Cultivator

Cultivator

(Archetype)

Rare

Archetype

Region

Typically Tian Xia

Ancestries

Commonly humanoids; sometimes inanimate objects, animals, or natural features

Classes

Any

Images of cultivators

Source: Tian Xia Character Guide, pg(s). 114–115

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Cultivators are rare occult masters of qi refinement named for their attempts to accumulate and refine enough qi to attain immortality.

Cultivation

The process of cultivation involves gathering and purifying qi and enriching it with planar and spiritual energies from Creation's Forge and the Universe. This is typically achieved through a demanding regimen of diet, exercise, and meditation. Intense discipline is needed just to start, and cultivation attracts trials and hardship that remove most of those who do.

The crystal moonflower, a plant coveted in Quain that only blooms under moonlight, is used in many potions, poultices, and salves that help cultivation.

Relation with Heaven

Some deities and dragons of Heaven's Celestial Court work to prevent the ascension of mortals before it happens. They are rumored to be responsible for the tribulations that cultivation attracts, leading many cultivators to succumb to cruel fates.

Many cultivators choose to become holy immortals known as xian and might even join the ranks of the Tian pantheon as minor officials. Others reject Heaven and infuse their qi with dark energies from the Void and Netherworld, becoming unholy.

On Golarion

Cultivators are most well known in the nation of Quain, but are also known to frequent Songbai's bamboo groves, the depths of the Valashmai Jungle, and the mountains of Shanguang, Shenmen, and Zi Ha.

Quain

Cultivators are of particular import in the Successor State of Quain and are felt in every echelon of society. Although most commoners are uninterested in personal commitment to cultivation, many can surprise outsiders with their knowledge of the subject. Cultivators are the most valued customers of many shops, and restaurants offer breakfast specials that claim to improve cultivation. Public martial dance performances mimic cultivation techniques and performers are often cultivators themselves. The commonplace clashes between cultivators often damage the local buildings, especially in the capital of He Ming.

The feuding cultivators and martial sects of Quain define local laws and customs, with every village boasting their own champions and rules. The strongest cultivators of Quain are the grandmasters, and a mysterious force known as the Balance keeps the number of grandmasters fixed at exactly 1,000. The Four Great Sects, the most powerful factions in Quain, are each headed by a powerful grandmaster.

The monarch emeritus, the ruler of Quain, is a former grandmaster who willingly sacrificed their cultivation as part of the Wish-Cycle. Aiding the monarch emeritus are the bureaucratic recanters, who are also former cultivators.

Non-humanoid cultivators

Animals, trees, rocks, and household objects occasionally cultivate their own qi and become powerful yaoguai.