PathfinderWiki:Featured articles/2009
Featured Articles: 2009
2010: Featured articles/2010
December 28 - Eagle Knights
The Eagle Knights of Andoran are an organization sworn to protect their homeland, and to destroy slavery and those who profit from it. Often working as moles inside slaving organizations, the Eagle Knights, while well intentioned, are as insidious as many of the more evil organizations in Golarion. In addition to their clandestine operations, they also maintain a visible presence in many Andoran communities, such as Augustana. read more
- Recently featured: Akiton • Ogre • History of Absalom
December 21 - Akiton
Akiton is the fourth planet from the sun in Golarion's star system and one of the two closest to the blue planet. Red in color, Akiton is both colder and harder than its sunward neighbor. While home to a wide variety of life, both intelligent and not, the primary inhabitants of the Red Planet are the tribal Shobhad-neh, four-armed men standing twelve feet in height and capable of wielding a sword in each of their four hands. They share the world with the timid and crafty Ysoki rat-men and the red-skinned lizardfolk who hunt the great sand serpents of Akiton's dried sea beds with only primitive or natural weapons. The Contemplatives of Ashok are perhaps the strangest inhabitants of Akiton, even among the panoply of alien beings who live on the world, and their soft and throbbing brain-sacs provide them an unnatural connection to the facts of the distant past and future.
- Recently featured: Ogre • History of Absalom • Belor Hemlock
December 14 - Ogre
Foul, inbred, brutish creatures that manage to give the already loathed giantkind a bad name, ogres are savage beyond words and find mirth in the most shocking acts of cruelty. A blight on any land they inhabit ogres are unrepentantly evil not for any philosophical or moral reason but for the sheer, repugnant joy of it. read more
- Recently featured: History of Absalom • Belor Hemlock • Crepitus
December 7 - History of Absalom
Through the past five-thousand years the tomes and volumes detailing the history of the City at the Center of the World have grown to fill even the largest of libraries, yet despite this, there are still many important events in Absalom's history which are not recorded. Most notable among these lost tales is the city's founding, which has resulted in the growth of a powerful myth which surrounds Absalom and which grows more complex and canonized with every passing year. read more
- Recently featured: Belor Hemlock • Crepitus • Dead languages of Golarion
November 30 - Belor Hemlock
Belor Hemlock is the sheriff of the Varisian town of Sandpoint. He replaced the previous sheriff, Casp Avertin, who was killed by mass-murderer Chopper in 4702 AR. Originally a member of the Shriikirri-Quah tribe of the Shoanti, Belor abandoned his heritage when he took on the role of sheriff, changing his last name from its native Viskalai to the Chelish translation of Hemlock, much to the dismay of his brother Garridan. Hemlock is romantically involved with the proprietor of Sandpoint's local brothel, Kaye Tesarani, and though this is not public, it is not as secret an affair as either would like, and has further strained the sheriff's relationships with the more conservative and traditional family members of the town. read more
- Recently featured: Crepitus • Dead languages of Golarion • Cinder wolf
November 23 - Crepitus
It is speculated that Asmodeus spawned the first crepitus, sometimes called magewretches, to tempt and corrupt mortal wizards into damning their souls. Yet while it is true that the crepitus is a highly intelligent creature with a gift for spellcraft and all things arcane, its great intellect is countered by its foolishness and inability to competently lure mortals to Asmodeus's will. As a result, specimens seen on the Material Plane are more often slaves than fiendish tempters. read more
- Recently featured: Dead languages of Golarion • Cinder wolf • Mendev
November 16 - Dead languages of Golarion
Languages are always undergoing changes, modified by time or distance. Over centuries some transform to such a degree that they can be said to be a separate, distinct language, while others are wiped out with their speakers in the blink of an eye by a catastrophic events. A language is considered truly dead if it no longer has any native speakers, even though written records of it may still exist and scholars still study it.
- Recently featured: Cinder wolf • Mendev • Ascendant Court
November 9 - Cinder wolf
The cinder wolf is a charred creature that looks perfectly at home in the burnt and desolate wilderness of the Cinderlands. They are pack hunters and are willing to attack anything they can feed on including local Shoanti. As such they are often hunted by the Shoanti to keep their numbers from getting too great. Cinder wolves are normally at their most numerous before the annual firestorms which sweep the Cinderlands.
- Recently featured: Mendev • Ascendant Court • Ghonhatine
November 2 - Mendev
Mendev is a land defined, created even, by conflict with infernal forces beyond anything seen elsewhere on Avistan. The people of this land struggle constantly with the demonic rift of the Worldwound along the western border. Mendev is now in the middle of it's fourth holy crusade and, along with the pious and righteous, this crusade has attracted its fair share of mercenaries, outcast and ne'r-do-wells of all types. On top of all this, theirs is a war of inquisition against the land's original tribal inhabitants who may harbour secret cults devoted to the demonic. Mendev is a land of conflict which, despite its crusader origin, often degenerates into war that is less than holy.
- Recently featured: Ascendant Court • Ghonhatine • 4606 AR
October 26 - Ascendant Court
At the center of the City at the Center of the World lies the Ascendant Court—Absalom's religious hub, the site of ascension of four gods, and the final resting place of the Starstone itself. The Ascendant Court is the religious center of Absalom, holding the preponderance of the city's temples as well as the cathedral of the Starstone. Located at the physical center of Absalom, it serves as a hub between other districts: all roads in the Ascendant Court lead to the Starstone. Aside from the many temples, the district's most notable locations include the Avenue of the Hopeful, God's Market, the Chelish embassy in the former temple of Aroden, and the Black Mask.
- Recently featured: Ghonhatine • 4606 AR • Erik Mona
October 19 - Ghonhatine
Ghonhatines are the result of drow fleshwarping upon the bodies of troglodytes. They are huge, muscular creatures obedient to their drow slave masters but possessing a colossal hunger for meat.
October 12 - 4606 AR
The death of a god is a cosmos shattering event, and the dawn of a new age for the mortals of Golarion. As such, 4606 AR was a watershed year for the Inner Sea region.
- Recently featured: Erik Mona • Red Raven • Prophecies of Kalistrade
October 5 - Erik Mona
Erik Mona is an author, editor, and publisher, currently serving as publisher of Paizo Publishing, LLC. Past positions include editor-in-chief of Dragon, Dungeon, and Polyhedron. His writing credits include numerous books and articles on the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, and he has been published by Wizards of the Coast, Green Ronin Publishing, Paizo Publishing, and The MIT Press.
- Recently featured: Red Raven • Prophecies of Kalistrade • Qadira
September 28 - Red Raven
The Red Raven, named for his famous tattered red cape that he wears during every one of his thefts, is renowned throughout Galt for his high profile heists. Some view him as nothing more than a rebel while to many he is an egalitarian folk hero. While engaged in his capers, Red Raven is always dressed flamboyantly, with his signature tattered red cloak (the appearance of which belies its magical nature). His appearance when not committing crimes is less dramatic, preferring instead to lead a more frugal life
- Recently featured: Prophecies of Kalistrade • Qadira • Revenge of the Kobold King
September 21 - Prophecies of Kalistrade
The Prophecies of Kalistrade are a series of dream-records of an eccentric mystic from the early days of the Age of Enthronement which stress the benefits of a strict regimen of self-denial. Believers adorn themselves exclusively in white robes and wear full-length gloves to prevent contact with those who do not also follow the philosophy. Additionally, they practice sexual and dietary prohibitions. Followers of the Prophesies believe that their sacrifices will bring them personal wealth and success later in life, and that those who do not achieve such greatness have broken one of the many teachings of the philosophy.
- Recently featured: Qadira • Revenge of the Kobold King • Torag
September 14 - Qadira
The westernmost satrap of the Padishah Empire of Kelesh, Qadira is a kingdom with the power of the sprawling Casmaron empire at its back. Qadira is Kelesh's doorway to Avistan, and is perhaps the single most valuable piece of real estate on Golarion. Rivers of spice and gold flow through its capital of Katheer, and Xerbystes II, the Satrap of Qadira, rightfully boasts that his kingdom holds the wealth of any other three on the Inner Sea.
- Recently featured: Revenge of the Kobold King • Torag • Harrow
September 7 - Revenge of the Kobold King
Revenge of the Kobold King is a 16-page full-color Pathfinder Module that was Paizo's offering at Free RPG Day on June 21, 2008. Revenge is the sequel to Paizo's first-ever module, Crown of the Kobold King, and a lead-in to Hungry Are the Dead.
August 31 - Torag
Torag is a stoic and serious god who values honor, planning and well-made steel. He is an often-distant deity, lending magical power to his clerics, but leaving his followers to make their own way through life, knowing that this will make them strong and determined.
- Recently featured: Harrow • Katapesh • Pathfinder Roleplaying Game
August 24 - Harrow
The Harrow is a method of fortune-telling widely used by many Varisians using a Harrow deck. By doing this the reader is said to be able to recieve small bits of information about what has occured, what is happening, and what will come to pass in the future. Some Harrowers are even able to draw additional power from the Harrow to enhance their spellcasting.
- Recently featured: Katapesh • Pathfinder Roleplaying Game • Asmodeus
August 17 - Katapesh
Katapesh encompasses many different land types and climates. To the north, the Brazen Peaks block the way to Osirion. Foothills and mountain passes offer passage to the northern country but because of the ferocious gnolls of the Brazen Peaks, most travelers prefer to reach Osirion by ship. South of the mountains, warm green savannas stretch for miles. Only tall trees offer moderate shade. Thin rivers and still pools provide water for the animals like camelopards, Katapeshi lions, gazelles, and more. Around a few hot spots where there are underground heat vents, the water turns murky and sulfurous, fostering small jungles. Farther south still the plains dry up into arid stretches of desert. This area is considered the breadbasket of Katapesh from which its citizens' livelihoods spring. The farmers there use the bulbous, spiny cacti to produce pesh, a pleasantly euphoric, mildly addictive drug. To the west, the deserts shift to rocky flatland that rises to become the Barrier Wall Mountains. The eastern jagged coastline of Katapesh along the Obari Ocean creates numerous natural harbors for the ships. The satellite island in the Obari Ocean holds the second most important city of the nation, Okeno.
- Recently featured: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game • Asmodeus
August 10 - Pathfinder Roleplaying Game
The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game puts you in the role of a brave adventurer fighting to survive in a world beset by magic and evil. Will you cut your way through monster-filled ruins and cities rife with political intrigue to emerge as a famous hero laden with fabulous treasure, or will you fall victim to treacherous traps and fiendish monsters in a forgotten dungeon? Your fate is yours to decide with this giant Core Rulebook that provides everything a player needs to set out on a life of adventure and excitement!
This imaginative tabletop game builds upon more than 10 years of system development and an open playtest involving more than 50,000 gamers to create a cutting-edge RPG experience that brings the all-time best-selling set of fantasy rules into the new millennium.
Recently featured: Asmodeus
August 3 - Asmodeus
Asmodeus is the most powerful of the nine archdevils that inhabit Hell, and the only one of Hell's rulers to claim full divinity. It was he who is credited with the penning the contract of creation, within which his followers believe is hidden the means for their patron's eventual rise to supremacy. In addition to forging the contract of creation, then accepted by all the gods and rumored to contain a secret that will one day lead to its author's rise to power above his fellow deities, Asmodeus played a key role in the defeat and imprisonment of Rovagug. The Rough Beast was sealed away in the Pit of Gormuz, the only key to his prison kept by the Prince of Darkness himself.