--the second attack misses, not favored by any Heroics.
The third attack--
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The third attack--
--misses!
The badly cut up Drudge spends a few tantalizing seconds fiddling with the ring, turning it, moving it up to the stone, and pressing it against the Plaguestone, hard--
--and, as it does that last move, the Plaguestone
Pieces of the shredded Drudge fly everywhere--
--mixed with shards of stone, as the entire thing is vaporized from the inside, blowing up outward!
You all three try to avoid the rocky shrapnel--
--that kills the poor sod, some 30 feet away, as he was entering the Inn!
You all reel from the blast, but realize that you are not dead, and smile--
--but your smile freezes as you realize the explosion spreads an enormous cloud of green vapor, green like the one in the glass tank surrounding the Dwarf, green like the rocks in that last room of Vilree's!
A great cloud of the glowing green gas swirls up into the air, most probably stocked in what seems to be a hollowed out Plaguestone, and some reservoir dug beneath it!
The cloud rapidly spreads out across all of Etran's Folly!
Natsume manages to duck behind the exploding body of the Drudge.
That's it! Gnome magic worked, at the very precise moment Giggett needed it the most.
But it doesn't help her evade the blow...
As the glowing green cloud billows out around you, it stings, and burns your eyes, and you cough as you try not to breathe it in-- but there is too much to prevent from inhaling it!
Giggett stops from breathing completely.
Good reflex! Or fortitude! Who cares!
Giggett was off balance, standing on the stone itself, and thus is propelled up into the air, surrounded by flying stone and gas--
--but her Gnome-magick finally kicks in, preventing some damage--
--but, more importantly, the shift means she phases out of the cloud, just a little bit, but every little bit can help!
--even if the sunlight burns her eyes!
Giggett has the air blown out of her lungs by the blast, and by the time she can take a breath, the cloud has moved on a bit... she manages to avoid inhaling.
Well, now, that should push the Bleaching back a little? Maybe dye her hair glowing green?
Natsume tries to call upon her Deity, but, no time and the gas burns her trachea as she feels it entering her lungs.
Sitril dodges the worst of the explosion and withstands the diseased cloud.
"We should evacuate the people!" tries to say without breathing the air in.
"We should evacuate the people!" tries to say without breathing the air in.
Natsume gives a watery-eyes thumbs-up.
Sitril just lets the rock bounce off his armor-- he's been in worse rockslides!
As for the green gas-- have you ever seen a Dwarven latrine? He just shrugs it off.
As Sitril calls out about evacuating people--
--you see young Pari, with her training sword in hand, appear at the edge of the square.
She seems blinded, and flailing about with her wooden sword, as if trying to fend off an invisible enemy!
"Sword-master! Sword-master! Help me! HELP ME! I don't want to die like my brother!"
As you all turn to her--
--Natsume feels a burning sensation, and has a little trouble breathing--
--and though she tries retching and coughing, anything she evacuates is immediately replaced by more green phlegm!
It is as though her lungs are burning up!
It hurts-- and it gets worse as she bends over, coughing like crazy!
Natsume coughs, hard—
Natsume, coughing, rushes over to Pari, and grabs her in her arms--
--as Pari holds out a feeble hand:
"Here, here, I bring the money for my next lesson!"
Some silver coins fall from her failing fingers...
Natsume finds no Diving Grace--
--and she is feeble and sickened--
--and the coughing gets worse, as her lungs burn like hell-fire!
Natsume may act--
People start exiting the Feedmill, gurgling blood, and dropping dead--
--Tamli stumbles out from around the corner, stretching her arms out, blood dripping from her eyes and ears.
Natsume coughs through her teeth.
Idiot idiot idiot. Should have left Tamerius where he was. Should have pushed through. Should have gotten a horse. Should have done better.
As she runs, her hand glows, and Pari feels... better. Not fixed, but... better.
She stumbles with Pari in her arms, and turns her fox face away to gag up a hock of blood and phlegm.
DAMMIT.
She runs on.
Natsume's hand glows and the glow moves over to Pari who feels--
--NOTHING!
What? How?
Natsume feels her Goddess did impart her the healing she wished for--
--but, just like Natsume cannot shake the sickened feeling, the healing does nothing to make Pari better!
Could Vilree's plague deal damage that is incurable?!
Pari looks at the light in Natsume's hand--
--as the light goes out of her own eyes.
As the young girl dies in Natsume's arms-- the Kitsune Champion manages to shake off some of Vilree's potent plague.
But her lungs are still burning, and she still feels ill.
Tamli is stumbling around the entrance to the inn, looking weaker...
Sitril and Giggett--
Giggett sees that there was one big cloud--
--glancing at the remnants of the Plaguestone, she sees that it was totally hollowed out - probably months of work - and must have been filled with the gas.
You feel that you managed to reject contamination, and unless there is some other gas cloud released, you will not be affected by this one at least, even if you breathe more in.
But you do start to see people stumbling out of houses, their napkins around their necks, eating ustensiles in hand-- and dropping dead.
You feel the commoners in town, less sturdy than you lot, will probably not resist.
Giggett looks around. There is no more danger for her. Actually, there is no more danger at all, just people dying all over the place. Nothing to do but to erect a big plaguestone.
She's kind of paralyzed. She just looks around aimlessly.
As she looks around, in a daze, Giggett sees she has Tamerius' healing kit on her belt!
Giggett looks at her belt and smiles. Right now, at this exact second, she's a goddess, choosing who gonna live or die. It's thrilling. She looks around and sees all the villagers. And she thinks for herself: "I can save a child, I can look for whoever gives me more or I can save who I prefer..."
Good, evil or neither. Who will she choose?
As Giggett's eyes pass over the people in pain and bleeding, who--
--who does she choose to help?
Which one will this powerful goddess extend the gift of life to?!
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From the boneyard, Tamerius smiles as he recognizes the poor souls from Plaguestone.
More soul for my master. I’ve served him well.
Does Giggett try to help someone with the kit?
Natsume --
Natsume feels the disease getting stronger--
--as her lungs burn up even more, and blood trickles out of her mouth, and onto the face of dead Pari, in her arms.
Over there, Tamli has stopped moving too. Lying face down outside the inn.
Giggett has delusions of being a Goddess and choosing who to help, but knows she is simply totally useless and can do nothing.
She will not die now, just return to wasting away with the Bleaching.
All around you hear coughing and moaning and death rattles-- as the whole population seems to be dying off.
Natsume spends the entire next round coughing, hacking, trying to force it from her lungs...
She falls to her knees. She doesn’t see anything anymore; everything has gone black, inside and out, and that black is blurred with her tears.
I didn’t save... anyone... I couldn’t help... anyone...
Natsume spends the entire next round coughing, hacking, trying to force it from her lungs...
...but this does nothing.
--and though she tries retching and coughing, anything she evacuates is immediately replaced by more green phlegm!
You cannot reduce this Sickened condition
Not lookin’ good though. No-- Natsume moves to Stage 3
Fort: 1d20 + 9 - 2 ⇒ (13) + 9 - 2 = 20
Fort: 1d20 + 9 - 2 ⇒ (11) + 9 - 2 = 18
She falls to her knees. She doesn’t see anything anymore; everything has gone black, inside and out, and that black is blurred with her tears.
I didn’t save... anyone... I couldn’t help... anyone...
The tears are actually blood, pouring now from her foxy ears, matting her fur, trickling from her eyes--
I cannot even help myself...
--as Natsume dies.
In the Boneyard, as more people from the village arrive, Tamerius sees, behind Tamli-- his adventuring comrade, Natsume.
Sitril rushes up to the carts, and fishes out the antiplague elixirs, racing back to Natsume first, to help her out--
--then trying to get to Tamli in time, or others.
The valiant Dwarf manages to have them drink this tonic.
But it seems it does nothing to help.
Just as the victims of the plague are unable to retch and alleviate their condition.
In the same manner that even Natsume's Godly healing did not render her health bath.
Or like the mundane healing performed by people rushing out into the square, namely Cooky-- or even trained medic Giggeet, if she tries to profit from Tamerius' healing kit-- none of this does anything.
Yes, it seems that once affected by Vilree's green vapor, you cannot reduce your sickened condition or heal.
You do see some people stumble around, and get better.
But not that many.
It is a harsh illness, and the fact it makes one more and more sickened renders shaking it off very hard.
I guess it is over now...
Only Giggett and Sitril remain, the Gnome being the only one of the original group that met Bort the Merchant.
Strangely, the Gnome has very vivid colors and a strong hue to her skin.
Albeit horrid, the experience of witnessing this mass death toll is so strong it staves off the Bleaching--
--for now.
Because Giggett will see that this was actually the tipping point.
Never again will she encounter new experiences that can top the intensity of the Fall of Plaguestone and the holocaust Vilree brought to her mother's killers.
From then on the Bleaching slowly drained her color away, and, without being able to reverse this anymore, finding nothing as intense as what she felt this day, her future led to deeper and deeper states of depression... that eventually claimed her life.
As for Sitril-- well, he found out what happened to his cousin.
And, somehow, he avenged the merchant's death-- but was unable to stop the general slaughter Bort would have wished avoided.
Only Cooky, and one of the twins remain, all the others succumbed to the Plague.
At least Sitril was able to bury Bort in a grave of his own, and not in the mass grave that was dug out for the villagers.
In the end, some 85% of the population perished.
A bit under four dozen surviving the 300+ inhabitants.
Of course, the mayor survived, and was heard muttering about all this happening because people turned to turnip fields.
"That damn turnip-plague! Killed all my family!"
Sitril stays with Natsume till the end...
"This should not have happened. We should not have come back here." speaks softly hoping for one more intervention of a supernatural being...
"Farewell, you will be remembered."
Cooky takes Giggett and Sitril aside:
"My name is Talair Starlight. Only Bort knew that. And Bort would have wanted you to have one of these."
Cooky opens a small pouch, and drops a half a dozen rings into his hand:
"These are his magical rings. Please choose one, each of you. To have and remember him by.
Too bad I cannot tell as well as he the incredible adventures that came with obtaining each one of them!"
Sadly, Sitril knows he had to come back, to retrieve his cousin's body.
So endeth the Fall of Plaguestone.
After a moment of disbelief and then a moment of delusion, Giggett carries her medkit to Natsume and starts trying to save her.
Unfortunately, she doesn't manage to help Natsume. Her Medicine skills are way to low and Tamerius only showed her the "hard way" to heal people, which doesn't seem to be the ideal way in such situation.
When she understands there's nothing left to do, as Nat' cries tears of blood, she takes her in her (small) arms so she can have a little bit of warmth when passing away.
And when Giggett stands up, looking around, crying silently, one can see in the middle of the dust and blood that her colors are more vivid than they have ever been.
But was all this worth it? The death of so many to prevent the death of one...
When Talair shows the ring, Giggett smiles.
"Remember? Do you really think we can forget? I don't think Cayden Cailean could ever pour enough beer in my mouth for me to forget any of that."
She looks at the rings.
"This won't be a ring to remember, but a ring of blood and tears, the ring of the survivor."
And Giggett takes one of the rings before turning to Sitril:
"I was heading to Absalom before arriving here, to meet the Pathfinder Society and be officially appointed as a Pathfinder. I'll continue my journey. You can come along if you want but I won't be much of a talker. I have things to process."
Giggett gets Warrior's Training Ring.
This ring is utilitarian in design—indicating its martial use. Its band is decorated only with a simple, sharp-edged sculpture on the band’s center. While wearing this ring, you add your level to your attack rolls with all weapons with which you are untrained.
Activate [free-action] (envision); Frequency once per day; Trigger You make an attack with a weapon in which you’re untrained; Effect You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to the attack roll. If you are an expert in any weapon, you instead gain a +4 circumstance bonus to the attack roll.
Then Cooky gives Sitril a Ring of Minor Arcana.
This rose-gold ring is adorned in the center by a somewhat ominous-looking horned skull. This ring gives you the power to cast the following innate arcane cantrips any number of times each day: detect magic, mage hand, and prestidigitation. Each is cast as a 1st-level spell.
If you are an arcane spellcaster, these can instead be heightened to the level of your cantrips.
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As Natsume fades, her world is enveloped in pain. She sits between her ankles, sputtering and shaking, her grip on Pari never faltering.
I deserve this.
The last thing she feels before she dies is a small pair of arms around her.
”Pa... ri...?”
But she cannot see who holds her as she passes into the Boneyard.
And so, her pain fades, and she finally collapses into the warmth of Giggett’s arms.
”Natsume, yōkoso.”
When Natsume opens her eyes again, she is... whole. It is hard to describe how one feels when they are dead, but in a pinch, that one will do.
She sees Plaguestone—not its buildings, but its people. The people she has failed, utterly.
She immediately falls to her knees, presses her forehead against the ethereal ground.
”It was my duty to protect you,” she says, in a voice that wavers even as it carries.
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Seeing Natsume joining him in the boneyard, waiting for his turn he's both satisfied to see her here and dissastified.
Satisfied because, she will not try to do Good again on Golarion and fight the corruption of the souls for his Master.
Dissastified because he puts good efforts to put her back from the boneyard to the material plan. So much effort going to waste...
But this feat, gave most of the villager's souls to Asmodeus which in turn Vilree's last action seems to have lock them into eternal damnation. A victory for both of them.
Now Tamerius was waiting, hoping to be judge worthy of his Master and not transformed into a lesser devil after all, more than one hundred souls came directly to Him, thanks to his actions!
His ghostly silhouette turns to Nartsume and he says
In a way you failed them, but as your deity is Good, failure is tolerated my dear. May be you will be rewarded and you will be able to redeem yourself as a Heavenly Soldier in the eternal war between Good and Evil?
Fighting for the soul of the lost and betrayed?
”Save it.” Natsume glares from her prostrate position.
To her, Tamerius’s work was worse than Vilree’s. While Vilree ushered most of the village to the afterlife, Tamerius worked to ensure that as many of those as possible were offered up to torment.
She rises, slowly, and turns away. She looks at Vilree.
You deserve worse. I will grab you and I will scream into your face for eternity. You will not know peace in death. I will be the pyre on which your soul burns to ash, and you will know the pain you have wrought.
She takes a deep breath.
No.
She turns, and offers Pari a smile as she kneels in front of her.
”The dead cannot rest until their debts are paid,” she says to the girl.
”You’re in luck. I’m running a special today. How many silver pieces was it that you gave me?”
Vilree stands there, smiling as she sees the people from Plaguestone arriving.
To Natsume, she shrugs:
"To avenge my mother, it might be worth listening to you-- but I think we shall be sent to different areas."
Pari appears beside Natsume, the shadow of a training sword in one hand, as she grips the furry Kitsune paw with her other hand:
"Can I come with you?"
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The garden fades around Natsume; Vilree disappears, along with nearly everyone else.
”You wanted to be an adventurer, right?” she asks the only one left—besides Pharasma, of course, and somewhere in the distance, waiting patiently, the Fox Goddess herself.
”There are many adventures one can only have on this side of the veil. I have been here before, remember? I shall show you around and then I will teach you how to use every blade I have ever been taught. Do you remember the grip I taught you? Thumb forward, just like that, and angle your wrist—yes! Perfect.”