Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Lost Kingdoms [RPG]

Golarion is often known as a "kitchen sink" setting, with areas (if not whole countries) effectively devoted to specific themes or genres.  I remember, years ago, being turned off by the notion, thinking that it sounded very generic.  But the more I've read about Golarion over the past few years, the more I've come to appreciate how much depth underlies the setting.  Lost Kingdoms is a perfect example.  The book, a 64-page entry in the Campaign Setting Line, provides an overview of six different ancient nations whose legacies continue to influence the "present."  Adventurers always need mysterious ruins, long-buried threats, and fantastical ancient treasures to encounter, and this book does a great job grounding the "present" of Golarion into its "past."


To get the formalities out of the way, the inside front cover shows the geographical extent of each of the ancient lands overlaid on a map of the Inner Sea.  The inside back cover reproduces the front cover sans text.  There is a two-page introduction that gives a one-paragraph nod towards some of the other "lost kingdoms" not covered in the book (notably, Azlant and Shory), as well as a timeline to help organize some of the major dates mentioned later in the book.

Now to the heart of the book.  Each of the ten-page-long country entries is divided into sections: how the area was historically, how it is today, its denizens and dangers (past and present), and the treasures and rewards that await exploration.  Each entry also includes a map of the ancient realm, general descriptions of some adventuring sites, at least one new monster or NPC, and a much longer, two-page description of a major locale.  The artwork throughout is impressive (in particular, look at the picture of Areelu Vorlesh on page 46--it just doesn't get any better!).  Six ancient empires are covered: the Abendego Gulf, Ancient Osirion, Ghol-Gan, the Jistka Imperium, Sarkoris, and Thassilon.

The Abendego Gulf is one of those topics I never really thought about: what existed before the massive, permanent, and cataclysmic storm known as the Eye of Abendego formed?  The answer is a nation called Lirgen, whose leaders and populace were devoted to astrology and fortune-telling, and its breakway region, Yamasa, whose residents had to eek out a much more practical life in a swampy land.  There's a thematic irony that the Eye formed when Aroden died and prophecy failed, meaning that an entire nation of fortune-tellers couldn't predict the destruction of their own nation!  Today, the region is littered with sunken cities in which great treasures can still be found (as 90% of the inhabitants of Lirgen and Yamasa died when the Eye of Abendego formed), but it's a dangerous land filled with small bands of ruthless scavengers.  The chapter introduces a thematically appropriate spell (Embrace Destiny) and details a flavourful adventure setting called the Dim Gate (an ancient observatory that, perhaps, can create a portal to Eox!).

The entry on Ancient Osirion covers the Egyptian-themed country's long, long history.  Fortunately, it's an interesting history, though I wonder if another "lost kingdom" should have been covered instead, since Osirion is already the subject of a Campaign Setting book ("Osirion, Legacy of Pharaohs").  On the other hand, a *lot* of modules and adventures are set in the region, as it's hard to resist the lure of recently-uncovered pyramids and the like.  A few things that stood out for me in this entry was the Ubashki Swarm (a swarm of undead cats!), a drug called mumia (made from  . . . you guessed it), and an NPC patron who often sends adventurers out on digs and explorations (except he's secretly a ghoul!).

Ghol-Gan is one of the lesser known lost kingdoms: an empire ruled by cyclops!  It has a classic rise and fall (into degeneration) arc, but it frankly doesn't sound that interesting for exploration.  It needs a cooler hook to set it apart from other, more flavourful areas.  And although I've already mentioned how good the artwork is, the portrait of a new monster in this section (a one-eyed sort of organgutan called a Ngoga) is a bit too much on the silly-side.

The Jistka Imperium, on the other hand, has a fascinating history full of founding myths (complete with scriptures), marvels of golem-building artifice, clashes with Ancient Osirion, and the terrors of unstoppable plagues.  Although largely invisible and forgotten to those living in Golarion today, there are some really great possibilities for adventure here.  Need I mention they once built a golem so large it carried a castle on its back?

I already knew a bit about Sarkoris from the Worldwound Campaign Setting book.  In essence, Sarkoris was what existed before reality was torn asunder to let the demons of the abyss pour into the area, rendering it a nightmarish hellscape.  Sarkoris is described as being the birthplace of the kellid peoples (before they spread elsewhere) and as having hundreds of faiths, cults, spirits, and village idols (a really different approach to "religion" that I wish appeared more in fantasy literature).  The section describes a surprising site: a small town named Gundrun that has somehow been reborn in the Worldwound and is populated by descendants of Sarkoris who dream that someday  the nation might rise again.

Last up is the area I have a special affection for since I've devoted the last couple years' worth of Sunday nights to running Rise of the Runelords: Thassilon.  It's great to see the whole thing laid out in such a clear overview and to see the forest for the trees.  So much fantastic lore (and cool monuments) are presented in this section.  A new monster, an "Inverted Giant", has the most awesomely perverse backstory, and I really liked the extended description of an monument called the Emerald Chambers (999 rooms of death, and 1 of untold wealth!).

Of the six entries, I would say the ones on the Abendego Gulf, the Jistka Imperium, and Thassilon are the most interesting and important.  Ancient Osirion and Sarkoris already have some historical coverage in other sourcebooks, and the Ghol-Gan empire just wasn't particularly interesting.  On the whole, however, this is a really solid book that has moments of brilliance and enough lore to add depth to countless adventure hooks and stories.  It's definitely worth purchasing.