GM Debug's PbP PFS 7-08: To Judge a Soul Pt 2 (Inactive)

Game Master DebugAMP

"He's going to talk down his friends so we don't have to fight them." The alchemist explains to the others.

After a minute, 5 more yetis approach menacingly from around the edge of the mountain pass. A young humanoid blue-skinned girl sits on one of their shoulders. In aklo, your captive speaks quickly "Ok, Ryuu's soul is gone from me, these are good people."

The blue skinned girl, nods, and in aklo instructs the other yetis to hold, then look at you and begins speaking in common. "One of me knows you. You are they who swayed karma to grant me this breath. Well met, friends, in the shadow of my darkest self."

Karg cuts the bindings from the captive yeti. Both in consideration for a person who was forced to act at the will of another and the fact that is a larger number of yetis he thinks the party wants to deal with.

"Who are you? ... Malikeen? How do you still live? Even if you are not her, if you are of the line with Bakten, should you be younger?"

"Sharaheen, once called Bakten. I thought to end my karmic cycle as that self, but I saw the need to persevere. Had I died as Bakten, my dark self would have risen. I am young... as Sharaheen I am 2 weeks old, but I have the memories of thousands of years. Thank you for sparing the life of Glacial Rose. We would have understood if you were forced to slay him, but it brings up great happiness to see him returned."

The yeti slowly rises and moves to rejoin his folk.

"You said he was possessed by a wizard. Who was it and why try to stop us?

She exchanges a few words with Glacial Rose in Aklo, then responds. "A thrall to my darkest self. Mata Ryuu is his name."

"You gave me life anew. Though you knew it not, your actions in Ayajinbo and Dallo were calculated to unbalance Bakten’s karma. He wished his grandest deeds undone, so that I could live to keep Jujanil from entering this world. If you are here it means you seek to destroy her as well, and for this reason she seeks your deaths. "

"Send a bunch of Pathfinders to locations of alliances and structures that have stood around for centuries to make sure they are torn apart. Probably one of the most perfect uses of Pathfinder talents to cause havoc."

Shear glares at Karg, but the summoner just shrugs.

"Not my fault that it's true."

Lars chuckles at the interplay but turning to Sharaheen, he assk what he feels is an important question.
"Shall we head somewhere where we can talk out of this weather? My beard is starting to freeze and it takes forever to comb chunks of ice out of frozen beards."

Sharaheen looks at Karg apologetically. "Intention and action must be balanced. It was his intention to become myself, but your actions made it so. And yet, he and I regret the needful deception, and the pain it may have caused. The yeti here are old friends of an old self. I, who was Rianon, once cured the yetis of a fearsome blight. Days past, they found me on the mountainside and brought me here - but no further, dreading the same fate as their fallen kin. From here... the only way out of this cold is in, and I must accompany you. This form is frail, but my power is in memory. Bear me to the pocket plane where my dark self's soul resides and my past shall strive to aid you."

"Okay, well, let's get moving to this pocket plane so we can get this battle of good versus evil over with." Reavis says with only a hint of irony.

Enora starts to bombard Sharaheen with questions about how the dark soul is possible, how reincarnation works, and many similar topics.

What can I say, her thirst for knowledge sometimes overshadows her sense. I'm assuming that the answer to the questions will probably be 'No time to talk about this right now.'

Lars stays close as Enora begins her bombardment of questions, himself curious but willing to let his companions ask while he takes notes.

Shahareen motions for you to follow and she continues answering Enora's questions as you move forward onto what looks like it was the site of a violent encounter.

"Jujanil is our veiled life, our darkest self. She sought to break from the cycle of souls, to become undead and all-powerful. She is a fragment now, a cursed shard. She bides her time in a pocket dimension, awaiting my departure from this plane. So great was her stealth, it took me two lifetimes to find her. I am now too weak to confront her myself. I beseech you to help me end her misbegotten days.

Crimson carnage stains the snow atop the northern escarpment. Ten frost-covered corpses lie decapitated and half-buried near a collapsed tree protruding from a nearby snow bank.

Looking upon the field of bodies Karg states bluntly, "How about some more practical questions. How is Jujanil going to kill us? Is Mata Ryu still around waiting to kill us?"

Then while he gestures to corpses, "Who were they and will whatever did this still be waiting to kill us?"

Shear is still focused on the task that has brought him here. "What will we do to help you end Jujanil?"

Glacial Rose turns and leaves at the sight. Sharaheen speaks a few words in Aklo and is placed on the ground before the last few yetis make their departure. Once they all leave, she continues. "Glacial Rose and his cousins attempted to lay siege to this tower before. They were able to slay 8 of the creatures that protect and serve this place, but Mata Ryuu took possession of Glacial Rose who overpowered his cousins and killed them. The yeti have lost much and will proceed no further, but my hope is that you can help me end Jujanil through a show of force. She will continue to send her minions after you to slay you, and should you encounter her face to face, I'm sure she will attempt to do so herself. Slay the foul shard that was once me, and perhaps after that I can end my cycle in peace."

"How will we enter the plane? Is there an entrance in the tower? Will you be coming with us?"

"I do not know how we will enter, but if her influence is strongest here in the tower, there will be a way for her thralls to reach her. I will certainly be coming with you. These monsters defended the gates before, I'm sure there are more within."

Two of the creatures on the battlefield are Yeti, likely Glacial Rose's cousins. The remaining 8 creatures are sitting in puddles of gore and are all missing their heads. Each of them have crimson, demon-faced disks bound around them by iron chains.

Lars and Enora, with a few tips from Sharaheen, both recognize the disks as Unholy Symbols of Fumeiyoshi.

Shear directs has Karg examine the eight bodies to determine if they were at least humanoid or if they were something else.

Knowledge (local): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

Meanwhile Shear continues speaking to Sharaheen. "You are young, but old. Do you have anything to keep yourself safe when more guardians appear? If you die, will Jujanil be freed?"

They appear to be constructs, stuffed with bits of corpses which seem to have since been ejected through their necks. There heads are nowhere to be found. Upon closer inspection, it is a trivial task for Reavis or Enora to identify them as Carrion Golems with some... modifications. For additional information, roll your check and let me know 3 or 4 pieces of information you'd like about them.

Sharaheen smirks. "There were 8 of these foes and they were slain by 3 of my friends. It was not until Ryuu posessed Rose that the battle was lost, and you were able to overpower Glacial Rose. It appears that I do have something to keep myself safe when more guardians appear. If I die, I do not know what will happen. It is possible that I will continue my cycle, but it is also possible that circumstance will prevent my reincarnation and that she will be freed. I am confident that with my knowledge and your power, we will be able to defeat her."

Sharaheen's help grants a +4 on ALL knowledge checks (factored into previous rolls).

"I'm you think so highly of them all," Karg says as he gestures over to the group of Pathfinders. "But do you know how she was able to keep Mata Ryu wrapped around her finger? I thought she had some sort of magical enchantment on him and that those end when you die."

"You seem to remember all your other lives, did this thing hide her life from your memory?"

Knowledge (arcana) on golems: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (16) + 13 = 29

While the others continue to gather more information from Sharaheen, Reavis investigates the destroyed Carrion Golems in more detail in case they run into functional ones later.

Questions about Carrion Golems: Spell/Magic Resistance, DR, Immunities/Resistances, Special attacks in that order.

What you know about carrion golems with Sharaheen's help. . These appear a tad different though.

"Then I guess we head on in. No point in keeping things hanging." he gruffly states.
These beasties seem nasty though."

Twin iron doors stretch ten feet up the jagged pagoda’s side. The doors are painted with a hideous crimson visage ringed by two sets of spiraling script. No handles, rungs, or keyholes are visible, only a small, dark depression that serves as the snarling facade’s mouth.

The face is the same unholy symbol as before, and the spiraling script is in Tien. Reavis' comprehend languages is still active, so he can descipher it for you. It readds as follows:

"Give me gold, for I am want. Make it shine so I can flaunt. Place it in my hungry maw, so as to show my master awe. Do this as it pleases me, and I'll unbar the door for thee."

"Not only just unfriendly." he pauses "Ugly too." Lars comments as he observes the structure.

Karg searches his pockets within his heavy clothing and eventually produces a gold piece. He wipes it down on his clothing to get it as clean as he can manage.

"I'm not one in favor of doing what unholy idols ask of me, so if anyone has a better idea other than shoving polished money into this face, I will be happy to listen."

Shear examines the door more closely to see if there was anything missed upon a first glance.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12

The mouth of the symbol of Fumeiyoshi seem to form a small collection plate, sized for a dozen or so coins or other trinkets of value.

"Maybe it's just a pressure sensor." Enora speculates. She spends one reservoir point to swap mage hand in for ghost sound. Then she uses mage hand to press down slightly on the middle of the plate.

There is no reaction to the mage hand, nor does the plate budge at all.

Enora uses prestidigitation to make pretty gold sparks in the plate.

After this, I'm out of creative idea to fool the thing.

There is still no effect.

Enora turns to Karg. "I'm out of ideas to trick this thing, but why don't you let me use magic to put a coin into its mouth to make sure it can't hurt you?" Assuming Karg agrees, Enora uses mage hand to lift the coin from his hand and put in into the tray.

Nothing happens... the single coin seems rather...small in comparison to the offering plate.

"Greedy damned door guard. First time I've been charged for the privilege of facing an undead abomination."

Karg tosses through some coinage and tosses another fifty coins onto the plate.

The coins vanish, likely teleported away, and the door immediately opens into a receiving hall.

Broad steps descend into a large hall. Between two smoking braziers looms a red-veined marble statue of a humanoid with three eyes and jagged tusks, its twisted claws clutching a naginata. Beyond, two sets of stairs flank a tapestry depicting a titanic struggle between the same fiendish menace and a jade-clad warrior. Along the pagoda’s eastern arc, several burlap sacks slump haphazardly, while near the western curve squats a hefty, straw-lined cage.

Updating map... loading... loading...

In the room are a pair of carrion golems. They are currently paying no heed to you. They are transferring large burlap sacks around, and seem to be missing their heads.

"At least that was cheaper than any of the scrolls I bought on the way up here, but at least those help prevent me from getting killed rather than the cost to walk into a trap."

He pulls his crossbow, readies a bolt before locking it before replacing it at his side and redraws his falchion.

"There are many things I would like to spend money on and necessities to keep me alive in fights or money to get me into those fights aren't on the list."

Shear steadies his steps but positions himself to take on the golems if they move to intercept the party.

"It is a small cost, but we must be ready to fight."

The golems continue to drag their burlap bags to the storage area in the back of the room.

"Right. We must be ready to fight a pair of animated corpses for the low cost of five hundred silver. I'm sure that if we were fighting Cheliaxian slavers we wouldn't be able to make an appointment for less than half that price. Really it is a value."

Karg keeps a wary eye as he grumbles quietly as the golems make their patrol around the room and turns to the back of the party.

"Lars, you are going to want to be up front for this premium battle, right? I can throw you a spell to make you harder to hit, free of cost."

If Lars wants barkskin for +2 AC (natural armor), Karg will cast it on him, otherwise Karg is going to cast it on himself.

"And no Shear, I'm not going to make this conversation private. I'm sure in a few hours you will have me convinced that all the money spent was well worth it, but now I'm taking that cost as my payment to complain about all the insane adventures I get to follow you on."

"I appreciate the offer but in this case I assume that it's better for you to have it on yourself. On the other hand, do we want to take out these two?" lars asks even as he prepares his own spells.

"I'm loathe to leave two potential threats behind and am keen to see what exactly they are transfering and I agree on that door. If I am in possession of starmetal, I'll have gladly hewn the dor apart."

"They are made of bodies. There may be more bodies in bags. I agree that we can not leave threats behind. We should attack them before they finish. I'll take attacks and crush them."

Shear is going to move in and go into where they are placing the bodies, but I don't want to run in this moment if there are other people that have other reactions or suggestions.

"That would have been nice. Reduce that door to rubble," Karg grumbles as he withdraws the necklace of fireballs and places it on his neck.

A closer look at the bags left behind by the golems reveals that they are full of rice.

Can I start the fight, please? I want to use a fun spell like burning hands that I almost never get to because there are allies in the way. If it's OK with everyone, Enora will walk up close to one of the enemies. She needs at least one melee character to stay close, but next to her not in front. Then she will use burning hands.

I'm fine with that, although I would recommend Shear being in front of you for safety. Shear is immune to fire so it doesn't matter whether you catch him the blast.

A note though, based upon the information Reavis gathered, a typical golem of this kind would not take any damage from burning hands, but they would be slowed for a short time which might be helpful.

OK
Enora walks over to Shear and whispers to him, making sure he won't be hurt by her spell and seeing if he agrees to help her.