ankous exist to mete out the 
  displeasure of their masters. The wounds caused by its 
  wings and tail are especially agonizing, and victims have 
  described little shards of crystalline moonlight cutting their 
  way through muscle and bone underneath the skin. The 
  blood-drenched skin of the victim of an ankou occasionally 
  seems to shimmer or sparkle as if from residual moonlight 
  in the corpse. Regardless of whether or not such dreadful 
  
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  81
  whimsy is true, the wounds dealt by an ankou’s tail and 
  wings prove particularly vicious, leaving some victims to 
  slowly bleed out from what appears to be nothing more than 
  a mere scratch.
  The fey’s most horrific power, though, is its ability to 
  conjure lesser shadows of itself. The assassin can create 
  duplicates to aid in its attack. A single ankou can block all 
  the exits from a chamber, ripping a victim to shreds with a 
  flurry of slashes from the same claw. These conjured fey are 
  born of shadow and wrath, and are of one mind with the 
  ankou that created them. These lesser copies vanish when 
  the true ankou is killed or is otherwise unable to maintain 
  its focus. Only powerful Eldest can block an ankou’s 
  generation of duplicates.
  habItat & sOcIety
  Ankous have no true culture of their own. When not hunting 
  a foe, an ankou slumbers in a cocoon of darkness amid the 
  most shadowy reaches of the First World. They are rarely 
  called to service by their fey masters, as the mere threat 
  of an ankou is often enough to terrify even the most 
  fearless enemy. When loosed upon an especially 
  hated foe, one of these assassins might be told 
  to kill the victim many times over—murdering 
  its target, waiting for its connection to the First 
  World to reform it, and then killing it again.
  Amid the courts of the Eldest, ankous typically lurk as 
  present but needless threats—like weapons hung in a royal 
  hall. While the Eldest themselves prove more than capable 
  of dispatching those who displease them, the flocks of ebon-
  winged fey nonetheless prove disturbing. What most non-
  fey typically have difficulty understanding is the lack of 
  malice inherent in assassinations meted out by ankous. On 
  the First World, such acts shock and annoy, but they don’t 
  equate to the ultimate punishment that death presents to 
  mortals of the Material Plane. Thus, these grim tormenters 
  of the First World take on new aspects of terror when 
  encountered by non-natives of that realm.
  In the unlikely event that an ankou’s master is 
  permanently killed, the murderous fey wanders as it will. 
  Moody and quick to take offense—whether from the 
  pestering of other inquisitive fey or from trespassers 
  into lands it deems its own—a free ankou proves 
  even more murderous than one employed as an 
  assassin, though far less concerned with repeated 
  murders. Typically they prefer to be left in 
  silent solitude, brooding amid ancient ruins, 
  crumbling castles of forgotten fey lords, or 
  other morbid demesnes. They take particular 
  umbrage at those who bring light or, even 
  worse, song into their dour realms, often 
  resorting to brief tortures before slaying 
  such interlopers. Unfortunately for ankous, 
  daredevil fey pranksters who discover their lairs often make 
  a grim game of invading and taunting these murderous 
  beings, eventually forcing the assassins to relocate to even 
  more unreachable depths of the First World.
  Numerous ankous once served the Eldest known as Count 
  Ranalc, whose disappearance has long been a matter of debate, 
  wonder, and lurking fear among his immortal brethren and 
  other strange lords of the First World. Devoted to his service 
  and in the fulfillment of some unknowable past order, the 
  ankous of his court have sought their master, slaying many 
  they believe have had some hand in his disappearance or 
  knowledge of his whereabouts. In the past decades, these 
  murderous fey have come to investigate Golarion, believing 
  that world bears some mark of their lost lord’s passage. 
  Whether or not this is true, and whether Golarion now 
  serves as a hiding place for the lost Eldest or merely a step 
  on a greater path, none the ankous have encountered can 
  say—though that hasn’t prevent the deadly fey 
  from ending those who arouse their 
  suspicions.
  
  82
  Part 6 
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  Part 6 
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  dWeOmercat
  Its coat shining vividly, this majestic tiger looks exotic and 
  otherworldly. It gazes with piercing yellow eyes and stands 
  calmly, as though fearless.
  Dweomercat Cub 
  CR 2
  XP 600
  CN Tiny magical beast 
  Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., scent; Perception +5
  DEfEnSE
  AC 16, touch 15, flat-footed 13 (+2 Dex, +1 dodge, +1 natural, 
  +2 size)
  hp 16 (3d10)
  fort +3, Ref +5, Will +2
  DR 5/magic; SR 14
  OffEnSE
  Speed 20 ft.
  Melee 2 claws +7 (1d2–1), bite +7 (1d3–1) 
  Special Attacks dweomer leap, pounce, rake (2 claws +6, 1d2–1)
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 4th)
  Constant—detect magic
  1/week—dimension door (self only)
  STATISTICS
  Str 9, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 14
  Base Atk +3; CMB +3; CMD 13 (17 vs. trip)
  feats Dodge, Weapon Finesse
  Skills Climb +3, Knowledge (arcana) +0, Perception +5, 
  Stealth +4; Racial Modifiers +4 Climb
  Languages Common, Sylvan
  ECOLOgy
  Environment any forest
  Organization solitary or ambush (1–3 dweomercats and 2–12 
  dweomercat cubs)
  Treasure standard
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Dweomer Leap (Su) When a dweomercat is targeted by a spell 
  or within the area of effect of a spell, it can, as a swift action, 
  choose to teleport to a square adjacent to the spell’s caster, 
  effectively appearing mid-leap and aimed toward the caster. 
  This ability takes effect regardless of whether or not the spell 
  overcomes the dweomercat’s spell resistance. If it chooses, 
  the dweomercat can immediately make a full attack against 
  the spell’s caster as though pouncing. Using this ability does 
  not provoke an attack of opportunity. If there is no safe space 
  adjacent to the caster—or if the dweomercat chooses—the 
  dweomercat can forgo using this ability. 
  Dweomercat 
  CR 7
  XP 3,200
  CN Medium magical beast 
  Init +10; Senses darkvision 60 ft., scent; Perception +16
  DEfEnSE
  AC 23, touch 17, flat-footed 16 (+6 Dex, +1 dodge, +6 natural)
  hp 85 (10d10+30)
  fort +10, Ref +13, Will +6
  DR 5/magic; SR 19
  OffEnSE
  Speed 40 ft.
  Melee 2 claws +16 (1d4+2), bite +16 (1d6+2)
  Special Attacks dweomer leap, pounce, rake (2 claws +11, 
  1d4+2)
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th)
  Constant—detect magic
  At will—lesser globe of invulnerability, dispel magic
  3/day—dimension door (self only), antimagic field
  STATISTICS
  Str 15, Dex 23, Con 16, Int 13, Wis 16, Cha 16
  Base Atk +10; CMB +12; CMD 29 (33 vs. trip)
  feats Dodge, Improved Initiative, Mobility, Spring Attack, 
  Weapon Finesse
  Skills Climb +6, Knowledge (arcana) +11, Perception +16, 
  Stealth +19; Racial Modifiers +4 Climb
  Languages Common, Sylvan 
  SQ spell link
  ECOLOgy
  Environment any forest (First World)
  Organization solitary, hunt (2–3), ambush (1–3 dweomercats 
  and 2–12 dweomercat cubs)
  Treasure standard
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Spell Link (Su) When a dweomercat is targeted by a spell or 
  within the area of effect of a spell, it can, as a swift action, 
  forgo its dweomer leap ability to gain an effect related to the 
  school of the spell targeting it. This effect activates before 
  the dweomercat is affected by the spell targeting it and 
  regardless of whether or not the spell overcomes its spell 
  resistance. Each power lasts for 1 minute per level of the spell 
  targeting the dweomercat, until the dweomercat uses this 
  ability again, or until the dweomercat chooses to dismiss the 
  effect as a free action, whichever duration is shortest. This 
  ability does not prevent the spell affecting the dweomercat 
  from taking effect; it only provides an additional benefit.
   
  Abjuration: Gains acid, cold, fire, electricity, or sonic 
  resistance equal to 2 per spell level.
   
  Conjuration: Gains a deflection bonus to AC equal to +1 
  for every 5 levels of the spell.
   
  Divination: Gains the effects of detect chaos, evil, good, or law.
   
  Enchantment: Grants the effects of the spell heroism.
   
  Evocation: Inflicts an amount of damage equal to the 
  spell’s level upon the spell’s caster.
   
  Illusion: Grants the effects of invisibility. This effect ends 
  as per the spell.
   
  Necromancy: Gains the effects of false life, as if cast by the 
  opposing spell’s caster.
   
  Transmutation: Gains an enhancement bonus on its 
  natural weapons equal to +1 for every 5 levels of the spell.
  
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  83
  Powerful and regal, dweomercats stalk the First World, 
  preying upon lesser creatures, but more voraciously 
  hunting new and ever stranger sources of magic. Beings 
  as much composed of sculpted arcane eddies as of flesh 
  and blood, these capricious felines flourish along the 
  intangible ley lines of their home realm, drinking in its 
  weird powers as a plant thrives on light. Yet even more 
  potent than their thirst for magic and the euphoria they 
  draw from being in proximity to the reshaping of reality is 
  dweomercats’ racial curiosity, which leads them endlessly 
  across the First World—and often beyond.
  The average adult dweomercat is about 4 feet tall and 7 
  feet long, weighing over 250 pounds, while their cubs are 
  approximately 1 foot tall and weigh no more than 15 pounds.
  ecOlOgy
  A newly born dweomercat cub is connected to its homeland 
  by only a thin tether of fey magic, and can only tap into 
  its true potential during the instant a spell is cast upon 
  it. The burst of magical energy brought forth by a freshly 
  cast spell momentarily intensifies the bond between the 
  First World and the dweomercat. This link manifests 
  itself clumsily as a sort of sudden teleportation that heaves 
  the fey cat through space and time toward the source of 
  the spell, fueled by the magnetic reaction between the 
  dweomercat and the magic’s origin.
  A dweomercat grows not by the passage of time, but 
  through direct exposure to fey magic. Thus, a dweomercat 
  cub on the Material Plane is stunted developmentally. 
  Though it ages and gains experience and practical wisdom 
  anywhere, only by spending several lifetimes on the First 
  World can the cub reach adulthood. Once it has reached 
  this stage, however, a fully grown dweomercat may freely 
  travel between its native land and the Material Plane 
  without adverse effects.
  habItat & sOcIety
  In the First World, dweomercats travel 
  in packs while hunting. Beyond this 
  predatory advantage, however, they have 
  little use for organized society, as the ever-
  shifting nature of their homeland impedes 
  it anyway. 
  Dweomercats that are born on or come to 
  be stranded on the Material Plane are often 
  forced to live on their own. Cut off from the 
  direct magical eddies of the First World, 
  dweomercat cubs prove unable to grow 
  into adults. While they might become 
  slightly stronger and 
  more learned, they 
  never reach the size 
  and prowess of those 
  constantly subjected to the magic of their homeland. Were 
  a dweomercat cub to return to the First World, it would 
  eventually grow into a normal dweomercat, but only over 
  the course of numerous humanoid lifespans.
  Those dweomercats marooned on the Material Plane seek 
  out areas of great age, changeability, and magical potency—
  lands most like the First World. Sometimes this means not 
  a specific place, but rather a period spent journeying with a 
  mortal spellcaster. While an adult dweomercat would scoff 
  at the idea of following a humanoid’s orders, adolescents 
  see the benefit of journeying alongside an intelligent 
  creature native to the alien world. Should a dweomercat cub 
  find a magic-user reckless or whimsical enough to keep its 
  attention, it might join the caster as a familiar, gaining a 
  measure of constant magical exposure from the intangible 
  connection inherent in such a mystical relationship.
  dWeOmercat cubs as FamIlIars
  Attracted to flashy displays of magic and the strange powers 
  inherent in a bond between a magic-user and her familiar, 
  a dweomercat cub that’s wandered from the First World 
  might find its taste for magic and adventure satisfied in the 
  service of a particularly whimsical or ostentatious arcane 
  spellcaster. A spellcaster with the Improved Familiar feat 
  can acquire a chaotic neutral dweomercat cub at 7th level or 
  higher. Should the spellcaster settle into a life of research 
  and predictability for a span of months, the dweomercat cub 
  familiar might take to wandering off and, eventually, might 
  not return—deliberately severing the master-familiar bond 
  and freeing the spellcaster to summon a new familiar.
  
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  grOdaIr
  A monstrous fish of earthy hues wriggles clumsily, its scales 
  glistening with droplets of moisture. It moves by dragging itself 
  along on its fins. Several tentacles sprout from its belly, which 
  looks like a bulbous sac of liquid. Every few moments, it excretes 
  water from these tentacles, then flounders through the shallow 
  pools it creates.
  grodair 
  CR 5
  XP 1,600
  CN Medium magical beast (aquatic, extraplanar)
  Init +3; Senses Perception +1
  DEfEnSE
  AC 16, touch 9, flat-footed 16 (–1 Dex, +7 natural)
  hp 66 (7d10+28)
  fort +11, Ref +4, Will +3
  OffEnSE
  Speed 30 ft., swim 60 ft.
  Melee bite +11 (1d8+4), tail slap +6 (1d6+2 plus trip)
  Ranged water blast +6 (1d8 plus push)
  Special Attacks death flood, push (water blast, 5 feet)
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 7th)
  1/day—control water
  STATISTICS
  Str 18, Dex 8, Con 19, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 15
  Base Atk +7; CMB +11; CMD 20 (24 vs. trip)
  feats Combat Reflexes, Great Fortitude, Point-Blank Shot
  Skills Knowledge (nature) +8, Survival +8, Swim +22
  Languages Aquan, Sylvan
  SQ amphibious, muddy field
  ECOLOgy
  Environment any aquatic or coastal (First World)
  Organization solitary
  Treasure standard
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Death flood (Su) There is a 90% chance that when a 
  grodair is killed, the extradimensional sac of water 
  within it explodes. All creatures within 15 feet of the fish 
  are blasted by highly pressurized water inflicting 5d6 
  damage (Reflex DC 17 for half damage). The save DC is 
  Constitution-based.
  Muddy field (Su) As a standard action, a grodair can gush 
  standing water into the area surrounding it. Upon doing 
  so, the land within 15 feet of the grodair is treated as 
  a shallow bog (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 427). This 
  water remains as long as the grodair is within 15 feet 
  and wishes to maintain the water. The bog instantly 
  disperses as soon as the grodair is killed or moves out of 
  the area.
  In the constantly shifting landscape of the First World, 
  fresh water can be a sparse commodity. Adding to this 
  confusion is the grodair, a bloated aquatic creature that 
  possesses the unique power to carry its own massive 
  stores of water with it.
  The bulbous sac on the grodair’s spine is an 
  extradimensional space that can contain a whole lake or 
  river. Grodairs can suck up water in one place and expel 
  it in another. The creatures use this power to travel the 
  First World—though they are amphibious and can easily 
  survive outside of water indefinitely, they much prefer 
  the water and thus soak the lands through which they 
  travel. By carrying their own lakes with them, grodairs 
  are never far from home.
  Typical grodairs can rise up on their tentacle legs to 
  a height of nearly 6 feet, though they rarely do so. Most 
  measure about 7 feet long and weigh about 400 pounds.
  ecOlOgy
  Grodairs are solitary nomads, wandering across the First 
  World seemingly at random. They meander through 
  glens—suddenly submerged by their eerie control over 
  water—and recently drowned vales, poking curiously 
  at the remains. Grodairs are intelligent, but extremely 
  absentminded and careless. They have memories little 
  better than actual fish, and for the most part have 
  difficulty remembering things they were told 5 minutes 
  ago—though some facts seem to crystallize within their 
  memories, allowing them to recall events of the distant 
  past with perfect clarity. 
  Grodairs are picky eaters, nibbling on the choicest of 
  flotsam. A grodair that raises waters to drown a faerie 
  queen’s castle might then swim in and nibble on a few 
  pieces of cake and frosted grapes; one that has just drowned 
  an orchard might grab a few apples before moving on. 
  They have a similar approach to treasure. Having no need 
  for magical items or artifacts and lacking any conception 
  of their actual purpose, an absentminded grodair often 
  consumes any shiny baubles it comes across, mistaking 
  the loot for brightly colored food.
  The magical organ holding whole lakes worth of water 
  within a grodair has befuddled many sages. It appears 
  to be an extradimensional space accessed through the 
  grodair’s mouth. The grodair can either belch forth 
  highly pressurized blasts of water or gradually drool 
  out enough water to swamp its surroundings. The sac 
  often contains more than water, as the aqueous creature’s 
  vacuum sucks up dirt, leaves, algae, and even small fish—
  fueling curiosity as to the waters’ origins.
  habItat & sOcIety
  Grodairs are solitary creatures, meeting others of their 
  kind only rarely. When their paths—or rather, their 
  streams—cross, a pair of grodairs may mate and produce 
  a dozen or so small fry. After the eggs hatch, they are 
  the responsibility of the male grodair to raise and teach 
  
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  85
  for 3 years (assuming, of course, he remembers his 
  responsibility). Once the small grodairs reach the age of 
  3, they are fired out of their sire’s tentacles on a high-
  pressure jet of water in the direction of the nearest large 
  lake or ocean.
  Grodairs are driven to explore, but they cannot say 
  why—if there ever was a reason for their constant watery 
  peregrinations, they forgot it long ago. One bizarre theory 
  is that grodairs were an early attempt by the gods to fix 
  the broken nature of the First World by regulating the 
  flow of the water across the ever-changing landscape. If 
  this theory is true, then there should be other creatures 
  out there that have similar powers to move mountains or 
  reshape the world. Another tale claims that grodairs are 
  the servants of a buried god who was imprisoned under the 
  ocean when the other deities abandoned the First World, 
  and that they search for his drowned tomb to free him, 
  while a third theory insists that the extradimensional 
  space in the sac requires constant renewal, and that most of 
  a grodair’s brain is taken up with casting and recasting the 
  same spell over and over. Sensible sages, though, just point 
  to the grodairs as another example of the ill-considered 
  and haphazard nature of reality in the First World.
  The forgetful grodairs rarely mean to cause deliberate 
  harm, but are often so distracted they forget that other 
  creatures cannot breathe underwater. A grodair might 
  drown a village, then swim into the ruins wondering 
  why everyone is taking a nap. When their errors 
  are pointed out to them, grodairs become 
  immensely apologetic, offering to do whatever 
  they can to make amends. “Would you like a 
  nice ornamental pond,” they ask, “or perhaps a 
  waterwheel?” In any event, the creatures soon lose 
  interest and swim off in search of something 
  more interesting that they cannot name.
  In the past, some vengeful souls have tried 
  hunting grodairs, but when cornered they 
  are surprisingly doughty foes, using blasts 
  of high-pressure water to send enemies flying 
  and soaking the ground around them to make it 
  harder for enemies to attack them in melee. If a 
  foe is knocked prone, a grodair may train its water 
  spray on him, keeping him pinned underwater 
  until he drowns or until the fish forgets he is there. 
  Grodairs also have a surprisingly powerful tail swipe 
  and viciously sharp teeth. When the creatures are 
  slain, their water sacs rupture, letting all of its 
  contents loose in a tremendous flood. Overeager 
  attackers can release a deluge on their own heads; 
  experienced hunters stalk grodairs with small canoes 
  in tow, waiting until the creatures’ sacs are nearly empty 
  before attacking. Alternatively, many predators simply 
  attack from above. 
  treasure
  Most grodairs explode in a blast of murky water and 
  oversized fish guts when slain. Some, however, do not. 
  Only grodairs that meet death with their fragile internal 
  extraplanar space intact don’t erupt in this fashion. While 
  these fish creatures’ delicate organs often erupt as the 
  result of even the gentlest killing, some anomalous organs 
  remain viable after its body’s death—approximately one 
  in 10. These satchel-sized sacks continue to function for 
  a period of 2d6 hours as a decanter of endless water, but one 
  that can only produce a “stream” or “fountain” effect. 
  This organ can only be extracted by making a DC 22 Heal 
  or Profession (fisherman) check. Failing this check by 5 
  or more causes the organ to burst as per the grodair’s 
  death flood ability. A grodair’s magical innards have 
  no gp value, their size and sliminess outweighing any 
  temporary remarkability.
  
  86
  Part 6 
  of 6
  Part 6 
  of 6
  skrIk Nettle
  A delicate-looking creature floats silently in midair. Resembling a 
  large jellyfish, it has a fringe of bird’s feathers around its quivering 
  central mass and long tentacles trailing from its center, with each 
  tentacle ending in a snapping beak. It sings to itself as it flies, each 
  beak making a different note in an eerie harmony.
  Skrik nettle 
  CR 6
  XP 2,400
  N Large magical beast (extraplanar)
  Init +7; Senses blindsight 30 ft.; Perception +12
  DEfEnSE
  AC 20, touch 12, flat-footed 17 (+3 Dex, +8 natural, –1 size)
  hp 68 (8d10+24)
  fort +9, Ref +11, Will +3
  OffEnSE
  Speed 10 ft., fly 30 ft. (perfect)
  Melee 3 bites +11 (1d6+4 plus poison)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
  Special Attacks poison
  STATISTICS
  Str 18, Dex 17, Con 16, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 8
  Base Atk +8; CMB +13; CMD 26 (30 vs. trip)
  feats Combat Reflexes, Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative, 
  Lightning Reflexes
  Skills Fly +9, Perception +12, Stealth +0
  SQ spill poison
  ECOLOgy
  Environment any tropical (First World)
  Organization solitary or shoal (6–24)
  Treasure none
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Poison (Su) Levitation poison: Bite or contact—injury; save 
  Fort DC 16; frequency 1/round for 5 rounds; effect 1 Dexterity 
  damage + levitate (victim rises 10 feet as per the spell per 
  failed save); cure 2 consecutive saves. Skrik nettle poison can 
  be cured by either remove poison or dispel magic, as if it were 
  caster level 8th. The effect’s CL equals the skrik nettle’s Hit 
  Dice. The save DC is Constitution-based.
  Spill Poison (Su) Anytime a skrik nettle is damaged by a 
  slashing or piercing melee weapon, it splashes its poison on 
  the opponent who damaged it. That opponent must save or 
  be affected by the skrik nettle’s poison. Weapons with reach 
  allow their wielders to avoid this effect.
  Shoals of skrik nettles float through the skies of the First 
  World. They sail like boats, driven before the wind and 
  using their feathers to tack and turn. They sing as they 
  fly, jabbering and chirping to each other in complex 
  harmonies. The average skrik nettle shoal consists of 
  three dozen or more of the majestic creatures, but these 
  flocks are often split up during the roaring storms so 
  common to the First World. Lone skrik nettles may be 
  encountered in smaller numbers, confused and trying to 
  find their way back to their kin.
  Skrik nettles range in size from a few inches across 
  (for a newly spawned hatchling) to the size of gigantic, 
  scintillating clouds. Most, however, are no more than 8 
  or 9 feet across.
  ecOlOgy
  Skrik nettles are primarily scavengers, although they 
  will attack suitable prey when hungry. Their method of 
  attack is curious. The sharp beaks of a skrik nettle drip 
  with a magical poison that is injected when the creature 
  bites a foe. The victim of the poison feels slightly 
  nauseous and light-headed at first—and then begins to 
  float off the ground.
  As long as the poison pumps through the veins of the 
  skrik nettle’s victim, the victim keeps floating up into 
  the sky. The victim has no control over this magical 
  levitation—unless she has some other method of 
  controlling her flight, such as wings or magic, or she can 
  grab a convenient tree branch, she will keep ascending 
  until the poison wears off and gravity takes hold once 
  more. The skrik nettles usually float up alongside their 
  prey, keeping it floating by injecting more poison as 
  soon as it starts to drop. Especially dangerous or hard-
  shelled prey might be poisoned, allowed to rise, and then 
  dropped repeatedly from a height until dead. 
  The poison’s effects seem to be rooted in magic, rather 
  than venom, and dispelling the ailment has proven to 
  be just as effective as bleeding a victim. Before aiding a 
  victim, however, one must take caution to tie said creature 
  down securely, as there are few deaths more ironic than 
  being cured of a skrik nettle’s poison only to instantly 
  plunge to earth from a great height. Oddly, in addition to 
  traditional remedies, killing a skrik nettle also instantly 
  cancels the effects of its poison.
  Once every year, skrik nettles return to their shoal’s 
  spawning grounds to reproduce. The jellyfish-like 
  creatures form hard, rugged eggs inside their bodies, 
  then float gently down to the spawning ground—usually 
  a jungle clearing or warm swamp—and dig nests with 
  their tentacles. Skrik nettles are hermaphrodites, so each 
  one lays its eggs and then fertilizes those of its neighbor 
  (this cross-breeding strengthens future generations of 
  skrik nettles). The average skrik nettle lays three or four 
  eggs, whose size ranges from that of a clenched fist to that 
  of a giant’s skull. 
  These eggs incubate in the warm earth for several days, 
  during which time the skrik nettles patrol above the 
  spawning ground, attacking anyone who might disturb 
  the eggs. When ready to hatch, the eggs explode out of the 
  ground and shoot into the sky, bursting into a swarm of 
  newborn skrik nettles. Unwary travelers who slip past the 
  
  Bestiary
  Bestiary
  87
  patrolling skrik nettles can trigger a premature hatching 
  if they walk over the spawning ground; such travelers may 
  be pummeled by flying, rock-hard egg shards, or even 
  carried into the sky by a particularly large hatchling.
  Hatchling skrik nettles are ravenously hungry when 
  born. To provide for the needs of their young, skrik nettle 
  shoals assemble caches of poisoned meat and float them 
  over the spawning ground. A wary explorer can spot a 
  spawning ground from afar if she notices rotting corpses 
  hanging overhead. Skrik nettle eggs can often be sold 
  to the fey. Some train young skrik nettles as songbirds, 
  teaching all six beaks to sing in harmony. Others wrap 
  skrik nettle eggs in cloth filled with golden dust or brightly 
  colored pollen; when an egg prepared in such a manner 
  flies into the sky and explodes upon hatching, the cloth’s 
  contents scatter across the sky like a beautiful firework. 
  Such entertainments are popular at parties—though the 
  ensuing swarm of carnivorous jellyfish swooping down 
  on the guests is considered less enchanting.
  habItat & sOcIety
  Skrik nettles dwell amid the clouds, descending only to 
  feed and procreate. They use their songs to keep the shoal 
  together, flying toward the chirping music of their kin. 
  Bards are often able to lure skrik nettles down to them 
  with their enchanting melodies, but once within range, 
  the poisonous creatures usually trade this performance 
  for a live meal.
   Skrik nettles are not especially intelligent predators—
  thus, they eat the bounty of the land, or, if 
  particularly lucky, snatch a dead or weak 
  creature from the ground. While skittish, 
  they retaliate when attacked, regarding 
  the assault as a chance to feed. Settlements 
  in regions where skrik nettle migrations are 
  common usually keep a few sacrificial animals 
  handy to lure the skrik nettles away during a hunt. 
  The one exception is where the skrik nettle’s 
  spawning grounds are involved—during the 
  time before a hatching, the skrik nettle shoal 
  patrols the area around the spawning grounds 
  and viciously attacks any trespassers. Skrik 
  nettles are also a hazard to flyers. They lurk 
  in low-hanging clouds, letting their tendrils 
  trail down out of the mist. An unwary bird 
  or flying creature can be stung, grabbed, 
  and whisked off to be eaten in a matter of 
  seconds. When scavenging, they fly at a low 
  level above the landscape, letting their tendrils 
  play over the ground as they search for carrion.
  Skrik nettles themselves have few natural 
  predators. They are reputed to taste so light and 
  airy that eating one is like trying to eat a soap 
  bubble, albeit a soap bubble with a half-dozen stinging 
  beaks. Skrik nettles perceive the world by sensing air 
  currents and shifting vibrations through their sensitive 
  tentacles; during storms or strong winds, they secure 
  themselves in the forks of large trees and wait out the 
  harsh weather.
  Some fey hunt the skrik nettle shoals in little flying 
  boats for sport, bringing them down with weighted 
  nets or leaden harpoons. A few fey even try riding skrik 
  nettles, “docking” them to make them harmless by 
  clamping their beaks shut and then hanging a saddle 
  from the tentacles, but the creatures are too weak to 
  make good steeds. It is also the fashion in some regions 
  for noble faerie-maidens to be accompanied by a small 
  flock of “docked” skrik nettles, each one bearing a fan, 
  mirror, or basket of fruit in its tentacles. Others capture 
  skrik nettles and train them to speak—the skrik nettles 
  are not intelligent, but they can be taught to imitate the 
  speech of the First World, much like parrots can learn to 
  imitate human tongues. A trained skrik nettle can even 
  hold conversations with itself, with each of its half-dozen 
  tentacles imitating a different voice. 
  
  88
  Part 6 
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  Part 6 
  of 6
  ZOmOk
  Resembling an enormous lizard composed entirely of organic 
  plant matter, this beast shakes loose soil from its earthy wings 
  and exhales dirt particles with every breath.
  Zomok 
  CR 16
  XP 76,800
  N Gargantuan plant (extraplanar)
  Init +4; Senses darkvision 120 ft., low-light vision, 
  tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +27
  DEfEnSE
  AC 33, touch 6, flat-footed 33 (+27 natural, –4 size)
  hp 297 (18d8+216)
  fort +23, Ref +8, Will +14
  Immune sonic, plant traits
  Weaknesses vulnerability to fire
  OffEnSE
  Speed 40 ft., fly 100 ft. (poor)
  Melee 2 claws +21 (2d6+12), bite +21 (2d8+12), 2 wings +16 
  (2d6+6), tail slap +16 (2d8+6)
  Space 20 ft.; Reach 15 ft. (20 ft. with tail)
  Special Attacks entombing breath (60-ft. cone, 18d6 
  bludgeoning plus entangled, Reflex DC 31), swallow whole 
  (6d6 bludgeoning damage, AC 23, 29 hp), trample (2d8+18, 
  DC 31)
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 16th; concentration +19)
  Constant—pass without trace
  At will—command plants (DC 22), plant growth, quench 
  (DC 21)
  3/day—entangle (DC 19), liveoak, transmute mud to rock, 
  transmute rock to mud, wall of thorns
  1/day—shambler
  STATISTICS
  Str 35, Dex 11, Con 34, Int 16, Wis 22, Cha 26
  Base Atk +13; CMB +29; CMD 39 (43 vs. trip)
  feats Awesome Blow, Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved 
  Initiative, Improved Sunder, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, 
  Power Attack, Snatch
  Skills Fly +8, Knowledge (nature) +21, Perception +27, Stealth +9, 
  Survival +24
  Languages Common, Sylvan, Terran
  SQ tree step
  ECOLOgy
  Environment any forest (First World)
  Organization solitary
  Treasure standard
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Entombing Breath (Su) A zomok can use its breath weapon 
  once every 1d4+1 rounds, blasting forth a 60-foot cone 
  of flying dirt, bark, stones, and moss. This rain of earth 
  and pulped vegetation deals 18d6 points of bludgeoning 
  damage (Reflex save DC 31 for half). Those creatures that fail 
  their Reflex saves and are also in contact with the ground 
  are entangled by the debris, which quickly takes root. The 
  creature is entangled for 1d6 rounds or until it breaks free 
  of the clinging vegetation with a DC 31 Strength or Escape 
  Artist check. The check and save DCs are Constitution-based.
  Creatures slain by a zomok’s breath weapon instantly 
  decompose, and their bodies are utterly destroyed. This 
  makes resurrecting such creatures difficult, but not 
  impossible, requiring a true resurrection or greater spell, or 
  a resurrection or similar spell cast directly on the spot where 
  the creature died. Dirt or similar debris from the spot do 
  not count as remains for the purpose of resurrection.
  Tree Step (Su) As a standard action, a zomok in a forest area 
  may teleport up to 120 feet by moving the essence of its 
  being to another forested area. The zomok is cured of 60 
  points of damage when it does this. It may use its tree 
  stride power every 1d6+1 rounds but no more than three 
  times per day. If the zomok has swallowed a foe, the foe is 
  left behind when the creature teleports.
  The First World’s seasons are as random as any other 
  aspect of that strange realm, with summers lasting for 
  years or winters passing in an afternoon. Many of the 
  forests of that world, some of them surprisingly similar 
  to those on Golarion, have difficulty coping with the 
  unpredictable climate. These forests often survive only 
  because they’re inhabited by zomoks: plant-dragons 
  that prowl the woodlands, defending them from the 
  often destructive forces of that realm, and healing and 
  regrowing vegetation as needed. Through the ages, some 
  of these creatures have even traveled from the First World 
  to inhabit the wilds of other realities, protecting the 
  nature of such lands from disasters and axe blades just as 
  tenaciously as they would in their homeland.
  No two zomoks look alike, and rarely does one creature 
  look the same for long; parts of their bodies are constantly 
  growing, dying off, and regenerating from nearby plants 
  in an endless cycle. Most rise to a height of 18 feet and 
  stretch at least 35 feet long, with wingspans of more than 
  80 feet and weights of 30 tons.
  ecOlOgy
  A zomok is more than just a single creature, being closer 
  to a collective spirit of the woodlands. One might step 
  into one stand of trees and reform a new body elsewhere 
  in the forest, the same creature but with a different body. 
  The shape of a zomok is different each time it arises. On 
  one occasion, it might pick a sturdy larch as its right 
  foreleg and turn a weeping willow into its head; on 
  another, it could have a body of oak and make its teeth 
  from brambles and nettles. The overall shape is always 
  draconic, but its components change, even from moment 
  to moment. In truth, it is more a dragon-shaped wave 
  moving through the forest—the trees bend momentarily 
  
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  89
  into the dragon’s body and limbs, but the wave passes on, 
  leaving them intact in its wake.
  Zomoks do not need to eat and have no real 
  digestive system. Any creatures they happen 
  to devour whole are often found hanging in 
  bloody gobbets from the topmost branches of 
  random trees, though the hungry plants of the 
  realm often consume the remains before they 
  are ever found.
  In combat, zomoks prefer to keep moving, 
  using their tree stride ability to 
  ensure that no one stand of trees takes 
  the brunt of the injuries. To protect their 
  habitat, zomoks breathe a raging torrent of 
  thorns, twigs, chunks of bark, and clouds of 
  moss that envelops those in its path, encasing 
  them in a thick shroud of organic matter. 
  Those slain by the breath weapon are instantly 
  decomposed into rich loam; even those who 
  survive often find mold growing on their 
  skin or small plants sprouting from their 
  hair or ears, with each tendril trying to 
  root the creature into the earth. 
  Zomoks can also control the terrain, 
  turning the land into a swamp or conjuring 
  defensive walls. When need be, they can quench 
  flames at will—a useful talent for a creature so 
  vulnerable to fire. When facing powerful foes, 
  zomoks create mighty walls of briar and moves 
  through the wood to divide its enemies and 
  attack them individually. Zomoks can also 
  call up formidable guardians of mold and 
  vines using magic, and it is rare for them to 
  be without such defending monsters. Some 
  zomoks even consume their shambling minions, holding 
  them in their bodies so any creatures the dragon-plants 
  swallow are assaulted inside of them as well as out.
  habItat & sOcIety
  Though zomoks do not inhabit every forest in the First 
  World, they are far from uncommon, and they offer the 
  benefit of protecting nature and its denizens 
  wherever they may go.
  The finicky zomok’s temperament varies 
  with the season. In spring, they are often 
  playful and mercurial, playing pranks on 
  intruders or changing forest paths to confuse 
  travelers. In summer, zomoks find their 
  strength and majesty and become kings of the 
  woodland, attending courts with dryads, satyrs, 
  and stranger folk of the green. In autumn, zomoks 
  become weird mystics, spouting prophecies and 
  cryptic mutterings about the fate of the forest. 
  Only the most foolish would dare approach a zomok in 
  winter, when starvation and the chill of the frost make 
  them vicious and cruel. A zomok wearing its winter coat 
  of rime-covered branches and gray moss can be placated 
  with suitable sacrifices, such as broken axe-heads or 
  nubile virgins with green thumbs.
  Zomoks have a slightly bemused attitude toward 
  other creatures dwelling in their woods, considering 
  them pets at best and pesky parasites at worst. 
  In any event, the mobile nature of a zomok’s 
  woodland territory means that there are few long-
  term residents within the dragon’s demesne, 
  although some zomoks have forged 
  extended 
  alliances 
  with 
  dryads, 
  bringing the dryads’ trees along each 
  time they move. Like most woodland 
  fey, they despise those who harm 
  trees—woe 
  betide 
  any 
  who 
  set axe or fire to wood in the 
  presence of a zomok. Despite 
  this, threatening the forest is often 
  the best way to deal with such a 
  monster. Actually killing a zomok 
  is difficult because of its ability to 
  heal itself through tree striding, 
  so a better tactic is to blast the 
  surrounding woods with fireballs 
  or blights until the plant-dragon 
  agrees to negotiate.
  Unlike true dragons, zomoks 
  have little interest in treasure, but 
  a few coins or other items may 
  sometimes be found lodged in 
  the branches and roots of the 
  creatures’ innards. 
  
  90
  Part 6 
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  Part 6 
  of 6
  Harsk
  CHARACTER TRAITS
  CLASS/LEVEL 
  Ranger 15
  ALIGNMENT 
  Lawful Neutral
  INITIATIVE 
  +6
  SPEED 
  20 ft.
  ABILITIES
  STRENGTH 
  14
  DEXTERITY 
  23
  CONSTITUTION 
  16
  INTELLIGENCE 
  10
  WISDOM 
  14
  CHARISMA 
  6
  DEFENSE
  HP 132
  AC 30, touch 19, flat-footed 24 (+9 armor, 
  +3 deflection, +6 Dex, +2 natural) 
  Fort +12, Ref +15, Will +9; +2 vs. poison, spells, 
  and spell-like abilities
  Senses darkvision 60 ft.
  Defensive Abilities evasion
  OFFENSE
  Melee +3 greataxe +20/+15/+10 (1d12+6/×3)
  Ranged +4 flaming burst heavy crossbow 
  +26/+19/+16 (1d10+4 plus 1d6 fire/17–20)
  Base Atk +15; CMB +17; CMD 33 (37 vs. bull 
  rush and trip)
  Special Abilities camouflage, favored  
  enemy (humanoid [giant] +6, fey +4, 
  humanoid [human] +2, humanoid 
  [monstrous humanoid] +4), favored terrain 
  (mountains +6, forest +2, cold +2), hunter’s 
  bond (companions),  quarry, swift tracker, 
  track +5, wild empathy +8, woodland stride
  Spells Prepared (CL 12th, concentration +14)
  4th—tree stride
  3rd—cure moderate wounds, neutralize poison
  2nd—p. from energy, spike growth, wind wall
  1st—delay poison, entangle (DC 13), resist energy (2)
  SKILLS
  Handle Animal +1, Heal +20, Knowledge 
  (geography) +18, Knowledge (nature) +18, 
  Perception +20, Stealth +24, Survival +20
  FEATS
  Deadly Aim, Diehard, Endurance, Far Shot, 
  Improved Critical (heavy crossbow), Improved 
  Precise Shot, Iron Will, Pinpoint Targeting, 
  Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Reload 
  (heavy crossbow), Shot on the Run, Weapon 
  Focus (heavy crossbow)
  Combat Gear potions of meld into stone (2), antitoxin (2), smokesticks (2), tanglefoot bags (2), 
  thunderstones (2); Other Gear +3 mithral breastplate of invulnerability, +3 greataxe, +4 flaming burst 
  heavy crossbow with 30 bolts and +1 brilliant energy bolts (15), masterwork silver dagger, amulet of 
  natural armor +2, belt of incredible dexterity +6, cape of the mountebank, handy haversack, pearl of 
  power (1st level), ring of protection +3, rations (4), signal whistle, teapot, winged boots, 520 gp
  Harsk is, in many ways, not your standard dwarf. Much of his anger stems from the slaughter of his 
  brother’s warband,  slain to a man by giants. He prefers strong tea over alcohol (to keep his senses 
  sharp), the wildlands of the surface world (where giants can be found), and the crossbow over the 
  axe (which allows him to start fights faster).
  MALE DWARF
  DEITY 
  Torag
  HOMELAND 
  Druma
  CHARACTER TRAITS
  CLASS/LEVEL 
  Barbarian 15
  ALIGNMENT 
  Chaotic Neutral
  INITIATIVE 
  +3
  SPEED 
  40 ft.
  ABILITIES
  STRENGTH 
  21
  DEXTERITY 
  16
  CONSTITUTION 
  16
  INTELLIGENCE 
  10
  WISDOM 
  12
  CHARISMA 
  8
  DEFENSE
  HP 163
  AC 27, touch 16, flat-footed 24 (+8 armor,  
  +3 deflection, +3 Dex, +3 natural)
  Fort +17, Ref +13, Will +11
  Defensive Abilities improved uncanny dodge, 
  trap sense +5; DR 3/—
  OFFENSE
  Melee +4 Large icy burst bastard sword 
  +23/+18/+13 (2d8+11 plus 1d6 cold/17–20)
  Ranged +2 anarchic composite longbow 
  +20/+15/+10 (1d8+5/×3)
  Base Atk +15; CMB +20 (+22 bull rush);     
  CMD 36 (38 vs. bull rush)
  Special Abilities damage reduction 3/–, 
  fast movement, greater rage 41 rds/day, 
  indomitable will, rage powers (clear mind, 
  knockback, mighty swing, powerful blow 
  +4, renewed vigor, scent, strength surge)
  SKILLS
  Acrobatics +20, Climb +22, Intimidate +17, 
  Perception +19, Survival +19
  FEATS
  Critical Focus, Exotic Weapon Proficiency 
  (bastard sword), Extra Rage, Improved Bull 
  Rush, Improved Critical (bastard sword), 
  Power Attack, Strike Back, Vital Strike, 
  Weapon Focus (bastard sword)
  Combat Gear potions of blink (2), potions of cure serious wounds (2), potions of displacement (2), potions 
  of haste (2); Gear +4 moderate fortification chain shirt, +4 Large icy burst bastard sword, +2 anarchic 
  composite longbow (+5 Str) with 20 arrows, javelins (2), spiked gauntlet, throwing axe, amulet of nat. 
  armor +3, belt of physical perfection +2, cloak of resistance +5, handy haversack, ring of prot. +3, 849 gp 
  Amiri never quite fit into the expected gender roles of her tribe, and when the tribe attempted to 
  send her on a suicide mission, she returned with an enormous trophy—a frost giant’s sword. She 
  has since abandoned her people, and has come to value her oversized sword (even though she can 
  only truly wield it properly when her blood rage takes her). She never speaks of the circumstances 
  that forced her to flee her homeland. Some things are better left unsaid.
  FEMALE HUMAN
  DEITY 
  Gorum
  HOMELAND 
  Mammoth Lords
  Amiri
  
  91
  Pregenerated Characters
  Pregenerated Characters
  Lini
  Sajan
  CHARACTER TRAITS
  CLASS/LEVEL 
  Druid 15
  ALIGNMENT 
  Neutral
  INITIATIVE 
  +5
  SPEED 
  20 ft.
  ABILITIES
  STRENGTH 
  6
  DEXTERITY 
  12
  CONSTITUTION 
  16
  INTELLIGENCE 
  10
  WISDOM 
  24
  CHARISMA 
  15
  DEFENSE
  HP 116
  AC 22, touch 15, flat-footed 20 (+6 armor, 
  +4 deflection, +1 Dex, +2 natural, +1 size)
  Fort +12, Ref +8, Will +16; +2 vs. illusion; +4 
  vs. fey and plant-targeted effects
  Senses low-light vision
  Immune poison
  OFFENSE
  Melee +3 sickle +13/+8/+3 (1d4+1)
  Ranged +2 sling +15 (1d3)
  Base Atk +11; CMB +8; CMD 23
  Special Abilities a thousand faces, gnome 
  spell-like abilities, nature bond (small cat 
  named Droogami), nature sense, timeless 
  body, trackless step, wild empathy +17, wild 
  shape 6/day, woodland stride
  Spells Prepared (CL 15th; concentration +22)
  8th—earthquake
  7th—fire storm (DC 24), wind walk
  6th—move earth, mass bull’s strength, w. of stone
  5th—cure critical wounds, stoneskin, w. of thorns (2)
  4th—air walk, d. magic, flame strike (2, DC 21)
  3rd—neutralize poison (2), remove disease (2)
  2nd—bull’s strength, barkskin, flaming sphere 
  (DC 18), resist energy, spider climb
  1st—cure lt. wounds (3), entangle (2; DC 17)
  0—detect magic, know direction, light, stabilize
  SKILLS
  Handle Animal +20, Heal +20, Knowledge 
  (nature) +18, Perception +27, Ride +14, 
  Spellcraft +13
  FEATS
  Augment Summoning, Combat Casting, 
  Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, 
  Mounted Combat, Natural Spell, Spell Focus 
  (conjuration), Trample
  Combat Gear potions of cure serious wounds (2), scrolls of call lightning storm (2), wand of contagion 
  (CL 7th, 18 charges), wand of cure critical wounds (20 charges); Other Gear +4 wild leather armor, 
  +3 sickle, +2 sling with 20 bullets, druid’s vestment, headband of inspired wisdom +6, portable hole, 
  ring of protection +4, wings of flying, belt pouch, collection of de-barked sticks, mistletoe, spell 
  component pouch, sunrods (2), 480 gp
  Lini has always possessed a certain affinity with creatures of the woodlands. Since her departure 
  from her home, Lini has collected dozens of sticks—one from each wood she visits. To Lini, these 
  sticks are a roadmap of her experiences, each holding a wealth of memories for the gnome druid.
  FEMALE GNOME
  DEITY 
  Green Faith
  HOMELAND 
  Linnorm Kings
  CHARACTER TRAITS
  CLASS/LEVEL 
  Monk 15
  ALIGNMENT 
  Lawful Neutral
  INITIATIVE 
  +3
  SPEED 
  80 ft.
  ABILITIES
  STRENGTH 
  17
  DEXTERITY 
  16
  CONSTITUTION 
  14
  INTELLIGENCE 
  10
  WISDOM 
  12
  CHARISMA 
  8
  DEFENSE
  HP 116
  AC 28, touch 21, flat-footed 24 (+7 armor,  
  +3 deflection, +3 Dex, +1 dodge, +3 monk, 
  +1 Wis)
  Fort +16, Ref +17, Will +15; +2 vs. enchantment
  Defensive Abilities improved evasion; 
  Immune disease, poison; SR 25
  OFFENSE
  Melee unarmed strike +16/+11/+6 (2d6+5 plus 
  1d6 electricity) or 
  flurry of blows +18/+18/+13/+13/+8/+8 (2d6+5 
  plus 1d6 electricity) or 
  +4 temple sword +18/+13/+8 (1d8+8/19–20)
  Base Atk +11; CMB +18 (+22 grapple); CMD 35 
  (39 vs. grapple)
  Special Abilities abundant step, diamond 
  body, diamond soul, fast movement, high 
  jump, ki pool (8 points, lawful, magic), 
  maneuver training, quivering palm, slow 
  fall 70 ft., stunning fist (15/day, DC 18, 
  fatigued, sickened, staggered), wholeness 
  of body
  SKILLS
  Acrobatics +21 (+56 jump), Climb +21, 
  Perception +19, Sense Motive +19, Stealth +21
  FEATS
  Combat Reflexes, Deflect Arrows, Dodge, Exotic 
  Weapon Proficiency (temple sword), Gorgon’s 
  Fist, Greater Grapple, Improved Grapple, 
  Improved Unarmed Strike, Lightning Stance, 
  Medusa’s Wrath, Mobility, Scorpion Style, 
  Snatch Arrow, Spring Attack, Stunning Fist, 
  Wind Stance
  Combat Gear potions of cure serious wounds (2), potion of fly; Gear +4 temple sword, bracers of armor 
  +7, cloak of resistance +5, monk’s robe, scabbard of keen edges, ring of protection +3, +2 shocking burst 
  amulet of mighty fists, wooden holy symbol, belt pouch, 932 gp
  Sajan Gadadvara and his twin sister Sajni were separated when the lord they served was shamed 
  and forced to cede half his army to the victor—among them Sajan’s sister. Sajni was taken away 
  from Vudra by her new master, and Sajan abandoned his own responsibilities to follow. He spent 
  years trying in vain to find her, but has not yet given up. He cares not for his home country and 
  continues to seek out any clue that might point him toward his sister.
  MALE HUMAN
  DEITY 
  Irori
  HOMELAND 
  Vudra
  
  92
  Next MoNth
  Next MoNth
  SoulS for Smuggler’S Shiv
  by James Jacobs
  A voyage to the jungle realm of Sargava takes a turn for 
  the deadly when the crew of the Jenivere is shipwrecked 
  upon the infamous island of Smuggler’s Shiv. To survive, 
  the PCs must unite with their fellow crewmates and 
  passengers and explore an isle home to primeval beasts, 
  crazed cannibals, and legends of piratical lore. But what 
  mysteries lurk at the heart of the jungle island, and could 
  they hold a secret to riches greater than any plundered 
  treasure? The PCs might be on the trail of wealth beyond 
  imagination, if only they can escape Smuggler’s Shiv. 
  Set sail for an entirely new adventure in this, the first 
  volume of the Serpent’s Skull Adventure Path!
  Shipwrecked
  by James Jacobs
  Meet the haggard survivors of Smugglers Shiv. Choose 
  your allies and meet your blood enemies in this gallery of 
  colorful castaways.
  ecology of the Serpentfolk
  by Clinton Boomer
  Learn the history and ways of the mysterious snake men 
  of the Darklands, an ancient evil that threatens to rise 
  once more and overrun Golarion.
  And more!
  Robin Laws presents the wisdom of the jungle in a new 
  Pathfinder’s Journal, and scourges from the sea slink from 
  the surf in a new entry into the Pathfinder Bestiary.
  SubScribe to pAthfinder 
  Adventure pAth!
  The Serpent’s Skull Adventure Path begins next month! 
  Don’t miss out—venture to paizo.com/pathfinder and 
  subscribe today to have each Pathfinder Adventure Path, 
  Pathfinder Campaign Setting, Pathfinder Companion, 
  Pathfinder Module, and GameMastery product delivered 
  to your door. Also, watch online for the free Serpent Skull 
  Player’s Guide, available soon!
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  Source: Aurex Thewsen, abrasive “hero.”
  Task: Hailing from Pitax, Aurex Thewsen often brags 
  about his dragon-slaying skills. He challenges the 
  leaders of the Stolen Lands to prove their worth 
  by slaying a dragon themselves, in order to prove 
  why they should remain leaders in the River Kingdoms.
  Completion: Seek out an infamous true dragon and 
  defeat it in combat. The legendary black wyrm 
  Ilthuliak would suffice, if one could find her lair.
  Reward: The PCs’ fame for becoming dragonslayers 
  increases the kingdom’s Economy by +4. 
  Source: Limm Ticklewing, worried pixie.
  Task: Limm Ticklewing is worried for her six sisters. 
  A month ago, they were all captured by a “nasty 
  wizard made out of worms.” He and a scary witch 
  put Limm’s six sisters into a magic cage and gave 
  that cage to a mean troll. Limm escaped, and 
  desperately wants her sisters to be saved. 
  Completion: Rescue as many of Limm’s sisters as 
  you can.
  Reward: For each rescued sister, Limm promises a 
  gem worth 5,000 gp. 
  Source: Belinda Houten, proper noblewoman.
  Task: Belinda Houten is looking for a legacy; she wants 
  a theater and several monuments built and dedicated 
  to her family name. She happens to possess a book 
  that a strange fortune-teller told her the leaders 
  of the Stolen Lands would some day need, but she 
  won’t part with it untill she has her buildings.
  Completion: Build a theater and four monuments in 
  Belinda’s honor (all must be in different cities).
  Reward: A mint-condition copy of Zuddiger’s Picnic 
  worth 5,000 gp. 
  Source: Loris Shadwest, eager taxidermist.
  Task: Loris wants to stuff a winged owlbear. While 
  lesser taxidermists might just stich a giant bird’s wings 
  onto a normal owlbear, Loris wants his masterpiece to 
  be “real.” He’s promised a powerful magical item to the 
  first person to deliver to him a real winged owlbear 
  carcass. IN GOOD CONDITION!
  Completion: Kill a winged owlbear and deliver it to Loris.
  Reward: The magic item Loris promises is in fact a 
  crystal ball that’s been in his family for years.  
  A heroic chALLenge
  the pixie’S SiSterS
  the houten LegAcy
  A FLying owLBeAr
  
  A World Gone Mad
  paizo.com/pathfinder
  Printed in China. PZO9036
  W
  ith the dangers of the Stolen Lands brought to heel, the PCs rule as 
  lords of that realm. But from an unassuming corner of their kingdom, a 
  centuries-old plot takes shape, turning the land itself into a deadly enemy 
  that threatens to bring their entire nation to ruin. As the boundary between the Stolen 
  Lands and an insane other world begins to break down, it’s up to the PCs to save their 
  people from nature gone mad and the emissaries of a reality beyond imagining. But 
  can they retain their kingdom—and their sanity—against the fury of the First World?
  This volume of Pathfinder Adventure Path brings the Kingmaker Adventure Path to 
  its dynamic conclusion and includes: 
  ►  “Sound of a Thousand Screams,” a Pathfinder RPG adventure for 15th-level  
  characters, by Richard Pett.
  ►  Nefarious plots and high-level challenges to keep your Kingmaker campaign 
  running after the Adventure Path’s end, by F. Wesley Schneider. 
  ►  An exploration into the First World, home of the fey and land of impossibilities, 
  by James L. Sutter.
  ►  Battlefield revelations and unfortunate truths for would-be Pathfinder Ollix Kaddar 
  in the Pathfinder’s Journal, by Jay Thompson.
  ►  Five new monsters, by Gareth Hanrahan and Patrick Renie.
  ®
  TM
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Pathfinder/1st Edition/Adventure Paths/PF031-036 - KingMaker/Kingmaker - 06 - Sound of a Thousand Screams.pdf