Otari | Pathfinder Lore

greeting stranger we are just crossing the last bridge on the rose guard road before we arrive in otari so I thought it would be prudent to give you a heads up very soon the buildings of this bustling Coastal settlement will come into view but you'd be able to spy it already if it weren't for the fact that it was founded between two daunting Cliffs that shielded from sight it is quite a large town with a population of about 1200 mostly humans but with all sorts of other Hardy folk represented as well in many ways it is like Absalom Rich small and it also punches well above its weight in the sale of magical trinkets orbitals and other curious Oddities many of these have come from the influx of adventuring types who have started to descend on the surrounding area like Raptors in recent years so it is perhaps fitting that this River here is called the osprey was its reputation perhaps why you decided to accompany me on my trip to Atari well you're in good hands here the locals never begrudge sword swinging and spell slinging travelers from abroad so long as they pay their Taps and contribute their fair share if you will indulge me I'll give you my tour of the Town straight away and you can get oriented before you commit yourself to a feathered bed I shall begin with a brief Exposition on the history of the town which I am quite sure will prove more of an engaging because it is not your typical strategic location or natural trade spot in fact Atari was founded by adventurers afterwards I will delve into the present locations available to you and if you'll stick with me until the end I will tell you a little bit about the Haunted Lighthouse that stands suspiciously far inland scarcely a mile from here so let's begin at the beginning Atari was founded by a trio of hunters called The Rose guard by hunters I mean professional monster Slayers and treasure Seekers and both of which here on quartos are ancient and respected careers the Absalom hunting lodges used to dot this island like so many stars in the sky though their prominence and Prestige has faded over the years as the indefatigable March of time has colonized more and more of these star Stone Isles and left it safer for longer periods still approaching 500 years ago in 4244 during a time of stoic peace for cortos as indicated by my tour of the canlands the rose guard Hunters were drawn to this almost uninhabited stretch of Coastline on business they originally numbered four but one was slain in the line of duty and the survivors having lost their taste for Mortal Peril decided to retire from adventuring and fulfill their fallen comrades Last Wish to settle down in a humble fishing Village even Shoreline was too boisterous for them so they instead invested much of their accumulated wealth on establishing a new Outpost of civilization here on the very spot where otari elvashti for that was his name had died they named the settlement after him in his honor the next 50 years passed in peace but because it is a fearsome task to convince absalomians to settle far away from their beloved Metropolis the fledgling Hamlet never exceeded 100 people or so the surviving Rose guard Hunters held their tiny Community together until the last member passed away and then the settlement was quietly abandoned six years later it would be resettled not by adventurers or absalomians but by Cobalts from the stone scale tribe whose leader had developed the habit of plundering passing ships during the Island's many storms after running them aground The Reptilian Raiders failed to foresee the consequences that hindering absalom's precious Mercantile trade routes would bring and in 4310 the tribe was nearly wiped out by another group of hunters at this time led by one mcclani of Houseman hemis the survivors fled into the many cabins and tunnels that reticulate the shoreline and the hunters followed in the founders footsteps by initiating another drive for settlement however this time they recognized a more promising commercial opportunity than just fishing they regarded the outskirts of the eminwood and saw high quality lumber for the taking this proved to be far more successful and ever since Atari has been growing strong today it is the largest town between Absalom and diabel and thus represents an important checkpoint for weary Overland Travelers and here is our first evidence of this regenerated Lumber Town this mysterious Marvel of engineering has been encroaching on us for some time but now I can reveal it to be the Atari flu a brilliant solution to the obvious problem posed by needing a transport heavy logs hundreds of yards towards the coast cut timber is loaded Into The Flume by The Woodsman at their logging camp in the eminwood the logs can then be conveyed through a combination of mechanics water and gravity all the way to the mill for processing of course the Osprey river is critically important to this because it provides both the water for The Flume and indirectly the power for its operation and the Mills it was in fact mcclani men Hemes herself who devised this system and it made her otari and Houseman Hemes very wealthy it also made house benjames a staunch opponent of the cortos Consortium which is a trade cartel intent on controlling the flow of all goods and materials on the island before the flume's completion the Consortium had a Stranglehold over the starstone isle's entire Lumber network but otari's regeneration broke it ever since the organization has sought to sabotage or better yet seize the local industry but so far they have failed I understand their most recent efforts came about three years ago when some hired thugs led the situation spiral completely out of control and nearly brought destruction onto the entire town the Consortium detests the direct confrontations of the sword that emerged from the affair and it has been rather subdued ever since still if you don't think for a moment that the conflict is over as we approach the final Bridge you can see directly ahead of us the otari Melt the flume's termination locals have dubbed it the Giant's wheel although that name technically refers only and quite suitably to the 30-foot diameter water wheel that generates the necessary torque for everything I cannot imagine the amount of energy that thing has put out since its completion but it has been more than enough to power the blades of the mill and the conveyor belts of the flu day and night of course such a valuable construction cannot be left undefended something housemen Hemes understands well so I do not think it is a coincidence that they have long had on their payroll a former Gladiator of the aurorium called Claude tengos as the Mills Foreman before he pursued a career in the timber industry the half orc fighter and the nickname of the lumberjacker on account of the wild swings he would take with his paired hatchets in the arena and before you ask no he doesn't seem to recognize the humor in his present role although he is a respected Warrior he spends most of his time stopping atari's youths from taking wild riots on The Flume which is a popular game played by children of all ages here that cross-shaped home next to the mill is menhemes Manor owned by the current head of the otali manheimer's family Lord office he also happens to be the longtime mayor of otari a locally elected position but one that has been held by a member of the family ever since the town's rejuvenation this is not as corrupt as you might think the family is well respected here and my office does his best to keep politics and business separate as impossible as that might seem if you accompanied me on my tour of Westgate then you may recall that this manner is actually quite small compared to the true men Hemes manner that is located there westgate's Manor is overseen by the head of the house the Scion Lord and represents the bulk of the family's actual power nevertheless do not underestimate the influence of the otari branch of the family for they control the lumber trade here and bring great wealth and Prestige to a house that is otherwise quite inconsequential Beyond The District the conservative culture of Westgate has surely also helped to secure the mayoral position here for so long the locals might not consider themselves to be city Folk but they have a deep respect for their long-standing traditions and understand that so long as nothing changes there is no reason to project the stewardship of their founding house and here we are at last this is Atari before us occupying its Valley on both sides of the hills prey River to the Inner Sea you can immediately see that this is no normal Town what would the domed temple there and the disproportionate number of ships in the small Harbor its history has given it plenty of time to overflow onto the overlooking Cliffs as well the mill and The Flume being just the first examples and doubtless it will continue to flourish in the years to come we find ourselves at a Crossroads we could continue following Rose guard road all the way down into the town but I think it would be better instead to Circle its Edge from on high this gives a commanding View and I can more easily point out the relevant establishments also look how busy it is down there Atari is the sort of place that it bursts at it seems and I suspect the camel and carriage approach will prove just a bit too ambitious for an extended tour so let's make our way towards the graveyard on the West Cliff and as we do I will indicate where to buy your gear where to stay the night and where to seek adventuring contracts the first important building is that large Warehouse immediately on your left as you enter town it is called galantine deliveries and it serves as the post office stables and Overland trade hub for otari it is run by eloria gallantine a lifelong Ranger of the eminwood there is little on Courthouse that she has not seen in her time and even less that can surprise her so she is the perfect postmaster for an adventuring town people are always looking to make or take deliveries from the city at the center of the world and alluria is often too busy to handle them herself so this is a good place to try your luck if you want to be paid to see more of cortos the sensibly located adjacent to the delivery outpost on Drake Street is the local garrisons headquarters I must say it is probably for the best that we are spectating it from a distance not just because the building itself is quite Squat and ugly to behold up close but because the captain of the Guard is a short-tempered man called lardus long saddle he moved here some 15 years ago after a career in one of absalom's own guard forces and I think he has come to resent the Garrison he now leads you see unlike the various guard forces of his home City The Garrison here also doubles as the firefighting service to Atari and triples as its barristers these latter professions do not really have much to do with police work and poor long saddle is constantly called upon to deal with problems outside his skill set but to cap everything else off he was only asked to lead the Garrison after its predecessor a dwarf called Master Henley who was very fond of mead lost a drunken bet regarding how long he could hold his breath underwater with tragic consequences still the rank and file Guardsmen are almost all locals who are Keen to defend their home and their green and white uniforms are a welcome sight for travelers heading towards the town that small tower-like building to the west of the delivery Depot belongs to one of otari's most recent and most eccentric arrivals a title that many people here work hard to claim for themselves it is called rin's wonders and it only opened about six years ago when the elf constructed it to avoid sharp angles in favor of gentle curves everyone see herself hails from keonin the elves Northern Enclave but she also Embraces her tiefling heritage as she is something of a dreamer and reveres the astrological zodiac called The Cosmic Caravan the inside of her domed home is painted to resemble the night sky so that she can fall asleep underneath it even if the outside is overcast or concealed indeed the entire roof canvas can be pulled back to expose the inside to the Sun or to the stars for Above All Else Rin values the freedom of space that the outside world can offer her then there are a number of small buildings occupying the center blocks of otari that may prove useful to you adventuring folks the first is blades for Glades the local Smithy despite the establishment's name the Smiths there generally specialize in tools and blades for fishing or Lumber not arms fit for battle on the other hand a blade is a blade and you will not struggle to find someone willing to forge you on provided that it does not need to be enchanted or Bejeweled Fit For A King a little deeper into Atari and you will find that building there odd stories this is a short stone tower that is run by the wizard Mall event and indeed you will find that he sells his spell casting services to those in need but it is not his chief passion molibind is a scholar first and a wizard second and his shop is full of fiction books and Dusty academic works on esoteric subjects rather than spell books for learned Mages I am quite pleased to be able to tell you that I recently persuaded him to stock some copies of the encyclopedia galarianensis on the ground floor although he insisted that he be able to sell them using the tomes subtitle The Hitchhiker's Guide to tigalanian that should tell you the kind of fellow that maula bint is at heart and you should definitely take the time to chat with him if you can those buildings in the middle of town belong to the farmer's Guild which oversees the Region's numerous homesteads and working Fields when Atari was founded the whole area was little more than Untamed Wilderness but the soil is quite fertile and that has since invited economy from local super tilde Earth and green thumbs it is not an especially busy area most of the time after all the farm work is done miles from Atari proper but the guild administrators work hard to ensure that pens for livestock and comfortable rooms for visiting farmers are always available if you have a background in agriculture I understand that the guild head yala highstepper is always looking for more Goods inspectors finally in those middle blocks we have the temple Tavern called Crow's casks taverns close to ports are always large and bustling establishments and this one is no exception moreover if it serves as a shrine to a deity it is almost always either to bezmara the pirate queen or to the drunken God Caden kalian in this case it is the latter although the tavern's proprietor a Tengu Alchemist called magaloy is rumored to have had quite an exciting earlier career sailing the high seas under the Black Flag these days the biggest danger you face entering Crow's casks is actually to your throat which is just as likely to be assaulted by some viral alchemical mishap as it is to be cleansed with a cooling mug of beer I think the problem has become so Infamous that The Alchemist has actually begun to hire taste testers full time which initially Drew enormous enthusiasm from foreign Sailors until they too learned what the locals had long come to understand on the other hand that does mean that you probably have an excellent chance of being hired by her just don't say I didn't warn you when some bizarre mutagenic side effect turns your hair white or gives you cat eyes or something now as we begin our way along the western Cliff we can see two large Estates side by side directly below us the first is inkelhope's Manor run by the shrewd businesswoman Ali Mora but despite the fact that her Lumber Company whistle down Cutters has to rent operation of the log flume from her biggest competitor she has managed to turn it into the most profitable business in town furthermore alimoro has directed and funded the creation of many well-regarded schools in otari which has endeared her to most of the parents here who might otherwise be tempted by an absalomian education I think she has the best chance of unseating Houseman Jemez from the mayor's position in the near future although for now alimora seems not to mind growing her business quietly and staying out of politics her neighbor is RAB churtle the current owner of that second manner once I tell you that Mr turtle is the owner of the third and final lamba company in town Turtle Timber then you should conclude quite rightly that the business has been a boon for the company Chiefs as well as the town as a whole on the other hand Turtle Timber has not been performing as well as its competitors recently the State of Affairs for which Turtle blames the mayor and alimora alike but they do have the most to gain from sabotaging the competition after all yet in my experience the whole story is never quite as straightforward as it initially seems and thus far Mr Turtle has failed to produce any evidence to support his accusations by now you have probably spotted that ruined site adjacent to the two manners well those are the remnants of the Thirsty alpaca which until its collapse a few years ago used to be the most popular Tavern in town and nobody is certain precisely what Happened One Night carousers and the tavern keeper were both subject to creeks and groans and then the whole building spontaneously collapsed as if suddenly unsupported the proprietor's body was never recovered and several others were confirmed to have been killed by Falling debris an investigation was ordered but then indefinitely suspended after people began to notice Eerie glows dancing lights and disturbing laughter from the site leading most people to conclude that it was haunted given that Crow's Cask had recently opened the townsfolk decided it would be better to migrate there than to risk Misfortune by disturbing some Eldritch Horror it has thus been neglected ever since desperate for someone to investigate ah now let us turn our attention away from the valley below us for a moment to regard this peculiar Stone Circle A cursory glass is all that is required to discern that this is no natural formation although the central Pond is this is the aptly named Stone ring Pond and it serves as a shrine to goes Ray the dualistic deity of Storms and other calamitous Coastal weathers as a nature deity it is considered improper to keep a shrine in otari itself or so many of the wandering goes around Druids who frequent this place will tell you while there is some truth to this it is simply a veil disguising the true reason for one of their number killed half a dozen innocent townsfolk during an uncontrolled Rampage as a werewolf some years and the harm inflicted to the community is not easily forgotten a very optimistic and relentlessly good-natured gnome Druid called wallowin has spent much of her life trying to repair the damage that terrible night caused and she has found some success especially with the local Woodsman who respect the protection she can offer them however the werewolf's ultimate fate was unclear for quite some time because he was unceremoniously shoved off this cliff and so many locals doubted whether Justice had been truly served Now by casting our gaze to The Dockside buildings in the valley below we first marked the penultimate Tavern in otari it is that building there called the Rowdy Rockfish the name is misleading because it is actually the humblest and quietest of the town's bars it is run by the venkavel family who prefer cozy Fireside sea Tales to drunken brawls and boisterous cries the family has suffered in recent years and the culture of otari looks after its own so the locals know to be respectful of their privacy and visit the Rockfish only when they have an appropriately calm evening in mind that wide Bridge close to the Rockfish has our final Tavern on it it is actually a full Inn called Crooks Nook and unlike its neighbor its name is most fitting run by the well-known Smuggler yinyasmere the Nook is home to a local Thieves Guild to have a pawn shop for targeting outsiders with con games and legends Captain long saddle has made it more or less clear that the Garrison will turn a blind eye to her activities so long as they do not impact locals which of course just makes visitors like you and I all the more appealing to her thieves fingers I would therefore advise against staying at finrook if possible and to seek alternative lodgings though you absolutely must try their Seafood stews if you have some spare change the lobster is finger the Nook overlooks the Atari Market on the other side of the bridge it is a daily event that primarily facilitates trade between locals and the produce of the farmer's Guild but it is nevertheless worth your time if you enjoy trinket shopping you never know what may turn up at a farmer's market after all that said a word of caution under no circumstances reveal yourself to be associated in any way with ghostray to the market master kileno lathana his wife was one of the victims of the werewolf attack some 30 years ago and he has never forgiven the ghost of an ecclesios for their part in permitting it I mean it mention goes right at the marketplace at your own risk on the south side of the Market Square and at the base of the large Pier lies the Atari fishery which operates as a business headquarters by day at a bar and gaming Lounge by night it is run by tamalee tandavaya whose respect for adventurers stems from her time as a sailor in the gray corsairs the scourge of siebel and slavers everywhere she Bears a peg leg from her last engagement with them and soon after retired to become the warden of otari's Fishery while her life is much less perilous these days she still adores the telling of tall tales as well as a whole host of card and dice games befitting any good sea doll thus she will often Ascend for an adventuring party as soon as she detects a whiff of trouble and is a stable source of employment for them in this way I think she has contributed far more to atari's economy than most people realize now the penultimate stop in our tour today is before us slowly creeping over the hill year by year welcome to the Atari graveyard the final resting place of many locals and adventurers whose Souls have departed this Mortal space for farasma's Boneyard about two years ago a terrible spell befell this place and the Restless Dead shambled forth from their graves literally falling onto the town below still it normally enjoys a quiet if heavy atmosphere the graveyard is tended by the acolytes of sarinray who can access it directly from their Temple below by way of a long spiral staircase that snakes its way up the Cliffside I think many of the ecclesios prefer to enter the long way around though the burial here is far less common than it used to be with more and more Wills stipulating either cremation or burial at Sea both of which are seen as worthy Alternatives by the locals given recent history I can certainly understand why finally let's admire the dawn flower Library below us it is by far the largest building in otari because it serves as a temple to more than just the goddess of healing nested underneath its three sea Blue Domes or shrines to almost every deity aligned with the dawn flowers ideals including Kaden kalian harass steel and ioma day parrot's name the temple also functions as an impressive library for Atari a complementing the outlandish and bizarre writings in odd stories with more religious scholarly and historical textbooks the head Priestess is presently a halfling by the name of vandi bandidash who has long welcomed all newcomers to the town with open arms if you find yourself wounded after a particularly fearsome battle with the stone scale kobolds or harpies or some devilish sea serpent you should make your way here to seek healing services that more or less concludes everything there is to see in otari but I know I promised you something a little more mysterious didn't I very well letters now turn about face despite the ruins Over Yonder yes it is indeed a lighthouse though quite far from the shore it lurks in the middle of a bog called the fog fan and it actually predates Atari by some years its construction was a mystery for a long while but to all I should tell you for now is that it was not undertaken with a beneficence in mind even its name gone plight keep betrays a certain spectral fear it is constantly being overrun with monsters and ghosts and demons and Other Things That Go Bump in the night it is a sure way to gain adventuring experience but be careful not to delve too deep you never know what you might find or disturb but you must be tired come let us conclude our tour here so that is otari the setting for many Brave Heroes first foray into fortune and Folly alike you are welcome to stay as long as you like of course though I myself will need to be departing on the motto to continue my journey along the coast I am making my way to Diablo a notorious Smuggler's Port also known as the back door to Absalom the journey is nowhere near as storied as the one between here and the city at the center of the world but it still needs to be undertaken following a good night's rest I may tell a tale or two in the Rowdy Rockfish as The Moon Rises tonight but you should only attend that if you do not mind losing sleep to intruding thoughts well until then

Channel: The Lore Tour

Views: 2,186

Keywords: lore, Pathfiner lore, Pathfinder 2e, Pathfinder 2e lore, Pathfinder, The Lore Tour, Guided Golarion, Otari, Beginner Box, Pathfinder Beginner Box, Menace Under Otari, Troubles in Otari, Pirate King's Plunder

Id: P8IRCJsW5M4

Length: 28min 14sec (1694 seconds)

Published: Sun May 14 2023