Pathfinder Chronicles - Gazetteer - Asamnet
Pathfinder Chronicles - Gazetteer - Asamnet
Pathfinder Chronicles - Gazetteer - Asamnet
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<strong>Pathfinder</strong> <strong>Chronicles</strong><br />
24<br />
Norgorber, Iomedae, and Cayden Cailean—entered<br />
Absalom as humans and left as immortal demigods after<br />
completing the infamous Test of the Starstone. Surrounded<br />
by a deadly maze of traps, guardians, and wards, the Starstone<br />
is a gateway to divinity for those who survive and a terrible<br />
death for those who fail. The clergies of these Ascended<br />
deities hold great power in Absalom, although the influence<br />
of Aroden’s moribund church has waned since the death of<br />
its god a century ago. Ambitious would-be deities scheme to<br />
attempt the Test, establishing cults and temples in Absalom’s<br />
Ascendant Court and drawing worshipers and support. For<br />
every Ascended god who survives the Test of the Starstone to<br />
achieve everlasting fame and adoration, there are hundreds<br />
who fail the attempt and are forgotten.<br />
Absalom is comprised of several bustling districts, each<br />
with its unique character. The following represent some of<br />
the larger, more powerful neighborhoods of the city.<br />
Ascendant Court: Most of Absalom’s temples congregate<br />
in the Ascendant Court, the hub at the center of the city’s<br />
great thoroughfares. The Starstone itself rests in a massive<br />
cathedral perched atop a pillar of rock surrounded by<br />
a seemingly bottomless pit. Three bridges cross this<br />
expanse, one for each of the Ascendants’ faithful. A fourth<br />
bridge, corresponding to Aroden and maintained by his<br />
aging clergy, crumbled when an earthquake rocked the<br />
city a decade ago and has not been repaired. Seekers of<br />
the Starstone must find their own way across these wellguarded<br />
spans before risking the legendary dangers of the<br />
cathedral itself.<br />
The promise of the Starstone attracts legions of would-be<br />
deities, zealous cultists, and desperate followers eager for<br />
something to believe in. Every day, pilgrims from around<br />
the world visit the great chasm at the center of the district.<br />
Some write their wishes and dreams onto pieces of paper<br />
they drop into the pit, hoping to send a message directly<br />
to the gods. Others hope to catch a vainglorious fool or<br />
righteous hero in an attempt to snatch divinity. Agents of<br />
Absalom’s thieves guild prey upon the visitors by picking<br />
pockets, running cons, and demanding protection money<br />
from various “deities in training.”<br />
Notable churches in the district include the Temple of<br />
the Shining Star, where clerics of Sarenrae honor the sun;<br />
the Seventh Church, site of one of Iomedae’s 11 miraculous<br />
Acts; and Cayden’s Hall, a grand tavern devoted to the<br />
Accidental God where his faithful honor their master with<br />
upturned tankards and eager fists. Not far from the heart<br />
of the district lies the enormous Cathedral of Failure,<br />
where silent caretakers erect small shrines to unsuccessful<br />
seekers of divinity. The oft-empty chambers of this dour<br />
edifice echo with the memories of conquered aspirations<br />
and forgotten dreams. Those sensitive to the whispers of<br />
spirits find the cathedral’s winding passages and baroque<br />
galleries almost unbearable.<br />
Azlanti Keep: A district all to itself, this massive stone<br />
fortress sits near the northern edge of Absalom to protect<br />
the city from land-based invaders. The keep houses the<br />
city watch and the First Guard, an elite group of warriors,<br />
wizards, and scouts whose sole purpose is to root out and<br />
eliminate threats to the city. The citadel’s architecture is<br />
among the oldest in Absalom and ref lects inf luences of<br />
the city’s Azlanti origins by way of Aroden. Wide balconies<br />
offer a commanding view of the city in all directions, and<br />
the immense f lat roof of the structure forms a useful battle<br />
platform in times of siege.<br />
The Coins: Situated just north of the docks, this district<br />
hosts most of the foreign traders and seamen who come to<br />
the city. The transient nature of the Coins’ residents attracts<br />
illicit trade in the form of drugs, slaves, and contraband.<br />
At the center of the district, near the major thoroughfare,<br />
trade in the Coins takes on an air of respectability at the<br />
Monger’s Mart or the Grand Bazaar, where the merchants<br />
put on a pretense of fair play and legal wares. Negotiations<br />
in this tough district often erupt into blade-fighting, and<br />
more murders take place in the Coins than in any other<br />
district save the treacherous Puddles.<br />
Ivy District: Overlooking the harbor and seedier sections<br />
of town from atop a short bluff, the verdant Ivy District<br />
attracts some of Absalom’s most inf luential artists and<br />
craftsmen. Minor nobles, gifted actors, and popular bards<br />
call the Ivy their home, and while certain “soft” crimes such<br />
as narcotics and prostitution thrive here, in general the<br />
residents of the district have little tolerance for hardened<br />
criminals or indigent street-dwellers. Numerous theaters,<br />
bawdy houses, and galleries serve as common ground<br />
between the high and low classes of Absalom, resulting in<br />
a great deal of cross-class intrigue.<br />
The Petal District: Perched atop Aroden’s Hill, with the<br />
whole city at its feet, Absalom’s Petal District is home to<br />
the wealthiest merchants and most powerful nobles in the<br />
wealthiest and most powerful city in the world. Decadent<br />
palaces, fabulous towers, elaborate gardens, and glittering<br />
promenades characterize the district, which gets its<br />
name from the well-tended rows of f lowers that run<br />
down the center of nearly every street. The overwhelming<br />
beauty forms a strange backdrop for the treacherous<br />
politics of Absalom’s ruthless upper class, where nobles<br />
and merchants resort to poison and murder as often as<br />
negotiation and armistice.<br />
The Puddles: On the opposite side of the spectrum (but<br />
no less ruthless) are the city’s poorest of the poor, who<br />
dwell in the soggy lowlands of the Puddles because they<br />
have little chance or opportunity elsewhere. A terrible<br />
earthquake 10 years ago sank the Puddles just below sea<br />
level at high tide, resulting in persistent minor f looding<br />
and erosion of building foundations and society. Honest<br />
citizens f led the district years ago, ceding it to the addicts