Pathfinder Tales: Lord of Runes

by Dave Gross

  Orc: Bestial, warlike race of savage humanoids from deep underground who now roam the surface in barbaric bands. Possess green or gray skin and protruding tusks. Almost universally hated by more civilized races.

  Oriat: One of the Ring districts in Kaer Maga.

  Paladin: A good and lawful holy warrior. Ruled by a strict code of conduct and granted special magical powers by his or her deity.

  Pathfinder: A member of the Pathfinder Society.

  Pathfinder Chronicles: Books published by the Pathfinder Society detailing the most interesting and educational discoveries of their members.

  Pathfinder Lodge: Meeting house where members of the Pathfinder Society can buy provisions and swap stories.

  Pathfinder Society: Organization of traveling scholars and adventurers who seek to document the world’s wonders. Based out of Absalom and run by a mysterious and masked group called the Decemvirate.

  Pharasma: The goddess of birth, death, and prophecy, who judges mortal souls after their deaths and sends them on to the appropriate afterlife; also known as the Lady of Graves.

  Pharasma’s Spire: The plane on which Pharasma’s realm is found.

  Pharasmin: Of or relating to Pharasma or her worshipers.

  Phylactery: Magical item that holds a lich’s life force, keeping him or her from being killed until the object is destroyed.

  Plane: Realm of existence, such as Heaven, Hell, or the mortal world of the Material Plane.

  Quain: Nation far to the east of the Inner Sea region, in Tian Xia.

  Realm of the Mammoth Lords: Cold and relatively uncivilized land at the far northern end of the Inner Sea region, inhabited by loosely confederated tribes of Kellids.

  Riddleport: Notorious Varisian port city full of mercenaries, thieves, bandits, and pirates.

  Riffle Scroll: Magical scroll shaped like a flipbook, which is activated by flipping the pages rapidly.

  River of Souls: Procession of recently deceased souls traveling from the mortal world to Pharasma’s Boneyard for judgment.

  Runelord: One of seven evil wizards who ruled ancient Thassilon.

  Sable Company: Elite Korvosan military unit.

  Sargava: Former Chelish colony, now independent.

  Sarkoris: Northern nation destroyed by the Worldwound.

  Scroll: Magical document in which a spell is recorded so that it can be released when read, even if the reader doesn’t know how to cast that spell. Destroyed as part of the casting process.

  Sczarni: A subgroup of the Varisian ethnicity known for being wandering thieves and criminals, and contributing greatly to prejudice against Varisians as a whole by other cultures. Often pass themselves off as non-Sczarni Varisians while attempting to avoid detection.

  Shadow: Insubstantial undead spirits that take the form of shadowy silhouettes, and can’t be injured by normal weapons

  Shelyn: The goddess of beauty, art, love, and music.

  Shingles: Slang term for the network of rooftop pathways and dwellings in the Korvosa’s older and poorer section.

  Shining Crusade: The organization responsible for defeating the Whispering Tyrant and his minions a thousand years ago.

  Shoanti: Indigenous peoples of the Storval Plateau in Varisia.

  Sihedron: Seven-pointed star representing the seven runelords of ancient Thassilon as well as the seven sins or schools of magic.

  Skentok: Derogatory Shoanti term for someone who is damaged but still useful.

  Skymetal: Metal that falls to Golarion as meteorites and has exceptional (and sometimes magical) qualities.

  Sleeper: Monument in central Belkzen in which an enormous stone dragon statue coils around a crag.

  Slip: Racial slur referring to a halfling, used primarily in Cheliax.

  Sorcerer: Someone who casts spells through natural ability rather than faith or study.

  Sorshen: Runelord of Lust; one of the rulers of ancient Thassilon.

  Spellbook: Tome in which a wizard transcribes the arcane formulae necessary to cast spells. Without a spellbook, wizards can cast only those few spells held in their mind at any given time.

  Starstone: Stone that fell from the sky ten thousand years ago, creating an enormous dust cloud that blotted out the sun and began the Age of Darkness, wiping out most preexisting civilizations. Eventually raised up from the ocean floor by Aroden and housed in the Cathedral of the Starstone in Absalom, where those who can pass its mysterious and deadly tests can ascend to godhood.

  Storval Plateau: High, rocky badlands making up the eastern portion of Varisia.

  Sun Orchid Elixir: Extremely rare potion produced only in Thuvia, capable of temporarily reversing the effects of aging and prolonging one’s life.

  Taldane: The common trade language of the Inner Sea region.

  Taldor: A formerly glorious nation that has lost many of its holdings in recent years to neglect and decadence.

  Tar-Baphon: The Whispering Tyrant’s mortal name.

  Tarheel Promenade: One of the Ring districts in Kaer Maga.

  Ten: Slang term for the Decemvirate.

  Tender of Dreams: Desna.

  Thassilon: Ancient empire located in northwestern Avistan and ruled by seven runelords. Destroyed by the fall of the Starstone.

  Thassilonian: Of or relating to ancient Thassilon, as well as the name of its language.

  Thrune: Relating to the House of Thrune, Cheliax’s ruling family.

  Thuvia: Desert nation on the Inner Sea, famous for the production of a magical elixir which grants immortality.

  Tian: Someone or something from Tian Xia.

  Tian Xia: Continent on the opposite side of the world from the Inner Sea region.

  Tines: Raised fork on which Chelish criminals are sometimes impaled. Also the name of a rude hand gesture from Cheliax.

  Torag: Stoic and serious dwarven god of the forge, protection, and strategy. Viewed by dwarves as the Father of Creation.

  Towers (game): Gambling game using a harrow deck.

  Transmutation: School of magic devoted to changing the properties of a creature, condition, or thing, such as changing its shape or transforming one thing into another.

  Tshamek: Derogatory Shoanti term for outsiders.

  Ulfen: A race of warlike humans from the cold nations of the north, particularly the Lands of the Linnorm Kings.

  Ulfen Guard: Famous all-Ulfen military unit maintained as bodyguards by Taldor’s grand prince.

  Undead: Unnatural creatures made or spawned magically via necromancy, often by animating the corpses of living things.

  Undeath: Magical life granted through necromancy, breaking the usual cycle of souls.

  Undercity: The dangerous and unexplored passages and caverns beneath Kaer Maga.

  Ustalav: Fog-shrouded gothic nation of the Inner Sea region.

  Ustalavic: Of or relating to the nation of Ustalav.

  Varisia: Frontier region at the northwestern edge of the Inner Sea lands, of which Korvosa is the largest city.

  Varisian: Of or relating to the region of the frontier region of Varisia, or a resident of that region. Ethnic Varisians tend to organize in clans and wander in caravans, acting as tinkers, musicians, dancers, and performers. Often have strong family ties and are maligned as thieves and swindlers.

  Venture-Captain: A rank in the Pathfinder Society above that of a standard field agent but below the Decemvirate. In charge of directing and assisting lesser agents.

  Vigil: Capital city of Lastwall.

  Vudra: Exotic continent far to the east of the Inner Sea.

  Vudrani: Someone or something from the exotic continent of Vudra, far to the east of the Inner Sea.

  Wargs: Monstrous and oversized intelligent wolves.

  Warren: One of the Ring districts in Kaer Maga.

  Watchknights: Knights devoted to keeping order in Vigil.

  Westcrown: Former capital of Cheliax.

  Whispering Tyrant: Incredibly powerful lich who terrorized Avistan for hundreds of years befo
re being sealed beneath his fortress of Gallowspire a millennium ago.

  Widdershins: One of the Core districts in Kaer Maga.

  Wizard: Someone who casts spells through careful study and rigorous scientific methods rather than faith or innate talent, recording the necessary incantations in a spellbook.

  Worldwound: Expanding region overrun by demons a century ago. Held at bay by the efforts of the Mendevian crusaders.

  Wyvern: A brutish draconic creature not as intelligent or cunning as a true dragon.

  Xanderghul: Runelord of Pride; one of the rulers of ancient Thassilon.

  Zutha: Runelord of Gluttony; one of the rulers of ancient Thassilon and an infamously powerful necromancer.

  The Pathfinder Tales Library

  Called to Darkness by Richard Lee Byers

  Winter Witch by Elaine Cunningham

  The Wizard’s Mask by Ed Greenwood

  Prince of Wolves by Dave Gross

  Master of Devils by Dave Gross

  Queen of Thorns by Dave Gross

  King of Chaos by Dave Gross

  Pirate’s Honor by Chris A. Jackson

  Pirate’s Promise by Chris A. Jackson

  Plague of Shadows by Howard Andrew Jones

  Stalking the Beast by Howard Andrew Jones

  Firesoul by Gary Kloster

  The Worldwound Gambit by Robin D. Laws

  Blood of the City by Robin D. Laws

  Song of the Serpent by Hugh Matthews

  Nightglass by Liane Merciel

  Nightblade by Liane Merciel

  City of the Fallen Sky by Tim Pratt

  Liar’s Blade by Tim Pratt

  Liar’s Island by Tim Pratt

  Reign of Stars by Tim Pratt

  The Crusader Road by Michael A. Stackpole

  Death’s Heretic by James L. Sutter

  The Redemption Engine by James L. Sutter

  Forge of Ashes by Josh Vogt

  Skinwalkers by Wendy N. Wagner

  The Dagger of Trust by Chris Willrich

  About the Author

  A reformed teacher and recovering editor, Dave Gross has written novels for the Forgotten Realms, Iron Kingdoms, and Pathfinder Tales settings, along with many shorter works. Read more about them at bydavegross.com.

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  PATHFINDER TALES: LORD OF RUNES

  Copyright © 2015 by Paizo Inc.

  All rights reserved.

  Paizo, Inc., the Paizo golem logo, Pathfinder, the Pathfinder logo, and Pathfinder Society are registered trademarks of Paizo Inc.; Pathfinder Accessories, Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, Pathfinder Adventure Path, Pathfinder Campaign Setting, Pathfinder Cards, Pathfinder Flip-Mat, Pathfinder Map Pack, Pathfinder Module, Pathfinder Pawns, Pathfinder Player Companion, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Pathfinder Tales, and Iron Gods are trademarks of Paizo Inc.

  Maps by Crystal Frasier

  Cover art by Alberto Dal Lago

  A Tor Book

  Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC

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  e-ISBN 9781466842632

  First Edition: June 2015