Côte de Couronne-d'Ouest - Rencontres Aléatoires

Bestiary From the tales of the Petalana Cycles comes the story of “Queen Swaniai’s Diamond Eye,” an account of a virtuous beauty and her gem that revealed the truth of any man’s heart. In the tragic tale, a cunning paramour manages to trick Swaniai into marrying him by spiriting away her wondrous jewel. While much of the story is mere parable, my studies led me to believe that truth colored its details. And so I ventured into the mountains north of Chennipon. Yet though I followed the story, I did not find Swaniai’s Diamond Eye in the grip of the Night Weaver King as my research had led me to expect. Rather, in that dark place, the Eye had found a new master, one just as devoted to fending off men’s advances, though far less comely than Swaniai. —Liteim Krinas, Paths Across Vudra. This month the discoveries of the Pathfinder Society fill the pages of the Bestiary. From the exotic fetishes of undiscovered societies to titans of legend, these fantastic creature come straight from the tales of Golarion’s foremost society of explorers and the illustrious pages of the Pathfinder Chronicles themselves. BEYOND THE WALLS Westcrown’s dangers hardly end at its city walls. Beyond the centuries-old mortar and moss-shrouded granite lies one of the most thoroughly subdued countrysides in all of Cheliax, having been host to Chelish travelers, settlers, and armies for centuries. Yet, with little oversight from the ruling government, the land around the former capital has few defenders. Only the rare understaffed and underfunded company of dottari patrols the roads leading from the city, leaving those who venture upon the Rack Road leading into the Turanian Hills or Xarian’s Way toward Westpool and Egorian to fend for themselves. Bandits and highwayman have thus become common on these routes, though few stray within 10 miles of the city, fearing the influence of the Council of Thieves. Such rogues also remain watchful of the Order of the Rack Hellknights, whose shadow looms constantly from Citadel Rivad in the west. The bandits and con artists that operate across the Chelish country are an unfortunate side effect of the ages of humanity’s dominance in the region. Long ago, the wolf packs, owlbears, and bugbear tribes that once occupied the hills and fens of the southern Cheliax were subdued, and such creatures are rarely seen today. Yet natural dangers still exist. Today, most threats along the Gemcrown Coast take the form of wild animals, deadly plants, and menaces from the sea. In close proximity to Westcrown, the city’s shadowy curse also seeps into its surroundings, with the occasional shadow beast being known to haunt the night. The unquiet remnants of generations past also wander the rarely tread reaches of the land, lonely undead imprisoned by forgotten hatreds and wrongs. Yet, all is not danger and bandits outside of Westcrown. Several small communities of fisherfolk, farmers, ranchers, traders, and recluses dot the land around Gemcrown Bay, as do the coastal estates of some of Cheliax’s most esteemed noble families. Most notable, though, are two small communities living within the city’s shadow. Founder’s Rest lies just to the city’s north, outside of Parego Dospera. Once a welcome sight at the end of a long road, the Founder’s Rest Inn was created as a stopping point for pilgrims visiting Westcrown, in particular those arriving after the closure of the city’s gates for the evening. Now, though, Vancent Lomarn (LG male human fighter 5), an aging former Hellknight, caters to merchants and any with business preferably conducted outside the city walls. He’s seen much corruption in Westcrown and prides himself on maintaining a safe place for simple, hardworking souls. He rents spartan rooms for 2 gp a night, though he also maintains more lavish apartments for those willing to pay 4 gp a night, or who work toward a cause he believes in. Vomer’s Shallows is home to a small commune of traders, sailors, fisherfolk, and disenfranchised Wiscrani who form a largely self-sufficient community on the eastern bank of the Adivian. The herbalist Sosara Josain (NG female human cleric of Erastil 3) has long made a name for herself supplying those in need with sound medical aid and, at times, shelter from trumped-up dottari accusations. GMs interested in expanding upon encounters on the roads and in the communities around Westcrown might find useful stat blocks for bandits and other such scofflaws in Pathfinder Adventure Path volume #25.

Westcrown Coast Random Encounters

d%	Encounter	EL	Source
1–2	1 merfolk	1/3	Bestiary 204
3–7	1d10 rabid dogs	2	Bestiary 87
8–11	1 giant leech	2	Bestiary 187
12–14	1d6 zombies	2	Bestiary 288
15–18	1d6 tieflings	2	Bestiary 264
19–21	1d6 dolphins	3	Bestiary 88
22–23	1d12 hanivers	3	Pathfinder #25
24–27	1d6 giant frogs	4	Bestiary 135
28–30	1 sea hag	4	Bestiary 243
31–33	1d6 venomous snakes	4	Bestiary 255
34–37	1 dire boar	4	Bestiary 36
38–40	1 centipede swarm	4	Bestiary 43
41–42	1d6 shocker lizards	5	Bestiary 248
43–46	2d8 stirges	5	Bestiary 260
47–50	1d4 assassin vines	5	Bestiary 22
51–53	1 basilisk	5	Bestiary 29
54–57	1d6 bat swarms	5	Bestiary 30
58–60	1d6 alligators	5	Bestiary 51
61–63	1d4 gray oozes	6	Bestiary 166
64–66	1d4 leech swarms	6	Bestiary 187
67–70	1d2 shambling mounds	6	Bestiary 246
71–73	1 will-o’-wisp	6	Bestiary 277
74–75	1d4 yellow musk creepers	6	Bestiary 285
76–78	1d4 crab swarms	6	Bestiary 50
79–81	1d4 large water elementals	7	Bestiary 126
82–83	1 ghost	7	Bestiary 144
84–86	1 water naga	7	Bonus Bestiary 14*
87–90	1d4 shadow mastiffs	7	Bonus Bestiary 16*
91–93	1d8 shadows	7	Bestiary 245
94–95	1d4 basidironds	7	Bestiary 28
96–98	1 chuul	7	Bestiary 46
99–100	1 greater shadow	8	Bestiary 245

• See paizo.com for the Pathfinder RPG Bonus Bestiary.