Pathfinder Region Deepdive: Andoran

Welcome back to our Deep Dive series! I hope you all enjoy this, as this is one of my most frequently requested videos - Andoran!
For a relatively recent nation on the Inner Sea's political stage, they are a significant one, and they have a surprisingly deep, rich and complicated history that I try to fully explore in this video.
For additional context on Andoran's neighbor's be sure to check out my Taldor and Cheliax deep-dive videos as well:
Taldor here: • Pathfinder Regional De...
Cheliax here: • Pathfinder Regional De...
More details on the Agathions and Avorals referenced in the culture section can be found here: • Pathfinder Religion Gu...
▬ Contents of this video ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
0:00 - History of Andoran
22:37 - People & Culture
33:50 - Government
39:59 - Aspodell
51:38 - Darkmoon Vale
1:05:21 - Arthfell
1:20:54 - Missa Shelf
1:31:11 - Verduran Forest
1:42:00 - Carpenden Plains
1:48:06 - Freeland and Almas
And don't forget to Like & Subscribe!
CREDITS
The large high-res map I use is not a Paizo official map, but the work of the incomparable Rob McCaleb ( www.artstation.com/robmccaleb ) used here with their gracious permission.
Content for this video came from "Guide to the Darkmoon Vale", "Andoran: Spirit of Liberty", "Andoran: Birthplace of Freedom" and various other scattered resources.
If you enjoyed this video, please support Paizo publishing by purchasing this product or others.
paizo.com/
#paizo #pathfinder #golarion #innersea #roleplaying #rpg #history #lore #d&d #Avistan #Andoran #SupremeElect #EagleKnight

[@kocakbil]

Golarion really has got *everything* in it. Holy nuts.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Haha, yeah it kind of does.

[@Ofley_Adventures]

Always love that you establish the lore of these nations even from before their founding. It puts forth a lot of context and helps out in attaining a mental storyline for its origins. Have a successful day everyone! Thanks for the vid.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Always start from the beginning! Or in my case even before the beginning!

[@grinningbuck]

1:03:34 Darkmoon Vale! Thats from some of Paizo's earliest 3rd party material (I believe it was written for D&D 3.5) I totally forgot about that adventure path, what a fun piece of history.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Yep, in some ways Andoran has some of the oldest content (date of publication-wise)

[@loganmcgee18]

I really believe all your hardwork will be pay off and you'll reap the fruit of all your labor. The only youtube channel I actually actively recommend as well, weirdly enough.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Hey thank you so much. Kind words!

[@RisingStarPF2E]

Another fantastic video MythKeeper; currently running a homebrew of Fall of Plaguestone where a party is going from Elidir in Isger to Almas in Andoran on a wagon trip gone wrong; and this and a lot of the previous videos helped a lot with understanding those political differences and it allowed me to really go in depth and genuinely help me become a more knowledgeable player and GM.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Rock on, thank you so much for these kind words.

[@namelesssomebody2557]

'Murica! The Setting

[@TheMythKeeper]

Hehe, and another one 🙂

[@rookhobbes9055]

I'm currently planning my first campaign in Pathfinder and using Andoran as the starting region, so this video is super timely

[@TheMythKeeper]

Love it when that happens 🙂

[@albertcapley6894]

What's really cool about Andoran, to me at least, is that on the surface it appears to be some combination of the American and French revolutions, with bourgeois elements of society agitating for a popular revolt against aristocracy and feudalism. But when you dig a little deeper, the writers blended elements of other revolutionary struggles, which ofc Galt is most known for within the setting, but the land reappropriation combined with the preservation of a market based system reminds me of various socialist projects IRL such as the Yugoslav Socialist Republic which ended up practicing a sort of "market socialism" which ironically is more similar to modern "democratic socialists" like say Sweden, than it was to the Soviet model, and it, much like Andoran, ended up creating an unofficial elite of bourgeoisie merchants that ultimately kinda goes against the founding principles. That's not the only comparison one can draw, ofc, it does still feel primarily French/USA coded but it also seems to ask the question of: what if feudalism was replaced by a system we might call democratic, market, socialism, instead of the mercantilism of our middle ages, compared to IRL that's an ahistorical phenomena, out of order of events, but it's still very interesting to explore these ideas.

[@albertcapley6894]

I used a similar notion for dwarves in my homebrew, like they aren't exactly communists, but they lean about as far that way as I imagined a world that is roughly comparable to our Dark ages- High Middle ages could have allowed, just to have some sort of baseline. Specifically the "Diggers" in England were a puritan movement which argued for "liberation of the commons" meaning both the people, but mostly for the creation of public land policies, which at the time was radical as all hell, lol, and so I pushed a little further than where the diggers went IRL and then I had the idea for my dwarves.

[@TheMythKeeper]

@@albertcapley6894 - This is cool. Love when players drop in their homebrew ideas in the comments.

[@JamesAdams-nd1td]

The region deep dives aren’t my favorite videos, but they’re still pretty useful for understanding the world, and I can’t help but appreciate all the work the folks at Paizo did to flesh out the world in terms of politics, economics, culture, and history. And, as an American, I can’t help but be into the idea of a democratic republic in a high fantasy setting.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Yeah they were pretty thoughtful about how all of these nations kind of come together and interact with each other. Its great.

[@Lordingish]

Hmm yes, new video to delay sleep for ❤

[@TheMythKeeper]

Sleep is so over-rated!

[@arch-warlock7409]

also don't know why but, bird motifs go hard for me

[@Greenknight3]

It's basically fantasy America, so that's why it go's so hard.

[@thierrybarroca7364]

My day was made when I saw the notification. Thank you so much for making the fabulous Pathfinder lore available to everyone !

[@TheMythKeeper]

You're so welcome! Thanks for watching and commenting and joining the club!

[@hurricanejeff9648]

Myth keeper on top ☝🏾

[@user-vx4xl2lj9o]

Loved this one. Andoran is one of the areas I knew next to nothing about but I was always interested in because of its backstory. In that same vein, I can't wait to see the video you do for Isger.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Yeah, that's another much requested one. I have a few more I'm getting to first (Qadira, and mighty Absalom) but hopefully soon.

[@samuwindu]

I would love to see a deep dive on the five kings mountains some time soon!

[@TheMythKeeper]

Definitely something that is in the works

[@jedinathan]

@@TheMythKeeper Second that Dwarves are awesome. I lament the lack of a companion in the video games that fits the classic Dwarf warrior archetype. I have to play that myself but that really only works in Kingmaker, Wrath just isn't the most- Dwarf friendly game. I mean that in more ways then one, there is only one Dwarven companion that being Greybor who is not the usual Dwarf he is a mercenary assassin who worships Norgorber which is an interesting concept but really between him and Harrim in Kingmaker aren't really what I'd expect in Dwarves, well Harrim is fine he is an amazing healer and will always pick him over Tristan mainly due to well I don't like Tristan's archetype he's way too much of a glass cannon and I never build glass cannons as it only takes one bad dice roll for them to die horribly. In terms of supporting Dwarves Wrath's major Dwarf character Staunton Vhane is easily one of the characters I feel pity for more often then not though not as much as his younger brother who was a true dwarf thru and thru and did nothing wrong other then stick by his brother to the end which there are really any dwarves that wouldn't put kin and honor over their lives no true Dwarf would abandon their kin and the only other Dwarf of note is Darek Sunhammer and he takes the archetype and uses it to mask his true nature. But yeah a video about proper Dwarves is always up my alley Dwarves are my favorite Fantasy race and any content involving them has my interest.

[@justincherry4027]

I can't always be a member but I still love you mythkeeper. ❤️ continue to grow this library for the sake of all pathfinders everywhere. It's awesome being able to look up something on KZbin and not have dnd shoved down my throat when I am specifically looking for pathfinder. Constantly watching your videos bro. Love ya

[@TheMythKeeper]

Thanks man, so appreciate this comment, and I appreciate the support you have shown the channel since I started.

[@DjDreamcastle]

Love it! Getting prepped to run D0 and the rest of the modules in the Darkmoon soon.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Nice! You'll have a good time.

[@joshuakirkham9593]

I have not seen this yet, but I am really looking forward to this video. 😊

[@TheMythKeeper]

Hope you have a good time with it!

[@RyanVonAegir]

From what I know, Andoran has strong early/post revolution America, so I was expecting this as a 4th of July video! Great video! I look forward to this a lot!

[@TheMythKeeper]

You know, I should have done that ;-)

[@MusMasi]

its nothing like early/post revolution USA its anti-slavery.

[@lakkakka]

Nah it is usa exclusive. Might put off non american viewers. And with global politics as it is now. Would you want to risk annoying other viewers by celebrating usa in a "MURICA FUCK YEAH" manenr? Actually really love that your videos are so disconnected from earth lore. And honestly prefer it was kept that way.

[@starwarsnerd100]

@@lakkakka That’s like saying it would put off non Indian viewers if there was a Vudran video on Indian Independence Day or another Indian holiday. I don’t think anyone would mind.

[@almitrahopkins1873]

Bastile Day would be more appropriate, since Andorran and Galt are based on France.

[@CooperativeWaffles]

Huzzah, another release... ...& it is Andoran! Thank you. Thank you!

[@TheMythKeeper]

You're very welcome!

[@chrismoore8177]

Been waiting for this video! So glad it comes out on a slow day!

[@TheMythKeeper]

Me too! And I hope it was worth the wait.

[@karljeffries4848]

I want to try Jackfire. I bet it tastes like Jack Daniels but with a hint of cinnamon and chili pepper.

[@TheMythKeeper]

That sounds exactly right.

[@RicardoPM777]

Thanks for another great regional video!

[@TheMythKeeper]

And thank you sir for the kind comments!

[@KaZlos]

This is insane, thank you for hard work!

[@TheMythKeeper]

You're super welcome! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@OranjMoose]

These videos are always such a comfort

[@TheMythKeeper]

That's how I feel about these comments :-)

[@athaler2402]

Really interesting, especially with all the parallels to real-world events. Also seems I somehow completely missed that the serpentfolk empire went as far north as Thassilon...

[@TheMythKeeper]

Yeah, they were already mostly gone from there by the time Xin and his exiles established Thassilon though.

[@MusMasi]

Been waiting a while for this, I find this Nations History in Particular to be quiet interesting.

[@TheMythKeeper]

This is a fun one ;-)

[@VenatorStellorum]

A PC I played partway through Iron Gods years ago was from Augustana - he was an archaeologist bard named "Augustana" Johnson lol

[@TheMythKeeper]

Haha! That's great

[@chazzwozzio]

Why did it have to be serpent folk?

[@onogal775]

Thanks for another video! Couldn't get to it over the easter holidays but I give a watch now. My players who decided to come from Andoran certainly thank you as well!

[@TheMythKeeper]

Thanks for the comment and hope you had some happy holidays

[@andrewswanson9461]

Always like listening to your videos while I work. I wish you did Forgotten Realms content too because I like the level of detail that you cover. Also pathfinders setting is really amazing. I find the realms small in comparison to the size of Golarion.

[@TheMythKeeper]

When I started this channel I totally planned to drift around various settings (hence MythKeeper and not PathfinderStories or something) but this setting is do dense and underserved I haven't actually done anything else yet.

[@andrewswanson9461]

@@TheMythKeeper I am excited to hear you talk about the darklands. It will be quite the undertaking.

[@boldcitylongsword9941]

I’m really fascinated with the idea of the Hobgoblin country you’ve brought up in some of these videos. I’d think they’d be a lot like Cheliax, with common goal social structures, but the racism wouldn’t let an alliance be easy.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Yeah the new nation of Oprak. Most detailed accounting of it I have so far is in my Nirmathas / Molthune video.

[@leifanderson3692]

Thank you.

[@smokescreen100]

I found out where Tom, the human fighter is gonna come from.

[@003mohamud]

With the Swarmkeeper archetype arriving with the Howl of the Wild book, i'm guessing that Vernon Vestha ends up starting either a new druid's circle or some other organization.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Yeah that sounds right

[@baconsinatra8837]

I'd have thought the battlemechs would have helped House Davion more

[@arch-warlock7409]

insert random america joke here lol

[@TheMythKeeper]

Yeah I expect a lot of this!

[@MargarineMeadow]

Nah, America has to be Druma with its hard-on for capitalism.

[@MusMasi]

@@MargarineMeadow This makes more sense, Or maybe Sargava because it broke away from its colonial masters but kept Slavery until it had a civil war much later then it abolished it.

[@MusMasi]

@@MargarineMeadow Capitalism, Colonialism and imperialism. Might Argue its more like Chiliax than Andoran, Chiliax Broke away from the Taldor Empire and became more powerful than it.

[@28Decimo]

@@MusMasi except you’d have to consider how twisted the British Empire was vs the US, in which the answer is uniquely the British Empire has universally caused the majority of problems in the 20th and 21st centuries.

[@sezarennarctia5672]

Long awaited Deepdive into one of the more exciting Innersea nations. Thanks a bunch, Myth. Also any chance that you'd be able to 'Remaster' some of your more older videos? I like them, having met you channel through them but I'll admit the difference in quality is much better on your newer videos.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Yes, but its probably a ways out unfortunately. There's still a lot of new ground to cover, and I'd rather focus my energies there than fixing my earlier stuff. That being said some of my videos (especially my very first one) definitely need a new coat of paint.

[@OldGreyGryphon]

Andoran! F*** yeah!!!

[@TheMythKeeper]

🤣

[@apfrot5016]

When you talk about the serpent people at the beginning, is that the new lore post drow retcon?

[@TheMythKeeper]

No that's lore that dates back to 1E. I also have an upcoming Darklands video out very soon, which will also be pulling mostly from 1E lore. I've found that so far, most of the retcons in 2E have actually been cosmetic, or expansions of existing lore rather than wholesale retcons. Drow kind of still exist, they are just called Ayindilar or Cavern Elves now. pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Ayindilar

[@apfrot5016]

@@TheMythKeeper thanks for the clarification, I really appreciate that!

[@obamabiden]

Andoran having so much bird symbology because the country is backed by a bird demigod who sometimes turns up to their parliament is great fantasy worldbuilding, i feel like that's definitely something you'd see pretty often in a setting where gods, demons, angels etc are observably real and regularly get into fights with people also helps with their whole thing of being very much the opposite rival to cheliax the combination of the high level fantasy stuff and real-world esque history reminds me a bit of that piece of lore about how some people in osirion keep complaining about the pharaoh getting too involved in desert elemental politics and not paying enough attention to the country lol also i just realised their lore as an abolitionist, democratic country in a world where this isn't common grappling with an increase in moneyed interests on politics with iconic special forces units makes them basically the golarion version of the NCR

[@boris_bulletdodger9109]

Positive comment

[@cheesytrojan]

Do you just get a subscription to be able to buy/download ALL of Paizo's Adventure Paths and source books? So like every time a new one comes out, it's immediately yours? I don't know where else you would get all of this! Their collection of books is staggering.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Yep! I'm fully subscribed 🤣🤣🤣

[@wojciechchestowski6003]

Andoran, heck yeah! Comin' again to save another day in Golarion, yeah! Andoran, heck yeah! Cheliaxians, your game is through 'Cause now you have ta answer to Andoran, heck yeah! You were expecting someone to do this at one point.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Hehe! Yeah this works.

[@frederickgleicher1385]

After several sessions of watching and painting I am done ! What a great video. i cannot remember if i have asked this, but how will the Dragons translate to the new edition ? Also will the cabal of the noble houses (the seven houses) located in the capital of Andoran ? I assume they would have ties to Taldor or would that be more Cheliax ? Also there seems to be three ? modules of the Pathfinder society in this region ? Do you have a video that covers where all the current Pathfinder modules are located ? I am curious to know which region have the most modules ?

[@TheMythKeeper]

Well there are 2 kinds of adventures published by Pathfinder - Standalone Modules which are single adventures - and Adventure Paths, which are a connected series of 3-6 adventures. I haven't done a video covering all the modules, or a video on the 2nd editions adventure paths, but I did do a video on the 1st Edition Adventure Paths which is my second video ever and talks about where all the APs are located. Its a fun watch if you haven't checked it out yet. I do plan to do more videos like that in the future.

[@frederickgleicher1385]

@@TheMythKeeper I have seen the video, and it is excellent. I could not remember though, if there was one that covered the stand alone modules or if there was a newer one that covers the Pathfinder 2.0 adventure paths.

[@Ravi9A]

freedom!

[@josephfernandez8015]

Finally fantasy ‘Murica!

[@jasoncox4640]

I love the deep dive of information. I would like to know. Does anyone know where I can find more lore about what pathfinders are and their society?

[@TheMythKeeper]

Wait ~6 or 7 episodes and I'll have a Pathfinder Society faction guide out ;-)

[@jasoncox4640]

That would be amazing! Thank you!

[@bandaid6550]

ANDORAN! FUCK YEAH! COMING TO SAVE THE MOTHERFUCKING DAY YEAH!

[@sjoerddz]

So USA along with a dash of France? I can't help but wonder why most of their artwork people are not wearing armour in battle though lol

[@TheMythKeeper]

I actually explain in this in next week's video! Wait for it ;-)

[@sjoerddz]

@@TheMythKeeper I'll be damned! Looking forward to it

[@thenostalgicdragon]

Hi! great content. Have you played the pathfinder videogames? If so. Your impressions. I am playing the games. Have an idea that reading about TTRPG can benefit me somehow. Apart from your channel how do I get in contact (books etc) with pathfinder lore? Do you have recommendations?

[@TheMythKeeper]

There are two video games - Kingmaker and Wrath of the Righteous (with an ARPG based on Abomination Vaults in the works IIRC). They're both fun. Knowing all the lore isn't critical to your enjoyment of the game, but I do think it can enhance the experience somewhat. If you're playing Kingmaker you may want to watch my River Kingdoms deepdive. If you're playing Wrath you should watch my Worldwound video. If you're playing either, you should also consider my Northeast Avistan video which covers the general region they take place in. In terms of the books, I recommend The Inner Sea Worldguide for just a general overview of the world. You can also just head over to Paizo.com and check out the massive amount of content they have for sale as well. And of course if you like the video games, try to get a group together for an actual in person game, no video game experience can supplant the genuine article IMO.

[@thenostalgicdragon]

Thanks! Since I am too a Lord of the rings reader and also Malazan. Whats your thoughts on Pathfinder universe vs Middle earth for example. I am amazed that the lore seems great for being a TTRPG and CRPG.

[@TheMythKeeper]

@@thenostalgicdragon I think the lore serves different purposes in these two worlds. Tolkien's world feels very much 'of a piece' with a itself. Everything is internally consistent. Its a great back drop for a series of novels. Pathfinder's lore is intentionally less consistent. Some areas feel like medieval europe, other areas feel like the renaissance, some areas are pulled directly from the golden age of piracy and one particularly whacky area has robots in it. That's because the idea is that Paizo wanted to be able to create many very different kinds of adventures in the Pathfinder universe without having to create a different setting for everyone (like TSR/DnD did in the 90s with its myriad settings). Big Picture - the kitchen sink effect is a big hurdle to overcome from a narrative standpoint if you take in the whole thing at once. That being said, they are very committed to grounding the lore so each area, at least, feels very consistent and 'real' so to speak. Thanks for the thoughtful question.

[@andreasmuller4172]

Am I the only one who noticed the among us crewmate on the temple section of the verduran forest? Is that the ancient horror that was sealed away? Am I going insane?

[@TheMythKeeper]

You see nothing... Haha

[@baconsinatra8837]

"Aroden died to make man holy (presumably), let us fight to make men free"

[@RicardoPM777]

👏👏👏

[@trajanfidelis1532]

As a patriot of the U.S. Andoran is a new favorite. (I know i keep saying that but for real this time.)

[@MusMasi]

Why?

[@trajanfidelis1532]

​@@MusMasidid you not watch the video? Andoran has very clear references to revolutionary war Era U.S. themes.

[@TheMythKeeper]

@@trajanfidelis1532 - Yeah there are definitely some US parallels. Its not a perfect match though and there are a few other sources thrown in as well.

[@MusMasi]

@@trajanfidelis1532 Didn't seem like it to me, though I find it very interesting how people from certain nations perceive themselves compared to how they are perceived from others.

[@starwarsnerd100]

@@MusMasi It’s true that many of these nations aren’t one to one and that it’s based on interpretation . . . but come on it’s pretty obvious what they were going for. Called “Birthplace of freedom” in the inner sea world guide. It’s symbol is an eagle. And the uniforms are from the revolution period instead of sword and sorcery.

[@OrpheusOverdrive]

Andoran...Pam pam param

[@israelelliott2212]

This map is phenomenal but I can't find it anywhere officially, is it third party? did you make it?

[@TheMythKeeper]

Its the official Rob McCaleb drawn map I'm using

[@Starheart.777]

Omg Pathfinder has everything! 😂 Eagle Knights, let’s fly! 💥

[@TheMythKeeper]

More eagle knight content next week as well ;-)

[@harrisonhelton4207]

I don’t mean to alarm anyone but is that an Amongus at 1:40:05 on the right? That has to be an Amongus

[@TheMythKeeper]

😆

[@fedrikrose2277]

This is where John Brown's soul went marching on

[@a.m928]

I am suprised Andoran isnt one of the hubs for firearms in the inner sea. Andoran smiths are known to be revolutionary and favouring new arms etc. Maybe thats too much on the nose.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Guns are for alkenstar :-)

[@SofaKingDead]

I know everyone sees the obvious American influence on the nation but don't discount how much like France this place is as well.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Definitely agree

[@Fellwinter]

Kitchen sink setting at its finest.

[@lucasblaise11]

Everyones saying 'its America!' 'its France! 'Gont is France!'. These are countries of dragons and elves people... What do ye mean by this?? X country being ~inspired~ by Nebraska or whatever, means NOTHING. Why do people keep saying it? If u know about a cool location in Nebraska, and want to put it into the fantasy country, DO IT. If u know something cool about Niger, through that in! It won't 'break the vibes' of the fantasy country. It will only make it deeper.

[@SeanSpeer]

I would vote for you in a democratically-elected Republic every day.

[@TheMythKeeper]

You rock!