GM Debug's PbP PFS 7-06: To Judge a Soul Pt 1 (Inactive)

Game Master DebugAMP

Shear looks towards the rafts but decides against trying to clamber onto either of them with the elder having some measure of safety on the patch of ice Reavis has created.

Instead he focuses on pulling the elder he already has to the shore.

Swim: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21

Despite his dislike for water, or maybe because of it, he movement has considerable force to drive himself out of the water.

Ok, reviewing Viper's character swim bonus and the fact that the elder is above water thanks to the ice raft and not drowning, the chance of him failing to pull the final elder out is less than 0.001%. I'm not going to bother asking for the die rolls.

Both Viper and Shear push hard out of the floating hut and make a beeline to the shore with both elders in tow. Moments later the hut crumples under the forces of the current and falls to pieces. Yuzana and Arkar run down the side of the river and are ecstatic to see both elders in one piece.

After a short coughing fit, one of the elders takes off his necklace and hands it to Viper and Shear. "Please, take this in thanks for saving our lives.

Yuzana brings down one of the statuettes from the shrine and hands it to Enora and Lars. "Your payment will be delivered as promised, but also please take this as an additional token of our thanks. It may protect you on long journeys ahead."

Arkar, after seeing everyone is alright doubles back, picks up the basket and brings it to Enora. "This is it, the true cradle of Malikeen. Once you are done with it I'll return it to the shrine... we certainly have some rebuilding to do. I do not know how we'll manage without this years harvest, but it can't be nearly as bad as having our families picked off one by one by those horrid daemons. Know that you are always welcome here."

As soon as he brings the cradle within a few feet of the candle, the flame immediately brightens. The flame burns blue, but moments later it begins to flare and sputter madly, coruscating through the spectrum until it settles on blood red. Within the frantic candle, images appear: first, a jagged black pagoda, then the image of a blue-skinned woman, her hair like a black shroud. Her jaws distend and erupt with fangs. Bakten’s face appears, his eyes wide with pain and terror. He falls from view and the candle’s flame winks out.

"We ask you remember the good of the Pathfinder Society. This is far from our home, but we will act fair to those we meet."

Karg is paging through weeks of notes after the candle goes out.

"What did Bakten say about the candle going out?"

Noting the villagers blatantly ignoring him, Reavis just grumbles to himself in Infernal in the hopes no one can make out his specific profanity.

"I'm not sure what the candle shows, but the quicker we can get out of here the better." He suggests afterwards.

According to your notes, the candle is only extinguished if one of the bound creates dies or departs the plane.

Creates was supposed to be creatures.

"I think Bakten may have found his answer and died."

"Whatever the case. We need to hurry back now!"

The trek back to Bakten's shrine in Amanandar takes a few days and is relatively uneventful. Upon returning to his sanctuary, you find Twig crying. She seems to be at a loss for words, and then hobbles up to you, touching your hands one by one. Each of you get mental images of Bakten meditating, then suddenly horror stricken, then finally his body evaporating. Tears streak the pooka's tiny face as she says, "Bakten so gone. But gone-gone? Great Beyond. Show candle, yes?"

"I do not know. I hope he has gone forward. He saw candle, but is missing life may have taken him. It was a dark life. I am sorry."

All of a sudden, the extinguished candle re-ignites itself, burning with a small, pale flame. Twig's sorrow turns to joy: "Walk-lookers! Hope burns! New Bakten means new answers soon!"

...to be continued

Yes we should go as soon as possible!