Pathfinder Releases the Sequel to Its Most Popular Adventure

The Pathfinder roleplaying game has released the first chapter of its sequel to its Rise of the Runelords adventure.

Earlier this week, the popular tabletop roleplaying game released the first chapter to Return of the Runelords, a direct sequel to the adventure that launched the Pathfinder line eleven years ago. The sequel will put characters in a familiar role - to stop return of a group of ancient and massively powerful magic users that ruled the world thousands of years ago.

The Runelords once ruled over the ancient kingdom of Thassilon, one of the first great human kingdoms. Each of the Runelords gained mastery over a different type of magic and also became associated with one of the seven cardinal sins. While Thassilon was destroyed during a cataclysm known as Earthfall, each of the seven Runelords found a way to escape the destruction of their kingdom and laid dormant for thousands of years.

Rise of the Runelords dealt with the return of one of these powerful wizards - Karzoug, the Runelord of Greed. A Pathfinder Society storyline (played in organized play groups at game stores or conventions) dealt with the rise of Krune, the Runelord of Sloth, while the Lord of Runes novel explained how Zutha, Runelord of Gluttony preserved himself. However, Paizo has only teased where the other four Runelords are hidden....until this new chapter's release.

Without diving too heavily into spoilers, Return of the Runelords will bring players into contact with all of the Runelords, and players will have to fight more than one during the course of the story. We'll also get the stories behind some intriguing mysteries that Pathfinder has woven into its world, such as the mysterious Peacock Spirit diety and the lost city of Crystilan. Hopefully, we'll also get statblocks for the Runelords, so players who have played through Rise of the Runelords can choose to bring them into their campaigns...if their Rise characters are still alive.

Rise of the Runelords was the first storyline released by Paizo as part of its Pathfinder line, which was built using Dungeons & Dragons' 3.5 edition rules. Pathfinder eventually built up its own game system using the 3.5 rules as a foundation and built up an entire world filled with mystery and adventure over the last 11 years. While Pathfinder has grown into the second most played tabletop RPG in the world (second only to D&D), Rise of the Runelords remains an important part of the Pathfinder line and has served as an important entry point for countless fans.

The first chapter of Return of the Runelords is available now at game stores and on Paizo's site. New chapters will be released each month.