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Andoran
Capital: Almas
Ruler: Supreme Elect Andira Marusek (2e)
This former province of Taldor and Cheliax objected strongly to the Empire's devilish turn, and rebelled.- Eagleland: Andoran is the sunshine and rainbows version of the early United States (though it also has similarities to the French Second and Third Republics): they drove out an Evil Overlord, abolished slavery, and became the first major representative democracy on the continent.
- Noble Bird of Prey: Fitting their American theme, Andoran uses a lot of eagle imagery. The avoral Talmandor serves as a spiritual patron, and their local counterpart to the Chelish Hellknights are the Eagle Knights.
- Slave Liberation: Along with their neighbor to the northwest, Galt, they were one of the first nations in the Inner Sea to legislate the abolition of slavery (it had traditionally been forbidden in the River Kingdoms since long before that), and are embroiled in a Space Cold War with Katapesh over using privateers to interdict the slave trade.
Supreme Elect Codwin I
- Bald of Authority: He's an ethnic Garundi (i.e. fantasy African), fully bald, the president of the only large democracy in the Inner Sea, and a paladin to boot.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: He's the son of a fisherman who helped lead one of the first uprisings against Chelish rule in Andoran, which seized control of the Augustana shipyards. This led to him becoming one of the leaders of the People's Revolt that overthrew the Chelish aristocracy and established Andoran's democracy. Fast forward 35 years, and he's a head of state.
- Lawful Good: His In-Universe alignment. He's a paladin of Iomedae who is fully loyal to the precepts of the Common Rule which underpin Andoren democracy.
Bee-Man of Bellis
Once a druid and forest oracle, Vernon Vestha's obsession with reading the future in the patterns of his beloved bee swarms eventually led him to fuse with them.-
Paranoia Fuel: Not only can he know if his name is spoken, as well as the distance and direction from the speaker, he can use the senses of distant bees to observe nearly everything in his forest. - The Worm That Walks: One made of bees.
Five Kings Mountains
Capital: Highhelm
Ruler: The Gathering Council
This mountain range holds several Sky Citadels still under control of the dwarves, making this their de facto homeland on the surface.Daralathyxl
Chaotic Evil male red dragon
One of the most powerful and feared red dragons in Golarion.
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: He's often called the Sixth King of the Five King Mountains and has at least a dozen other powerful chromatic dragons under his control.
- Awesome Ego: As mentioned below, anyone meeting him is advised to address him as "King", though he prefers "Emperor" or "God".
- Berserk Button: Not showing proper deference- anyone meeting him is advised to address him at least as "King". Also, rumors that he's dead or infirm enrage him to no end.
- The Dreaded: When dragons get together to discuss potential threats, he's a popular topic.
- Red Baron: He's often referred to as the Sixth King of Five Kings Mountains.
- Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: He likes to slumber for long periods of time. When rumors of his death reach him, he goes on a rampage, letting the world know he is still very much alive.
- The Spymaster: Because he always shows up when rumors of his death start circulating, it's speculated he controls a large spy network in the Darkmoon Vale.
Druma
Capital: Kerse
Ruler: High Prophet Kelldor
A wealthy trading nation and the center of the Prophecies of Kalistrade. This secular semi-religion permeates every level of Drumish society, from the ruling Resplendent Bureaucracy, down to its army, the infamous "Blackjackets".- Badass Army: The Mercenary League, better known as the "Blackjackets", is highly paid, well equipped and fiercely loyal.
- Fantasy Counterpart Culture: As a mercantile oligarchy masquerading as The Theocracy, it is a mixture between various Italian mercantile republics and the Papal States.
- Proud Merchant Race: Justified. Due to its valuable location ashore of Lake Encarthan and alongside Isger's trade routes, Druma has always been a haven for trade, even during the times of Ancient Thassilon, long before Earthfall. The plutocratic nature of the Prophecies only served to reinforce this trend (or led to its quick embrace by the Drumish, depending on who you ask).
- The Theocracy: Subverted. While Druma may seem like a theocracy at first glance, it is actually more of a mercantile oligarchy (although this is somewhat encouraged by its religion).
Galt
Capital: Isarn
Ruler: Chairwoman Camilia Drannoch
Like Andoran, this nation broke off from Cheliax when House Thrune took over. Unlike Andoran, however, the transition has not gone well thanks to a Conquerer Worm that lives under it and thinks the revolution is way too entertaining to stop.- Failed State: In 4667, the former Chelish province of Galt pop revolted and broke away after the devil-worshiping Thrune dynasty took power in Cheliax. The attempt to establish a democratic republic devolved into a Revolving Door Revolution in only a year after a prominent revolutionary was murdered by Red Mantis assassins. Galt has been limping along in complete economic collapse with only token governance ever since: over half the seats in the Senate are vacant and the only significant power center is the Gray Gardeners, the secretive order of executioners who maintain the final blades upon which accused enemies of the Red Revolution are beheaded. The Gray Gardeners are, of course, the issue - they were hijacked and turned into the nihilistic cult of the Conquerer Worm, seeing any order as a failure of the revolution, and wanting to rule the wreckage left over when it finally gets bored and leaves.
- Fantasy Counterpart Culture: French Revolution in the Reign of Terror phase. A Reign of Terror that has gone on for fifty years. At the end of the canon adventure Night of the Grey Death, either it will have destroyed itself or settled down into Napoleonic France after the Conquerer Worm and its cult was thrown out.
- The Man in Front of the Man: Everyone suspects the Gray Gardeners are the only true rulers of Galt, as they're the only things that survive from Council to Council. Everyone is correct; the inner circle of the Gardeners is the cult of the Worm orchestrating the chaos.
- The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized: Each Revolutionary Council rises to power by chopping off the heads of the last Revolutionary Council and imposing a new Terror, only to be overthrown by the next bunch of revolutionaries. Subverted, as it turns out it's not their fault - most of the Revolutionary Councils mean well, but the Worm manipulates the Grey Gardeners into making sure the honest revolutionaries never have a chance.
- Revolving Door Revolution: The central problem with Galt's revolution is that the people of Galt can't seem to get it to stop. Revolutionary governments rarely last more than a few years before being deemed corrupt, tyrannical or insufficiently revolutionary by new groups of firebrands, who then overthrow them, become the new government, and are soon after overthrown in turn. Almost fifty years of this process have led to almost total collapse of all governmental and civic services. Just as intended, as Conquerer Worms love the political drama constant political and social upheaval create.
- Your Soul Is Mine!: Final Blades, the guillotines of Galt, imprison the souls of those they kill for the dual purposes of preventing their resurrection and keeping souls, and the power that they bring, out of the clutches of Hell. The actual impact that this has had on the River of Souls is negligible, since by the time of the game's default present they have only captured a minute number of souls from a universal point of view, but some material implies that a few psychopomps are starting to take notice. They've certainly captured enough to create merged specters that will clear the board when the Worm gets bored, though.
Taldor
Capital: Oppara
Ruler: Grand Princess Eutropia Stavian (2e)
Taldor was once a powerful empire that dominated the continent, until Cheliax broke away and formed their own Empire.- Cadre of Foreign Bodyguards: The Emperor is guarded by the Ulfen Guard, a fantastic counterpart to the Varangian Guard
. - Fantasy Counterpart Culture: Of the later Roman Empire with a touch of the British. Its relationship with Casmaron, the Ulfen Guard as well as a graeco-roman touch to many Taldan names, also brings to mind the Byzantine Empire.
- Heir Club for Men: Formerly, only men could sit the throne. Princess Euthropia had to fight a civil war for her crown.
- Resurgent Empire: Implied for its future. Grand Princess Eutropia has initiated many large-scale reforms, that have risen some concerns among its neighbors.
- Vestigial Empire: Taldor once ruled the areas now held by Cheliax, Andoran, Isger, Molthune and Nirmathas. Now just a shadow of it's former self.
Grogrisant
- Extra Eyes: It has six eyes arranged in a fan shape across its upper face.
- Fiery Lion: Its mane blazes like the sun — so brightly, in fact, that it blinds those who look at it — and it can wreathe itself in flame at will.
- Light 'em Up: Its mane blazes with blinding light, and it can cast sunbeam at will.
- Mega Neko: It stands eighteen feet at the shoulder, considerably taller than the largest recorded elephants in real life.
- Monster Progenitor: It's believed to be the forefather of Grisantian lions, a particularly large and fierce breed of lions found in the Taldan grasslands.
- Resurrective Immortality: According to legend, the grogrisant is reborn at key points in history to serve as a catalyst for important heroes. Its stats don't indicate any such ability, but that doesn't preclude the possibility of outside forces being responsible for such a feat.
- The Spook: It's immune to divination and leaves no tracks, making it nearly impossible to gather any real information on it.
