Faction: Taldor

Gain control of Absalom through political manipulation and intrigue.

Since the Age of Enthronement, no nation in the Inner Sea has had as wide-reaching and influential an empire as the kingdom of Taldor. Sadly, decadence and overconfidence led to the empire’s relatively swift decline centuries ago, as vassal after vassal broke free from the crown. Despite its waning influence worldwide and constant internal political strife, Taldor is one of the five nations most strategically poised to take control of Absalom from within. Using the same tactics of espionage, sabotage, blackmail, and deception employed by Taldan nobility for millennia, agents of this political faction hope to manipulate the nobility and citizenry of Absalom to recognize the nation’s rightful place as the natural ruler of humankind throughout the region.

Faction Leader
A few among Taldor’s elite realize the foolish end their empire is headed toward and plan to reverse it before the entire nation collapses; Baron Jacquo Dalsine is one of them. A slender and effete gentleman, Jacquo appears to be the very model of a decadent Taldan fop. The truth is while Jacquo can carouse and scribe poetry with the best of them, his favorite art is performed with a blade and he is one of the better swordsmen on the Inner Sea. To Jacquo, the arts of politics and intrigue are no different from that of a duel. There are deceptions, engagements, feints, and disengagements, not to mention lightning fast ripostes. Jacquo sees Taldor as an ailing old duelist, tottering toward death on a foe’s blade, but he knows the empire possesses great puissance if it can be reminded of its former glory. For now, it is key to turn the blades of Taldor’s enemies on one another long enough for the decaying empire to find its footing. Some day, Old Taldor may rise and hold its sword high once again, making allof Golarion tremble at its power..

The Taldan Pathfinder
Pathfinders allied with the Taldan cause often hail from the nation itself, though sometimes foreign agents find themselves working for the empire because they share the modus operandi of using courtly intrigue to their own advantage. While many Taldan natives in the faction claim some noble blood, just as many come from the nation’s poorer classes and hope that if they increase their nation’s influence in the Inner Sea region, some of the inevitable prosperity will trickle down to them and their families. Pathfinder allies of Taldor should be willing to spy, coerce, blackmail, cheat, lie, and publicly humiliate their enemies. Most Taldor Faction Pathfinders are neutral-aligned.

Gaining Fame
While he often sends Pathfinders on missions to recover opulent art to decorate his many palaces and manors, Barron Dalsine knows that Taldor must reclaim its position as the bastion of humanity through constant vigilance. Pathfinders in his employ should be skilled at the arts of deception, misdirection, and stealth, while also knowing how to navigate Absalom’s complex aristocratic landscape. Those with the ability to speak honeyed words to a rival noble while simultaneously pilfering damning documents from his satchel will go far.