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As the Floods of strife threaten to rise once more, as the Scales tilt, we return to the lessons of those ancient, lest all, crowns and kingless alike, be carried away into the sunless churn of history.

The last years of the tenth millennium are a time of change on Kishar. Social and political upheavals, great migrations, and natural disasters within the past several centuries have reshaped cultures and societies across the world and are seemingly only continuing to accelerate. Some say it is simply the passing of history, but to others the looming turn of the millennium heralds something more...

Foundry

You're probably looking for the game server. Go here: http://foundry.gronkfinder.com.

Primer on Kishar

Getting to know Kishar

See also: Kishar

The world of Kishar is a grab bag of various inspirations, but with a particular focus on the societies of ancient western Asia and the Mediterranean. I’ve tried to mix whatever piques my interest into a semi-coherent mess.

The inhabitants of the setting have had many thousands of years to travel, meet each other, trade, and exchange cultural practices, and as a result the world is highly interlinked and relatively cosmopolitan. Cities with a population of over 100,000 are not common but not particularly rare either, especially within the most densely urbanized areas. Regions might have broad demographic trends, but within the larger cities one might expect to find individuals of all manner of ancestries. Similarly, it is quite common to find people who are multilingual.

Most societies and governments on Kishar are republics, bureaucratic monarchies, theocracies, tribes, chiefdoms, miscellaneous autocracies, or something else entirely - feudalism, in its proper definition, is rather rare.

The major regions of Kishar

The Three Great Seas
- A relatively highly populated region, closely interconnected by networks of trade. Politically and economically heavily based on the eastern Mediterranean of the Bronze Age and early Iron Age, even if many cultures significantly diverge from this inspiration.
The Wounds
- A massive expanse of tropical islands dotting an endless ocean. Characterized by seafaring cultures that are generally, but not always, highly mobile.
The Stormlands
- A land shaped by constant positive and negative energy storms and the cultures that live in their shadows, split between the nomadic south, urbanized north, and anarchic highlands.
The Spine
- A continent dominated by a massive transverse mountain range and the craters left behind from multiple asteroid impacts. The people of the Spine live in one of two empires, or else in one of the smaller nations caught between them.

Game mechanics on Kishar

This setting was written first for Pathfinder 1e and then for Pathfinder 2e. Most, but not all, game mechanics that exist in PF 2e carry over to this setting - see below for the exceptions. Due to differences in setting, however, certain spells, archetypes, items, and so forth may need to be reflavored or recontextualized.

In any place on this wiki that mentions game mechanics, such as a deity's domains, assume they are written to be compatible with PF 2e.

Changed game mechanics

Certain game mechanics are altered from PF 2e. These changes do not exist as restrictions on player agency but rather to maintain the verisimilitude of the setting.

Teleportation magic

Long distance teleportation magic - that of a mile or more - fails to work reliably. Short distance hops are unaffected. See teleportation for more details.

Language magic

Spells that grant immediate knowledge of a language not previously known, like Comprehend Language, do not exist.

Planes

Compared to in PF 2e, the non-Material planes are far more poorly understood and traveled, even to the most experienced of adventurers and scholars. Many also either do not exist or are greatly changed. See planes for more details.

Religion

Religion on Kishar is changed from PF 2e's default setting, with gods and faith taking very different forms. See religion for more details.

Player agency on Kishar

See also: Campaigns

Kishar is intended as a living setting that players can, do, and should shape through their actions. All campaigns canonically happen and the setting shifts as a result.

Setting notes

Most of this stuff has no bearing on any campaign and probably never will. I just like to write. Regardless, here are some pages that might be useful:

Nations
- Overview of the broad regions of the world. I use the term "nations" but really that's not entirely accurate, as they may be defined by geography, shared culture, or by some other criteria.
Timeline
- An incomplete but ever-expanding timeline of events. This page may load slowly - please do not continually refresh or reload it unnecessarily, it's a bit of a performance problem.
- The "current" year in-setting is Y9976^*. The world has a custom calendar that's basically a simplified Gregorian calendar. See timeline and timekeeping for more details.
Organizations
- Some organizations that are active within the world. Many of these have a wide or global scope in their interests and activities.
Religion
- Religion on Kishar is varied. Some people worship gods, while others prefer faiths centered around nature spirits, ancestor worship, or something else entirely.
- If there is no god or religion that matches your character concept, let me know and we can figure out how to make it work.
People
- Characters you've met or might meet.
Ancestries and Heritages
- Many ancestries have shared culture or history on Kishar. This category is super incomplete right now. The pages here are meant to expand on resources elsewhere, not replace them entirely (for example, the elf page doesn't talk about everything, it's more to provide setting-specific shared perspective). Just because an ancestry doesn't have a page yet doesn't mean it doesn't exist in the setting.
Topics
- Miscellaneous topics I couldn't fit into another category.
Creatures
- Animals, monsters, that kind of thing.
Languages
- On Kishar, languages are much more regional than racial - there is no expectation that an elf in the Three Great Seas and an elf in the Stormlands, oceans apart, will understand the same language. Languages exist mostly for flavor and as a worldbuilding tool. If you want to pick up one or more of these then that's great, I'll do my best to make it worth it, but I don't expect it. I'd tell you in advance if anything other than Common was going to be necessary.

Legal note

Some content used on this site and on http://foundry.gronkfinder.com is the property of Paizo Inc, using material allowed under the Community Use Policy.

Many images on this side incorporate or are derived from images on Wikimedia Commons. See each image for its license where applicable.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-Let's get gronked.
+<div class="full-width-image">[[File:Kisharan_vulture.svg]]</div>
+{{Quote|As the Floods of strife threaten to rise once more, as the Scales tilt, we return to the lessons of those ancient, lest all, crowns and kingless alike, be carried away into the sunless churn of history.}}The last years of the tenth millennium are a time of change on Kishar. Social and political upheavals, great migrations, and natural disasters within the past several centuries have reshaped cultures and societies across the world and are seemingly only continuing to accelerate. Some say it is simply the passing of history, but to others the looming turn of the millennium heralds something more...
 == Foundry ==
-The game server is hosted at http://foundry.gronkfinder.com.
+You're probably looking for the game server. Go here: http://foundry.gronkfinder.com.
-== Campaigns ==
+== Primer on Kishar ==
-The [[campaigns]] page has information about current and past campaigns.
+=== Getting to know Kishar ===
+{{SeeAlso|Kishar}}
-== Setting overview ==
 The world of Kishar is a grab bag of various inspirations, but with a particular focus on the societies of ancient western Asia and the Mediterranean. I’ve tried to mix whatever piques my interest into a semi-coherent mess.
-The inhabitants of the setting have had almost seven thousand years to travel, meet each other, trade, and exchange cultural practices. As a result the world is highly interlinked and relatively cosmopolitan. Cities with a population of over 100,000 are not common but not particularly rare either, especially within the most densely urbanized regions. Regions might have broad demographic trends, but within the larger cities one might expect to find individuals of all manner of ancestries. Similarly, it is not all that unusual to find people who are multilingual.
+The inhabitants of the setting have had many thousands of years to travel, meet each other, trade, and exchange cultural practices, and as a result the world is highly interlinked and relatively cosmopolitan. Cities with a population of over 100,000 are not common but not particularly rare either, especially within the most densely urbanized areas. Regions might have broad demographic trends, but within the larger cities one might expect to find individuals of all manner of ancestries. Similarly, it is quite common to find people who are multilingual.
-Most societies and governments on Kishar are republics, bureaucratic monarchies, theocracies, or miscellaneous autocracies - feudalism, in its proper definition, is exceedingly rare.
+Most societies and governments on Kishar are republics, bureaucratic monarchies, theocracies, tribes, chiefdoms, miscellaneous autocracies, or something else entirely - feudalism, in its proper definition, is rather rare.
-Ancient ruins are numerous throughout the setting, the remains of a great many civilizations that had their heyday. While most of these are understood in broad strokes, at least by historians, there are a number that continue to pose unanswered questions. The [[Anchor Sites]], [[Era Clocks]], and a number of other incredibly old structures scattered throughout the world are barely understood even by esteemed scholars. Many people live in or around ruins they do not entirely understand, even as they find ways to use the ruins to their own benefit.
+==== The major regions of Kishar ====
+* The [[Three Great Seas]]
+** A relatively highly populated region, closely interconnected by networks of trade. Politically and economically heavily based on the eastern Mediterranean of the Bronze Age and early Iron Age, even if many cultures significantly diverge from this inspiration.
+* The [[Wounds]]
+** A massive expanse of tropical islands dotting an endless ocean. Characterized by seafaring cultures that are generally, but not always, highly mobile.
+* The [[Stormlands]]
+** A land shaped by constant positive and negative energy storms and the cultures that live in their shadows, split between the nomadic south, urbanized north, and anarchic highlands.
+* The [[Spine]]
+** A continent dominated by a massive transverse mountain range and the craters left behind from multiple asteroid impacts. The people of the Spine live in one of two empires, or else in one of the smaller nations caught between them.
-=== Timeline ===
+=== Game mechanics on Kishar ===
-The “current” year in-setting is Y6976. The calendar is very similar to the Golarion calendar with a few simplifications. See [[Timekeeping]] for more details.
+This setting was written first for Pathfinder 1e and then for Pathfinder 2e. Most, but not all, game mechanics that exist in PF 2e carry over to this setting - see below for the exceptions. Due to differences in setting, however, certain spells, archetypes, items, and so forth may need to be reflavored or recontextualized.
-While some regions of the world, notably Khapesh, can concretely trace their history back almost seven thousand years, a notable break in continuity occurs at roughly that time in the past. Evidently nothing alive is older than that, and no written records exist from before then. Despite the many advanced and monumental ruins and artifacts that seem to date from that time, there are few signs of cities or many other aspects of a society that one would expect to be preserved.
+In any place on this wiki that mentions game mechanics, such as a deity's domains, assume they are written to be compatible with PF 2e.
-=== Game mechanics ===
+==== Changed game mechanics ====
-Long distance teleportation fails to work reliably. See [[Teleportation]] for more details.
+Certain game mechanics are altered from PF 2e. These changes do not exist as restrictions on player agency but rather to maintain the verisimilitude of the setting.
-In setting, there are a number of regional languages. By and large these are just worldbuilding tools - if a character learns one then I'll make sure it becomes relevant, but otherwise they’re just set dressing.
+===== Teleportation magic =====
+Long distance teleportation magic - that of a mile or more - fails to work reliably. Short distance hops are unaffected. See [[teleportation]] for more details.
-== Setting notes ==
+===== Language magic =====
-Most of this stuff has no bearing on any campaign and probably never will. I just like to write. Regardless, here are some category pages that might be useful:
+Spells that grant immediate knowledge of a language not previously known, like ''Comprehend Language'', do not exist.
+===== Planes =====
+Compared to in PF 2e, the non-Material planes are far more poorly understood and traveled, even to the most experienced of adventurers and scholars. Many also either do not exist or are greatly changed. See [[plane|planes]] for more details.
+===== Religion =====
+Religion on Kishar is changed from PF 2e's default setting, with gods and faith taking very different forms. See [[religion]] for more details.
+=== Player agency on Kishar ===
+{{SeeAlso|Campaigns}}
+Kishar is intended as a living setting that players can, do, and should shape through their actions. All campaigns canonically happen and the setting shifts as a result.
+=== Setting notes ===
+Most of this stuff has no bearing on any campaign and probably never will. I just like to write. Regardless, here are some pages that might be useful:
 * [[Nations]]
-**Overview of the broad regions of the world. I use the term "nations" but really that's not entirely accurate, a lot aren't proper nations.
+** Overview of the broad regions of the world. I use the term "nations" but really that's not entirely accurate, as they may be defined by geography, shared culture, or by some other criteria.
-*[[Organizations]]
+* [[Timeline]]
-**Overview of some organizations that are active within the world. Most of these have a wide or global scope in their interests and activities.
+** An incomplete but ever-expanding timeline of events. This page may load slowly - please do not continually refresh or reload it unnecessarily, it's a bit of a performance problem.
-* [[:Category:Deities|Category:Deities]]
+** The "current" year in-setting is {{Year|6976}}. The world has a custom calendar that's basically a simplified Gregorian calendar. See [[timeline]] and [[timekeeping]] for more details.
-**For the most part, the gods of this setting are the same as those of Golarion, but without the Golarian-specific ties. For example, Cayden Cailean was still a mortal who ascended after undertaking a drunken challenge, but neither Absalom nor the Starstone exist in this setting.
+* [[:Category:Organizations|Organizations]]
-**In cases where Pathfinder deities have multiple forms, use the latest (by publish date). I believe this is only relevant for Nocticula, who was a demon lord who redeemed herself and became a CG goddess at the very end of the published books for Pathfinder 1e. You can still worship her former incarnation as a demon lord, but you will not receive divine spells as a result.
+** Some organizations that are active within the world. Many of these have a wide or global scope in their interests and activities.
-**In addition to their normal status, Pathfinder deities take some additional aspects in this setting, depending on region and culture. They are also joined by a small number of demigods in the same vein as the Iblydian Hero-Gods, as well as a handful of more regional deities.
+* [[Religion]]
-*[[:Category:Points of interest|Category:Points of interest]]
+** Religion on Kishar is varied. Some people worship gods, while others prefer faiths centered around [[animism|nature spirits]], [[ancestor worship]], or something else entirely.
-**Weird stuff
+** If there is no god or religion that matches your character concept, let me know and we can figure out how to make it work.
-*[[:Category:People|Category:People]]
+* [[:Category:People|People]]
-**Characters you've met or might meet.
+** Characters you've met or might meet.
-* [[:Category:Topics|Category:Topics]]
+* [[:Category:Ancestries|Ancestries]] and [[:Category:Heritages|Heritages]]
-**Miscellaneous topics I couldn't fit into another category.
+** Many ancestries have shared culture or history on Kishar. This category is super incomplete right now. The pages here are meant to expand on resources elsewhere, not replace them entirely (for example, the elf page doesn't talk about everything, it's more to provide setting-specific shared perspective). Just because an ancestry doesn't have a page yet doesn't mean it doesn't exist in the setting.
-*[[:Category:Ships|Category:Ships]]
+* [[:Category:Topics|Topics]]
-**Botes botes botes.
+** Miscellaneous topics I couldn't fit into another category.
-*[[:Category:Languages|Category:Languages]]
+* [[:Category:Creatures|Creatures]]
-**Languages exist mostly for flavor and as a worldbuilding tool. If you want to pick up one or more of these then that's great, I'll do my best to make it worth it, but I don't expect it. I'd tell you in advance if anything other than Common was going to be necessary.
+** Animals, monsters, that kind of thing.
+* [[:Category:Languages|Languages]]
-This is all very WIP right now, currently focusing on moving and reorganizing stuff that's already in my docs.
+** On Kishar, languages are much more regional than racial - there is no expectation that an [[elf]] in the Three Great Seas and an elf in the Stormlands, oceans apart, will understand the same language. Languages exist mostly for flavor and as a worldbuilding tool. If you want to pick up one or more of these then that's great, I'll do my best to make it worth it, but I don't expect it. I'd tell you in advance if anything other than Common was going to be necessary.
 == Legal note ==
 Some content used on this site and on http://foundry.gronkfinder.com is the property of [http://paizo.com Paizo Inc], using material allowed under the [https://paizo.com/community/communityuse Community Use Policy].
+Many images on this side incorporate or are derived from images on Wikimedia Commons. See each image for its license where applicable.