Kingmaker

Kingmaker: Campaign Information

Across the northern frontier of the River Kingdoms runs a hinterland not even the most brazen bandit lords dare to claim. Sharing borders with strange barbarians and the scions of a proud kingdom, this wilderness invites few intruders, out of fear of provoking the ire of empires.

For untold decades this land has lain fallow, left to the devices of nature and deadly beasts, while strange things lurk amid its swamps, forests, and peaks, and the remnants of an ancient, near-forgotten history sleeps amid ruins and weeds. These are the Stolen Lands, a lordless realm having defied untold conquerors, yet ripe with potential for any bold enough to prove themselves its masters. There is no clear reason as to why the Stolen Lands have proven so difficult to settle over the centuries, but scholars have noted that the veil between the Material Plane and the First World, another plane of existence, is unusually thin in the region. Some theorize that this connection has made the area difficult to tame more than the few small, sparse settlements have managed.

The region called the Stolen Lands takes its name from Brevoy, which claims this realm as rightfully its own. The fertile plains of the Brevan demesne of Rostland spill into the region, colouring the fractious nation’s claim on the wilderness. This makes the border between the River Kingdoms and the northern realm hotly contested, with the descendants of Choral the Conqueror — the unifier of modern Brevoy — and ancient Rostlandic nobles claiming right to lands as far south as Hooktongue Slough and the Kamelands, and some brash families asserting their reach extends as far south as the bandit city of Pitax.

In truth, the Stolen Lands belong to no one, and are stolen from no one. Many have tried to claim them, but the abandoned ruins that dot the swath of wilderness stand as testaments to the difficulty of ruling these savage lands. They have remained wild with a fierce tenacity, a haven for monsters and criminals and dangerous secrets, and as such have posed a menace to their neighbouring nations as long as anyone can remember.

Yet these times of relative calm in the Stolen Lands are coming to an end. The Aldori Swordlords, ruling “family” of Restov in Brevoy, have put out the call for heroes to tame the Stolen Lands, explore, and map the Greenbelt region. In return for your help in stabilising the region, the Aldori promise to support your own claim to them: as a baron or baroness of a vassal nation - a claim for which you will receive a coveted official charter.

Beyond heroism, you will each have your own motivation to settle the Stolen Lands. Perhaps you are travelling there to prove something to yourself or others; there may be something lost to you or your loved ones; vengeance could lie in the mists and fog, or something greater still.

We begin with the PCs' arrival at a rugged trading post called "Oleg's" in the Greenbelt: the outskirts of the Stolen Lands, just south of the Brevan border, having travelled to the Stolen Lands from their homes to answer the call of adventure...

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WHO?
>Be me
>Level 4 Pathfinder 1e character
>Have 25 point buy
• You may have already had a small adventure in your history - something to create ties to the world, or even with other characters.
• Have a read of the background on the neighbouring kingdoms (below), and ask me questions about how you might link yourself into any settlements within them or the River Kingdoms. I definitely encourage thinking about what sorts of connections you want with the world.
• We will NOT be using support tracks at the beginning of the campaign. However, I am Subtly Encouraging You to think about what support track you might select for your character if they should, somehow, become unexpectedly available.

WHERE?
• Natsivia, the continent that has definitely always been north-east of Choron, I don't know what you're talking about.
• The campaign will take place almost exclusively within the River Kingdoms, a vast and diverse region at the centre of the continent - bordered by Numeria to the north-west, Brevoy to the north-east, Razmiran to the west, and Galt to the south-east.

WHEN?
• In-setting, the campaign will take place in 1085AB.
• The campaign will take place almost exclusively within the River Kingdoms, a vast and diverse region at the centre of the continent made up by a multitude of kingdoms and countries - bordered by Numeria to the north-west, Brevoy to the north-east, Razmiran to the west, and Galt to the south-east.

HOW?
• Standard House Rules (https://pastebin.com/bE7DV2xU) are in effect
• Weapon Focus: Congratulations - you're getting Weapon Focus for free as a campaign feat at level 1.
• The Kingdom Management rules (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/other-rules/kingdom-building/) will be used following the end of Book 1 of the AP. I've taken the time to familiarise myself with them, but it wouldn't hurt for you to do the same when they become relevant.
• Background Skills are in effect
• Climb + Swim = Athletics (Str)