PZO9217 Guide to the River Kingdoms.pdf

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China Miéville, Elaine Cunningham,
Chris Pramas, and Steve Kenson
The River Kingdoms
Mt. Branthlend
Mormouth
Protectorate
of the
Black
Marquis
Brev
oy
The Stolen
Lands
The
Narlmarches
Echo
Wood
Loric Fells
Pitax
Sarain
Heibarr
Rookwarden
Pitax
Deadbridge
Mosswater
Touvette
Avendale
Uringen
Embeth
Forest
Mivon
Mivon
Scrawny
Crossing
Hawk’s Nest
Outsea
Lambreth
Daggermark
Gralton
Artume
Sevenarches
Daggermark
Gralton
The
Feasting Hall
Maashinelle
Tymon
Nystra
Tymon
Sevenarches
Cordelon
The
Wilewood
Hymbria
Mimere
Liberthane
alt
G
Se
East
llen
The
Boarwood
N
Kyon
in
Kallas
Lake
Sellen River
We
st
Sel
len
Riverton
Major Town
Small Settlement
Ruins
Point of Interest
0
30
60
Miles
Table of Contents
Credits
Authors:
Eric Bailey, Kevin Carter, Elaine Cunningham,
Adam Daigle, Mike Ferguson, Joshua J. Frost, Steve
Kenson, Rob Manning, Alison McKenzie, Colin Moulder-
McComb, China Miéville, Brock Mitchel-Slentz, Jason
Nelson, Richard Pett, Chris Pramas, Jeff Quick, Sean K
Reynolds, F. Wesley Schneider, Lisa Stevens, Neil Spicer,
Matthew Stinson, and John Wick
Cover Artist:
Dan Scott
Cartography:
Rob Lazzaretti
Interior Artists:
Jeff Carlisle, Billy George, Andrew Kim,
Muyoung Kim, Craig J Spearing, and Kieran Yanner
Editor-in-Chief:
James Jacobs
Managing Editor:
F. Wesley Schneider
Editing and Development:
Christopher Carey, Rob
McCreary, Sean K Reynolds, and James L. Sutter
Editorial Assistance:
Jason Bulmahn
Art Director:
Sarah E. Robinson
Senior Art Director:
James Davis
Production Specialist:
Crystal Frasier
Publisher:
Erik Mona
Paizo CEO:
Lisa Stevens
Vice President of Operations:
Jeffrey Alvarez
Corporate Accountant:
Dave Erickson
Director of Sales:
Pierce Watters
Sales Manager:
Christopher Self
Technical Director:
Vic Wertz
Events Manager:
Joshua J. Frost
Special Thanks:
The Paizo Customer Service, Website,
and Warehouse Teams
Paizo Publishing, LLC
7120 185th Ave NE, Ste 120
Redmond, WA 98052-0577
paizo.com
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
Gaming 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.
Pathfinder Chronicles: Guide to the River Kingdoms
is published by Paizo Publishing, LLC under the Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Paizo Publishing,
LLC, the Paizo golem logo, Pathfinder, and GameMastery are registered trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC; Pathfinder Chronicles, Pathfinder Module, and the Pathfinder Roleplaying
Game are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC. © 2010, Paizo Publishing, LLC.
Printed in China.
In the far-distant past, when forests covered much of Avistan and elves
were the dominant race, the land now known as the River Kingdoms
was verdant and lively. Streams ran quick and clear, and the land was
green and firm. This territory adjoining Kyonin and Lake Encarthan
was a place for high nobles and their courts to enjoy hunting and sport.
The elves called it Telvurin, translated today in Taldane as “The Shifting
Lands.” The departure of the elves gave the human race new territory
to explore, putting them in conflict with lizardfolk, frog-men, and
suspicious fey. With its dozens of tributary rivers dividing the region
into countless small territories, it became a natural place for outcasts,
rebels, and petty tyrants to stake claims and declare themselves rulers
of whatever land they could grab and hold.
illennia later, the pleasantness of the land remains.
Unfortunately, so does the chaos. Very little stays
static in the River Kingdoms. The rivers slowly shift
boundaries over centuries, and kingdoms can trade hands
yearly. Banditry is a national pastime, and security is a distant
hope for commoners, reserved for people in other lands.
The River Kingdoms are a collection of often-fractious
neighbors united only by their common geography and their
near-anarchic independence. When the local lord may change
from year to year, the nearest “king” is actually a bandit with
delusions of grandeur, and the only thing protecting a rancher’s
livestock is how well he can use a sword, the strong learn to
depend on themselves and distrust those who break their word
or exploit others. Though the leaders of the River Kingdoms
are varied and ever-changing, the people—as stubborn and
contrary as they may be—mark the character of the River
Kingdoms: survivalist adaptability and stubborn endurance.
The f irst section of this book covers the geography of
the River Kingdoms, how this region survives as a political
entity despite not having a unif ied leader, the many types of
governments that exist here, relations with other countries,
and what life is like in this land. Any discussion of the River
Kingdoms, of course, must address its bandit problem,
its strange local deities, and the Six River Freedoms held
common throughout the kingdoms.
The remainder of the book is a gazetteer of 22 of the most
signif icant territories within the River Kingdoms. Eight of
these are the largest and most stable: Daggermark, Gralton,
Lambreth, Mivon, Pitax, Sevenarches, Tymon, and Uringen;
though little more than city-states with ambiguous borders,
these eight major kingdoms conduct trade and engage in
diplomacy with nearby countries where smaller or newer
kingdoms may be laughed off by merchants and foreign
leaders. The other territories are smaller, more isolated
kingdoms which may yet survive long enough to establish a
permanent foothold in the manner of Daggermark and the
other major players, or else places that lie fallow after wars,
plagues, or unknown events. The Stolen Lands is the setting
for the Kingmaker Adventure Path; whether or not you plan
to run a campaign using that Adventure Path, this area is
ripe for exploration and can easily be the site of a custom
home-brewed campaign of conquest for ambitious PCs.
of this region, as it or its tributaries touch most kingdoms
in the nation. Thanks to the Third River Freedom (see page
7), these waterways are clear of any off icial obstruction to
trade or travel. However, bandits and pirates ply all parts
of the river, so travel and commerce are never certain.
Merchants mainly move food around the kingdoms, but
steady traff ic in arms and armor makes traders both good
targets for bandits and well prepared for them. Travelers
also use the Sellen daily, and the western and main branches
are highways for crusaders headed to Mendev. Of course,
crusaders often feel obliged to halt wrongdoing along the
way as well, or to stop and collect some much-appreciated
“donations” to the cause.
In most places, the river is less than a mile wide and around
12 feet deep, best suited to barge travel. Bridges seldom last
outside of the stable kingdoms, so ferryboats are common
along the waterway.
Outsiders f ind it confusing that on many maps the
tributaries are also called “the Sellen River.” The turnover of
sovereignty leads to frequent renaming, making most names
too temporary to be useful. When it’s relevant, the river is
referred to by its three main branches: West Sellen, Main
Sellen, and East Sellen, with specif ic sections of the river
named according to the nearest kingdom through which
it f lows. When conversing with a native about one of these
confusingly named rivers, understanding the particulars of
directions and locations requires a DC 15 Knowledge (local)
skill check.
Forests
Over a dozen discrete forested areas cover much of the River
Kingdoms. During the time of the elves, woods blanketed
much more of the land in one or two vast forests that rivaled
the size of the modern Verduran, but logging, blight, and
fire culled many of the trees over the ages. The larger forests
are still home to secretive fey, and all of them are havens for
bandits and other undesirables.
Swamps
The many waterways are known to f lood and shift over time,
and what was once a fertile plain can become a shallow lake in a
particularly rainy season, eventually transforming into a bog.
Conversely, the source of a swamp’s water may drift farther
upstream, causing the swamp to dry out and revert to a forest
or even a plain. Most plants of the River Kingdoms can adapt to
wet or dry situations, though some thrive better in one or the
other and are replaced by competitors when the environment
changes too far from their optimal setup.
The waters carry silt and nutrients to all parts of the
River Kingdoms, and crops grow well here, leading some
enterprising settlers to plant on dry areas or small, clear-
cut sites, moving their plots as the terrain accommodates
these alterations. This constant change means that
R
IVER
K
INGDOMS
G
EOGRAPHY
The lay of the land is the direct result of the Sellen River and
its many tributaries. The rich, damp soil supports ancient
trees and traps water, creating dozens of isolated boggy areas
with their own ecologies and pockets of native creatures.
The Sellen River
This wide, lazy river system drains across the gentle slopes of
the River Kingdoms into Kallas Lake, and eventually empties
into the Inner Sea. The Sellen is the main transport system

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