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Xuan just misses with a bolt of lightning, but Garekk has more luck, leaving one of the thugs holding his intestines in his hands as he slumps to the ground. All the others can do is stare in shock, as one is pricked with Kelumur's dagger, and another with Hervey's lash. Quickly realizing they picked the wrong fight, they drop their weapons and all take of running.
Out of combat!
J. is shaken after the encounter, and takes a few moments to collect herself. She is obviously reluctant to talk about what just happened. But before you can ask, she starts talking, “I guess I should tell you, considering who you are and where we are going. I’ve been keeping him a secret for far too long in any case.”
“Grishan, can you come out, please. These people would like to meet you.” Grishan steps out of J.’s body, revealing himself to be a green-tinted apparition that resembles an emaciated 14-year-old boy with sunken cheeks and hollow eyes. He is still wearing his school uniform consisting of a blouse covered by a vest. His legs end just below the knees, trailing off into nothingness and he floats above the ground at the same height he stood in life.
When he begins to talk, his voice sounds as if it is traveling from some distance away. "Hello, my name is Grishan. I suppose I should explain our....situation. It all started that day of the earthquake. Junia, Cassiel, and I had been playing in the necropolis when the it struck. We loved exploring the spooky necropolis beneath the school, and wearing the jewelry and other finery we found amidst the burial goods. Even though its sturdy construction saved us from being immediately crushed to death, the tremors collapsed our only exit, trapping us without access to food or fresh water. After a few days of calling for help, we were forced to come to the conclusion that we would not be rescued. Junia soon realized that unlike Cassiel or myself, she seemed to not be suffering from hunger or thirst, but did not connect her good fortune to the ruby salamander ring she had found in the dark. As you learned yourselves, that ancient bauble was actually a magical ring of sustenance that kept her healthy while Cassiel and myself quickly began to suffer the effects of severe dehydration. Cassiel died first, afraid and angry at the unfairness of her fate. I managed to hang on a few days longer, wracked with guilt for having led my friends into the necropolis to die. All alone, Junia crawled into an empty sarcophagus and awaited death."
He pauses for a moment, turning to J., and she nods approval before he continues. "An allip drifted into the necropolis to feed on Junia’s suffering, but found that she was not alone. My spirit, unable to find rest in the afterlife, had returned as a phantom to protect her. I knew I was no match against the creature, so instead I hid Junia’s still living soul deep in the Ethereal Plane. Without the spark of life within her, she fell into a catatonic state between life and death, while the ring kept her body alive. I guarded her soul in this manner for the next 10 years, until you came along and rescued her."
"I admit that it was me who has been pushing J. to sneak out of her home to visit the Precipice Quarter. Through our personal link, I understand that there is something in the Drownyard that J. needs to see or experience in order to understand both herself and her powers. I must also admit that I have my own reasons for wanting to go to the Precipice Quarter. My brother asked me to spy on my friends and their families. I willingly did so. I hid the collected packet of intelligence I gathered in a place called the Arboretum Arcanis, however I never got the chance to place it in the secret dead drop. Please take us to the Arboretum and let me accomplish my life's greatest unfulfilled mission."
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Garekk slumps in exhaustion as the rage leaves his body. He looks to the mess left by the short but brutal fight, his visage grim with disgust at the waste of life seeping into the cobblestones at his feet. He turns to J and the ghost, his look grim as he wipes clean his blade and returns his weapon to its sheath.
"You should have told us about your friend, J. We cannot help or protect you adequately if we do not know everything that is going on." Turning to the ghost, he continues "As for you.. I do not know. What information is in this file, and what damage may it cause to those still living? Why did your brother wish for you to spy on these other students?"
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Watching the enemies flee, he disengages and collects himself placing back his daggers on his chain belt. Shocked , but not surprised, by the ectoplasm, Kelumur calmly walks around him studying his state. He speaks calmly to the party, but maintaining a stern tone."I agree with Garekk's interpretation of this situation, our primary mission is still the safety of J, although I'm not surprised why she hid this from us. As for the packet of Intelligence, what gain is it for the Pathfinder's to seek this information? It would be hard for us to assist you not knowing the intent.
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Seeing the rest of the brigands flee, Fung races over to the side of the man on the floor. helping him hold his intestines in. He rips out a piece of the man's cloak to bind his wounds, hoping to keep him alive.
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Fung's eyes feel with compassion for the unfortunate young boy. Overcoming his apprehension over the undead, he comes close to him, even attempting to place a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. He looks briefly at his teammates, but turns back to his phantom, he assures him, "Whatever we can do to give your spirit some rest..."
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Hervey's lashes recede as he allows the punks to run away. "I guess I'm more intimidating than I thought."
When Grishan tells his story, Hervey is moved. "What a dreadful ordeal that must have been for the three of you. I have encountered something like your situation in the past. In fact, my own abilities have a similar origin.
Sometimes when people face really scary or painful or traumatic experiences, they reach out to the universe for comfort and find it in the aid of a spirit like yourself Grishan. Since you shared that experience, it is no surprise that you would have maintained that link beyond your passing when J needed your assistance.
Honestly I think it's wonderful that you have each other to help you cope and to work together to overcome the past and move forward with hope. Of course we will assist both of you in finding closure."
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The Qadiran thug that Garekk opened up, is on death's doorstep but you do manage to stabilize him.
J. avoids eye contact and stares at her feet. "I know I should have told you, but I really didn't even know how to explain it. I don't truly understand all of this myself. Maybe those guys were right though, and I am some sort of freak. But I can't change what happened and Grishan's soul and mine are now connected, for better or worse. In many ways, we are the same person now and even share emotions. Please, help him for my sake."
The phantom smiles at J., "Thank you J. I wish I knew more about what was in that packet. But I admits that there are many aspects of my life that are missing or incomplete; the exact location of the intelligence is one of those. I do remember that it was important, however, and am absolutely certain that it is located somewhere in the Arboretum Arcanis. My hope is that by finding it, I will be able to recall more of my past life."
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Kelumur grumbles under his breath, knowing that it can't be helped that the party is insistent to help the phantom without knowing fully what dangers they will put themselves to.
"J, you need not be hard on yourself, everybody is different. I suggest the first course of action, still be to take on the mission as assigned to us. The undertaking of the spirit's request, should be secondary. Shall we make a move?" He sternly says, making his point clear.
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Garekk considers the words of the girl and the spectre for a moment before shaking his head.. not negatively, just in a considering acceptance. "You are not a freak. Every soul in existence has a burden to bear, and lessons to learn. Your path may be different, but let no one deceive you into believing that you or your path is inferior to anyone elses. You must stand strong, girl.. both in who you are and in your convictions. As for your friend here, I propose this. We will search out these documents, but as Kel says, it must be secondary to our purpose here. If we find these documents, we will decide what to do with them, based on what they contain. Fair enough? I will not make a promise where I do not know the outcome of my decision."
With these words, he gives a nod to Kelmur and returns to his position as the rearguard of the troupe.
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Much as Fung wishes to do what he can to help lay the spirit to rest, his friends' reminded him of his primary objective. He nods in agreement. "Much as I detest returning to the place, I agree. Let's escort Lady Junia to the Drow... I mean the Tri-Towers Yard first and address whatever it is that is drawing her there. After that, we'll help you with the dead drop. Provided, as Garekk says, what the documents contain are not illegal or immoral. Is that alright with you?" he asks the phantom.
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Turning to Junia, Mun looks to her with sympathy. "J, you're among Pathfinders now. You'll find no judgement here towards anything that might be strange about you. We're the strangest group that ever walked the surface of Golarion!" He erupts in a hearty laugh that he hopes will help settle Junia's self-conscious concerns.
"As for this quest of yours, Grishan, I think it would be best if we knew the information contained within the packet. Since we don't, I would like to challenge my companions and suggest that maybe we should seek this out first. Information is always important to the Pathfinder Society. There is even the small chance that something we find in your packet may have bearing on J's quest, or maybe finding it will free Grishan up to assist J in new ways that we can't foresee."
"I'm very curious about what we might discover, even more curious since Grishan himself can't remember."
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It takes a little less than an hour to reach the Drownyard which is surrounded by the same tall, wrought iron fence, as you remember it. The key provided by Drandle unlocks the front gate. The grounds of the old Tri-Towers Yard have been cleaned up in the last several years, and several old ruined school buildings that stood too close to the cliff’s edge were demolished. All of the gnarled old trees were removed and new flowering bushes and trees have been planted in their place. Despite these efforts, the few ruined classrooms that remain look sad and forgotten. Just inside the gate sits a small, locked storage shed marked with the Pathfinder’s Glyph of the Open Road that Drandle had mentioned.
J. falls silent as she steps on the grounds of her old school for the first time since you rescued her seven years ago. "Could we perhaps...stand here in silence a moment? I have a lot of thoughts and memories of all those I knew here. And I just....feel a bit overwhelmed."
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The storage shed was once locked, but its lock is damaged and no longer functions. It contains various supplies used by the archaeological teams that work here including large rolls of twine, wooden stakes, brushes, sacks, shovels, trowels, and various measuring implements. A large sign hanging on the back of the shed reads:
Entry to above ground structure in the ‘Yard is strongly discouraged. It contains an dangerous supernatural force. Items in the yellow box are for emergencies only.
Signed, V-C Dreng
The box is mostly empty. It contains several holding slots for papers and vials as well as several empty cloth pouches. However, there are two glass vials remaining and a short note describing these as Haunt Siphons and explaining their usage.
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Garekk looks over the shoulders of his companions, and then takes up the note and reads it aloud.
"Hmm.. These seem like they would come in very handy. Mun and Fung, why don't you two each take one? Or would you rather one of us fighters take them to leave your hands free for casting your spells?"
Turning back to J, Garekk asks "You said you feel an entity in the school house. Do you feel any evil coming from it? And if things begin to go badly, are you going to be more interested in talking or fighting? We need to know what you plan to do so that we can work more effectively as a team."
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"I think that keeping one's head together will be most important to ensure that we can use the siphons."
He turns to the group's own spiritualist. "Hervey, you have a close connection to spirits, it seems that you're not likely to be rattled by a haunt. Why don't you carry one of these siphons." He holds the iron-encased vial out.
"I'd be happy to carry the other; my spells will only be needed if the siphon fails to do its work."
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Fung smiles when he replies, "My powers come not from spells. They seem innate to me. However, there are times when I do need both hands free to manipulate the forces within and without. Perhaps those who are more likely to be up in front, and hence first to stumble into a haunt, should take one instead?"
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J. considers Garrek's question, "I'm not even sure how I know an entity is there, so unfortunately I can't tell you more. Ever since my time in the necropolis, I seem to be able to sense things that are not of this existence. But if things get out of hand, I will follow your lead and try to stay out of the way. You're the experts after all!" and with that, she heads towards the classroom, walking with a purpose.
The small classroom is all that remains of a once great school. School benches and chairs are scattered about in a haphazard fashion and a chalkboard hangs crooked from a single nail on the western wall. The sound of the ocean beating against the cliffs in the distance is the only thing that breaks the silence
This was the classroom where J. and Grishan studied in their youth. The building completely collapsed during the earthquake, trapping dozens of students and four teachers inside. Many died immediately, but many more were trapped for days within the rubble while rescuers attempted to find them. Few were brought out alive. Several children’s names are written next to small memorials with their portraits. The names include Badru Ahnkamen, Grishan Maldris, Cassiel Marlinchen, Stilonius Morilla, Anaretta Nimz, and Jaran Shamyyid.
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Approaching the building, Gareek notes the names on the memorial. "Grishan? I thought you said you were with J in the necropolis? Why is your name listed here?"
Garekk feels his little hairs stand straight up and goose pimples rush across his skin as he moves into the school house. He shouts a warning to the others, knowing that his sword will be no use against a ghost.
"Get the vials.. the thing is about to wake!!
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As the sound of rumbling grows louder, the ground begins to shake and the sky grows black. Dozens of spectral school children run frantically for the door, screaming, but just before they escape there is a mighty cracking sound as the ceiling collapses. The collapsed ceiling beams block off all entrances to the classroom.
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Garekk catches a mass of debris right across his back as the building crumbles. Caught between the debris and the spectral children, Garekk strong heart fails him.
-Posted with Wayfinder