Serpent's Skull (adventure path)

Serpent's Skull is the seventh Pathfinder Adventure Path and was released between August 2010 and February 2011, starting with Souls for Smuggler's Shiv. The six-part series takes adventurers from the Chelaxian colony of Sargava into the heart of the Mwangi Expanse and prominently features serpentfolk as a thematic enemy.

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Race to the lost city! Deep in the southern jungles, a fantastic city of wonders lies ruined and forgotten by the outside world, ripe for plundering and exploration by the heroes. Yet they aren't alone—several other factions, from deadly Red Mantis assassins to the avaricious Aspis Consortium—have also been tipped off to the city's existence, and the race is on to see who will reach it first. Of course, nothing in the jungle is as easy as it seems. For once they arrive, the heroes discover that the city may be lost, but it is not uninhabited...
The Serpent's Skull Adventure Path takes players from a shipwreck on the dangerous shores of the pirate island called Smuggler's Shiv to the deep forests of the Mwangi Expanse, and into a lost city where an ancient and powerful race of serpentfolk seeks to resurrect their dead god.

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Releases


Souls for Smuggler's Shiv	Written by James Jacobs	Released August 2010
For level 1. A deadly storm shipwrecks the passengers and crew of the Jenivere upon infamous Smuggler's Shiv, an island off the coast of the jungle realm of Sargava. If they're to have any hope of escaping the notorious pirates' graveyard, the survivors will need to band together to outwit the isle's strange beasts and legendary menaces. But can the PCs unite the swift-to-squabble castaways, especially when several seem to have mysterious goals of their own? And does Smuggler's Shiv hide secrets even deadlier than its desperate denizens?
Racing to Ruin	Written by Tim Hitchcock	Released September 2010
For level 4. The heroes venture to the desperate capital of the failing jungle colony Sargava to supply for an overland journey to Saventh-Yhi, the lost Azlanti City of Seven Spears. There they become embroiled in intrigue with the Pathfinder Society, the Aspis Consortium merchant league, the Pirate Lords of the Shackle Isles, and the deadly Red Mantis assassins, rivals who also seek to plunder the lost city for their own purposes. Each group uses its unique tactics to pressure the heroes into an alliance, with Sargava's leaders promising a huge reward to the explorers who can successfully discover and explore the ruined city. With enemy factions hot on their heels, tons of unexpected encounters, and a waiting tribe of monkey-men, will the heroes survive the Screaming Jungle to reach the lost city of Saventh-Yhi before it's too late?
City of Seven Spears	Written by Kevin Kulp	Released November 2010
For level 7. The heroes at last emerge from the trackless jungles of the Mwangi Expanse to discover the vine-choked lost city of Saventh-Yhi, ruined outpost of the ancient kingdom of Azlant. With seven spear-like monolith towers peaking above the verdant canopy and crumbling causeways echoing with the savage cries of unknown predators, the city promises untold wealth to those brave enough to claim it. But the heroes are not alone, for their allies and enemies among Sargava's colonist government, the Pathfinder Society, the Aspis Consortium merchant league, the Pirate Lords of the Shackle Isles, and the mysterious assassins of the Red Mantis also have designs upon the treasures of the City of Seven Spears, and the race is on to plunder the riches of the city's many adventure sites.
Vaults of Madness	Written by Greg A. Vaughan	Released December 2010
For level 10. A strange swashbuckler rescued in the City of Seven Spears reveals the secret beneath Saventh-Yhi—a forgotten serpentfolk city called Ilmurea, inspiration for the superstitious native fears of a terrible evil lurking just underfoot. The heroes must accompany their new ally to rescue her captured companions in the city below, braving the trap-laden, monster-infested Vaults of Madness that stand between Saventh-Yhi and Ilmurea. But just as they venture forth, a new inhabitant takes up residence in the City of Seven Spears—the legendary Gorilla King himself!
The Thousand Fangs Below	Written by Graeme Davis	Released January 2011
For level 13. The heroes explore the lost underground serpentfolk city of Ilmurea only to discover that it is not nearly as abandoned as they had thought. Feral descendants of the original Azlanti inhabitants of the surface City of Seven Spears have degenerated into subterranean morlocks, devolving into madness and evil over thousands of years. Malign creatures from throughout the Darklands flock to Ilmurea to prey upon these dwellers, and serpentfolk from around the world flock to Ilmurea, beckoned by the severed head of their slain ophidian god, Ydersius. A grim ritual, already in progress, will use the power of the Serpent's Skull to restore the serpentfolk of Golarion to their true, terrible potential, instantly creating a new menace below all the nations of the world. A lost Pathfinder holds the key to disrupting the ritual, but before his plan can be executed he must first be rescued from his underground prison.
Sanctum of the Serpent God	Written by Neil Spicer	Released February 2011
For level 15. Returning from battles against serpentfolk in the underworld, the heroes must raise an army among the war-torn jungle ruins of Saventh-Yhi to annihilate the growing evils below. Yet raising such a force tests not just their diplomatic skills, but subjects them to brutal tests of courage and strength. With a savage army united, a path to the serpentfolk stronghold beneath the city must be opened, requiring the activation of an ancient device that drops seven of the city's massive towers to impale the accursed ruins below. As the warriors of the jungles do battle with legions of snakemen, the heroes make their way to the temple of the snake god Ydersius to face the serpentfolk's mad high priest and disrupt a ritual threatening to return the ancient evil god to terrible life.

Related publications

Player's Guides
	Serpent's Skull Player's Guide	Written by Mark Moreland	Released July 2010
	This guide seeks to aid players preparing to take part in the Serpent's Skull Adventure Path, to arm them with spoiler-free details and rules elements useful in the forthcoming challenges, and to help create backgrounds that easily mesh with the campaign.
Sourcebooks
	Heart of the Jungle	Written by Tim Hitchcock, Amber Scott, et al.	Released June 2010
	From tropical coasts, where greedy colonial powers pillage the land, to remote jungles and rolling savannas of mystics and lion-riders, the Mwangi Expanse is a region of boundless opportunity. Underneath the steaming jungle canopy, the lost ruins of ancient giants shelter isolated tribes, bloodthirsty predators, and screaming hordes of demon-worshiping apes. Sites of ancient magic lie almost forgotten to the outside world, and a steady stream of bold explorers ventures into the trackless wilderness after legendary fountains of youth and cities of gold, never to return. For the jungle is a living, breathing entity, and it's always hungry... Heart of the Jungle is the perfect supplement for any jungle campaign.
	Sargava, The Lost Colony	Written by JD Wiker and Sean K Reynolds	Released June 2010
	On the distant shores of an unexplored tropical continent, brave colonists strive to break with their devil-haunted past and make new lives for themselves in a land of plenty. Yet in fleeing tyranny, these colonists have also imposed their own, and the land's indigenous peoples have greeted the imperialistic settlers with open arms and leveled spears. This is Sargava: a nation on the brink of disaster, surrounded on all sides by pirates, hostile natives, and trackless jungles full of howling beasts and ancient ruins. Through its ports flood ancient treasures beyond imagination, brought forth from the wilderness by the blood and sweat of intrepid explorers. But can the colonists maintain their delicate balance, or will greed and their own deals with the devil see them swept into the sea?
Accessories
	Serpent's Skull Poster Map Folio	Cartography by Rob Lazzaretti	Released January 2011
	Pit all your wits and weapons against the savage wildernesses and the denizens of forgotten empires in the Serpent's Skull Adventure Path. From forays into the jungle's depths to explorations of legendary lost ruins, the Serpent's Skull Poster Map Folio provides maps for the entire campaign.