Return of the Pharaohs

Synopsis

The Return of the Pharaohs is a campaign where a group of inexperienced, but talented adventurers is pressed into the service of a mysterious benefactor who ends up being the crown prince of Osirion, Khemet III. The prince is desperate to rid his family line of a pact his ancestor made with a powerful devil and he has a plan to groom the new adventurers to become his champions, arming them with power and knowledge, eventually promoting them to the status of mythic-level Pharaohs.

I decided that my next campaign would use the Pathfinder world of Golarion as the setting and be a mostly custom-created campaign arc. I was inspired somewhat by the complex plots and motivations of the popular series, Game of Thrones so I wanted the group to ‘unpeel the onion’ of their adventures a little at a time. They started off not knowing much about how they came together, but were tempted enough by the payoff of their success to keep going together as a group.
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When I create a campaign from scratch like this, I usually start with some background inspiration. At the time we started this campaign, the world of Golarion was not very well fleshed out by Paizo (at least publicly), so I had to spend considerable time creating my own content; maps, NPCs, politics, etc. I also tend to spend a lot of time fleshing out the backgrounds and texture of the regions where the adventurers will be travelling. Once I have a more realistic vision of the people and places, I can more easily create a series of encounters to tell my story. Some of the information below has never been seen by my players so they may find some of it to be ‘revealing’.
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The current campaign, which began in January 2013, takes a group of adventurers to various locales throughout the Inner Sea region, including Taldor, Andoran, Molthune, Cheliax, Varisia, Osirion, Nidal and the Lands of the Linnorm Kings. The party was ‘recruited’ to perform quests for a then unknown benefactor. Although their motives may have been mysterious, it can be argued that the payoff has been great! What follows is a listing of the chapters of this campaign and a general summary of the plots, personalities and behind-the-scenes backstories.

Players and Characters

• Joel Johnstone — Balen (half-orc ranger)
• Dan Flores — Meridian (human sorcerer)
• Ben Murray — Din (human alchemist)
• Greg Murray — Ramos (human druid)
• Steve Travis — Roga (human inquisitor)
• Jon Snyder — Tark (half-orc rogue/arcane trickster)

Have memories to add?

If you played in this campaign and want to contribute notes, photos, or corrections, send me a message.