FAQ's

Common Questions
If you've already checked here and here for previously covered topics, then perhaps these will help:

How do I level up my character?
For the process of gaining experience towards a new level, click here. For the process of leveling up your abilities and stats once you've reached a new level, click here.

Who am I playing with?
Click here to learn more about the party of player characters. If you're looking for non-player characters that populate the world, click here.

Who are you?
I... what? If for some reason you're actually unsure, I'm the Game Master (GM) of this campaign. I'm the creator, the helper, the mediator, the ally, the villain, the innkeeper, the clerk, the blacksmith, the priest, the monsters, the gods, and everything else that goes into playing this game outside of the player characters.

I'm having a bad day.
Take a look at this. Or this. If all else fails, try visiting the nicest place on the internet. If you're still feeling crummy, shoot me a message! Let's talk.

World-Building Questions
From Paizo's Gamemastery Guide, Chapter 6: Creating a World (pages 140-169):

What's my base of operations?
On the continent of Sepheraden, the party began play at the Rusty Spoon Inn in Cardian City.

Do I look different from everybody else?
The seven "core races" are relatively well-represented, and while other races are not unheard of, they tend to shy away from Sepheraden's main hubs, usually due to historical incidences of persecution.

How do I make a living?
In larger settlements, a large amount of citizens earn their keep by taking up arms and defending their homes against the dangerous monsters that lurk and raid. Merchant farmers and craftsmen make their livings in these settlements, offering goods from their distant homes. Adventurers of all stripes seeking glory earn their fair share through odd jobs and dungeon-delving. Some families have amassed glory or wealth enough through time to claim noble status, and in many cases shift the balance through taxation, bribery and other means to maintain their status or manipulate their way to greater fortunes.

Have I been doing this long?
Many adventurers, once they made names for themselves, quit while they were ahead in order to reap the rewards before getting reaped in further adventures. Some have continued their quests for fame and fortune, but only a handful have survived more than a few notable adventures.

Are we at war or at peace?
Currently Sepheraden is officially at peace. One of the bloodiest wars in history, the 13-Year Civil War, ended only 15 years ago, and tensions still run high for many of the involved parties. Tensions have also been building in other places, and so while there are no direct threats of outbreaks of violence, "peace" is a word used only by the ignorant.

What am I doing with these other guys?
Adventuring parties can be drawn together through innumerable means - sometimes characters know each other prior to the adventure at hand, and sometimes they are all complete strangers. If hired as guards or escorts, adventurers may appreciate the offensive balance of their party and decide to work together in the future, perhaps founding their own mercenary company. If captured and forced to work together to escape, the party may decide to continue working together after escaping to unravel the mystery of their sudden and inexplicable kidnapping. Some adventurers move on once the job is done, but many stick together for years to come.

How are lives affected by magic?
In Sepheraden, magic is a mysterious source of power that has only recently been accepted and integrated into everyday life and society. More conservative folk may see flagrant displays of magic as dangerous and irresponsible, blasphemous and unholy, or simply terrifying. In the more rapidly-developing areas of the continent, magic is a fascinating and eagerly studied subject, particularly in Greendale at the Spellcaster's College.

How are lives affected by religion?
The Pantheon of Twelve has been a part of humanoid society since Rovagug descended to the Material Plane over 2000 years ago. It is said that the influence of these deities on the Material Plane infused the world with magic. As time went on and worship of many of these deities became part of everyday life, individuals began discovering and harnessing new magical powers, guided by their patron deities. Today most individuals devote themselves to a single deity, although the philosophy behind the Pantheon Temples has not been discarded by all.

Who or what is going to try to kill me?
Monstrous creatures prowl the unsettled lands of Sepheraden, and monsters of a different sort may have dark or selfish goals within settlements. Few people travel without a party of capable warriors or their own skill with a sword.

Where can I sell this loot?
Larger settlements usually have thriving marketplaces where all kinds of goods can be bought and sold. Smaller settlements have less to offer in terms of merchants and shops, although many have their own unique goods to offer and unique needs in return.

Who's in charge?
The Sepheraden Council is the primary governing body of the continent, made up of Councillors from each recognized settlement, who take leadership roles in their respective homes, resulting in their involvement in all of Sepheraden's affairs. In a way, the mayor of the Capital has the most power, however as a pseudo-democracy this advantage is all but nullified.

Who has the biggest army?
Cardian City is known to have a sizeable force, such that it may be sent abroad to assist in the affairs of other settlements. Sepheraden City, the former Capital, is still reeling from the 13-Year Civil War, which left its army decimated. Larger settlements that avoided getting drawn into the 13-Year Civil War have sizeable defensive forces as well. Smaller settlements tend to lack official armed forces in favour of training all able-bodied citizens to take up arms in times of need only, instead farming and working peacefully most of the time.

Who has the most money and power?
Cardian City has quickly become the pinnacle of civilization in Sepheraden due to its strategic location and progressive nature. Money flows in and out of the city like the river it rests against. Power lies in the hands of the Capital Council, who in Cardian City are usually fair and just individuals. Sepheraden City and its residents, while still in a state of recovery, retained most of their historic treasures and so it is suspected to still be the wealthiest city, although the gap of social class has since widened greatly.

Who maintains law and order?
Many laws are dictated continent-wide by the Sepheraden Council, but it is up to each settlement to determine how each law is enforced and develop their own codes as needed. In most cases a city guard, paid with taxpayer money, enforces the law at the behest of the local council.

How hard do poor people have it?
In smaller settlements extremes of wealth and tend not to exist, although these tend to be poorer in the overall spectrum. It is in the cities of Sepheraden where some of the most wretched beggars are left to rot in their own filth, and as such turn to criminal activity, often through a thieves' guild, as a source of freedom from poverty.

How do people travel, and how easy is it?
Between settlements, horseback and covered wagon are the most common forms of travel. Due to the vast dangers of the Aquen Ocean, there are few large-scale ships capable of traversing open waters. Instead, most water travel is found inland on the rivers and lakes, and along the coasts of Sepheraden between ports. Solo travel is not recommended outside of the Lake Cardian area; individual exile as punishment is usually seen as a death sentence.

What are the best-known landmarks?
Winterpeak, Mount Crimson, the Silverfroste Forest, the Widow's Peaks, the Yellow Hills, and Lushwood are the most famous geographic landmarks. Artificial landmarks can be found here.

Why is everybody celebrating?
There are a number of widely-celebrated Holy Days in the Sepheraden Standard Calendar. Some settlements have their own unique celebrations as well. Perhaps it's someone's birthday, or maybe a party of adventurers just saved a town from a kobold raid.

What do people do for a good time?
Travelling bards and minstrels are a common source of entertainment, as the profession is popular amongst all peoples. Some taverns have elevated stages on which performers of all sorts are scheduled well in advance; other taverns tend to recycle the same tired acts by the more desperate performers who either earn just enough to feed themselves, or are constantly hoping they will be noticed by some noble character and dragged out of a life of mediocrity. Temples to Shelyn are also hot spots for artistic activity.

How did the world come to be?
Numerous opinions exist on this subject. Certain followers of Torag believe that he forged the world with his own hammer. Others believe the clash between Sarenrae and Rovagug resulted in an explosion of matter that was then refined by the other deities and shaped as they saw fit. Still others believe that the Pantheon of Twelve had little to do with the creation of the world, and some even believe that the world has existed forever.

What is the nature of the gods?
The Pantheon of Twelve remain seemingly distant from humanoid society, however it is suspected by most that they are always watching their followers and their sacred places. A blessing from a High Priest of one of the Twelve may be life-changing, and likewise a curse from a follower may haunt one for years to come. Each deity is different, and while all influence world affairs through their followers, it is only the evil-aligned deities who tend to interfere with the progression of humanoid society. Sometimes deities appear to individuals in dreams, though not clearly in a visual sense - these "visions" usually include a disembodied voice accompanied by images. There are a few individuals who claim that their deities have appeared to them in the Material Plane in extraordinary times of need, however the scarcity of these claims causes most these individuals to be met with smiles and nods. On the other hand, a few of the most devoted sectarian cults have been founded around these claims. There are some, though, that refute the existence of these deities, citing the wonders of humanoid imagination as the source of religion.

What is the source of magic?
Many believe that magic comes from the gods. While little is currently known about specific planes, leading arcanists at the Spellcaster's College in Greendale theorized that each of the Twelve represent a different plane, or realm, and that a few of these planes are the direct sources of different forms of magic. For a long time it was believed that casting a spell tapped into a deity's power to change the physical world (the Material Plane). For example, it was thought that casting a spell such as Aqueous Orb would simply draw water out of the air or the earth nearby, or perhaps from some unseen reservoir within the earth. However, as many more different spells were developed and their sizes or volumes increased, it became apparent that there had to be a less finite source - and so eventually the Spellcaster's College released an official statement regarding their theory that most spells tap into an energy source from one of the planes. From this most have drawn the conclusion that if the deities are truly connected to the so-called planes, then magic does, in a way, come from the gods.

What happens when you die?
Based on the teachings of the Pantheon of Twelve, it is widely believed that every soul leaves the body upon death and enters Pharasma's realm of Purgatory, where she decides the fate of each soul.

What do you see when you look at the sky?
The skies above Sepheraden are quite similar to those seen from Earth. Stars and constellations are the only noticeable difference.

What constitutes cutting-edge technology?
Because of magic's recent integration into society, technology has only just begun to advance beyond the standard medieval fare. Alchemy, while alien to many, is a gradually blossoming science that is (at least to those who practice it) seen as one of the most advanced practices in Sepheraden.

Where do monsters come from?
Animals and other such creatures have seemingly always existed, and while it is speculated that many monsters are magically or scientifically altered versions of these creatures, it is said that when Rovagug descended, the earth split open and hordes of grotesque monstrosities infested the land. Whether or not both stories are true is unknown, but the alarming number and variety of creatures averse to sunlight and the above-ground climates suggests a strong link to the Rough Beast's rampage.

Which is strongest: magic, gods, or nature?
Since it is theorized that magic comes from the gods, or at least the planes they represent, it follows that the deities reign supreme. Nature, in the Material Plane, is widely believed to be a creation of the gods as well, and so it also follows that the deities are the superior, as the source of all of nature.

If I drop this off the balcony, what happens?
In the Material Plane, it falls, following the laws of gravity very much like on Earth. Only speculations can be made about such results in other planes.