The Inner Sea is home to a variety of fantastical regions with varying themes. Last month’s Lost Omens Shining Kingdoms gave us a chance to look at the classical fantasy found within the Shining Kingdoms region. From courtly intrigue to valiant knights to deadly beast, the Shining Kingdoms hold the potential for unlimited adventure. Of course, a region like the Shining Kingdoms doesn’t come to life without the help of the authors of this book! So, we’ve taken some time to let the wonderful authors of this book talk about themselves.
Illustration by Roena Rosenberger
Sen H.H.S.
Hi all, Sen H.H.S. here, and thank you all for your support of Lost Omens: Shining Kingdoms! For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a Taiwanese TTRPG freelancer (she/her) who has written for Paizo numerous times, from all the way back in pre-remaster Bestiary 3 to more recent works like Tian Xia World Guide and Character Guide, and a couple of Adventure Paths. For Lost Omen: Shining Kingdoms, I had the privilege of writing the section of Taldor. Alas, one does not simply venture into Taldor without wading into the history of the entire southern coast of Avistan, so the work was more challenging than imagined. I hope you enjoy what we managed to compile of existing lore, as well as any new or revised content– be it items, archetypes, or lore. If you want to stay updated on where you can find my writing next (or currently), you can follow me on Bluesky at senhhs.bsky.social, or keep an eye on my website at https://senhhs.carrd.co. I definitely suggest you keep an eye out during the Gen Con season bec– *NDArted*
Laura Lynn Horst (she/her)
As a lover of high fantasy since watching my dad perform as Mordred in Camelot when I was 5 years old, I was thrilled to contribute to the lore of the Shining Kingdoms. This is my third publication for Paizo (that I can talk about) and I’m absolutely thrilled with the positive feedback the book has received. I was especially excited to see that my contribution of Ulon being at the heart of a new pantheon (The Tides of Chaos) got turned into a meme! You can’t keep a mysterious Azlanti god down. I also contributed to the section on Beliefs of the Shining Kingdoms as well as the 2E revamps to the Goldpebble (who I hope my GM never puts in front of me as I’m absolutely terrified of snakes) and Vovorak in the bestiary. Happy reading all! You can find me on instagram and bluesky: @lauralynnhorst (Insta) @nyxfromstyx77.bsky.social (Bluesky)
Illustration by Luis Salas Lastra
Derry Luttrell (he/they and this/that)
Hey all! I’m Derry Luttrell. I’m the host of Dice Will Roll, the Queerest Pathfinder Podcast on the Planet, and a writer, illustrator and founder of Team+, the 3pp PF2 publishing group behind bestsellers like Witches+, Archetypes+, and Tian Xia+. Shining Kingdoms was my first writing credit, and I could not be more grateful for it! I was behind the Shining Kingdoms Today section, the Factions of the Shining Kingdoms, and the Beirean Frosthunt monster. Being able to write about the factions in the Shining Kingdoms was huge for me; first and foremost, I had crazy fun coming up with the dragon-slaying dwarven mech-pilots and salesmen in the Steelwrought Striders, and fleshing out groups like the Lion Blades with Sen and Eagle Knights alongside Matt was fantastic. I was able to help bring firearms into Andoran, which I’m so excited about! But the thing I’m most pleased with is the Wylderhearts; I pitched and developed the original idea, which Michelle baked into an incredible archetype later on. The Wylderhearts are a love letter to my own culture, taking heavy inspiration from the Fianna, the faoladh (an Irish analogue to benevolent werewolves) and Cú Chulainn. TTRPG settings often take Irish ideas and tropes without really paying attention to their origin, so being able to make something authentically Irish was really important to me— and the end result really was special. I hope you enjoy playing wylderhearts as much as I enjoyed making them!
Matt Morris
I’m Matt Morris, and I’ve been lucky enough to do freelance writing for Pathfinder and Starfinder for several years now, working with Paizo and a few 3rd-party companies. I’m currently awaiting the launch of my first Kickstarter, a TTRPG called Remnant Years: Tales of a Ruined Land. I was lucky enough to traipse through Andoran for this book, and it was exciting to see what’s brewing now in the Birthplace of Freedom. (Turns out: Lots of plot hooks, some Eagle Knights, and a bucketful of internal conflict.) Andoran is a great place for adventure when you want to explore what it means to be good, how to hold to principles in difficult circumstances, and what happens in the generations after revolutionaries become the establishment. I hope you enjoy creating stories there! I keep an up-to-date list of my work on my Paizo profile, and I’m always looking for interesting projects, so feel free to contact me if you are looking for a reliable writer! When not writing, I’m teaching high school English near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Luis Loza (he/him)
Creative Director (Rules & Lore)
Illustration by Nikolai Ostertag
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