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CreditsWriting and Game Design: Marc Tassin

Art Direction: Mitchell Malloy

Cover Art: Mitchell Malloy

Cover and Logo Design: Shawn King

Graphic Design and Layout: Michal E. Cross

Illustration: Jacob Atienza, Pattrick Bettag, Jordy Lakiere, Brandon Liao, Ashley Mackenzie, Mitchell Malloy, Ari Targownik, Farid Sandoval

Cartography: Mike Schley

Editing: Amanda Hamon Kunz, John Helfers, Steven S. Long

With Creative Contributions from: Shane Harsch, Scott Janke, Daniel “Doc” Myers

Dedicated to: Tanya Tassin, Luc Tassin, and Abigail Tassin, the finest adventuring party a man could ever ask for!

Special Thanks to: Matthew Eberle, Helen Kourous, Spencer Luster, Kevin Riegle, Elizabeth Vaughan, Steve Wineman, Universe-M , Doug Nelson, Jeff Wheeler

A Mechanical Muse Publication aetaltis.com • contact@aetaltis.com • facebook.com/aetaltis • @aetaltis on Twitter

©2015 Mechanical Muse, LLC. All rights reserved. ISBN 978-0-9905296-3-7

First published in 2015 by Mechanical Muse, LLC. 7999 Poplar Drive, Dexter, MI 48130

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior express permission of the publisher...

...unless you’re doing it for personal use, in which case go for it! All these restrictions are lifted.

If you’re the employee of a copy business, this is the “express permission” you need to let the book owner print a copy of this book for personal use.

Compatibility with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game requires the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game from Paizo Inc.. See paizo.com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Paizo Inc. does not guarantee

compatibility, and does not endorse this product.

Pathfinder is a registered trademark of Paizo Inc., and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility Logo are trademarks of Paizo Inc., and are used under the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility License.

See paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/compatibility for more information on the compatibility license.Sam

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AcknowledgementsThe secret to this project’s success is that it was created not by one person, but by a team of talented, creative, and dedicated people who worked together to make some-thing wonderful. That collaboration gave this product its strength, and I’d like to extend my thanks to the people who made it possible.

“Thank You” to the amazing team of authors, artists, writers, and editors who worked on this project. Their contributions and creative input made this book far richer than it would have been without them, and their professionalism made the process much easier than it would have been otherwise.

“Thank You” to the Toledo Writer’s Group, whose feedback, support, and honest critiques helped to make this book so much better than it would have been otherwise.

“Thank You” to the fantastic group of fiction authors who agreed to write short fiction as stretch goals on the initial Kickstarter, and to Larry Elmore who agreed to create art for the anthology cover. We didn’t hit those goals, but your kind support was an enormous help all the same.

“Thank You” to the Kool-Aid Rehab Team for their encouragement, feedback, assistance, and apples.

And last but not least…“Thank you” to the generous Kickstarter backers who provided the financial and

moral support that made this project possible! You’re the reason this book exists today.

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Kickstarter BackersLegends

Bernard Tassin

AvatarsHelen Kourous, Elizabeth Vaughan

ChampionsRob Crawford, Will Donovan, Jonathon Green,

Brandon Luke, Spencer Daniel Luster, Matt Minor, Suzanne Riley, Lucien Tassin, Nancy Tassin,

Amanda Wheeler, Proverbialblonde

AdventurersBradley P. Beaulieu, Annie Bellet, Cheryl Besch,

Martin Blake, Lori Blough, John C. Boyless, Eric Brace, Jenn Brozek/Apocalypse Ink Productions, John Buckley,

Justin Burr, John Busby, Guy M Caley, Bret Crane, Grant Dahling, Timothy David Elrod, Fantasist Enterprises,

Danielle Fogel, Jim Foster, Stephen Framberger, Jon Harrison, Jerel Heritage, Dan Holden, Rich Householder, Cathy Hoyt, Imagined Interprises Inc., Chris Jameson, Jennifer Johnson,

Hans Kokx, Dan Kramarsky, David Lang, Y. Lee, Chris Lloyd, John McGrath, Adam Meyers, Warren Nelson,

Doug Nelson, David A. Nolan, Timothy H. Ott, John Overath, Amanda Paskell, Alex Prevett, jean rabe,

Gray Richardson, Kevin Riegle, Ken Robkin, Nino Soave, Jason Spencer, Curtis Steinhour, Shannon Sullivan,

Ken Swails, Michael Swan, Brian Toberman, Doug Triplett, Jeff Wheeler, Heidi Wilde, Jeffrey J Zabel, Erik, Helio83, SS,

Ravenswar, Redfuji6, Mikloshe, Justin

SwashbucklersAndrew Cowie, Scott Giesbrecht, Dwayne Hauser,

Jason Hunt, Benjamin Koch, Jake Minor, George Panopoulos, Douglas Park Jnr, Cavill Skeahan-Heugh,

Oliver von Spreckelsen, Julian Tysoe, Huma_Dragonbane

NoblesStorium/Stephen Hood, Leonard Balsera, Jim Bellmore, Dylan Birtolo, Jeff Brooks, Mike Browne, Robert Burke,

Laura Craig, Rafael Delgado, Matthew Eberle, Stephen Eberle, Brent Evans, Mark Faubion,

Christopher Flynn, Len Forge, Jeromy French, John Gahrmann, Darcie Gainer, Jaym Gates, Jerry Gordon,

Carole Hamm, David Hentges, Rick Hewitt, Gregory Horrell, Bernard Howell, Dawn Irby, Eric Jackson,

James Jandebeur, Timothy Jaxon, Bo Tarl Johnson, Brian K, Ed Kowalczewski, Noah Lane, Shawn Lockard,

Jess M, Chase Moore, Randy J Mull, Daniel Nissman, BlackWyrm Publishing, Doug “Dhomal” Raas,

Rhiannon Rippke-Koch, Steven Schend, Amanda Sigler, Sam Slocum, “Filkertom” Tom Smith, Brandon Stenger,

Boyd Stephenson, Rob Streeter, JP Sugarbroad, Sloan Summerfelt, Martine Tassin, Josh Taylor, Rex Timbs,

Robert Towell, Erik Vogas, Kenneth W Warner, Daniel Watkins, Michael Watkins, Rob Wilkison,

Steve Wineman, Michael, AndonSage, 2002simon01, sammo21, Zerzix, Mourne, Zach

AmbassadorsTim Aukett, Ferran Bassols, Jim Clunie, Dany Dallaire,

John Eddy, Dave Gross, Breon Halling, Chris Marry Hultman, Jeremy Kear, Stefan Leonhardt,

Weresheep of Sin, Marc Margelli, Francois Michel, DivNull Productions, Bradley Russo, Pineapple Steak, Chris

Stewart, Alison Warren, Saodhar, Ian, Yves, Akiazoth

CitizensJoseph Berriman, Robert Biskin, Justin Bowen,

Geoffrey Eaton, Greg Fleming, Ragi Gonçalves, Chris A. Jackson, Barbara Klein, Simon Lindström,

Gerolf Nikolay, Sean K. Reynolds, Floyd Wesel, Stewart Wieck, Gregory A. Wilson, GR Yannacoulias, Brad

NPCsAaron Alberg, Uncle Billy, Aaron Cordiale, Frank Dyck,

Galliant Games, Moses Siregar III, QT Games LLC, Steven S. Long, Paul McCrory, Sigil Stone Publishing,

Pamela Ritchey-Winslow, John “King” Roberts, Jim Ryan, Caoimhe Ora Snow, Vasileios Stratigakis, Steve Sullivan,

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Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Every Adventure has a Beginning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Pathfinder Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

CHAPTER 1: THE WORLD OF AETALTIS . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Welcome to Aetaltis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

CHAPTER 2: THE TOWN OF THORNWALL . . . . . . .10

Welcome to Thornwall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11History of Thornwall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Using Thornwall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Everyday Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Government. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Economy & Trade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19Threats & Dangers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20Building Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25Town Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27Settlement Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29Building Entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29Downtime Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30Locations in Thornwall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33Important Location Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

CHAPTER 3: THE GREEN BRIAR TAVERN . . . . . . . 80

Welcome to the Green Briar Tavern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81History of the Green Briar Tavern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82Visiting the Tavern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84Room Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86Tavern Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91Rooms, Stabling & Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92Food & Drink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92Tavern Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93

CHAPTER 4: PEOPLE OF THORNWALL . . . . . . . . . . 94

A Reason to Fight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96Reading the Detailed Entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97Important NPCs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97Minor NPCs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104NPC Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107Index to the People of Thornwall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

CHAPTER 5: THE TEMPLE OF MORDEN . . . . . . . .114

The Adventure Begins… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115GM Adventure Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116Changes to Thornwall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117Kicking Off the Adventure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

APPENDIX A: GOODS & SERVICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

APPENDIX B: GOODWILL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145

What is Goodwill? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145Earning Goodwill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145Losing Goodwill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145Spending Goodwill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

APPENDIX C: PREGENERATED HEROES . . . . . . . . 147

Alia Davros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147Dalios Cochana Dorenkett. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148Helgen Veng Tarenkett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150Synish Esstaga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151Wisikendivendrileenes (aka Wisik) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

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Katelyn raised her hand and called out, “Morning, friend. Welcome to the Green Briar Tavern.”

The man blinked, his own eyes apparently still adjusting to the change in light. Katelyn stepped out from behind the bar and walked over to him. The man smiled broadly when he saw her, then took a moment to look around the room.

“Hello,” he said, the “h” in the word muted slightly and mark-ing him as having come up from the south. “Are you Katelyn Bythewater?”

Looking him up and down, she decided he’d be handsome if he had a bit more meat on his bones, although that messy mane of red hair would need cutting.

“I am,” she said. “Who’s asking?”“Oh, I-I’m sorry,” he stammered and thrust a slender, ink-stained

hand at her. “I’m Eathen Winswood. I’m a travelling historian.”He said “travelling historian” with the same air that the consta-

ble might flash his badge of off ice. She smiled and shook his hand. His skin felt soft. Yes, def initely a historian’s hands.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, son,” she said. “Can I get you some-thing to drink?”

She turned and went back behind the bar. Eathen hurried after her until he reached the bar. He shrugged the pack off and dropped it to the floor with a thump.

“Oh, yes,” he said, pushing his spectacles up with one f inger. “Tea would be lovely.”

KATELYN LEANED AGAINST the wide oak bar and dried her hands on her apron. Her back and joints hurt—

scrubbing the floor on hands and knees was harder now than when she’d been a young woman—but it was worth the effort. Surveying the spotless common room, she breathed in the scents of polished wood, fresh-baked bread, and the crackling f ire, and nodded in satisfaction.

“Everyone likes to come home to a clean house,” her mother had taught her. “Keep the place clean, warm, and smelling of good food, and they’ll want to come back before they’ve even left.”

Katelyn smiled at the memory. She missed her mother’s warm smile and comforting embrace. She made a mental note to light a candle for her on the family altar that evening—maybe an orange one, to remind her mother that she was still deeply loved.

The door to the tavern creaked open, letting the early morning sunlight stream in. Katelyn squinted at the glare and wondered who this early morning visitor might be. The person stood silhou-etted in the doorframe for a moment, and then let the door swing shut behind him.

Katelyn’s eyes adjusted to see a skinny man wearing specta-cles standing there. He wore a loose-f itting brown shirt under a weathered woolen jacket and simple black leggings. Mud spattered his high leather boots. A heavy pack, seemingly too large and over-loaded for his scrawny frame, rose over his shoulders, yet somehow he wore it comfortably.

INTRODUCTION

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Introduction

Katelyn took a jug out from under the counter and grabbed a mug. She pulled the wide cork out of the mouth of the jug and f illed the cup with red-brown liquid.

“It’s not hot but it’s a good sun brew,” she said, pushing the mug over to him. She replaced the cork and put the jug back under the counter. “So what brings you to our f ine town?”

Eathen sipped some of the tea. “Very good,” he said and smiled. “Thank you.”

He set the mug down. “I’ve come from the Royal University in New Erinor. As I said, I’m a travelling historian, and I’m collecting the history of the northlands for Lord Drakewyn’s grand endeavor.”

He waited expectantly, clearly expecting her to know all about this ‘grand endeavor.’ When she didn’t respond, he hesitated, as if unsure how to take that, then continued.

“You see, I’m to chronicle the history of the Duchy of Vaun and all its holdings. When I arrived this morning and explained this to the men at the gate, they directed me to you. They tell me you know as much about this town as anyone.”

Katelyn leaned back against the counter behind the bar and crossed her arms.

“They’re right about that,” she said. “Did they also mention that I’m a shrewd businesswoman?”

“No,” Eathen answered, raising his brows. “Although I assumed as much, seeing as you run this establishment.”

“Good,” she said. “In that case, let’s deal. I’ll tell you what you want to know about Thornwall, and in exchange you can do some-thing for me.”

“Oh,” Eathen said and his eyes lit up. “I’d be happy to. I’m versed in the writing of letters, or if you need help with your books…”

Katelyn laughed, reached out, and squeezed the young man’s shoulder.

“Ah, that’s sweet,” she said, still chuckling, “but I’ve got that cov-ered just f ine. No, I’ve got something else in mind for you. Did you see that chicken coop outside when you came in?”

“Yes…”“Well, I need that coop scraped and painted. You do that for me,

and I’ll tell you everything you want to know. I’ll even give you a bed in one of the bunk rooms while you’re here. What do you say?”

“Well, I’ve never really painted before—”“Ah, it’s easy. Smart boy like you will f igure it out in no time,”

she said.Before Eathen could say anything more, she stepped out from

behind the counter and patted him on the back, making him rock under her hand.

“Glad we could make a deal. Now let’s get you settled in.”

Every Adventure has a Beginning… A threat appears, heroes gather, and hope is rekindled in the face of rising darkness. This is the way tales of adventure begin. Countless pages have been written about the journeys that follow, and in the world of role-playing games, one can fill shelves with the books dedicated to helping the gamemaster run these adventures.

Far less time, however, is spent on beginnings. There are just a handful of products that look at the town where the heroes first gather, or the tavern where they formulate their planned quest. These places form the foundation of the story, yet except for a few exceptions (the now legendary village of Hommlet is one example) these places receive very little atten-tion in our hobby.

This book sets out to remedy that. It provides the game-master with everything he needs to launch and support a new campaign. From the friendly innkeeper who offers to stash the heroes’ treasure in her vault while they’re off fighting goblins to the eccentric merchant that actually wants to purchase a six-foot-tall antique candelabra, the Heroes of Thornwall sup-plement provides you with the springboard to launch your campaign, and the foundation to sustain it for many adven-tures to come.

WHAT YOU’LL FIND INSIDEThe Heroes of Thornwall is divided into five chapters and includes three appendices.

Chapter 1: The World of AetaltisThis book can be used with any fantasy setting, but the default setting is a world called Aetaltis, which offers a modern take on classic fantasy. It embraces the familiar tropes of the fantasy genre, lovingly restores them, and channels them back to you in a way that feels both fresh and intimately familiar at the same time. Chapter 1 gives a brief overview of the World of Aetaltis.

Chapter 2: The Town of ThornwallThornwall is a good-sized town sitting on the edge of the wilds. It includes everything adventurers look for in a base of opera-tions, and offers all the tools a gamemaster needs to support an extended campaign. In this chapter you’ll find detailed descrip-tions of the businesses, institutions, and important locations in Thornwall. It also includes a complete store inventory and guid-ance on growing the town as the characters advance in level.

Chapter 3: The Green Briar TavernEvery adventure needs a tavern. This chapter includes a fully described tavern, tavern games, a complete menu, and even rec-ipes that let you make the same meals at home that are served by this fine establishment. It also provides the gamemaster with meta-game elements that will help to launch and support an ongoing campaign.

Chapter 4: The People of ThornwallFrom tavern keepers to town elders, you’ll find a complete sup-porting cast of characters in this chapter. Every character includes a Pathfinder Compatible stat-block, and important NPC descriptions include backstories and detailed character traits.

Chapter 5: The Temple of ModrenTo help you launch your campaign, we’ve included an exciting Pathfinder Compatible introductory adventure that you can run with little to no advance preparation. This classic dungeon delve

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