Coming Together

The first adventure of the Tyrant’s Grasp Adventure Path assumes all the PCs begin in the small town of Roslar’s Coffer, in the southwestern corner of Lastwall. Named for Ervin Roslar, a hero of the Shining Crusade, the town has survived over 800 years despite sharing a frontier with the orcs of Belkzen, even trading peacefully with several tribes who seasonally wander nearby. Lastwall considers the town, which helps establish the local borders and grows much of the flax used in Vigil, important enough to maintain a small garrison of knights there. While its existence has been challenging, Roslar’s Coffer persisted largely without issue for centuries until the more violent Twisted Nail tribe pushed the less aggressive orc tribes out of the region and began launching raids against outlying farms. These attacks eventually escalated until the Twisted Nails assaulted Roslar’s Coffer itself in 4707 ar, burning its historic buildings, wiping out over a quarter of the population, and scattering the remaining residents. About half the survivors returned the next season to rebuild, only to discover a territorial creature called a red reaver had moved into the Sarenite monastery a mile outside of town, forcing the church to relocate into the newly rebuilt town itself.

Lastwall deployed additional knights to patrol the border regions as Roslar’s Coffer rebuilt. These warriors turned back several new raids by the Twisted Nail, who eventually turned their frustrations inward toward Belkzen. None of the knights’ efforts managed to dislodge the red reaver from its new lair, however. It continued to plunder nearby farms and assault travelers, and locals quickly learned to simply avoid the grounds and orchards once managed by the church and otherwise went on with their lives. Agents of the prestigious Pathfinder Society arrived last year to investigate the temple, and after a daring battle, finally felled the beast! The church of Sarenrae has made only brief surveys of the damage caused by the monster in its 10-year stay, and they still operate from town. This sudden burst of excitement nonetheless inspired many of the town’s youth to spin fantasies about becoming adventurers and Pathfinders themselves.

In addition to the Sarenite temple, Roslar’s Coffer enjoys minor fame for Roslar’s Tomb, a sizable crypt in the town cemetery that houses the earthly remains of several heroes from the Shining Crusade (although, ironically, not Roslar himself, after rumors of a scandal arose upon his death). Faithful of both Iomedae and Gorum occasionally visit on pilgrimage to pay their respects to these fallen heroes of the past, and the town is all too happy to provide accommodations in exchange for newcomers’ coin. Thanks to its location along the Tourondel River, the town also sees some traffic in the form of crusaders, messengers, pilgrims, and traders from both Lastwall and Nirmathas.

Player characters might be stubborn residents of Roslar’s Coffer, members of the militia dispatched by Lastwall to guard the border, part of the displaced church of Sarenrae, pilgrims visiting the crypt, Pathfinders surveying the temple after their superiors departed, traders, or officials from Vigil. Ideally at least one character is a local—either a lifelong resident or someone who settled in the area as part of the post–Twisted Nail reconstruction. Those PCs who do not hail directly from Roslar’s Coffer or Lastwall should at least have a strong interest in the legacy of the Whispering Tyrant and the Whispering Way and hope to minimize the damage these vile forces can inflict on the world.