P A T H f In d E ® R c A M P A I G n S E ™ T T In MAKE HISTORY! G The Pathfinder Society is an eccentric organization of adventurers, explorers, and scholars with agents spread across Golarion and beyond. While members are expected to be fairly self-sufficient, the organization’s leadership knows that those equipped with the knowledge and gear to face the challenges of the job are most likely to survive to bring back priceless treasures and to fill the Pathfinder Chronicles with tales of their daring exploits. The Pathfinder Society Field Guide breaks down what it means to be P A a Pathfinder and gives players and GMs tools to build characters and T H campaigns around the illustrious organization. In addition, all content f I within this book is 100% legal for use in the world-spanning Pathfinder Society n d Organized Play campaign. E Within this book, Pathfinders will find: R S O ► An overview of Absalom, City at the Center of the World, where the c Pathfinder Society keeps its headquarters. IE T ► Details on 10 factions within the Pathfinder Society, and the benefits Y available to those agents loyal to each. f I ► New archetypes for Pathfinders of all three branches of the organization: the E l Scrolls, the Spells, and the Swords. d ► A complete field guide covering threats to Pathfinder agents, as well as G u suggestions on building PCs prepared to face them. I d ► Rules for day jobs and professions, property, followers, and other ways to E customize your character. ► A system for turning characters’ fame and prestige into valuable in-game rewards. ► Dozens of new spells, magic items, specialized adventuring tools, and more! The Pathfinder Society Field Guide is intended for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the Pathfinder campaign setting, but can easily be used in any fantasy game setting. PPaatthhffiinnddeerr SSoocciieettyy FFiieelldd GGuuiiddee ® TM Printed in China PZO9235 paizo.com/pathfinder Erik Mona, Mark Moreland, Russ Taylor, and Larry Wilhelm Pathfinder Society Factions AndORAn QAdIRA Freedom and democracy Dominance through trade. for all. Faction Leader: Faction Leader: Aaqir Al’Hakam Major Colson Maldris Qadira cHElIAx SczARnI Establish order, no matter Use Pathfinder missions as a the costs. front for personal gain. Faction Leader: Faction Leader: Paracountess Zarta Guaril Karela Dralneen Sczarni GRAnd lOdGE SHAdOw lOdGE Loyalty to the Decemvirate Ensure the Decemvirate above all else. doesn’t take advantage of Pathfinder agents. Faction Leader: Venture-Captain Faction Leader: Ambrus Valsin Grandmaster Torch GRAND SShhaaddooww LLooddggee LODGE lAnTERn lOdGE SIlvER cRuSAdE Spread the wisdom of Tian Use the Pathfinder Society’s Xia within the Inner Sea. resources to do good in the world. Faction Leader: Amara Li Faction Leader: Ollysta Zadrian LLaanntteerrnn LLooddggee SShhiinniinngg CCrruussaaddee OSIRIOn TAldOR In the secrets of the past, we Gain control of Absalom shall find today’s triumphs. through political manipulation and intrigue. Faction Leader: Amenopheus Faction Leader: Lady Gloriana Morilla Pathfinder Society Field Guide A Pathfinder Campaign Setting Supplement This book works best with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook. Although suitable for play in any fantasy world, it is optimized for use in the Pathfinder campaign setting. table of Contents introduction 2 Pathfinder society archetypes 24 absalom 4 field Guide 32 factions 12 society resources 46 Credits Authors • Erik Mona, Mark Moreland, Russ Taylor, Paizo CEO • Lisa Stevens and Larry Wilhelm Vice President of Operations • Jeffrey Alvarez Cover Artist • Paul Guzenko Director of Sales • Pierce Watters Interior Artists • Gonzalo Flores, Damien Mammoliti, Finance Manager • Christopher Self Ryan Portillo, Maichol Quinto, Florian Stitz, Staff Accountant • Kunji Sedo and Kieran Yanner Technical Director • Vic Wertz Cartography • Rob Lazzaretti Marketing Manager • Hyrum Savage Creative Director • James Jacobs Special Thanks • The Paizo Customer Service, Senior Art Director • Sarah E. Robinson Warehouse, and Website Teams Managing Editor • F. Wesley Schneider Development Lead • James Jacobs Editing and Development • Judy Bauer, Christopher Carey, Paizo Publishing, LLC Mark Moreland, Sean K Reynolds, and James L. Sutter 7120 185th Ave NE, Ste 120 Editorial Assistance • Jason Bulmahn, Rob McCreary, Redmond, WA 98052-0577 and Stephen Radney-MacFarland paizo.com Editorial Intern • Michael Kenway Graphic Designer • Andrew Vallas Production Specialist • Crystal Frasier Publisher • Erik Mona This product makes use of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook and Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Player’s Guide. These rules can be found online as part of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document at paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd. 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 Gaming 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. Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Pathfinder Society Field Guide is published by Paizo Publishing, LLC under the Open Game License version 1.0a Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Paizo Publishing, LLC, the Paizo golem logo, Pathfinder, and GameMastery are registered trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC; Pathfinder Adventure Path, Pathfinder Campaign Setting, Pathfinder Module, Pathfinder Player Companion, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Pathfinder Society, Pathfinder Tales, and Titanic Games are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC. © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC. Printed in China. Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Pathfinder Society Field Guide Welcome to the Pathfinder Society Some of Golarion’s greatest heroes record their victories that fuels the organization as a whole. Perhaps your player in an ongoing series of chapbooks known as the Pathfinder characters are one such group, moving from locale to Chronicles. The amazing tales bound in these volumes tell locale to discover the lost secrets of dead civilizations. of lost gods and sunken continents, of creatures older than Pathfinders provide written reports of their exploits history and the fantastic ruins they left behind. to their venture-captains, who in turn forward the most The authors of these tales belong to the Pathfinder compelling records to the Grand Lodge for consideration Society, a loose-knit group of explorers, scholars, and by the Decemvirate. Periodically, the masked leaders adventurers who span the globe and band together in collect and publish the greatest exploits into new volumes search of lost knowledge and ancient treasures. Some seek of the Pathfinder Chronicles, which they ship back to the to unlock the secret history of the world, piecing together venture-captains for distribution to field agents, sending the past one fragment at a time. Others are in it for the adventurers flocking to the sites detailed therein. money, filtering priceless antiquities through a series Individual groups of Pathfinder agents often of unscrupulous merchants to enrich themselves find themselves at cross-purposes in the field, beyond measure. Other Pathfinders take up the trade particularly if each team reports to a different for the potential fame, or because they find the venture-captain. Competition between Pathfinders thrill of risking their lives more addicting and rarely results in outright battle, but certain agents exhilarating than any vice or drug. aren’t above collapsing passages, triggering A shadowy inner circle of 10 masked ancient traps, or selling out their rivals to leaders known as the Decemvirate hostile natives—all in the name of friendly rules the Pathfinder Society from the competition, of course. bustling metropolis of Absalom, the the Pathfinder so-called City at the Center of the soCiety CamPaiGn World. There, in a huge fortress complex called the Grand Paizo’s massive organized play Lodge, the Ten manage a vast campaign is based on the concept organization of operatives that the thousands of players spread throughout the who take part in organized Inner Sea and beyond. play games are members of Their subordinates, called the Pathfinder Society. As venture-captains, coordinate members of this organized independent teams of play campaign, you play Pathfinders, tipping them field agents sent on various off to ancient legends, passing tasks throughout the Inner along newly discovered maps, Sea region (and periodically and supporting their efforts in the beyond) to help the Pathfinder field. Venture-captains provide an Society achieve its countless goals. ideal “in-world” source of adventure Players also attempt to aid their leads, making them indispensable own factions, who use their agents’ NPCs in any campaign. That doesn’t status as Pathfinders to achieve their necessarily make every venture-captain own goals. To find out more about an ally, however. The ultimate goals of the Pathfinder Society Organized Play, Decemvirate are inscrutable, and not even visit paizo.com/pathfindersociety, where you the venture-captains understand the full can download free guidelines for play, register picture of what the Pathfinder Society does with your character, and more. the information it collects. An organized play campaign works quite Each venture-captain oversees the activities differently than most home games, but that of several tightly knit groups of Pathfinder field doesn’t mean you can’t adapt some of the unique agents who conduct much of the exploration and adventure rules of a massive campaign to your home game. 2 Introduction 1 D J 22 8,000 gp ay obs 27 11,750 gp Not every Pathfinder works for the Society full time. Some 31 16,500 gp are trained artisans, professionals, or performers and earn 36 23,000 gp extra gold on the side, between missions. During these 40 31,000 gp times, you can attempt a Craft, Perform, or Profession skill 45 41,000 gp check to see how much extra money you earn—this is called 49 54,000 gp a Day Job check. In the organized play campaign, you may 54 70,000 gp make one Day Job check after the end of each adventure— 58 92,500 gp in a home game, the GM should set a schedule for Day Job 63 120,000 gp checks that fits with her particular campaign. Note that if 67 or more 157,500 gp you use Day Job checks in your game, this system should replace the normal rules for using these skills to earn money. Certain Vanities (see the end of Chapter 5 of this book) allow Additional Prestige Purchases: While each faction lists a you to further modify your Day Job rolls, or even let you use customized selection of boons, favors, and awards that can skill ranks from other, more specialized skills. You cannot be purchased with Prestige Points (abbreviated as “PP”), take 10 or 20 on a Day Job check. a wide selection of “generic” purchases are available to In order to determine how much money you make as a all characters. Most of these purchases are in the form of result of a Day Job check, consult the table below. restorative spells cast by helpful faction members, but some of them are bonuses on checks, access to items, or favors. Day Job Check Rewards Generic Prestige Awards DC Result GP Award 5 1 gp Award Cost* 10 5 gp +4 on any one skill check** 1 PP 15 10 gp Dispel magic 1 PP 20 20 gp Lesser restoration 1 PP 25 50 gp Make whole 1 PP 30 75 gp Remove blindness/deafness 1 PP 35 100 gp Remove curse 1 PP 40 150 gp Remove disease 1 PP Remove paralysis 1 PP P F restige anD ame Free purchase up to 150 gp*** 1 PP In the Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign, every Atonement 2 PP (8 PP to player character belongs to a specific faction chosen from restore cleric/druid the 10 options presented in Chapter Two. As characters go powers) on adventures and perform services for their factions, they Break enchantment 2 PP gain Fame and Prestige with those factions. In addition to Greater dispel magic 2 PP the brief rules presented here and the details on how Fame Neutralize poison 2 PP and Prestige tie to specific factions in Pathfinder Society Restoration 2 PP (4 PP to Organized Play (presented on page 13), full details on these remove a permanent subsystems can be found in the free online guidelines at negative level) paizo.com/pathfindersociety. Free purchase up to 750 gp*** 2 PP Item Purchases: In the Pathfinder Society campaign, Regenerate 3 PP your Fame score sets the upper limit of what kinds of items Have your body recovered by a rescue team 5 PP you can purchase for your character. The higher your Fame, Raise dead 16 PP the higher your character’s purchase limit grows, thus Greater restoration 16 PP allowing you to spend your gold on more expensive gear. Resurrection 32 PP True Resurrection 77 PP Fame and Item Purchases * Add +5 to this cost if this benefit is purchased outside of a Fame Score Maximum Item Cost settlement of 5,000 residents or more. 4 or less 500 gp ** Does not include the Day Job check. 9 1,500 gp *** Once per session, you can acquire any single item of this 13 3,000 gp cost or less from your faction by spending the appropriate PP. 18 5,250 gp Items purchased this way are worth 0 gp and cannot be sold. 3 Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Pathfinder Society Field Guide Absalom “As a venture-captain, I’ve dispatched Pathfinder agents all across the Inner Sea and beyond, and I can tell you for a fact that there’s no city better than Absalom. Here in the City at the Center of the World, a day at the market might turn up more priceless historical antiquities and magical treasures than a lucrative archaeological expedition anywhere else. The city is old. Osirion old. Aroden old. It’s been around since the beginning of the Age of Enthronment, gathering treasures, gathering secrets. The Pathfinder Society is based here for a reason: Absalom is the delve that never runs dry. —Drandle Dreng, Venture-Captain of Absalom 4 Absalom 11 The city of Absalom traces its origins back to the Nuar Spiritskin, “The Minotaur Prince of Absalom,” dawn of the modern age, which began with the city’s influence peddler (CN male minotaur oracle of heavens 9) founding by Aroden, the god of humanity. Since then, Brythen Blood, High Curator of the College of Mysteries countless tyrants, empires, and godlings have attempted (N male human sorcerer 16) to claim it, but the “City Under Siege” has never fallen, and Ambrus Valsin, Venture-Captain, Chamberlain of the Grand remains as integral to the trade and culture of the Inner Lodge (LN male human rogue 4/sorcerer 6) Sea today as it was in the era of Old Taldor or the glory Aram Zey, Venture-Captain, Master of Spells (N male years of Cheliax. As far as modern history is concerned, human wizard 11) Absalom has always stood astride the mountainous Isle of Kreighton Shaine, Venture-Captain, Master of Scrolls (CG Kortos, and probably always will. male elf diviner 7/loremaster 3) In the nearly 5,000 years since its founding, Absalom Marcos Farabellus, Venture-Captain, Master of Swords (CG has attracted visitors from all over Golarion, and even male human fighter 6/rogue 4) some from the distant fringes of the Great Beyond. These Drandle Dreng, Venture-Captain (NG male human rogue 8) travelers have brought secrets and wealth along with them, Shevala Iorae, Venture-Captain (N female human sorcerer 8) making Absalom one of the greatest sources of antiquities MARKETPLACE and lore that the world has ever known. Even today Base Value 25,600 gp; Purchase Limit 170,000 gp; trade brings ships from the far harbors of the legendary Spellcasting 9th eastern continents and the distant side of the Horn of Minor Items availability varies by district, but virtually all Droon in southern Garund, flooding the metropolis items are available if one knows where to look; Medium with exotic ideas, diverse magical artifice, and enough Items 4d4 items; Major Items 3d4 items political intrigue to inspire machinations from enemies AscendAnt court both foreign and domestic. There’s a lot going on in the Inner Sea’s biggest city, and wise Pathfinders take every The geographical and metaphorical heart of Absalom, the precaution before attempting to make the city their own. Ascendant Court is the centerpiece of the city’s religious The following guide (organized by the city’s many faith and the hub of its great thoroughfares. Piety is the districts) paints the “big picture” your character needs to order of the day here, but as just about every cult has its know to perform her Pathfinder duties here in the order’s own definition of faith, the Ascendant Court is just as home city, but nothing compares to getting out there and diverse (and in its own way, dangerous) as any of Absalom’s learning things the hard way. districts. The district’s populace ranges from the poor, penniless wretches looking for something to believe in Absalom along the Avenue of the Hopeful to sanctimonious manor N metropolis lords crowding in from the opulent Petal District, their Corruption +2; Crime +4; Economy +7; Law +2; Lore +5; personal palaces encroaching ever more closely on the Society +8 holiest sites of their beloved gods. The district’s guard, the Qualities Academic, Holy Site, Magically Attuned, Prosperous, Graycloaks, is composed entirely of incorruptible atheists Strategic Location, Tourist Attraction sworn to protect the quarter against unrest. Danger +10 Chelish Embassy: The City at the Center of the World DEMOGRAPHICS was the center of Aroden’s widespread cult, the destination Government council (Grand Council composed of 12-member of pilgrimages by countless adherents across the Inner Sea High Council of major nobles, religious dignitaries, who sought to trod the streets that he had trod, and marvel and merchants, and 49-member Low Council of district in the works that he had achieved for the city in which he representatives, popular heroes, lesser priests, and so on. once dwelt. The greatest of Aroden’s temples, the site of his Major power is invested in the Primarch, who technically mortal hall, stands at the edge of a massive plaza called controls the Council but is in many ways also held in check the God’s Market southeast of the Starstone Cathedral. But by its powers.) it is no longer Aroden’s temple. Decades of decline in the Population 303,900 cult and the disastrous earthquake of 4698 ar bankrupted Notable NPCs the aged priests who maintained the site, and through a Lord Gyr of House Gixx, Primarch of Absalom, Protector of complex series of maneuverings the nation of Cheliax Kortos (N male human rogue 13) managed to purchase the damaged structure, which it Goodman Hugen, High Councilor, First Harbormaster, Scion soon established as its political embassy. Numerous minor Lord of House Candren (NG male human fighter 9/expert 3) dignitaries (including Paracountess Zarta Dralneen, a Asilia of Gyr, Captain of the Starwatch, commander of the great friend of the Society’s efforts in Cheliax) swarm the warship Hurricane Wings (N female human ranger 10) baroque building at all hours of the day and night. 5 Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Pathfinder Society Field Guide Starstone Cathedral: When the living god Aroden raised illusionists, and other tricks of the trade. If one knows where the Starstone from the depths of the Inner Sea, the whole of to look (and whom to avoid), it’s possible to find historical the Isle of Kortos came with it. Here, at the center of the city or even magical treasures among the common goods here, that grew up around it, on a tor perched at the center of a even spread out on the modest rug of a petty junk dealer. yawning chasm, the Starsone remains, protected by a massive More exotic—and even highly illegal—goods are best structure of sweeping towers and treacherous dungeons. acquired beyond the veils of the infamous Red Silk Route, Legend claims that any hero who survives the dangers, a cordoned sub-market just beyond the boisterous tavern guardian creatures, and psychological ordeals of the called the Saucy Wench near the center of the marketplace. cathedral emerges as a god. Aroden himself, Cayden Cailean, Misery Row: East of the Grand Bazaar, the structures of Iomedae, and Norgorber all conquered the otherworldly the Coins grow more ostentatious as they approach Eastgate. mystery of the stone and gained divine immortality, and Here stands Misery Row, an elevated thoroughfare upon every day hundreds of truth-seekers, visionaries, prophets, which are sold some of city’s most coveted commodities— and madmen flock to the district with audacious hopes to slaves. The sides of the stone platform bear barred windows add their names to that august list. that look in on squalid display pens accessed from above, Temples: The presence of the Starstone and importance the so-called “Slave Pits of Absalom.” of the city to the myths of so many religions has sprouted The Grand Dance Hall of Kortos: At this ornate, round hundreds of places of worship in the Ascendant Court, theater on the edge of Eastgate, the city’s richest merchants ranging from tiny shrines honoring the spirits of distant and most ambitious nobles gather to control the economy Vudra to the cyclopean temples of major Inner Sea deities. of the Inner Sea before a backdrop of gyrating Vudrani Sites of particular interest to Pathfinder agents include dancers and gymnasts. Admission is free to those in the the Seventh Church of Iomedae, Sarenrae’s Temple of appropriate dress, but access to the hall’s three balconies the Shining Star, the Counting House of Abadar, and the requires increasingly audacious fees the higher a guest boisterous Cayden’s Hall. ascends. The more prominent the figure or profitable the venture, the higher the balcony needed to access it. the coins the docks The center of trade in Absalom and the city’s noisiest and most crowded quarter is the Coins, a sprawling and The gateway to Absalom is a combination of constantly boisterous district wherein the currency of a hundred shifting ships and cargo and cheap places for sailors to nations is exchanged for goods from all corners of the get drunk, fulfill their carnal desires, and sleep off the world. Whether it’s a relic of the ancient Jitska Imperium, effects of both. A district of flophouses and warehouses, a comb from distant Kaladay, or a common household the Docks claims a largely transient population, and the slave, everything is available in the Coins—provided local watch, the Harbor Guard, is more concerned with one is willing to pay the price. The district watch, often fraudulent shipping manifests than knife attacks in dark called the “Token Guard,” takes a soft hand on criminal alleys, so travelers had best remain vigilant. activity, and consequently pickpockets, bunco artists, and The Shipyards: Absalom boasts two world-class shipyards. more serious threats like assassins, poisoners, and thugs The Devil’s Own, near the center of the district, specializes abound, especially off the main thoroughfares. in war galleys used by the city’s navy and sold to markets Clockwork Cathedral: This mysterious building east of throughout the Inner Sea. The calculating Lord Archych of Misery Row is composed of heavy iron plates, interlocking House Dureanz, a loyal Chelaxian, skirts the legal line in his gears, gothic arches, and sliding walls, giving it the operations, openly employing the worst thugs and pushing appearance of a looming mechanical centipede with a clock around his considerable weight at every opportunity. His tower on its back. The structure houses a vast academy rival is the Sea King Shipyard’s Goodmiss Alidane of House dedicated to instruction in the mechanical arts, with special Candren, whose Andoren loyalties place her at odds with attention paid to the creation of constructs. A mysterious Archych’s malevolent schemes. The machinations of these order of clockwork beings known as the Ruling Escarpment nobles and their supporters account for a great deal of the controls the academy’s internal gears and mechanisms from intrigue and underhanded violence that so often leaves hidden chambers deep within the structure’s innards. puddles of blood on the city’s doorstep. Grand Bazaar: The massive plaza at the heart of the Coins eAstgAte is one of the largest open markets in the Inner Sea region, and the beating heart of Absalom’s retail economy. Here A place of soaring towers and stately manors mixed with merchants from all over the world compete to hock their decidedly more modest villas and townhouses, Eastgate wares to wary natives and naive tourists alike, aided in their is a quiet residential district apparently free from the efforts by a parade of painted ladies, trained animals, gnome dangers and intrigues that plague the rest of the city. 6 Absalom 11 The Blue Tower: Among the tallest buildings in all of coming in from the Docks crowd the district’s numerous Absalom (and easily the tallest in Eastgate), this tower of blue entertainment dens and taverns, while young dandies from coral is topped with a lighthouse capable of illuminating the Petal and Ivy districts mix nightly with petty laborers in the harbor. Along with the immense Spire of Nex on the a common enthusiasm for debauchery. northwest horizon, the Blue Tower is a landmark by which The Crimson Coin: A bustling two-story tavern not most natives of Absalom can easily gain their bearings far from the Irorium, the Crimson Coin swarms with as they take the journey from one end of the city to the gamblers, carousers, gladiators, and their raucous other. The tower is home to the Winged Sandals, an order supporters. Outside the grounds of the Irorium, the tavern of dedicated messengers who worship Iomedae and deliver is the only legal place in Absalom to bet on arena battles, messages anywhere in the world. a monopoly ensured by district councilman (and retired Evergreen Park: Absalom’s largest park is locked in an gladiator champion) Torman Iates, who also happens to be eternal spring thanks to a resident cult of Gozreh led by the Crimson Coin’s proprietor. When the arena is closed, the mercurial young Lady Evigail of House Wycomb, who patrons place urgent bets upon often-lethal bouts in the scarcely goes anywhere else. The cult maintains a small earthen pit at the center of the tavern, where for the fee of open-air shrine near the center of the park by its largest one gold coin anyone can attempt to last 60 seconds with pool, where nervous sailors occasionally make offerings the brutal house champion. before setting off on important or particularly dangerous The Grand Lodge: The worldwide headquarters of the ocean voyages. Pathfinder Society is situated within an immense walled Gilltown: Lying just north of the Precipice Quarter at fortress at the heart of the Foreign Quarter. Beyond the southern end of the district, Gilltown is situated behind a massive gate decorated with the Glyph of the Open a line of cheap row houses and set into the sea-cavern-ridden Road lies a network of seven stone fortresses of different bedrock. This squalid neighborhood is home to Absalom’s architectural periods, the largest of which—Skyreach—is largest community of the amphibious gillmen. an enormous, white, five-towered palace that sweeps high above the district, offering a commanding view of the city FlotsAm grAveyArd for the offices of the Decemvirate at its pinnacle. Numerous The tangle of half-sunken ships, light towers, tiny islands, venture-captains keep offices within the lodge, training new and naval keeps along Absalom’s southern perimeter form recruits or meeting with teams of agents before dispatching a virtual district known as the Flotsam Graveyard. The them on missions within the city or throughout the Inner region is the domain of the Pilot’s Guild, which alone Sea and beyond. Once a year, Pathfinders from around the knows a safe route through the maze of wrecks, and the world converge here for the Grand Convocation, the site of Starwatch, which protects the city from its headquarters boasting contests, information sharing, and competition. upon the cliffs above; few outsiders ever venture here The Irorium: The largest open-air arena in the Inner Sea without their permission. region holds numerous fighting bouts each day on its 10- The Black Whale: The city consigns its most notorious acre field. These affairs range from mock battles simulating or politically sensitive prisoners here, to a floating prison important moments in history to desperate, carnage- of six ships on the western edge of Absalom’s harbor. filled battles with imported beasts. Gladiators are among Only the Grand Council holds a complete list of those Absalom’s greatest celebrities, and the cheering crowds attest interred here, and almost no one survives the squalid to the citizens’ thirst for violent bloodsports. Named for the living conditions long enough to serve out their sentences. cult of fighting monks of Irori that inspired its construction Because of the special nature of the Black Whale’s guests centuries ago, the Irorium is a viscera-soaked, cheering and the dangerous knowledge they possess, guards must testament to the appeal and power of battle. remain vigilant to keep people from breaking in, as well ivy district as from breaking out. A place of beautiful gardens and manicured estates, the Ivy Foreign QuArter District also boasts the city’s finest theaters, performance In most of Absalom’s neighborhoods, residents who lack halls, and artist colonies. Here performers and artists live formal citizenship face higher prices and punishing taxes. off of patronage or scrape by from meal to meal, all the These ordinances are relaxed in the Foreign Quarter, a while wearing the most expensive clothes and bathing populous district buzzing with hundreds of languages themselves in the finest perfumes. Fashions and artistic and influenced by the diverse cultures of the Inner Sea. movements that spark here can grow into fires that spread Whole city blocks have distinct Chelish or Osirian feels across the Inner Sea. Foreigners and Absalom natives alike to them, as natives of those lands and their descendants flock to the district in search of entertainment, making gather in tight-knit communities. Sailors and visitors the Ivy District one of the city’s wealthiest. 7 Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Pathfinder Society Field Guide c opperwood AzlAnti Keep westerhold wise QuArter ivy the petAl district district A scendAnt c ourt w estgAte f oreign Q uArter t c he oins e AstgAte s horeline t d he ocks t he p uddles p recipice Q uArter Fort tempest N d Awnfoot f lotsAm g rAveyArd stArwAtch pilot Keep A islAnd bsAlom 0 400 800 feet 8