Welcome to Vigil where the high spires of Castle Overwatch afford a commanding view of the blood-soaked westward plains of the Belkzen frontier, as well as the mist-shrouded highlands of Ustalav to the north. Castle Overwatch is home to the Knights of Ozem, a Cavalier Order of heavy cavalry second to none. These heavily armed and armored warriors keep justice and punish evil with an iron fist. They strive to achieve heroic accomplishments as Knights Errant as often as they stay as regulars in defense of the Castle. The knight-horsemasters of Vigil breed and train the mighty destriers and swift coursers that bear Lastwall’s finest into battle, and the pastures around Vigil are known for the quality of their bloodlines. Vigil also hosts the Crusader War College, the training academy of the Knights of Ozem, where crusader tacticians have worked to best marshal, magical and military resources to defeat their numerically superior enemies.

Vigil is the seat of power of Lastwall, a military nation governed by a Watcher-Lord, a position currently held by the young Ulthun Arilleus II, who at the age of 19 was deemed the knight who best exemplified the crusader ideal.  Serving below him are the five Precentors Martial of the Crusader War College and the five Tribunes. The Precentors Martial elect the Watcher-Lord and govern over military affairs, overseeing Cavalry, Infantry, Garrison and Siege, Scouting, and Magic while the Tribunes for Trade, Mines, Farms, Faith, and Magic oversee civil affairs and govern citizenry.

For more details of the city, see Vigil.

Lastwall at a Glance

Lastwall was founded at the end of the 74-year-long Shining Crusade in 3828 AR to stand watch over the lich-king Tar-Baphon’s prison in Gallowspire just to the north. Initially a province of the Empire of Taldor, Lastwall has since become independent, but remains true to its purpose, standing guard against the undead of Ustalav and the orcs of Belkzen.

Encarthan Coast: Lastwall rests on the western shores of Lake Encarthan, the largest fresh water lake in all of Avistan. The nation’s largest city, Vellumis, can be found here, serving as a port for soldiers traveling in and out of the country on their way to and from battling the horrors of Ustalav and Belkzen. Lake Encarthan itself is home to many creatures, including merrows, scrags and skum tribes as well as the storm-lashed Isle of Terror, which lies in the middle of the lake, riddled with monsters and undead.

Path River: The capital city of Vigil rests along the shores of the Path River, just west of where the Mesmos River joins from out of the Hungry Mountains. For much of its length, the river serves as the border between Lastwall and the Ustalavic county of Virlych. Along its northern banks lies the Holtgrieve Wood, home to families of werewolves who terrorize travelers along the river, forcing many to bring heavy guard or avoid the river altogether.

Hungry Mountains: Just across the northern border in the fog-shrouded nation of Ustalav lies the massive Hungry Mountains, which spreads across most of southern Ustalav. Regular patrols are sent into the range’s darkest region of Virlych to scout for undead activity while the fort at Hammer Rock was built along the southern banks of the Path River specifically to keep a watchful eye on any activity within the mountains.

Northern Fangwood: The section of Fangwood Forest north of the Tourendel River, the divider between Lastwall and Nirmathas, lies the Northern Fangwood. This section of forest is generally avoided by the people of Lastwall due to its impenetrable undergrowth and hostile fauna. Hidden deep in the Northern Fangwood lies the long sought after dwelling of a powerful great wyrm named Zedoran. Though he generally keeps to himself, Zedoran emerges every few decades to raid the towns and villages of Lastwall, always followed closely by several tribes of orcs who also call the Fangwood home.

The Orc Menace: Of primary concern to the citizens of Lastwall is the orc threat from Belkzen, which has pushed back the borders of the nation three times since its founding. Though the current border has held well, thanks in large part to supplies of money and troops from Nirmathas, the troops in the field believe the central government prefers to maintain status quo rather than reclaim lost territory. This seeming complacency has caused some commanders to consider taking actions into their own hands.

Campaign Background

Watcher-Lord Ulthun II has recently departed with the bulk of his army for Castle Everstand, determined to put an end to the Orc threat once and for all. Left behind to preside over the city are the five Tribunes.

In the weeks since their departure, crime in the city has taken an alarming upturn, and the remaining guard seem incapable of handling the high demand. It is near the end of summer, and though the winter months are not overly harsh in the nation of Lastwall, the continued absence of their ruler and the recent crime spree have given rise to fear among the populace.

Desperate to put an end to these crimes, the five Tribunes have asked Evni Zongnoss, Venture-Captain of the Whispering Lodge, and Lady Aylunna Varvatos of the Sancta Iomedaea Cathedral to form and oversee a volunteer city defense squad known as the White Lion Relief Corp. All those willing and able to join the fight against evil are welcome to sign up at the Whispering Lodge.

The following benefits are bestowed upon volunteers in the White Lion Relief Corp:

Your characters begin their adventure in Chapter 1: City of Thieves at the Whispering Lodge where Captain Zongnoss hands out your first assignment.

Character Tips

The people of Vigil are living in fear, and their current defenses fall woefully short of usual expectations. The following tips can help a group of adventurers face any threat and eliminate it before the Vigilants’ worst fears are realized.

Races
The inhabitants of Lastwall are mostly human, but are willing to accept people of any race who are dedicated to their cause.

Religion
Worship of Iomedae dominates the citizens of Vigil, but small chapel-shrines to Gorum, Erastil, Shelyn, and Kurgess the Strong Man also dot the city. Soldiers in the field may worship almost any deity so long as their cause aligns with that of the Vigilants.

Origins
There are no limitations to a character’s origin. Lastwall’s doors are open to all peoples dedicated to their cause, and in fact many soldiers taking up arms in the crusade hail from far away nations.

Skills and Feats
This campaign features a great deal of situations in which a varied skill set will be paramount to your party’s survival with no single skill proving the most important.

During this campaign, characters will have limited access to many of the resources normally available. As such, feats that improve a character’s self-sufficiency will help keep them prepared for the dangers ahead.

Classes
All classes are suitable to this adventure path, but those that specialize in surviving in the wilds, delving underground, uncovering ancient mysteries, or leading armies into battle will be particularly useful.

Character Background

Below are some suggestions players may use in part or in whole to develop their character’s background.

Andoran Missionary
You come from the free nation of Andoran, and strongly believe in a particular guiding principal, be it democracy, acceptance of religion, or similar ideal. You travel the world, spreading the word of this ideal in the hopes of recruiting like-minded individuals or to plant the seed of revolution in tyrannical nations. Your arrival at Vigil was met with some consternation, but you believe that by joining the White Lion Relief Corps, you may be able to prove yourself in the eyes of the Vigilants and perhaps sway them to your side.

Escaped Molthuni Slave
You spent five (or more) years as a slave in Molthune, but were blocked in your attempts to become a citizen by your nefarious owner. You executed an escape plan, and made your way to Lastwall in the hopes of joining the ranks of the Crusaders where you expect to be protected from any retribution. With the army currently away, your only hope to establish yourself as a citizen was to join the White Lion Relief Corps.

Lastwall Vigilante
Born in the nation of Lastwall, you know first hand the terrors its citizens face every day. However, you disagree with how the leaders of Lastwall are handling the situation. So, you’ve taken it upon yourself to strike back at the terrors invading your land, killing them one at a time if you have to. With the ongoing struggles in Vigil seeming to ramp up, you have decided to join the White Lion Relief Corps in an effort to assist those in need, knowing you can leave at any time once the threat has been neutralized.

Mendevian Crusader
You are an aspiring crusader from the nation of Mendev, desperate to rise in the ranks of Molthune’s army, but blocked at seemingly every turn. Hearing of the desperate situation in Lastwall, you abandoned your post and traveled to Vigil where you hope to make better headway in your aspirations. With the army away, your only chance seems to be joining the White Lion Relief Corps and making enough of an impression that when the real army returns, your name will appear at the top of the list for recruitment.

Razmiran Outlaw
You hail from the nation of Razmiran, located on the eastern shores of Lake Encarthan. Unlike many of your fellow citizens, you don’t deify its tyrannical leader Razmir, and instead rebelled against his rule. You may have led protests against his religion, spoken out against Razmir’s claims of godhood, or stolen an artifact from one of the religious temples. Whatever your crime, you are now wanted by the Razmiran government, and have fled to Lastwall to seek asylum. You decided to join the White Lion Relief Corps to gain citizenship in Vigil with the hopes it will be enough to protect you.

Character Options

Listed below are some character options to help your character feel more a part of the world around them. Note: Characters are not required to choose from these options.

Class Archetypes

Animal Mounts

Dort Charger (horse) — see Burst of Speed below
Lastwall Jasper (horse) — see Water-Trained below

Favored Enemies and Favored Terrain: This adventure ranges all over, providing a wide selection for both favored enemies and terrain. Terrain options suitable to characters living in Vigil include plains, mountains, forest, and underground. Typical favored enemies include humanoid (orc), humanoid (shapechanger), outsiders (evil), and undead.

Prestige Classes

Devoted Muse: Devout worshipers of Shelyn who have sworn to serve as protectors and preservers of all lost or disappearing forms of art, both fine and martial. {Paths of the Righteous}

Heritor Knight: Some seek to follow in the footsteps of the their goddess Iomedae through study of the miracles of her mortal life. {Paths of the Righteous}

Hinterlander: Devout followers of Erastil who protect the people who dwell on remote farmsteads, in small villages, and in the other border regions between cities and wilderness. {Paths of the Righteous}

Inheritor’s Crusader: Honor, justice, and valor—while many righteous folk believe in these things, a select group of champions live and breathe them. It is in their blood and constantly at the forefront of their thoughts. {Adventure Path #26}

Knight of Ozem: Guardians of a sacred trust, the Knights of Ozem are a chivalrous order based out of Lastwall and dedicated to guarding against the return of Tar-Baphon, the dreaded Whispering Tyrant. They also fight against the schemes of all undead creatures and any plots to increase the power of undeath, especially those associated with the Whispering Way. {Paths of Prestige}

Sacred Sentinel: These holy warriors view themselves as mortal shields of defense, and seek to place themselves where defenders are most needed. {Paths of the Righteous}

Soul Warden: Bygone products of an ancient war, soul wardens are an enigma of themselves. The original soul wardens were a specially trained cadre of anti-necromantic commandos. {Undead Slayer’s Handbook}

Vigil-Specific Feats

Extend the Bulwark (Combat, Teamwork) {Magical Marketplace}
You can bolster a trained ally’s defenses by interposing your own armored body.
Benefit: If you are wearing medium or heavy armor and are adjacent to an ally who also has this feat, as a free action, you may give your ally a circumstance bonus to her AC equal to half the armor bonus provided by your armor. This bonus lasts for 1 round. During this round, you gain no bonus to your AC from your armor.

Indomitable Mount (Combat) {Cities of Golarion}
Your skill at riding helps your mount avoid attacks.
Prerequisites: Mounted Combat, Handle Animal 5 ranks, Ride 5 ranks.
Benefit: Once per round when your mount must make a saving throw, you can make a Ride check as an immediate action. Your mount makes its save if your Ride check result is greater than the DC of the opponent’s attack.

Mounted Onslaught (Combat) {Cities of Golarion}
You and your mount can shatter an enemy’s line with your unyielding assault.
Prerequisites: Mounted Combat, Trample, Ride 5 ranks.
Benefit: On your turn you may overrun more than one creature. Each overrun combat maneuver check beyond the first has a cumulative –5 penalty. If you fail to overrun a target, your movement ends. Your mount may only make a single hoof attack against one target that is knocked prone by your overrun (not one per prone opponent).
Normal: You can only attempt one overrun per round.

Quillbreaker Defense (Combat) {Magical Marketplace}
You know how to put armor spikes to defensive use by thrusting them into the path of an oncoming attack just in time.
Prerequisites: Proficiency with armor spikes.
Benefit: If you are wearing armor spikes, as an immediate action when you take damage from a nonmagical attack, you can give your armor spikes the broken condition to reduce the amount of damage you take by 5. If your armor spikes are already broken, they are destroyed when you take the damage. If you are wearing masterwork armor spikes, you instead reduce the damage taken by 10.

Shield Snag (Combat) {Magical Marketplace}
You know how to navigate your shield around weapons and can use it to keep your balance.
Prerequisites: Improved Shield Bash, Shield Proficiency, Two-Weapon Fighting, base attack bonus +6.
Benefit: Any opponents hit by your shield bash are also targeted by a free disarm attempt, substituting your attack roll for the combat maneuver check. This disarm attempt does not provoke an attack of opportunity. You cannot use this ability during the same round as a bull rush attempt made with Shield Slam or with any other abilities that affect how your shield bash works.
When using a shield, you gain a +4 bonus on Strength checks to avoid being blown away by a strong wind and on Climb checks to catch yourself on a wall or slope when falling.

Wheeling Charge (Combat) {Cities of Golarion}
Your mount moves with ease across battlefields.
Prerequisites: Mounted Combat, Ride-By Attack, Ride 5 ranks.
Benefit: When you are mounted and use the charge action, your mount can make one turn of up to 90 degrees as part of the move, as long as each part of the move is at least 10 feet. You may make an attack during any part of this move. Your total movement for the round can’t exceed double your mounted speed. Allied creatures do not impede your charge, though you cannot attack from or end your move in an ally’s space.
Normal: You cannot turn when making a charge.

New Feats

Shield Block (Combat)
You know how to use your shield to fend off melee attacks.
Prerequisites: Shield Focus, Shield Proficiency, base attack bonus +5
Benefit: If you are wearing a shield other than a buckler, and have not already taken an AoO, you may use the shield to block one melee attack per round. This reduces the damage dealt by the hardness of the shield with any additional damage applied evenly between you and the shield unless the shield is destroyed in which case any damage beyond that required to destroy the shield is applied to you.

Character Traits (*new)

Burst of Speed [Combat]: Held in particularly high esteem by the crusaders of Lastwall, Dort chargers are sturdy warhorses, and can often be found among the front lines on both sides of the battlefield.
Benefit: Three times per day, while riding a Dort charger and making a charge attack, you can increase your mount’s speed by 15 feet as a free action.

Lastwall Defender [Combat]: Your military service in Lastwall taught you how to identify undead creatures, changing them in your mind from mysterious terrors to concrete foes you know how to deal with. You gain a +1 trait bonus on attack and damage rolls against undead creatures that you have personally identified using the Knowledge (religion) skill.

Water-Trained [Combat]: Named after the famed horse Jasper of the city of Vigil — which mistakenly thought its rider was drowning during the swimming portion of the Steeplechase and swam across the entire Path River trying to save him — these brown-and-white horses are prized for their impressive water-faring capabilities.
Benefit: Lastwall jaspers gain a +2 trait bonus on Swim checks, and Swim is a class skill for them.

Searing Beacon [Religion]: You deal additional precision damage equal to your Wisdom modifier when you score a critical hit with a melee weapon against an undead opponent.
Prerequisite: You must be a follower of Iomedae.

Crusader Tactician [Regional]: You have studied at Vigil’s Crusader War College, and are skilled in both heraldry and siege tactics. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (engineering) and Knowledge (nobility) checks, and one of these skills is always a class skill for you.

Draconic Vigil [Regional]: As a defender of Lastwall, you have seen the damage the dragon Zedoran has wrought upon the land. You gain a +1 bonus on initiative rolls when entering combat against creatures of the dragon type or humanoids of the orc subtype.

Lastwall Cavalry Rider [Regional]: From the moment you were old enough to walk, you learned how to ride the mighty warhorses of Lastwall. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Ride checks, and Ride is always a class skill for you.

Orc Impaler [Regional]: You gain a +2 trait bonus on rolls to confirm critical hits made as part of a charge. This bonus increases to +3 if the critical hit is made against a creature with the orc subtype.

Former Squire* [Equipment]: You acted as a squire for a knight fighting against the orc hordes of Belkzen, and became proficient with assisting others in donning their armor. When you assist another character, reduce the armor check penalty by 1, to a minimum of 0. Alternatively, with your assistance, a character can hastily don their armor without incurring the normal penalties.

Berdred’s Apprentice* [Campaign]: You work for, or have worked for, Berdred Leredel as an apprentice in her armor shop. You gain a +1 trait bonus to Craft [armor], and it is always a class skill for you. Additionally, you gain a +2 trait bonus to Diplomacy checks made to influence Berdred.

Battlemage Training* [Campaign]: You spent time training in the Battlemage school of the Crusader War College. You gain a +1 trait bonus to Knowledge (Arcana). In addition, all spells you cast from the Evocation school gain a +1 bonus to checks made to overcome spell resistance.

Crusader Scout* [Campaign]: You have studied at Vigil’s Crusader War College, and have partaken in scouting missions along the Belkzen and Ustalav borders. As a result, you have seen firsthand the horrors that lie beyond the border of Lastwall. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Stealth checks, and a +1 trait bonus to Fortitude checks made against the effects of undead creatures.