TEXT: ADVENTURE PATH  PART 4 OF 6
  by Neil Spicer
  Blood 
  for Blood
  ®
  Blood
  for Blood
  
  Source: Wanted poster.
  Task: The saber-toothed tiger Speartooth has long 
  plagued the hills west of the swamp. They say he’s 
  killed and eaten a hundred people. So far, no 
  one’s managed to bring the beast down.
  Completion: Find Speartooth, kill him, and deliver his 
  22-inch-long fangs to the captain of the guard in 
  any local city.
  Reward: The standing bounty for Speartooth’s 
  fangs is 8,000 gp. 
  Source: A local taxidermist.
  Task: Although no one’s seen the legendary lake 
  monster named Hooktongue in ages, the lake’s 
  certainly rife with other monsters. Ambitious 
  taxidermist Quanchy Veeliker wants to stuff one 
  of the freshwater elasmosauruses that live there.
  Completion: Bring Quanchy a dead elasmosaurus from 
  Lake Hooktongue, and be careful with the body!
  Reward: Quanchy has promised a reward of 8,000 
  gp for the first delivery of a usable elasmosaurus 
  body to his shop back in town.
  Source: A local alchemist.
  Task: Local alchemist and only slightly dangerous 
  eccentric Chesk Umberweed promised a group of 
  dwarves he could deliver some powerful metal-
  etching acid, but he’s run out of supplies! He 
  needs a dozen vials of giant slug acid as soon as 
  possible.
  Completion: A single giant slug should provide enough 
  acid for Chesk’s needs.
  Reward: Chesk promises to brew up a dozen 
  potions of the user’s choice as a reward.
  Source: A traveling cleric.
  Task: A traveling cleric of Erastil named Borzaki 
  makes a specialty of crafting magic items from 
  giant insect parts. He promises to make a magic 
  cloak for the first person who can bring him a large 
  shipment of giant dragonfly wings.
  Completion: The wings from no less than 6 giant 
  dragonflies should suffice for Borzaki’s needs.
  Reward: Borzaki uses some of the wings to craft a 
  cloak of resistance +3 as a reward. 
  Wanted: Speartooth
  Li’L hooktongue
  Wanted: SLug Spit
  dragonfLy CLoak
  
  Blood  
  for 
  Blood
  ADVENTURE PATH PART 4 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, Pavel Guzenko, Jon Hodgson, Andrew Hou, Peter Lazarski,  
  Sara Otterstäter, Scott Purdy, Mike Sass, and Joe Wilson
  Contributing Authors
  Brian Cortijo, Ed Greenwood, Kevin Andrew Murphy, Julian Neale, 
  F. Wesley Schneider, Neil Spicer, and Todd Stewart
  Paizo CEO • Lisa Stevens
  Vice President of Operations • Jeffrey Alvarez
  Events Manager • Joshua J. Frost
  Corporate Accountant • Dave Erickson
  Sales Manager • Christopher Self
  Technical Director • Vic Wertz
  Special Thanks
  Ed Greenwood and 
  the Paizo Customer Service, Website, and Warehouse Teams
  “Blood for Blood” is a Pathfinder Adventure Path scenario designed for four 10th-level characters. By the end of this adventure, characters should reach 13th 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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  table of contents
   
  Foreword 
  4
  Blood for Blood 
  6
  by Neil Spicer
  Ecology of the Boggard 
  58
  by Todd Stewart
  The Spoils of Kings 
  64
  by Brian Cortijo
  Pathfinder’s Journal: Prodigal Sons 4 of 6 
  70
  by Kevin Andrew Murphy
  Bestiary 
  78 
  by Julian Neale, F. Wesley Schneider, and Neil Spicer
  Pregenerated Characters 
  90
  Preview 
  92 
  
  4
  Part 4 
  of 6
  Part 4 
  of 6
  HoW ls Your  
  Kingdom Doing?
  HoW ls Your  
  Kingdom Doing?
  A
  s I’m writing this, we’re still a week or so away 
  from shipping the first volume of Kingmaker, 
  “Stolen Land,” out to subscribers—and that 
  means we’re about a month away from folks seeing 
  the kingdom building rules I designed for Pathfinder 
  Adventure Path #32. And of course, as you’re reading this, 
  that’s already happened a couple months ago, and those 
  of you who are ravenously playing Kingmaker adventures 
  as each one comes out probably already have some 
  kingdoms to brag about. It’s kind of like time traveling, 
  writing these forewords.
  Anyway, my point is that I can’t wait to see how folks take 
  to the kingdom-building elements of Kingmaker. And I’m 
  also incredibly nervous about how these rules will work 
  out, because they are pretty new and I’m certain that there 
  are some areas that are open to rules abuse as a result. I 
  can already envision the threads on our messageboards 
  at paizo.com where I’m issuing advice and errata and 
  explanations about why it’s not a good idea to build a city 
  entirely out of graveyards even though the rules as written 
  might suggest otherwise, or how it’s okay to have a royal 
  assassin in your kingdom even if you’re a good guy, or how 
  to handle some out-of-control scores for Economy, Loyalty, 
  and Stability. Or, for that matter, why Loyalty checks are 
  so rare (the answer for that one—wait and see how Loyalty 
  plays into the mass combat fast-play rules we’ve got coming 
  up next month).
  I can imagine those questions, but since only a few 
  people have seen the kingdom-building rules as I write 
  this, I can’t really start answering them yet. If you’ve got 
  some concerns about these rules, then, may I direct you to 
  paizo.com’s Kingmaker messageboards? There’s doubtless 
  a lot of traffic going on there. What I can do, though, is 
  give some general advice on how the kingdom-building 
  element of Kingmaker should go.
  Rule Adjustments: As your players build up their 
  kingdoms, keep in mind that the kingdom-building 
  rules are meant to be a storytelling aid first and a mini-
  game second. If the rules are inspiring you and your 
  players to take your Kingmaker game into fun new 
  
  Fore ord
  5
  m
  Fore ord
  m
  directions, then they’re working as intended. If they’re 
  causing headaches and arguments, then they’re not—
  you should consider switching over to the “Kingdom 
  in the Background” variant if things get too bad. This 
  focuses your game back on the adventures and away 
  from an element of the game that may have ended up 
  not being as fun as you’d hoped. But there’s a middle 
  ground as well—if something about the kingdom rules 
  is weird, feel free to make some house rules to address 
  the problems. The best way to do this is to introduce the 
  changes and adjustments as story elements in the game. 
  For example, if you’re finding that the players are having 
  a really hard time keeping their kingdom’s Unrest score 
  down, maybe a delegation of citizens approaches the 
  PCs and tells them that what’s really bothering the town 
  are rumors of those scary boggards in the swamps—if 
  someone could just go into Hooktongue Slough and 
  defeat the biggest boggard tribe, things’ll be better. 
  This way, you give the PCs a task to accomplish, and if 
  they succeed, you can reward them by doing something 
  like reducing their nation’s Unrest to 0.
  Alternate Rewards: You don’t have to wait until 
  the rules “break” to use quests to adjust the stats for a 
  kingdom. You’ll see these adventures give out awards in 
  the form of Build Points or bonuses to kingdom stats 
  now and then, but that doesn’t mean you’re limited 
  to those few instances. Feel free to give out additional 
  bonuses to the PCs’ kingdom as they accomplish things. 
  For example, if they manage to befriend most of this 
  adventure’s spellcasters and recruit them into their 
  nation, maybe they’ll gain a few new magic item slots 
  in their marketplace as a reward. Or if the PCs make a 
  practice of defeating monster encounters with charm 
  monster effects, maybe their kingdom will gain bonuses 
  to Stability because the monsters that live in the wilds are 
  starting to be a significant defense factor. Get creative!
  Managing the Marketplace: The method the kingdom-
  building rules use to present marketplaces gives the PCs a 
  greater level of control over their ability to shop for magic 
  items than normal. This is by design—players LOVE to 
  shop for toys, after all. But it can get out of hand. If you find 
  that your players are abusing the system and are turning 
  it into a huge magic item vending machine (and if this 
  concept bothers you—if it doesn’t, by all means run with 
  it!), don’t be afraid to adjust the rules. Just do so in a way 
  that doesn’t surprise the PCs, and keep them informed as 
  to the changes you’re making. You can even justify changes 
  you’re making with flavor. For example, if the PCs keep 
  buying and selling items through their city’s marketplace 
  in an attempt to build up a huge treasury, perhaps word of 
  the vast amount of magic items being produced by their 
  kingdom spreads and attracts the attention of a group of 
  thieves from a neighboring River Kingdom. As a result, 
  the kingdom’s magic item producers grow more wary and 
  careful, and you can model this adjustment by instituting 
  a house rule that limits the number of times the PCs can 
  cycle through magic items as you wish. Of course, if the 
  players are having fun with their magic item shopping 
  experience, it might be worth letting them have their fun 
  as long as it’s not disrupting the game so much that it’s 
  ruining things for you!
  It’s Okay to Be Powerful: I deliberately didn’t put a cap 
  on how high a kingdom’s stats can go or on how high its 
  Control DC can get, because the rate at which each game’s 
  kingdoms grow will vary. Also, by the time the PCs get to 
  the end of Kingmaker, they’ll be quite high-level—and 
  so it’s okay if their kingdoms are equally impressive. 
  Nevertheless, you might find yourself in a situation where 
  the PCs are automatically making every kingdom-related 
  check because their scores have far outstripped their 
  Control DC. In this case, you have a few options. One is 
  to say that any kingdom check automatically fails on a roll 
  of a natural 1, just like it works for saving throws—this 
  adjustment actually makes a lot of sense, as the kingdom’s 
  three statistics were originally modeled after the three 
  saving throws. You can also limit the amount of bonuses 
  the PCs can get from buildings (which are easily the best 
  way to increase a kingdom’s scores) by saying that bonuses 
  granted by multiple duplicate buildings in the same city 
  don’t stack. However you choose to adjust things, though, 
  don’t over-adjust!
  Go to War: Finally, there’s one element of the kingdom 
  rules that have yet to be unveiled—the rules for mass 
  combat. Even if a kingdom is winning a war, the terrors 
  and stress of warfare can be debilitating on its populace. If 
  your PCs’ kingdom is out of control, chances are good that 
  their neighbors are jealous. And when jealousy reaches 
  critical levels, that’s when nations start sending out their 
  armies to take what isn’t theirs, after all. You’ll have to wait 
  until next month to see the full fast-play rules for mass 
  combat, but check out “Blood for Blood’s” opening part, 
  where the PCs defend the town of Tatzlford from an attack. 
  This set-piece encounter serves as a sort of preview for the 
  upcoming mass combat rules, and if you like what you see 
  there, make sure to check out next month’s “War of the 
  River Kings”!
  James Jacobs
  Creative Director
  james.jacobs@paizo.com
  
  6
  Part 4 
  of 6
  Part 4 
  of 6
  reetings, my liege lords! Would that I had the opportunity to contact 
  you via missive in gentler times. Since its founding, Tatzlford has 
  faced many challenges, but recent rumors of a much more disturbing 
  sort abound. A woman has come to Tatzlford bearing warnings that, if 
  they are to be believed, indicate we may face a terrible threat. She speaks 
  of armies of bandits, hordes of barbarians, and worse organizing to the 
  west beyond Hooktongue Slough. To date we have had no trouble with 
  these elements, but this woman is quite convincing. She tells us an army is 
  marching on Tatzlford. If this is true, we will need your aid in defending 
  our homes. Please come as soon as you can.
  —In good faith, your obedient and humble servant, Mayor Loy Rezbin
  Blood for Blood
  Blood for Blood
  
  7
  Blood for Blood
  Blood for Blood
  Adventure BAckground
  Over 40 years ago, when a cabal of Gyronna cultists known as 
  the Black Sisters were humiliated and forced to flee Brevoy 
  because of its intolerant laws, they foretold the coming of 
  Armag the Twice-Born. According to their prophecy, the 
  Twice-Born would be a child formed from the spirit of 
  the original Armag, a barbarian warlord who terrorized 
  the northern plains during the Age of Destiny. However, 
  because prophecy was no longer a trustworthy source of 
  prognostication after the death of Aroden at the dawn of the 
  Age of Lost Omens, the foretelling of Armag the Twice-Born 
  took shape as little more than a wishful curse uttered against 
  the Black Sisters’ enemies. When no reborn barbarian warlord 
  rose to give flesh and fury to their prediction, they did not 
  remain idle. The Sisters instead vowed to take an active hand 
  in seeing their prediction come true, and retreated into the 
  Stolen Lands where they abducted a baby from the Tiger 
  Lord barbarians. They raised this child in the ways of spite 
  and rage, and gave him the name Armag.
  In this way, the mad Sisters convinced the child that 
  the spirit of the original Armag lay within him, and that 
  they would serve as his handmaidens to aid him in setting 
  his ancestral might free. By advising and strengthening 
  Armag, they planned to guide him to his rightful place 
  among the barbarian tribes, uniting them to fulfill their 
  own prophecy and strike back at Brevoy with an army of 
  barbarians eager to please their reincarnated warlord of 
  old. Armag soon embraced these goals as his own, aspiring 
  to lead the Tiger Lord barbarians. Empowered by the mad 
  touch of Gyronna’s faithful, he slew a Tiger Lord chieftain 
  and assumed the mantle of leadership.
  But settlers soon arrived from Brevoy, spreading south 
  into Tiger Lord lands along the East Sellen River—a group 
  of soldiers and diplomats led by a Brevic nobleman, Baron 
  Hannis Drelev. These men not only established a fort on 
  the shore of Lake Hooktongue, but they also sought out 
  and looted several ancient tombs and burial sites sacred to 
  the Tiger Lords. The final insult came when Drelev’s men 
  tried to establish a peaceful alliance with the Tiger Lords. 
  Armag saw through their trickery and ordered his people to 
  attack, but he underestimated the enemy—he assumed that 
  a people who would open with weak attempts at friendship 
  would not be able to stand in combat. Drelev’s soldiers 
  proved an able match for Armag’s kin, and after three nights 
  of battle the Tiger Lords fell back, driven west toward the 
  bandit hold of Pitax. Not only did Armag see his destiny of 
  raiding Brevoy endangered, but suddenly he and his people 
  were on the defensive, losing land to this expansion! But as 
  he fell back deeper into the hills, he found a new ally from 
  an unexpected source—the realm of Pitax.
  Lord Irovetti, the bandit king of Pitax, had already dealt 
  with an unwanted intrusion into his territory by the nation 
  of Brevoy, and when he heard rumors that other Brevic 
  agents were expanding south into more distant borderlands 
  and displacing some of the Tiger Lords (a culture Pitax had 
  often clashed with over borders), his righteous anger saw 
  opportunity. If his forces and the Tiger Lords could work 
  together, they could swiftly defeat these Brevic intruders. 
  And if events could be engineered so that the barbarians 
  were at the front of the battle, the bulk of the losses would 
  be from among their troops, further reducing opposition to 
  Pitax’s northward expansion.
  And so Irovetti and his mercenary guards traveled 
  northeast to contact the Tiger Lords and establish a truce. 
  Working together, they descended upon Fort Drelev with 
  a fury and conquered the invaders in a single bloodless 
  wave—for as Hannis Drelev saw the combined forces of 
  Armag’s barbarians eager for revenge and Irovetti’s armies 
  readying their siege engines, he made a choice. Always a 
  realist, he saw immediate surrender as the only option to 
  save his life.
  The jaded, craven nobleman sent three riders under a 
  flag of truce to plead with Armag and Irovetti to spare his 
  region, proposing instead to ally with the bandits and to 
  turn control of Fort Drelev to them. His offer to provide 
  information about the holdings and defenses of his fellow 
  countrymen intrigued Irovetti but frustrated Armag, who 
  had hoped for bloodshed and violent revenge. To force 
  the loyalty—and obeisance—of Drelev’s men, and to help 
  appease the frustrated barbarians, Irovetti accepted the 
  surrender but only on the condition that Drelev’s settlers 
  hand over five of their daughters as hostages until Drelev 
  himself could prove his loyalty through servitude to Pitax.
  Over the objections of his own men, Drelev did as 
  Irovetti requested, commanding his senior officers to give 
  Advancement Track
  “Blood for Blood” assumes four player characters using the Medium advancement track for XP. The characters should be 10th 
  level when they begin this adventure. The sandbox nature of “Blood for Blood” means that the PCs can encounter any of the 
  locations at any level, although the more difficult encounters are placed such that they’re physically more difficult to reach. By 
  the time the PCs are ready to confront the leaders of Fort Drelev, they should be well into 11th level—and by the time they’re 
  confronting the Tiger Lords and exploring the Tomb of Armag they should be 12th level, ending the adventure as they become 
  13th level. Remember that PCs gain 100 XP for each hex they fully explore, and that they can earn more XP by completing quests 
  or by building up their nation and cities (see Pathfinder Adventure Path #32)!
  
  8
  Part 4 
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  Part 4 
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  their eldest daughters to the barbarian warlord. However, 
  at least one captain—a Lord-Knight named Terrion 
  Numesti—refused. And despite Armag’s promises that 
  the girls would eventually be returned unharmed, Drelev 
  had to make an example of Numesti by throwing him in 
  jail and handing his daughter over to the barbarians as 
  well. Drelev justified this action to his people by assuring 
  everyone it would save their lives.
  In truth, Drelev cares little for anyone or anything that 
  doesn’t advance his personal agenda. Jealous of the success 
  garnered by the neighboring kingdoms (particularly that 
  of the PCs), he believes an alliance with the Tiger Lords and 
  Pitax will finally give him the means to take over the entire 
  frontier, uniting all the buffer states under his control. 
  And with such a large nation under his command, he’ll 
  be able not only to strike back against the Tiger Lords and 
  Pitax, but perhaps even to expand his control further, back 
  into Brevoy. In an attempt to sweeten the alliance, Drelev 
  has returned several of the artifacts and treasures he and 
  his men looted from Tiger Lord burial tombs, something 
  that Armag quite appreciated.
  When Armag returned to his people with these artifacts, 
  though, the Black Sisters recognized them as ancient relics 
  in the style of the barbarians of the original Armag’s time. 
  Here was the clue they had been seeking.  Rightly assuming 
  the barrow mounds would hold even greater treasures that 
  could legitimize and spread their champion’s influence 
  over the barbarians, the Black Sisters advised the Twice-
  Born chieftain to claim them as his own. For legends also 
  say a Kellid shaman laid Armag to rest within the same 
  hills along with his famous sword, Ovinrbaane, a weapon 
  blessed by Gorum to win any war.
  Now, while Armag is distracted with attempts to delve 
  the tombs of his ancestors and Irovetti has returned to 
  Pitax to prepare for his next audacity (an attempt to lure the 
  PCs out of their kingdom so he can attack their homes in 
  secret—a treachery detailed in full in the next Kingmaker 
  adventure, “War of the River Kings”), Lord Drelev has 
  spent much of his time plotting and brooding. He hopes 
  the barbarian will meet a terrible fate in his people’s 
  tombs, but unknown to Drelev, Armag intends to convince 
  the barrow mound’s guardian to give him the ancient 
  weapon Ovinrbaane and Gorum’s blessing to fully raise 
  an undead army to serve him. If left unchecked, a mighty 
  champion of war will walk Golarion again, brushing aside 
  all opposition in the River Kingdoms and beyond.
  Adventure SummAry
  “Blood for Blood” begins with the PCs having returned 
  home from solving the mystery of the Varnhold Vanishing. 
  Shortly after their arrival, they learn that new problems 
  have developed during their absence—there are rumors of 
  an army marching toward their nation!
  The PCs race to the village of Tatzlford, where they help 
  defend the village from an attack by a small but earnest force 
  of bandits, barbarians, and several lumbering trolls after 
  being warned in advance by a troubled woman who has fled 
  from Fort Drelev to the west. Following the skirmish, she 
  pleads with the PCs to save her father and sister from peril.
  From there, the PCs strike out into the swamplands of 
  the Slough to the west, exploring new lands and finding 
  opportunities to make new allies and eliminate long-term 
  threats to the region. Their initial goal, though, should 
  be infiltrating Fort Drelev, where they’ll have a chance 
  to confront the traitor Drelev with his crimes and rescue 
  the Fort’s beleaguered settlers. During this time, the PCs 
  learn where Armag’s tribe has been holding the daughters 
  of Drelev’s senior officers hostage.
  Arriving at the ancient site, the PCs attack Armag’s 
  barbarian encampment and overcome the sinister 
  powers of the Black Sisters to free the girls. Then, 
  entering the tomb, they face deadly traps, ancient undead 
  horrors from a war-torn age, and the trials of the tomb’s 
  immortal, divine guardian. In the final chamber, the 
  PCs encounter Armag himself, armed with the ancient 
  sword of his namesake.
  QueStS
  The PCs will gather numerous quest opportunities as 
  this adventure unfolds. Eight of these appear on the 
  inside covers of this book, and several more are seeded 
  throughout the rest of the adventure.
  All of the Slough Quests presented in this book are 
  worth 12,800 XP when they are completed—this is in 
  addition to any experience points the PCs might earn 
  while attempting to complete the quest.
  PArt one:  
  trouBle in tAtzlford
  This adventure begins after the PCs have solved the 
  problems facing Varnhold and, hopefully, have not only 
  Kingdom in the Background
  If you aren’t using the kingdom-building rules and 
  letting the PCs develop the Stolen Lands on their own, 
  you can assume that the nation of Narland continues to 
  grow during this adventure. They’ve annexed Varnhold 
  to the east and now command a relatively sizable force 
  in the Stolen Lands, with the town of Tatzlford being the 
  westernmost outpost of the nation. By the end of the 
  adventure, Narland has expanded west into the areas 
  around Hooktongue Slough.
  
  9
  Blood for Blood
  Blood for Blood
  rescued many of that village’s citizens from the clutches of 
  the cyclops lich Vordakai but have also secured a treaty of 
  peace with the Nomen centaurs. Whatever the resolution of 
  “The Varnhold Vanishing,” you should give the PCs some 
  time off—let them expand their nation some more and 
  continue exploring the eastern Stolen Lands as they wish. 
  You can start “Blood for Blood” the day after the PCs solve 
  the vanishing at Varnhold, or you can start a year or 2 or 5 
  later—whatever works best for your campaign. Of course, if 
  your players seem anxious to get on with Kingmaker’s story 
  or are eager to begin exploring to the west, such desires 
  should also trigger the beginning of “Blood for Blood.”
  In any event, once you begin this adventure, one of the 
  PCs (ideally the ruling PC) receives a short message from 
  Tatzlford’s mayor, Loy Rezbin, delivered via messenger 
  bird. This note is reproduced at the start of this adventure 
  on page 6, and tells of treachery and trouble brewing in the 
  village of Tatzlford.
  Annexing tAtzlford
  In the second Kingmaker adventure, the PCs were likely 
  approached by an energetic man named Loy Rezbin who 
  offered to establish a village deep in the Narlmarches at 
  a ford on the Skunk River (located at the site where a pair 
  of mated tatzlwyrms dwelt in “Stolen Land” at encounter 
  area U). Whether or not the PCs have bothered to expand 
  their kingdom that deeply into the Narlmarches, as this 
  adventure begins, Tatzlford is a thriving village nearly 200 
  residents strong.
  Before you begin “Blood for Blood,” take a moment to 
  examine the PCs’ kingdom. If they’ve managed to claim 
  several hexes in the Narlmarches (including the one 
  containing Tatzlford), everything’s already set up for 
  you. If the PCs haven’t officially claimed Tatzlford and 
  enough adjacent hexes, then you should inform them that 
  Loy Rezbin has approached the PCs with good news: he’s 
  managed to claim a number of hexes between Tatzlford 
  and the PCs’ kingdom and wishes to officially bend his 
  knee to the PCs. Assuming the PCs accept his pledge of 
  fealty, this immediately adds a number of hexes to their 
  land so that the PCs’ kingdom and the hex containing 
  Tatzlford are connected—you should try to keep this to 
  as few hexes as possible to avoid giving the PCs too much 
  “free” land. As Loy hasn’t developed any of these hexes, 
  they contain no roads or farms.
  Tatzlford’s stats are presented below using the new 
  format for city stat blocks introduced in the Pathfinder RPG 
  GameMastery Guide and summarized in Pathfinder Adventure 
  Path #33’s foreword. If you don’t have access to either of these 
  resources, you can simply ignore the three lines between 
  “NG Village” and “Populace.” The final portion of the stat 
  block (the “Kingmaker” section) lists all of the building 
  blocks currently built in Tatzlford, along with the total 
  modifiers to the PCs’ kingdom when the village is annexed. 
  Remember that when a settlement is first annexed, the 
  nation must make a Stability check against its Command 
  DC to avoid increasing the nation’s Unrest score by 2d4. 
  Note that Tatzlford’s base value and available magic items 
  below have been calculated using the Kingmaker city-
  building rules from Pathfinder Adventure Path #32, not the 
  less detailed rules presented in the GameMastery Guide—the 
  Kingmaker rules create a higher base value than normal but 
  result in far fewer magic items guaranteed to be on sale.
  TaTzlford
  NG Village
  Corruption –1; Crime –2; Economy +0; law +0; lore +0; 
  Society +0
  Qualities Insular, Strategic Location
  danger 0
  PoPulaCE
  Government autocracy (mayor)
  Population 186 (172 human, 8 half-elf, 3 half-orc, 3 other)
  Notable NPCs
  Mayor Loy “Tanner” Rezbin (NG male human ranger 3/
  expert 2)
  High Priestess Latricia Evanore (LG female human cleric of 
  Erastil 5)
  Captain of the Guard Coren Lawry (NG male human 
  warrior 3)
  MarkETPlaCE
  Base Value 2,200 gp; Purchase limit 2,500 gp; Spellcasting 3rd
  Minor Items boots of the winterlands, ring of counterspells (currently 
  contains slay living); Medium Items —; Major Items —
  kINGMakEr
  kingdom Increases Economy +8; Loyalty +9; Stability +6
  City Grid Borders all land
  Buildings Brewery, Brothel, Houses (4), Inn, Library, Shop, 
  Smith, Tavern, Temple, Town Hall, Tradesman
  ABout tAtzlford
  The Tatzlford presented here may conflict with the village 
  as it might have grown in your game—if this is the case, you 
  should adjust elements on the map of Tatzlford and among 
  its inhabitants as necessary so it makes sense for your game. 
  This adventure, however, assumes that the village adheres to 
  the following baseline description.
  Tatzlford is a cozy village located in a large clearing 
  deep in the Narlmarch woods, near a ford in the Skunk 
  River. The beginnings of a road lead east and west from the 
  village, but unless the PCs have taken the time to further 
  develop these roads, they do not go far before petering out 
  at outlying homes and farms.
  Tatzlford is governed by a mayor named Loy “Tanner” 
  Rezbin, a retired ranger, although many suspect (correctly) 
  that a lot of the important decisions are actually made by his 
  
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  longtime companion Latricia Evanore, a priestess of Erastil. 
  Together, they founded Tatzlford with the intent to help build 
  up the PCs’ new nation as it rises in the Stolen Lands. The 
  village has attracted settlers from all around, primarily from 
  Pitax, Mivon, and Rostland. A small wooden fort sits at the 
  heart of the village, but the village has outgrown the defense 
  this walled complex can provide. Construction of a larger 
  stone wall around the village has been started but is not yet 
  complete. The map of Tatzlford indicates several locations of 
  interest, each of which is described here in brief.
  1. Able’s Inn: Able Morkentian runs this cozy two-story 
  inn. The building only features five rooms, but they’re 
  clean and comfortable.
  2. Gnori’s Gems: Gnori Berwekertan is Tatzlford’s only 
  gnome resident. A gifted gemcutter, he’s told no one in town 
  that he’s on the run from a thieves’ guild in distant Tamran.
  3. Ironhand Smithy: Kole Jhargee, a mountain of a man, 
  provides for all of Tatzlford’s smithing needs. He and 
  his family are from Brevoy, but he has little in the way of 
  kindness to say about his previous home.
  4. River Run Alehouse: Owned by Killough Margrom, 
  proprietor of Tatzlford’s only tavern, this small brewery 
  has already established a reputation for producing fine 
  huckleberry mead and sweet ale.
  5. Skunk River Bridge: Built over the ford in the Skunk 
  River where once a pair of tatzlwyrms laired, this wooden 
  bridge is sturdy and safe.
  6. Tatzlford General Store: Karl Roschinder owns and 
  runs Tatzlford’s general store. He keeps several chairs on 
  his front porch for locals to gather at, and he  often supplies 
  them with free lunches when the mood strikes him.
  7. Tatzlford Library: This building houses a sizable 
  collection of important works focusing on history, 
  literature, and mathematics. The library also functions 
  as a school for Tatzlford’s 16 children—the teacher and 
  librarian is a forlorn (but still generally quite pleasant and 
  kindly) elven woman named Emraeli Emfaun (CG female 
  elf wizard 5).
  8. Tatzlford Lodge: This large wooden temple is devoted 
  to Erastil. Its substantial communal area has seen frequent 
  use for town meetings of late, as the smaller chamber in the 
  town hall can no longer fit enough people. The temple is 
  overseen by Latricia Evanore.
  9. Tatzlford Fort/Town Hall: This smallish fort at 
  the heart of town is now used mostly as storage and as a 
  residence for the village’s mayor, Loy Rezbin.
  10. Tatzlwyrm Tavern: Primarily serving locally brewed 
  ale and mead, and with a menu that never strays far from 
  tAtzlford
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  tAtzlford
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  venison and fish, the Tatzlwyrm Tavern’s claim to fame is 
  a taxidermied tatzlwyrm that coils above the bar.
  11. Thrillseeker’s: The newest business to appear in town, 
  this gaudy structure presents a facade promising games of 
  chance and fun. It also serves as a brothel, however, and 
  thus is at the heart of many local arguments.
  Arriving At tAtzlford
  The village of Tatzlford does not appear on the map 
  provided in this volume, as it is located in the western 
  portion of the Greenbelt (this map appears in the first 
  two Kingmaker adventures). If you’re running “Blood for 
  Blood” as a standalone adventure, Tatzlford should be 
  located about 30 miles southeast from encounter area P.
  As soon as the PCs arrive at the village, they immediately 
  gain the attention of everyone in town unless they enter 
  the village via stealth or undercover. Captain Coren Lawry, 
  commander of the Tatzlford guard, meets the PCs on the 
  outskirts of town and quickly offers to escort them to 
  the Tatzlford Lodge so they can meet Mayor Rezbin and 
  speak with the young woman who’s brought them news of 
  war. He can also give the PCs a quick tour of the village, 
  pointing out shops and key sites, so they can learn their 
  way around town.
  Mayor Rezbin does his best to greet the PCs in a manner 
  befitting their status as the highest dignitaries to ever visit 
  Tatzlford. Short and unassuming, he's put on weight since 
  retiring and seems ill-suited for the stress and rigors of 
  governing a settlement. Despite this, Rezbin comes across 
  as likable, down-to-earth, and loyal. He has no hidden 
  agenda, only a desire to do what’s right for those who put 
  their trust in him. He is accompanied by his wife Latricia 
  Evanore, a woman who wears the same outfit every day: a 
  practical gray tunic over a white blouse and green trousers, 
  and a fur-lined cloak with a pair of knee-length boots for 
  tracking about the forest and her farm. 
  WArning from the WeSt
  Even as the PCs arrive in Tatzlford, a sizable force of bandits, 
  barbarians, and hired giants approach the village from the 
  north, using the banks of the Skunk River to lead them 
  directly to their target. This small group of skirmishers 
  represents Lord Drelev’s first attempt to impress Lord 
  Irovetti by launching an attack against the PCs’ kingdom.
  Yet several days before this small army set out on their 
  march, a woman named Kisandra Numesti (NG female 
  human rogue 2/aristocrat 3), the youngest daughter of Lord 
  Terrion Numesti, a knight and aristocrat of Brevoy, caught 
  wind of Drelev’s plan and realized it was time for her to 
  act. Until recently, her father commanded Fort Drelev's 
  garrison. When he defied the baron’s orders and refused 
  to ally with Armag or allow his eldest daughter to serve as 
  a hostage, he was thrown into the dungeon. Now, with her 
  father jailed and her older sister held by Armag’s savages, 
  Kisandra has come to warn Tatzlford.
  If the PCs have claimed any of the hexes north of 
  Tatzlford or along the northern Skunk River, Drelev’s 
  force will need to pass through areas directly controlled by 
  the PCs’ kingdom before reaching Tatzlford. In this case, 
  the PCs have a chance to learn of the attack even before 
  Kisandra’s arrival if they can make a Loyalty check against 
  their nation’s Control DC. If this check is successful, the 
  PCs learn that a group of mercenaries, barbarians, and 
  several trolls are marching toward Tatzlford and are 
  expected to arrive within a day. The extra time to prepare 
  for the battle gives them a +4 bonus on all defense-related 
  rolls during the Battle of Tatzlford.
  It’s now only a few hours before Drelev’s skirmishers 
  arrive. After the PCs meet with the mayor, Kisandra is 
  brought before them, escorted by several guards. Dressed 
  as a soldier, filthy from travel, and wide-eyed in nervous 
  fear, she presents herself to the PCs and is willing to 
  answer any questions they may have. Her responses to 
  likely questions are listed below.
  Who are you? “My name is Kisandra Numesti. I come 
  from the Drelev Demesne, west of here on the far side of 
  Hooktongue Slough—it was established by Baron Hannis 
  Drelev of Brevoy. My father is Lord Terrion Numesti, a 
  knight who once served the baron but then went against 
  him and was thrown into the dungeon as punishment.”
  Who’s attacking Tatzlford? “Baron Drelev’s troops, 
  along with a group of Tiger Lord barbarians and some 
  enormous trolls!  I pretended to be one of them until they 
  drew near, then slipped away to warn you.”
  Why would Drelev attack us? “To save himself. And 
  so he can claim all you’ve built for his own gain. Drelev 
  surrendered to the barbarians and the Lord of Pitax so they 
  wouldn’t overrun his kingdom. I suspect he sees attacking 
  you as a way to prove his worth to his new master, but he’s 
  always been jealous of your success. He covets just about 
  anything he deems more valuable than what he already 
  has. I’m afraid your nation is no exception.”
  How do we know you’re not trying to trick us? “Any 
  loyalty I may have once owed to Baron Drelev died as 
  soon as he allowed those savages to take my sister and 
  imprisoned my father for refusing to obey his orders. To 
  tell the truth, I hoped that by warning you I might earn 
  your favor and obtain aid in freeing them, but even if you 
  choose not to help me, I can’t sit idly by and watch as that 
  madman attacks this village.”
  PrePAring for BAttle
  Thankfully, Kisandra’s warning affords the PCs enough 
  time (barely) to mount a defense of Tatzlford. She can tell 
  the PCs that the attacking group consists of 25 human 
  mercenaries armed with longswords and composite 
  
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  longbows, 10 human barbarians armed with axes, and 
  six immense trolls. The group is commanded by one 
  of Drelev’s right-hand thugs—a pig of a man named 
  Ameon Trask.
  Kisandra can tell the PCs that the group is 
  somewhat 
  disorganized 
  and 
  sloppy—not 
  only are they unlikely to notice she’s 
  missing, but Ameon’s not all that great 
  of a leader and his tactics for the attack 
  are likely to be little more than orders to 
  charge the village en masse. The group 
  is approaching from the north along the 
  eastern bank of the Skunk River and should 
  be arriving within a few hours.
  This leaves the PCs precious little time 
  to prepare a defense of the village, but if 
  they do so, the battle to come will go 
  much better. Tatzlford has a relatively 
  small militia—only 25 residents are 
  battle-ready (this includes all 11 of 
  the village’s guards), and they have no 
  siege engines to help defend the place.
  Listed below are several defensive 
  preparations the PCs can undertake—
  you can have the citizens and leaders of Tatzlford suggest 
  some of these preparations if you wish. The PCs have only a 
  short time to prepare defenses—as a result, they can enact 
  at most three defenses (unless they’ve got advance warning 
  from their own lands, in which case they can enact up to 
  six defenses).
  Each defensive measure grants one or two modifiers to 
  Tatzlford’s Offense and Defense. Once the PCs select their 
  defensive measures, total up these modifiers to generate 
  Tatzlford’s total Offense and Defense scores—you’ll need 
  these numbers once the battle begins.
  Archers on the Bridge: The Tatzlford Bridge has high 
  railings that could be fortified further to provide cover—a 
  row of archers on this bridge could devastate an army 
  marching along the river bank. Offense +2, Defense +1.
  Barricades: Using lumber, trees, barrels, wagons, 
  rubbish, and some sharpened poles, all of the open gaps in 
  the city wall could be fortified with barricades to prevent 
  easy entry into the village. Offense +0, Defense +3.
  Magical Defenses: None of the locals think of using 
  magic to defend Tatzlford, but if PC spellcasters 
  volunteer to use large area-effect spells to defend 
  the village, the town’s Offense and Defense could be 
  significantly increased. In order to utilize magical 
  defenses, a PC must cast one area-effect spell each 
  phase of the battle—the results of the spell are largely 
  irrelevant (but you should certainly be descriptive in 
  telling the PCs how fireballs and entangles and cones of 
  cold affect the attackers). Magical defenses do not add 
  directly to Tatzlford’s Offense or Defense, but each 
  round they are used, add a modifier equal to the level of 
  the spell used in that phase to the PCs’ rolls for attacks 
  and defense.
  Snipers on Rooftops/in the Trees: By placing a few 
  snipers on rooftops or in trees, archers can make pinpoint 
  strikes against the army’s leaders or particularly 
  effective soldiers. Offense +3, Defense +0.
  Traps in the Woods: Setting a number of quickly 
  built traps in the woods can not only help to slow the 
  enemy troops’ advance through the woods, but can 
  actually injure some of them before they actually 
  reach the village. Offense +1, Defense +2.
  Trenches: Digging trenches in key locations 
  along the village perimeter can help to 
  delay the approach of the aggressors. 
  Offense +0, Defense +3.
  Using Local Wildlife: By using 
  skills like wild empathy or spells 
  like charm animal or speak with 
  animals, both Latricia and Loy (and 
  perhaps some PCs) can recruit several 
  local wild animals to aid them in striking at 
  the aggressors. Offense +3, Defense +0.
  the BAttle of tAtzlford
  Once the PCs have settled on their plans for the battle, 
  total up their Offense and Defense modifiers. The number 
  generated to their Offense is a number that modifies 
  attack rolls in mass combat, while the number generated 
  by Defense should be added to 10 to generate their total 
  Defense Score.
  Ameon Trask’s group has an Offense Modifier of +8 and 
  a Defense Score of 15.
  The Battle of Tatzlford begins as Ameon’s army of 
  barbarians, bandits, and 15-foot-tall trolls lumbers into 
  view along the Skunk River. With a roar of challenge, this 
  ragtag group charges. Ameon’s plan is simple—rush south 
  along the bank, then cut through the woods and race up 
  into Tatzlford, killing anyone they meet along the way. The 
  battle itself plays out in three phases, as outlined below. 
  During each phase, each side makes an attack against 
  the other by rolling a d20 and adding its own Offense 
  Modifier. If it fails to achieve a result equal or greater than 
  the enemy’s Defense Score, nothing happens. Each time a 
  side makes a successful attack, it gains a Battle Point.
  Phase One: Ameon’s forces appear along the eastern 
  banks of the Skunk River, roar their challenge, and charge 
  against the village of Tatzlford.
  Phase Two: Ameon’s forces reach the outskirts of the 
  village and begin their attack in earnest. Ameon’s group 
  gains a +2 bonus on its attack roll this round because of its 
  members’ ferocity.
  Kisandra
  
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  Phase Three: Ameon’s forces penetrate the outer 
  defenses and carry the battle into the streets of Tatzlford. 
  Tatzlford’s defenders gain a +2 bonus on their attack roll 
  this round because they’re defending their homes.
  mArch of the trollS (cr 11)
  After you play out the three phases of the battle, Ameon’s 
  trolls enter the fray. These six lumbering beasts, all 
  advanced trolls that stand a towering 15 feet in height, 
  stomp out of the woods and effortlessly clamber over 
  the village’s partially completed wall, whereupon they 
  immediately begin killing all villagers they come across 
  and tearing apart as many buildings as they can.
  The trolls represent a serious threat—one far greater 
  than Tatzlford’s defenders can reasonably stand against. 
  While the defenders keep up their fight against Ameon’s 
  human troops, the trolls continue their rampage—the 
  PCs will need to step in to defeat the trolls before they can 
  carry the battle for the enemy.
  The battle against the six trolls should be resolved with 
  normal combat. For each round this battle continues, 
  the damage the trolls cause to morale and the village’s 
  buildings grants Ameon’s side a Battle Point. Each troll 
  defeated by the PCs grants the PCs 2 Battle Points—as 
  long as the PCs can defeat the trolls in at least 11 rounds, 
  they’ll end up with more Battle Points by the encounter’s 
  end. If they’re quicker about the defeat, of course, they’ll 
  earn relatively more Battle Points and thus may be able to 
  compensate for earlier failures against Ameon during the 
  battle itself.
  TrollS (6) 
  Cr 6
  XP 2,400 each
  Advanced troll (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 268, 294)
  hp 75 each
  TaCTICS
  during Combat The trolls attempt to get both claws on 
  opponents so they can rend them. In their ferocity, 
  however, they lack any sense of tactics beyond causing as 
  much damage as possible.
  Morale The trolls fight to the death.
  victory or defeAt
  The Battle of Tatzlford ends once the PCs defeat the six 
  trolls, once all of the PCs are dead, or once the PCs decide 
  to abandon the battle and flee the area. In the latter two 
  cases, the PCs automatically lose the battle (see the Loss 
  paragraph on this page).
  Win: If the PCs end up with more Battle Points than 
  Ameon’s men, they win the battle. No buildings are destroyed, 
  and only a few villagers lose their lives. They may even 
  manage to capture Ameon (see the Aftermath section on this 
  page). Award the PCs 12,800 XP for the decisive victory.
  Tie: If the PCs and Ameon end up with tied Battle 
  Points, the PCs manage to keep control of Tatzlford, but 
  the village is in a shambles. Only 1d3 buildings (determine 
  which ones randomly) remain intact, and the population 
  of the village is halved. The villagers are distraught, and 
  the Unrest of the PCs’ kingdom increases by 2 as a result of 
  the close call. Award the PCs 6,400 XP for the close call.
  Loss: If the PCs end up with fewer Battle Points than 
  Ameon, they lose the battle. In this case, they can flee the 
  area if they wish—if they allow themselves to be taken 
  captive, they are imprisoned and then executed (hung from 
  the edge of Tatzlford Bridge) the next morning. They lose 
  control of Tatzlford and every surrounding hex, which 
  not only results in the corresponding reductions to their 
  nation’s statistics, but also increases national Unrest by 2d6 
  (note that the loss of hexes as a result of this battle does not 
  further increase Unrest, as these hexes were not voluntarily 
  abandoned). A successful Loyalty check against the nation’s 
  Command DC reduces this Unrest gain to 1d4 points.
  AftermAth
  “Blood for Blood” assumes the PCs win the Battle of 
  Tatzlford (or at least that the battle ends in a tie). If they 
  lose the battle but survive with their lives intact, you can 
  continue the adventure but the PCs will be even further 
  on the defensive and may even attempt a counterattack on 
  Tatzlford to retake the village. Alternatively, they could 
  sneak into the village to try to remove Ameon Trask from 
  control—this causes the troops occupying the town to 
  quickly panic and disband, at which point the PCs can 
  reclaim the village.
  Finally, if the PCs win the battle, there’s a chance that 
  they could have taken Ameon Trask alive. If they specifically 
  made attempts to capture the leader, you can either rule that 
  their attempts were automatically successful or allow them 
  Not Quite Mass Combat
  The Battle of Tatzlford utilizes a new system to quickly 
  resolve mass combat behind the scenes, although these 
  events are presented in this adventure in a more narrative 
  manner than are most combats. Full quick-resolution rules 
  for mass combat are presented in the next adventure, 
  “War of the River Kings,” in which the PCs take part in 
  several large-scale battles during the war to defend their 
  homeland and conquer Pitax.
  The full rules presented in the next adventure will play 
  somewhat differently and will include rules for damaging 
  armies, tactics, morale, and more. Think of this encounter 
  as a preview of sorts for the PCs for the battles soon to 
  come, for in “War of the River Kings,” the PCs will be 
  running their own armies in a variety of battles!
  
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  to attempt one final attack roll against Ameon’s army’s 
  Defense Score; with a success, they capture the enemy 
  leader alive. Otherwise, Ameon escapes into the wild and 
  eventually makes his way back to Fort Drelev. Baron Drelev 
  is displeased with his failure, but not enough to throw the 
  man into the dungeon. In this case, the PCs can encounter 
  Ameon again in Drelev Keep, either in his quarters plotting 
  a new campaign against the PCs’ nation, or leading the 
  keep’s guards in battle.
  If the PCs capture Ameon alive, his attitude is hostile. 
  He remains silent unless made friendly, at which point he 
  can reveal much about Fort Drelev and its baron—see Part 
  Three for more details. If made helpful, Ameon will even 
  agree to accompany the PCs back to Fort Drelev and aid 
  them in putting the baron down.
  aMEoN TraSk 
  Cr 8
  XP 4,800
  Male human fighter 6/rogue 3 
  LE Medium humanoid (human)
  Init +4; Senses Perception +9
  dEfENSE
  aC 23, touch 15, flat-footed 18 (+7 armor, +4 Dex, +1 dodge,  
  +1 shield)
  hp 79 (9 HD; 6d10+3d8+33)
  fort +8, ref +9, Will +3; +2 vs. fear
  defensive abilities bravery +2, evasion, trap sense +1, 
  uncanny dodge
  offENSE
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee +1 short sword +13/+8 (1d6+6/19–20), +1 short sword 
  +13/+8 (1d6+5/19–20)
  ranged mwk composite longbow +13/+8 (1d8+2/×3)
  Special attacks sneak attack +2d6, weapon training (light 
  blades +1)
  TaCTICS
  during Combat Ameon Trask prefers to fight in melee, 
  resorting to his ranged weaponry only as a last resort. 
  If fighting on his own, he uses his fire elemental gems to 
  quickly recruit aid to allow him an easier time to flank foes.
  
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  Morale Ameon tries to flee into the wilderness if reduced to 
  fewer than 15 hit points.
  STaTISTICS
  Str 14, dex 18, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 8
  Base atk +8; CMB +10; CMd 25
  feats Dazzling Display, Dodge, Double Slice, Improved Two-
  Weapon Fighting, Shatter Defenses, Toughness, Two-Weapon 
  Defense, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse, Weapon 
  Focus (short sword), Weapon Specialization (short sword)
  Skills Acrobatics +10, Bluff +8, Diplomacy +4, Disable Device 
  +10, Disguise +5, Intimidate +8, Knowledge (local) +7, 
  Perception +9, Ride +7, Sleight of Hand +10, Stealth +10, 
  Survival +5, Swim +4
  languages Common, Skald
  SQ armor training 1, rogue talents (finesse rogue), trapfinding +1
  Combat Gear fire elemental gems (2), potion of cure moderate 
  wounds; other Gear +1 chainmail, +1 short swords (2), 
  masterwork composite shortbow with 20 arrows, 250 gp
  kiSAndrA’S PleA
  Assuming the PCs win (or at least survive) the battle, 
  Kisandra can further explain about the recent developments 
  in the Drelev Demesne, including the imprisonment of her 
  father and the taking of her sister as a hostage by Armag. 
  She pleads for their help, praising their skill and renown 
  for problem- solving while also urging them to overthrow 
  Drelev and save her people from the Tiger Lords. She asks 
  them to repay Drelev for his treachery by forcing him cede 
  control of the kingdom—Baron Drelev is a craven bully 
  who, if left in charge of the Drelev Demesne, will cause the 
  death of hundreds. Furthermore, she asks the PCs to save 
  her father (from the dungeons of Drelev Keep) and her sister 
  (from the clutches of the Tiger Lords) if they can.
  Kisandra has little in the way of personal wealth to offer in 
  payment for these requests, but she does pledge her family’s 
  loyalty to the PCs if they accept her quests. She also points out 
  that if they can liberate Fort Drelev, its beleaguered citizens 
  will certainly treat them as heroes and join their nation.
  Kisandra is no heroine—she fears Baron Drelev, and 
  despite how she worries for her father or sister, she has no 
  desire to return to Fort Drelev. She can certainly sketch a 
  map of the town for the PCs, but she doesn’t want to return 
  there until the baron has been dealt with and her family 
  rescued. She does, however, have one more thing to offer 
  the PCs—the name of a possibly ally in the town: Satinder 
  Morne, the proprietor of Fort Drelev’s gaming hall and 
  brothel. Kisandra gives the PCs a jade ring worth 200 gp 
  that can prove to Satinder they’re friends. While Kisandra 
  is hesitant to admit how she knows Satinder (they are, in 
  fact, secretly lovers, an arrangement that would not sit all 
  that well with her tradition-bound father), she tells the 
  PCs that Satinder is no friend of Baron Drelev despite the 
  fact that the mercenary guards who now serve as the city 
  watch are among her best customers. If they’re looking for 
  a safe place to hide in Fort Drelev, they should mention 
  Kisandra’s name to Satinder and give her the jade ring 
  with a long-stemmed flower of any kind threaded through 
  the ring itself.
  PArt tWo:  
  into the Slough
  With Baron Drelev’s attack on Tatzlford, the PCs should 
  realize that they have at least one enemy dwelling in 
  the west. Fort Drelev is the obvious foe to focus on, 
  but a second enemy, Armag the Twice-Born, could be 
  even more dangerous. As with every adventure in the 
  Kingmaker Adventure Path, the route the PCs take 
  toward dealing with these foes is left to them. During 
  this time, they’re also free to begin exploring the 
  wilderness of the Slough, the region of the Stolen Lands 
  found to the west of the Greenbelt. Certainly, Baron 
  Drelev doesn’t attempt another bold move like the attack 
  on Tatzlford, opting instead to focus on defending his 
  own home.
  This part of the adventure describes the various locations 
  and encounters awaiting discovery during exploration of 
  Tripartite Quest: Kisandra’s Plea
  This three-part quest involves two rescues and the defeat 
  of a local tyrant.
  Source: Kisandra Numesti.
  Task: Kisandra asks the PCs to rescue her father 
  Terrion from the dungeons below Drelev Keep and her 
  sister Tamary from the Tiger Lord barbarians, and also to 
  remove Baron Drelev from power and seize control of the 
  city of Fort Drelev, thus liberating its citizens from the 
  baron’s despotic rule.
  Completion: The three portions of this quest can be 
  completed in any order. Kisandra’s father and sister must 
  be delivered to safety from their respective locations—
  Fort Drelev counts as a safe location once the baron is 
  removed and Irovetti’s mercenaries are routed. To liberate 
  Fort Drelev, the PCs must earn 20 Liberation Points in the 
  city and either kill or capture Baron Drelev. See page 36 
  for how the PCs can earn Liberation Points.
  reward: Completing this quest allows the PCs to annex 
  Fort Drelev and its lands without increasing their nation’s 
  Unrest; see page 56 for details on how a successful 
  annexation helps the PCs’ nation. Furthermore, as this 
  is a three-part quest, its completion earns the PCs three 
  times as many experience points—for completing this 
  quest, they’ll earn 38,400 XP.
  
  16
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  Part 4 
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  F. Boggard 
  Ambush
  J. Sinking 
  Bog
  H. Aurumvorax 
  Den
  I. Chimera 
  Pride
  K. Smilodon 
  Den
  R. Wild 
  Horses
  Y. Hydra 
  Den
  Z. Slug Bog
  T. Fey 
  Pranksters
  W. Bog of 
  Bones
  S. Chuul 
  Lair
  P. Dragonfly 
  Glen
  Q. The Swamp 
  Scar
  L. Haunted 
  Fen
  G. Explorer’s 
  Grave
  C. Wyvernstone 
  Bridge
  B. Giants’ 
  Cave
  D. Armag’s 
  Tomb
  N. M’botuu
  V. Tok-Nikrat
  M. Fort 
  Drelev
  O. Lake 
  Hooktongue
  A. Flooded 
  Mine
  E. Cloudberry 
  Field
  U. Lily 
  Patch
  X. Desperate 
  Refugees
  H
  o
  o
  kt
  on
  gu
  e 
  Sl
  ou
  g
  h
  L
  a
  k
  e 
  H
  o
  o
  k
  t
  o
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  g
  u
  e
  N
  The Stolen Lands: The Slough
  N
  One hex = 12 miles
  E
  as
  t 
  S
  el
  len 
  Ri
  v
  e
  r
  E
  a
  s
  t
   
  S
  e
  l
  l
  e
  n
   
  Riv
  e
  r
  RIP
  
  17
  RIP
  Map Icons
  Bridge
  Dead Body
  Hut
  Monster
  Lair
  Landmark
  Camp
  Trap
  Structure
  Plant
  Resource
  Ruin
  Town
  Blood for Blood
  Blood for Blood
  the Slough, a region that consists of the hilly homelands of 
  the Tiger Lord barbarians, the vast Lake Hooktongue, and 
  the trackless expanse of Hooktongue Slough itself. 
  Let the PCs set their own pace as they explore the Slough. 
  All of the fixed encounter locations in “Blood for Blood” 
  are categorized into one of three categories: landmark, 
  standard, and hidden.
  Landmark Site: The site is automatically discovered as 
  soon as the PCs enter the hex containing the site.
  Standard Site: Unless the PCs are traveling specifically to 
  that site, they do not encounter the site until they explore the 
  hex, in which case they encounter the site automatically.
  Hidden Site: If the PCs don’t already know about the 
  site’s location, they need to make a skill check (the skill 
  and DC required varies with the type of site) to locate it 
  during exploration.
  WAndering monSterS
  As the PCs explore the Slough, you can liven things up 
  with wandering monsters generated from the tables on 
  page 79 of this book. There’s a 5% chance of an encounter 
  occurring each time the PCs enter an unclaimed hex, and 
  a 15% chance per day or night spent exploring or camping 
  in an unclaimed hex. These chances decrease to 1% per 
  hex or 5% per day spent exploring or camping in a claimed 
  hex. Take care not to overwhelm the PCs with random 
  encounters, though; it’s usually good to limit wandering 
  monster encounters to only one per day.
  Note that while few of the encounter areas detailed 
  below are supported by maps (with the exception of the 
  boggard village of M’botuu), three sample “swamp lair” 
  maps appear on page 22. You can use these maps as you 
  see fit to run encounters in this adventure. Alternatively, 
  consider using a GameMastery Flip-Mat such as 
  Swamp or River Crossing to stage both wandering and 
  set encounters. The GameMastery Map Packs Ancient 
  Forest, Campsites, and Ruins can also come in handy when 
  running these encounters. All of these are available for 
  purchase online at paizo.com or at better gaming stores 
  near you.
  A. flooded mine (StAndArd)
  A wooden head frame marks the entrance to a mine in 
  the side of a sloped hill; the rope to its joist has long ago 
  gone missing, and a pair of rusted picks lies discarded on 
  the ground. This mine was recently established by Baron 
  Drelev’s men after some promising assaying revealed 
  silver. Unfortunately, the miners swiftly struck an aquifer 
  that immediately flooded the mine, forcing the men to 
  abandon the site.
  A DC 15 Profession (miner) check identifies the problem, 
  while a DC 25 Profession (miner) check suggests methods 
  to work the mine without flooding it. Spells like control 
  water can also serve to control the flooding—if the PCs can 
  get the flooding under control, this mine would make an 
  excellent resource.
  B. giAntS’ cAve (StAndArd; cr 10)
  Several wagons, one entirely overturned and all in various 
  stages of destruction, lie scattered around the entrance of a 
  large cave at the base of a barren hillside here. 
  Creatures: This cave is the den of a small family of 
  inbred hill giants, opportunistic thugs who’ve abandoned 
  an allegiance with Armag’s army in favor of waylaying 
  travelers along the border between the River Kingdoms 
  and Brevoy. The shattered wagons are all that remains of 
  their latest conquest, and they’re currently arguing loudly 
  in their cave over the best way to split their ill-gotten gains 
  (they suffer a –5 penalty on Perception checks as a result).
  darG, fESl, aNd urda 
  Cr 7
  XP 3,200 each
  Hill giants (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 150)
  hp 85 each
  TaCTICS
  during Combat The hill giants have no intelligent strategy 
  behind their attacks. They barely have the sense to throw a 
  couple of rocks before closing with their clubs.
  Morale Having easily routed defenseless settlers, the hill 
  giants prove far too confident and lacking in common sense 
  to know when to retreat. They fight to the death.
  Treasure: Among the spoils the giants have gathered from 
  hunters, poachers, pilgrims, explorers, and merchants are 
  several hundred gold pieces’ worth of tools and building 
  material. While only worth 500 gp in all, these tools count 
  as 3 BP if they’re brought back to civilization and dispersed 
  among those who need such supplies.
  
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  In addition to these supplies, the giants’ treasure consists 
  of 3,500 sp, 1,040 gp, a masterwork breastplate, a spyglass, a 
  potion of aid, a potion of fly, and a golembane scarab.
  c. WyvernStone Bridge (lAndmArk)
  A remarkable bridge of stone spans a gorge here through 
  which the East Sellen River flows. This engineering marvel, 
  built nearly 200 years ago just after Choral the Conqueror 
  united Brevoy, offers an easy route over the wide river just 
  before its southern flow empties into the Hooktongue Slough. 
  Although the roads that once extended from the bridge are 
  long gone, the bridge itself remains intact, the stone wyverns 
  that guard each end now home to dozens of birds.
  d. ArmAg’S tomB (StAndArd)
  This area is detailed in Part Four.
  e. cloudBerry field (StAndArd)
  A several-acre field of golden cloudberries, a semi-tart 
  fruit usable in pies, jams, and alcoholic drinks, grows in 
  a large meadow that overlooks the northern reaches of 
  Hooktongue Slough here. As the field of berries often 
  attracts local wildlife (and thus, local predators), chances 
  of encountering wandering monsters in this hex increase 
  to 50%, and the first time the PCs enter this hex they 
  automatically have a random encounter. See page 79 for 
  Slough encounters.
  f. BoggArd AmBuSh (StAndArd; cr 10)
  The East Sellen River widens gradually over the course 
  of 3 miles here, slowing to a crawl as it empties into Lake 
  Hooktongue. When the East Sellen trade route was open, this 
  point was often used as a waystation for travelers, with several 
  buildings set up on stilts in the bog. For the past several years, 
  though, the trade route has been closed due to the increased 
  aggression of the boggard tribes of the swampland.
  Creatures: The mostly collapsed shacks and huts are 
  now little more than camouflage for a group of 14 boggards 
  that have turned the ruins into an ambush site. They’ve 
  already picked off several of Drelev’s explorers, and are 
  eager to spring their ambush on anyone trying to navigate 
  the area. In addition to morningstars, these boggards are 
  also armed with blowguns and 10 darts poisoned by giant 
  wasp venom. These boggards are not part of any particular 
  tribe, and hate the boggards of M’botuu (primarily because 
  of jealousy over their nicer homes).
  BoGGard WarrIorS (14) 
  Cr 2
  XP 600 each
  hp 22 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 37)
  offENSE
  ranged blowgun +1 (1d2 plus poison [DC 18; 1/rd. for 6 rds.; 
  1d2 Dex, 1 save])
  TaCTICS
  during Combat When potential victims reach the area, half the 
  boggards make their presence known by using their terrifying 
  croak ability to intimidate travelers and leave them shaken. The 
  others leap down from the trees to surround their opponents. 
  On the next round, the boggards on the ground use their 
  own terrifying croak to further intimidate anyone affected by 
  the first raucous din to make them frightened. Meanwhile, 
  the boggards in the trees use their blowguns before climbing 
  down to join the melee. The boggards focus their attacks on 
  anyone who doesn’t flee, using their sticky tongues to strike 
  and impede them before attacking with their morningstars.
  Morale The boggards retreat after losing half their number, 
  disappearing into the creek and swimming away 
  underwater while holding their breath. Thereafter, they 
  take to the trees again, trailing after the PCs to attack with 
  poisoned blowgun darts. They rely on hit-and-run tactics 
  and their swamp stride ability to harass the trespassing PCs 
  for the next several days.
  g. decAyed corPSe (hidden)
  The remains of a long-dead Taldan explorer lie partially 
  buried here in a cleft—a DC 30 Perception check locates 
  the body during exploration of the hex.
  Treasure: Most of the corpse’s gear has rotted or rusted 
  away, but his +1 bashing heavy steel shield, decorated with 
  the coat of arms of a long-defunct Taldan noble family, 
  remains usable.
  h. AurumvorAx den  
  (StAndArd; cr 11)
  Creatures: A twisting set of burrows honeycombs a large 
  granite hillside here, pocking the hillside with dozens of 
  small openings. These mark the entrances to a tangled 
  warren of tunnels that serve as the lair of a mated pair 
  of predators known as aurumvoraxes, or golden gorgers. 
  Native to Numeria to the northwest, this pair wandered 
  down into the northern Stolen Lands and settled here 
  years ago. An aurumvorax appears as a sleek creature that 
  combines features of a weasel and a badger under a shiny 
  coat of golden fur. The creature’s jaws are ferociously 
  powerful, as are its eight legs, each of which is tipped in a 
  murderous set of coppery talons. The aurumvorax’s hide 
  and muscles are incredibly dense, giving it incredible 
  strength for a beast of its size, as well as inspiring rumors 
  that the creatures are made of metal.
  auruMVoraXES (2) 
  Cr 9
  XP 6,400 each
  Tome of Horrors Revised 24
  N Small magical beast 
  Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; 
  Perception +13
  
  19
  Blood for Blood
  Blood for Blood
  dEfENSE
  aC 23, touch 15, flat-footed 19 (+4 Dex, +8 natural, +1 size)
  hp 114 each (12d10+48)
  fort +14, ref +12, Will +7
  defensive abilities ferocity; dr 10/piercing or slashing; 
  Immune poison; resist fire 10
  offENSE
  Speed 30 ft., burrow 10 ft.
  Melee 4 claws +18 (1d4+5 plus grab), bite +18 (1d6+5 plus grab)
  Special attacks rake (4 claws +18, 1d4+5)
  TaCTICS
  during Combat These two aurumvoraxes are very territorial, 
  and if they notice any sign of intrusion into the area they 
  come raging out of their burrows to attack. They’ll pursue 
  trespassers for miles before giving up the chase.
  Morale The aurumvoraxes fight to the death.
  STaTISTICS
  Str 21, dex 18, Con 18, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 11
  Base atk +12; CMB +16; CMd 30
  feats Bleeding Critical, Critical Focus, Great Fortitude, 
  Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Skill Focus (Perception)
  Skills Perception +13, Stealth +17
  Treasure: The aurumvorax warren is a tight fit for any 
  Medium creatures who squeeze in to explore it. The actual 
  den is located at the center of the tangle of tunnels—
  exploring the warren and finding the den requires hours of 
  exhausting crawling and backtracking and a successful DC 
  25 Perception check (each check takes 1d3 hours to attempt). 
  The central den, though, contains numerous skeletons 
  and treasure that’s survived the aurumvoraxes’ tendency to 
  gnaw on things that are shiny. This treasure includes 1,680 
  gp, a silver and ivory scepter worth 1,200 gp, a gold necklace 
  worth 400 gp, a ring of climbing, and a +2 defending kukri.
  i. chimerA Pride (StAndArd, cr 10)
  A small cave overlooks the valley floor near the top of a 
  hill here. The cave opening is devoid of vegetation and 
  strewn with bones. Three nearby stone outcroppings 
  bear signs of scratch marks left behind by some 
  unseen animal or beast.
  Creatures: A pride of three chimeras lair in 
  this large cavern, taking to the air each day to 
  hunt the southern plains. They particularly 
  enjoy raiding the wild horses (area R), as 
  evidenced by the half-eaten carcass lying 
  just inside their simple cave.
  CHIMEraS (3) 
  Cr 7
  XP 3,200 each
  hp 85 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 44)
  TaCTICS
  during Combat The chimeras stay 
  airborne for as long as possible, using the fiery breath 
  weapon of their red dragon heads to target the opponent 
  who appears the weakest. Then one of the chimeras rushes 
  down to drag the body away while the others hold off any 
  remaining attackers.
  Morale The chimeras fight until only one remains; the last chimera 
  standing flees the region once it has fewer than 25 hit points.
  Treasure: Although the majority of the chimeras’ prey so 
  far has been horses or other wild animals, they sometimes 
  fly over the swamp as well. Three dead boggards provide 
  proof of this habit, and one of those three was a relatively 
  powerful sorcerer. While the body’s been torn to ribbons, 
  its bracers of armor +4 and wand of lightning bolt (22 charges) 
  have survived.
  J. the Sinking Bog (StAndArd)
  This region of swampland is known to the boggards 
  and other denizens of the area as the Sinking Bog, due 
  to the unusual number of patches of quicksand that fill 
  the area. Merely passing through this hex automatically 
  exposes 1d3 PCs to quicksand (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 
  427)—actually exploring the hex does the same each hour. 
  Roads cannot be built through this hex, nor can any 
  structures be built in it at all.
  Aurumvorax
  
  20
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  Treasure: Among Speartooth’s 24 victims from Fort 
  Drelev’s guards lie several ruined masterwork weapons 
  and pieces armor, but a closer examination reveals some 
  that are still functional, including three masterwork 
  breastplates, four masterwork heavy steel shields, six 
  masterwork longswords, and five masterwork composite 
  longbows (+3 Str). Of perhaps more interest is the body of 
  an infamous hunter Drelev hired from Pitax to take down 
  Speartooth—this dead hunter’s +1 animal bane composite 
  longbow, efficient quiver, and two remaining arrows of animal 
  slaying didn’t help when Speartooth pounced on him in his 
  camp and mauled him to death.
  l. hAunted fen (StAndArd)
  The entire north shore of Lake Hooktongue, ranging from 
  the boggard ambush site down to Fort Drelev, has a reputation 
  for being haunted, but this particular stretch of boggy 
  lakeshore is the most notorious and is known locally as the 
  Haunted Fen. Legends speak of how fishermen and boaters 
  who stray too near the shoreline in this area often hear voices 
  calling out to them, and none dispute the fact that trappers 
  who venture into this area seem to go missing more often 
  than not. The unusual number of bodies found here sans 
  eyes and fingers, as if both were chewed away by something 
  that deliberately left the rest of the body untouched, have 
  done much to increase the region’s notoriety.
  Creature: While will-o’wisps and actual undead are 
  certainly common enough in Hooktongue Slough, the 
  source of the stories behind the Haunted Fen is in fact a 
  hateful and cruel monster known as an ahuizotl, an aquatic 
  beast that has a particular fancy for the fingers and eyes 
  of its prey. The ahuizotl prefers to remain hidden once it 
  notices prey, stalking potential meals and spooking them 
  with its mimicry in hopes of causing one PC to wander off 
  on his own, at which point the ahuizotl strikes.
  aHuIzoTl 
  Cr 6
  XP 2,400
  hp 68 (see page 80)
  m. fort drelev (lAndmArk)
  This area is detailed in Part Three.
  n. m’Botuu (lAndmArk)
  The boggard settlement of M’botuu is the largest of its 
  kind in Hooktongue Slough—although there are other 
  boggard communities in the swamp, none are as large 
  as M’botuu. This location is presented here in detail. 
  While M’botuu’s boggards don’t directly threaten the PCs’ 
  nation, they do threaten the passage of trade through the 
  region from the southern River Kingdoms to Brevoy—it’s 
  this tribe of boggards who are the primary reason river 
  trade has become too dangerous. Although the exiled 
  k. Smilodon den (hidden; cr 11)
  A narrow valley filled with thorny plants lies nestled 
  between two sharp-sloped hills here. With a DC 25 
  Survival check, a character exploring the hex discovers 
  evidence that a huge feline predator dwells in the area—a 
  DC 25 Perception check reveals an entrance into a tunnel-
  like path that leads deep into the thorny valley. 
  Creature: An immense smilodon dwells in this 
  valley. The creature is quite old, covered with scars 
  and bearing fangs nearly 2 feet long, and is notoriously 
  cantankerous. The Tiger Lords call this notorious 
  beast Speartooth and revere it almost as a god; they 
  often leave kills in this area to appease the beast. The 
  denizens of Fort Drelev have come to fear Speartooth as 
  well, for the smilodon has not only eluded all attempts 
  by Drelev’s guards to capture or kill it, but has also 
  killed no less than 24 of them. A notorious man-eater, 
  Speartooth’s legend is quickly growing throughout the 
  Stolen Lands.
  Speartooth is 50% likely to be present the first time the 
  PCs examine his lair—if he’s not around, the sabre-toothed 
  tiger returns in 1d4 hours with a dead horse clenched in 
  his jaws. 
  SPEarTooTH 
  Cr 11
  XP 12,800
  Advanced old dire tiger (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 193)
  N Large animal 
  Init +8; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +15
  dEfENSE
  aC 22, touch 14, flat-footed 17 (+4 Dex, +1 dodge, +8 natural, 
  –1 size)
  hp 170 (20d8+80)
  fort +16, ref +18, Will +12
  offENSE
  Speed 40 ft.
  Melee 2 claws +23 (2d4+9 plus grab), bite +23 (3d6+9/19–20 
  plus grab)
  Space 10 ft.; reach 5 ft.
  Special attacks pounce, rake (2 claws +23, 2d4+9)
  TaCTICS
  during Combat Speartooth furiously attacks anyone he finds 
  intruding in his lair, preferring to focus his attacks on the 
  largest foe.
  Morale Speartooth fights to the death.
  STaTISTICS
  Str 28, dex 18, Con 18, Int 2, Wis 18, Cha 16
  Base atk +15; CMB +25; CMd 40
  feats Bleeding Critical, Critical Focus, Dodge, Improved 
  Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Improved Iron Will, Iron 
  Will, Lightning Reflexes, Skill Focus (Perception)
  Skills Acrobatics +16 (+20 jump), Perception +15, Stealth +17 
  (+21 in tall grass)
  
  21
  Blood for Blood
  Blood for Blood
  boggard Garuum might request that the PCs seek revenge 
  for him against his old tribe (see inside back cover), or the 
  PCs might seek out the tribe after hearing rumors about 
  them, no one during this adventure specifically tasks the 
  PCs with defeating the M’botuu boggards to reopen the 
  East Sellen trade route. Nevertheless, if they do so, they’ll 
  dramatically increase their nation’s respect among most 
  of their neighbors. 
  The word “M’botuu” loosely translates as, “Those Who 
  Swim in Blood.” Boggard legend claims their tribe sprang 
  wholly from the marsh itself when Gogunta, their vile, 
  bloated demon goddess, flooded this part of the River 
  Kingdoms by vomiting up a swamp. The boggards then 
  multiplied over the years, waging war against the hated 
  water-walking bog striders, slaughtering human settlers, 
  and eventually dominating the entire region.
  With the arrival of Drelev’s settlers from Brevoy, however, 
  times have drastically changed for M’botuu. Priest-king 
  Sepoko has grown increasingly agitated by the number 
  of interlopers in the region and has been attempting to 
  gather the various boggard families of the outlying region 
  under his banner to form an army—but all that’s resulted 
  from this attempt has been a massive civil war, as all of 
  the tribes bickered over who should actually lead the army. 
  Now, having seen their once-feared leader’s commands 
  so blatantly mocked and ignored by the other boggards 
  of the Slough, Sepoko’s followers question his leadership. 
  As a result, Sepoko has been making secret visits to the 
  hated spirit naga of the Swamp Scar (area Q) in the hope 
  that her magic can turn the tide against those who shamed 
  him on the battlefield. In fact, he’s only managed to get 
  himself charmed by the naga, who has been using him 
  to send boggards west to the Scar for her to eat. Rather 
  than sending his own boggards, Sepoko has increased the 
  number of raids on nearby tribes, much to the delight of 
  his followers who see this as proof that their leader has not 
  lost his ferocious side.
  There are 51 boggards dwelling in M’botuu, of which 
  seven are Sepoko’s most faithful wardens. The majority 
  of the boggards lurk in the wet muddy caves below. The 
  wardens remain completely loyal to Sepoko, but the other 
  boggards in the village are still somewhat unsure of their 
  leader. If Sepoko and all of his wardens are killed, the 
  remaining boggards of M’botuu slink off into the swamp 
  and no longer directly oppose river traffic. This can have 
  significant repercussions on the region, as detailed in 
  Concluding the Adventure.
  Note that many of the boggards lurking in M’botuu are 
  hardly challenges for the PCs—this is intentional, so you 
  can give the PCs a chance to feel “high level” by fighting lots 
  of foes at once without much danger, and to make the PCs 
  feel tough when swarms of boggards run for cover. Extended 
  fights against lots of CR 2 boggards can quickly get old for a 
  group of 10th-level PCs—as soon as you feel that this is the 
  case, feel free to have all other boggards cower and flee from 
  the PCs so that you need only play out battles against the 
  boggard wardens and their priest-king.
  n1. Bone iSlAnd (cr 9)
  Clean-picked bones litter this small island at the lake’s edge. 
  Several human skulls line the island’s perimeter, some placed 
  just inches deep in the water. They all face away from the 
  lakeshore, staring north across the lake as if watching for 
  intruders from that direction.
  The boggards use this mound as a refuse pile for 
  discarded remains from their many victims, arranging 
  the skulls as a warning for anyone approaching from the 
  lake. A pit at the island’s center serves as an emergency 
  escape route from the underground boggard lair. A ladder 
  formed of tree roots and lashed femur bones leads down 
  to area N6.
  Creatures:  Sepoko keeps two of his wardens posted 
  here to watch the lake for boats or bog striders. They wear 
  woven reed hats lashed with skulls to better blend with 
  the island’s bones as they crouch among the reeds—these 
  measures grant them a +4 bonus on Stealth. Their giant 
  frog animal companions lurk in the nearby water so that 
  only their eyes protrude from the surface. They use their 
  terrifying croak ability on the first round of combat, 
  incidentally alerting all of the community to the trouble.
  BoGGard WardENS (2) 
  Cr 7
  XP 3,200 each
  Male boggard ranger 5 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 37)
  CE Medium humanoid (boggard)
  Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +9
  dEfENSE
  aC 18, touch 10, flat-footed 18 (+5 armor, +3 natural)
  hp 85 each (3d8+5d10+45)
  fort +11, ref +7, Will +6
  offENSE
  Speed 20 ft., swim 30 ft.
  Melee mwk trident +12/+7 (1d8+5), mwk handaxe +11 
  (1d6+2/×3), tongue +7 (sticky tongue+2)
  ranged blowgun +7 (1d2 plus poison [sunray frog venom; DC 
  10; 1/rd. for 6 rds.; 1d2 Con, 1 save])
  Special attacks favored enemy (human +4, animal +2), 
  terrifying croak (DC 12)
  ranger Spells Prepared (CL 2nd; concentration +1)
  1st—entangle (DC 13), speak with animals
  TaCTICS
  Before Combat The boggard wardens cast speak with animals 
  once they fear combat is about to begin so they can more 
  effectively order their frog companions around in battle.
  
  22
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  m’Botuu cAveS
  m’Botuu
  one SQuAre = 5 feet
  n1
  n2
  n2
  n2
  n2
  n4
  n5
  n5
  n5
  n5
  n5
  n5
  n6
  n7
  n8
  n9
  n10
  n11
  n12
  n13
  n3
  one SQuAre = 5 feet
  one SQuAre = 5 feet
  one SQuAre = 5 feet
  one SQuAre = 5 feet
  creek
  Pool
  lAir
  m’Botuu cAveS
  m’Botuu
  one SQuAre = 5 feet
  n1
  n2
  n2
  n2
  n2
  n4
  n5
  n5
  n5
  n5
  n5
  n5
  n6
  n7
  n8
  n9
  n10
  n11
  n12
  n13
  n3
  one SQuAre = 5 feet
  one SQuAre = 5 feet
  one SQuAre = 5 feet
  creek
  Pool
  one SQuAre = 5 feet
  lAir
  
  23
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  Blood for Blood
  during Combat Boggard wardens prefer to attack humans, 
  dual-wielding their trident and handaxe and preferring to 
  fight while standing in mud or tangled bogs so they can use 
  their swamp stride ability to an advantage.
  Morale Boggard wardens fight to the death.
  STaTISTICS
  Str 20, dex 10, Con 18, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 8
  Base atk +7; CMB +12; CMd 22
  feats Endurance, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, 
  Toughness, Two-Weapon Fighting, Vital Strike, Weapon 
  Focus (trident)
  Skills Handle Animal +10, Perception +9, Survival +13, Swim +22
  languages Boggard
  SQ favored terrain (swamp), hold breath, hunter’s bond (animal 
  companion), swamp stride, track +2, wild empathy +4
  Combat Gear potions of cure serious wounds (2); other Gear +1 
  hide armor, masterwork handaxe, masterwork trident
  GIaNT froG CoMPaNIoNS (2) 
  Cr  —
  N Medium animal
  Init +1; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +5
  dEfENSE
  aC 12, touch 11, flat-footed 11 (+1 natural, +1 Dex)
  hp 25 each (3d8+12)
  fort +6, ref +6, Will +0
  offENSE
  Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
  Melee bite +4 (1d6+2), tongue –1 touch (grab)
  Space 5 ft.; reach 5 ft. (15 ft. with tongue)
  Special attacks pull (tongue, 5 ft.), tongue
  TaCTICS
  during Combat Unless given other commands, a giant frog 
  companion stays near its master and attacks his targets.
  Morale Giant frog companions fight to the death.
  STaTISTICS
  Str 15, dex 13, Con 16, Int 1, Wis 9, Cha 6
  Base atk +2; CMB +4; CMd 15
  feats Lightning Reflexes, Toughness
  Skills Perception +5, Swim +10
  SQ link, share spells, tricks (attack, defend, fetch, perform)
  n2. tree-frog SentrieS (cr 4)
  Large cypress trees loom over the surrounding swamplands 
  at each of these locations. 
  Creatures: Each of these trees contains a pair of 
  boggard sentries—but unlike the wardens, these sentries 
  aren’t very well trained or motivated. They spend more 
  time watching the sky for birds or flying insects and 
  making faces at one another than maintaining vigilance. 
  As a result, these boggards suffer a –4 penalty on all 
  Perception checks. If alerted to trespassers, they raise a 
  terrifying croak, alerting the rest of the village, and hop 
  down to attack.
  BoGGard SENTrIES (2) 
  Cr 2
  XP 600 each
  hp 22 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 37)
  n3. fire Pit
  A wisp of smoke rises from this fire pit’s smoldering coals, lazily 
  drifting toward a massive stone statue chiseled to resemble an 
  immense, menacing toad. Five old ropes hang from the statue’s 
  open maw.
  The boggards use this clearing for rituals dedicated 
  to their corpulent toad-demon, Gogunta. As the tribe’s 
  priest-king, Sepoko conducts the ceremonies himself. 
  They mostly involve water torture, hot coals, and tiny, 
  sharpened sticks for bloodletting while the victims are 
  lashed inside Gogunta’s mouth by the five bloody ropes. 
  Since the boggards have started sending their victims out 
  to the Swamp Scar, though, they’ve not used this site for 
  sacrifices—a DC 15 Survival check is enough to note that 
  there hasn’t been much activity here recently.
  n4. PriSoner hut (cr 2)
  A large, crude hut stands in this part of the clearing, its circular 
  roof thatched with dry, brown fronds of fern.
  Creatures: Sepoko’s raiders recently captured a bog 
  strider named Ka-Kekt and imprisoned him here. The 
  current plan is to march the bog strider out to the Swamp 
  Scar in a few days. If the PCs free Ka-Kekt, the bog strider 
  thanks them as best he can before making his way back 
  to Tok-Nikrat—if the PCs can communicate with him, he 
  invites the PCs to visit Tok-Nikrat and promises them a 
  reward for their kindness.
  ka-kEkT 
  Cr 2
  XP 600
  Male bog strider (see page 82)
  hp 15
  n5. emPty hutS
  These small, crude huts seem to be built from freshly cut 
  timber and thatching. Originally built to house additional 
  boggards from what was to be the boggard army, none of these 
  huts have ever been used, and are quickly falling to ruin.
  n6. eScAPe route
  This low-ceilinged room is wet and cramped. Thick ropes of 
  dripping roots hang from the ceiling above, and a large pool of 
  water ripples to the east.
  
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  This room connects to area N1 above; the pool of water 
  leads to a submerged tunnel that winds under the lake 
  southeast to area N7.
  n7. frog StorAge (cr 6)
  Two water-filled passageways slope upward into this mud-
  carved cavern. Along the eastern wall lie a pile of gourds and 
  several covered baskets.
  Creatures: Three boggards toil in this room. The latched 
  baskets contain several sunray frogs, so-named for the vibrant 
  yellow streak along their backs. As punishment for losing 
  Sepoko’s favorite pet snake, these boggards must spend their 
  time here harvesting frog poison, filling each gourd with 
  enough venom to coat the tribe’s blowgun darts.
  If the PCs enter, the boggards croak in panic. They throw 
  sunray frogs as improvised weapons—if they hit, a sunray 
  frog can make a free bite attack against the target with a 
  +4 bonus on the attack roll. Any boggard that is engaged 
  in melee tries to flee to area N6 or N11—whichever route 
  takes the boggard past fewer enemies.
  BoGGardS (3) 
  Cr 2
  XP 600 each
  hp 22 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 37)
  SuNray froGS (9) 
  Cr 1/2
  XP 200 each
  Poison frogs (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 135)
  hp 4 each
  n8. lArder
  The excited buzz of agitated insects fills this round cavern, 
  emanating from a row of wooden cages. Along the far wall 
  hangs a variety of leather sacks, harvested roots, and swamp-
  pickled meats.
  The boggards keep several bluewing dragonf lies in 
  small cages here. Harvested scorchbulbs, navaroot, and 
  sacks of golden cloudberries hang from sharp hooks 
  hammered into the wall, along with hunks of pickled 
  venison. If the PCs release the dragonf lies, they quickly 
  exit the boggard mound, heading for the open leather 
  f lap in the ceiling. This causes a f lurry of activity 
  among any boggards aboveground as they scramble to 
  recover their favorite livestock. Bluewing dragonf lies 
  are large for dragonf lies (having 8-inch wingspans) but 
  are harmless.
  n9. feASt hAll (cr 8)
  Two long lines of matted rushes extend down the center of this 
  chamber. Between them rest large, round baskets meant to act 
  as serving platters. Scraps of leftover bones, insect carapaces, 
  and tangled roots lie scattered along the walls.
  This area serves as the tribe’s primary dining hall. A 
  group of eight boggards can be found in here, sloppily 
  eating dragonflies, swamp fruits, and hunks of red, raw 
  meat. They croak and shriek if the PCs enter, noisily 
  fleeing to area N12 to seek protection from their king if 
  possible and fighting only if they’re cornered.
  BoGGardS (8) 
  Cr 2
  XP 600 each
  hp 22 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 37)
  n10. communAl QuArterS (cr 9)
  A dozen sleeping pallets woven from dry reeds and grasses line 
  this chamber’s floor to the west. Exits include passages to the 
  north and southeast, as well as a large leather flap leading to 
  the surface above.
  Creatures: The tribe’s 12 female members dwell in this 
  chamber, busying themselves with the manufacture of 
  baskets, blowguns, darts, and leather armor.
  BoGGardS (12) 
  Cr 2
  XP 600 each
  hp 22 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 37)
  n11. BArrAckS (cr 11)
  Reed curtains hang over the two exits from this cavern. Soggy 
  sleeping mats line the western wall, while three wooden dummies 
  decorated with bits of carapace shells stand to the east.
  Muddy caverns
  Areas N6–N13 of M’botuu consist of a network of caves. 
  Although sized for Medium creatures, these caves are 
  hardly comfortable. Thick mats of roots hang from the 
  ceiling, and the floors are thick morasses of mud, water, 
  and fungus. All of these areas are considered difficult 
  terrain as a result, but boggards, due to their swamp 
  stride ability, can move through these areas with ease.
  Additionally, several of these caves can be accessed via 
  holes in the ceiling that open into low mounds above. Each 
  of these holes (indicated on the M’Botuu Caves map as 
  lighter patches) includes a number of knotted roots—a DC 5 
  Climb check is required to ascend or descend from the caves 
  via these routes, and it’s a 10-foot drop to the muddy floor.
  
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  Blood for Blood
  This chamber serves as a barracks, a training room, and, 
  occasionally, a gaming room for Sepoko’s boggards—his 
  wardens dwell here as well. Filthy, woven reed sleeping mats 
  line the western wall, leaving the center of the room open.
  Creatures: Fourteen raucous boggards (3 wardens and 
  11 typical boggards) gather here to enjoy their favorite 
  pastime, a game called “Lick Bug.” They've placed cages 
  of cat-sized dragonflies throughout the chamber and one 
  of the boggard wardens (designated as the Lick Boss) has 
  secretly coated one of them in a clear layer of scorchbulb 
  (a spicy swampland pepper). If the PCs wait until the game 
  begins, the Lick Boss’s assistant (another warden called 
  the Cagekeeper) releases the dragonflies so the remaining 
  boggards can take turns catching and eating them with 
  their sticky tongues. The first boggard to get the painfully 
  spicy dragonfly loses the game and spends hours in pain 
  while his companions laugh at him. The boggards react 
  to interruptions with anger, although the lesser boggards 
  don’t actually follow up on their wrath with attacks, leaving 
  the fight to the wardens and their giant frogs (which lurk 
  placidly at the edges of the room until commanded to 
  fight). If the wardens are slain, the remaining boggards 
  panic and flee to area N12.
  BoGGard WardENS (3) 
  Cr 7
  XP 3,200 each
  hp 85 each (see page 21)
  GIaNT froG CoMPaNIoNS (3)
  hp 25 each (see page 23)
  BoGGardS (11) 
  Cr 2
  XP 600 each
  hp 22 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 37)
  n12. chieftAin'S throne room  
  (cr 12)
  Two passageways lead into this large cavern with another exiting 
  to the southwest. The vaulted ceiling rises nearly fifteen feet 
  high toward a leather flap leading outside. A skull-decorated 
  throne of leather and lashed wood rests against the eastern 
  wall, flanked by two braziers emitting a cold white light.
  Creatures: In the throne room waits Sepoko, the 
  embattled priest-king of the M'botuu tribe. Attended at 
  all times by a pair of boggard wardens and their giant 
  frogs, Sepoko has spent the past several weeks under 
  the magical control of the spirit naga Ngara (see area Q), 
  and as a result has had something of a crisis of faith. He 
  still worships Gogunta, but his faith has been shaken 
  by his growing obsession with the “Legless Lady” as he 
  calls Ngara. So far, he’s managed to juggle this crisis and 
  maintain his devotion to Gogunta, but the stress of battle 
  could well see that end (see the morale notes in his stat 
  block for details).
  Unless the PCs happen to enter this cave from above, 
  chances are good that they’ve driven plenty of boggards 
  into this chamber to seek protection from their priest-
  king. In this case, the boggards cower along the walls of 
  the place, eager to see their leader defend them from the 
  intruders. Sepoko, being somewhat of a coward, hopes that 
  his wardens defeat the PCs before they reach this far, but 
  if that doesn’t prove to work, he puffs up his chest and 
  attacks as soon as the PCs enter the cave.
  SEPoko 
  Cr 11
  XP 12,800
  Male boggard cleric of Gogunta 10 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 37)
  CE Medium humanoid (boggard)
  Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +4
  dEfENSE
  aC 25, touch 13, flat-footed 25 (+6 armor, +3 deflection,  
  +3 natural, +3 shield)
  hp 133 (13d8+75)
  fort +14, ref +6, Will +12
  defensive abilities death’s embrace; resist cold 10
  offENSE
  Speed 20 ft., swim 30 ft.
  Melee +2 icy morningstar +13/+8 (1d8+3 plus 1d6 cold), tongue +5 
  (sticky tongue)
  Special attacks channel negative energy (5d6, DC 16, 4/day), 
  terrifying croak (DC 14)
  domain Spell-like abilities (CL 10th; concentration +14)
  7/day—bleeding touch (5 rounds), icicle (1d6+5 cold damage)
  Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 10th; concentration +14)
  5th—flame strike (DC 19), insect plagueD, slay living (DC 19)
  4th—control waterD, cure critical wounds, freedom of 
  movement, greater magic weapon, summon monster IV
  3rd—bestow curse (DC 17), cure serious wounds, dispel magic, 
  magic vestment, water breathingD
  2nd—cure moderate wounds (2), death knellD (DC 16), hold 
  person (DC 16), resist energy, sound burst (DC 16)
  1st—bane (DC 15), cure light wounds, divine favor, endure 
  elements, obscuring mistD, shield of faith
  0 (at will)—create water, detect poison, mending, resistance
  d Domain spell; domains Death, Water
  TaCTICS
  Before Combat Sepoko casts magic vestment on his shield and 
  greater magic weapon on his morningstar every morning. If he 
  hears combat in a neighboring room, he casts insect plague to 
  place wasp swarms in the northern part of the room and then 
  casts freedom of movement and shield of faith on himself.
  during Combat Sepoko initially lets his summoned insects 
  and wardens face the PCs while he hangs back to cast spells. 
  As soon as it becomes apparent that he’ll soon be in melee, 
  
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  he casts divine favor. Whenever possible, he uses Channel 
  Smite to further empower his blows with negative energy. If 
  enemies look like they’re about to reach him, he casts control 
  water to cause the water level in this area to rise, flooding 
  the entire cavern for 1 round before rushing out into the 
  other caves. On that initial round, anyone who makes a 
  DC 20 Swim check resists the sudden current—all others 
  are knocked prone and washed into area N10, N11, or N13 
  (whichever is closest). Thereafter, the water level in the caves 
  stabilizes at a depth of 1 foot (meaningless to boggards with 
  their swamp stride ability). This tactic immediately disperses 
  any insect swarms still in the area, but it should give Sepoko 
  a chance to disrupt the PCs’ tactics quite well.
  Morale If reduced to 35 hit points or fewer, Sepoko’s remaining 
  faith in Gogunta shatters and he drops to his knees and 
  croaks out a prayer to the Legless Lady to save him and 
  smite the intruders. Of course, no divine intervention comes 
  (although Sepoko immediately loses access to all of his spells 
  and cleric abilities), and any surviving boggards who witness 
  this failure realize that their leader has fallen. Amid a sudden 
  chorus of “Kill the heretic!” in Boggard, the remaining 
  boggards forget about the PCs’ presence and swarm 
  forward, eager to tear Sepoko limb from limb in hopes of 
  showing Gogunta, who must surely be watching, that they 
  still fear her.
  STaTISTICS
  Str 12, dex 10, Con 18, Int 8, Wis 18, Cha 13
  Base atk +9; CMB +10; CMd 21
  feats Brew Potion, Channel Smite, Craft Wand, Extra 
  Channel, Lightning Reflexes, Toughness, Weapon Focus 
  (morningstar)
  Skills Handle Animal +7, Intimidate +4, Knowledge (religion) +6, 
  Swim +10
  languages Boggard
  SQ hold breath, swamp stride
  Combat Gear potions of cure moderate wounds (3), potion 
  of sanctuary, wand of cure moderate wounds (24 charges), 
  wand of poison (9 charges); other Gear +2 hide armor, 
  +1 icy morningstar, masterwork light wooden shield, spell 
  component pouch, unholy symbol of Gogunta
  BoGGard WardENS (2) 
  Cr 7
  XP 3,200 each
  hp 85 each (see page 21)
  GIaNT froG CoMPaNIoNS (2) 
  Cr  —
  hp 25 each (see page 23)
  Development: If the naga’s charm on Sepoko is 
  dispelled, the boggard loses a round of actions while he 
  realizes what’s happened to him. He then calls for 
  a truce, hoping to recruit the PCs to kill the naga 
  for him. Sepoko is willing to “loan” two boggard 
  wardens to the PCs if they agree to go on this 
  quest for him.
  n13. treASure room
  This narrow passageway leads to a long, shallow cave 
  whose ceiling never rises more than five feet high. The 
  earth walls to either side glisten with moisture and small 
  pools of excess water gather along the southern wall.
  Sepoko uses this cavern to secure the tribe’s amassed 
  wealth. The wooden crates, rotting burlap sacks, and 
  several small casks contain 56 pp, 1,287 gp, 2,019 sp, 872 
  cp, five black opals worth 200 gp each, 10 gold bracelets 
  (each is decorated with a different forest animal motif and 
  is worth 25 gp), a box of 12 Taldan-stamped gold ingots 
  worth 250 gp each, a cask containing three doses of elixir 
  of swimming, and a harp of charming bearing the likeness of 
  Cayden Cailean.
  Sepoko
  
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  Blood for Blood
  o. lAke hooktongue (lAndmArk)
  The deep, murky waters of Lake Hooktongue make up the 
  largest body of water in the Stolen Lands and serve as the 
  heart of Hooktongue Slough. Countless minor rivers and 
  streams wind through the swamp into this lake, the surface 
  of which is usually rather calm and serene. The lake itself 
  is quite deep, reaching a depth of 900 feet in several places. 
  Yet the lake has a sinister reputation, for many believe it to 
  be the lair of an ancient water orm named Hooktongue—
  the same creature that gives its name to both the lake and 
  the surrounding swampland. Said to resemble an immense 
  black snake with jaws strong enough to carry a bear and a 
  back decorated with razor-sharp fins, Hooktongue hasn’t 
  been spotted in the lake for nearly a decade.
  Creatures: Hooktongue does indeed exist, but the water 
  orm spends much of his time slumbering in one of dozens 
  of deep caverns on the lake’s bed, only rising from slumber 
  once every several years to glut itself on anything it can 
  catch. These feeding frenzies last for several weeks, during 
  which sightings of the legendary beast rise dramatically and 
  lake travelers often go missing. Traditionally, trade on Lake 
  Hooktongue is suspended during these periods. It is replaced 
  by eager (and foolish) fishermen and hunters hoping to catch 
  and kill the monster—those unlucky few who manage an 
  encounter with Hooktongue are rarely seen again.
  Although Hooktongue himself does not appear in this 
  adventure (he’s deep in one of his several-year slumbers), 
  a number of smaller predators still infest the waters of 
  the lake. The three most dangerous are the giant river 
  eels, blood caimans, and constantly hungry freshwater 
  elasmosauruses—all three of these monstrous denizens are 
  responsible in their own way for perpetuating Hooktongue’s 
  myth during the orm’s periods of slumber. Wandering 
  monster encounters on Lake Hooktongue involve one of 
  these three types of monsters 75% of the time.
  If you want to have Hooktongue waken for your game, 
  statistics for water orms can be found in Pathfinder RPG 
  Bestiary 2. If you don’t have that book, you can instead use the 
  stats for a Huge sea serpent (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 244).
  Blood CaIMaN 
  Cr 2
  XP 600
  Crocodile (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 51)
  hp 22
  frESHWaTEr ElaSMoSauruS 
  Cr 7
  XP 3,200
  hp 105 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 84)
  GIaNT rIVEr EEl 
  Cr 5
  XP 1,600
  Giant moray eel (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 119)
  hp 52
  P. drAgonfly glAde  
  (StAndArd; cr 10)
  Creatures: This area of the swamp teems with dragonfly 
  activity and has become a favorite hunting ground for 
  boggards. Dragonflies of all sizes buzz and flit through the 
  air in this unusually beautiful swamp glade—while most of 
  the dragonflies are harmless (ranging from normal-sized 
  up to a wingspan of 2 feet), eight giant dragonflies dwell 
  in the glade as well. Constantly ravenous, these dangerous 
  vermin swoop down to attack anything sizable they notice.
  GIaNT draGoNflIES (8) 
  Cr 4
  XP 1,200 each
  Tome of Horrors Revised 169
  N Medium vermin 
  Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +1
  dEfENSE
  aC 18, touch 15, flat-footed 13 (+5 Dex, +3 natural)
  hp 45 each (7d8+14)
  fort +7, ref +7, Will +3
  Immune mind-affecting effects
  offENSE
  Speed 20 ft., fly 80 ft. (perfect)
  Melee bite +11 (1d10+9)
  TaCTICS
  during Combat The dragonflies attack the nearest foe 
  each round.
  Morale The giant dragonflies fight to the death.
  STaTISTICS
  Str 23, dex 21, Con 14, Int —, Wis 12, Cha 6
  Base atk +5; CMB +11; CMd 26
  Skills Fly +13
  Q. the SWAmP ScAr (lAndmArk, cr 9)
  An immense mound of fallen trees and logs lie in a jagged 
  line here, forming a scar of decaying plant matter created 
  over the course of decades by various river currents. Nearly 
  Quest: Sepoko’s Revenge
  Seek out the “Legless Lady” and kill her.
  Source: Sepoko, the priest-king of M’botuu.
  Task: Sepoko, ashamed at falling under the control of 
  the spirit naga, asks the PCs to seek out the naga at the 
  Swamp Scar and slay her.
  Completion: Return to Sepoko with the naga’s severed 
  head as proof of her death.
  reward: With the naga slain, Sepoko vows to keep his 
  boggards in line and won’t meddle in river traffic—he’ll 
  let trade pass by unmolested from his people. Further, 
  he’ll give the PCs the box of Taldan-stamped gold ingots 
  from his treasury as a reward.
  
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  500 feet long and 40 feet high, this swath is known locally 
  as the Swamp Scar. The mound of vegetation is riddled 
  with burrows and nooks, and it is within these hollows 
  that the Scar’s dangerous denizen dwells.
  Creatures: A spirit naga named Ngara has dwelt in 
  the Swamp Scar for years. As unsuspecting humanoids 
  stumble into the area, she slithers out to charm them—
  those who resist her gaze are killed and eaten, but those 
  who succumb become the naga’s agents, prowling the 
  swamp and surrounding lands in a constant search for 
  new victims to bring to the Swamp Scar to serve as meals, 
  slaves, or worse. She has several local woodsmen under her 
  control already and also controls the boggard priest-king 
  Sepoko (see page 25). The naga would love to add the PCs to 
  her little army of gatherers and hunters, but if she’s unable 
  to charm them, she’s just as happy to kill and eat them—
  not necessarily in that order.
  NGara 
  Cr 12
  XP 19,200
  Female spirit naga sorcerer 3 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 213)
  CE Large aberration 
  Init +11; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +19
  dEfENSE
  aC 33, touch 20, flat-footed 25 (+4 armor, +7 Dex, +3 deflection, 
  +1 dodge, +9 natural, –1 size)
  hp 136 (13 HD; 10d8+3d6+81)
  fort +10, ref +13, Will +13
  offENSE
  Speed 40 ft., swim 20 ft.
  Melee 1 bite +12 (3d6+7)
  Space 10 ft.; reach 5 ft.
  Special attacks charming gaze (DC 22)
  Spell-like abilities (CL 10th; concentration +17)
  At will—fleeting glance (10 rounds/day)
  10/day—laughing touch
  Sorcerer Spells known (CL 10th; concentration +17)
  5th (4/day)—cone of cold (DC 22)
  4th (6/day)—cure critical wounds, dimension door, poison 
  (DC 21)
  3rd (8/day)—deep slumber (DC 22), dispel magic, fireball 
  (DC 20), water breathing
  2nd (8/day)—acid arrow, detect thoughts (DC 19), hideous 
  laughter (DC 21), invisibility, whispering wind
  1st (8/day)—cure light wounds, divine favor, entangle (DC 18), 
  mage armor, magic missile, shield of faith
  0 (at will)—bleed (DC 17), daze (DC 19), detect magic, 
  guidance, mage hand, message, open/close, ray of frost, 
  read magic
  Bloodline Fey
  TaCTICS
  Before Combat Ngara casts mage armor every day and uses 
  shield of faith before battle (quickening it on the first round 
  of combat if necessary).
  during Combat The naga prefers to stay 20 or so feet away 
  from foes to minimize melee attacks and maximize her 
  charming gaze; she casts her spells at range and uses 
  dimension door to retreat out of melee when needed. When 
  melee is unavoidable, she casts quickened divine favor and 
  then uses Arcane Strike on all following rounds.
  Morale Ngara fights to the death.
  STaTISTICS
  Str 20, dex 24, Con 23, Int 12, Wis 17, Cha 24
  Base atk +8; CMB +14; CMd 35 (can’t be tripped)
  feats Arcane Strike, Combat Casting, Dodge, Eschew 
  Materials, Extend Spell, Improved Initiative, Lightning 
  Reflexes, Quicken Spell
  Skills Bluff +23, Knowledge (nature) +10, Perception +19, 
  Spellcraft +11, Stealth +19, Swim +23
  languages Abyssal, Common
  SQ woodland stride
  Gear headband of mental prowess +2 (Charisma and Wisdom)
  r. Wild horSeS (StAndArd; cr 10)
  Creatures: A herd of wild horses graze these plains. 
  Their leader, a powerful stallion named Windchaser, 
  once served an elderly druid of the River Kingdoms as 
  an animal companion. Just prior to the druid’s death, 
  he dismissed the stallion and cast awaken on him before 
  releasing him back into the wild. Now, the intelligent 
  horse defends his herd against predators and anyone who 
  ventures too close, using his knowledge of the local area 
  to keep them safe.
  Windchaser can speak, but he generally prefers not to 
  unless he trusts someone—his initial attitude is unfriendly. 
  If the PCs can make him friendly, the awakened horse can 
  tell the PCs about all of the non-hidden encounter areas in 
  the hills or plains of the Slough, including the location of 
  Armag’s Tomb and the fact that the Tiger Lord barbarians 
  are hiding out in a hidden valley there. If made helpful, he 
  may even deign to become a player’s mount.
  WINdCHaSEr 
  Cr 4
  XP 1,200
  Male awakened advanced heavy horse (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 
  177, 294)
  CN Large magical beast 
  Init +4; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +10
  dEfENSE
  aC 16, touch 14, flat-footed 11 (+4 Dex, +1 dodge, +2 natural, 
  –1 size)
  hp 46 (4d10+24)
  fort +10, ref +8, Will +4
  offENSE
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee bite +8 (1d4+5), 2 hooves +3 (1d6+2)
  
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  Space 10 ft.; reach 5 ft.
  TaCTICS
  during Combat Windchaser fights to defend his herd but 
  otherwise prefers to flee combat rather than take part in it.
  Morale Windchaser fights to the death if protecting his herd.
  STaTISTICS
  Str 20, dex 18, Con 22, Int 14, Wis 17, Cha 14
  Base atk +4; CMB +10; CMd 25 (29 vs. trip)
  feats Dodge, Endurance, Run
  Skills Acrobatics +11, Escape Artist +8, Perception +10, Sense 
  Motive +7, Stealth +0
  languages Common
  SQ combat trained
  adVaNCEd HEaVy HorSES (16) 
  Cr 2
  XP 600 each
  hp 19 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 177, 294)
  S. chuul lAir (StAndArd; cr 9)
  Creatures: A rocky cave marks a steep hillside by the 
  swamp’s shore, nearly hidden by the high rushes and 
  cattails screening it from view. This cave is the den 
  of a mated pair of chuuls. One of the creatures hides 
  within the cave to the north, while the other lurks in 
  the water to the south, ready to ambush and surround 
  any creatures venturing near their home. At night, they 
  both reside in the cave, the walls of which are decorated 
  with crude but effective paintings of chuuls eating 
  humans, created from the smeared leavings of their 
  victims’ blood.
  CHuulS (2) 
  Cr 7
  XP 3,200 each
  hp 85 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 46)
  TaCTICS
  during Combat The chuuls try to flank opponents 
  whenever possible, cooperatively grappling victims 
  and then transferring them to their paralytic tentacles 
  before attacking the next target.
  Morale The chuuls fight to the death.
  Treasure: The chuuls also use the cave to 
  compulsively store trophies they’ve collected from past 
  victims. These items currently include a masterwork 
  quarterstaff shod with silver at either end and decorated 
  with carvings of predatory birds, worth 900 gp, a wide 
  leather belt of mighty constitution +2, a silver ring of jumping, 
  a coral holy symbol of Gozreh worth 250 gp, a stylized 
  mithral brooch in the shape of a gilded leaf worth 500 
  gp, and an uncompleted, leather-bound spellbook in 
  a waterproof case containing all 0-level spells, as well 
  as control water, fabricate, move earth, stone shape, and 
  transmute mud to rock.
  t. fey PrAnkSterS (hidden; cr 10)
  The swamp gives way to much less waterlogged terrain 
  in this region. Trees grow more frequently, providing 
  plentiful shade along a fast-moving creek. Sunlight 
  streams through the canopy of leaves overhead and birds 
  chirp to one another somewhere high among the boughs.
  Creatures: After befriending a pack of worgs, a band of 
  particularly sadistic pixies has established this part of the 
  forest as a rendezvous point—the pixies are engaged in a 
  sort of contest to see which of them can wreak the most 
  havoc on the humans who have been infiltrating the Stolen 
  Lands, hoping that their antics will eventually attract the 
  attention and favor of the nymph queen Nyrissa. None of 
  the pixies have actually met Nyrissa, but they hope that 
  with a few more months of cruel practical jokes that might 
  change. Their jokes range from the annoying (spiking milk 
  left on porches with hot pepper juice) to the downright 
  cruel (kidnapping babies and leaving dead mites or shaved 
  bear cubs in the crib). For several days, the pixies have been 
  Windchaser
  
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  resting here, sharing tales of their pranks and plotting new 
  ones. If they notice the PCs approaching, they cast shield 
  and become invisible, hunkering down on their worgs and 
  ordering them to attack intruders on sight while the pixies 
  fire arrows or cast spells from their backs.
  PIXIES (5) 
  Cr 4
  XP 1,200 each
  NE Small fey
  hp 18 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 228)
  WorGS (5) 
  Cr 2
  XP 600 each
  hp 26 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 280)
  u. lily PAtch (StAndArd)
  The azure lily is a relatively notorious plant known to grow 
  in Hooktongue Slough—and also one of the most rare. It’s 
  unusual to find more than one of these dangerous plants 
  growing in any part the swamp, and they’re unheard of 
  beyond its borders. Through chance, a grove of azure lilies 
  has bloomed on a low hummock here, five of the bright 
  blue flowers in all.
  An azure lily’s pollen is rather toxic, with a single lily 
  producing enough pollen in its short life to swiftly paralyze 
  most creatures. A character that picks one of the flowers 
  or brushes against it causes its load of poisonous pollen 
  to burst in a 5-foot cloud that persists for 1 minute before 
  dispersing. It’s possible to harvest the toxic pollen from 
  these lilies with a successful DC 30 Survival check and 10 
  minutes of stressful work (failure causes the lily to burst), 
  but once taken from the plant, the raw pollen becomes 
  inert after a week unless crafted into refined poison with a 
  DC 15 Craft (alchemy) check.
  azurE lIly PollEN
  Type poison, inhaled; Save Fortitude DC 15
  frequency 1/minute for 2 minutes
  Effect nauseated for 1 minute/paralyzed for 2d4 hours;  
  Cure 1 save
  Treasure: A successfully harvested dose of azure lily 
  poison is worth 1,500 gp.
  v. tok-nikrAt (hidden; cr 9)
  The swamp vegetation recedes here, forming a 100-foot-
  wide ring of open water surrounding a heavily wooded 
  island 200 feet in diameter. The ring of water is 50 feet 
  deep on average.
  Creatures: Though bog striders are normally solitary 
  creatures, a dozen bog striders have established a 
  community in the center of the island. Their leader, an 
  aging veteran named Tok-Tekt, wages a war of attrition 
  against the boggards of the swamp. A boggard raiding 
  party recently captured his son Ka-Kekt, but the last time 
  he attempted a rescue, the boggards slew three of his 
  people. Tok-Tekt has all but buried his son as a result and 
  doesn’t expect to see him again.
  The bog striders themselves are an insular people who 
  do not seek contact with the “landwalker” races, but if 
  the PCs rescue Ka-Kekt and escort him here (or simply 
  travel here after rescuing him and letting him make 
  his own way home), they’ll be welcomed as friends. If 
  the PCs approach the bog strider enclave before saving 
  Ka-Kekt, the bog striders greet them with angry shrill 
  chirpings at the edge of their island if they notice the 
  PCs’ approach—if the PCs attack, the bog striders fight 
  to the death to defend their home. If, on the other hand, 
  the PCs attempt to establish a more peaceful meeting 
  with the strange insectoid people, they’ll need to adjust 
  their initial hostility to a friendly attitude, at which point 
  Tok-Tekt asks them to save his son.
  Tok-TEkT 
  Cr 3
  XP 800
  Advanced bog strider (see page 82 and Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 294)
  hp 19
  BoG STrIdErS (12) 
  Cr 2
  XP 600 each
  hp 15 each (see page 82)
  W. Bog of BoneS (StAndArd; cr 8)
  An unearthly chill hangs over this low finger-shaped 
  marsh between two higher forested hills. Small eddies of 
  water swirl around bubbling plumes of escaping swamp 
  gas, and the otherwise ubiquitous swampsong of crickets, 
  birds, and frogs falls silent in this eerie area.
  Creatures: Decades ago, four priests of Urgathoa came to 
  the city of Pitax with plans to establish a cult. Three of the 
  priests, however, grew jealous of the fourth’s uncanny skill 
  at commanding undead creatures. They convinced each 
  another that if they joined forces, they could slay him and 
  use their necromantic talents to draw his secrets from his 
  dead flesh, but they underestimated how favored he was in 
  Urgathoa’s eyes. After the three lured the fourth into the 
  depths of this swamp, they ambushed and drowned him—
  it was at this point that Urgathoa's rage poured down on 
  the unworthy priests. She cursed all three, transforming 
  them into bog mummies, and forbade them to ever leave 
  the swamp. The spirit of the fourth she accepted into her 
  realm, secretly quite pleased that he had so conveniently 
  come to her without a long stay on the Material Plane as 
  an undead being.
  These three bog mummies attack any living creatures 
  that wander into their territory, moaning unanswered 
  
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  platitudes to Urgathoa. Initially, they only drowned their 
  victims as a reenactment of their crime, but, recently, 
  they’ve come to realize they can spread Urgathoa’s grace by 
  their touch, and they hope that if they can infect enough 
  of the living with mummy rot, they’ll placate Urgathoa 
  and atone for their sins. Bog mummies function as 
  normal mummies, save that they are resistant to fire and 
  vulnerable to cold.
  BoG MuMMIES (3) 
  Cr 5
  XP 1,600 each
  Variant mummy (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 210)
  LE Medium undead
  Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +16
  aura despair (30 ft., paralyzed for 1d4 rounds, Will DC 16 negates)
  dEfENSE
  aC 20, touch 10, flat-footed 20 (+10 natural)
  hp 60 (8d8+24)
  fort +4, ref +2, Will +8
  dr 5/—; Immune undead traits; resist fire 10
  Weaknesses vulnerability to cold
  offENSE
  Speed 20 ft.
  Melee slam +14 (1d8+10 plus mummy rot)
  TaCTICS
  during Combat The mummies quickly surround their victims, 
  counting on their despair ability to paralyze the weak-willed. 
  Then they pummel and smash remaining interlopers in an 
  effort to infect them with mummy rot.
  Morale The mummies fight until destroyed.
  STaTISTICS
  Str 24, dex 10, Con —, Int 6, Wis 15, Cha 15
  Base atk +6; CMB +13; CMd 23
  feats Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Toughness, Weapon 
  Focus (slam)
  Skills Perception +16, Stealth +11
  x. deSPerAte refugeeS (StAndArd)
  A forlorn group of refugees consisting of a mix of 
  merchants, street performers, and a few worshipers 
  of the god Hanspur (a minor god of rivers and river 
  travel) recently snuck out of the city of Pitax and have 
  been making their way east after hearing rumors of a 
  kinder, gentler nation in the eastern Stolen Lands—the 
  PCs’ nation. They hoped they would be able to make 
  the journey, but they have come to the edge of the 
  swamp only to meet with violence and defeat—six of 
  their number were slain by the hydra dwelling in area 
  Y and the surviving 18 have returned to their previous 
  campsite here. When the PCs arrive, the refugees are 
  arguing about whether they should head north to Fort 
  Drelev or simply return in defeat to Pitax—when they 
  realize who the PCs are, they desperately fall to their 
  hands and knees before them, begging to be escorted to 
  the promised land to the east.
  The refugees are all humans, and all first-level experts 
  or commoners. Escorting them through the dangerous 
  lands safely should be a difficult task, but if the PCs can 
  get them to their nation, the act of kindness will be well 
  repaid over time.
  y. hydrA den (StAndArd; cr 11)
  The foot-deep water of this bog opens into a much deeper 
  pond filled by three small tributaries before draining 
  away into a larger expanse to the west. Solid ground leads 
  along the eastern edge past a line of scraggly trees set back 
  from a thick curtain of cattails. Many of the reeds lie bent 
  or broken, crushed into the underlying mud and murk.
  Creatures: A huge, 12-headed hydra lairs within this 
  pond—one of the most dangerous predators in the entire 
  swamp. Grown fat on boggards, bog striders, deer, fish, 
  giant herons, and other wildlife, it spends most of its time 
  lurking underwater and monitoring nearby shorelines for 
  passing creatures. It attacks anyone that it sees, lunging 
  out of the water to pounce if possible.
  12-HEadEd Hydra 
  Cr 11
  XP 12,800
  N Huge magical beast (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 178)
  Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; 
  Perception +11
  dEfENSE
  aC 22, touch 9, flat-footed 21 (+1 Dex, +13 natural, –2 size)
  hp 138 (12d10+72); fast healing 12
  fort +13, ref +11, Will +6
  offENSE
  Speed 20 ft., swim 20 ft.
  Melee 12 bites +13 (1d8+3/19–20)
  Space 15 ft.; reach 10 ft.
  Quest: Saving the Bog Strider
  Rescue the bog strider Ka-Kekt from his boggard captors.
  Source: Ka-Kekt (area N4) or Tok-Tekt (area V)
  Task: Release Ka-Kekt from his prison hut at area N4; 
  the bog strider is resourceful and knows the swamp, so 
  the PCs need not escort him to his home.
  Completion: Travel to Tok-Nikrat to make sure that Ka-
  Kekt got home safely.
  reward: In thanks for saving his son, Tok-Tekt names 
  the “landwalker” PCs “Bog Friends.” The bog striders 
  have no material wealth to share, but Tok-Tekt and 
  his kin are quite knowledgeable about Hooktongue 
  Slough and can inform the PCs of every encounter area 
  in the swamp.
  
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  Special attacks pounce
  TaCTICS
  during Combat The hydra targets Small creatures by using its 
  pounce ability and Snatch feat to grab them.
  Morale The hydra fights to the death.
  STaTISTICS
  Str 17, dex 12, Con 20, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 9
  Base atk +12; CMB +17; CMd 28
  feats Combat Reflexes, Improved Critical (bite), Iron Will, 
  Lightning Reflexes, Snatch, Toughness
  Skills Perception +11, Stealth +2, Swim +11
  z. Slug Bog (StAndArd; cr 10)
  A thunderous crashing of trees and the noise of surging 
  water fills this part of the swamp, startling most animals 
  into furtive attempts to hide or flee. Up ahead, the high 
  reeds part to reveal a large, shallow bog fed by multiple 
  slow-moving waterways.
  Creatures: Most swamp denizens avoid this region during 
  the current season, as this desolate part of the swamp is 
  used as a mating ground for giant slugs. Two agitated males 
  have already engaged one another, attempting to establish 
  mating rights with the females in the region. Their massive 
  bodies thrash about the bog, and they excitedly spit acid at 
  each other, spraying the nearby trees in the process. They 
  aggressively attack anything passing through the area, their 
  competition forgotten in the wake of fresh prey.
  GIaNT SluGS (2) 
  Cr 8
  XP 4,800 each
  hp 102 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 254)
  PArt three: fort drelev
  Fort Drelev is the seat of power from which Baron Hannis 
  Drelev once governed his chartered holdings on behalf 
  of Brevoy. Although he and his companions managed to 
  develop Fort Drelev into an impressive town, times have 
  not been good at Fort Drelev of late, as ever since the 
  baron capitulated to Irovetti and Armag, the town itself 
  has been under a pall of fear and gloom. Many of the fort’s 
  original complement of Brevic soldiers are dead, replaced 
  by mercenaries and not-quite-reformed bandits sent from 
  Pitax (morale is made worse by the fact that many of these 
  mercenaries represented the dregs of Pitax’s militia in the 
  first place).
  ABout fort drelev
  Today, the remaining citizens of Fort Drelev are a downcast 
  and desperate lot. There’s very little activity in the streets, 
  and while shops and markets remain open and farmers and 
  craftsmen continue to ply their trades, they do so quietly 
  and without much noise. No one wants to draw attention 
  to themselves in Fort Drelev, not with the surly and easily 
  angered mercenary guards patrolling the streets and, 
  increasingly, taking what they want from the citizens, be it 
  food or gold or companionship. The fact that there’s little 
  indication from the baron or his guards that things will 
  be changing soon has many of the town’s citizens on the 
  edge of revolt—but they lack the courage or conviction to 
  rise up, especially in light of the cruelty often displayed by 
  the guards. The town is under martial law, with a curfew 
  running from an hour before sunset to an hour after 
  sunrise. Those who break curfew are sent to Keep Drelev for 
  punishment. Few have emerged, and whispers of what fate 
  awaits those in the keep’s dungeons grow increasingly grim 
  as more and more citizens vanish into them.
  Fort Drelev is a sizable town, but the baron has overbuilt. 
  Most of the town’s buildings were empty or only partially 
  completed even before he capitulated to Irovetti. Each week 
  since then, the town’s population has decreased further as 
  citizens succumb to illness or starvation, are imprisoned 
  or beaten to death by unruly mercenary guards, or manage 
  to build up enough courage to flee the town—those who 
  escape without being noticed by the guards (who take 
  delight in shooting down fleeing citizens) generally don’t 
  live for long in the dangerous Slough.
  The map of Fort Drelev indicates several locations of 
  interest, each of which is described in brief below.
  1. Drelev Keep: This large stone and wood structure is 
  the home of Baron Drelev, his family, and his allies. It is 
  presented in detail later in this part.
  2. Bellweather’s Soup n’ Kettle: This tavern and eatery 
  is one of the only busy establishments in town—although 
  the mercenaries who frequent it don’t pay for their meals. 
  Asaia Bellweather and her four children provide these 
  meals anyway, fearing reprisals should they do otherwise.
  3. The Velvet Corner: This is Fort Drelev’s gambling 
  hall and brothel, a site owned and run by a priestess of 
  Quest: Escorting the Refugees
  Escort the Pitax refugees to safety in the PCs’ nation.
  Source: The refugee band at area X.
  Task: The route the PCs take to get the refugees to safety 
  (either to Tatzlford or another settlement in their nation) is 
  irrelevant, as long as most of the refugees survive.
  Completion: At least a dozen refugees must live to 
  reach safety.
  reward: If the PCs deliver at least a dozen refugees, 
  word of their good deed spreads and they gain a +1 
  bonus to their national Loyalty. If the PCs deliver all 18, 
  this increase to Loyalty rises to +2, and the PCs earn an 
  additional 6,400 XP.
  
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  fort drelev
  one inch = 200 feet
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  fort drelev
  one inch = 200 feet
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  Calistria named Satinder Morne. She does brisk business 
  these days, but an increasing amount of her time is spent 
  making sure her rowdy customers don’t cause too much 
  damage to her equipment or hurt her employees. Satinder 
  Morne could be an important ally to the PCs—see below 
  for details.
  4. Iron Steeple Inn: Once Fort Drelev’s largest inn, this 
  building is currently empty.
  5. The Rat’s Shrine: Once a small stone shrine dedicated 
  to Hanspur, the god of rivers and river travel, this shrine 
  now stands abandoned—its only priest fled Fort Drelev 
  the day the baron surrendered.
  6. Secret Escape Tunnel: A DC 30 Perception check 
  reveals a hidden door at the base of this 30-foot-high bluff. 
  This is the secret entrance to the escape tunnel Satinder 
  mentions to the PCs (see page 35).
  7. Sutton’s Stables & Smithy: Gask Sutton’s horses have 
  all been given over to the Tiger Lords and Pitax as tribute. 
  Gask himself spends his days toiling at building more 
  weapons to arm the guards with or to ship to Pitax.
  8. Temple of Erastil: This large stone building is only 
  a shell—the interior is incomplete and empty. The three 
  priests who were to officiate here were all taken into the 
  keep the day the baron surrendered, and there’s been no 
  sign of them since (all three were fed to the oozes in the 
  caves below the keep).
  9. Watchtower: This wooden watchtower is staffed at 
  all times by a half-dozen Drelev guards, who spend more 
  time watching the gap in the wall to spot anyone trying 
  to escape the town than they do looking out for anyone 
  approaching. The wall gap itself is merely evidence of the 
  unfinished defense—the baron has promised to finish 
  the job once things “settle down” in town, but most locals 
  assume the job’s as finished as it’ll ever get.
  forT drElEV
  NE small town
  Corruption +4; Crime +0; Economy +1; law +1; lore +1; 
  Society –2
  Qualities Notorious, Strategic Location
  danger 10; disadvantages Impoverished
  PoPulaCE
  Government overlord
  Population 1,360 (1,200 human, 44 half-elf, 59 dwarf, 29 elf, 
  22 halfling, 20 half-orc, 5 other)
  Notable NPCs
  Baron Hannis Drelev (NE male human fighter 6/rogue 6)
  Baroness Pavetta Stroon-Drelev (NE female human 
  
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  aristocrat 8)
  advisor Imeckus Stroon (LE male human evoker 12)
  Baron’s Mistress “Lady” Quintessa Maray (CN female 
  human bard 10)
  Madam Satinder Morne (CN female human cleric of 
  Calistria 5/rogue 1)
  MarkETPlaCE
  Base Value 3,150 gp; Purchase limit 3,750 gp; Spellcasting 4th
  Minor Items +2 greataxe; Medium Items —; Major Items —
  kINGMakEr
  kingdom Increases Economy +10; Loyalty +10; Stability +7
  City Grid Borders 3 land, 1 water
  Buildings Barracks, Brothel, Castle, House (2), Inn, 
  Pier, Shop (2), Shrine, Smith, Stable, Tavern, Temple, 
  Tenement (4), Watchtower
  Special Before Fort Drelev’s Kingdom Increases can apply, 
  20 BP must be spent to hire new workers and rebuild 
  structures to recover from the dreadful condition Baron 
  Drelev left the town in. Paying this BP cost also removes 
  the town’s Impoverished disadvantage, which immediately 
  adds two minor item slots, increases the town’s base value 
  by 1,750 gp, increases its purchase limit by 3,750 gp, and 
  decreases Corruption and Crime by 1.
  entering fort drelev
  While there is much injustice in Fort Drelev, storming 
  into town and attacking the city is a poor choice—the 
  resulting panic and collateral damage could make for 
  further complications if the PCs wish to liberate Fort 
  Drelev (see Liberation Points on page 36).
  To reach the baron, the PCs first have to enter Fort 
  Drelev and gain access to his keep. The simplest method 
  involves accessing a secret tunnel along the rocky shores 
  of Lake Hooktongue that leads directly to the dungeons 
  below Drelev Keep.
  Alternatively, the PCs may wish to infiltrate the town 
  first so they can gather information and assess the current 
  conditions. Doing so requires a successful DC 20 Bluff or 
  DC 15 Disguise skill check to convince the guards that the 
  PCs already belong in town or have a legitimate reason for 
  visiting. Though Baron Drelev’s forces already consider 
  themselves at war, they have orders not to restrict trade 
  or travel, either by land or the river docks. Grant any PCs 
  masquerading as traders a +2 circumstance bonus on 
  their skill checks.
  If the PCs want to avoid entering town in broad 
  daylight, they actually run a greater risk of discovery. 
  The baron has instituted a nightly curfew, with hill 
  giants patrolling the town’s streets and perimeter, 
  keeping watch for anyone leaving or entering town. 
  To avoid the giants, each PC must succeed on a DC 20 
  Stealth skill check. Otherwise, a party of six giants soon 
  accosts them.
  Once inside Fort Drelev, the PCs can mingle freely with 
  the local citizens and make bardic knowledge, Diplomacy, 
  or Knowledge (local) checks to obtain information about 
  the current conditions. See Talking to the Locals on page 
  36 for what they can learn. Some of this information 
  may lead them to consider alternate plans for accessing 
  Drelev Keep. For instance, the birthday party thrown by 
  Baroness Pavetta could offer a chance to call upon the 
  keep as disguised guests with forged or stolen invitations. 
  Alternatively, by posing as friends of Imeckus Stroon or 
  Lady Quintessa, they might manage to Bluff their way past 
  the guards and request an audience.
  The mercenary guards sent by Irovetti to aid Baron Drelev 
  in keeping the town secure are numerous—in all, there are 
  36 guards assigned to the town itself, and many more up at 
  Drelev Keep. At any one time, a dozen guards are posted at 
  the watchtower and another dozen patrol the city streets in 
  three groups of four. The remaining 12 guards are off-duty, 
  either relaxing at the Velvet Corner, eating at Bellweather’s, 
  or sleeping on the ground floor of the watchtower. Canny 
  PCs can use stealth or disguises to prevent themselves from 
  being noticed by the guards. If the PCs simply walk into town, 
  they’ll be confronted by a group of four guards within 1d6 
  minutes—the guards can be tricked with a successful Bluff 
  check into believing that the PCs are “specialists” sent by 
  Irovetti, in which case the guards leave them alone as long as 
  they don’t talk with the citizens or cause problems. Claims of 
  being friends of Baron Drelev are met with derisive snorts—
  “Drelev’s got new friends now.” The guards are quick to 
  anger, and given any excuse will attempt to “arrest” the PCs (a 
  poor euphemism for “kill and loot”). Sounds of combat draw 
  additional guards to the spot in groups of four once every 
  2d6 minutes. Killing all the guards assigned to the town is 
  certainly one way to secure an entrance to town, but too many 
  public battles can increase the general panic of the populace 
  and thus reduce Liberation Point totals.
  drElEV GuardS 
  Cr 3
  XP 800 each
  Human fighter 4 
  NE Medium humanoid (human)
  Init +2; Senses Perception +5
  dEfENSE
  aC 21, touch 12, flat-footed 19 (+6 armor, +2 Dex, +3 shield)
  hp 34 each (4d10+12)
  fort +6, ref +3, Will +2; +1 vs. fear
  defensive abilities bravery +1
  offENSE
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee mwk longsword +9 (1d8+5/19–20)
  ranged mwk composite longbow +7 (1d8+3/×3)
  TaCTICS
  Before Combat If expecting battle, Drelev’s guards each carry 
  
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  a potion of shield of faith, which they imbibe before charging 
  into the fray.
  during Combat The guards prefer to fight hand-to-hand 
  with sword and shield, maximizing opportunities to flank 
  opponents whenever possible to aid one another.
  Morale The Drelev guards fight to the death.
  STaTISTICS
  Str 17, dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
  Base atk +4; CMB +7; CMd 19
  feats Alertness, Power Attack, Shield Focus, Toughness, 
  Weapon Focus (longsword), Weapon Specialization 
  (longsword)
  Skills Intimidate +6, Perception +5, Ride +4, Sense Motive +7, 
  Survival +6, Swim +5
  languages Common
  SQ armor training 1
  Combat Gear potion of cure moderate wounds, potion 
  of shield of faith +3; other Gear masterwork 
  breastplate, masterwork heavy steel shield, 
  masterwork composite longbow with 20 
  arrows, masterwork longsword, 50 gp
  SAtinder morne
  A beautiful woman dressed better 
  than anyone else in town, Satinder 
  Morne exudes a sense of confidence, 
  bravado, and charm in all she 
  does. She rarely lets her temper 
  show, always smiling and waiting 
  until she has the upper hand on 
  an enemy before releasing her anger 
  and savoring the sweetness of Calistria’s 
  revenge. This trait has served her well 
  of late, as her current clientele are 
  growing increasingly hard to 
  manage and control.
  If the PCs attempt to contact 
  Satinder, she’ll initially assume they’re 
  just another batch of mercenaries looking 
  for a good time. Her initial attitude is 
  unfriendly, but if the PCs mention the fact 
  that they’re hoping to liberate the town 
  and depose the baron, they gain a +6 
  bonus on Diplomacy checks to adjust 
  her attitude. Giving her Kisandra’s 
  ring and a flower and mentioning 
  her friend’s name automatically 
  makes her helpful.
  If made friendly, Satinder can 
  help the PCs by giving them much 
  of the information summarized 
  in the previous section. If made 
  helpful, she’ll even tell them 
  something she learned some time back—the baron built a 
  secret escape tunnel from his keep that exits onto the shore 
  of Lake Hooktongue not far north from town. Satinder can 
  give the PCs precise directions to this secret entrance’s 
  location. If made helpful, Satinder also agrees to let the 
  PCs use the Velvet Corner as a hideout while they’re in 
  town—she has several hidden rooms in her establishment 
  that can house the PCs. She’ll even provide free healing for 
  the PCs as long as they’re in town.
  SaTINdEr MorNE 
  Cr 5
  XP 1,600
  Female human cleric of Calistria 5/rogue 1 
  CN Medium humanoid (human)
  Init +5; Senses Perception +3
  dEfENSE
  aC 14, touch 11, flat-footed 13 (+3 armor, +1 Dex)
  hp 31 (6d8+5)
  fort +4, ref +4, Will +7
  offENSE
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee +1 dagger +5 (1d4+1/19–20)
  ranged mwk dagger +5 (1d4/19–20)
  Special attacks channel positive energy (3d6, 
  DC 14, 5/day), sneak attack +1d6
  domain Spell-like abilities (CL 5th; 
  concentration +8)
  At will—copycat (5 rounds/day)
  6/day—dazing touch
  Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 5th; 
  concentration +8)
  3rd—bestow curse (DC 16), inflict serious 
  wounds, suggestionD (DC 16)
  2nd—eagle’s splendor, inflict moderate 
  wounds, invisibilityD, undetectable alignment
  1st—bane (DC 14), command (DC 14), disguise 
  selfD, entropic shield, inflict light wounds
  0 (at will)—detect poison, light, purify food 
  and drink, resistance
  d Domain spell; domains Charm, 
  Trickery
  TaCTICS
  Before Combat Satinder casts 
  undetectable alignment every day. If she 
  has advance warning of approaching 
  enemies, she drinks her potion of aid.
  during Combat Satinder likes to turn 
  Satinder Morne
  
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  enemies against each other whenever possible, relying on 
  suggestion or her wand of charm person to sway them. She 
  targets remaining opponents with debilitating spells like 
  bestow curse and her inflict spells.
  Morale Satinder always looks for ways to escape combat so she 
  can prepare a more fitting revenge for her enemies later. She 
  tries to escape via invisibility if brought below 20 hit points.
  STaTISTICS
  Str 10, dex 13, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 14
  Base atk +3; CMB +3; CMd 14
  feats Brew Potion, Improved Initiative, Persuasive,  
  Weapon Finesse
  Skills Bluff +10, Diplomacy +13, Intimidate +13, Knowledge 
  (local) +7, Knowledge (nobility) +7, Profession (madam) +8, 
  Sense Motive +9, Stealth +6
  languages Common, Elven
  SQ trapfinding +1
  Combat Gear elixir of love, potion of aid, potions of cure light 
  wounds (2), potion of delay poison, wand of charm person 
  (17 charges); other Gear +1 leather armor, +1 dagger, 
  masterwork daggers (5), holy symbol, ruby ring worth 300 
  gp, spell component pouch, 99 gp
  Story Award: If the PCs secure Satinder’s aid by making her 
  helpful, award them XP as if they’d defeated her in combat.
  tAlking to the locAlS
  Fort Drelev’s citizens aren’t eager to talk to outsiders and 
  their attitudes are unfriendly; they slam doors in the faces 
  of strangers who appear on their stoops or simply look 
  away and ignore those who approach them in public. A 
  hostile citizen attempts to flee or possibly alert the city’s 
  mercenary guards to the intruders. It’s dangerous to 
  provide aid to strangers, but with a DC 30 Diplomacy check, 
  a citizen of Fort Drelev can offer one of the following bits 
  of information to the PCs. Feel free to pick any of these if 
  the PCs’ line of questioning doesn’t suggest an answer.
  •  Things are bad. The baron sold us out to bandits and 
  barbarians, and now he and his favorites never come out 
  of Drelev Keep. They leave the mercenaries to do what 
  they want by day, and at night, hill giant minions patrol 
  the streets.
  •  Business continues during the day, but no one’s buying 
  anything. The tavern and brothel are doing well, but 
  mostly just because of the mercenaries in town. Shipments 
  of food come in every week or so from Pitax, but most of 
  that goes to the guards or up to the keep. The common 
  folk have to beg or scavenge what they can.
  •  Baron Drelev recently gave shelter to a young  foreign 
  noblewoman named Lady Quintessa at his keep. She’s 
  a lot younger and prettier than his wife, Baroness 
  Pavetta. I’m sure there’s more going on there than 
  mere kindness.
  • There are rumors that Baroness Pavetta is throwing 
  a birthday gala for herself at Drelev Keep. Only the 
  wealthiest and those staying up at the keep merited an 
  invitation. That she has the gall to celebrate her birthday 
  when so many are suffering in town is appalling.
  •  Shortly after the baron surrendered to Pitax and the 
  barbarians, his wife’s brother—a rather brusque, foul-
  tempered wizard named Imeckus Stroon—came to 
  town. Since then, he’s sequestered himself in the keep, 
  rarely emerging. No one knows what he’s up to.
  •  No one knows for sure where the barbarian warlord 
  Armag has gone. After accepting Drelev’s offer of an 
  alliance in exchange for sparing the town, he took several 
  young women as hostages and marched into the hills. 
  He’s supposed to return the hostages once the baron 
  has proven his loyalty to Pitax (whatever that means), but 
  most folk assume the hostages are already dead.
  liBerAtion PointS
  In order to free Fort Drelev, the PCs must accomplish 
  two goals—they must kill or capture Baron Drelev, 
  and they must accumulate 20 Liberation Points (LP) by 
  accomplishing certain actions while avoiding others. 
  Methods of gaining (or losing) Liberation Points are 
  summarized below—note that it’s possible to have 
  negative Liberation Points.
  Citizen Death: –3 LP per citizen killed by the hill giants 
  or the Drelev guards; –10 LP per citizen killed by a PC
  Defeat Guard: +1 LP for every two guards defeated
  Defeat Hill Giant: +1 LP per Drelev hill giant defeated
  Kill/Capture Armag: +6 LP
  Kill/Capture Baron Hannis Drelev: +6 LP
  Kill/Capture Baroness Pavetta Stroon-Drelev: +2 LP
  Kill/Capture Imeckus Stroon: +4 LP
  Languishing: –2 LP per day spent without liberation 
  (this penalty cannot reduce LP lower than 0)
  Public Destruction: –5 LP per building partially ruined, 
  –10 LP per building destroyed
  Public Fight: –1 LP per round combat persists
  Relief Work*: Each day the entire party spends helping 
  restore Fort Drelev (by rebuilding, casting healing magic, 
  entertaining, training soldiers, and so on) grants +1 LP
  Rescue Lord Terrion Numesti: +4 LP
  Rescue Tamary Numesti: +4 LP
  Stimulate Economy*: Spend 1d4 Build Points to gain +1 LP
  *Once Baron Drelev is defeated (and not before), the PCs 
  can use these methods of gaining additional Liberation 
  Points if necessary to raise their total up to 20.
  drelev keeP
  Drelev Keep is a monument to Baron Drelev’s vanity and self-
  interest. The corrupt ruler skimped on the construction of 
  the city’s wooden walls in favor of protecting himself with 
  
  37
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  Blood for Blood
  a keep of solid stone quarried from the nearby hills. The 
  walls of Drelev Keep incorporate numerous watchtowers, 
  including a larger main tower housing the baron and 
  his retainers. Many rooms feature windows looking into 
  the open courtyard. The doors are made of strong wood 
  (hardness 5, hp 20, Break DC 23) and are occasionally locked 
  (Disable Device DC 30 to pick the locks). The ceilings reach 
  15 feet in most areas.
  Drelev Keep encompasses almost the entire hill, but the 
  main gates represent the only obvious means of entering 
  the structure. Climbing the outer walls requires a DC 
  20 Climb check. Unfortunately, all of the outer windows 
  are secured with wooden shutters and an arcane lock spell 
  courtesy of Imeckus Stroon (hardness 5, hp 10, Break DC 
  28, Disable Device DC 30 [20 if arcane lock is dispelled]).
  While Drelev Keep contains numerous rooms and areas, 
  not all of them are particularly important—many could 
  serve as places to hide or areas for combat to spill over 
  into, but not all receive fully detailed descriptions. Certain 
  encounter areas in the keep, however, warrant additional 
  detail and are described after the room summary below.
  M1. Front Gate: The iron gate across the entrance to the 
  keep is kept closed and locked at all times (hardness 10, hp 
  60, Break DC 28, Disable Device DC 30)—all of the Drelev 
  guards posted at the keep carry a key to the gate.
  M2. Watchtowers: A pair of Drelev guards mans each of 
  these watchtowers.
  M3. Courtyard: This area, which is guarded by several 
  hill giants, is detailed below.
  M4. Barracks: Six off-duty guards sleep in beds here. 
  The stairs lead up to area M22.
  M5. Stable: Since all of the horses once kept here have 
  been fed to the hill giants, this stable is now empty. A 
  ladder in the northwest corner leads to area M20.
  M6. Meeting Room: Once used by Lord Numesti to meet 
  with his followers, this room hasn’t seen much use since 
  he was thrown in prison. 
  M7. Inner Courtyard: The gate into this inner yard is 
  identical to the one at area M1.
  M8. Storage: This side building is used to store grain, 
  firewood, and other supplies.
  M9. Washroom: This building houses several large tubs 
  serving double duty for bathing and laundry.
  M10. Servants' Quarters: The keep’s six beleaguered and 
  frightened servants (all human commoner 1) live here.
  M11. Armory: This chamber is used to store weapons 
  and armor—most of these supplies are currently utilized by 
  the Drelev guards, but two masterwork longswords, three 
  masterwork breastplates, and 120 arrows are stored here.
  M12. Foyer: The stairs lead down to area M43. Two 
  Drelev guards stand duty here.
  M13. Storeroom: This storeroom holds a collection of 
  unused linens, tapestries, and seasonal decorations.
  M14. Cloakroom: This side chamber provides access 
  to a series of secret passages on each level of the main 
  tower. Hidden trapdoors (DC 30 Perception check) in the 
  floor and ceiling provide access to ladders leading up 
  and down—the trap door leading down is locked (DC 35 
  Disable Device to pick).
  M15. Kitchen: This large room contains a stone fireplace 
  set with roasting spits and a hanging cauldron.
  M16. Pantry: This storeroom contains cluttered shelves 
  and stacks of crates and casks holding all manner of 
  foodstuffs, seasonings, cooking oils, and preserved goods.
  M17. Workshop: This dry, dusty chamber holds a variety 
  of tools and supplies for carpentry, leather-working, 
  sewing, and mortaring.
  M18. Washroom: This chamber features a privy and a 
  large tub for washing.
  M19. Keep Walls: The tops of these walls are fitted with 
  battlements that provide cover to archers posted here—
  the guards make good use of these walls in defending the 
  courtyard. It’s a DC 20 Climb check to scale these walls.
  M20. Hay Loft: Several moldering bales of hay lie 
  forgotten in this loft. Stealth checks made in the loft gain 
  a +2 bonus due to the numerous hiding spots.
  M21. Storage: The upper floor of this storeroom is used 
  to store extra furniture and tools.
  M22. Barracks: Six off-duty guards are here, polishing 
  weapons, playing cards, and eating.
  M23. Mess Hall: The Drelev guards take their meals at 
  their posts or in area M22 these days—this room hasn’t 
  been used since the keep’s surrender to Pitax. A stairway 
  leads up to area M30.
  M24. Briefing Room: Stairs lead down from this room 
  to area M11 and up to area M29.
  M25. Banquet Room: This area is detailed below.
  M26. Secret Room: The secret doors and trapdoors here 
  can be noticed with a DC 30 Perception check.
  M27. Library: This area is detailed below.
  M28. Washroom: This chamber features a privy and a 
  large tub for washing.
  M29. Ameon’s Chambers: This bedroom belongs to 
  the captain of the guards, Ameon Trask. If he managed to 
  escape the PCs’ justice after the Battle of Tatzlford, he can 
  be encountered here—he emerges to defend the keep with 
  the rest of the guards if an alarm is raised. If Ameon is 
  dead or captured, this room is empty—Drelev has no plans 
  to replace him. The stairs lead down to area M24.
  M30. Guard Tower: Four guards are stationed here—
  they use the windows to fire arrows down upon foes in 
  area M7, but if a battle erupts to the east, they’ll descend to 
  area M23 and exit onto the walls to join the battle there.
  M31. Art Gallery: The walls here hold several recessed 
  stone ledges containing small sculptures and a few 
  paintings. Baroness Pavetta filled this small antechamber 
  
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  drelev keeP
  one SQuAre = 5 feet
  m1
  m2
  m2
  m2
  m2
  m3
  m4
  m5
  m6
  m7
  m8
  m9
  m10
  m11
  m12
  m13
  m14
  m15
  m16
  m17
  m18
  m19
  m19
  m19
  m19
  m19
  m19
  m20
  m21
  m22
  m23
  m29
  m30
  m37
  m38
  m39
  m40
  m41
  m42
  m31
  m32
  m33
  m43
  m44
  m45
  m47
  m46
  m48
  m49
  m50
  m51
  m34
  m36
  m35
  m24
  m25
  m26
  m28
  m27
  firSt floor
  Second floor
  third floor
  third floor
  fourth floor
  dungeon
  drelev keeP
  one SQuAre = 5 feet
  m1
  m2
  m2
  m2
  m2
  m3
  m4
  m5
  m6
  m7
  m8
  m9
  m10
  m11
  m12
  m13
  m14
  c
  c
  c
  c
  c
  c
  c
  c
  c
  c
  f
  f
  f
  f
  f
  f
  f
  f
  f
  f
  m15
  m16
  m17
  m18
  m19
  m19
  m19
  m19
  m19
  m19
  m20
  m21
  m22
  m23
  m29
  m30
  m37
  m38
  m39
  m40
  m41
  m42
  m31
  m32
  m33
  m43
  m44
  m45
  m47
  m46
  m48
  m49
  m50
  m51
  m34
  m36
  m35
  m24
  m25
  m26
  m28
  S
  S
  S
  S
  S
  S
  S
  S
  S
  S S
  m27
  firSt floor
  Second floor
  third floor
  third floor
  fourth floor
  dungeon
  
  39
  Blood for Blood
  Blood for Blood
  with works of art brought from Brevoy. Her favorite pieces 
  include the ceremonial armor and garb decorating a statue 
  of Choral the Conqueror (worth 500 gp) and a sculpture of 
  the two-headed red dragon Veylmalourne (worth 350 gp).
  M32. Balcony: Two wrought-iron tables and outdoor 
  chairs dominate this expansive balcony 30 feet above 
  the inner bailey. Baroness Pavetta is particularly fond 
  of taking her meals at one of the outdoor tables rather 
  than in the dining hall. At night, Drelev’s guards lock the 
  double doors (DC 30 Disable Device) leading into areas 
  M31 and M33.
  M33. Ballroom: Several tapestries hang from the walls of 
  this wide chamber, depicting a variety of distinctive floral 
  patterns. This chamber once saw frequent use by Baron 
  Drelev and Baroness Pavetta for throwing parties, hosting 
  visiting dignitaries, or entertaining guests from town. 
  When not spending time in her room, the baroness spends 
  several hours a day here making notes and decorating for 
  her upcoming birthday.
  M34. Imeckus’s Bedchamber: This area is described below.
  M35. Washroom: This chamber features a privy and a 
  large tub for washing.
  M36. Secret Room: The secret doors and trapdoors here 
  can be noticed with a DC 30 Perception check.
  M37. Baroness’s Bedchamber: This area is described below.
  M38. Closet: This closet contains nearly two dozen 
  royal outfits and gowns, complete with a collection of 
  accompanying foot-gear, headdresses, scarves, and decorative 
  shawls. Baroness Pavetta stores her elaborate wardrobe 
  here. She considers most of the outfits already woefully out 
  of fashion, but she keeps them for their sentimental value. 
  The entire collection is worth 5,000 gp.
  M39. Guest Bedroom: This currently unoccupied bedroom 
  includes a large bed draped in rose-pink blankets.
  M40. Lady Quintessa’s Bedchamber: This area is 
  described below.
  M41. Baron Drelev’s Bedchamber: Baron Hannis Drelev 
  claims the largest bedroom of the upper tower as his own. 
  During the day, he rarely spends time here, while at night, 
  he often sneaks over to area M40 to spend time with his 
  mistress, Lady Quintessa, using the secret passage to the 
  east (DC 25 Perception check to detect it).
  M42. Washroom: This chamber features a privy and a 
  large tub for washing.
  M43. Cellar: This cold, earth-floored cellar helps keep food 
  from spoiling as quickly as it would in the upstairs pantry.
  M44. Wine Cellar: Baron Drelev keeps a wide selection 
  of spirits on hand in his personal wine cellar. Something 
  of a connoisseur, he has collected Taldan fire-brandy, hard 
  liquor from Andoran, and even delicate berry wines out of 
  the elven homeland of Kyonin. In all, his wine cellar holds 
  119 bottles representing 48 separate vintages. The entire 
  collection is worth 6,000 gp.
  M45. Treasure Vault: The baron always keeps the iron 
  door to this room locked (Disable Device 40, hardness 
  10, hp 60, Break DC 28). Much of his treasury, of course, 
  has already gone to Irovetti or Armag as tribute—what 
  remains here consists of 200 pp, 986 gp, 2,460 sp, 815 cp, 
  and 30 silver ingots bearing the baron’s personal seal, each 
  worth 25 gp.
  M46. Dungeon: This area is detailed below.
  M47. Washroom: This chamber features a privy and a 
  large tub for washing.
  M48. Secret Vault: This area is detailed below.
  M49. Limestone Cavern: When Baron Drelev 
  designed his keep, he purposefully built it over these 
  natural limestone caverns to take advantage of their 
  access to the lakeshore as an emergency evacuation route 
  in the event of an attack. He also uses it occasionally to 
  smuggle in goods or visitors he wishes to keep away 
  from prying eyes.
  M50. Storage Cave: Drelev has stored several days of 
  trail rations, three vials of foul-smelling skunk musk, 
  four potions of fly, and four potions of cure moderate wounds 
  in a bag of holding (type I) in this cave—emergency supplies 
  should he need to flee the keep. The skunk musk can be 
  used to avoid the black puddings in the next chamber (see 
  area M51). Finding the bag, which is hidden, requires a DC 
  25 Perception check. A lever on the wall opens and closes 
  the iron gate into area M51.
  M51. Underground Pool: This area is detailed below.
  m3. courtyArd (cr 12)
  A winding gravel path tracks through this grassy courtyard, 
  leading past the windows of a two-story barracks and a large 
  stable before ending at the inner wall's fifteen-foot gate.
  Creatures: Irovetti left a group of six hill giants with the 
  baron, both as a “gift” to help him defend his keep and 
  as an implied threat should he try to betray Pitax. These 
  giants are relatively well-behaved, as far as hill giants go, 
  partly because they’re amused by the idea of living in a 
  “person house” but primarily because Baron Drelev has 
  managed to keep them happy with lots of food (mostly 
  horses and cattle, but now and then an unruly prisoner). 
  In their spare time, they like harassing and frightening 
  the guards. At night, the baron turns the giants loose 
  on the city streets, allowing them to prowl at will—the 
  giants have orders to not break any houses (an order that, 
  somewhat miraculously, they’ve obeyed so far), but anyone 
  they find out after dark is fair game.
  HIll GIaNTS (6) 
  Cr 7
  XP 3,200 each
  hp 85 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 150)
  
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  m25. BAnQuet room (cr 12)
  Decorative yellow and brown tile inlays cover the floor of 
  this immense chamber, presenting a rich scheme of royal 
  appointments leading to a raised dais and throne against the far 
  wall. A pair of windows flanks the throne, looking down into the 
  inner bailey below.
  In this room, the baron and baroness host feasts for 
  visiting dignitaries or special guests. Baron Drelev has 
  taken to having his meals here with Lady Quintessa, 
  though the Baroness refuses to sit at the table with 
  them and has her dinner delivered to her room or to the 
  balcony at M32. When Drelev entertains entreaties from 
  his subjects, he sits on the throne. Lately, however, he has 
  refused all appointments, growing more withdrawn as he 
  considers his gamble to ally with Armag and the Tiger 
  Lords to crush the neighboring kingdoms. Only Lady 
  Quintessa (area M40) helps ease his mind, sometimes 
  keeping him company as he consults Imeckus Stroon and 
  his remaining senior officers for advice. Out of paranoia, 
  he now keeps eight guardsmen with him at all times as 
  bodyguards—if the alarm is raised, he sends six of them 
  to area M37 to guard his wife while he takes the other two 
  up to M40 to guard his mistress.
  Hannis Drelev comes across as a sullen, greedy, conceited 
  man, never satisfied with his lot in life, but always 
  disdainful of anyone who has less than him. Though 
  primarily skilled at politics, the baron fancies himself a 
  skilled swordsman, destined to follow in the footsteps of the 
  Aldori swordlords. He loves dueling and often spars against 
  his own guardsmen and senior officers. He likes to show 
  off, taunting and belittling those he overpowers, but reacts 
  angrily to situations where others get the best of him.
  BaroN HaNNIS drElEV 
  Cr 12
  XP 19,200
  Male human fighter 6/rogue 6 
  NE Medium humanoid (human)
  Init +7; Senses Perception +6
  dEfENSE
  aC 27, touch 18, flat-footed 23 (+9 armor, +2 defending sword, 
  +2 deflection, +3 Dex, +1 dodge)
  hp 130 (12 HD; 6d10+6d8+66)
  fort +13, ref +12, Will +5; +2 vs. fear
  defensive abilities bravery +2, evasion, trap sense +2, 
  uncanny dodge
  offENSE
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee +2 defending longsword +17/+12 (1d8+10/17–20)
  ranged mwk throwing axe +14 (1d6+5)
  Special attacks sneak attack +3d6, weapon training (heavy 
  blades +1)
  TaCTICS
  during Combat Drelev always uses his sword’s defending 
  property to enhance his AC against more proficient 
  warriors. He likes to disarm opponents in the course of a 
  duel or battle to force surrender. While fighting alongside 
  his bodyguards, he also takes advantage of their flanking 
  and his Mobility and Spring Attack feats to make quick 
  work of foes by sneak attacking them.
  Morale If reduced below 20 hit points or disarmed 
  during a duel, Drelev flees, trying to escape using the 
  caverns below Drelev Keep. If he has no escape route, he 
  drops his weapons and begs for mercy in a cowardly display.
  STaTISTICS
  Str 20, dex 16, Con 18, Int 13, Wis 8, Cha 14
  Base atk +10; CMB +15 (+19 disarm); CMd 31 (33 vs. disarm)
  Baron Drelev
  
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  Blood for Blood
  feats Combat Expertise, Dodge, Greater Disarm, Improved 
  Critical (longsword), Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, 
  Mobility, Spring Attack, Toughness, Vital Strike, Weapon 
  Focus (longsword), Weapon Specialization (longsword), 
  Whirlwind Attack
  Skills Acrobatics +16, Bluff +17, Diplomacy +17, Knowledge 
  (local) +8, Knowledge (nobility) +5, Perception +6, Sense 
  Motive +14, Sleight of Hand +18, Stealth +16
  languages Common, Skald
  SQ armor training 1, exceptional resources, rogue talents (combat 
  trick, surprise attack, weapon training), trapfinding +3
  Combat Gear potions of cure serious wounds (3); other 
  Gear +3 breastplate, +2 defending longsword, masterwork 
  throwing axes (3), belt of physical might +4 (Constitution and 
  Strength), cloak of resistance +2, ring of protection +2, rod of 
  splendor, key ring (contains keys to all locks in the keep)
  SPECIal aBIlITIES
  Exceptional resources (Ex) Drelev has the gear of a PC rather 
  than an NPC to account for his greater resources as the leader 
  of a small kingdom. This equipment increases his CR by 1.
  drElEV GuardS (8) 
  Cr 3
  XP 800 each
  hp 34 each (see page 34)
  m27. liBrAry
  Three large bookcases dominate this room. A reading desk and 
  chair sit by the window and a woolen rug covers the floor. Three 
  doors exit the chamber.
  Not particularly enamored with his role thus far, Stroon 
  has taken to researching and experimenting with the black 
  puddings in the caverns below Drelev Keep (area M51). 
  Stroon’s been using an open book on the desk to study oozes 
  and aberrations. An examination of Stroon’s notes and a DC 
  25 Craft (alchemy) check reveal that he’s experimenting with 
  a method to preserve small portions of black pudding as 
  hurled weapons—but so far he hasn’t made much progress.
  A folded piece of parchment under this book contains a 
  map of the Slough, on which Stroon has marked the location 
  of Armag’s current campsite. Scribbled notes in the margins 
  summarize the original Armag’s legend and the possibility 
  that one of the barrow mounds might serve as his tomb.
  Creatures: Stroon’s dust mephit familiar, Lintwirth, has 
  made a nest for himself on the top shelves of the library. 
  He hides when the PCs enter the room, then attempts to 
  summon another dust mephit to distract the PCs he flees 
  out the window and up one level to warn his master.
  lINTWErTH 
  Cr —
  Dust mephit familiar (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 202)
  hp 52
  m34. imeckuS' BedchAmBer (cr 10)
  This small bedroom contains only the barest amount of 
  furnishings. A plain bed faces the room’s only window along the 
  north wall. A simple bookshelf stands to the west and a small 
  table and wooden chair sit next to the entrance.
  Creatures: Imeckus Stroon, the older brother of 
  Baroness Pavetta, uses this room as his temporary 
  sleeping quarters. At his sister’s invitation, he journeyed 
  to the River Kingdoms to help the Drelevs against the 
  Tiger Lords. For now, he only casts daily scrying spells to 
  follow Armag’s activities in the hills as part of the baron’s 
  strategy of letting the horrors of the burial site claim the 
  warlord first.
  The skilled wizard brings a level of organization and 
  structure to every task he undertakes. Very detailed and 
  analytical, he speaks softly and listens carefully. Like his 
  sister, Stroon also enjoys the finer things in life, frequently 
  relying on his magic to conjure or provide them. But having 
  traveled widely, he also knows how to bear temporary 
  inconveniences while treading a path to greater gain.
  IMECkuS STrooN 
  Cr 11
  XP 12,800
  Male human evoker 12 
  LE Medium humanoid (human)
  Init +6; Senses Perception +1
  dEfENSE
  aC 22, touch 14, flat-footed 20 (+4 armor, +2 deflection, +2 
  Dex, +4 shield)
  hp 105 (12d6+63)
  fort +8, ref +8, Will +13
  offENSE
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee mwk dagger +7/+2 (1d4/19–20)
  Special attacks intense spells (+6 damage)
  arcane School Spell-like abilities (CL 12th; concentration +16)
  At will—elemental wall (12 rounds/day)
  7/day—force missile (1d4+6)
  Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 12th; concentration +16)
  6th—chain lightning (DC 21), disintegrate (DC 20), greater 
  dispel magic
  5th—empowered lightning bolt (DC 18), sending, teleport, 
  wall of force
  4th—enervation, fire shield, ice storm, resilient sphere (DC 19), 
  scrying (DC 18)
  3rd—extended false life, fly, gaseous form, lightning bolt (DC 
  18), protection from energy, slow (DC 17)
  2nd—alter self, detect thoughts (DC 16), extended mage 
  armor, levitate, pyrotechnics (DC 16), scorching ray
  1st—burning hands (DC 16), magic missile (3), ray of 
  enfeeblement (DC 15), shield
  
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  0 (at will)—arcane mark, dancing lights, detect magic, mage 
  hand, read magic
  opposition Schools Enchantment, Illusion
  TaCTICS
  Before Combat Imeckus casts extended mage armor and 
  extended false life every morning. Just before combat, he 
  casts shield.
  during Combat Imeckus prefers to prevent enemies from 
  approaching him easily through tactical use of wall spells and 
  effects.  He then uses his spells to pick foes off one at a time. 
  Morale Imeckus serves Drelev only as a courtesy to his sister, 
  the baroness, not because he has a great deal of 
  loyalty to the baron. If reduced below 
  20 hit points, he casts teleport in an 
  effort to escape to his home in 
  Pitax—if he escapes, 
  he’ll use sending to 
  warn his sister. He won’t return to Fort Drelev.
  STaTISTICS
  Str 10, dex 14, Con 15, Int 18, Wis 12, Cha 8
  Base atk +6; CMB +6; CMd 20
  feats Combat Casting, Craft Staff, Empower Spell, Extend 
  Spell, Improved Familiar, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, 
  Scribe Scroll, Spell Focus (evocation), Toughness
  Skills Knowledge (arcana) +19, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 
  +19, Knowledge (geography) +19, Knowledge (history) +19, 
  Knowledge (local) +19, Knowledge (nobility) +19, Spellcraft +19
  languages Auran, Common, Giant, Hallit, Skald
  SQ arcane bond (dust mephit), contingency (dispel magic on 
  himself if he ever fails a Will save)
  Combat Gear staff of fire; other Gear masterwork dagger, 
  cloak of resistance +2, ring of protection +2, spellbooks 
  (contain all spells prepared plus an additional 6 spells of 
  each level from 1st to 6th)
  m37. PAvettA'S room (cr 6)
  Silk hangings cover most of the wall space in this elaborately 
  decorated bedroom, as well as the large window looking south. 
  A canopy bed takes up the center of the room, with teak end 
  tables placed to either side. A small desk and cushioned stool 
  also stand along the north wall, and a large fireplace in the 
  south corner heats the room comfortably.
  Creatures: Baroness Pavetta Stroon-Drelev is a creature 
  devoted to excess and comfort, and her bedchamber 
  reflects her personality in every way. Long before Hannis 
  Drelev was chosen to lead a colonization attempt of the 
  Slough, she was a master of the game of social politics 
  and quite enjoyed life in Brevoy. Originally, she balked 
  at the idea of joining him in the gods-forsaken frontier. 
  But since arriving, Pavetta has discovered the pleasing 
  advantages of holding the highest social stature of anyone 
  within hundreds of miles. She enjoys lording 
  over the simple folk of the Drelev Demesne and 
  now grows agitated over the possibility of 
  losing control of the region to the barbaric 
  warlord, Armag.
  Baroness Pavetta has made her wishes 
  well known to her husband but senses he’s 
  too weak to know how to handle the Tiger 
  Lords. Recently, she encouraged the baron 
  to contact her brother, Imeckus Stroon, 
  a powerful and well-traveled wizard. She 
  hopes to use Imeckus’s arcane skills to 
  undo her husband’s mess for him. But 
  now that Drelev has shown such an eye 
  for the pretty young Lady Quintessa, 
  the baroness has quietly encouraged her 
  brother to find the means to “accidentally” 
  Imeckus Stroon
  
  43
  Blood for Blood
  Blood for Blood
  remove the baron and his mistress from the picture as well, 
  and she is preparing to assume complete control of the 
  colony herself.
  The baroness is rarely seen without Jewel, her shrill, 
  obnoxious, and almost unbearably noisy little dog. Although 
  ferocious and brave, Jewel is little more than a nuisance in 
  combat. This doesn’t prevent the baroness from attempting 
  to use the dog for defense. If anyone kills the dog, Pavetta flies 
  into a shrieking, murderous rage, abandoning all pretense of 
  diplomacy.
  BaroNESS PaVETTa STrooN-drElEV Cr 6
  XP 2,400
  Female human aristocrat 8 
  NE Medium humanoid (human)
  Init +0; Senses Perception +14
  dEfENSE
  aC 10, touch 10, flat-footed 10
  hp 36 (8d8)
  fort +2, ref +2, Will +9
  offENSE
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee mwk dagger +6/+1 (1d4–1/19–20)
  ranged thrown object +6 (1d4–1)
  TaCTICS
  during Combat Baroness Pavetta views 
  physical combat as a job for paid underlings, 
  but if any handy objects like vases, small 
  sculptures, or serving trays lie nearby, 
  she uses her Throw Anything feat to 
  attack from range.
  Morale Baroness Pavetta surrenders to 
  any legitimate show of force.
  STaTISTICS
  Str 8, dex 10, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 12, 
  Cha 15
  Base atk +6; CMB +5; CMd 15
  feats Alertness, Iron Will, Persuasive, Skill 
  Focus (Intimidate), Throw Anything
  Skills Bluff +13, Diplomacy +15, 
  Intimidate +18, Knowledge (nobility) 
  +12, Perception +14, Perform 
  (Dance) +13, Sense Motive +14
  languages Common, Skald 
  Gear masterwork dagger, stone of 
  alarm, diamond crown worth 1,500 
  gp, diamond necklace worth 500 gp, 
  emerald ring worth 250 gp, Jewel 
  (annoying dog; treat as a cat with 
  no claw attacks), royal outfit 
  worth 300 gp, sapphire 
  earrings worth 400 gp, 
  signet ring worth 300 gp
  m40. lAdy QuinteSSA'S room (cr 6)
  This richly-appointed bedroom includes a decorative, handmade 
  bed with a carved headboard depicting satyrs and nymphs at 
  play. Lavender curtains trim a massive window that overlooks 
  the inner courtyard and match the bed’s blankets.
  Creatures: This bedchamber belongs to Lady Quintessa 
  Maray, Baron Drelev’s lover and a spy from the River 
  Kingdom of Daggermark. She’s used her natural talents to 
  convince Baron Drelev that she’s a poor, exiled noblewoman 
  from Galt in need of shelter. Since moving into Drelev 
  Keep, she has maneuvered to become his mistress—a fact 
  that sits none too well with Baroness Pavetta. Drelev often 
  uses the secret passage between their rooms to visit her 
  at night. And it has become clear to everyone that even 
  during the day, the baron dotes on her far more than a 
  married man should.
  Quintessa knows the arrival of Imeckus 
  Stroon serves as a harbinger for new 
  developments in the Drelev Demesne. So far, 
  however, her charms have proven fruitless in 
  enticing the mage to share any of the plans he’s 
  made with his sister. Quintessa also instinctively 
  senses the disdain Baroness Pavetta holds 
  for her, but she hopes that she’ll be able to 
  ride out this storm for at least a few more 
  weeks to learn more information for her 
  contacts in Daggermark.
  "lady" QuINTESSa Maray 
  Cr 9
  XP 6,400
  Female human bard 10 
  CN Medium humanoid (human)
  Init +2; Senses Perception +13
  dEfENSE
  aC 19, touch 14, flat-footed 16 (+5 armor, +1 
  deflection, +2 Dex, +1 dodge)
  hp 75 (10d8+30)
  fort +6, ref +10, Will +8; +4 vs. bardic 
  performance, langauge-dependent, and sonic
  offENSE
  Speed 35 ft.
  Melee mwk silver dagger +10/+5 (1d4–1/19–20)
  Special attacks bardic performance 26 
  rounds/day (move action, countersong,  
  dirge of doom, distraction, fascinate, 
  inspire competence +3, inspire courage 
  Baroness Stroon.Drelev
  
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  +2, inspire greatness, suggestion)
  Bard Spells known (CL 10th; concentration +14)
  4th (2/day)—dimension door, modify memory (DC 18)
  3rd (4/day)—confusion (DC 17), cure serious wounds, gaseous 
  form, glibness
  2nd (5/day)—animal messenger, blindness/deafness (DC 16), 
  detect thoughts (DC 16), invisibility, tongues
  1st (6/day)—charm person (DC 15), cure light wounds, disguise 
  self (DC 15), grease (DC 15), obscure object
  0 (at will)—dancing lights, detect magic, mage hand, 
  mending, prestidigitation, summon instrument
  TaCTICS
  during Combat Quintessa has no interest in fighting on 
  her own; her first act in a battle if caught alone is to cast 
  dimension door to flee to wherever she suspects Baron 
  Drelev is so she can both warn him and recruit his aid. 
  If she has allies, Quintessa activates inspire courage and 
  casts confusion on her enemies, following up each round 
  thereafter with her other offensive spells and avoiding 
  combat entirely if possible.
  Morale Quintessa surrenders immediately if she has no 
  escape route and no allies left—she also surrenders if 
  brought below 30 hit points.
  STaTISTICS
  Str 8, dex 14, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 18
  Base atk +7; CMB +6; CMd 20
  feats Arcane Strike, Combat Casting, Deceitful, Dodge, Fleet, 
  Weapon Finesse
  Skills Disguise +21, Escape Artist +14, Knowledge (local) +19, 
  Perception +13, Perform (dance) +17, Perform (sing) +17, 
  Perform (wind) +17, Stealth +14
  languages Common, Elven
  SQ bardic knowledge +5, jack-of-all-trades (use any skill), lore 
  master 1/day, versatile performance (dance, sing, wind)
  Combat Gear deck of illusions (contains both jokers and all 
  hearts and spades), scroll of dispel magic, scroll of locate 
  creature, scroll of neutralize poison, scroll of speak with 
  animals; other Gear +1 glamered chain shirt, masterwork 
  silver dagger, cloak of resistance +1, ring of protection +1, 
  gold and mithral necklace worth 1,500 gp
  Development: If the PCs depose Baron Drelev and gain 
  control of the keep or if she surrenders to the PCs in combat, 
  Quintessa turns her affections on the most charismatic PC 
  (preferably a ruler) or, failing that, on someone who has that 
  person’s ear. She feigns dismay at being held a veritable 
  hostage in the tower while the baron and baroness allowed 
  barbarians and giants to control things. She then works at 
  developing a relationship with the PCs to ensure she is close 
  at hand to keep tabs on them. Daggermark isn’t scheduled 
  to play a major role in the rest of Kingmaker, but it could 
  become an important player if you intend to keep playing 
  this campaign beyond the conclusion of the Adventure 
  Path—in this event, Quintessa could become a key NPC.
  m46. dungeon (cr 6)
  Behind this locked door lies a cold, musty dungeon. Five cells, 
  complete with meticulously crafted iron bars and doors, fill most 
  of the space. A wooden door also leads east to a functioning 
  latrine, judging by the smell.
  The middle cell along the eastern wall rarely holds 
  prisoners since it also includes a secret door (DC 25 
  Perception to detect) into the baron’s prized treasure vault 
  and the caverns below the keep.
  Creatures: Currently, the largest cell along the northern 
  wall contains Kisandra’s father, Lord Terrion Numesti. The 
  other cells stand empty since Baron Drelev released the 
  #Lady#  Maray
  
  45
  Blood for Blood
  Blood for Blood
  former prisoners and pressed them into service as part of 
  the army that attacked Tatzlford. He fed those who refused 
  to go to the giants that stayed behind to guard the town.
  Terrion himself is in poor health but remains 
  determined to defy Drelev to the bitter end. He would 
  like nothing more than to take up arms against 
  the corrupt baron, but his responsibilities to 
  his family weigh more heavy on his mind. If 
  the PCs rescue him (DC 30 Disable Device 
  to pick the cell's lock), he thanks them 
  by pledging his life to their service. He 
  would prefer to escape the keep as soon as 
  possible to seek out his daughter Kisandra at 
  Tatzlford, but if armed and armored, he’ll 
  agree to aid the PCs with their remaining 
  tasks in the keep.
  lord TErrIoN NuMESTI         Cr 8
  XP 4,800
  NG male human fighter 6/rogue 3
  hp 79 (currently 2, as Ameon Trask on 
  page 14, but currently has no gear)
  m48. Secret vAult
  An L-shaped table sits in the southeast corner of this dusty 
  chamber, its velvet-lined surface displaying a number of small, 
  precious stones and pieces of jewelry. A couple of large, ornately 
  carved cedar trunks take up the other corners of the room.
  Baron Drelev keeps this vault hidden from all but 
  his most trusted senior officers, as it contains priceless 
  treasures collected over his many years. Accessing the 
  room requires entry through one of three secret doors (DC 
  25 Perception to detect) or the hidden trapdoor from the 
  cloakroom (area M14). All of these doors are locked (DC 35 
  Disable Device to pick).
  Treasure: Upon the L-shaped table rests a golden 
  yellow topaz worth 500 gp, a deep blue spinel worth 400 
  gp, an amethyst worth 300 gp, a chrysoberyl worth 100 
  gp, five freshwater pearls worth 100 gp each, and eight 
  moonstones worth 50 gp each. The display table also 
  holds a golden circlet worth 750 gp, which the baron no 
  longer wears since acquiring his rod of splendor. Two more 
  dust-free indentations indicate a couple of necklaces once 
  rested here as well, but Drelev gave Baroness Pavetta and 
  Lady Quintessa each one.
  In one of the cedar chests, Drelev has stored the valuable 
  gear taken from Terrion Numesti. It includes a suit of +2 
  breastplate, a +2 longsword, a masterwork composite longbow 
  (Str +3), 20 arrows, a masterwork dagger, and potions of 
  cure serious wounds, darkvision, and lesser restoration.
  In another chest, the baron has stored a variety of 
  artifacts taken from the Tiger Lords’ barrow mounds 
  worth a total of 2,500 gp. Among these artifacts is a 
  ring of evasion made of green wood carved to depict 
  a snake and a lizard locked in a tangle. This ring is a 
  companion ring to the ring of swimming found 
  in the barbarian cairn back in “Stolen Land” 
  (see area B of that adventure, page 16). If worn 
  together on one hand, these rings both work 
  and count as only 1 ring slot for the purposes 
  of determining how many magic rings a 
  creature can wear.
  m51. underground Pool 
  (cr 10)
  The stone walls of this massive cavern 
  bear signs of discoloration from 
  occasional flooding, no doubt due to 
  water from Lake Hooktongue entering 
  through the eastern passage when the 
  lake rises during the rainy season. Stagnant 
  runoff has collected in a natural limestone 
  basin to the north. An iron gate rimed with 
  rust blocks a tunnel to the west.
  The iron gate can be opened from the west side by 
  pulling a lever on the wall in area M50 or by destroying it 
  (hardness 10, hp 60, Break DC 28, Disable Device DC 30). 
  The tunnel to the east eventually ends at a secret door that 
  opens at the base of a ridge just outside of Fort Drelev onto 
  the beach of Lake Hooktongue (see the map on page 33).
  Creatures: This cavern (and the tunnel leading from it to 
  the east) existed before the castle was built above, so Drelev 
  incorporated it into the design as an escape tunnel. The 
  cavern has also long been the lair of a pair of particularly 
  dangerous black puddings. Originally the baron intended 
  to slay them, but when he recruited Imeckus Stroon to 
  aid in burning the deadly oozes out, the wizard came up 
  with a better idea. Having studied oozes for many years, 
  he devised a special concoction that consists mostly of 
  skunk musk and, after working for some time with his fire 
  magic, has conditioned the two black puddings to avoid 
  targets that reek of the stuff. The oozes furiously attack 
  anyone not wearing a dose of the musk (a few vials of which 
  can be found in area M50), fighting to the death. The oozes 
  will even pursue fleeing PCs; canny players can use the 
  puddings’ tenacity to lead them up into the keep and loose 
  them on the guards.
  adVaNCEd BlaCk PuddINGS (2) 
  Cr 8
  XP 4,800 each
  hp 125 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 35, 294)
  Lord Numesti
  
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  PArt four:  
  the tWice-Born WArlord
  The Tomb of Armag was built unknown ages ago to inter 
  the bones of Armag, one of the Tiger Lords’ greatest heroes, 
  and his legendary magic sword Ovinrbaane, a weapon sacred 
  to the faith of Gorum. Today, this tomb serves as a testing 
  ground intended to reveal the God of War's next champion.
  the BArBAriAn cAmP (cr 10)
  Currently, Armag’s favorite companions and bodyguards 
  have settled in a small box canyon to the north of Lake 
  Hooktongue at area D. The PCs could well stumble across 
  this camp on their own, but it’s more likely that they’ll 
  seek it out after defeating Drelev Keep and learning of the 
  camp’s location. The camp itself is located at the edge of a 
  small forest, against the side of a 50-foot cliff in the hills. 
  The encampment consists of only the vanguard of Armag’s 
  army, including several of his best barbarian kinsmen and 
  the Black Sisters of Gyronna. The rest of his tribe camp to 
  the east and north in small groups, waiting until Armag 
  gives the call to join and rise as one. Armag took several of 
  his kin with him into the tomb several days before the PCs 
  finally reach this site, and the remaining barbarians wait in 
  this camp for his return while keeping watch over their five 
  hostages (including Kisandra Numesti’s sister, Tamary). 
  The campsite consists of 11 circular tents, a fenced-in area 
  for horses, and a wooden cage with a roof made of leather. 
  Creatures: In all, there are a dozen barbarians waiting 
  at the campsite. At any one time, four of them are 
  sleeping, four are relaxing in various tents, and four are 
  on guard duty, hidden in nearby trees or standing sentry 
  at the campsite’s edge. A barbarian who notices any sort 
  of intruder raises an alarm by giving a powerful roar—
  the Tiger Lords are not interested in talking and quickly 
  attack any intruders into their territory.
  TIGEr lord BarBarIaNS (12) 
  Cr 3
  XP 800 each
  Human barbarian 4 
  CN Medium humanoid (human)
  Init +2; Senses Perception +6
  dEfENSE
  aC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 16 (+4 armor, +2 Dex, +1 dodge, 
  +2 natural, –2 rage, +2 shield)
  hp 50 each (4d12+24)
  fort +8, ref +3, Will +4
  defensive abilities trap sense +1, uncanny dodge
  offENSE
  Speed 40 ft.
  Melee mwk battleaxe +11 (1d8+5/×3)
  ranged throwing axe +6 (1d6+5)
  Special attacks rage (14 rounds per day), rage powers 
  (powerful blow +2, surprise accuracy +2)
  TaCTICS
  Before Combat The Tiger Lords prepare for battle by drinking 
  their potions of barkskin.
  during Combat These barbarians always begin battle by 
  throwing axes and then charging into melee.
  Morale The Tiger Lord barbarians fight to the death.
  STaTISTICS
  Str 21, dex 14, Con 18, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 10
  Base atk +4; CMB +9; CMd 22
  feats Dodge, Toughness, Weapon Focus (battleaxe)
  Skills Acrobatics +6, Climb +7, Intimidate +5, Perception +6, 
  Ride +4, Survival +6, Swim +7
  languages Hallit
  Combat Gear potions of cure moderate wounds (2), potion 
  of barkskin +2; other Gear masterwork hide armor, 
  masterwork heavy wooden shield, masterwork battleaxe, 
  throwing axes (6)
  Development: The large cage at the center of the 
  campsite contains the five hostages that Armag took from 
  Baron Drelev—while these young women (Anjana, Galine, 
  Marinda, and Sophelia, along with Tamary Numesti, 
  Kisandra’s sister) are all terrified, they’ve been treated 
  relatively well—not because the barbarians are particularly 
  interested in honoring the wartime tradition of taking 
  hostages, but because they see these soft, squealing “city 
  women” as relatively pitiful and unattractive creatures. All 
  five hostages are 2nd-level aristocrats and thus relatively 
  useless in a fight; they’ll need to be escorted to safety.
  ArmAg’S tomB
  In the earliest days of the Tiger Lords’ history, the original 
  Armag led his people out of the Realm of the Mammoth 
  Lords and into southeast Numeria. They clashed repeatedly 
  with other barbarian tribes, eventually pushing through 
  the Rostland plains to clash against the Iobarian warlords 
  and centaur tribes of Casmaron. These conflicts hardened 
  Armag, forging him into a timeless champion who earned 
  the direct favor of Gorum, the Iron Lord and God of War.
  Pride was Armag’s weakness. He boasted he would live 
  forever—that death herself could never slay him. Pharasma 
  heard his boasts and was offended. She sent several of her 
  powerful minions, aeons of the Boneyard, to aid Armag’s 
  enemies or to lay him low on his greatest battlefield. This 
  angered Gorum, who had come to enjoy Armag’s audacity 
  and brutal nature, and as Armag fought against his enemies 
  on the Material Plane, Pharasma and Gorum engaged in a 
  battle of wits in the Great Beyond over the ultimate fate of 
  Armag’s soul. When Armag finally succumbed and died 
  on the field of battle, laid low by a mighty red dragon, 
  Gorum intervened and infused Armag’s soul into his 
  
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  sword Ovinrbaane, preventing his soul from entering the 
  Boneyard. He then sent visions to a Tiger Lord shaman 
  named Zorek, inspiring him to construct a fitting tomb 
  for the Iron Lord’s champion—a tomb that would be 
  sufficiently protected with traps and guardians to test any 
  who might come to claim the legendary sword. Gorum 
  also elevated Zorek into a divine guardian to watch over 
  the tomb, charging him with slaying the unworthy and 
  adding their souls to the ranks of those keeping Armag 
  out of Pharasma’s reach. Pharasma, in her own inscrutable 
  way, brooded for an eon and then lost interest, and Gorum 
  moved on to other distractions as well. And so for several 
  centuries, just as the Tiger Lords themselves became 
  estranged from their own past, Armag’s legacy dwindled 
  into obscurity among the minds of man and god. This 
  history of Armag’s Tomb is obscure—a DC 35 Knowledge 
  (history) check is needed to recall the legend. Alternatively, 
  a PC who uses legend lore in Armag’s Tomb could learn 
  fragments of this history, depending upon what legends 
  he seeks.
  The walls, f loors, and ceilings in Armag’s Tomb are 
  carved from pale stone heavy with iron ore, a feature 
  that gives the entire complex streaks of oxidized brown, 
  not unlike long dead f lesh streaked in dried blood. 
  Except where otherwise noted, the rooms and corridors 
  are 12 feet high, and the walls themselves are infused 
  with ancient magic and the tiniest fraction of Gorum’s 
  wrath—as a result, the walls resist any attempt at 
  manipulation via magic (such as passwall, stone shape, 
  or transmute rock to mud). In order to affect the stone 
  of the tomb with such a spell, the caster must make a 
  DC 30 caster level check as if attempting to overcome 
  spell resistance—if this check fails, the spell is wasted 
  and the magical backlash of energy causes the caster to 
  bleed painfully from the eyes, mouth, and fingertips, 
  suffering 2 points of damage per level of the spell she 
  attempted to cast.
  The tomb is still watched over by Zorek (see area D11). 
  As soon as the PCs move beyond area D1 of the tomb, Zorek 
  uses guards and wards to create additional barriers and 
  complications for the PCs exploring the complex. Thick 
  fog fills every corridor (but not the rooms), obscuring all 
  sight (including darkvision) beyond 5 feet. Webs fill all 
  stairs from top to bottom as per a web spell, and every 
  intersection creates a minor confusion effect that causes 
  explorers to constantly question their sense of direction. 
  Lastly, a silent image hides all of the doors, making them 
  appear as part of tomb walls (DC 20 Will save to disbelieve 
  if interacted with). The iron doors (hardness 10, hp 45, 
  Break DC 28) are all sealed with arcane locks (DC 30 Disable 
  Device to pick) that reactivate within 10 minutes of being 
  bypassed—but several rooms include tests and tricks that 
  can cause the doors to open.
  d1. the WAy of the WArriorS 
  three (cr 11)
  Three alabaster statues stand along the western wall of this 
  large square chamber. The statues depict well-proportioned 
  Kellid men, each set in a different war-like pose.
  Creatures: Armag’s hateful advisors, the Black Sisters, 
  have come to this chamber and await him there while 
  he finishes his communion with Gorum and the sword 
  Ovinrbaane. Not worshipers of Gorum themselves, they are 
  wary about moving further into the complex and instead 
  have chosen to wait for Armag’s return here to ensure 
  that none enter the complex to meddle with Armag’s 
  awakening.
  The Black Sisters know of the PCs, having kept tabs on 
  their nation after a failed attempt by one of the Sisters 
  to establish a cult in their capital city (see “Rivers Run 
  Red”). More than anyone, the Black Sisters recognize the 
  danger the PCs pose to Armag’s successful completion 
  of the trials. Both of the Black Sisters are actually quite 
  young—they view their youth as a mark of shame, though, 
  and dress in hooded clothes with high collars to hide their 
  faces. They hope that as a reward for helping to achieve 
  vengeance against Brevoy by leading a horde of barbarians 
  north, Gyronna will care for them in their old age to come. 
  Both have abandoned their personal lives and even their 
  names in pursuit of this singular goal.
  THE BlaCk SISTErS (2) 
  Cr 9
  XP 6,400 each
  Female human cleric of Gyronna 10 
  CE Medium humanoid (human)
  Init +4; Senses Perception +4
  aura aura of madness, destructive aura (+5, 10 rounds/day), 
  aura of madness (DC 19, 10 rounds/day)
  dEfENSE
  aC 18, touch 10, flat-footed 18 (+8 armor)
  hp 85 each (10d8+40)
  fort +9, ref +3, Will +11; Sr 22
  offENSE
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee +2 keen dagger +8/+3 (1d4+1/17–20)
  Special attacks channel negative energy (5d6, DC 16, 4/day), 
  destructive smite (+5, 7/day)
  domain Spell-like abilities (CL 10th; concentration +14)
  7/day—vision of madness
  Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 10th; concentration +14)
  5th—shoutD (DC 19), spell resistance, summon monster V
  4th—chaos hammer (DC 18), confusionD (DC 18), cure serious 
  wounds, greater magic weapon, unholy blight (DC 18)
  3rd—bestow curse (DC 17), dispel magic, magic vestment, 
  protection from energy, rageD
  
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  ArmAg’S tomB
  d1
  d2
  d3
  d4
  d6
  d5
  d7
  d8
  d8
  d8
  d8
  one SQuAre = 5 feet
  d11
  d12
  d13
  d14
  d8
  d8
  d9
  d10
  ArmAg’S tomB
  d1
  d2
  d3
  d4
  d6
  d5
  d7
  d8
  d8
  d8
  d8
  one SQuAre = 5 feet
  d11
  d12
  d13
  d14
  d8
  d8
  d9
  d10
  S
  S
  S
  
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  Blood for Blood
  2nd—cure moderate wounds (3), hold person (DC 16), spiritual 
  weapon, touch of idiocyD
  1st—command (DC 15), cure light wounds (2), divine favor, 
  obscuring mist, true strikeD
  0 (at will)—bleed (DC 14), detect poison, light, resistance
  d Domain spell; domains Destruction, Madness
  TaCTICS
  Before Combat The Black Sisters cast magic vestment 
  and greater magic weapon every morning. If they notice 
  intruders approaching from the north, they cast spell 
  resistance on themselves.
  during Combat The Black Sisters cast summon monster V 
  on the first round of combat to conjure babau demons 
  to engage the PCs in melee while they hang back and 
  use their spells or selectively channeled negative energy 
  to provide ranged support. They’ll activate their 
  auras of madness as soon as any PC enters 
  melee with them, at which point they fight in 
  adjacent squares against a wall to thwart flanking 
  attempts.
  Morale The Black Sisters fight to  
  the death.
  STaTISTICS
  Str 8, dex 10, Con 15, Int 13,  
  Wis 18, Cha 12
  Base atk +7; CMB +6; CMd 16
  feats Combat Casting, Extra Channel, 
  Improved Channel, Improved 
  Initiative, Selective Channeling, 
  Toughness
  Skills Diplomacy +14, Intimidate +11, 
  Knowledge (history) +9, Knowledge 
  (religion) +9, Sense Motive +12, 
  Survival +9
  languages Common, 
  Hallit
  Gear masterwork breastplate, +2 
  keen dagger, unholy symbol of 
  Gyronna, spell component pouch
  d2. teSt of Strength  
  (cr 10)
  Four boulders of varying size lie within this long 
  chamber. At the far end, progressively larger steps rise 
  toward another set of iron doors. Each step bears 
  a round depression corresponding in size to 
  one of the boulders below.
  This chamber presents a Test of 
  Strength to challenge those who seek to 
  enter the Tomb of Armag. Properly weighting 
  each step with the appropriately sized boulder 
  opens the iron doors at the far end of the hall. Rolling the 
  boulders into place requires progressively harder Strength 
  checks due to their size and the height at which they need 
  to be placed. From smallest to largest, the DCs to move 
  each boulder are DC 18, DC 20, DC 22, and DC 24. Up to 
  two characters can work together with the aid another 
  action on these checks. It takes 1 minute to move a boulder 
  into place. PCs can retry failed checks, but if they take 20, 
  the room’s trap soon activates.
  Trap: Placing any boulder into a depression begins 
  a time-triggered trap—6 minutes later, the steps pitch 
  forward into a steep slope, releasing the boulders and 
  sending them crashing back down the hallway. This 
  happens on the sixth minute after the first boulder is 
  moved into place. If the PCs successfully move all four 
  boulders into the correct position before the trap 
  activates, the doors to the south open, shutting again 
  once the trap itself triggers. Disabling the trap does 
  not disable the mechanism to open or close 
  the doors.
  rollING BouldEr TraP 
  Cr 10
  XP 9,600
  Type mechanical; Perception DC 
  30; disable device DC 25
  EffECTS
  Trigger location (6 minute delay); 
  reset automatic
  Effect rolling boulders (12d6 
  bludgeoning damage; DC 25 
  Reflex save for half); multiple 
  targets (all targets on the 
  ground in area d2)
  d3. teSt of 
  endurAnce (cr 10)
  Columns of fused iron weapons emerge 
  from a sheet of iron on the chamber floor. 
  A single iron wheel protrudes from the floor in 
  the middle of the room.
  The iron wheel in the middle of the room can be 
  turned to cause the locks on the doors in this room to 
  deactivate for 12 minutes, but only after the iron wheel 
  is rotated for seven complete revolutions—a single 
  revolution takes one full-round action to complete, 
  and if someone releases the wheel before the seventh 
  revolution occurs, it unwinds and the process must be 
  started again.
  Trap: As soon as anyone steps onto the iron sheet 
  supporting the columns, a magical trap activates, forming 
  a 1-foot-thick wall of ice along every wall (effectively 
  
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  d5. teSt of tActicS (cr 12)
  Sigils mark the walls of this dark passageway. Judging by the 
  dust and abandoned cobwebs, it appears to have lain unused for 
  centuries. A heavy fog restricts vision to just five feet.
  The sigils crafted on these walls represent a personal 
  rune for all the champions who once fought in Armag's 
  armies on the plains of Rostland. Gorum himself wove 
  the magic contained in them to deny Pharasma’s victory 
  when her avatar struck down Armag and his followers. 
  Now, each sigil magically attunes itself to a bloody skeletal 
  champion in the Cavern of the Slain (area D10). The power 
  of the runes ensures that the undead serve only the wielder 
  of Ovinrbaane. An erase spell can disrupt the magic of one 
  sigil at a time (as can physically destroying that section of 
  wall—hardness 8, hp 60), removing the deathless ability 
  from one of the skeletal champions in area D10—there are 
  16 such sigils in all.
  Creatures: The infusion of battle and war in the walls 
  of this hallway long ago attracted the attention of a deadly 
  outsider—an insectoid derghodaemon from the realm 
  of Abaddon. Personifying death from being eaten alive 
  by predators, derghodaemons are looming, five-armed 
  monstrosities that are often encountered as scavengers 
  on battlefields in the outer planes—or in places where 
  violence and death create compelling lures. This particular 
  derghodaemon was drawn through and bound to this 
  hallway with the aid of Gorum’s magic during the tomb’s 
  creation, and it has dwelt here ever since.
  dErGHodaEMoN 
   
  Cr 12
  XP 19,200
  Tome of Horrors Revised 80
  NE Large outsider (daemon, evil, extraplanar)
  Init +5; Senses all-around vision, darkvision 60 ft., detect 
  magic, see invisibility; Perception +28
  aura feeblemind (DC 20)
  dEfENSE
  aC 27, touch 14, flat-footed 22 (+5 Dex, +13 natural, 
  –1 size)
  hp 161 (14d10+84)
  fort +15, ref +14, Will +7
  dr 10/good; Immune acid, death effects, disease, poison; 
  resist cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10; Sr 23
  offENSE
  Speed 40 ft.
  Melee 5 claws +21 (1d6+8/19–20)
  Space 10 ft.; reach 10 ft.
  Special attacks rend (2 claws, 1d8+12 plus 2 Constitution 
  damage)
  Spell-like abilities (CL 12th; concentration +15)
  Constant—detect magic, see invisibility
  blocking both doorways) and reducing the temperature 
  in the room to –30º F for 12 minutes. Once the trap runs 
  its course, both doors unlock, but the walls of ice blocks 
  remain for 12 minutes.
  ICEBoX TraP 
   
  Cr 10
  XP 9,600
  Type magic; Perception DC 30; disable device DC 30
  EffECTS
  Trigger proximity (alarm); duration 7 rounds; reset automatic
  Effect spell effect (wall of ice covers every wall of entire room; 
  CL 12th); extreme cold (1d6 cold damage/minute; creatures 
  in contact with exposed metal take an additional 1d6 points 
  of cold damage per round); multiple targets (all targets in 
  area d3)
  d4. the tActiciAn'S WAy
  An alabaster statue of a barbarian stands in this antechamber 
  against the north wall. Two five-foot passageways open to 
  either side.
  This alabaster statue’s unwavering gaze stares at a secret 
  door on the south wall (DC 30 Perception check to notice).
  
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  Blood for Blood
  At will—greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. of objects only)
  3/day—fear (DC 17), quickened summon swarm
  1/day—creeping doom, insect plague, summon daemon (level 4, 
  1 derghodaemon 30%)
  TaCTICS
  during Combat The derghodaemon attempts to summon 
  another of its kind on the first round of combat and then 
  casts insect plague and creeping doom on the following 
  rounds, supplementing its swarm creation each round with 
  quickened summon swarm attacks. It changes to melee 
  attacks if surrounded.
  Morale The derghodaemon fights to the death.
  STaTISTICS
  Str 27, dex 20, Con 22, Int 7, Wis 17, Cha 16
  Base atk +14; CMB +23; CMd 38
  feats Cleave, Critical Focus, Improved Critical (claws), Power 
  Attack, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (summon swarm), 
  Sickening Critical, Vital Strike
  Skills Intimidate +20, Perception +28, Sense Motive +20, 
  Stealth +18
  languages Abyssal, Draconic, Infernal; telepathy 100 ft.
  SQ swarmwalking
  SPECIal aBIlITIES
  all-around Vision (Ex) A derghodaemon’s multiple eyes grant it 
  a +8 racial bonus on Perception checks. It cannot be flanked.
  feeblemind aura (Su) By grinding and clicking its mandibles 
  and chitinous plates together (a free action), a derghodaemon 
  can affect all creatures within 30 feet as if by a feeblemind 
  spell. Daemons are immune to this effect, but all other 
  creatures must make a DC 20 Will save to resist the effects. 
  A subject that succumbs to this effect remains affected by it 
  as long as the derghodaemon continues to maintain the aura 
  and the subject remains within 30 feet of the derghodaemon. 
  Once either condition ends, a victim of this effect can 
  attempt a new DC 20 Will save once per hour to recover from 
  the effect; otherwise, it can be cured by a heal, limited wish, 
  miracle, or wish spell. A derghodaemon cannot use its spell-
  like abilities or its gnaw attack in any round in which it uses 
  its feeblemind aura. This is a sonic mind-affecting effect. The 
  save DC is Charisma-based.
  Swarmwalking (Su) A derghodaemon is immune to damage or 
  distraction effects caused by swarms.
  d6. tilting floor (cr 8)
  The ceiling of this circular room rises from the floor in an 
  arc, reaching a height of ten feet. The floor is highly polished 
  and smooth.
  Trap: Despite its appearance, this chamber is actually 
  spherical—the “floor” is the smooth upper portion of a 
  circular disc balanced on a pivot in the center of the room 
  below. When any creature steps into the room, the floor 
  underfoot shifts downward under the creature’s weight 
  while rising up at the far side of the room. By moving 
  around the room, one can control the angle of the floor’s 
  tilt. Standing exactly in the center allows the floor to return 
  to level, as would placing two objects of equal weight on 
  opposite sides of the room, in theory. Unfortunately, the 
  pivot on which the disk balances is itself unstable, causing 
  the floor to wobble and shake even when the characters take 
  care to keep things as balanced as possible.
  Navigating the room when the disc isn’t balanced is nearly 
  impossible without flight. The walls and floor offer no 
  handholds for climbing—only by moving along the edges 
  to manipulate the floor’s angle can creatures move through 
  the room. Doing so requires a DC 20 Acrobatics check each 
  round, and the floor is treated as difficult terrain. Further 
  complicating the issue is the fact that spiked pits lie in 
  wait to the north and south—anytime a creature moving 
  through the room fails its Acrobatics check, it must make a 
  DC 15 Reflex save to avoid rolling into one of these two pits. 
  Each pit is 50 feet deep and lined with spikes.
  TIlTING floor 
   
  Cr 8
  XP 4,800
  Type mechanical; Perception DC 30; disable device DC 30
  EffECTS
  Trigger location; reset automatic
  Effect pivoting floor (see above); 2 50-ft.-deep spiked pits 
  (5d6 falling damage; pit spikes Atk +15 melee, 1d4 spikes 
  per target for 1d6+5 damage each); DC 15 Reflex avoids; 
  multiple targets (all creatures in area d6)
  Treasure: Lying among a number of ancient bones in 
  the north pit is a +3 handaxe, while the south pit contains a 
  scroll case within which is a scroll of blade barrier, a scroll of 
  magic vestment (CL 16th), and a scroll of lesser planar ally.
  d7. teSt of Agility (cr 10)
  The hall ends at a precipice overlooking a natural stone cavern, 
  the earthen floor of which lies thirty feet below. The ceiling 
  arches another thirty feet overhead. Throughout the chamber, 
  pillars of rounded rock rise at varying levels like uneven stepping 
  stones leading to another tunnel opening on the far side.
  Creatures that cannot fly or easily climb the walls 
  of this chamber (DC 25 Climb check to move along the 
  relatively smooth walls) can navigate the chamber by 
  making Acrobatics checks to jump from one pillar to the 
  next—note that the rounded tops of these stones impart a 
  –5 penalty on Acrobatics checks made to jump from point 
  to point. Further complicating the navigation of this room 
  is the fact that Zorek's guards and wards effect generates a 
  gust of wind here that could knock creatures off walls or 
  
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  tomb. Now they contain a variety of historical relics 
  and curious minor art objects from Armag’s age. Each 
  chamber contains 2d8 × 100 gp worth of valuable but 
  forgotten treasures.
  d9. teSt of ProWeSS (cr 13)
  Four massive pillars hold up this large dome-shaped chamber’s 
  ceiling, which rises to a height of fifty feet. At the room’s center 
  stands a towering suit of spiked armor.
  Creatures: The statue at the center of the room is an 
  iron golem crafted to resemble Gorum himself (the 
  imagery can be recognized with a DC 15 Knowledge 
  [religion] check). This iron golem can receive a make 
  whole effect from Gorum up to three times per day as a 
  swift action, repairing 5d6 points of damage per use. The 
  golem animates as soon as anyone enters this chamber, 
  and it fights until destroyed, pursuing foes throughout 
  the tomb if necessary.
  IroN GolEM 
   
  Cr 13
  XP 25,600
  hp 129 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 162)
  d10. cAvern of the SlAin (cr 11)
  The corridor emerges into a huge natural cavern supported by 
  a single, immense pillar of stone. To the west rises a twenty-
  foot-high ridge capped by a small forest of stalagmites. The 
  ceiling rises to a height of forty feet above.
  Gorum’s followers and the Tiger Lords refer to this 
  chamber as the Cavern of the Slain. Legend says it contains 
  an army of undead forever bound to the Kellid warlord—
  these rumors are true. The ridge to the west can be climbed 
  with a DC 20 Climb check. 
  Creatures: A small army of undead skeletons stands 
  at eternal attention in the western part of this room, 
  hiding among the spires of sharp stalagmites and 
  watching for intruders into the Cavern of the Slain. 
  Each of these is a skeletal champion, once a fighter 
  devoted to the original Armag, empowered still by 
  echoes of Gorum’s rage against Pharasma for slaying his 
  favored champion. While this magic yet binds the souls 
  of the dead to Gorum’s undying service, the wielder of 
  Ovinrbaane (currently Armag) can also command the 
  obedience of these undead—Armag has called eight of 
  the champions to his side in area D12, but the other 
  eight still remain here to protect the cavern.
  Bloody SkElETal CHaMPIoNS (8) 
   
  Cr 5
  XP 1,600 each
  stones if they fail a DC 16 Fortitude save. The wind only 
  blows for 1 round, but it activates as soon as someone 
  stands on the southern hallway after navigating the room, 
  likely affecting the rest of the party still within.
  Creatures: Anyone who falls into the pit, walks across 
  the ground, or otherwise disturbs the soil awakens this 
  chamber’s nightmarish guardians—swarms of bright red 
  army ants, each the size of a person’s finger. In all there 
  are five army ant swarms—once roused, they’ll climb up 
  pillars or walls to attack foes, pursuing creatures as far as 
  area D6 or D9.
  arMy aNT SWarMS (4) 
   
  Cr 5
  XP 1,600
  hp 49 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 16)
  d8. emPty chAmBerS
  Treasure: Each of these chambers previously served 
  as living space for those who helped construct the 
  Ovinrbaane, ENEMy of all ENEMIES (MINor arTIfaCT)
  aura Strong evocation; Cl 20th
  Slot none; Weight 12 lbs.
  CoNSTruCTIoN
  alignment CN; Ego 25
  Senses 60 ft. vision and hearing
  Int 11, Wis 12, Cha 15
  Communication empathy
  lesser Powers aid 3/day (CL 17th), modify memory (DC 16, 
  affects wielder only) 1/day
  Special Purpose defeat/slay all; dedicated Power wielder 
  gains freedom of movement and dispel magic (CL 20th) 
  against opposing attacks and effects (the dispel magic 
  attempts to dispel any offensive effect once only as it first 
  takes effect on the sword’s wielder)
  dESCrIPTIoN
  Ovinrbaane (literally translated as “enemy of all enemies”) is a 
  cursed, intelligent +3 wounding greatsword. When Ovinrbaane 
  succeeds at a contest of will, it uses modify memory to mislead 
  its wielder into believing he’s the real Armag and that anyone 
  around him who isn’t obviously a member of his tribe is a mortal 
  enemy. The cursed greatsword also slowly changes the features 
  of the wielder over the course of several days or even weeks to 
  appear as those of the original Armag. If left unchecked, these 
  powers seemingly bring the warlord back to life—it’s the wait for 
  this subtle transformation to be complete that’s kept Armag in 
  “meditation” in this chamber for so long.
  dESTruCTIoN
  To destroy Ovinrbaane, its wielder must bring it to the 
  Boneyard and strike three blows against his own gravestone, 
  causing the sword to shatter.
  
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  Blood for Blood
  Human bloody skeletal champion fighter 6 (Pathfinder RPG 
  Bestiary 250–252)
  NE Medium undead (human)
  Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +10
  dEfENSE
  aC 22, touch 13, flat-footed 19 (+6 armor, +3 Dex, +2 natural, 
  +1 shield)
  hp 72 each (8 HD; 2d8+6d10+30); fast healing 4
  fort +7, ref +5, Will +4
  defensive abilities channel resistance +4; dr 5/bludgeoning; 
  Immune cold, undead traits
  offENSE
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee +1 greatsword +12/+7 (2d6+12/19–20)
  ranged +1 composite longbow +10/+5 (1d8+11/×3)
  TaCTICS
  during Combat These bloody skeletal champions 
  open combat with their bows and then split 
  into two groups as the PCs approach, 
  allowing at least half their number to hang 
  back and continue firing arrows while the 
  others engage in melee. They always use 
  Deadly Aim and Power Attack when 
  attacking (their statistics above reflect 
  this tactic).
  Morale These undead fight until 
  destroyed.
  STaTISTICS
  Str 18, dex 17, Con —, Int 10, 
  Wis 8, Cha 14
  Base atk +7; CMB +11; 
  CMd 24
  feats Deadly Aim, Improved 
  Initiative, Power Attack, Precise Shot, 
  Toughness, Vital Strike, Weapon Focus 
  (greatsword), Weapon Focus (composite 
  longbow), Weapon Specialization 
  (greatsword), Weapon Specialization 
  (composite longbow)
  Skills Intimidate +13, Perception +10, Ride 
  +7, Stealth +11
  languages Common
  SQ armor training 1, weapon training 
  (heavy blades +1)
  Gear breastplate, +1 greatsword, +1 
  composite longbow (+4 Str) with  
  20 arrows
  SPECIal aBIlITIES
  deathless (Su) A bloody skeletal champion is 
  destroyed when reduced to 0 hit points, 
  but it returns to life 1 hour later at 1 
  hit point, allowing its fast healing 
  to resume healing it thereafter. A 
  bloody skeletal champion can be permanently destroyed 
  if it is destroyed by positive energy, if it is reduced to 0 hit 
  points in the area of a bless or hallow spell, or if its remains 
  are sprinkled with a vial of holy water. Destroying the runes 
  inscribed on the wall at area d5 removes the deathless 
  quality from these undead.
  d11. temPle of gorum (cr 12)
  Two churning fountains take up alcoves to the east and west of 
  this immense chamber, their water cascading down the faces 
  of beautifully rendered maidens as if they were crying for the 
  souls lost in battle. Directly ahead, four rows of intricately carved 
  columns reach deeper into the chamber, resembling armed 
  soldiers kneeling in honor of the massive statues of Gorum 
  at the chamber’s far end. A set of stairs descends into a 
  passageway to the north.
  Creatures: The ageless shaman Zorek, divine 
  guardian of the Tomb of Armag, resides in this 
  temple, administering the Test of Faith to all who 
  reach his inner sanctum.
  The PCs can attempt to impress Zorek with their 
  might if they wish—doing so requires a DC 35 
  Intimidate check. One PC makes the primary 
  role, and the other PCs can aid her with their own 
  DC 10 Intimidate checks, but each one of these 
  additional checks that fails imparts a 
  –4 penalty on the main check. If the 
  primary character wears either 
  of the ancient barbarian rings 
  Bloody Skeletal 
  Champion
  
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  (such as the ring of evasion from area M48, or the ring of 
  swimming from “Stolen Land”) she gains a +5 bonus on her 
  Intimidate check per ring worn, but if the wearer of the 
  rings is not the primary roller for the check, every ring 
  present among the PCs imparts a –5 penalty on the check. 
  With a successful Intimidate check, Zorek nods silently 
  and steps aside, allowing the PCs to proceed to area 
  D14—otherwise he shakes his head sadly and attacks.
  zorEk 
  Cr 12
  XP 12,800
  Male human divine guardian cleric of Gorum 12 (Advanced 
  Bestiary 60)
  CN Medium humanoid (chaotic, human)
  Init +4; Senses Perception +16
  dEfENSE
  aC 21, touch 12, flat-footed 21 (+7 armor,  
  +4 deflection, –1 Dex, +2 natural, –1 size)
  hp 150 (12d8+96); fast healing 5
  fort +16, ref +3, Will +13
  defensive abilities ability healing; dr 5/ 
  evil; Immune disease, mind-affecting 
  effects, poison
  Weaknesses bound to the faith
  offENSE
  Speed 60 ft.
  Melee +3 anarchic spear +19/+14 
  (2d6+13/19–20/×3)
  Special attacks channel positive 
  energy (6d6, DC 19, 6/day), 
  might of the gods (+12, 12 
  rounds/day), weapon master 
  (12 rounds/day)
  divine Guardian Spell-
  like abilities (CL 12th; 
  concentration +15)
  At will—dimension door  
  (to any location in  
  Armag’s Tomb)
  3/day—alarm, knock
  1/day—arcane lock, augury, 
  clairaudience/clairvoyance, 
  commune, dismissal (DC 18), 
  guards and wards, hold portal
  domain Spell-like abilities (CL 
  12th; concentration +17)
  8/day—battle rage (+6 damage), 
  strength  
  surge (+6)
  Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 12th; 
  concentration +17)
  6th—antilife shell, blade barrierD  
  (DC 21), heal
  5th—flame strike (2; DC 20), greater command (DC 20), 
  righteous mightD, wall of stone
  4th—air walk, chaos hammer (DC 19), divine powerD, freedom 
  of movement, greater magic weapon
  3rd—dispel magic (2), invisibility purge, magic vestmentD, 
  searing light, wind wall
  2nd—bear’s endurance, bull’s strengthD, hold person (DC 17), 
  resist energy, sound burst (DC 17), 
  spiritual weapon
  1st—command (DC 16), divine favor, 
  enlarge personD, obscuring mist, 
  protection from law, sanctuary, shield 
  of faith
  0 (at will)—bleed (DC 15), light, 
  mending, stabilize
  d Domain spell; domains Strength, 
  War
  TaCTICS
  Before Combat Zorek casts magic 
  vestment and greater magic weapon 
  daily. His status as divine guardian 
  allows him to track the PCs’ 
  movements through the tomb, and 
  as they approach this chamber, 
  he casts the following spells in 
  this order: freedom of movement, 
  air walk, bear’s endurance, bull’s 
  strength, shield of faith, righteous 
  might, and divine favor.
  during Combat Zorek’s first acts in 
  combat are to cast antilife shell and to 
  moves to the top of the stairs leading 
  down to area d12. He then uses his 
  ranged spells to soften up the PCs for 4 
  rounds (favoring blade barrier, his flame 
  strikes, and chaos hammer) before negating 
  his antilife shell by stepping up to engage 
  the PCs in melee. Zorek casts heal on 
  himself whenever he drops below 60 hit 
  points.
  Morale Zorek fights to the death—if 
  he’s slain by mortals, he is granted the 
  true freedom of death as certainly as if 
  his charge to guard the tomb had been 
  completed (although Zorek doesn’t  
  realize this).
  STaTISTICS
  Str 24, dex 8, Con 23, Int 8, Wis 20, Cha 16
  Base atk +9; CMB +17; CMd 30
  Zorek
  
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  Blood for Blood
  Blood for Blood
  feats Combat Casting, Great Fortitude, Improved Critical 
  (spear), Power Attack, Toughness, Vital Strike, Weapon 
  Focus (spear)
  Skills Knowledge (religion) +14, Perception +16, Sense Motive +0, 
  Survival +11
  languages Hallit
  SQ blessed life, sacred site
  Gear +1 light fortification hide armor, +1 anarchic spear
  SPECIal aBIlITIES
  ability Healing (Ex) As a divine guardian, 
  Zorek heals 1 point of ability 
  damage per round in each 
  damaged ability score.
  Blessed life (Ex) Zorek does not 
  age or breathe, and he doesn’t 
  need to eat, drink, or sleep.
  Bound to the faith (Ex) A 
  worshiper of Gorum with the 
  Command Undead or Turn Undead feat 
  can use the effects of these feats on Zorek as if he were an 
  undead creature. Zorek suffers a –4 penalty on his Will save 
  to negate the effect.
  Sacred Site (Ex) Zorek is bound to guard Armag’s Tomb by 
  Gorum himself, and he cannot leave the tomb complex. 
  Should Zorek ever leave the tomb, he immediately takes 
  6d6 points of Constitution drain as the years of lost food, 
  drink, and sleep return tenfold.
  d12. ArmAg’S Armory (cr 14)
  Ten flickering braziers cast long shadows across this huge 
  chamber, their wavering light gleaming from walls spattered 
  with blood. The air reeks of decay, for the violently hacked 
  bodies of a dozen men lie strewn about the chamber.
  The dead bodies are all that remains of Armag’s 
  honor guard—once he claimed Ovinrbaane, the cursed 
  weapon forced him to attack and slay his men as proof 
  of his devotion.
  Creatures: Armag the Twice-Born may have slaughtered 
  his men, but he is not alone—he is accompanied and 
  protected by eight of the undead skeletal champions 
  from area D10. Already warned by Zorek of the PCs’ 
  presence in the tomb, Armag eagerly awaits their 
  arrival—another chance for him to prove his worth to 
  his new weapon. He and his skeleton minions attack as 
  soon as the PCs arrive.
  arMaG THE TWICE-BorN 
  Cr 13
  XP 25,600
  Male human barbarian 5/fighter 9 
  CN Medium humanoid (human)
  Init +2; Senses Perception +10
  dEfENSE
  aC 24, touch 13, flat-footed 21 (+9 armor, +2 deflection, +2 Dex, 
  +1 dodge, +2 natural, –2 rage)
  hp 204 (14 HD; 5d12+9d10+117)
  fort +16, ref +6, Will +8; +2 vs. fear
  defensive abilities bravery +2, trap sense +1, 
  improved uncanny dodge
  offENSE
  Speed 40 ft.
  Melee Ovinrbaane +24/+19/+14 
  (2d6+21/17–20 plus 1 bleed)
  Special attacks rage (18 rounds 
  per day), rage powers (no escape, 
  rolling dodge +1) 
  TaCTICS
  during Combat At the beginning of 
  combat, Ovinrbaane casts aid on Armag 
  and modifies his memory to make him 
  believe that the PCs are his greatest enemies. 
  He then rages and charges the strongest enemy in sight, 
  using Improved Vital Strike and Power Attack—he continues 
  using Power Attack throughout the battle. If surrounded by 
  multiple foes, he uses Great Cleave. Against spellcasters, he 
  counts on Ovinrbaane’s dispel magic power to shield him from 
  debilitating effects, preferring to take down a spellcaster’s 
  protectors before turning the blade on her.
  Morale Even before he succumbed to the bloodlust of 
  Ovinrbaane, Armag never retreated or surrendered—he 
  fights to the death.
  STaTISTICS
  Str 22, dex 14, Con 22, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 13
  Base atk +14; CMB +20; CMd 35
  feats Cleave, Dodge, Great Cleave, Greater Weapon Focus 
  (greatsword), Improved Critical (greatsword), Improved 
  Iron Will, Improved Vital Strike, Iron Will, Power Attack, 
  Toughness, Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (greatsword), 
  Weapon Specialization (greatsword)
  Skills Intimidate +18, Perception +10, Survival +13, Swim +15
  languages Hallit
  SQ armor training 2, weapon training (axes +2, heavy blades +1)
  Combat Gear potions of cure serious wounds (3); other Gear +3 
  breastplate with masterwork armor spikes, +2 keen battleaxe, 
  Ovinrbaane (see sidebar), amulet of natural armor +2, belt 
  of physical might +2 (Strength and Constitution), ring of 
  protection +2
  Bloody SkElETal CHaMPIoNS (8) 
  Cr 5
  XP 1,600 each
  hp 72 each (see page 53)
  Treasure: If you aren’t comfortable with giving the 
  PCs a powerful weapon like Ovinrbaane, simply play up its 
  disadvantages—if you wish, you can even treat the weapon 
  as a cursed berserking sword (see page 543 of Pathfinder RPG 
  Armag
  
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  Core Rulebook). You should certainly play up the artifact’s 
  personality if the PCs keep it—its power will certainly come 
  in handy as the Kingmaker Adventure Path enters the final 
  two adventures, but you should never let the PCs feel fully 
  comfortable in the chaotic artifact’s presence.
  d13. ArmAg'S tomB
  A massive raised dais supports a coffin of black stone to the west 
  in this large austere chamber, while the walls to the east are 
  decorated with a bas-relief of a stern barbarian dressed for war 
  and wielding a greatsword.
  This chamber serves as the final resting place for the 
  original Armag’s body, which lies within the sarcophagus. 
  The wall carving is actually a secret door (DC 30 Perception 
  to detect) that lifts upward to provide access to area D14.
  Treasure: Armag’s body measures just over 6-1/2 feet tall 
  and is dressed in +3 hide armor with dragon bone +2 armor 
  spikes. A +3 heavy steel shield decorated with chasings of dire 
  tigers lies over his chest.
  d14. holy SePulcher
  Within this octagonal chamber, a five-foot-square alabaster pedestal 
  sits inside a ring of brilliant light shining from the ceiling.
  Treasure: Piled around the pedestal lies a treasure hoard 
  of immense value. Altogether, it contains 599 pp, 11,378 gp, 
  23,617 sp, and 48,832 cp. The gems and jewelry include a 
  5,000 gp diamond, a 1,000 gp fire opal, three 500 gp violet 
  garnets, an electrum crown with a blue star sapphire worth 
  2,500 gp, a ruby-encrusted silver armband worth 1,250 gp, 
  and a malachite-adorned gold necklace worth 900 gp.
  Also included among these items are a bag of holding 
  (type I), a belt of giant strength +2, horseshoes of speed, a 
  necklace of fireballs (type II), a pearl of power (2nd level), a 
  dose of restorative ointment, a ring of counterspells (contains 
  enervation), and a wand of heroism (50 charges).
  concluding the Adventure
  As with all Kingmaker adventures, “Blood for Blood” doesn’t 
  really have an end point as much as it has a point where 
  the next adventure begins. Even after the PCs depose Baron 
  Drelev and defeat Armag, they can continue exploring the 
  Slough and expanding their kingdom into this realm as long 
  as they wish. Still, there are three elements to this adventure 
  in particular that the PCs should seek to address.
  The East Sellen River has been closed to trade for several 
  years due to the aggression of the boggards of M’botuu. If the 
  PCs manage to either defeat these boggards or secure their 
  cooperation in allowing river trade, this important economic 
  link between Brevoy and the south reopens. As long as the 
  PCs control at least nine hexes that include a portion of the 
  East Sellen River or Lake Hooktongue as part of their nation, 
  they gain a +4 bonus on their nation’s Economy.
  Slough Rumors
  d10 
  roll 
  rumor
  1 
  The Tiger Lord barbarians have a new warlord who seeks a powerful weapon long thought lost—if he finds this weapon, he 
  may become a dangerous foe.
  2 
  Baron Drelev has taken on a beautiful young lover, much to his wife’s dismay, and with good cause—for this lover is in 
  fact a succubus who has dominated the baron and is behind all of Fort Drelev’s problems. (Partly false—the baron’s lover 
  is human.)
  3 
  There’s a secret tunnel between the dungeons of Drelev Keep and a hidden exit somewhere near the city.
  4 
  Baron Drelev was a plant from Pitax from the start, and he’s only now showing his true colors—“surrendering” to Irovetti 
  was just a sham. (False)
  5 
  The most powerful boggard tribe in the swamp has found a strange new god to worship.
  6 
  Giants have been spotted to the north—they say they’re part of a larger force moving in from Numeria and carry with them 
  strange weaponry. (False)
  7 
  People say the black dragon Ilthuliak has returned to the Stolen Lands and has recently moved into Hooktongue Slough.
  8 
  An old but dangerous saber-toothed tiger called Speartooth lives somewhere in the hills north of the swamp. Baron Drelev 
  hired some sort of hard-case hunter to seek the tiger out and kill it, but the tiger must have eaten him since no one’s heard 
  of the hunter since.
  9 
  A tribe of strange, intelligent insects known as bog striders live in the swamp. They’re said to be at war with the much more 
  prolific boggards.
  10 
  Old Hooktongue, the lake monster, hasn’t been sighted in many years—maybe he died?
  
  57
  Blood for Blood
  Blood for Blood
  Without Armag or the Black Sisters stirring the pot, the 
  Tiger Lords cease to be a true threat to their neighbors, 
  but their raiding parties continue to be an annoyance. 
  Handing over the greatsword Ovinrbaane to the barbarians 
  as a peace offering is one way to appease them—in this 
  case, the sword works at remaking a new barbarian in 
  Armag’s image, but without the Black Sisters, this new 
  Armag focuses his anger not at the PCs or Pitax but north 
  and east at Numeria and Brevoy. While the Tiger Lords 
  don’t actively serve as allies to the PCs, their presence helps 
  to strengthen the northern border, granting an increase of 
  4 to the nation’s Stability.
  Finally, if the PCs manage to liberate Fort Drelev and 
  push back Lord Irovetti’s presence in the Slough, not 
  only can they add a sizable city to their nation (once they 
  expand far enough into the Slough, of course) but they 
  are also well on course to becoming the largest and most 
  successful nation in the Stolen Lands. This increase 
  in national pride and accomplishment increases their 
  nation’s Loyalty by +4.
  As the PCs’ successes grow, however, Lord Irovetti of Pitax 
  grows ever more jealous and wary. While there’s no hard 
  evidence to suggest he encouraged Baron Drelev to attack 
  the PCs, the political situation should certainly suggest it. 
  And while Irovetti would certainly love to annex the PCs’ 
  nation, he knows that they’ve grown far too powerful to 
  defeat in a fair war. And so, as the PCs settle in to their 
  newly expanded nation, Lord Irovetti sets in motion the 
  first of several treacheries as he makes his move to claim 
  the Stolen Lands. For what at first may seem like an idle 
  invitation to a local tournament is destined to erupt into a 
  war of the River Kings.
  APPendix: Slough rumorS
  You can use rumors to encourage exploration or  foreshadow 
  coming events in the Kingmaker Adventure Path. The table 
  on the previous page presents 10 such rumors and bits of 
  news. A “(False)” following a rumor indicates that rumor is 
  a red herring intended to spur further exploration of the 
  Slough while not actually being legitimate news.
  
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  Ecology of the Boggard
  Ecology of the Boggard
  “I 
  can’t believe I escaped—if one can call this leaking hell any kind of 
  salvation. Were it not for the crudeness of their cages and the recent 
  dryness that left them so brittle, I might never have made it out alive. 
  Even now, I fear I must wade through this stinking bog for days before truly 
  being free. Yet I would face any trial to avoid the fate of those caged alongside me, 
  undoubtedly soon to be buried beneath the layers of mud that cake the toad-beasts’ 
  crude idols, or in the belly of that thing they hide at the village’s edge and endlessly 
  praise with their blasphemous croaks. And yet, even as I know my heart may never 
  stop pounding, and as I still hear their wart-covered drums echoing in my mind, I 
  can’t help but wonder why these things came for me, and what I might possibly do if 
  they ever chose to come again.” 
  —Pathfinder Chronicler Trugarr Hammerlok
  
  59
  Ecology of the Boggard
  Ecology of the Boggard
  L
  airing on the fringes of civilized lands, dwelling 
  in impenetrable swamps, diseased marshlands, 
  and the inundated ruins left in the wake of 
  greater civilizations, boggards embody the brutishness 
  and superstition of primitive life. Existing in far 
  greater variety than the races who merely consider them 
  barbaric and uncouth “toadfolk,” the contempt most 
  civilized races hold for them is far from unfounded. In 
  their marshy realms boggards raise croaking prayers 
  to merciless priest-kings, ravenous idiot demigods, 
  and their fecund demon goddess Gogunta. Yet for all 
  their overtures of piety and culture, among boggards 
  the strongest rules and the weakest become slaves or, 
  worse, meals for their bestial kin. Few know much of the 
  mysterious and murderous ways of boggards, but those 
  who have survived their encounters tell of violent hunts, 
  cannibalistic feasts, ancient things sleeping amid the 
  muck, and much, much worse.
  Boggard Ecology
  Just as humans possess different races, boggards exhibit 
  different regional subtypes as well, oftentimes bordering 
  on being distinct subspecies, arising through adaptation 
  to different semi-aquatic habitats. For instance, boggards 
  native to the Mushfens of southern Varisia possess various 
  shades of green and brown, with a toad-like appearance. 
  Those native to the River Kingdoms appear more frog-
  like, with a greasy green hue to their skin, while in the 
  Sodden Lands and Mwangi Expanse boggard clans 
  possess large levels of variation amid the more tropical 
  environment. These latter boggards segregate themselves 
  into different warring tribes, each with unique traits and 
  colors, including those with the vibrant colors of tree 
  frogs and strange abilities similar to the diverse frogs 
  native to the same region. 
  Despite displaying a wide range of regional attributes, 
  boggards in general begin their lives in a manner little 
  different from normal toads. Boggards produce anywhere 
  from four to 12 eggs in a single spawning, each roughly 
  the size of a ripe orange. The eggs retain the thick layer of 
  mucus and the transparent, gelatinous form of frogs’ eggs, 
  but with a much tougher consistency, firm enough that they 
  can be easily transported for their parents’ convenience. 
  Boggard gestation takes 1 month on average. Largely 
  colorless and translucent for their first week, boggard 
  tadpoles eat their way out of their eggs, then rapidly develop 
  immature versions of their adult pigmentation and color 
  patterns upon exposure to sunlight. For 6 months they 
  compete within their pools against one another and 
  smaller swamp denizens, then progress to an intermediate 
  form with arms and legs, maturing for another 3 months 
  until they emerge from the water in mostly adult forms. 
  These young still retain a number of immature features 
  for their first year: a stubby, vestigial tail as a relic of the 
  tadpole stage, a series of hard cartilage ridges rather than 
  true teeth, and stubby limbs that quickly elongate once 
  they begin to walk.
  lifE of a Boggard
  Life within boggard society is, above all else, pragmatic. 
  Lairing in swamps or alongside forested rivers, they live 
  among a multitude of rival races and natural predators. 
  Faced with such perpetual dangers, their society, rather 
  than rewarding strength, simply expects it. The weak and 
  sick receive little sympathy, and any young with visible 
  or even perceived defects never progress past the tadpole 
  stage—being culled and left to dry for use in religious 
  ceremonies or other rites. Those that do survive begin 
  their training as members of boggard society, and finally 
  go through a series of trials to reach the ritualized passage 
  into true adulthood.
  For their first 9 months of life, most immature boggards 
  are largely sheltered from harm, kept within the confines 
  of their spawning pool and within the clan’s village. 
  After they emerge, however, they immediately begin their 
  rapid ascent to adult responsibilities and expectations. 
  Roughly a year after emergence, they develop adult teeth 
  and receive a blessing from the tribe’s priest-king, as well 
  as a ritual meal to mark their visible ascent to adulthood. 
  This feast tends to be cannibalistic, when possible, being 
  prepared from the flesh of those among the current year’s 
  newborns judged too flawed or weak to survive. The rite 
  serves to cull the clan of its weakest members, their 
  meager lives going to join and increase the strength of 
  their greater brethren.
  For 2 years after their emergence from the spawning 
  pools, boggard young live in gangs overseen by more 
  experienced warriors, where they actively learn to hunt 
  beyond the sheltered confines of the village periphery, 
  gaining the practical skills and physical prowess needed 
  for their and the clan’s survival. Regardless of gender 
  or bloodline, all boggards receive virtually identical 
  training, the only exception being those rare individuals 
  with an inborn talent for sorcery. 
  Already considered adults, boggards’ final rite of 
  passage confers membership within the clan, but the 
  task is far from easy, with failure resulting in dire 
  consequences. Each potential clan member is provided 
  1 month to find and single-handedly kill a sentient 
  humanoid, be it a boggard from a rival clan, a lizardfolk, 
  or any other humanoid traveling through their domain. 
  At the end of that month—and not before—all hunters 
  must return. Those who bring a corpse back to their 
  village are welcomed as true warriors. Those who return 
  empty-handed furnish the feast of those who succeeded 
  with their flesh, being cannibalized to nourish the heroes 
  
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  of the tribe. Many simply never return, but due more to 
  the dangers of the swamp than out of fear of failure’s fatal 
  price—though a rare and exceptional few do use this 
  opportunity to flee their brutish culture. Boggard society 
  enforces reliance on the community and the whims of the 
  priest-king so thoroughly that thoughts of abandoning 
  the tribe or disobeying the will of the group rarely enters 
  the minds of individuals—often to fatal effect.
  The life of a common adult boggard is simple, with 
  males serving as expendable warriors and hunters—
  boggards making no distinction between the two—and 
  females serving as domestic defenders of the village and 
  young. Any more specialized task is decided wholly at 
  the whim of the priest-king. Life varies little from day to 
  day for the common boggard, as he fulfills the duties the 
  tribe demands of him and participates in daily worship. 
  This cycle continues until life ends, typically as a 
  result of violence brought about by the attack of an 
  enemy, strife within the community, or when age 
  and infirmity prevents a boggard from 
  defending himself from the 
  greed and impatience of his children and neighbors. The 
  dead, like most flesh left for the community to dispose of, 
  is either cast into the swamp or made part of an offering 
  to boggards’ foul goddess.
  Boggard SociEty
  Boggards live at the whim of their tyrannical priest-
  kings, every day, act, and decision following the whims 
  of these crazed, demon-worshiping dictators. No 
  boggard has a profession or cultivates a skill, as any 
  day their duties might change and even the work one 
  boggard has completed with aplomb for years might 
  become the responsibility of another at their leader’s 
  fickle command. Thus, few skills are mastered and few 
  ambitions cultivated in this society of loutish slaves. The 
  only constants a boggard can rely upon is the violence of 
  the hunt and daily veneration of Gogunta.
  Stalking the swamp and murky waterways provides 
  boggards with all they require to survive, and whatever 
  they find—from animals to use as food to supplies washed 
  upon the banks—they view as gifts from their demon 
  goddess. Very rarely do boggards hunt alone—a 
  salient point for outsiders unfortunate enough to 
  have to travel through their lands—a typical hunting 
  party comprising from four to seven boggards, led by 
  the most senior in their group. Such hunts track both 
  swamp beasts and those who trespass upon boggard 
  lands, making little distinction between the two other 
  than favoring pursuit of the latter. Relying on ambush 
  tactics, aided by the camouflage afforded by their earthy 
  hides, boggards can often surround and capture unwary 
  travelers, always preferring to take such prey alive to later 
  offer in their profane rituals. 
  Inside their village, dwelling in huts built on decorated 
  mounds of piled mud, boggards generally arrange 
  structures in an order that matches the clan’s loose 
  social hierarchy. All mounds are arranged around the 
  priest-king’s, with larger mounds closer in and smaller 
  mounds radiating outward. Sculpted to resemble figures 
  from myth and legend, boggards decorate larger mounds 
  with reeds, shells, pebbles, and animal bones. Beyond 
  the central mound of a priest-king, the other mounds 
  are themselves arranged along a very loose concept of 
  family, with a mound-ruling patriarch giving away 
  younger or distant family members to other mounds 
  for service or mating. This in effect creates something 
  of a mobile underclass that often shifts between mounds 
  with the ebb and tide of social rank between the various 
  mounds’ ruling families. While the members of this 
  underclass often possess less comfortable lives than their 
  more skilled and higher ranking peers, they often have 
  significantly more freedom to do as they wish since their 
  social status makes them largely unremarkable.
  
  61
  Ecology of the Boggard
  Ecology of the Boggard
  Often 
  maligned 
  as 
  uncivilized, 
  boggard 
  society 
  simply lacks the industrial base present in most human 
  and many non-human cultures to produce any refined 
  materials beyond those produced naturally. Their swampy 
  environments rarely provide the minerals needed for 
  alchemy or metalworking, and the lack of political unity 
  between various clans hinders trade and cooperation. 
  Metalwork, be it weapons, armor, tools, or jewelry, must 
  be brought into boggard possession by either trade or 
  pillage—typically the latter. Even when metal makes itself 
  available, boggards show little interest on a purely pragmatic 
  level, given that their environment proves ill suited to its 
  long-term use, rust and corrosion being common in their 
  marshes. Magical weapons fare better and as a result are 
  fiercely coveted, with the most powerful warriors and priest-
  kings invariably possessing one or more.
  Beyond what metals and glass might be appropriated 
  by raids or theft, most crafting materials common to 
  boggard life are grown locally or produced from the hide, 
  bone, sinew, and scales of local fauna. Most boggards 
  wear little clothing, their warty hides providing most 
  of the protection they require, with guardians and 
  hunters donning a patchwork of leather or hide armor 
  for their respective duties. Only the most powerful 
  decorate themselves with jewelry, such as carved stone 
  amulets, feathers, and polished scales. While the priest-
  king and his immediate cadre of guardians and advisors 
  are afforded the trappings of wealth and power, most 
  boggards are content to adorn themselves with patterns 
  of daubed and smeared mud that dry to a whitish tan 
  against their darker hides. Despite the crudeness of 
  boggard crafts, where garb for their leaders and religious 
  icons are concerned, they exhibit a flair for the grandiose, 
  with priest-kings often wearing crowns, mantles, and 
  accoutrements crafted generations ago and elaborated on 
  over the years into regal panoplies of bones, fetishes, and 
  imitations of royal wardrobes.
  Boggard rEligion
  Gogunta is the spiritual patron of boggardkind, the 
  immortal devourer of boggard souls, and, according to 
  her worshipers, their literal mother and racial creator. 
  From her realm of Mephizim she casts her protection 
  over those who feed her endless hungers for both the 
  souls of heretics—also known as all non-boggard races—
  and ever more unusual sacrifices. Of course, the patron 
  goddess of all boggards is not actually a proper divinity 
  at all. Rather, the corpulent Mother of Swamps ranks 
  among the demon lords of the Abyss, and one of the lesser 
  members of their fiendish ranks. The foul Frog Mother 
  dwells in a shared realm, her swamp of unimaginable 
  foulness floating above the vast depths of Ishiar, the 
  crushing Abyssal ocean of Dagon. Yet, despite her relative 
  weakness and myopic concerns over the cruel amphibious 
  life of the planes, Gogunta’s influence is such that she can 
  grant divine magic to those on the Material Plane who 
  pay her worship. Most boggards remain ignorant and 
  utterly uncaring of such distinctions between demon 
  lord and true goddess, genuinely worshiping her as their 
  race’s patron deity out of both tradition and fear.
  Each day, a clan’s priest-king leads two hour-long 
  croaking liturgies, one just before dawn and another 
  just as the sun sets. These pounding, dirge-like choruses 
  echo across the swamps and are often the first exposure 
  many have with the race, filling their heads with dire 
  images of just what their worship might entail. At each 
  appointed time, swamp grass and flowers are burned, and 
  the blood of small sacrifices are used to slowly extinguish 
  the flames. Weekly, boggards provide a blood sacrifice of 
  an intelligent humanoid, preferably from a rival race, but 
  as needed, potentially another boggard (of a rival clan, 
  or one of their own sick or previously exiled). Of course, 
  Boggard Variations
  Boggards prove quick to adapt, both culturally and 
  physiologically, to the challenges of their wetland 
  environments. In many areas this has led to boggards 
  developing distinct regional characteristics, some proving 
  wholly cosmetic, others granting whole tribes significant 
  advantages. Noted here are just a few variations documented 
  among boggards. Except where noted, this additional 
  abilities do not increase a boggard’s Challenge Rating.
  Camouflage (Ex) The boggard’s coloration grants it a +4 
  racial bonus on Stealth checks, increasing to a +8 bonus in 
  forest, jungles, or swamps.  
  Leap Attack (Ex) As a standard action, a boggard may make 
  a single attack during a jump. It can make this attack at any 
  point along the course of the leap—the start, the end, or 
  while in mid-air. While jumping, a boggard does not provoke 
  attacks of opportunity for leaving a threatened square.
  Poison Skin (Ex) The boggard secretes poison through its 
  skin. Any creature that comes in contact with the boggard—
  as part of an unarmed strike or to attempt a grapple—or 
  that is struck by the boggard tongue attack must make a 
  Fortitude save or be poisoned. The save DC is Constitution-
  based. The following save DCs apply to a standard boggard. 
  Poison skin increases a boggard’s CR by 1.
  Boggard Poison: Tongue or touch—contact; save Fort 
  DC 22, frequency 1/round for 6 rounds, effect 1 Dexterity, 
  cure 1 save.
  Sticky Limbs (Ex) The boggard produces a viscous film 
  along the pads of its hands and thighs. The boggard gains 
  a climb speed of 10 and a +4 bonus on CMB checks made 
  to grapple.
  
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  should quarry present itself, no priest-king turns aside 
  the opportunity to further curry Gogunta’s favor with 
  additional sacrifices.
  While divine magic is restricted to the priest-king and the 
  refined arts of wizardry are effectively unknown, sorcery is 
  valued and feared, both as a suggestion of being an unholy 
  gift from their patron Gogunta and as a threat to the status 
  quo as these individuals might come to rival the power of the 
  priest-kings themselves. Thus, boggard communities are 
  quick to react to any suggestion of sorcerous power, quickly 
  and often violently snatching such suspects away and 
  sequestering them in cramped huts, caves, or tiny enclaves 
  outside the village. There they are kept weak and hungry, 
  force-fed only the strange, dream-bringing blue dragonflies 
  holy to Gogunta and hearing only the daily rituals of the 
  tribe. After months of such treatment, the “unworthy” die 
  off, while survivors are brought before the priest-king. The 
  priest-king judges the captive’s faith, deciding whether 
  to kill him outright, return him to seclusion, or give him 
  the chance to rejoin the tribe as holy slaves to the priest-
  king. Those who accept live in a haze of dragonfly-fueled 
  delirium, serving the priest-king’s whims as sorcerous 
  enforcers and mad oracles whose blatherings are said to be 
  dreams for the goddess.
  crEation Myth
  According to the boggard priest-kings, when Golarion 
  was still forming, Gogunta rose from her reeking home 
  in Mephizim and seeded the world with her eggs, each 
  brimming with strange life of her own making. She spawned 
  these first glowing eggs in a divine act of parthenogenesis, 
  and from the greatest of these spilled the first mobogos. 
  Pleased with her creation she slumbered for thousands of 
  years. Upon awakening, Gogunta saw that the other gods 
  had seeded the world with creations of their own, and in 
  time they might drain the swamps for farmland and burn 
  away their forest-cover with flame if left unchecked. While 
  her mobogos were still favored, she spawned a second clutch 
  of eggs and thus created the boggards, still cast in her image, 
  but provided the same quickness to reproduce as the races 
  the other gods had granted their subjects. Yet when she 
  looked where to place her children, she saw that all but the 
  swamps were filled. Yet, confident in her creations’ ability to 
  raise wonders from the bogs, she set them amid the muck. 
  Countless aeons later, Gogunta stills waits for her children 
  to impress.
  Another legend claims that Gogunta was not always 
  a demon lord but began her life as a mobogo and was 
  elevated to her exalted status as a result of having lived a 
  mortal life spent slaughtering just the right creatures and 
  devouring just the right parts of their bodies—fueling 
  her own apotheosis by unnatural prescience. Contrary 
  to the boggard view of her origins, scholars believe more 
  likely she was a hezrou in service to Dagon (not precluding 
  having once been a mortal mobogo before becoming a 
  demon), and that she was ascended to her current status by 
  the demon lord of the sea. Bolstering the academic view, 
  Gogunta favors hezrous, and has been known to send them 
  to guard or even lead boggard clans.
  Boggard PriESt-KingS
  Cruel tyrants and mouthpieces of Gogunta, the Song of 
  the Swamp, priest-kings are both masters and slaves of 
  boggard culture. Priest-kings do not rise from among 
  lesser boggards, but are trained and abused from birth to 
  embody the savagery and zealotry their followers expect. 
  All eggs laid by a priest-king’s harem of wives are regularly 
  exposed to a slurry of blue dragonfly pulp, the psychotropic 
  properties of which cause death in nearly all young. Those 
  males who survive emerge into a life of violent luxury, 
  while females are quietly slain—propagating a racial lie 
  that priest-kings give birth only to strong male offspring. 
  These princelings receive constant coddling from their 
  harem of mothers and the best their brutish race has to 
  offer, yet also suffer being force-fed dragonflies to the 
  point of near-constant overdose and the regular violent 
  scrutiny of the existing priest-king. While the priest-
  king lives, his few offspring reside with his queens, 
  attending him only during the day’s religious ceremonies, 
  performing as acolytes and, in times of greatest hardship, 
  vaunted sacrifices. Upon the priest-king’s death, whether 
  by nature or more typically, violence, the eldest scion of the 
  departed priest-king attempts to assume the throne. Such 
  transitions usually prove tumultuous, as lesser scions 
  seek to fight their way to ascendency through unsubtle 
  assassination attempts. When one does manage to take 
  and hold the throne for a matter of days, he is accepted as 
  the new priest-king, with his first act of leadership often 
  being a mass sacrifice both to cement his rule and clear 
  his home of any remaining siblings and all who offended 
  him in his youth.
  Due to their lives of sloth and dragonfly-fueled haze, 
  boggard priest-kings often grow much larger than 
  their common kin. While some can only be told apart 
  by their adornments of rule, other priest-kings swell 
  to such prodigious sizes as to appear like some wholly 
  other amphibious monstrosity, moved from royal hut 
  to worship grounds by a host of slaves. Regardless of 
  their girth, boggard priest-kings have slightly different 
  statistics than their kin, noted below, and often have 
  levels in druid, cleric, or oracle. 
  •+2 natural armor
  •+4 Strength, +4 Constitution, +4 Wisdom.
  •Swamp Magic (Sp) While in the confines of a swamp, 
  a boggard priest-king can call on the following spell-like 
  abilities once per day: fog cloud, jump, and summon swarm.
  
  63
  Ecology of the Boggard
  Ecology of the Boggard
  rElationS with othEr racES
  Self-proclaimed lords of the swamps, marshes, and rivers 
  they occupy, boggards are by no means the only race to 
  inhabit their favored environment, and in many cases they 
  rank among the less powerful despite their claims to the 
  contrary. The swamps are dangerous places filled with 
  many predators and rival races.
  Black Dragons: True lords of the swamp, black dragons 
  find boggards nuisances and typically kill them simply 
  to keep their numbers down. Occasionally, though, they 
  might strike bargains with clans led by especially canny 
  and intelligent priest-kings, replacing Gogunta or local 
  mobogos as the focus of an entire tribe’s worship. Only the 
  presence of a patron hezrou makes for a legitimate threat 
  to a mature dragon.
  Lizardfolk: Of all their enemies, boggard clans come 
  into conflict with lizardfolk more frequently than with any 
  other. Due to both proximity in swamplands and racial 
  hatred of one another, any state beyond open warfare is a 
  rarity. Virtually all boggard clans will decorate the mound 
  of their priest-king with lizardfolk bones, and likewise 
  most lizardfolk villages sport impaled and broken boggard 
  skulls raised high in the air.
  Mobogos: Unholy heralds of Gogunta, said to be the 
  children of the demoness, mobogos are degenerate toad-
  like brutes revered by boggardkind. Related to boggards 
  in some blasphemous fashion—likely being demonically 
  tainted throwbacks to a time of even greater savagery—
  these creatures are often served by their lesser kin. 
  Although most prove less wise than boggard priest-kings, 
  their strength and place in the toadfolk’s mythology 
  see them treated as demigods and living conduits of 
  the goddess’s word. In truth, though, mobogos know 
  and care little of Gogunta beyond what they glean from 
  those who revere them, though they eagerly accept the 
  sacrifices they’re regularly offered. The cagiest priest-
  kings acknowledge the dull-wittedness of their supposed 
  prophets, learning to manipulate the powerful beasts to 
  serve their needs while using fear of the beast to control 
  their tribe. Boggards usually live in close proximity to the 
  caves and reeking dens mobogoes construct, but prove 
  wise enough to keep a distance from the easily irritated 
  and ever hungry beasts.
  Humans: While less commonly encountered than 
  lizardmen, humans do occasionally clash with boggards, 
  and when they do, it tends to be on a large scale. Usually at 
  the whims of ambitious priest-kings, boggard clans might 
  suddenly strike en masse on human settlements bordering 
  their homelands. Thankfully for both species, they’re 
  both prone to ignoring one another save when individuals 
  trespass beyond their traditional lands, with such losses 
  considered an acceptable price for maintaining peace.
  Dragonflies
  All boggard tribes breed a strange insect found only in 
  and around their communities: the swampseer dragonfly, 
  or merely, the “blue dragonfly.” Raised in captivity in 
  boggard villages, blue dragonflies are fed a sickening 
  slurry of rare molds, fatted insects, and boggard 
  secretions—including blood—thrown directly into pools 
  covered over with fine netting. While many dragonflies 
  escape into the wild, those that linger gradually grow 
  too fat to fly for more than a few moments, and even 
  then only in weird darting spirals suggestive of some 
  mental defectiveness. Although short lived—adults rarely 
  surviving for more than a month—blue dragonflies prove 
  highly fecund and just a few can turn into hundreds in 
  the span of weeks. Boggard priest-kings also hold some 
  secret means of creating blue dragonflies should their 
  tribe’s supply be destroyed, but whether this proves some 
  alchemical transformation, magical summoning, or the 
  will of Gogunta herself, no non-boggard can say.
  The value of blue dragonflies comes not from their use 
  as a food source, but rather as an entheogen. Producing a 
  potent toxin, any creature that consumes the body of one 
  of the insects is exposed to its dangerous effects, which 
  include a haze of wild, colorful visions—usually featuring 
  monstrous insects and amphibians. Boggard priest-kings 
  and others of their communities forced into religious 
  service frequently ingest a pulp made from these insects, 
  experiencing reality-blurring visions the most cunning 
  among them interpret as visions and prophecies from 
  their goddess, or simply inspiration to guide their own 
  goals under the guise of zealotry.
  Should any creature ingest a blue dragonfly, a slurry 
  made from its body, or anything tainted with such foulness, 
  treat it as being affected by the following poison.
  Swampseer Poison
  Type poison, ingested; Save Fortitude DC 18
  Onset 10 minutes; Frequency 1/minute for 3 minutes
  Initial Effect 1d4 Wis damage; Secondary Effect 1d2 Wis 
  damage and confusion; Cure 2 consecutive saves
  
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  The Spoils of Kings
  The Spoils of Kings
  ou see that skull over there? That was King Imec, or so he styled himself, 
  when he rode into the Kingdoms to seek a throne for himself. You’ve never 
  seen such pomp and fool heartiness—gems and gilt, banners and baubles 
  dripping off every ol’ thing in all the places they aught never be. He lasted a whole 
  four days, I’m told, before centaurs chased his men right into the thick o’ the swamps. 
  Some kobolds picked the slowest of them off along the way. The boggards and what’s 
  worse took care of the rest.
  “What’s that, now? You didn’t come here for history? Well, then. See this circlet 
  here? It was to be old Imec’s crown. They found it in… well, you don’t wanna 
  know that, do ya? The sword’s twelve gold shivs. Fifteen with the baldric. Hurry up 
  and decide, though. Dinner’s on.”
  —Thun Agurias, Pitax Merchant
  
  The Spoils of Kings
  The Spoils of Kings
  65
  The Price of a Throne
  The River Kingdoms are littered with the remains of petty 
  kings, would-be tyrants, and adventurers who thought 
  themselves worthy of more than what was within the reach 
  of their sword arms or spells. And though they did not 
  live to enjoy them, some of these heroes of old still guard 
  great treasures, held tight in bony fingers. As explorers 
  and would-be rulers again turn their attentions to the 
  Stolen Lands, stories and legends of such relics, in many 
  cases long forgotten, rise again, sparking 
  adventure-seekers’ lust for power and 
  treasure.  
  Legends and 
  Legacies
  The Stolen Lands have not known 
  a single, unified culture, much 
  less a government or civilization, 
  in any living memory. It is a place of 
  fey inhabitants, humanoid monsters, 
  bandits, 
  Numerian 
  barbarians, 
  and 
  adventurers who would be lords over the 
  region, to say nothing of the agents of Brevoy, 
  from whom the lands were “stolen” in the first place, and 
  who seek to reclaim the region for their nation. Given all 
  the various powers and creatures struggling for influence 
  and survival in the Stolen Lands, it’s no surprise that many 
  of them fail—and often, fail spectacularly. The remains of 
  these heroes litter the River Kingdoms, in the form of both 
  legends and the storied magical items that yet lie forgotten 
  in unmarked graves. Usually the stories surrounding the 
  rise or fall of legendary figures are wildly inaccurate, 
  but often there is enough of a kernel of truth—a name, a 
  famous battle, or a favored weapon—that evidence of such 
  happenings can still be found in the present day.
  What follows is an array of items that belonged to some 
  of these figures, along with the histories that accompany 
  them. As your players adventure through Kingmaker, you 
  may want to drop some of these items into their path, either 
  as rewards for their efforts or as tools to be used against 
  the party and then claimed in victory. Whether they’re 
  engaging in some of the side tasks for the Adventure Path 
  or pursuing goals of their own devising, any of these items 
  might make appropriate spoils for their efforts.
  Don’t feel constrained to these items, either. If you have 
  an item you’d like to introduce into the campaign but can’t 
  quite figure out a way to do so, just attach the name of 
  a legendary bandit or failed conqueror to the item. A +2 
  battleaxe might be fun, but the Axe of Vernok, named after a 
  warlord who centuries ago led a small band of warriors as 
  far eastward as Heibarr before he was finally defeated, has 
  both a history and a name, and perhaps even a long-lost 
  heir waiting to claim it back from the players.
  BLackwick cauLdron
  Not all witches come from Irrisen, and it would be foolish 
  for any resident of Golarion to believe that the witches of 
  other lands and traditions are any less powerful or capable 
  than those who descend from Baba Yaga. In the swamps of 
  the River Kingdoms, the followers of Gyronna often weave 
  themselves pots of flexible reed and cattail wicker, imbue 
  them with immunity to fire, and use them as cauldrons for 
  brewing, cooking, and divining.
  The blackwick cauldron is one such item, but 
  despite its association with worshipers of the 
  Angry Hag, its powers are far less malicious 
  than those of the witches, priestesses, and 
  madwomen who are said to use them. Indeed, 
  it’s entirely possible for good-aligned witches 
  to use the cauldron’s powers as well, but 
  with citizens of the River Kingdoms always 
  looking over their shoulders for Gyronna’s 
  faithful, such good-natured users get little 
  attention in local folklore.
  Rumors persist of more powerful versions 
  of the blackwick cauldron that enable even the 
  least powerful user to scry on her enemies, transform 
  creatures placed inside from one form into another, or even 
  use the cauldron as a portal to an extradimensional space. 
  While it is certain that some variations on the blackwick 
  cauldron exist, most scholars caution that it is the user, and 
  not the simple reed pot itself, that should be feared.
  Blackwick Cauldron
  Aura moderate divination and transmutation; CL 7th
  Slot none; Price 8,850 gp; Weight 3 lbs.
  DeSCriPtion
  Crafted from cattail wicker, rendered magically immune to 
  fire, and blackened by years of use, blackwick cauldrons are but 
  one variety of a number of similar items. Designed to aid in 
  the crafting of potions and admixtures, a blackwick cauldron 
  grants a +5 competence bonus on Craft (alchemy) checks and a 
  +5 bonus on Spellcraft checks to create magic potions with the 
  Brew Potion feat. Additionally, a cauldron allows a user to craft 
  multiple potions at a faster rate than normal. The user can craft 
  a single potion with a value of 300 gp or less in 2 hours and 
  can make any combination of potions totaling 1,200 gp or less 
  in value in a single day.
  In addition to its crafting uses, a blackwick cauldron can cast 
  identify once per day on an item placed inside of it.
  A blackwick cauldron can also be used as a focus or inexpensive 
  material component for spells of the divination school, such as 
  clairaudience/clairvoyance or prying eyes, as long as such focus or 
  material component has a cost of 5 gp or less.
  ConStruCtion
  requirements Craft Wondrous Item, identify, scrying; Cost 
  4,425 gp
  
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  chada’s harPoon
  Nearly a thousand years ago, the Kellid chief Chada 
  stalked the borders of Numeria, Ustalav, and the River 
  Kingdoms, followed by a loyal cadre of a dozen warriors 
  whom she kept as guardians, brothers, and—according 
  to some of the more scandalous stories—lovers. 
  Although many thought of her as little better than 
  a raider and a thief, Chada’s band had a strict code of 
  behavior and attacked no one who did not first offer 
  them offense, insult, or violence.
  Chada’s most famous acquisition 
  during her adventures was a chained 
  spear, which she called her harpoon 
  because of its ability to draw an enemy 
  toward her from great distance. She 
  believed it whispered to her, calling 
  her to the sea from whence it came. In 
  the end, this belief may have proved her 
  undoing, for it’s widely recorded that 
  the illustrious barbarian met her death 
  plunging from a cliff top into a rushing 
  river, having drawn a nearly unstoppable 
  enemy down with her in order to save her 
  men. From there, it’s believed that both 
  her body and that of her foe were eventually carried 
  downstream to the sea, leaving the harpoon waiting 
  on the river’s bottom for its next bearer, calling quietly 
  from the mud and muck in hopes that it will one day be 
  recovered—and perhaps lead yet another brave heroine 
  to her death.
  Chada’s Harpoon
  Aura moderate transmutation; CL 11th
  Slot none; Price 50,302 gp; Weight 2 lbs.
  DeSCriPtion
  This +2 keen returning spear is adorned with feathers and fur, as 
  well as with a bright steel chain that trails down from the top 
  of its haft. 
  On a critical hit, Chada’s harpoon lodges into the target’s 
  flesh or armor, and the wielder can choose to pull the target 
  toward him, reeling the victim in by use of the magically 
  extended chain. This functions as the pull universal monster 
  ability (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 303) with the following 
  exceptions. Compare the initial attack roll (instead of a new 
  CMB check) to the target’s CMD to determine success. Success 
  pulls the target 20 feet closer to the wielder. The wielder can 
  make additional attack rolls each round (instead of new CMB 
  checks) to pull the victim closer. Unlike the normal pull ability, 
  Chada’s harpoon can pull creatures of any size. Once the target 
  is pulled adjacent to the wielder, the bull rush ends. 
  ConStruCtion
  requirements Craft Magic Arms and Armor, keen edge, 
  telekinesis; Cost 25,302 gp
  crown of ash
  Some fey style themselves as chieftains or lords over others 
  of their kind, and these, like the kings and queens of other 
  races, require symbols of their status to display to those who 
  may not be initiated in their ways. The crown of ash is just 
  such a piece of regalia. Crafted to impress not merely the fey 
  of a particular court, but all those who might be visiting it, 
  a crown of ash is simple in its physical appearance. Its 
  magic, however, is quite powerful, coercing and 
  nudging witnesses’ minds and enhancing 
  the wearer’s own natural charisma.
  The last reported sighting of a crown of 
  ash by a non-fey being appears in the story 
  of Cheirt, an unassuming pixie who had 
  wandered from his home, flitting up 
  and down the countryside speaking to 
  flowers and otherwise keeping himself 
  out of trouble. When he returned home, 
  however, he found that his fellow fey had 
  been cruelly murdered. Following the 
  killer’s trail, he at last located the culprit, a 
  greedy human bandit named Enyso. Cheirt 
  discovered that the man’s goal had been to 
  claim the fey chieftain’s crown of ash, hoping to 
  use it to charm the nymphs and dryads he encountered 
  into acceding to his lecherous demands.
  Appalled by the very idea, Cheirt attacked, first with 
  sleep arrows, then with charm spells. It was a hard battle, 
  for Enyso was a sorcerer, but in the end Cheirt overcame 
  the murder and exacted the ultimate punishment, 
  slitting the man’s throat while he lay defenseless in 
  magical sleep. Enraged by the object that had caused so 
  much strife, Cheirt destroyed the crown of ash, and now 
  travels the woods and fields seeking out any other crowns 
  that remain, urging their wearers to destroy such focuses 
  for mortal greed—and taking matters into his own hands 
  if they refuse.
  Crown of Ash
  Aura strong divination and transmutation; CL 12th
  Slot head; Price 29,900 gp; Weight 2 lbs.
  DeSCriPtion
  This crown gives a +4 competence bonus on Charisma checks 
  and Charisma-based skill checks when dealing with creatures 
  of the fey type. When dealing with creatures associated with fey 
  but not fey themselves, such as gnomes, the wearer gains a +2 
  competence bonus on these checks.
  The wearer can speak, read, and understand Sylvan,  If the wearer 
  of the crown of ash is not a fey, he gains low-light vision, a +4 bonus 
  on saves against enchantment spells, and DR 5/cold iron.
  ConStruCtion
  requirements Craft Wondrous Items, comprehend languages, 
  eagle’s splendor; Cost 14,950 gp
  
  The Spoils of Kings
  The Spoils of Kings
  67
  sTaff of sToneweaving
  Named by its original creator, an inventive dwarf wizard by 
  the name of Zackna, the staff of stoneweaving was designed 
  as a means of allowing dwarves to better understand their 
  relationship to the stone beneath their feet, and to use 
  the rock as a tool rather than simply a home or 
  source of wealth. While it may have done just 
  that, in the generations since Zackna’s death 
  the staff of stoneweaving has instead become 
  the hallmark of eccentric individuals 
  with a penchant for stone-themed 
  spellcasting.
  One such individual was the 
  notoriously daring Unjack Threerock, 
  who found a staff of stoneweaving early 
  in his career and used its powers to 
  protect himself while attempting ever 
  more dangerous exploits, often employing the 
  stoneskin power of the staff to help him defeat monsters 
  well beyond his normal abilities. According to legend, this 
  series of adventures came to an abrupt end when Unjack 
  found himself trapped in a dragon’s lair and used the 
  statue spell, only to be placed underwater by the dragon as 
  it redecorated. He subsequently drowned when the spell 
  wore off.
  While it’s possible that Unjack’s staff still remains 
  undiscovered at the bottom of a dragon’s bathing pool, 
  additional examples of this item likely exist in far more 
  accessible locations.
  Staff of Stoneweaving
  Aura strong abjuration and transmutation; CL 13th
  Slot none; Price 63,180 gp; Weight 5 lbs.
  DeSCriPtion
  A staff of stoneweaving is a staff of rough-hewn obsidian with a 
  glowing ruby floating between the forked branches of its top 
  end. It allows the use of the following spells:
  •	 Spike	stones (1 charge)
  •	 Statue (2 charges)
  •	 Stone	shape (1 charge)
  •	 Stone	to	flesh (2 charges)
  •	 Stoneskin (2 charges)
  Additionally, the staff of stoneweaving acts as a +1	halfling	sling-
  staff. The staff creates its own ammunition—ruby sling bullets 
  which disappear after striking or missing their target. These 
  bullets are created by tapping the head of the staff against the 
  ground (a move action). The user cannot pick up bullets after 
  firing them or otherwise harvest them; at the end of the round 
  after a bullet is created, it disappears from existence.
  ConStruCtion
  requirements Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Staff, minor 
  creation, spike stones, statue, stone shape, stone	to	flesh, 
  stoneskin; Cost 31,430 gp
  emeraLd frog
  Figurines of wondrous power are common enough magic 
  items to scholars of the arcane and those well-
  versed in the wonders of spellcraft. Tales of 
  such items even fill the stories of common 
  folk, and over the ages, as they have passed 
  on their stories, others have learned of such 
  magic—sometimes to terrible ends. 
  According to some stories, the boggard 
  clans native to Hooktongue Slough in the 
  Stolen Lands have learned to craft a new 
  kind of figurine of wondrous power unique to 
  their people, an item known as an emerald 
  frog. They do this not just for the power and 
  intimidation these magical allies and servitors 
  can bring, but also to honor their demonic 
  patron, Gogunta. Some local folk with knowledge 
  of such things fear that an exceptionally powerful 
  boggard shaman might one day craft a figurine that can 
  be animated into a mobogo or froghemoth, but thankfully 
  that day has not yet come.
  Though the boggards appear to be the original inventors 
  of this variant figurine of wondrous power, its utility is in no 
  way limited to members of their race, and the created frogs 
  serve whoever wields the item. As a result, more than one 
  deep-swamp trapper or explorer has happily rifled through 
  the belongings of a slain boggard, hoping to add one of the 
  magical figurines to his own arsenal.
  emerald Frog
  Aura moderate transmutation; CL 8th
  Slot none; Price 7,000 gp; Weight 1 lb.
  DeSCriPtion
  This figurine of wondrous power appears as a small, innocuous 
  frog carved of cloudy emerald. On command, it transforms 
  into either a giant frog with the advanced template or 3 
  poisonous frogs—the user makes this choice at the time of 
  activation. The frog (or frogs) can be animated up to 3 times 
  per week, for a maximum total duration of 12 hours per week. 
  If the advanced giant frog is slain, the emerald frog cannot be 
  activated again for 1 full week. Each poisonous frog that is slain 
  in combat reduces the total duration that the figurine can be 
  activated for the week by 4 hours.
  Either the giant frog or the poisonous frogs can be used 
  as combatants or as small, unintelligent servant-creatures, 
  performing minor tasks or fetching small objects. The giant 
  frog can be used by Small or smaller creatures as a makeshift 
  mount, although it is not equipped with a saddle or similar 
  equipment, and its slick hide imposes an additional –4 penalty 
  on Ride attempts.
  ConStruCtion
  requirements Craft Wondrous Item, animate objects; Cost 
  3,500 gp
  
  68
  Part 4 
  of 6
  Part 4 
  of 6
  gorecLaw of Thercerrod
  A powerful druid and worshiper of Lamashtu, the twisted 
  man known as Thercerrod searched his whole life for 
  ways to become like the animalistic beings he attempted 
  to emulate. As he grew older, he spent more 
  and more of his time in animal form, 
  always seeking out new ways of 
  understanding hunting beasts and 
  adopting those traits they possessed—
  usually the violent ones— that he found 
  most admirable.
  After years of study, Thercerrod 
  finally stumbled upon a design for a new 
  magic item that would at last rid him of much of 
  his dependence on his human form, making him as 
  effective a combatant in his assumed forms as in the one 
  he was born to. This was the first goreclaw, and Thercerrod 
  not only donned it readily, but used strips of hide from his 
  latest kill to stitch the thing into his own flesh, to make 
  sure he’d never be parted from it. Considering himself to 
  have just achieved a major advance to his faith, he decided 
  to reward himself with a hunting expedition north into 
  the forests of Kyonin, after which he would take word of 
  his achievements to the rest of his cult.
  One night, as he stalked prey within the forest, 
  Thercerrod came upon a great stag. Both faith and an 
  animalistic hunger called on him to kill it, yet as he 
  leapt from hiding, he found himself transfixed by half a 
  dozen arrows fired by hidden hunters. The arrows struck 
  through him to hit the stag as well, and though it was 
  sorely wounded, the great hart carried him northward 
  across the West Sellen into the River Kingdoms, where 
  they both succumbed to their wounds and died, leaving 
  the goreclaw to be quickly hidden by falling leaves.
  Goreclaw of thercerrod
  Aura moderate evocation; CL 10th
  Slot hands; Price 23,305; Weight 1 lb.
  DeSCriPtion
  These leather gauntlets and bracers are trimmed, backed, 
  and studded with metal, and yellowed bear claws cap each 
  of the fingers. Although it incorporates metal, use of the 
  goreclaw does not violate a druid’s prohibition against 
  wearing metal armor.
  The goreclaw of Thercerrod is a +2 wounding spiked gauntlet. 
  If worn by a druid while wild shaping, the druid retains the +2 
  enhancement bonus and the wounding weapon property for any 
  natural claw attack she gains during the transformation. Any effect 
  that would improve or enhance such natural attacks suppresses 
  the magic of the goreclaw for the duration of the effect.
  ConStruCtion
  requirements Craft Magic Arms and Armor, bleed, greater 
  magic fang; Cost 11,500 gp
  moLvënn
  The Stolen Lands have many tales of conquerors and 
  warlords—most of them meeting ignoble ends—yet one 
  story even older than Brevoy itself still gets told around 
  campfires. This is the story of the barbarian champion 
  Aril and his famed warhammer, Molvënn. 
  Aril is believed to have fought his way eastward from 
  the Lands of the Linnorm Kings centuries ago, in search 
  of an oracle who would reveal the secret that would 
  allow him to claim his throne. As he traveled eastward 
  across Irrisen and the Realm of the Mammoth 
  Lords, down through Ustalav and Numeria, he 
  faced strange beasts and inscrutable opposition. 
  All this he had expected, but it was as though the 
  gods themselves had told these creatures to stand 
  in his way, preventing him from succeeding at 
  claiming his birthright. The shamans among 
  his ragged band of followers confirmed this 
  fact. Each time the fates thwarted him, Aril’s 
  anger and frustration grew, and with his 
  rage grew his power.
  By the time Aril reached the eastern 
  edge of Numeria, he had earned the name 
  Thousandslayer. It was there, standing alongside the 
  shining waters of the Sellen, that Aril realized the truth: 
  the oracle he sought was Molvënn, and the only secret he 
  needed was that of his own power. At the urging of his 
  shamans, he built a temple deep in the forest, and there 
  enshrined Molvënn, that its gifts might inspire heroes 
  throughout the ages. Then, armed only with his own 
  courage and strength, he turned back westward toward 
  victory and destiny.
  Molvënn 
  Aura strong necromancy and transmutation; CL 15th
  Slot none; Price 63,312 gp; Weight 5 lbs.
  DeSCriPtion
  This heavy warhammer is capped with steel spikes on both 
  ends of its massive head, and a leather thong prevents it from 
  falling from the wielder’s hand. Molvënn is a +3 warhammer that 
  deals both piercing and bludgeoning damage. Yet although 
  it is already a formidable weapon, its true potential is only 
  realized in the hands of a barbarian.
  Wielded by a barbarian, Molvënn becomes a +5 thundering 
  warhammer. The barbarian gains an additional 1 hit point per 
  barbarian level when raging and can add twice her Strength 
  modifier (instead of half again her Strength modifier) to 
  damage rolls while wielding Molvënn two-handed. Additionally, 
  while Molvënn’s wielder is raging, she cannot be disarmed, nor 
  can  Molvënn be sundered.
  ConStruCtion
  requirements Craft Magic Arms and Armor, blindness/
  deafness, rage; Cost 31,812 gp
  
  The Spoils of Kings
  The Spoils of Kings
  69
  PLumed manTLe
  For generations, the centaurs of the River Kingdoms have 
  made a pastime of shooting down great golden eagles with 
  blunted arrows, then training them as hunting birds in 
  order to pursue wolves and other big game. Occasionally, 
  however, a modern centaur is surprised to find that the 
  bird he has just brought down is, in fact, some foolhardy 
  mercenary with a feathered coat and magical ambitions far 
  beyond his ken.
  While it’s unknown where the first plumed 
  mantle originated—having literally fallen 
  out of the sky along with the first such 
  unfortunate victim—a few centaurs now 
  actively replicate and distribute the items. 
  Though largely uninterested in the ability 
  to fly, the centaurs are able to trade the 
  cloaks for hefty sums useful in procuring 
  items of more use to them, such as 
  magical horseshoes or handy haversacks. 
  Whatever deal they make, the centaurs 
  are traditionally unwilling to promise 
  safe passage to anyone who flies above 
  their lands; after all, such foolishness 
  is how the centaurs acquired the design 
  in the first place, and more than one 
  former customer has become an 
  unwilling supplier after failing to 
  heed a centaur’s warning.
  Plumed Mantle
  Aura moderate transmutation; CL 6th
  Slot shoulders; Price 39,550; Weight 
  —
  DeSCriPtion
  This simple woolen cloak is 
  trimmed across the shoulders with 
  the feathers of eagles and other raptors, and permits the user 
  to fly (as the spell) for a total of 30 minutes each day. These 30 
  minutes need not be consecutive, but each use of this ability 
  that lasts for fewer than 5 minutes reduces the daily limit by 5 
  minutes. While flying under the power of the plumed mantle, 
  the wearer has a +2 bonus on Fly checks, in addition to any 
  bonuses from speed or maneuverability.
  In addition to its powers of flight, the plumed mantle protects 
  its wearer with a continuous feather fall effect, and makes him 
  appear as a golden eagle to viewers on the ground. The wearer 
  can suppress either effect by force of will as a free action.
  While at a height greater than 40 feet, the wearer of the 
  plumed mantle receives a +2 competence bonus on Perception 
  checks involving vision or sight.
  ConStruCtion
  requirements Craft Wondrous Item, feather fall, fly,	minor	
  image; Cost 19,775 gp
  Quiema’s Branch
  Perhaps a century ago, tales began emerging from the Stolen 
  Lands of a dryad named Quiema, a fey creature of singular 
  courage, strength, and conviction. An accomplished 
  druid, Quiema was bonded to a tall oak near the center of 
  the Narlmarches. One day, while exploring the forest, the 
  dryad doubled over in pain. The tree, her home and friend, 
  had contracted a disease, and it—and she—would soon die 
  if she did not do something.
  Using her magic, Quiema awakened the oak, 
  giving it sentience so that together they could 
  figure out a solution. Yet to her surprise, 
  the oak did not despair over its fate. Since 
  it had no mind before the druid’s spell, it 
  reasoned that it had nothing to fear for 
  its loss; the tree would wither and die, 
  as all trees do, and rejoin the soil soon 
  thereafter.
  Before it did so, however, the tree 
  wished to see the river, and so it slowly 
  uprooted itself and began walking 
  toward the Sellen. As it went, it tore 
  free one of its branches and gave it to 
  Quiema, begging her to stay behind.
  From this branch, Quiema crafted 
  a powerful staff. She discovered that 
  with its aid, she did not need to bind 
  herself to a new tree, and continued 
  to defend her forest, extinguishing 
  fires and blunting axes, until she finally 
  despaired of life and passed from this 
  world. Her staff, however, remains 
  somewhere within the Narlmarches, 
  waiting for someone to take up the 
  dryad’s charge.
  Quiema’s Branch
  Aura strong abjuration, conjuration, and 
  transmutation; CL 15th
  Slot none; Price 72,750; Weight 2 lbs.
  DeSCriPtion
  This staff is crafted out of interlocking woods, woven together 
  and knotted with holly leaf and mistletoe, with a cloudy purple 
  gem resting atop it. Quiema’s branch allows the use of the 
  following spells:
  •	 Changestaff (2 charges)
  •	 Quench (1 charge)
  •	 Repel	metal	or	stone (4 charges)
  •	 Transmute	metal	to	wood (1 charge)
  •	 Tree	stride (1 charge)
  ConStruCtion
  requirements Craft Staff, changestaff, quench, repel metal or 
  stone, transmute metal to wood, tree stride; Cost 36,375 gp
  
  70
  Part 4 
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  Part 4 
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  Prodigal Sons: 4 of 6
  T
  hat could have gone better,” Phargas stated.
  I shrugged, stepping down the road a half day 
  from Jedda. “We have our wealth, our health, our 
  freedom, and a good story besides. What more could a 
  Pathfinder want?”
  “Food,” Phargas grumbled, “and a foot massage.”
  “You have me there, Phargas,” I laughed, “but you, old 
  man, will never be a Pathfinder.”
  He looked offended, then rolled his eyes. “Like you 
  are...”
  My companion grumbled, but it was to be expected. 
  He was older, heavier, and less favored in all ways than 
  I. Whereas I am Ollix Kaddar, sole heir to the throne of 
  Kadria, finest of the River Kingdoms, and a fine figure of a 
  man if I say so myself.
  And I do. ’Tis the duty of a Pathfinder to chronicle truth, 
  even if it seems immodest. And while I may not have been 
  formally accepted by the Pathfinder Society, such niceties 
  are immaterial. I have my wayfinder, I have my journal, 
  and I have had adventures that would set tongues wagging 
  and maidens blushing throughout the land.
  “We have no cause for complaint. We rescued a beautiful 
  woman from an unhappy marriage to a boor, and—”
  “We missed the boat,” Phargas finished.
  “Easily remedied.” I stepped onto a trail down to the 
  riverbank and a copse edging alongside. “The bards say 
  the finest way to see the Sellen is by raft, and I was raised 
  to expect the finest in life.”
  Unfortunately, while bards tell wondrous tales of 
  carefree vagabonds traveling by raft, they say very little 
  The Fifth River Freedom
  
  The Fifth River Freedom
  The Fifth River Freedom
  71
  about building one. I was stumped, or I should say, 
  stumpless. I had no means to fell trees and no skill with 
  which to fashion a raft once I did. My father raised me for 
  finer pursuits. But among these was making diplomatic 
  requests. “Perhaps you might use your priestly magic to 
  obtain us a raft, Phargas?”
  He shook his shaven pate wearily but did go over to a 
  willow. “Cayden Cailean provides,” he muttered, snapping 
  a withe and stripping the leaves. It looked a little small for 
  a raft, and forked, but it wasn’t me doing the magic.
   He took it in both hands and the far end began to twitch 
  like he had a fish on an invisible line. Muttering charms 
  or perhaps curses, he set off, stumbling through curtains 
  of willow.
  I followed a bit more carefully until we stepped onto the 
  bank of the Sellen.
  It wasn’t a raft so much as a small dock carried away 
  by floodwaters, two-thirds rotten and half-sunk in the 
  mud. Waterflowers grew through the cracks. I jumped to 
  it easily, keeping my feet dry, and walked to the sound end, 
  surveying the river.
  Phargas squelched up. “Anything else, your highness?” 
  he asked sarcastically.
  It was then I heard the whistling. Pipes and flutes 
  and warbling trills blended together into a harmonious 
  polyphony echoing off the banks.
  “No, this should do splendidly, Phargas.” I waited at the 
  end of the dock.
  My companion was not from the River Kingdoms and 
  so did not recognize the sound. I admit I relished his 
  expression as the dragon’s head hove into view, great jaws 
  agape, laughing like a linnorm ready to devour its meal.
  Sunlight glinted from the monster’s scales. This one’s 
  were a beautiful cornflower blue, and once it rounded the 
  bank, I could see that its name was indeed the Cornflower. 
  The prow cut the river, the calliope at the crown played, 
  and I waved the mask I’d kept from Jedda’s festival in lieu 
  of a hat.
  I looked at my companion, still laughing. “What, you 
  were expecting something less than one of the famed 
  pleasure barges of the Sellen?” 
  Phargas grumbled a reply, but I grinned. “Cheer up, old 
  man. As you said, Cayden Cailean provides. And he has.”
  Leaping to the boat was simplicity itself. I have danced the 
  Unicorn’s Charge, and a dock is nothing more than an ill-
  tended dance floor. Phargas, on the other hand, was less 
  adept, landing half in the Sellen and half out, clinging to a 
  towrope for fear of being left behind.
  Blue-liveried stevedores grabbed hold of the line. One 
  produced a gaffing hook and snagged the hem of the 
  priest’s robe. In this manner he was dragged onboard and 
  unceremoniously saved.
  “Old Hanspur nearly got you, yes?” the one with the 
  hook hissed with the atrocious accent of the swamps. “Give 
  sacrifice or old one take you yet...” He pointed to a shrine 
  tucked underneath a flight of stairs. The others nodded, 
  then left, pointedly averting their eyes.
  Phargas looked at the shrine dubiously. “Who’s 
  Hanspur?” As I said, he’s a priest, but not one from the 
  River Kingdoms.
  I jerked my head. “That’s Hanspur.” The icon sat in the 
  shadows, an old man with a long beard fashioned from the 
  inverted knee of a cypress. Upon his brow he wore a crown 
  of cattails, shadowing bog opal eyes. Like swampers, 
  Hanspur is everywhere in the River Kingdoms, but not 
  spoken of in polite company—or at all, for that matter.
  “What is the appropriate sacrifice?”
  I avoided the opalescent gaze but still felt a chill. 
  “Drowning someone.” One did not speak of Hanspur if 
  one could avoid it, but more important than that, one did 
  not lie before a god. Especially this god. My old nursemaid 
  Laraen had told me horrible tales of those who’d lied before 
  the eyes of Hanspur only to have his brides come up from 
  the depths in all their moss-green glory.
  Hanspur’s brides are something else the well bred do not 
  speak of if they can avoid it. The vulgar term them hags, 
  with skin the color of pond scum and hair like trailing 
  lichen, at least when not disguised as beauteous maidens 
  by means of their ensorcelments and charms. But not 
  wishing to offend the crafty beldames, most simply call 
  them Hanspur’s brides.
  Phargas looked at me, considering. “Your father would 
  never forgive me if you drowned,” he said at last.
  “My father is not the forgiving sort,” I agreed, glancing 
  to the idol. “Hanspur, however, has been known to excuse 
  those who escape his realm if they host a feast in honor of 
  his brides.” I paused. “That’s coming out of your purse, 
  otherwise it’s not a sacrifice.”
  The Third River Freedom is “Walk any road, float any 
  river.” While this mostly means that no lord can hold the 
  Sellen, it also means each riverboat is its own floating 
  fiefdom with its captain as king. The Cornflower’s captain, a 
  dwarf sporting the latest fashion in braids, was displeased 
  until he saw we’d brought money. Booking passage was less 
  expensive than arranging a feast, but soon enough, both 
  were settled and the captain was all smiles.
  Phargas was less so, his purse now empty, and mine 
  less half its weight. To make amends, I introduced myself 
  as Pathfinder Ollix, but gave my companion a grander 
  introduction, describing him as His Grace Phargas, former 
  Abbot of the Shrine of Desna in Cheliax, forced to flee by devil 
  worshipers. It was a story lifted from popular melodrama, 
  but it made clear what I wanted implied: Phargas was a man 
  of wealth traveling incognito, and I the same.
  
  72
  Part 4 
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  Part 4 
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  “I thought you’d never been out of Kadria before,” my 
  companion objected. We stood on the Festival Deck, the 
  edges strung about with Tian lanterns in blue, gold, and 
  white, giving the appearance of a string of unusually 
  tractable will-o’-wisps limned against the night sky—a 
  string, of course, being the proper collective noun for a 
  group of Hanspur’s night lights, or however else you wish 
  to term the demon’s lanterns. 
  “No,” I explained, “but sometimes the pleasure barges 
  dock there, and I know them well...”
  I should probably explain, as I did for Phargas: Nothing 
  on a Sellen pleasure barge is what it seems. What seems a 
  linnorm or river drake is in fact a boat. What appears to 
  be an ignis fatuous is merely a bit of rice paper and a tea 
  light. What seems like an unusually harmonious chorus 
  of shrieking mushrooms is in fact a keyboard attached to 
  a clever arrangement of whistles. And what seems a lovely 
  debutante or daughter of a merchant prince may very 
  likely be something else: a maid exchanging clothes with 
  her mistress, a tavern wench who pulled The Cricket, The 
  Peacock, and The Crows—the Three Center Keys—in a 
  Harrow lottery, an aged sorceress wearing charms to give 
  herself the seeming of youth, or even one of Hanspur’s 
  brides crawled up from the river, disguised as the fairest 
  maid of all. And, of course, there are always the resident 
  harlots for the guests’ enjoyment.
  As was the custom, the ladies were allowed first access 
  to the feast. Laid out on a snowy bier of boiled tubers and 
  hard-cooked eggs was one of the great Sellen sturgeons 
  known as Hanspur’s steeds, almost four ells long if it was 
  an inch. I have seen larger, but not many. This specimen 
  was beautifully cooked, its plates replaced with artful slices 
  of cucumber. Its eyes were carved radishes.
  The obsequious swampers came forward bearing jugs 
  brimming with green sauce such as my old nurse used to 
  make. Blended with cultured cream were nine sacred herbs: 
  three good—parsley, lovage, and chervil; three neutral—
  borage, dill, and salad burnet; and three evil—chives, cress, 
  and sorrel. Ground fine, they gave the appearance of pond 
  scum. As the sauce was poured down the sides, the sturgeon 
  looked as if it were rising from the Sellen itself.
  This recipe is also known to be irresistible to Hanspur’s 
  brides since, as old Laraen used to tease me, the sauce goes 
  just as well with children as it does with fish. But this was 
  the test: Which of the bevy of beauties lined up for the feast 
  would reveal herself by taking the first taste?
  Of course, green sauce is hard to resist even for those who 
  aren’t moss-colored beldames. Two slightly drunk halfling 
  twins ornamented with starred tiaras and gauze butterfly 
  wings in imitation of Desna, who either did not know the 
  custom or else were amazingly petite brides, went up and 
  began serving themselves, pronouncing it delicious.
  “Do you hear that?” said the fish. “I am delicious! 
  Eat me! Eat me or sacrifice yourself to Hanspur!”
  One of Desna’s barflies squealed and dropped her 
  fork. It clattered across the deck. The other picked it 
  up, then jabbed underneath the tablecloth.
  Two half-elven children—likely older than me—
  ran out, laughing, and with that, the rest of the 
  maidens descended on the banquet. And if Hanspur’s 
  brides were among them, who could tell?
  Other dainties were brought out as well: a roast swan 
  stuffed with a goose, stuffed with a duck, and so on with 
  a chicken, a pheasant, a partridge, a pigeon, a woodcock, 
  and finally a gilded hazelnut known as “the foolish lich’s 
  phylactery”; succulent cardoons (fancifully presented 
  as the frittered heart of a shambling mound); an effigy 
  of marchpane tinted, gilded, and silvered to be the very 
  image of The Rabbit Prince and his broken sword; and 
  even a brace of peacocks basted with saffron butter. They 
  reminded me of Laraen’s nursery story, how the peacock 
  tricked the cockatrice out of his beautiful tail, and why it 
  is thus unlucky to wear peacock feathers, for even a single 
  “Oaths or not, never 
  trust a leucrotta.”
  
  The Fifth River Freedom
  The Fifth River Freedom
  73
  eye from the stolen plumage can send the monsters into a 
  frenzied rage.
  Phargas loaded up a trencher, even having the temerity 
  to break off the gilded hilt of the Rabbit Prince’s sword (the 
  maidens having already made off with the tail and both 
  ears), but as he’d paid for this largesse, I wasn’t going to 
  begrudge him a bit of gold-dusted almond paste.
  I myself was partial to peacock, so had snagged a 
  wing as my right as Pathfinder. But with privilege come 
  expectations, and I found myself face-to-face with one of 
  the maidens. She had a lovely form and features so long 
  as you overlooked the horned hennin headdress and long 
  skirts commonly used to disguise the horns and the tail 
  of a tiefling. “So,” she said with the accent of the Chelish 
  aristocracy—another damning clue, likely one of Cheliax’s 
  devilborn bastards sent out on a grand tour in hopes that 
  she’d find a less discerning or more financially strapped 
  lordling and not come back—“you are a Pathfinder, yes?”
  “Indeed.” I nodded. “You may call me Ollix, milady.”
  “You may call me Belshabba.” Her brief smile revealed 
  small fangs and confirmed my suspicions of infernal 
  parentage. “I have a question, O Pathfinder: What do you call 
  more than one of those?” She pointed to the roast swan.
  I breathed a mental sigh of relief. Venery is a common 
  pastime among the aristocracy, and as such, I have 
  memorized a good number of collective nouns. Or at 
  least more than enough for flirtation purposes, since “the 
  venereal game” is also a euphemism for an even more 
  amusing pastime, and is in fact one of the reasons my 
  father kicked me out.
  I imagined his expression if I came back with a tiefling 
  bride, but knowing my father, he would simply sneer and 
  make some tart remark about me doing things by halves.
  That said, one of my few duties as heir had been to attend 
  to the annual swan-upping, an excuse to go boating, find 
  as many cygnets as possible, and nick their beaks with the 
  royal sigil of Kadria. As such, I knew the answer: “That is 
  a trick question, dear lady. On water, ’twould be a drift. In 
  air, a wedge, but on earth, a bank. Following that, while 
  any swanning is an eyrar, roasted ’twould be a banquet.”
  “But there is more than one type of bird there.”
  “Then ’tis either a flock, as ’twould be for any number of 
  birds, or, if it is to be considered one fowl, then a flight as 
  for chimeras.”
  She nodded, tapping one red fingernail to her lips, then 
  pointed to the crisped wing still in my hand. “And what 
  would more than one of that bird be?”
  “Two of any bird or beast is always a brace, milady.”
  “But more than two?”
  I wasn’t certain if she was propositioning me to disport 
  myself with herself and another tiefling, or if this was 
  simply more testing me as Pathfinder. “Well,” I said slowly, 
  “more than two peacocks are a muster.”
  “What if they were cockatrices?”
  I racked my brain. With all apologies to Hanspur’s 
  green-faced brides, I knew it was a coven of hags but a 
  covey of quail, a cete of badgers but a deceit (or pack) of 
  leucrottas, and a pride of lions but a shame or cult of 
  lamias. But cockatrices? “Well, were it a basilisk, ’twould 
  be a colony...”
  “If it were a basilisk, there’d be eight drumsticks and 
  we’d stuff it with royal morels so it would shriek for the 
  Feast of Asmodeus.” She laughed lightly. “But cockatrices, 
  O Pathfinder?”
  I have to admit I was momentarily stumped. 
  “It would be another trick question, as a flock of 
  cockatrices is simply a flock,” said Phargas, sweeping 
  forward.
  Belshabba laughed. “I take it you are Ollix’s senior 
  Pathfinder?”
  “Nay, milady,” Phargas said quickly, “merely a humble 
  cleric of Irori, Master of Masters, Bringer of Knowledge, 
  and Keeper of all History that is, was, and is yet to be.”
  “Not so humble if you could host this banquet,” she 
  pointed out.
  “Render unto Hanspur what is Hanspur’s, and when in 
  the River Kingdoms, do as the Sellenese do.” He laughed 
  like a man who’d spent his last copper on a lavish feast. 
  “Besides, I have no desire to be devoured by a swamp god’s 
  green-toothed brides.”
  “Oh?” she said. “What about a humble daughter of 
  Asmodeus?”
  I was uncertain whether to be relieved at escaping a 
  tiefling gold-digger or slighted at being passed over for 
  someone older, uglier, and in all ways less favored than 
  myself. I suppose it was a bit of both. But I took some 
  small satisfaction in knowing that, apart from a feast and 
  a diddling, there was nothing more Belshabba was likely 
  to get from my traveling companion.
  I was also intrigued. My friend Phargas changed which 
  god he said he worshiped more often than he changed 
  hose—which from what I’d seen was never, as he simply 
  prayed for them to be washed and dried without the usual 
  step of taking them off first. I was beginning to suspect 
  he in fact worshipped none of them, and while likely not a 
  cultist of Hanspur—his unfamiliarity with the forbidden 
  god of the Sellen more than enough clue there—he was 
  likely priest of some foreign god no one spoke about in 
  polite company either, even if you got the appropriate 
  ambassador exceedingly drunk and then had courtesans 
  ply their trade.
  I knew because I’d heard my father ranting about this on 
  more than one occasion.
  However, just because Phargas was not a cultist of 
  Hanspur did not mean there weren’t others, since it is 
  said old opal-eyes grants absolution in advance for those 
  
  74
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  who sacrifice early, and not everyone can afford sturgeon 
  with green sauce. Pushing someone else into the Sellen, 
  however, especially a drunken sybarite leaning on the rail 
  of a pleasure barge?
  I insinuated myself into countless conversations, using 
  all my wit and charm to tease out stories of mysterious 
  disappearances, tragic drownings, even outright sacrifice. 
  However, from everything I was able to gather, Phargas’s 
  half-dip in the Sellen and feast in honor of Hanspur’s brides 
  was the closest anything came on the Cornflower to forbidden 
  cults. Those from the River Kingdoms thought Phargas’s 
  propitiation only common sense, while those from outside 
  found the whole business quaint and charming.
  There are many words to describe the Drowning King, 
  but these are not the ones.
  It was then I realized there was something missing. 
  “Where are the children?”
  I had seen some about earlier, taking treats and 
  sweetmeats, threatening to topple what was left of the 
  Rabbit Prince as they tore off his lucky left foot, in general 
  getting underfoot and doing all the things noble and 
  wealthy children do at court. But now they were gone. And, 
  as old Laraen told me, just as cygnet is finer meat than 
  swan, so is it with humans, halflings, and all the others: 
  Hanspur’s brides find them more toothsome young. “The 
  children?” I asked again, to the crowd at large.
  “Oh,” said one the drunken Desna devotees, “they’re in 
  the hold watching the puppet show. They wouldn’t miss it 
  for the world.”
  The children’s hold was illuminated by magical torches 
  with smokeless flame. Rows of benches were affixed in 
  front of a blue-and-white-striped puppet theater, and 
  transfixed in the former and by the latter were a multitude 
  of uneaten children of every civilized race.
  The proscenium arch framed a beloved scene: Nella 
  the rogue, Baby Zora the mandragora, and Grizzlebane 
  the wicked leucrotta, who was in the process of eating a 
  rolling pin.
  I stood transfixed myself. It was a Clever Nella show!
  “You’re out of weapons, girl!” declared Grizzlebane. 
  “Now give me the baby and I won’t eat you!” His hinged 
  badger head was painted wood, as were his gangly stag 
  legs, but his lion’s torso and tail were stitched from tawny 
  rabbit fur. He was a beautiful puppet and spoke with the 
  classic voice for Grizzlebane: a cultured courtier with just 
  the hint of a hyena’s mad laugh.
  “Swear it?” asked Nella. She looked like a human rogue 
  forced to dress as a kitchen wench, which is exactly what 
  she was.
  “I swear it on my mother’s heart,” laughed Grizzlebane.
  “Your mother’s Lamashtu,” Nella countered. “The 
  Demon Queen has no heart!”
  “Touché,” said Grizzlebane. “What if I swear it on the 
  Sixth River Freedom?”
  “That’s ‘You have what you hold,’” said Nella. “I’ve got 
  a baby.” She swung Baby Zora by the hem of her gown, 
  walloping the leucrotta over the head.
  The mandragora shrieked, as did the children in the 
  audience, but the latter with laughter.
  “Ow!” yelled the leucrotta. “Is that baby made out of 
  wood?”
  “Maybe,” said Nella, smacking him again. “She has a 
  very hard head.”
  “Ow!” wailed Grizzlebane. “Then the First River 
  Freedom?”
  “Wrong again!” Nella smacked him with Baby Zora a 
  third time.
  “Children,” begged the leucrotta. “Have pity on a poor 
  monster! Which freedom is it?”
  The children suggested one then the other, always the 
  wrong freedom until at last the leucrotta did the math 
  through his concussions and came up with the Second 
  Freedom—“Oathbreakers die”—a lesson driven home in 
  the first act when Nella swears to repay the Great Ga’zard, 
  a gnomish wizard, for a timely teleport, only to find that, 
  rather than gold or other services, what he really wants is 
  a housekeeper, since it’s hard for the Great Gizzard to find 
  help who won’t quit. But an oath is an oath, and the Second 
  River Freedom is the only way around the Fifth—“Slavery 
  is an abomination”—for while you cannot be sold into 
  slavery in the River Kingdoms, you can willingly swear 
  yourself into indentured servitude.
  Nella then battles Tor Whitemane, an Aasimar paladin 
  who is stupid to the border of delusional; Tor’s long-
  suffering steed, Jenny the Burro (who Tor insists is a white 
  palfrey); and Lily or “Pickle Lily,” an elven sorceress who 
  was a great beauty in her day, but whose day is centuries 
  past, and who is angling for the horrified Ga’zard as her 
  latest husband. Nella plays matchmaker for Lily and 
  Tor, then maid of honor at their wedding, which mostly 
  consists of Pastor Jackal, a gnoll cleric, and Nella beating 
  each other over the head with a bishop’s crozier and the 
  bride’s bouquet respectively. Then Nella finds her contract 
  transferred as a nuptial gift. She’s forced to babysit Baby 
  Zora, Pickle Lily’s spoiled mandragora familiar, which 
  only Tor believes is a real baby. Or rather, only Tor and his 
  arch-nemesis, Grizzlebane the leucrotta.
  Which was the scene where I’d walked in. I took a seat 
  and watched as Grizzlebane ate the shrieking Baby Zora 
  then coughed up the baby bonnet and gown, for as is 
  well known, a leucrotta cannot digest anything that is 
  not flesh.
  “That didn’t taste like any baby I’ve ever eaten...”
  “That’s because it was a baby mandragora! A mandrake 
  root soaked in demon blood!”
  
  The Fifth River Freedom
  The Fifth River Freedom
  75
  “You ate a vegetable!” I called out from the back row and 
  the children took up the taunt: “You ate a vegetable! You 
  ate a vegetable!”
  “A poisonous vegetable!” Nella agreed. Grizzlebane, 
  horrified and sickened, proceeded to vomit up the rolling 
  pin, the mop, the broom, and the carpet beater. Nella 
  caught the last, beating the sickened leucrotta offstage as I 
  laughed and laughed.
  The rest followed the familiar script: Next came Giddy 
  the goblin clown, perpetually late to the baby-eating 
  party. Nella beat him until he put on Zora’s gown and 
  bonnet, then presented him to Tor, returning from his 
  honeymoon, with the classic line: “And look how she’s 
  grown!” Tor rewarded Nella by releasing her from her 
  contract, pronouncing her a fellow paladin, and giving 
  her his holy sword. Finally, the Devil appeared, trying 
  to get Nella to sign another contract, but our heroine 
  had had enough, repeating the first and foremost River 
  Freedom—“Say what you will, I live free!”—while beating 
  him over the head with Tor’s sword.
  “This will never play in Cheliax!” yelled the Devil, an 
  amusing line I’d not heard before.
  But soon enough, Nella beat him to death, crying out 
  her final line: “Huzzah! Huzzah! The Devil’s dead! Now 
  we can all do as we like!”
  A little black dog in a harlequin suit ran out the 
  puppet theater’s front flap with a basket in his teeth to 
  collect the children’s tips. I saw all manner of gold and 
  trinkets thrown in, even the marchpane left foot of the 
  Rabbit Prince, but it was another foot that paralyzed me 
  with horror: a cloven one visible just before the blue-
  and-white-striped cloth fell back down. The puppeteer 
  was a devil!
  My father told me to make something of myself, and 
  though never the best student at the blade, I had been 
  trained. While the children might have nothing to fear 
  from Hanspur’s brides, the heir of Kadria wasn’t about to 
  stand by while a devil preyed on children.
  At least that’s what I thought. It was like a puppet show: 
  I found myself walking forward, stepping past children, 
  pulling aside the curtain behind the proscenium 
  arch. Then I cried out, my shock and horror turning 
  to confusion, then back to horror as I revealed not the 
  sinister horned head of a devil, or even the ghastly green 
  visage of one of Hanspur’s brides, but the head of a large 
  badger with a mummified hand on a golden chain around 
  its neck. Looking past, I saw the body of a lion and the 
  legs of a stag. The puppeteer was not a devil or a hag, but 
  a monstrous leucrotta!
  “Would you mind?” the beast said dryly, in the same 
  slightly mad but cultured voice he had used for the 
  puppet Grizzlebane.
  I found my voice. “Stand back, children! It’s a leucrotta!”
  “Look everyone!” The Clever Nella puppet floated in the 
  air. “A wealthy prat!”
  “I’m a Pathfinder!”
  “The two are not mutually exclusive,” said the Devil, 
  alive again, dancing on the tip of the leucrotta’s lion tail. 
  “Daddy bought you a wayfinder, did he?”
  It was then that I felt something hot and wet running 
  down my leg. I looked. The little dog with the basket was 
  lifting his against mine.
  The children all laughed—human, halfling, gnomish, 
  even the half-elven brats who’d been playing under the 
  buffet. I felt a hot blush steal into my cheeks, but I knew 
  noble children, having been one myself. They soon tired 
  of my humiliation and left to find other amusements, 
  leaving me with my shame, the dog, and the monster in 
  the puppet show.
  “So,” said the leucrotta, ducking out under the flap. 
  “Lord Ollix of Kadria, I presume?”
  It was a great beast, but moved with the stiffness of age. 
  I felt compelled to look at it as it spoke. The last thing you 
  want is a leucrotta to know your name, for it gives it power 
  over you. But at this point, I knew there was no use in lying. 
  “How did you know who I am?”
  “I have an excellent ear for both accents and gossip,” 
  the leucrotta explained. “I hear the rounded vowels of the 
  Kadrian court, and I’ve heard its lord has kicked out his 
  only heir...”
  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m at a loss. I don’t know your name.”
  “Nor shall you.” The monster grinned, revealing black 
  gums and long razor-sharp ridges of bone. “But for stage 
  purposes ‘Professor Grizzlebane’ has sufficed.”
  “Erm snuffles,” said the dog, in a voice that was more 
  growl than speech.
  “Snuffles?” I repeated. First a leucrotta, now a talking 
  dog named Snuffles?
  “Shuffle,” Professor Grizzlebane corrected. “Shuffle the 
  Harrow-Reading Dog, my oldest friend here. ” He looked 
  to the little dog, which sat up and panted expectantly. 
  “Shhhh...” the leucrotta enunciated precisely. “It’s 
  pronounced with front teeth gritted, like baring them at 
  something who wants your kill.”
  The dog’s teeth showed briefly beneath his whiskers. 
  “Wuffle!” He then looked in the basket, wagged his tail, 
  and yapped.
  “No, you may have it,” said Professor Grizzlebane. “I 
  don’t care for marchpane.”
  Shuffle the Harrow-Reading Dog began happily gnawing 
  the left foot of the Rabbit Prince while the leucrotta 
  turned back to me. “You must pardon my friend’s diction. 
  Speech does not come naturally to his breed.” He paused, 
  then added, “And do not fret yourself. Just as I don’t care 
  for marchpane, I’m too old and wise a leucrotta to eat 
  mandrake babies either.”
  
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  “What do you mean?”
  “Simply think,” scolded Professor Grizzlebane. “I don’t 
  expect your father holds any love for you, but were his 
  heir to die, would he avenge that death, if just to keep up 
  appearances?”
  The beast was trying to get inside my head, twisting its 
  word around my feelings, for while leucrottas are known 
  to relish the kill, what they truly savor is tormenting 
  their victims with every imaginable cruelty. “You lie, 
  leucrotta!”
  The monster laughed. “Perhaps. Perhaps your father 
  despises you so much he would not even use your corpse 
  as a political chit, refusing to shed even a single crocodile 
  tear over something he truly regards as a tragic mistake. 
  Who am I to say?”
  Half of me wanted to say my father loved me, which I 
  knew to be untrue, and the other half wanted to say my 
  father hated me, but not so much that he’d spite his own 
  ambition, which was probably closer to the truth. But 
  mostly I was torn, and I hated Professor Grizzlebane like 
  I hated my old tutor Doctor Birkaius because he made 
  me think.
  “Or perhaps you ran away,” opined the leucrotta. 
  “Perhaps your father tired of courte—”
  “If I tell the truth, will you stop the speculation?”
  “Everyone wants something, little lordling. What would 
  you wish in exchange?”
  “You tell me your tale, I’ll tell you mine.” I stated the 
  bargain as plainly as I could. “How does a monster 
  known to eat children end up on a Sellen pleasure barge 
  performing ‘Clever Nella’ for their amusement?”
  The leucrotta grinned. “Did you watch the show?”
  “Yes, but I—”
  “Well then,” said the old leucrotta, “quote for me the 
  Second and Fifth River Freedoms.”
  Professor Grizzlebane’s tale was simple yet interesting: 
  When he had grown too old to lead his pack, he had gone 
  off to die, a lone leucrotta, content to indulge in whatever 
  petty cruelties Lamashtu sent his way until the Mother 
  of Monsters granted him the final cruelty and the final 
  kindness. Instead, she sent a leucrotta’s worst nightmare: 
  laryngitis. Thus afflicted, he was trapped, beaten, and as 
  one last indignity, mistaken for a base crocotta and sold 
  to the Cornflower’s menagerie, an error akin to mistaking a 
  naked gnome for a mangy monkey.
  But as is said, even a leucrotta may quote the law. Once he 
  recovered his voice, Professor Grizzlebane did: specifically 
  the Fifth River Freedom, that slavery is an abomination. 
  While his owner was wise enough to invoke the Sixth—you 
  have what you hold—Professor Grizzlebane compromised 
  by invoking the Second: oathbreakers die. While wise 
  enough to avoid indentured servitude, he swore to work 
  for the Cornflower’s betterment and to not devour, kill, or 
  even harm any of her crew or passengers.
  Of course, while this remained true in the literal sense, 
  in the figurative, he was eating us alive, partnered with 
  Shuffle the Harrow-Reading Dog for high-stakes Towers 
  two days later.
  Shuffle riffled the cards, and I still have no idea how 
  little black dog paws could manipulate pasteboard 
  so dexterously. We were playing Towers of Sellen. 
  Unfortunately, this was not Towers as Phargas knew it, so 
  my partner had not only lost the stakes I’d lent him, but 
  most of the money I’d wagered besides.
  Phargas and I played The White Tower, Shuffle and 
  Grizzlebane The Black. The Black Tower currently led, 
  having captured the neutral cards that flowed down 
  The River many times, as the marks on the score sheet 
  mutely attested.
  I discarded two cards and gestured for Shuffle to hit 
  me. Little black nails flipped me a brace. I moaned: The 
  Fiend and The Snakebite again. They kept coming to me 
  hand after hand, and when playing The White Tower, evil 
  was evil.
  “Ah, The Fiend again, young Ollix.” Professor 
  Grizzlebane chuckled. “Are you certain that is not your 
  papa in the picture, devouring his own child?”
  “I think it’s you, Professor Grizzlebane. You’re the only 
  child-eater here.”
  “Tch!” The old leucrotta made a disparaging noise. 
  “Leucrottas do not devour their young. And the little ones 
  here? I feel like they’re my own cubs: their cruel little eyes, 
  their gleeful appreciation of torture, the bad advice they so 
  freely give. Really, what’s not to love?”
  I should have considered it earlier, but the leucrotta’s 
  talent for getting under one’s skin made him an excellent 
  Harrow player.
  “And 
  The 
  Snakebite,” 
  Professor 
  Grizzlebane 
  continued. “Perhaps the cards are trying to warn you? A 
  false friend, perhaps?” His crafty eyes flicked to Phargas, 
  then back. “Or mayhap an ungrateful child? That’s the 
  classic omen.”
  If I’d begotten an ungrateful bastard somewhere, I’d 
  hardly be surprised, but as any of mine could scarcely be 
  out of swaddling clothes, I wasn’t worried. The envenomed 
  dagger worn by the faceless assassin, however? There 
  could be no clearer omen for the Daggermark Poisoners 
  Guild. “Maybe we should just play the game, Professor 
  Grizzlebane?”
  “Of course,” said the leucrotta. “Care to raise your wager 
  or should we just call it now?”
  Towers of Sellen is played with one’s wealth on the table, 
  and you aren’t allowed to wager more than you obviously 
  have. If we lost this hand, Phargas and I would be destitute. 
  But I still had one bit of wealth visible. “Would you accept 
  
  The Fifth River Freedom
  The Fifth River Freedom
  77
  this?” I asked, placing my wayfinder on the table. The 
  magic compass glittered in the lantern light.
  “What say you, Shuffle?” the leucrotta asked his partner.
  “Woof!” declared the Harrow-Reading Dog, wagging 
  his tail.
  “Well then,” said Professor Grizzlebane. “We accept. 
  But since we are now open to items of magic, you know 
  this is worth twice that.” The mummified hand the aged 
  leucrotta wore as a necklace uncurled two digits. It was 
  a grisly thing, the hand of an elven mage, but it let him 
  manipulate puppets and even deal cards. Without it, he was 
  merely a very clever magical beast. “You will understand if 
  I do not remove the talisman until the game is complete, 
  but I assure you, it is on the table.” He grinned again. “But 
  now, if you cannot see my wager, you must fold and forfeit, 
  no matter how good your hidden cards might be.”
  Phargas looked at his. Of the ones he had face up, only 
  The Wanderer, the card that portended a Pathfinder, did 
  us any good. But Phargas glanced to me, nodded, then 
  turned to the leucrotta. “We do not fold.”
  “Oh?” asked Professor Grizzlebane. “What do you wager? 
  Another wayfinder, mayhap?”
  Phargas’s eyes narrowed. “I wager 
  my service. A gold a day, or at standard 
  rates for more hazardous duties. 
  Enough to make up the difference. As 
  this is the custom, you must allow it, so 
  call the cards.”
  “If you’ll allow, I’d like to do the same, 
  enough to take this back.” I placed my 
  hand on my wayfinder. I did not wish 
  to make Clever Nella’s bargain, but I 
  am the heir of Kadria, and I would be 
  damned before I let myself be upstaged by 
  an aging priest.
  Professor Grizzlebane glanced to Shuffle, 
  then nodded. “Done and done. Let us 
  call it.”
  The White Tower goes first. I had 
  nothing, but Phargas revealed his 
  cards: The Hidden Truth and The 
  Joke combined with The Wanderer 
  already showing, giving us the 
  Three Good Books. But more than 
  that, they not only gained control 
  of 
  The 
  Inquisitor 
  and 
  The Vision, which had 
  previously been floating 
  unclaimed in The River, 
  but also transmuted The 
  Snakebite from baleful to 
  beneficent and captured The 
  Rakshasa from Shuffle’s up cards, 
  multiplying the points for the set—Seven of Nine Books, 
  scored for The White Tower. Combined with the other 
  good cards, it could be enough for us to win, assuming 
  The Black Tower had no eleventh-hour treachery.
  Shuffle turned his cards first. Two unmatched Evil cards, 
  then The Cyclone, which magnified The Fiend before me, 
  but not enough to outweigh the good there was before 
  Phargas. But then Professor Grizzlebane grinned. His cards 
  turned over one by one. The Foreign Trader appeared in 
  The River, completing the set of the Three Neutral Books 
  and raising our score. But then The Idiot, the last of the 
  Three Evil Books, robbed us of all the Books so far, raised 
  the score, and put all eighty-one points in contest.
  With what was showing, The White Tower and The 
  Black Tower were matched, the game balanced on The 
  Rabbit Prince’s broken sword.
  But the last card had not tipped. If it was good, or even 
  the right neutral or evil, it could hand us the hand—even 
  the mummified one around Professor Grizzlebane’s neck.
  The final card flipped over: evil. And not just any 
  evil, but The Beating. The card showed a man 
  assaulted on all sides, ghoulish hands 
  rising up from the ground. It completed 
  the set of the Three Evil Hammers 
  and claimed the Nine Books. The 
  Black Tower had won.
  The final card rose in the 
  air, manipulated by the 
  hand of the mage around 
  the wily old leucrotta’s neck. 
  “It appears you shall have 
  a beating in your future 
  as well as your present, O 
  Heir, though I predict this 
  one will be a good bit more 
  physical.”
  “What, are you a Varisian 
  fortuneteller now, in addition to 
  a Clever Nella puppeteer?” I did 
  my best to sneer as I clutched my 
  wayfinder.
  “Hardly.” Professor Grizzlebane grinned, 
  showing his black gums and razor-
  sharp ridges of bone. “I merely know the 
  Cornflower’s next stop is the Toll Tower of 
  Tymon. And Tymon’s lord is fond of his 
  gladiator pits.” He laughed like 
  a jackal. “And just 
  because I’m too wise 
  to eat a mandrake 
  baby doesn’t mean 
  that there isn’t an idiot 
  somewhere who will.”
  “How does  
  he do that?”
  
  78
  Part 4 
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  Part 4 
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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
  O
  ne night while drinking with the hearty 
  people of Kirya—their suspiciousness 
  dispelled by our honest enjoyment of 
  their honeyed nalewka—we heard it called Varlet 
  Well and the Devoted Drown. Their stories say 
  that long ago, by her father’s greed, a local beauty 
  came to be betrothed to a despicable old man. 
  Rather than feel his clutches, she stole her own 
  dowry and offered it to the god of the pool if he 
  would save her from her fate. The wicked spirit 
  agreed and bid her cast herself into his waters, 
  where she promptly drowned. They say that ever 
  since then, the maiden has sobbed, filling the pool 
  with her tears, and has offered her hand to any 
  man who nears, pulling him in to join her in death. 
  Tomorrow, I would meet this maid myself.
  —From The Record of Truan Iolavai
  
  Bestiary
  Bestiary
  79
  The Slough Random Encounters
  Hills 
  Lake/River 
  Plains 
  Swamp 
  Encounter 
  CR 
  Source
  — 
  — 
  — 
  1–6 
  Quicksand 
  — 
  Core Rulebook 427
  1–6 
  1–8 
  1–3 
  7–10 
  1d4 constrictor snakes 
  4 
  Bestiary 255
  7–15 
  — 
  4–11 
  11–13 
  2d6 zombies 
  4 
  Bestiary 288
  16–25 
  — 
  12–20 
  14–15 
  1 basilisk 
  5 
  Bestiary 29
  26–39 
  9–21 
  21–36 
  — 
  1d6 elk 
  5 
  Pathfinder #31 80
  — 
  22–27 
  — 
  16–17 
  1 ahuizotl 
  6 
  see page 80
  40–48 
  — 
  37–47 
  — 
  1 ettin 
  6 
  Bestiary 130
  — 
  28–35 
  — 
  18–22 
  2d4 giant leeches 
  6 
  Bestiary 187
  — 
  36–42 
  48–52 
  23–30 
  2d6 boggards 
  7 
  Bestiary 37
  49–53 
  — 
  53–55 
  31–35 
  1d6 calathgars 
  7 
  see page 84
  — 
  — 
  — 
  36–43 
  Camouflaged spiked pit trap 
  8 
  Core Rulebook 421
  54–61 
  43–46 
  56–62 
  44–47 
  1 dark naga 
  8 
  Bestiary 211
  — 
  47–53 
  — 
  48–53 
  1 giant slug 
  8 
  Bestiary 254
  — 
  54–63 
  — 
  54–59 
  1d6 swamp eels* 
  8 
  Bestiary 119
  — 
  — 
  — 
  60–62 
  3 green hags 
  8 
  Bestiary 167
  62–65 
  — 
  — 
  63–66 
  1d6 basidironds 
  8 
  Bestiary 28
  — 
  64–69 
  — 
  67–71 
  2d8 bog striders 
  8 
  see page 82
  66–72 
  — 
  63–71 
  72–74 
  1d4 dracolisks 
  9 
  Bestiary 170
  73–78 
  70–77 
  72–76 
  75–77 
  1 nuckelavee 
  9 
  see page 88
  79–87 
  78–84 
  77–84 
  78–82 
  1d6 will-o’-wisps 
  9 
  Bestiary 277
  — 
  85–89 
  — 
  83–85 
  1d6 chuuls 
  10 
  Bestiary 46
  88–93 
  90–95 
  85–90 
  86–89 
  1d8 shambling mounds 
  10 
  Bestiary 246
  — 
  — 
  91–93 
  90–91 
  1d4 treants 
  10 
  Bestiary 266
  — 
  — 
  — 
  92–93 
  1 hezrou 
  11 
  Bestiary 62
  94–98 
  96–98 
  94–98 
  94–96 
  1d6 spirit nagas 
  12 
  Bestiary 213
  99–100 
  99–100 
  99–100 
  97–100 
  1d4 adult black dragons 
  13 
  Bestiary 92
  * Same stats as giant moray eel
  C
  reatures of the tangled bogs and murky waterways 
  of the north fill this month’s entry into the Bestiary. 
  Emerging from these fetid depths come the ahuizotl, 
  the leshy, and the nuckelavee, creatures long warned of in 
  the folklore of the real world, while Neil Spicer’s savage bog 
  strider makes its deadly debut in this volume’s adventure. Ed 
  Greenwood’s calathgar, a frosty, flowering menace of Iobaria, 
  also creeps in from the frigid frontier, threatening all who 
  encounter it with a freezing death. Any of these creatures 
  might rise from the bogs featured in this month’s adventure 
  or emerge from the depths of Iobaria to visit new menaces 
  upon the people of  Avistan.
  Swamp ThingS
  The Slough, the third region of the Stolen Lands that the 
  PCs explore and the setting of “Blood for Blood,” is both 
  dominated by and named for the Hooktongue Slough. A 
  vast pit of mud and mystery, home to tales of monstrous 
  creatures and dark magic, the Slough hides all manner of 
  dangers, both natural and drawn there by the foul things 
  that fester within its depths. While many of the creatures 
  found in this Bestiary fit well, and others included in “Blood 
  for Blood” might see multiple uses, GMs have a variety of 
  other options to add danger and flavor to their adventures. 
  Foremost, Chapter 13 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 
  presents useful details on marsh terrain, with the rules for 
  bogs and quicksand being of particular use. GMs might 
  also look to the rules on suffocating found on page 445 of the 
  Core Rulebook to recreate hazards with the risk of drowning. 
  As several of the creatures in this volume’s Bestiary live 
  beneath the sea or within the muck of reeking bogs, their 
  tactics often rely upon attempts to grapple air-breathing 
  creatures and drag them down to watery ends. While many 
  PCs possess options to avoid the gradual death of drowning, 
  NPCs often make perfect targets to help inspire a bit of fear 
  of what lurks beneath the waves. Several creatures from 
  previous volumes of the Kingmaker Adventure Path might 
  prove helpful, specifically the tendriculos from page 28 of 
  volume #32 and the mudmen from page 15 of volume #33. 
  Finally, GMs expecting to run combat encounters in this 
  region, either as part of this volume’s adventure or from 
  the random encounter table presented below, might also 
  consider using the GameMastery Flip-Mat: Swamp, specifically 
  designed to supplement battles in this boggy terrain.
  
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  ahuizoTl
  This lean creature looks like an oversized otter, though much 
  more powerfully built, with a maw of wolfish teeth and lengthy 
  claws extending from unnervingly human-like hands. A thick 
  tail lashes behind the creature, ending in a fifth dexterous hand 
  clicking its long black nails.
  Ahuizotl 
  CR 6
  XP 2,400
  NE Large magical beast (aquatic)
  Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +2
  DEfEnSE
  AC 19, touch 12, flat-footed 16 (+3 Dex, +7 natural, –1 size)
  hp 68 (8d10+24)
  fort +9, Ref +9, Will +4
  OffEnSE
  Speed 30 ft., swim 50 ft.
  Melee bite +12 (2d6+5), 2 claws +12 (1d6+2), tail claw +12 
  (1d8+5/19–20 plus blinding strike or grab)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with tail)
  Special Attacks blinding strike (Fort DC 18)
  STATISTICS
  Str 20, Dex 17, Con 17, Int 9, Wis 14, Cha 16
  Base Atk +8; CMB +14 (+16 disarm, +18 grapple); CMD 27 (31 
  vs. trip)
  feats Blinding CriticalB, Combat Reflexes, Improved Critical (tail 
  claw)B, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Stand Still
  Skills Bluff +9, Stealth +10, Swim +13; Racial Modifiers +6 Bluff
  Languages Common
  SQ amphibious, tenacious grapple, voice mimicry
  ECOLOgy
  Environment warm lakes and swamps
  Organization solitary
  Treasure standard
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Blinding Strike (Ex) Ahuizotls have an especial taste for eyes, 
  and they gain the Improved Critical and Blinding Critical 
  feats as bonus feats when attacking with their tail claws. 
  Tenacious grapple (Ex) An ahuizotl does not gain the grappled 
  condition if it grapples a foe with its tail claw.
  Voice Mimicry (Ex) An ahuizotl can perfectly mimic the sound 
  of humanoid sobbing and can even attempt to mimic voices 
  it has heard. When mimicking a voice, an ahuizotl must 
  make a Bluff check opposed by its listener’s Sense Motive 
  check. If the listener has never heard the voice the ahuizotl 
  is attempting to mimic, he takes a –8 penalty on this check.
  Carnage-hungry denizens of the swamp, at a glance 
  ahuizotls look little different than overlarge otters 
  or a variety of other water-dwelling mammals. Their 
  hindquarters reveal them to be far stranger beasts, 
  though, as each possesses a powerful tail ending in a fifth 
  hand with deadly claws. From the depths of their aquatic 
  homes, ahuizotls look skyward, watchful for any boat or 
  intruder that might trespass into their territories. Upon 
  sighting such prey, their tentacle-like tails burst from 
  the murk, dragging their victims down to meet death 
  amid their powerful jaws and the drowning mire. Yet for 
  all their ferocity, ahuizotls are blasphemously wasteful, 
  for all they desire from their meals are the crunch of 
  dismembered teeth and nails and the cool slime of freshly 
  extracted eyes. What remains they release forth to the 
  waves, to other aquatic predators, and to their victims’ 
  shocked mourners.
  Ahuizotls measure roughly 8 feet long, with a 
  powerful build causing their weights to average around 
  1,300 pounds. 
  Ecology
  An ahuizotl’s most distinctive feature is easily its tail. 
  Measuring double the length of the creature’s body, 
  this prehensile fifth appendage exhibits just as much 
  strength, dexterity, and precision as any of the creature’s 
  other limbs, with the added benefits of both extended 
  range of motion and its own sharply clawed hand. The 
  claw at the tail’s end is leaner and more nimble than an 
  ahuizotl’s other simian hands, with long and bone-hard 
  nails. This gives the creature the nimble adroitness it 
  requires to gather its favorite and most revolting meal—
  humanoid eyes. In addition to its use as both a weapon 
  and tool, this powerful limb also proves highly useful 
  in locomotion, aiding ahuizotls in moving through the 
  water at surprising speeds.
  Aside from ahuizotls’ fearsome fifth limb, their voices 
  also serve as exceptionally deadly weapons. Through 
  practice and memories of past cruelties, ahuizotls exhibit 
  a shocking capacity to mimic the sounds and voices of 
  other creatures. While they find the sobs of the lost and 
  imperiled the easiest to reproduce and the most useful 
  in coaxing other creatures into aquatic ambushes, most 
  also practice mimicry, granting them mastery over 
  locally used languages and voices to impersonate and 
  allowing them to create more subtle deceptions. To this 
  end, an ahuizotl that manages to take a victim alive and 
  that fears no threat of attack or of its prey’s escape might 
  spend as much as an hour tormenting and mocking its 
  captive. As it does so, it listens intently, usually shooting 
  its victim’s words back in mockery until it feels it has 
  adequately impersonated its victim’s speech. The end 
  usually comes swiftly for those an ahuizotl feels it has 
  nothing more to gain from. This method of trickery 
  proves most dangerous for swamp-dwelling humanoids, 
  as an ahuizotl might swim along below boats or beneath 
  stilt homes and spend hours listening and practicing, 
  eventually mastering enough voices to launch a campaign 
  of deception and murder.
  
  Bestiary
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  81
  Ahuizotls in Mythology
  Among the best known creatures drawn from the ancient 
  legends of Central American mythology, the ahuizotl is a 
  strange and deadly menace to any who near its favored 
  pool. Described in Aztec lore as a dog-like creature with 
  the hands and feet of a monkey, the creature was most 
  recognizable for its lengthy tail ending in a fifth deadly 
  hand. By making sounds like a crying baby or other 
  wounded creature, the ahuizotl would coax victims close 
  to the water and, as they neared, attack, pulling them 
  down to drown and then dragging them back to its 
  underwater lair to consume at its leisure. Inevitably, when 
  the body reemerged, survivors would find it missing the 
  eyes, teeth, and nails, features supposedly consumed by 
  the ahuizotl. The existence of such a creature might have 
  originated as a way to explain why the bodies of those 
  drowned and left in the water for long periods are so 
  often found missing pieces, or merely as a way for people 
  to warn others of the many dangers associated with the 
  region’s waterways.
  Ahuizotls prove exceptionally long-lived, with a single 
  individual living and feeding in an area for several human 
  generations. Generally solitary creatures, they have few 
  opportunities to encounter others of their kind or breed, 
  contributing to the creatures’ rarity in most regions. 
  habiTaT & SociETy
  Ahuizotls can move about on both land and in the water, 
  yet they far prefer the freedom and safety of murky rivers 
  and pools to crawling upon the earth. Leaving the depths 
  only to when shifting to other waterways, when pursuing 
  prey, or when something else on land captures its interest, 
  an ahuizotl spend most of its life lurking just below the 
  surface, watchful for any prey that ventures close enough 
  to grab with its tail and drag down to a drowning death. 
  While capable of surviving in seawater, few ahuizotls have 
  ever been found along the coast; they seem to possess a 
  kind of race-wide aquatic agoraphobia, shunning oceans 
  and seas for more confined and predictable waterways. 
  Occasionally ahuizotls might be found along the coasts 
  of great freshwater lakes, but even then most keep to 
  shallow bays or bayous.
  Although ahuizotls might range through the waterways 
  of a territory several miles in diameter, most have a favored 
  pool, pond, or bog. Not only does the creature spend 
  much of the day resting in a shelter—either natural or 
  constructed—at the bottom of this body of water, but 
  the area often takes on significance among cultures 
  dwelling in the area as a place of ill omen or the home 
  of a deadly drowning spirit. Aside from the stories that 
  both draw and deter investigators to such sites, over 
  time, the remains of dozens of victims accumulate amid 
  the rock and mud of the pool’s floor. Depending on the age 
  and deadliness of an ahuizotl, its home might become a 
  waterlogged charnel treasure trove, scattered not only with 
  heaps of bones, but also with the wealth and equipment of 
  all who have fallen prey to the beast.
  On rare occasions, ahuizotls might come to 
  mutually advantageous arrangements with other 
  pernicious denizens of the swamps. Will-o’-wisps and 
  ahuizotls often find themselves in such cooperative 
  relationships, with the will-o’-wisp coaxing creatures 
  near the ahuizotl’s lair and then lingering to feed 
  upon the victim’s fear as the ahuizotl drags it 
  into the depths. Some wily humanoids who 
  fall into an ahuizotl’s clutches—typically 
  lizardfolk, goblins, or swamp-dwelling 
  humans—have successfully managed to 
  bargain away the lives of others in exchange 
  for their own. Such might lead to a series of 
  vicarious murders, as the aquatic predator’s 
  proxy coaxes new victims into the swamp for its 
  fearsome partner to dine upon.
  
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  bog STridEr
  A narrow, beetle-like creature glides across the water’s dark 
  surface on four brown, spindly legs. It stands just over five 
  feet tall, holding its head and thorax upright while clutching 
  an intricately carved hunting spear in two clawed forelimbs. 
  Powerful mandibles click in rhythm with the reed-thin antennae 
  waving upon its head as if testing the air for the scent of prey.
  Bog Strider 
  CR 2
  XP 600
  N Medium monstrous humanoid
  Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 120 ft. (in water); 
  Perception +6
  DEfEnSE
  AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 13 (+2 Dex, +1 dodge, +3 natural)
  hp 15 (2d10+4)
  fort +2, Ref +5, Will +4
  OffEnSE
  Speed 30 ft., water stride 50 ft.
  Melee spear +4 (1d8+3/x3), bite –1 (1d6+1) or
  2 claws +4 (1d4+2), bite +4 (1d6+2)
  Ranged spear +4 (1d8+2/x3) or 
  mwk net +5 ranged touch (entangle)
  STATISTICS
  Str 14, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 11, Wis 13, Cha 9
  Base Atk +2; CMB +4; CMD 17 (21 vs. trip)
  feats Dodge
  Skills Perception +6, Stealth +7, Survival +6, Swim +11; Racial 
  Modifiers +4 Swim
  Languages Aquan; tremor tap 120 ft.
  SQ hold breath, water sprint
  ECOLOgy
  Environment temperate or warm swamps
  Organization solitary, pair, band (3–12), or tribe (13–60)
  Treasure NPC gear (masterwork net, spear, other treasure)
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Hold Breath (Ex) A bog strider can hold its breath for a 
  number of rounds equal to 4 times its Constitution score 
  before it risks drowning.
  Tremor Tap (Ex) Bog striders can send and receive messages 
  by creating and sensing silent vibrations on the surface 
  of any body of water they currently tread. The range of 
  communication extends outward 120 feet to all other bog 
  striders within line of effect on or under the water. Because 
  the ripples created on the water prove omni-directional, 
  bog striders can communicate with multiple targets at the 
  same time. Only bog striders can understand this form 
  of communication. This ability also grants bog striders 
  tremorsense in water at a range of 120 feet.
  Water Sprint (Ex) Once per hour, a bog strider can move up to 
  5 times its normal speed (250 feet) on water when making 
  a charge or retreating from an enemy. Once it decides to 
  increase its movement in this fashion, the effect lasts for up 
  to 4 rounds, after which a bog strider becomes fatigued for 
  as many rounds as it chose to move at a higher speed.
  Water Stride (Su) A bog strider can tread upon rivers, lakes, 
  and flooded swamplands or marshes as if under the effects 
  of the water walk spell. It also gains an increased movement 
  rate by using the surface tension and its multiple legs to 
  propel itself across the water.
  Bog striders call themselves Ses’h in Aquan, but the 
  first explorers to encounter them named the reclusive 
  bug-men after their ability to stride on water like solid 
  ground. Individual bog striders resemble upright beetles 
  with four legs, two arms, and powerful mandibles. They 
  depend on their waterborne speed to quickly chase down 
  prey and flee from predators. Otherwise, they care little 
  for civilizations other than their own, rarely venturing 
  from the swampy rivers and lakes they call home.
  The long, spindly legs of bog striders give the 
  impression of a greater size then their relatively fragile 
  frames actually account for. Although their limbs are in 
  most cases more than double, even triple, the length of 
  other humanoids, their inflexible joints grant them little 
  more mobility, range of motion, and capability to reach 
  than others. Regardless of gender, nearly all bog striders 
  stand 5 feet tall and weigh approximately 150 pounds.
  Ecology
  Bog striders reproduce during specific seasonal and 
  astrological cycles that occur only two to three times 
  during their entire lifespan—detecting their moment of 
  peak fertility through changes in the weather and tidal 
  effects upon large bodies of water. Thereafter, pregnant 
  females lay a clutch of four to 10 eggs, keeping them 
  submerged and guarding against predators until they 
  hatch 6 months later. The younglings then cling to their 
  mother for the next 3 months as they learn the rudiments 
  of survival and socialization within the tribe.
  Unfortunately, predators (intelligent or otherwise) 
  often view bog strider eggs and younglings as easy prey. 
  Hatcheries suffer attacks by crocodiles and giant frogs, 
  while birds of prey, boggards, and human hunters pick 
  off younglings who stray from their mothers on the open 
  water. As a result of these reproductive challenges, bog 
  striders struggle to keep pace with other swamp-dwelling 
  cultures, suffering through periods of decline and near-
  extinction. These difficulties make them increasingly 
  insular and territorial, meeting interlopers with spears 
  more often than diplomacy.
  A bog strider’s diet consists almost entirely of meat. 
  They routinely hunt for fish, crustaceans, or snakes, and 
  occasionally hunt for birds, giant wasps, or dragonflies. 
  They particularly excel at spearfishing and snaring 
  airborne prey with thrown nets.
  
  Bestiary
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  83
  The wide stance of a bog strider’s four legs displaces 
  its weight over any body of water by maintaining the 
  surface tension with a cushion of air trapped beneath 
  several small ridges on each foot. While not dissimilar 
  to the motion of minute water-striding insects, for bog 
  striders the motion is aided by some manner of innate 
  magic or other supernatural relationship with the water. 
  Regardless of the source of this ability, it allows them 
  to literally walk on water, though they can also fully 
  submerge and hide below the surface if they desire.
  Bog striders who survive into adulthood can live up to 60 
  years. Each youngling develops a varied pattern of mottled 
  gray and brown coloration across its carapace, uniquely 
  distinguishing it from others. These spots tend to fade as bog 
  striders age, causing their elders to all look much alike.
  habiTaT & SociETy
  Bog striders can survive in all but the coldest of climes, 
  living their entire lives on the rivers, lakes, and bogs where 
  they make their homes. Their society focuses primarily 
  on survival due to the depredations of natural predators 
  and wars with lizardfolk and boggards. Each member of a 
  bog strider tribe, both male and female, learns to defend 
  the tribe at the earliest possible age. In addition, everyone 
  must develop a skill that contributes to the community's 
  prosperity, and by extension, the continued survival of 
  their species.
  Females serve as the builders of bog strider 
  society. They weave large mats of reeds, 
  rushes, and netting that they coat in 
  waterproof tree sap to trap pockets of air 
  below the water’s surface where they can 
  safely build and hide their villages. When 
  not looking after their young, the females 
  continuously expand or replace flooded 
  sections of these communities. Meanwhile, 
  male bog striders act as hunters and gatherers, 
  bringing back enough food to last through 
  harsh winters and times of drought. They 
  also scout the waterways for threats to their 
  community, leaving those who pass through 
  their territory unmolested but fighting off 
  those who attempt to stay or exploit the 
  same resources they depend upon. 
  Frequently small bands also venture 
  far from their native lands, seeking to 
  find new, uninhabited waterways where 
  their imperiled communities might be 
  left in peace.
  Seer-queens rule over multiple bog strider 
  communities to form secluded tribal unions, acting 
  as religious leaders and reading the river currents or 
  tides to divine the will of Gozreh. Many become clerics or 
  druids worshiping the nature god in its feminine form, 
  though they interpret Gozreh more as a great body of 
  water than a likeness of themselves. Because seer-queens 
  lose their personal markings like any other elder, they are 
  difficult to distinguish from the rest of their community. 
  They often use this advantage to hide among their own 
  people, both to thwart those who would target them and 
  to mingle more freely among their subjects.
  bog STridEr SEEr-QuEEnS
  Leaders of multiple tribes of bog striders, seer-queens help 
  organize and coordinate efforts to stave off the extinction 
  of their species and interpret the will of nature.
  The following adjustments to a standard bog strider 
  represent a seer-queen. Many also pursue a deeper faith 
  in Gozreh, attaining class levels as a cleric or druid.
  +5 natural armor. This replaces the standard bog 
  strider natural armor bonus.
  +4 Intelligence, +4 Wisdom, +6 Charisma. Seer-queens are 
  smarter, wiser, and more regal than normal bog striders.
  Water Magic (Sp) While standing upon the water’s 
  surface, bog strider seer-queens can cast the following 
  powers as spell-like abilities: 3/day—create water, purify 
  food and drink; 1/day—delay poison, fog cloud, quench.
  
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  calaThgar
  The acrid scent of vinegar wafts from this shield-sized blossom. 
  Amid shocking blue petals slowly twitches a cluster of sharp 
  stamens arranged like a ring of teeth within a leafy muzzle.
  Calathgar 
  CR 4
  XP 1,200
  N Small plant 
  Init +8; Senses darkvision 30 ft., low-light vision, scent; 
  Perception +2
  DEfEnSE
  AC 16, touch 15, flat-footed 12 (+4 Dex, +1 natural, +1 size)
  hp 39 (6d8+12)
  fort +6, Ref +6, Will +4
  Defensive Abilities cold healing; Immune cold, plant traits
  Weaknesses fire vulnerability
  OffEnSE
  Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.
  Melee flower +7 (1d6+2 plus 1d6 cold), 2 tendrils +7 (1d4+2) 
  Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with tendrils)
  Special Attacks seed spray (15-ft. cone, 4d6 cold damage, 
  Reflex DC 14 for half, usable every 1d4 rounds)
  STATISTICS
  Str 14, Dex 19, Con 14, Int 6, Wis 15, Cha 12
  Base Atk +4; CMB +5; CMD 19 (21 vs. trip)
  feats Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative
  Skills Stealth +17
  Languages Sylvan (cannot speak)
  SQ mold mulch
  ECOLOgy
  Environment cold forests
  Organization solitary, growth (2–8), garden (9–25)
  Treasure standard
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Cold Healing (Ex) Calathgars are healed by cold. Anytime a 
  calathgar is subjected to cold damage, it regains 1 hit point 
  (regardless of the amount of cold damage dealt). When in 
  areas of severe cold (such as arctic regions or near brown 
  mold), a calathgar gains fast healing 1. 
  Mold Mulch (Ex) Upon being reduced to 0 hit points, a 
  calathgar withers and swiftly decays, transforming into a 
  5-foot patch of brown mold. If a calathgar is killed by fire, 
  the mold immediately grows into a 10-foot patch. If it is 
  killed in a space already occupied by brown mold, that mold 
  patch doubles in size just as though fire had been brought 
  near. The area within 30 feet of brown mold is cold enough 
  to activate a calathgar’s cold healing and the persistent 
  effect of its seed spray. Brown mold deals 3d6 points of 
  nonlethal cold damage to all creatures within 5 feet of 
  it. See page 416 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook for 
  additional details.
  Seed Spray (Ex) Once every 1d4 rounds, up to 3 times per day, 
  a calathgar can expel a blast of thorny, frozen seeds in a 
  15-foot cone. All creatures in this area take 4d6 points of 
  cold damage (Reflex DC 15 for half). In frigid climes—areas 
  where the temperature is 40 degrees or colder—these 
  seeds cling to those they strike, dealing an additional 1d6 
  points of cold damage on the following round.  The save 
  DC is Constitution-based.
  Known to grow in the depths of the densest frozen forests, 
  realms where icicles rarely melt from the snow-cloaked 
  trees, calathgars, or “hail lilies,” grow to a size and possess 
  an alien beauty that make their cuttings greatly desired in 
  civilized lands. Yet, what few beside the wariest hunters and 
  most knowledgeable denizens of the forests realize is that 
  hail lilies are more than mere flowers—their fully grown 
  varieties possess not only a deadly way of spreading their 
  frozen seeds but also an even more dangerous trait: thought. 
  Known among their own kind as calathgars, these ice-tinged 
  plants move slowly and possess little in the way of society, yet 
  they perceive their surroundings, know when their frigid 
  gardens are threatened, feel pain, and—most tenaciously—
  seek a chilling revenge when their young are despoiled. 
  The blooms of a fully grown calathgar measures 3 feet 
  in diameter, though some have reported flowers up to 5, 
  8, and even 10 feet wide. Able to crawl on three tendril-
  like roots, one of these plants might stand as high as 4 feet 
  off the ground, and when heavy with seeds might weigh as 
  much as 50 pounds.
  Ecology
  Calathgars are immediately identifiable, even from a 
  distance, by their sky-blue petals, a color repeated by few 
  other forms of plant life in such size or brilliance. Yet 
  typically, these blooms only unfurl during the brightest 
  hours of the day or when the plants feel threatened. At 
  all other times, calathgars keep their flowers closed, 
  defending the sensitive structures within and presenting 
  large, blue-gray sepals to the outside world. Calathgar 
  young look little different from tall blue flowers—hence 
  many horticulturists identify them merely as hail lilies. 
  It takes nearly a year for a juvenile calathgar to display any 
  kind of concerted movement, aside from the opening and 
  closing of their petals and a few markedly un-plant-like 
  twitches. Their sense of scent and ability to communicate 
  function as soon as their buds first grow—typically within 
  2 weeks of sprouting from the cold earth.
  Two rings of sensory organs help calathgars remain aware 
  of their surroundings: a cluster of lobes at the base of the 
  flower and another situated around the stamen within. Both 
  are capable of not just deciphering light in an approximation 
  of visual sight, but also receiving information via a highly 
  developed kind of scent. This sense of smell is much more 
  developed in the plants than their ability to see—though at 
  close ranges their sight can prove just as accurate as most 
  
  Bestiary
  Bestiary
  85
  humanoids. To this end, most communication between the 
  plants is scent-based, utterly silent, and often imperceptible 
  to non-plant creatures. At times when the plants feel 
  threatened, however, they exude a smell like vinegar or, if 
  angry, a coppery odor.
  For all their developments as a species, calathgars possess 
  a strange connection, even symbiosis, with a far less complex 
  type of growth: brown mold. Notorious for its ability to drain 
  the warmth from an area and freeze the unwary, brown 
  mold not only benefits calathgars—allowing them to grow 
  comfortably in areas they might otherwise find inhospitably 
  warm—but it also pervades the roots and internal structures 
  of the plants. Some suggest that calathgars might be some 
  advanced form of brown mold, yet the idea is typically 
  dismissed, as such mutually beneficial relationships are well 
  documented in the world of mundane flora. As a calathgar 
  grows to maturity, brown mold thrives within its flower 
  and internal structures, aiding in keeping the growth cool 
  and providing it with frigid defensive abilities and a way to 
  spread its seeds—freezing and clinging to creatures that 
  come near before dropping off later. The flowers provide the 
  mold ample places to grow, and defense from creatures that 
  might threaten it. The adult plants also prove so riddled with 
  nutrients upon which the fungus flourishes that should a 
  calathgar violently die amid brown mold, the fungal patch 
  instantly explodes with growth—typically to the detriment 
  of whatever ended the calathgar’s life.
  habiTaT & SociETy
  Calathgars have little in the way of society, other than 
  grouping together for mutual defense. Despite their 
  intellects, the plants’ psyches prove distinctive and alien in 
  comparison to those of animals and sentient creatures. They 
  have little interest in emotions, culture, or ambition, 
  yet they possess nearly flawless memories and an 
  understanding of experiences which they can 
  share with other calathgars by scent as easily 
  as (and far more effectively than) humanoids 
  can pass on information by speech. Yet where 
  calathgars do seem most like humanoids is in 
  their capacity to care for their young and seek 
  reprisal should any harm befall them. Should an 
  immature calathgar be trampled, plucked, 
  or otherwise ruined, adults do all they 
  can to pursue and deal vengeance 
  upon 
  those 
  who 
  murdered 
  their 
  young, planting a new generation in the 
  killer’s frozen flesh. While calathgars can 
  be reasoned with and most prove generally 
  accepting of honest apologies from those 
  capable of communicating with them, like most 
  enraged parents, an incensed calathgar is rarely in a 
  mood to speak.
  On the Calathgar
  Slithery vines, smarter than jungle cats, that hunt (and 
  retreat, and lure) just as human adventurers do sound 
  like great monsters to me. There’s something deliciously 
  menacing about oversized plants, and there’s also 
  something chilling about a good, patient hunter. Add 
  artillery fire in the form of the freezing darts these critters 
  spit and you’ve got a nice handful of features to make a 
  monster memorable.
  The formidable-as-humans angle also makes them the 
  sort of monster ideal as a recurring foe, as the kin of slain 
  calathgars might even come seeking revenge on PCs who 
  don’t realize they did anything more wicked than stamping 
  on a particularly deadly pansy. Until the PCs triumph 
  (or fall), a campaign might come to include an ongoing 
  grudge match of PC party versus an unknown number 
  of calathgars who have become determined foes, lurking 
  patiently in every wilderness and attacking whenever they 
  have the advantage.
  —Ed Greenwood
  
  86
  Part 4 
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  Part 4 
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  lEShy, FunguS
  A mushroom come to life trundles forward on multiple ungainly 
  stumps. Uneven, growth-like eyes dot its thick mushroom cap, 
  while below works an overlarge maw set with pale fungal teeth.
  fungus Leshy 
  CR 2
  XP 600
  N Small plant (leshy)
  Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +2
  DEfEnSE
  AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 11 (+2 Dex, +1 size)
  hp 15 (2d8+6)
  fort +6, Ref +2, Will +2
  Immune electricity, sonic, plant traits
  OffEnSE
  Speed 20 ft.
  Melee bite +1 (1d6–1)
  Ranged puffball +4 (1 plus spores)
  Special Attacks spores
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 4th; concentration +6)
  Constant—pass without trace
  STATISTICS
  Str 8, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 7, Wis 14, Cha 15
  Base Atk +1; CMB –1; CMD 11 (15 vs. trip)
  feats Blind-Fight
  Skills Stealth +6 (+10 in swamps or underground), Survival +2 
  (+6 in swamps or underground); Racial Modifiers +4 Stealth 
  and +4 Survival in swamps or underground
  Languages Sylvan; plantspeech (molds and fungi)
  SQ change shape (Small plant, tree shape), verdant burst
  ECOLOgy
  Environment any swamp or underground
  Organization solitary or cluster (2–16)
  Treasure standard
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Change Shape (Su) All leshys can transform into plants, which 
  works similarly to the spell tree shape. Unlike the spell, 
  however, these plants are always Small and appear to be of 
  the same type of growth the leshy is related to. The plant 
  a leshy transforms into always looks the same and, despite 
  being Small, is typically unusually large for a plant of its 
  size. It is a swift action for a leshy to turn into or from a 
  plant. Fungus leshys commonly turn into large mushrooms, 
  puffballs, polypores, earthstars, or clumps of mold.
  Plantspeech (Ex) All leshys can speak with plants as if subject 
  to a continual speak with plants spell, but only with species 
  they’re related to. Fungus leshys can communicate with 
  molds and fungi as if they were plants.
  Spores (Ex) A fungus leshy is riddled with molds and spores. 
  Anytime a fungus leshy takes damage, a cloud of spores 
  bursts from its body, forcing all adjacent creatures to make 
  a DC 14 Fortitude save or have their vision reduced to 10 
  feet for 1 minute. Spending a full-round action to wash 
  one’s eyes with water ends this effect. A fungus leshy may 
  also spit a puffball riddled with spores as a ranged attack. 
  The save DC is Constitution-based.
  Verdant Burst (Su) When slain, a fungus leshy explodes in a 
  burst of fertile energies. All plant creatures within 30 feet of 
  the slain leshy heal 1d8 points of damage. All normal plants 
  in the area are affected as per the enrichment aspect of the 
  spell plant growth (CL 4th).
  Keepers of cavernous mushroom forests and rotting 
  compost pits deep within the swamp, fungus leshys preside 
  over subterranean growth and the rot that fertilizes new 
  life. Among the most alien and monstrous looking of all 
  leshys, the appearance of these tiny rot farmers has more 
  to do with the asymmetrical eeriness intrinsic to molds 
  and fungi than an outward expression of evil. Like all 
  their kin, fungus leshys vary widely in appearance, often 
  adopting the colors and shapes of the mushrooms and 
  other large fungi common to the areas they tend.
  Fungus leshys rarely stand taller than 2 feet high and 
  weigh a mere 25 pounds—their interiors being full of 
  hollows and fluffy spores. 
  Ecology
  Fungus leshys are spawned from realms of underground 
  wonder or the rotting places of the natural world. They 
  perform an important service in the lands they keep, 
  encouraging the growth of fungi, transporting rotting 
  material to fertilize other plants and making the most use 
  of growth that has died off. Fungus leshys are most active 
  at night and spend the day in the forms of plump fungi 
  amid their ripest compost heaps or fungal glens.
  habiTaT & SociETy
  As is true of all leshys, fungus leshys are allies of treants 
  and other guardians of nature. Given their fondness for 
  overgrown and subterranean environments, they often 
  bring news to the surface plant life of doings affecting 
  the world beneath their roots. Although not shy, their 
  preference for working at night means that fungal leshys 
  are rarely seen. Their nocturnal doings combined with 
  their frightening appearances means they often startle 
  humanoids who encounter them—an effect they often put 
  to use should they have to defend their lands.
  lEShy SubTypE
  Servants of treant elders and their kin, leshys are among the 
  least of the forest folk, intelligent plants who look after their 
  rooted brethren and obey the wisdom of nature’s verdant 
  watchers. Several breeds of leshy exist, each being kindred 
  to a form of natural life (typically plants). Among the best 
  known are superstitious gourd leshys, clever root leshys, 
  and wary leaf leshys, though others are rumored to exist. 
  
  Bestiary
  Bestiary
  87
  Regardless of their kind, all leshys share the following traits 
  in addition to those granted by the plant type.
  •	 Darkvision	60	feet.
  •	 Immunity	to	electricity	and	sonic	attacks.
  •	 Spell-Like Abilities All leshys have pass without trace as a 
  constant spell-like ability (CL equal to twice the leshy’s HD).
  •	 Leshys	speak	Sylvan.
  •	 Plantspeech (Ex) See stat block.
  •	 Change Shape (Su) See stat block.
  •	 Nature’s Ally All leshys can be summoned via the summon 
  nature’s ally spell. Fungus leshys are conjured via 
  summon nature’s ally II.
  •	 Verdant Burst (Su) See stat block. Caster level is equal to 
  twice the leshy’s HD.
  awakEning a lEShy
  Leshys embody the natural energies and spirits of 
  nature given sentience and wills of their own. Powerful, 
  intelligent plant creatures like treants and other allies 
  of the natural world can cultivate physical frames and 
  invite these forces to inhabit them, thus creating various 
  types of leshys. The rites and special materials required 
  to create such a body varies from leshy to leshy. These 
  materials are then cultivated in an area of natural power, 
  such as a treant’s grove, a druidic circle, or site of pristine 
  natural wonder. Once created, a leshy is a free-willed, 
  neutral being interested only in serving the needs of the 
  wilderness in which it resides. It is under no 
  compulsion to follow commands, but should 
  its maker share its goals and provide it with 
  aid in its tasks, the leshy might come to 
  cooperate with its creator. A leshy does not 
  fear death and will see its body destroyed 
  before doing harm to nature or natural 
  creatures, though it proves quite cunning 
  when it comes to driving off monsters or 
  destructive humanoids.
  A fungus leshy is usually grown amid the 
  compost of a treant’s groves, in moldy groves 
  deep underground or in eerie hillocks at the 
  heart of dense swamplands. A fungus leshy 
  with more than 2 Hit Dice can be created, but 
  each additional Hit Die adds +2,250 gp to the cost 
  to create.
  fungus Leshy
  CL 8th; Price 2,500 gp
  RITuAL
  Requirements Knowledge (nature) 5 ranks, 
  plant growth, summon nature’s ally II, 
  creator must be druid or plant type; Skill 
  Knowledge (dungeoneering) or (nature) or 
  Profession (gardener) DC 14; Cost 1,250 gp
  Leshys in Mythology
  In Slavic myths and legends, a leshy is a woodland spirit 
  that protects and defends the animals and plants of the 
  wild places. The myths also speak of the wives of the leshy 
  (leshaika), as well as their children (leshonky). The name 
  leshy comes from the common Slavic term les, meaning 
  “forest,” hence the leshy is “of the forest.” Leshy are 
  roughly analogous to the woodwose of Western Europe 
  and the basajaun of the Basque country.
  In some legends, a leshy can take the form of any plant 
  or animal and also that of a human. In other legends, they 
  appear as tall as giant trees in forests, only to become tiny 
  dwarves or blades of grass when outside a forest. There are 
  many contradictory tales about a leshy’s appearance, but as 
  they are shapeshifters, this is perhaps understandable.
  To outwit an offended leshy, a traveler could immediately 
  turn his clothes inside out and put them on backwards, 
  or present a holy symbol to confuse the leshy. One could 
  also set a forest fire and not look back, for the leshy would 
  be more concerned with putting the fire out than with 
  performing mischief against travelers.
  
  88
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  nuckElavEE
  A mounted horseman gallops forth, soaked head to toe in gore and 
  waving a blade with wild abandon. Yet as he moves, it becomes 
  clear that horse and rider are joined as one—a humanoid torso 
  sprouting from equine withers—and the gore is a grisly vision of 
  naked muscle and leaking veins.
  nuckelavee 
  CR 9
  XP 6,400
  NE Large fey (aquatic)
  Init +7; Senses low-light vision; Perception +17
  Aura frightful presence (30 ft.; DC 20)
  DEfEnSE
  AC 23, touch 17, flat-footed 15 (+7 Dex, +1 dodge, +6 natural, 
  –1 size)
  hp 104 (11d6+66)
  fort +9, Ref +16, Will +10
  DR 10/cold iron; Immune disease, poison
  OffEnSE
  Speed 50 ft., swim 50 ft.
  Melee mwk longsword +10 (1d8+5/19–20), 2 hooves +4 (1d6+2) or 
  2 claws +9 (1d6+5 plus disease), 2 hooves +4 (1d6+2)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
  Special Attacks blight wave (30-ft. cone, 10d6 damage plus 
  disease, Reflex DC 21 for half, usable every 1d4 rounds), 
  trample (1d6+7, DC 20)
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 9th; concentration +14)
  3/day—control water, diminish plants, obscuring mist
  STATISTICS
  Str 20, Dex 24, Con 22, Int 13, Wis 17, Cha 21
  Base Atk +5; CMB +11; CMD 29 (33 vs. trip)
  feats Dodge, Lightning Reflexes, Lightning Stance, Mobility, 
  Spring Attack, Wind Stance
  Skills Appraise +12, Escape Artist +21, Intimidate +16, Knowledge 
  (nature) +15, Perception +17, Stealth +17, Swim +27
  Languages Common, Sylvan 
  SQ amphibious, undersized weapons 
  ECOLOgy
  Environment cold aquatic and coastlines
  Organization solitary
  Treasure standard
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Blight Wave (Su) Once every 1d4 rounds a nuckelavee can unleash 
  a 30-foot cone of withering foulness. All living creatures in the 
  area take 10d6 points of damage (DC 21 Reflex save for half). 
  This damage is caused by pure corruption and only affects 
  living creatures. In addition, any creature that fails its Reflex 
  save must make an additional DC 21 Fortitude save or contract 
  the disease mortasheen. Every plant within this area is also 
  affected as per the spell blight (CL 9th).
  Disease (Su) Mortasheen: Blight wave or claw—contact or 
  injury; save Fort DC 21; onset immediate; frequency 1/
  day; effect 1d4 Con damage and target is fatigued; cure 
  3 consecutive saves. Anyone who comes in contact with 
  a creature infected with mortasheen must also make a 
  DC 16 Fortitude save (the base DC –5) or contract the 
  disease. Animals take a –2 penalty on saves against this 
  disease. Creatures who make their saves cannot contract 
  mortasheen from the infected creature. The save DC is 
  Constitution-based.
  undersized Weapons (Ex) Although a nuckelavee is Large, its 
  upper torso is the same size as that of a Medium humanoid. As 
  a result, they wield weapons as if they were one size category 
  smaller than their actual size (Medium for most nuckelavees).
  Among the cruelest and most monstrous of fey, nuckelavees 
  ride forth from black waters to wreak bloody vengeance 
  upon those who despoil nature despoilers. Horrifying, 
  fleshless amalgams of man and horse, these monstrous 
  avengers embody every wound and wickedness suffered 
  by the wilds, their bodies loosing trails of gore and the 
  pounds of their webbed hooves beating an inescapable 
  threnody for all who earn their ire. Once they emerge 
  from their refuges beneath cool waves or rivers, only 
  destruction satisfies their merciless crusades, either that 
  of their victims or their own.
  Nuckelavees are strongly built and stand nearly 6 feet 
  tall at their horse heads and about 9 feet at their humanoid 
  heads, with a weight of nearly 2,000 pounds.
  Ecology
  Nuckelavees spend most of their days asleep in flooded 
  hollows and sea caves, waking only to gnaw on bitter sea 
  plants and algae, their primary form of sustenance. With 
  their unnatural metabolisms, nuckelavees can survive 
  for weeks on only a few bites of aquatic plant life, and are 
  content to lie in torpor for months or even years. 
  Possessing a supernatural relationship with the 
  waterways in which they reside, these bloody fey know 
  when harm has befallen their home or its denizens. Often 
  the damage proves obvious—the dumping of wastes 
  or toxic runoff, overfishing or kelp harvesting, or even 
  less egregious offenses, like the construction of dams or 
  waterwheels. Regardless of what sparks a nuckelavee’s 
  wrath, once one of these avengers’ ire is garnered, it 
  gallops forth not just to correct the offense, but repay the 
  pain. Only once blood and tears have quenched the fires 
  of a nuckelavee’s rage does it willingly return to the water, 
  often carrying with it some grisly trophy of its vengeance.
  Nuckelavees have no capacity to reproduce. The 
  appearance of most proves a complete mystery and grim 
  surprise, and the majority of their kind dwell in areas of 
  pristine nature where rifts to the First World are known or 
  likely. Thus it’s supposed that most nuckelavees form and 
  develop among the enigmatic mists of that alien realm, 
  passing on to Golarion for their own inscrutable reasons.
  
  Bestiary
  Bestiary
  89
  All nuckelavees are infected with mortasheen, a highly 
  infectious wasting disease capable of wiping out the 
  populations of whole islands. Despite the monsters’ obsession 
  with defending natural waterways and the life therein, their 
  interest seems to end at the shoreline. Nuckelavees have no 
  interest in or apparent love for terrestrial beasts, especially 
  those tamed and kept by the objects of their anger. Horses, 
  cattle, and other livestock often prove the first casualties of a 
  nuckelavee’s rampage, with those that aren’t left slaughtered 
  in gory tableaus being infected with mortasheen and 
  inevitably passing it on to their owners. 
  habiTaT & SociETy
  The tales of many lands tell of nuckelavees, typically 
  emerging from seas and lakes to smite those who abuse 
  nature or harm innocents—depending on the storyteller’s 
  point of view. The majority of such tales arise from coastal 
  and island communities, though the residents of many 
  lake towns and those who live in lush river countries often 
  warn of these deadly water monsters, blaming them 
  for all manner of hardships. Such tales often 
  include proscriptions for avoiding 
  the bloody riders’ wrath, local 
  remedies for afflictions bestowed 
  by the avengers, and ways one 
  might banish a nuckelavee should 
  they come face to face. In most cases, 
  folktales tell of talismans to carry 
  or prayers to recite to convince a 
  nuckelavee that one is a friend—or, 
  at least, innocent of wrongdoing. Such 
  talismans typically take the form of 
  seaweed garlands, horsehair soaked 
  in brine, or vials of sanctified seawater. 
  Druids and priests of nature deities also supposedly 
  possess the power to calm a nuckelavee’s fury and convince 
  it to return to the sea—though typically only after it has 
  dealt with those guiltiest of whatever offense roused it. 
  When a nuckelavee first furiously emerges from the water, 
  though, nothing short of the creature’s destruction can 
  compel a nuckelavee to return to its rest without taking 
  a life. 
  It’s rare for more than one nuckelavee to be found in 
  the same region, as the creatures have little interest in 
  one another. However, in cases of extreme natural ruin 
  or corruption, multiple nuckelavees have emerged from 
  the waters in a terrifying charge, working together to sow 
  slaughter of legendary magnitude. It remains a mystery 
  whether such rare cavalries form from a single instance 
  of mass despoilment independently rousing the concerns 
  of multiple fey, or whether nuckelavees can call upon the 
  aid of their brethren to mete out punishment for the 
  most extreme crimes against the waves.
  Nuckelavees in Mythology
  The nuckelavee originates from the northern coast of 
  Scotland and the rich folklore of the Orkney Islands, along 
  with trows, hogboons, finfolk, and selkies. A horrifying elf 
  that lives in the sea, the grotesque, skinless monstrosity 
  gallops from the waves on hoof and fin to spread terror 
  and disease. Blamed for a multitude of calamities, from foul 
  weather to drownings, the nuckelavee’s malicious repertoire 
  made it an all-purpose bogeyman. Yet the most notorious 
  weapon in its callous arsenal was mortasheen, a disease that 
  would spread through the islands, sicken horses and cattle, 
  and blight crops. Then only the power of The Mither o’ the 
  Sea, the regional goddess, could drive the monster back to 
  the waves and restore peace to the islands.
  
  90
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  Part 4 
  of 6
  Harsk
  CHARACTER TRAITS
  CLASS/LEVEL 
  Ranger 10
  ALIGNMENT 
  Lawful Neutral
  INITIATIVE 
  +4
  SPEED 
  20 ft.
  ABILITIES
  STRENGTH 
  14
  DEXTERITY 
  18
  CONSTITUTION 
  16
  INTELLIGENCE 
  10
  WISDOM 
  14
  CHARISMA 
  6
  DEFENSE
  HP 93
  AC 23, touch 16, flat-footed 19 (+6 armor, +2 
  deflection, +4 Dex, +1 natural) 
  Fort +13, Ref +14, Will +10; +2 vs. poison, 
  spells, and spell-like abilities
  Senses darkvision 60 ft.
  Defensive Abilities evasion
  OFFENSE
  Melee +2 greataxe +14/+9 (1d12+5/×3)
  Ranged +1 flaming burst heavy crossbow +15 
  (1d10+1 plus 1d6 fire/17–20)
  Base Atk +10; CMB +12; CMD 28 (32 vs. bull 
  rush and trip)
  Special Abilities favored enemy (humanoid 
  [giant] +6, fey +4, humanoid [human] +2), 
  favored terrain (mountains +4, forest +2), 
  hunter’s bond (companions),  swift tracker, 
  track +5, wild empathy +8, woodland stride
  Spells Prepared (CL 7th, concentration +9)
  2nd—bear’s endurance, cure light wounds
  1st—entangle (DC 13), longstrider, resist energy
  SKILLS
  Handle Animal +10, Heal +14, Knowledge 
  (geography) +12, Knowledge (nature) +12, 
  Perception +14, Stealth +15, Survival +14
  FEATS
  Endurance, Far Shot, Improved Critical (heavy 
  crossbow), Improved Precise Shot, Iron Will, 
  Pinpoint Targeting, Point Blank Shot, Precise 
  Shot, Rapid Reload (heavy crossbow)
  Combat Gear potions of cure moderate wounds (2), potions of pass without trace (2), screaming 
  bolts (4), antitoxin (2), smokesticks (2), tanglefoot bags (2), thunderstones (2); Other Gear +3 
  studded leather armor, +2 greataxe, +1 flaming burst heavy crossbow with 30 bolts, masterwork 
  silver dagger, amulet of natural armor +1, belt of incredible dexterity +2, boots of the winterlands, 
  cloak of resistance +3, ring of protection +2, backpack, rations (4), signal whistle, teapot, 260 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. Harsk’s hatred of giants has fueled him and shapes his 
  life. 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). 
  His companions value his skill at combat even if they’re somewhat afraid of him.
  MALE DWARF
  DEITY 
  Torag
  HOMELAND 
  Druma
  CHARACTER TRAITS
  CLASS/LEVEL 
  Barbarian 10
  ALIGNMENT 
  Chaotic Neutral
  INITIATIVE 
  +1
  SPEED 
  40 ft.
  ABILITIES
  STRENGTH 
  21
  DEXTERITY 
  13
  CONSTITUTION 
  16
  INTELLIGENCE 
  10
  WISDOM 
  12
  CHARISMA 
  8
  DEFENSE
  HP 105
  AC 22, touch 14, flat-footed 21 (+6 armor, +3 
  deflection, +1 Dex, +2 natural)
  Fort +13, Ref +7, Will +7
  Defensive Abilities improved uncanny dodge, 
  trap sense +3; DR 2/—
  OFFENSE
  Melee +2 Large bastard sword +16/+11 
  (2d8+9/17–20)
  Ranged +1 composite longbow +12/+7 
  (1d8+5/×3)
  Base Atk +10; CMB +15 (+17 bull rush);     
  CMD 29 (31 vs. bull rush)
  Special Abilities damage reduction 2/–, fast 
  movement, rage 31 rds/day, rage powers 
  (clear mind, knockback, powerful blow +3, 
  renewed vigor, strength surge)
  SKILLS
  Acrobatics +12, Climb +16, Intimidate +12, 
  Perception +14, Survival +14
  FEATS
  Exotic Weapon Proficiency (bastard sword), 
  Extra Rage, Improved Bull Rush, Improved 
  Critical (bastard sword), Power Attack, Weapon 
  Focus (bastard sword)
  Combat Gear potions of cure moderate wounds (2), potion of fly; Gear +2 hide armor, +2 Large 
  bastard sword, +1 composite longbow (+5 Str) with 20 arrows, javelins (2), spiked gauntlet, throwing 
  axe, amulet of natural armor +2, belt of physical might (Str, Con) +2, cloak of resistance +3, ring of 
  protection +3, 235 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 10
  ALIGNMENT 
  Neutral
  INITIATIVE 
  +1
  SPEED 
  20 ft.
  ABILITIES
  STRENGTH 
  6
  DEXTERITY 
  12
  CONSTITUTION 
  16
  INTELLIGENCE 
  10
  WISDOM 
  19
  CHARISMA 
  15
  DEFENSE
  HP 75
  AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 17 (+4 armor, 
  +2 deflection, +1 Dex, +1 size)
  Fort +12, Ref +8, Will +13; +2 vs. illusion; +4 vs. 
  fey and plant-targeted effects
  Senses low-light vision
  Immune poison
  OFFENSE
  Melee +1 sickle +7/+2 (1d4–1)
  Ranged mwk sling +10 (1d3–2)
  Base Atk +7; CMB +4; CMD 17
  Special Abilities gnome spell-like abilities, 
  nature bond (small cat named Droogami), 
  nature sense, trackless step, wild empathy 
  +12, wild shape 5/day, woodland stride
  Spells Prepared (CL 10th; concentration +14)
  5th—stoneskin, wall of thorns
  4th—air walk, dispel magic, flame strike (DC 18), 
  ice storm
  3rd—call lightning (DC 17), daylight, neutralize 
  poison, remove disease
  2nd—bull’s strength, barkskin, flaming sphere 
  (DC 16), resist energy, spider climb
  1st—cure lt. wounds (3), entangle (2; DC 15)
  0—detect magic, know direction, light, stabilize
  SKILLS
  Handle Animal +14, Heal +16, Knowledge 
  (nature) +14, Perception +18, Ride +9, 
  Spellcraft +12
  FEATS
  Augment Summoning, Lightning Reflexes, 
  Mounted Combat, Natural Spell, Spell Focus 
  (conjuration)
  Combat Gear elemental gem (water), scrolls of call lightning (2), wand of cure moderate wounds 
  (33 charges), wand of flame blade (44 charges); Other Gear +2 wild leather armor, +1 sickle, 
  masterwork sling with 20 bullets, cloak of resistance +2, druid’s vestment, headband of inspired 
  wisdom +2, ring of protection +2, belt pouch, mistletoe, spell component pouch, sunrods (2), 
  collection of de-barked sticks, 99 gp
  Lini always seemed to possess a certain affinity with various creatures of the woodlands near where 
  she grew up—particularly with larger predators like bears and snow leopards. In the years since her 
  departure from the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, Lini has collected more than a dozen sticks—one 
  from each forest or wood she visits. These sticks are to Lini a roadmap of her experiences, and while 
  they may look indistinguishable to others, each holds a wealth of memories to the gnome druid.
  FEMALE GNOME
  DEITY 
  Green Faith
  HOMELAND 
  Linnorm Kings
  CHARACTER TRAITS
  CLASS/LEVEL 
  Monk 10
  ALIGNMENT 
  Lawful Neutral
  INITIATIVE 
  +3
  SPEED 
  60 ft.
  ABILITIES
  STRENGTH 
  16
  DEXTERITY 
  16
  CONSTITUTION 
  14
  INTELLIGENCE 
  10
  WISDOM 
  12
  CHARISMA 
  8
  DEFENSE
  HP 75
  AC 25, touch 21, flat-footed 21 (+4 armor, +2 
  deflection, +3 Dex, +1 dodge, +1 insight, +3 
  monk, +1 Wis)
  Fort +11, Ref +12, Will +10; +2 vs enchantment
  Defensive Abilities improved evasion; 
  Immune disease
  OFFENSE
  Melee unarmed strike +10/+5 (2d6+3 plus 1d6 
  electricity) or 
  flurry of blows +11/+11/+6/+6 (2d6+3 plus 1d6 
  electricity) or 
  +2 temple sword +12/+7 (1d8+5/19–20)
  Base Atk +7; CMB +13 (+15 grapple); CMD 34 
  (36 vs. grapple)
  Special Abilities fast movement, high jump, 
  ki pool (6 points, lawful, magic), maneuver 
  training, slow fall 50 ft., stunning fist (11/
  day, DC 16, fatigued, sickened), wholeness 
  of body
  SKILLS
  Acrobatics +16 (+38 jump), Climb +16, 
  Perception +14, Sense Motive +14, Stealth +16
  FEATS
  Combat Reflexes, Deflect Arrows, Dodge, Exotic 
  Weapon Proficiency (temple sword), Gorgon’s 
  Fist, Improved Grapple, Improved Unarmed 
  Strike, Mobility, Scorpion Style, Snatch Arrow, 
  Spring Attack, Stunning Fist
  Combat Gear potion of bear’s endurance, potions of cure moderate wounds (2), potions of fly (2); Gear 
  +2 temple sword, shock amulet of mighty fists, bracers of armor +4, cloak of resistance +2, dusty rose 
  prism ioun stone, monk’s belt, ring of protection +2, wooden holy symbol, belt pouch, 250 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. Sajan knows he cannot return to Vudra, 
  for the padapranja there would execute him as a deserter. He cares not for his home country, 
  however, 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
  War of the river Kings
  by Jason Nelson
  The rulers of the Greenbelt have faced rampaging 
  monsters, forgotten evils, and barbarian incursions, 
  but when Irovetti, Lord of the River Kingdoms domain 
  of Pitax, invites them to his capital for diplomatic 
  negotiations and neighborly festivities, a whole new host 
  of challenges and dangers awaits. Will the PCs snub 
  Irobetti’s strange and brutal attempts at hospitality, or 
  will they forge an alliance with the tyrant? After all, there 
  are more ways to build a kingdom than by the sword. Or 
  are there?
  gorum
  by Sean K Reynolds
  Every battle cry a prayer, every warrior’s life an offering, 
  every blood-drench battlefield an altar to Our Lord 
  in Iron. Learn the steel-shod doctrine and simple but 
  brutal ways of Gorum, god of strength, battle, weapons, 
  and war.
  Pitax gazeteer
  by Mike Ferguson
  Enter the brutal land of Pitax, a center of forced art 
  and false freedoms. Learn what dangers hide amid the 
  travesty of culture and how the cagiest manage to survive 
  its hollow utopia.
  and more!
  Ollix learns the way of the gladiator in the Pathfinder’s 
  Journal. Also, beasts of the battlefield and slaughter made 
  manifest fill a new entry into the Pathfinder Bestiary.
  subscribe to Pathfinder 
  adventure Path!
  The Kingmaker Adventure Path continues! Venture online 
  to paizo.com/pathfinder and subscribe today! Have each 
  Pathfinder Adventure Path, Pathfinder Chronicles, Pathfinder 
  Companion, Pathfinder Module, and GameMastery product 
  delivered to your door! Also, check online for the free 
  Kingmaker Player’s Guide, available now!
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  15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
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  System Reference Document. © 2000. Wizards of the Coast, Inc; Authors: Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip 
  Williams, based on material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
  Pathfinder Adventure Path #34: Blood for Blood. © 2010, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Neil Spicer.
  Advanced Bestiary. © 2004, Green Ronin Publishing, LLC; Author: Matthew Sernett.
  Aurumvorax from the Tome of Horrors Revised. © 2002, Necromancer Games, Inc.; Author: Scott Greene.
  Basidirond from the Tome of Horrors Revised. © 2002, Necromancer Games, Inc.; Author: Scott Greene, based on original 
  material by Gary Gygax. 
  Derghodaemon from the Tome of Horrors Revised. © 2002, Necromancer Games, Inc.; Author: Scott Greene.
  Dracolisk from the Tome of Horrors Revised. © 2002, Necromancer Games, Inc.; Author: Scott Greene, based on original 
  maerial by Gary Gygax. 
  Giant Dragonfly from the Tome of Horrors Revised. © 2002, Necromancer Games, Inc.; Author: Scott Greene.
  Giant Slug from the Tome of Horrors Revised. © 2002, Necromancer Games, Inc.; Author: Scott Greene, based on original 
  material by David Cook.
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  Source: Loy Rezbin, mayor of Tatzlford.
  Task: The mayor of the village of Tatzlford wants to 
  increase traffic and trade. He’s drafted plans for 
  a road between his village and Wyvernstone Bridge 
  over the East Sellen River, but he doesn’t have 
  enough workers to start building the road.
  Completion: Build a road that connects Tatzlford to 
  Wyvernstone Bridge.
  Reward: Not only will building this road help travel and 
  trade, but the influx of business from the East 
  Sellen also increases the nation’s Economy by +1. 
  Source: Local swampers.
  Task: Numerous families of local swampers and rural 
  folk claim that something bad haunts the bogland 
  on the border between the Narlmarches and 
  Hooktongue Slough. Stories claim that bog mummies 
  are rising from the muck to drown the living! 
  Completion: Track down the source of these tales 
  about bog mummies. If there’s any truth to the 
  tales, destroy the bog mummies.
  Reward: With the threat of the bog mummies 
  removed, the nation’s Stability increases by +1.
  Source: Jennavieve Kensen.
  Task: Although public opinion is that Jennavieve Kensen 
  is a spoiled princess, no one denies that she’s rich. 
  Her latest obsession is a story about a herd of wild 
  horses led by a magnificent stallion named Windchaser 
  that’s said to live west of the swamp. She’s 
  promised a sizable reward if someone can bring her 
  one of Windchaser’s herd to add to her stable.
  Completion: Deliver one of the wild horses of the 
  western Slough to Jennavieve, alive and well. 
  Reward: Jennavieve will pay 8,000 gp for the horse. 
  Source: Garuum, exiled boggard.
  Task: Since he was exiled from his tribe, Garuum’s 
  festering anger has reached its breaking point. He claims 
  to have found a “magic bug” and promises to give it to 
  whoever can seek out the boggard tribe of M’botuu in 
  Hooktongue Slough, kill its priest-king Sepoko, and bring 
  his head to Garuum to feed to his pet slurk.
  Completion: Kill Sepoko and bring his severed head back 
  to Garuum.
  Reward: Garuum’s “magic bug” is in fact an ebony fly 
  figurine of wondrous power.
  road to WyvernStone
  Bog MuMMy terror
  ChaSing the Wind
  garuuM’S revenge
  
  Blood on the Water
  paizo.com/pathfinder
  Printed in China. PZO9034
  E
  ven with the PCs’ kingdom growing at their heart, the Stolen Lands are 
  far from tame. An incursion by merciless barbarians spills blood on the 
  PCs’ lands and begins a search for a legendary artifact in the depths of the 
  region’s most infamous wilderness. Amid the perpetual shadows and bottomless 
  bogs of the Hooktongue Slough lie long-mired secrets and terrors eager to 
  consume any who intrude upon their fetid realm. Yet what powers that lurk beyond 
  the swamp seek to end the PCs’ reign? And how might a single, bloodthirsty blade 
  mean the difference between their kingdom’s ruin and its survival?
  This volume of Pathfinder Adventure Path includes: 
  ►  “Blood for Blood,” a Pathfinder RPG adventure for 10th-level characters,  
  by Neil Spicer.
  ►  Information on the cruel society and blood-curdling superstitions of boggards, 
  Golarion’s sinister frogmen, by Todd Stewart. 
  ►  Details on some of the most famous hidden treasures and lost relics of the 
  Stolen Lands, by Brian Cortijo.
  ►  Ollix and Phargas learn the perils of gambling with a leucrotta in the 
  Pathfinder’s Journal, by Kevin Andrew Murphy.
  ►  Five new monsters, by Julian Neale, F. Wesley Schneider, and Neil Spicer.
  ®
  TM
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Pathfinder/1st Edition/Adventure Paths/PF031-036 - KingMaker/Kingmaker - 04 - Blood for Blood.pdf