#Numeria

[wilanserulia]

Rumble in the Wastelands

[golariontoday]

4709 AR: First appearance of an Annihilator robot https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Felldales An annihilator robot shaped like a huge metallic scorpion destroyed dozens of towns and villages before taking prisoners and returning to its lair somewhere in the Felldales.

[depresanesfreetime]

[paintedscales]

Mixed May 2024 -> Hobbies + Friends

Ballroom dancing with Bruveaux Sieruet Preparing to draw with Aergwyda Rhitwyr Sparring with Numeria Sylvius

Another two for one because I've been juggling a few things.

[haaaaaaaaaaaave-you-met-ted]

Numeria, Land of Fallen Stars - Sellen Hills by Caio Monteiro

[alirhian]

There's no rule against sci-fi elements in medieval fantasy. In TES there's literally AI and even mind uploading, but it doesn't feel absurd or like a retcon, because Sotha Sil improved the dwemer technology that was created with tonal magic. In Pathfinder 2e there're guns and technological relics from an alien civilization.

The problem is that Dragon Age was never like that in terms of technology. There was no evidence of elves or anyone else using it. We haven't seen remnants of ancient technology in elven ruins in previous games. Elvhenan was a magical empire like normal elven empire in fantasy. It wasn’t a place where magic was combined with engineering. So when the Arlathan forest is full of ancient devices that look like they're straight out of Clockwork City or Numeria, and the Veil Jumpers are using some sort of engineering instruments, it's weird.

[sadruru]

...Hey, I'm still alive! I've had a lot going on lately. Especially bad moments that have hit me hard mentally… But I'm feeling better now, and I'll share at least some fun artwork and a board game.

You can't have too many tieflings, right? I'm running a short Pathfinder board game called “Robbery in Absalom”. Fate has suddenly linked three thieflings from Absalom, one mysteriously tiefling from Cheliax, a beautiful white-haired tiefling girl, and three students from a fencing school. I so love the fact that these guys were invented by real people and play for them... It really sounds magical!

And I'll tell you a little bit about them.

I'll start with three swordsmen and a cute little girl: Alessio - no comments, just an IDEAL AT ALL aazimar from azat 👄💅 (only the others don't seem to agree with it), the main instigator in the company.

Dominic - a beautiful dark-haired guy, a daredevil, a noble swordsman and a burning simp Roslyn, because of such passionate love for her guys often make fun of him 🤣

Rael - a tiefling swashbuckler with a fire, screams funny from women, and loves to read books marked +800 about Queens of the Night (a group of four unique female demigoddesses) 🔥

Roslyn - an adorable tiefling who, as the story progresses, becomes a client for thieflings. She has a cute little mouse with a bow and a HUGE WEAPON FROM NUMERIA AND SHE'S A SNIPER!!! Constantly fending off Dominic's attention.🔫

Now let's start with the thieflings and their mysterious new acquaintance: Marishka (or Panochka) - an arcanist, gold digger and just a charming follower of Calistria who will appreciate you from head to toe. Familiar is a funny flying dinosaur. She is from Irrisen.

Oscar - a “tiefling” (aasimar undercover, no one has figured that out yet!), Grandma's* favorite grandchild. He's a very reasonable guy.

*If in Mendev, for example, sister Kerismei is in charge of the thieflings, then in our story in Absalom the Babushka (Grandmother) is in charge. She is a very sweet old lady who takes care of all her grandchildren, especially the little ones (they can easily get into the most difficult places) and feeds them all with pies.

Firuza - tiefling-cat (rakshasa), my street bully 🐈 Bloodrager with demonic heritage. Lives in Absalom, but judging by her slight accent she comes from the Empire of Kelesh. The brute force of the team and it's got a lot of intimidation! 💪🏻

Ruggiero* - an alchemist, also a client. A very charming, decent young tiefling from Cheliax with secrets of his own (HE'S WANTED IN TWO COUNTRIES AND BY THE HELLKNIGHTS!!!) 🧪

*Once I saw him at the game and his portrait, I screamed for a long time in my head... I probably don't need to explain that I have a weakness for dark-haired, curly-haired tieflings? Yes I'm a sinner 🗿

There will be a next post about Firuza, in case anyone was wondering ;D

[yunessa]

Mendev is a nation defined by the Worldwound. I’ve said it before and will say it again. The countries that surround the Worldwound are at the most immediate risk but of all of them it’s Mendev who has bled the heaviest.

Calling the Worldwound a plague is accurate. Without the exhausting efforts and lives spent on it daily then the Worldwound would expand. How quickly I couldn’t say. But if we’re comparing it to a plague then we can assume that the more it ‘feeds’ (Consumes? Expands? Devours? Perhaps even claims?) the faster it would spread. That they have erected the Wardstones to prevent the expansion of the Worldwound shows they expand.

But to determine the speed of the expansion, I must admit, is not possible. The reason why is simple: For over a century it has been Mendev who’s the shield against the Wound. Not Ustalav or Numeria, not the mammoth Lords. Mendev fights, bleeds, and drains itself to combat the threat that is the Worldwound.

I am certain other countries are helping. But to what extent I have no idea. Every day i see reports on my desk: condemned man sentenced to fight in the crusades, squad of pathfinders disappeared near Iz, aspiring and honorable noblemen of the Mendevian court found slain on the road. Even as recently as last week I was given a report of two paladins, lost in the Worldwound and spent eight years fighting their way out. The rest of their group was dead before their first month in the Worldwound.

For their struggle to survive they were given petty rewards and words that failed to compensate them for their struggle to fight and survive. You can apply the same to Mendev as well. Some of the best and brightest of Mendev, the most honorable, and the strongest go to the frontlines. They’ve done it for near a century now, if now over by the time I finish this letter.

The Worldwound is fertilized in the blood of Mendev and Mendev cannot last forever. Eventually Mendev will bleed itself dry or collapse. So Mendev is now no longer able to be picky about what help they do get or who comes in to provide aide.

So it’s easy for those who do not look at the details to gloss over that a century of war has left Mendev strapped. It’s easy to gloss over how other countries send in support and the politics that go behind the scenes when you have not an ounce of knowledge of economics or politics.

Without Mendev then maybe it would be Cheliax watching the Worldwound expand to touch its borders with gritted teeth. Maybe it would take a year, maybe two. Buf if Mendev dies and the Worldwound expands, then it would be all of us who are at risk.

We sink or swim together.

I repeat that in my head often enough. I will not lie in my letters- you can say whatever complaints please you about Galfrey- but Queen Galfrey handles so much of it all before it reaches me, it feels as if I just get a summary. Without Galfrey, I imagine I would be drowning in the affairs of handling it all.

Hells, even with Galfrey alone handling much of it, I might still be were it not for those with me in Drezen. Any bit of aide sent, I appreciate. Even Daeran’s plans I appreciated, as difficult as it was for my mind to wrap around the maths he used to plan.

Even Wilcer Garms and Horgus have had headaches plotting out things in Drezen. Daeran’s plans have helped considerably in making some sort of trade route and as unhappy as I am to realise a few missed shipments could be critical, well, what can I do but ask and try harder?

Without Drezen, without us, without everything together, I feel like we’d be swept away. Another crusade lost before Mendev would begin its inevitable collapse as what remained of its lifeblood drained from it.

There is so much more to write. So much more to do. But if there is anything i refuse to delegate as a commander, it is the current task at hand. With each life lost, I write a letter to those they left behind, if any remain. And so many remain that the weight of the task burdens me heavier than I ever thought.

If they do, I write a letter, sign my name, stamp an official seal and send it off. If they died beneath me with loved ones still among the living, I feel I owe them this much. So I must stop this letter, to write another.

Until the next time.

-Yunessa

[lukedanger]

Owlcatober - Day 2 - Fake Names (KM)

Day 2 of @owlcatober, focusing on a group of differently named adventurers preparing to infiltrate the Kingdom of the Cleansed...

[Ao3 Link]

And so dear readers, we leave the tale of the Baroness to follow the deeds of Sir Tristian, friend to Amalia of the Kingdom of the Cleansed! And the tale is now written not by Linzi the [insert title later], but Brynn the Ca

“Story check.”

Linzi looked up as she was interrupted by Ekundayo, her heavy maille shirt rustling as she did. They were all dressed differently, even Tristian had traded his Sarenite robes for the earthen robes of a humble pilgrim. A large black furred wolf with a riding harness was also sitting by the fire with them, next to Tristian at the moment.

“C’mon,” Amiri growled, clearly unhappy without her oversized sword in favor of the javelins, hatchet, and small shield of a skirmisher, “We went over this a bunch of times. I’m not dumb, I’m even learning those stupid letters!”

“Stories fall apart in the details,” Ekun retorted, having wrapped his head in cloth in a Thuvian style. “I will start: Taiwo, mercenary from Thuvia. Came north to see the world, offered to guide Tristian’s party. Prefer to be left alone.”

Amiri grunted, shaking head. “Fine - Valeria, thief from Numeria. Got caught robbing a League tower, sold as a slave, broke out after pushing a mill wheel for years, looking for a new life in Gevaudan.” She glanced at Octavia, “You next.”

“You had to use that as a background…” the wizardess exhaled, shaking her head despite the large pointy hat and thick black robes she was wearing. “Okay: Aurelia, necromancer from Galt trying to redeem herself. Fond of quite good whisky, late night strolls, and hates cities.”

Their attention turned to Kaessi, wearing a worn gambeson with a spear propped next to her seat on a log. “Layla. I came here to make a new life away from Qadira, joined a village militia with other settlers, and deserted after the troll attacks.” She cast a particularly harsh glare towards Tristian - the kind that stayed whether she was feeling kind or harsh that day. “So why does he not need to lie?”

“Amalia is… not fully aware,” Tristan admitted, looking down as if in shame as he was judged by kindness. “She knows me only as a humble pilgrim who was interested in how the Kingdom of the Cleansed offers redemption.”

“The covers were my suggestion,” Ekundayo added, “to reduce suspicion.” He turned to Linzi, then frowned at her notes. “I thought you left the book behind? Too iconic.”

Linzi exhaled. Yes, he had been quite firm on that. “A Cavalier of the Paw still has her entry in the annals to consider! A worthy cause sought, and a worthier one to charge into!” She stood up, the heroicness of the pose rather dampened by stumbling. Linzi was unused to the weight of maille on her shoulders, even with the belt of strength that Valerie had lent her.

“Regardless,” the bard-pretending-to-be-cavalier continued, “You can be sure to follow Brynn into gllloorrrrrrious battle!”

“Speaking of paws,” Amiri grumbled, “where’s Dog?”

Ekun sighed. “Too known. Besides, someone else plays the role of war wolf. Brynn?”

“Oh, right,” Linzi had almost forgotten the most important part! “Thank you Sir Tristian for keeping an eye on Gnaw while at Tuskdale!”

She could see Kaessi tilting her head and mouthing ‘Gnaw’ in confusion as the large black furred wolf rose and sniffed Tristian’s hand.

“Perhaps you should get her out of the harness for tonight,” Tristian suggested, gesturing towards Linzi.

“Oh, of course!” Linzi really should have known better. She didn’t have a squire, after all! Then again, I end up playing squire often enough… she thought as she started removing the strapping. Oh, if only she could write what she was really doing: she knew readers would have a laugh at it.

Hopefully the Baroness did not realize it either. That would be awkward. And embarrassing.

====

NOTES:

While I do not plan on doing as much with Kingmaker for Owlcatober, I did want to do a few things and test the waters a bit. Since KM was my first stab into Pathfinder at all I went relatively generic, and the baroness I rolled for it ended up as the proto version of Elaina. I've been mulling on ways to reroll her to stand out as her own character. Luckily, a confluence of circumstances such as the name I grabbed for the barony and certain problems like "They're In This Together!" constantly repeating offered an idea...

[starlightcleric]

Stealing an open tag from @arendaes for this picrew, my first and most recent Owlcat girls!

Top:

Queen Adia Rih, NG tiefling Kineticist from Nex

Knight Commander Lorraine Summerglen, LG halfling Monk/Rogue/Paladin of Shelyn from Varisia

Bottom:

Baroness Amber Leanora Orlovsky, LN half-elf Investigator from Brevoy

Knight Commander Cassandra Talivere, N human Kineticist from Numeria

[soylent-crocodile]

I know almost nothing of any of the Hammers if War, but I really appreciate your post on the Asuryani, we need more homebrew or adapted factions like them imo. Lots of fun potential in Big Space Empires encroaching upon little ol' unprepared Golarion. S'why I love the Dominion and Numeria.

The only real knowledge I have of WH40K are the Orks, and I have to ask, how do you think they should or could even be homebrewed into the setting?

I have to admit that Orks are possibly my least favorite faction in 40k; I just don't find them amusing and they're hypermasculine in a way I find uninteresting. Were I to convert them, I would strip them of the Ork name and run them as they are in 40k; an interstellar fungus that creates supersoldiers and a whole ecology around them.

That said, I do actually have squigs statted up, although they're more inspired by Sigmar's Gloomspite Gitz.

[honourablejester]

Pathfinder Deity Spotlight: Brigh & Casandalee

Brigh’s exact origins are unknown, though her priests and various religious scholars have many theories on the matter. Some believe she was a construct who achieved consciousness and a spark of divinity, while others think she was a human alchemist and inventor who discovered ways to fuse mechanical components with her own physiology. Regardless of her origins, Brigh is a patient and thoughtful god who promotes unending curiosity and constant intellectual advancement. Her two most common forms are a humanoid woman made of bronze clockwork and a human woman wearing a bronze skullcap and armor composed of gears and other movable metal pieces. Though Brigh’s usual demeanor is composed and reserved, she isn’t an unfeeling automaton; she deeply cherishes the creations she and her followers make, and most of her worshippers feel the same way.

Brigh’s faith isn’t as widespread as that of most other gods, though she does have pockets of worship in areas where machinery and constructs are common. Among these are Alkenstar, where much of that city’s production of firearms is overseen by priests of Brigh; Numeria, where the proliferation of strange technological artifacts draws followers of the Whisper in Bronze like moths to a flame; and Absalom, where the mysterious Clockwork Cathedral teaches the crafts of mechanical engineering and construct-building to eager students. Brigh encourages her faithful to improve upon the work of others and allow others to build on their own achievements in turn. Typical followers of Brigh are those who work with their hands, especially gem cutters, inventors and toy makers. Numerous gnomes are drawn to her religion, thanks to its emphasis on searching for new and exciting innovations. Many of her followers dedicate their lives to research and projects of great scope, crafting magnificent inventions that take years to create. Other followers are content with creating smaller inventions or tinkering with those of others. Brigh is pleased regardless of the size of the project, so long as new technologies and discoveries result from the work.

--- Lost Omens: Gods and Magic (2020)

Casandalee is an unusual god, one who achieved divinity through a merging of advanced science and faith. Formerly an artificial intelligence cloned from the mind of an android from outer space, Casandalee gained her godhood in the heart of Numeria within the computer core of a crashed spaceship, becoming the patron of artificial life, free thinking, and intellectual apotheosis.

Though she is sometimes referred to as the Iron Goddess, Casandalee is much more than simple metal. She sometimes appears as a holographic reconstruction of her android form: a female humanoid with purple hair, blue lips, and pale skin traced with glowing circuitry, but upon close inspection, this image seems to consist of millions of complex algorithms of pure light. Casandalee and her followers seek to promote the advancement of Golarion’s technology so that the world’s inhabitants can better understand— and not fear—the complex mechanisms of so-called artificial life, including androids and free-willed artificial intelligences. Many androids consider themselves the chosen people of Casandalee and depict her as an obvious android with more circuitry or exposed components.

As a young deity, Casandalee has very few followers, the majority of whom live in Numeria. Outside of that country, adherents are usually seen as eccentric outsiders who wield items of advanced technology that seem to work like magic. Traveling priests of Casandalee search for signs of similar equipment that might have been brought from Numeria, in hopes that such discoveries will lead them to beings of artificial life who would benefit from Casandalee’s message. In addition, these priests help those who have uncovered or built advanced technology to use it responsibly and understand the science behind it. Many of Casandalee’s concerns overlap with those of Brigh, and the two faiths often work together, though the concepts of artificial intelligence can sometimes be hard for followers of Brigh to fully grasp.

--- Lost Omens: Gods and Magic (2020)

I’m putting these two together because they have a lot of similar themes. And also because in Starfinder, in the far future of Golarion’s solar system, they are two of the three gods who combine, along with the machine-god Epoch of the system’s Mercury equivalent, to become the triple-deity Triune, who promptly gives FTL/hyperspace travel to the galaxy. So, in the very far future of this universe, these two form part of one of the most important deities in existence, and honestly that pleases me a lot.

But also I just have a real soft spot for the themes of these two. I love artificial intelligence and constructs and the idea of constructed life, which then develops its own will and personhood. The fact that even Pathfinder, the medieval fantasy side of this universe, still full-on had living constructs and a crashed damn spaceship with an AI inside it is spectacular to me. I love Numeria, as a concept. What a country to just throw into your medieval fantasy world.

So it’s maybe a little odd that, of the two, I actually somewhat prefer Brigh. I’m not sure what it is about Casandalee, maybe the whole ‘machine messiah’, ‘trying to uplift the world’ thing, that rubs me ever-so-slightly the wrong way. I love her as a champion of constructed lifeforms and their right to free will, and I do appreciate that her goal is simply to raise awareness so that people like her and other artificial intelligences won’t be feared. But there’s something there … maybe it’s just Aroden and his ‘uplift humanity with the magic of Azlant’ again, but I’m getting a slight vibe of ‘uplift the native savages’ from her that makes me just a touch uneasy. But still, that said. How much do I love that a starship AI became a damn goddess in a medieval fantasy world? Exquisite concept, no notes.

Brigh, on the other hand, makes more sense for the world and has more of a fantasy lineage to her, grounded in older concepts from toys to automata to robots. Her murky backstory is also fascinating, and both options are cool, although, being me, I prefer the idea that she is a clockwork construct/toy who gained a sentience of her own. Although the transhumanist vibes of a woman who became a machine who became a goddess in her efforts to explore the limits of being is also very cool to me. So, yeah. I like both options.

Also, shallow note, but her physical descriptions give me such a Robo-Maria from Metropolis 1927 vibe, and I adore it. That famous transformation sequence that is etched into popular consciousness. Except, in Brigh’s case, somewhat in reverse (in the transhumanist origin story version). But she has some imagery to her. A fine lineage!

Overall, though? I genuinely just love that these two exist. That Pathfinder, even before Starfinder enters the picture, is perfectly happy to sprinkle sci-fi elements around its medieval fantasy world, from the crashed alien starship in Numeria to the goddamn elven stargates. I do think I like Brigh just that bit more, the more fantasy-grounded elements of her, the older mythology of constructs and homunculi and 1920s imagery of robots, but I still love Casandalee just being a thing. She’s an alien AI that crashlanded on this world and became a goddess. Such a truly excellent element to add to your fantasy world!

All praise to the Iron Goddess and the Whisper in Bronze. Thank you, ladies! I am delighted that you exist!

[golariontoday]

Quote: Herna had to break up another bar fight last night. https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Starfall

[starres-stuff]

Day 3- Tempest FFXIV Write 2024

Tempest: to raise a tempest in or around

CW/TW: Dark Themes, Mature Themes, Hints at Abusive Upbringing.

Long before Vi and Dimitri another story existed, the story of their Mother; Saphelle Jienuex. 

“What will you do to suffer no more? Will you plead with the Dragons to eat them? Will you hire thugs to kill them in the streets or will you submit to me, girl?” Hers was always a cruel and scathing voice when she spoke. The distant specter of the void hungered for another of the Jienuex line to pay her price and step into her trap. Saphelle had noted that she had tripled her visits in recent weeks, her whispers far more tangible than normal. 

“Are you done yet?” the young Elezen asked from the shadows she brooded in, lavender eyes lingering on what appeared to be the shapely figure of a woman cast upon her wall. “We have gone through this nightly Numeria Ichatan” 

A low hiss was her reply and long; needle-like claws moved towards her across her wall, their intention to siphon some of her Aether to remind her of her place but they never did reach her, trying as she might. The girl seemed to be shielded by a powerful ward that a simple voidsent could not break through. 

“My name is not yours to use, girl.” The voice called back, a screeching sound coming from the wall, always dramatic this one was; hells bent on getting her own way. 

“I will use whatever I please.” Saphelle was in no mood for parlor tricks or over-dramatic theatrics. She had sought her darkness to tend to the wounds left behind by a drunken Father who did not know how to keep his hands to himself and needed them broken finger by finger to learn a lesson. He was not the only one either, the cruel gaze of her Mother as she watched him dish out his punishment. “He is sick Saphelle” the spineless creature would whisper later when they were alone, trying to make up for the things that had happened. This was her every night, some macabre play she had been birthed into one moonless night.

“Say yes and it will all be over.” The whisper teased again, there was nothing she wanted more than for it to be over. Soon to be twenty-one and not promised for marriage as any other Ishgardian noble daughter her age would have been. There had been other unfortunate things like this in her young life. No debutante ball, no sweet sixteen, and certainly no entertaining suitors come to ask for her hand.

“And what will you take from me in return to solve my problems Numeria Ichatan?” her, own, cruel smile appeared as she said the name again, a name she had found scrawled into the journal of her ancestors Neophinne the Scholar, her Mhachi ancestors who had been summoner, handler, and lover to the creature that followed her. 

“Nothing now, only after your death. I would claim your name and body as my own. I would live out your days as I lived our Neophinne’s, as I saw fit. In return, I will leave them as empty husk devoid of Aether, a fitting end for what they have offered you.”

Ah, the feelings that rose in Saphelle as she listened, the cold smile devoid or emotion that curled on her lips, as lost herself in the thoughts of all of this being hers. Oh, the sweet notes of revenge that hummed in her ears now. As much as she hated to admit it, the Voidsents price was small for something that would put her plan into motion. 

“You win. I will take your bargain.” Saphelle returned her attention to the wounds on her arms and stomach, a cotton ball dabbing at the lash marks from her Father's whip with a very sterile astringent that her Mother made to care for things such as this. 

“We have an oath then? Do you consent to the pact? Their death and your freedom for the right to claim your body when your soul goes on to the Sea?” The shadows moved and the form of a succubus emerged from them, gliding across the floor without her feet touching as if she was some twisted angel here to be the benevolent savior of the young woman. 

“I agree to your terms.” A slim hand rose, garnets glittering across her pale skin on golden bands “I would like it to be my Birthday present, we will be attending the theater as we always do to celebrate. When it is over we will emerge in the right alleyway from our private box. I expect them not to emerge from the alley.” 

The succubus took her hand turning it over and taking one of her claws to etch a symbol into the skin when completed the symbol glowed with the power of the void and a pair of grotesque lips touched hers, they felt like old parchment dry and ready to decay. 

“An exchange of Aether to seal the pact.” Saphelle's eyes grew wide as she felt her breath sucked out of her lungs, leaving her to gasp for air and then seconds later the voidsent breathed into her an old air that tasted like decay, causing the young woman to shudder in disgust. 

“Three days count them and I will be at your side” Her presence faded then leaving Saphelle alone in the darkness, her empty eyes filled with a vivid ruby light and her emotionless smile became a beacon of hope in the dismal gray. 

 “Happy Birthday to me.”  A short laugh burst forth from her lips into the room, the echo of it ominous and foreboding. She knew well the tempest that she had released that night, the creeping death that would set right all she had endured to this point. It would be a chaotic storm, but she would see the other side. 

[dailycharacteroption]

Keeper of Construct (Inquisitor Archetype)

(art by nolan192 on DeviantArt)

It’s time for another archetype geared around killing and disabling constructs… but this one isn’t from construct handbook this time! So I am only halfway reminded of the biggest disappointment in First Edition for me!

In any case, this archetype is tied to the Goddess Brigh (and occasionally Torag), who presides over invention and machines. While the Whisper in Bronze is normally content to let inventors create in peace, sometimes it becomes clear that those that devote themselves to creating mechanical servitors and other wondrous inventions do so without the common benefit in mind. Those that use such constructs as vengeful assassins and tools of revenge, or that sic them on civilians as acts of terror and cruelty are her enemies.

Emulating her wishes and the powers of her herald: the Latten Mechanism, some of her priests take up arms against such violent and cruel creators, seeking to either free their constructed creations from them, or barring that, putting them down s they can no longer cause harm.

Such keepers are found both in Numeria and Alkenstar, where the worship of Brigh and the crafting of constructs is common, but they might be anywhere where constructs are found in great numbers, and their creators need policing, both in and outside the Lost Omens setting.

Divinely guided by their patron, these construct hunters are able to aim for the weak spots of constructed foes, bypassing the durability of most and at least somewhat piercing those that cannot be pierced by adamantine alone.

Their presence and knowledge of construct behavior allows them to make constructs hesitate, almost as if they were afraid.

Additionally, there are few that are more knowledgeable about construct strengths and weaknesses than them.

More powerful individuals can even command constructs that do not belong to them, even wresting them away from the direct control of their master, though this is limited in what they can command and how often they can do so.

This is a pretty solid construct-hunting archetype, though some of the abilities raise questions. Most constructs have DR bypassed by adamantine, so having limited ability to pierce other types of DR on constructs is a bit niche. Furthermore, while the ability to implant suggestions in constructs is nice, it does not say whether this bypasses the magic immunity of golems and golem-like constructs, which I feel is definitely a needed clarification. In any case, this archetype is a bit niche, but not so much so that they’re powerless outside of fights with constructs, but they can really excel in campaigns with lots of robots, clockworks, and other constructs about.

As written, these inquisitors seem to be focused on the preservation of mechanical life that can be saved, so if you’re looking for an archetype for a villain that seeks to destroy sapient machines for whatever reason, such as because they have gained sapience, this might not be what you’re looking for unless you outright change the flavor of the class, which could be fun if you want to apply it to a less benevolent god or philosophy.

The Brass Key clan of dwarves are famous for their clockwork marvels, which range from automatic mechanisms for running public works to full-fledged constructs. However, not all who create these wonders do so peacefully, so in the name of The Maker, there are sects of priests dedicated to putting a stop to such villainy and blasphemy.

The world of the Shattered Tower has been wiped nearly clean of life, leaving behind the relics of civilization and horribly monstrous wildlife alongside the automatons that survived their creators. Most machines try to live peacefully and find new meaning in this ruined world, but others still bear the programming of death and war that brought this ruin, forcing the others to take up arms to protect themselves and the last bastions of life.

The party needs a construct breaker to help handle the guardians of the tomb of Hakshesu, and they find one in Lova Windercoil, who is tasked with handling any automaton guardians while the party deals with mummies and other guardians. However, Lova cannot help but question the application of her divine gifts towards destroying constructs that are no danger to anyone but interlopers.

[monstersdownthepath]

Bit of a focused Golarion ask, but is there anything on how seriously are legends and stories from other parts of the world taken in the Inner Sea region? Was inspired by the Grendel stuff, and was wondering whether scholars and academic circles from the more civilized lands like Taldor and Cheliax, or Absalom even, would scoff at stories about an unkillable super-troll or a 10,000+ year-old wyrm. Or, if they're still very aware that the wilds of Golarion are home to many ancient terrors.

Well this is a Golarion-focused blog, so asks like this are welcome!

On some level, I think Golarion is wild enough that you could probably convince the populace of anything, but the individual still maintains a degree of skepticism. The average Andoren probably thinks rumors of mass slave sacrifice and devil worship in Cheliax is nothing more than sensationalism, while the common Chelish soldier is likely convinced his generals tales of how Andoran is guarded by a 12-foot-tall invincible eagle man is nothing but hogwash meant to scare new recruits. And both the Andoren and Chelish citizen don't believe anything you tell them about the Land of the Linnorm Kings (or Numeria for that matter). There's probably two whole generations of people on the Isle of Kortos who don't know what a horse is.

For the educated types who actually delve into specific topics, it probably goes something like "heard about a weird monster, so I did some research" and depending on how reliable their sources are, they can either conclude what they heard is exaggerated stories, or that there's a grain of truth to the rumors (while the rest is exaggerated story). In either case, it's up to them to take the initiative and look into more thorough and reliable sources. Many city-folk would dismiss the idea of Fafnheir until they encountered a real dragon, for example; seeing what a dragon can do may change their mind about the stories they heard about a legendary beast that lives far to the north. More mundanely, even among battle-hardened researchers and field cryptozoologists, the Sasquatch is believed to be a myth by anyone who's never personally met one.

Still, even with reliable resources, someone may come to the complete wrong conclusion such as, per the example in the ask, believing Grendel is no more than a particularly intelligent and stealthy Troll instead of the legendary creature he is. It's all about what knowledge and resources they have access to and whether or not they have a reason to pursue the truth... and whether or not the truth can be safely or sanely pursued. There may only be unreliable stories about the various beasts of legend, because the only people who survived meeting them were too broken to tell an accurate tale.