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After a couple of minutes, the debris that Hyglak was raging at flickers out of existence and the exit is blocked no more.
I... think that were the spirits of my classmates, made angry by some external force. Thank you for your guidance and protection, friends.
J. looks at Jobin.
You are right in that I was foolish to want to go in here alone... I believe...
Suddenly her voice grows distant as if listening for a barely audible whisper. After a moment’s pause, she tells you:
I'm certain another restless force still calls to me from below.
Grishan agrees with her:
I sense a vengeful supernatural presence emanating from inside the entrance to the necropolis. We should investigate.
You reach the entrance to the necropolis where you fought the bug. The reek of death chokes this narrow stone corridor, where a trio of corpses slowly rots into the stone.
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Jobin warns of undeath presence. And use is cure light wound to heal himself.
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Hyglak turns to J. "Your damn right it was foolish. We all nearly died from illusionary rubble falling on us!!" He face getting red as he continues to bellow. "Let's see what this spirit wants and be done with this little field trip of yours!!" The cleric stomps off in the direction of the necropolis adjusting his gear as he goes.
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As Jobin gives the bodies a quick scan, he notices them having no signs of physical injury, or signs of hostility.. His eerie sense still tingles. Around the corner in a room that seems to have been excavated of all rubble, the spirit of a young girl sits in the center of the room. As you approach, the spirit gets up, turns around, and adresses J, face wet from ghostly tears.
I've been ..waiting for you a long time, Junia. ..Waiting for you to come back. Why did you leave me? Won’t you come back to me? Then we can all be friends again.
J. seems paralyzed, eyes wide with fear and guilt. As tears start rolling down her cheeks, she mutters over and over again while holding a hand in front of her face:
Cassiel, Cassiel, I’m so sorry, please forgive me!
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What the song said again? Ah yes. Kill the undead, kill the undead, kill the undead. But maybe this is the reason she wanted to come. Probably the ghost will attack us anyway but it is better for J to have closure.
Jobin the light approachs J and knell before her. Taking J. hand and confort her.
"It’s okay Junia take a big breath. And another. You will feel a little better."
Jobin tries to encourage J. to take a breath.
"I know you are now overwhelm by sadness, confusion and guilt. If we had time we would have a great discussion about fate, emotion, life, but we don’t have", said the priest with the gentle voice possible.
"Junia, you have demonstrate a great bravery to come here and against the obstacles you faced. You can do it, it is the last push.
This quest of yours. It was not about Grishan or your origin of your power. It was about your mourning. For some reason, you feel guilt about your survival and responsible for the death of your friend. It was like if a part of you had never leave. You have tried to do everything to stay in the past. But the cycle of life never stop. You need to finish this chronicle and open a new one.
What you are seeing now is not like Grishan. I can assure you. Cassiel (little description in a good way). In a sort of way, she’s the embodiment of your past and guilt. That need to go.
Your decision is always yours to choose. You can talk to her, maybe Cassiel know more about why you have those power or you convince her to move on. She surely have family waiting for her in the great beyond.
There also the option that we were ready to do since we enter. Or there others that I did not think about but you have."
Jobin waits a few second before adding.
"But when do make your action remember, Dead is eternal. Life is not. If I was Hyglak I would said. Don’t let the past get in the way of enjoying what is truly good in life. As for me."
Jobin takes a sample of holy water and bless her with the spiral of fate.
" You have Pharasma's protection to live your life as you want."
Jobin gives a look at Grishan who says. It time to be her protector.
Pharasma, as a father and your priest, guide her in this confusion.
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After Jobin's encouragement, J. musters herself and speaks directly to the spirit of Cassiel. Grishan stands besides her, the embodiment of sadness.
Cassiel... I... I forgive you. Do you forgive me?
Cassiel floats into the air, the color of her ectoplasm changing from light blue to translucent white.
I forgive you, Cassiel. You are a good person. I also forgive you, pathfinders, for leaving my father here to die. You are good-hearted people, not experts on handling psychotic fathers.. I will see you... in the afterlife. Thank you... Thank you for freeing my spirit.
The spirit dissipates for good, and the spirits of several other children that are lurking in the ground nearby follow her into the afterlife.
J. Smiles warmly at you, wiping away her tears.
I wish to follow in your footsteps, Jobin. I want to help other trapped spirits. Will you guide me into the ways of the mother of souls?
As you leave the Tri-towers yard, Grishan mutters something under his breath and he vanishes with a startled look on his face.
Brother is here...
Major Colson Maldris catches up to you. A man in a uniform similar to Junia’s, but with more medals and polish, emerges from a side alley at a brisk pace.
Finally, I found you. I heard around the lodge that a team of Pathfinders was headed in to the Tri-Towers Yard.
Colson bows his head.
My brother was one of many children who died when the earthquake hit. As a result, I take great interest in expeditions leading in to that cursed site. The last Pathfinder expedition seven years ago found his body, and as a result, my family was able to give him a proper burial. Those agents also found some...
Colson pauses, and then continues delicately,
...reports about my brother’s after-school activities that would have been quite embarrassing if made public. Did you, by chance, find any information about my brother?
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J. shakes her head, not wanting to speak. The obvious conflict in Junia’s expression makes Colson realize that something more is going on:
I know this looks bad. And I’m not going to try to justify my actions. These notes paint everyone they touch in a negative light. But, Pathfinders, in situations such as this one, it is important to consider the bigger picture, the greater good, and the unfortunate realities of politics.
Skilled orators can take even the hint of scandal and spin it into a mountain to bury their target, preventing almost anyone from seeing the accomplishments and value of the people beneath. Remember what we discovered two years ago, my friends, and the seeds of corruption threatening Andoran that sparked the decision to separate Liberty’s Edge as its own entity.
Were this information to become public, members of that conspiracy among Andoran’s politicians would use their oratory against all our works, which would deal a crippling blow to our cause’s influence. They would tarnish not only my own reputation, but the reputation of the Liberty’s Edge as a whole, and by extension, the reputations and of all of the Pathfinders who tirelessly work under our banner to promote the cause of freedom. It may even spell the end of our movement to promote the cause of freedom throughout the Inner Sea and beyond! Will you show me what you've found?
J. and Major Colson both look at you, waiting for a decision.
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Junia shoots Hyglak an annoyed glance. Major Maldris is taken aback. His eyes flash with fury, then soften as he realizes you aren’t playing a cruel joke, and he whispers,
G-Grishan?
Grishan does not emerge from Junia, but J. speaks a few words for him:
Brother…not yet.
Grishan’s conflicting emotions cause tears to roll down J.’s face. Major Maldris is distraught.
I'm sorry for not being able to save you that day, Grishan. Come to me when you are ready. And thanks. Thank you too, pathfinders. You will not regret your contribution to the cause of freedom this day.
Major Maldris departs and the rest of the journey home is uneventful. After a short while Grishan appears again:
I always wanted to be an Eagle Knight like Colson. He got his wings so young, and I wanted to follow him anywhere, and fight for freedom, no matter what. I was conflicted on what to do about the notes, but I believe you made the right decision. I’m not alive anymore, but I can still help Colson. Good.
CONCLUSION
Both J. and Grishan have learned much about themselves and their power. J. feels that she is ready to finally leave the Drownyard behind her, but has come to realize that she cannot follow in her mother’s footsteps. She instead wishes to strike out on her own and get to know her newfound powers better. She also asks if Jobin might be willing to sponsor her to begin training with the Pathfinder Society. (If at least one of you agrees to sponsor her, each of you earns the New Recruit (J. Dacilane) boon on your Chronicle Sheet.) Grishan, for his part, has a better understanding of his past and his relationship with his brother. He realizes that his bond with her is far stronger than the connection he still feels with his brother, and he is determined to follow J. wherever her journeys might take her.
As long as you found Grishan’s intelligence packet, you receive the money for it listed in [redacted]; Colson Maldris sends a hefty sum of gold your way if you gave him the notes, and both the Pathfinder Society and independent buyers are happy to pay for the information. Several weeks later, Venture-Captain Dreng reports that the haunts at the Drownyard have all disappeared, and he thanks you for your efforts.
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Jobin come close Madris and whisper. "It is the will of Grishan to give it and as his brother, you have all your right. But there certain things that would benefict the society greatly and i also our ally from the jeweled sage. You have all the liberty. But I hope your brother legacy and broken hope will not be in vain. Vanoecker."
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