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The customs of this place are very odd. But as we are surrounded by many inevitables, we should be able to glean something about the coming proceedings...Let me talk to a few.
He then turns to Sir Ivan. It seems an important position and one that we would benefit from. I believe none of us could do it better than you. I understand that it's a lot of weight, and it's okay if you choose not to do it. That said, I hope you'll see what a boon it would be to Hao Jin's defense.
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A likely judge is Tchekua, an apkallu who was part of Hao Jin’s first tribunal. Tchekua was fairly sympathetic to Hao Jin centuries ago and might still be. There’s also word that one of the judges is arriving from another plane for this event, which is rare.
Tchekua is an enthusiast of mortal history, having studied and catalogued the lengthy timelines of thousands of worlds. He is an avid archivist who understands the merits of preserving and understanding the past. The prevailing rumor of the off-world judge is that they’re a representative of the Boneyard, based on the group of psychopomps seen alighting and entering through the courthouse’s back entrance. If it’s true, the psychopomps would be especially interested in anything Hao Jin did that influenced the River of Souls (the means by which the dead reach Pharasma for their final judgment). Tchekua has a slight bias toward those who speak in ornate ways, and he’s readily wooed by those who demonstrate sincere passion. The secretive psychopomp is a yamaraj named Zahal (yamarajes are dragon-like beings considered the strongest psychopomps) who specifically requested a position on the tribunal upon learning of it.
Hao Jin’s demiplane offended many axiomites concerned with the stability of the cosmos, but apparently it perturbed even Otolmens, a primal inevitable demigod of Axis concerned with machinery, mathematics, and physics. Bystanders believe they saw the Tenth-by-Third, the herald of Otolmens, enter the courthouse, and it seems likely the enigmatic herald (who appears as an 8-foot-diameter brass sphere inscribed with many thousands of mathematical characters that slowly swirl about their body as if driven by ocean currents) will serve as one of the judges.
Tenth-by-Third is dogmatic even by the standard of inevitables. The scent of chaos offends the herald, whereas interacting with lawful-aligned beings sets the herald at ease. Some bystanders believe that the yamaraj Zahal may be serving as one of the other judges. A yamaraj is an extremely powerful dragon-like psychopomp that operates one of the Boneyard’s courts to determine souls’ fates. Any psychopomp judge would take offense at any interference in the River of Souls, so such a topic should be handled carefully if it’s brought up.
This tribunal operates as more of a hearing in which the three judges listen to any statements from the subject and those who can speak to the subject’s character, deeds, and motivations. The judges control the proceedings’ tempo, often conversing among themselves before calling on the subject or witnesses to provide additional information. It’s customary for the tribunal’s subject to have legal representation, both to assist her and any witnesses, but nobody knows who is serving as Hao Jin’s counsel (if anyone). Her case will suffer if she chooses to represent herself.
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Eleven Sun Truth reappears just before the tribunal begins and escorts you into the grand chamber which rises several hundred feet into the air. There are several thousand viewers from across the multiverse seated in rings arcing along the walls above the central platform. Hao Jin sits alone in the center of it all upon a stone pedestal. The three judges sit behind her upon similar structures adapted to their distinct sizes and forms. You are escorted to a lowered bench just in front of the platform. There is a hushed silence as the lighting magically lowers to highlight Hao Jin and the judges as the tribunal begins.
Tenth-By-Third rises upon extended insectoid legs and begins with an augmented voice. "The basis of this trial is the nature of this mortal’s demiplane, which violates <at least> fifty-three firm principles of astral safety, in turn triggering twelve separate instances of multidimensional uncertainty and instability. Safer techniques existed by which to achieve a similar result, yet she embraced an unintuitive and untested methodology—all compounded by her sorcerous disregard for cosmic calculus. Let me elaborate... "
As the logical herald begins to detail some of these inconsistencies in Hao Jin’s behavior in excruciating detail, Zahal stands to interrupt. "Such facts can be entered into the record in less tedious ways, my friend. Do get to the point — Hao Jin’s techniques were simply irresponsible, she didn’t respect arcane theory, and her sorcerer spellcasting is just too unpredictable to be trusted with demiplane creation."
Tenth-By-Third pauses to determine its next statement. "Very well, that is the summary I would have reached in time. Is there a witness present that can defend the mortal's actions in this regard?"
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Good point, Arin. I will help defend Hao Jin as her special counsel. This will be an interesting experience to take back to our superiors at The Grand Lodge.
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Beads of sweat roll down Ivan's forehead. Striding confidently forward, he gives a slight nod to Hao Jin as he approaches the judges.
Greetings, Your Honors. I am Sir Ivan Dräcovich, Knight Corporal of the Andoran Eagle Knights and Blessed Sword of Pharasma. I will be acting as special counsel on behalf of Hao Jin.
He bows respectfully to the three monstrous judges and then takes a deep breath to calm his nerves as he turns to stand next to Hao Jin. He gives a wink and a proud smile to his companions.
He waits patiently for one of his compainions to stand and state their case in defense of Hao Jin.
He follows up with his own defense of Hao Jin, hoping his words, and the words of his companion can sway Tenth-by-Third in their favor.
Ivan starts sweating buckets. He pulls at the collar of his tabard to let in some cool air.
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Arin calmly approaches the platform and addresses the judges.
Tchekua, what say you? You've been silent on this matter so far. They make it sound so simple: there are simple, stable ways to achieve these ends and that she simply didn't choose to use them. However, I contend that she did in fact approach this carefully, and undertook creation studies for a prolonged period of time before trying out her techniques...
Arin goes on to explain in detail what Hao Jin had passed onto him previously.
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Tchekua nods as Arin details Hao Jin's diligence, before remarking. "Yes, there was clearly some skill and dedication involved and what would the universe be if there was no initiative and no risk-takers?"
Additionally, Tenth-By-Third seems suitably impressed by the gnome's analytical acumen, and asks a few clarifying questions, which pose no challenge for the oracle to respond to, before taking his seat once again.
Zahal rises and transitions to another point of contention. “Now let us consider the actions that followed: Hao Jin used her untouchable redoubt to abduct mortals — as many as hundreds at a time. Was there just cause? Was there consent? Or was this the callous action of a sorcerer focused on her own goals rather than aware of the bigger picture? Is this not reminiscent of a night hag poaching spirits from the River of Souls? How were they treated once removed? What would motivate someone to be so callous with the lives of others?”
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The paladin rises and says, "While Hao Jin's methods were unorthodox, they were not haphazard. What she undertook was for the preservation of the people in the areas moved into the Tapestry. She suffered a great loss as a child, and her intent was to keep these people from experiencing the same pain. Even now, she is working with us to help the people within the Tapestry, to prevent a senseless loss of life."
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Zahal recognizes the Pharasman inquisitor's attempts to codify Elbe's arguments enough to cease questioning on this matter.
Careful observers would note Tenth-By-Third mentioning in low tones. "It is not trivial to get a paladin to vouch."
Tchekua does not seem overly impressed but lets the matter rest (for now). Instead he poses a slightly different question. "An enduring stone structure might survive for thousands of years, its carved walls and sheltered libraries preserving the lore of lost ages for all who follow. To have such sites swiped not only steals the past from future generations, but it also robs the present people of their cultural heritage, does it not?”
"Curious..." remarks Zahal with a sly grin.
Tchekua elaborates. "It stands to reason that Hao Jin’s capturing sites for her own desires seems self-centered and may have even harmed some of the creator cultures responsible for those sites. This leads me to wonder: Does Hao Jin actually respect history?"
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The dwarf steps up and his mind goes silent for a while as his ancestors watched with bated breaths which they didn't need anyway to see what their representative says.
"History has always being one to be preserved and has always usually being studied from ruins. Cultures and what scant knowledge that can be gleaned from pieces of what is left. In doing what Hao Jin has done, she has preserved history in its purest form. By preserving them in their natural state and allowing them to live on. Does this not demonstrate her wish to and respect to History? To allow others to study cultures and knowledge that would otherwise be lost to the cruel ravages of time?"
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The judges nod as the shaman explains the cosmic significance of history. As they are about to continue, there is an interruption in the proceedings.
An unknown arbiter flies up from the darkness and whispers something length in Tchekua's ear. He clears his throat and stands to address the Tribunal.
"I regret that it must be brought to this Tribunal's attention that the dwarven witness before us has shown a potential flaw as recently as this week. Our informant and investigation show that this Kalaron Boulderstep personally escorted a known planar outlaw known only as Three-Two-Two into the headquarters of his own organization - the esteemed Pathfinder Society of Golarion - in order to actuate a crime of theft."
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I object, Your Honors!...
Ivan jumps to his feet and argues that they were spied on since the day they arrived in Axis. He also mentions that there would have been bloodshed if they didn't go along with 322's ruse. There was also no mention of any theft.
"There was no mention of any theft, right?"
Ivan thinks to himself.
He helps the best he can to defend Kalaron's questionable actions.
And manages to do a pretty good job this time.
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Tenth-By-Third interjects after Ivan's pleadings. "Yes, the dwarven mortal is not on trial here. The points he makes about Hao Jin are quite good in fact, and that is what matters on this day."
The other two judges nod in agreement before moving on.
“A fair point Tenth-By-Third. Ah well, yes, then let us not forget what drew me to these very proceedings in the first place: Hao Jin’s interference with the River of Souls. In recent years, her demiplane has captured souls bound for Pharasma’s judgment. And as I need not remind anyone, stealing souls is, ah…” Zahal leans down, taps her snout, and rumbles the last part of her sentence to convey its severity. “…deeply frowned upon.” Then with a smirk, she adds, directly to Sir Ivan, “Unless this is what defines cosmic law these days?”
Tchekua and Tenth-By-Third quickly stand and loudly protest the psychopomp’s obvious taunt before she laughingly apologizes and returns to the point at hand. In a more serious tone, she elaborates. "Hao Jin purposefully siphoned souls to fuel her project, and that makes me very unsympathetic to her ultimate cause."
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Respectfully, your honors, Hao Jin did not divert entire souls to power the Tapestry Demiplane. She merely diverted part of their energy,
much as the entire multiverse renews itself thanks to the cycle of souls. She borrowed trace amounts from those who perished on the demiplane—all in order to sustain the life-giving environment. The process ultimately didn’t impact those souls’ afterlives. There is evidence to support these assertions.
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Kalaron was a little miffed that his indiscretion was mentioned and some of his fellow pathfinders didn't seemed concerned about it.
At least his actions were exonerated, there really could have being blood shed if he didn't step up.
Also to be fair. It was a theft though some would less discerning souls would have called it an exchange...........
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The judges listen carefully to the sylph's assertions. After the formal introduction of the evidence of the Ruby Phoenix’s initial miscalculations and subsequent fixes, the judges all seem to concur.
However, inspired by all the talk of recklessness, Tenth-By-Third then expounds on Hao Jin’s irresponsibility. "We should continue with this line of reasoning. As evidenced, mortals are clearly fallible, naturally erring from cosmic law and planar constants with ease. The accused has a record of such recklessness, and it is clear that she would revert to such reckless behavior again if permitted the freedom to experiment again. Can even centuries of self-reflection overcome a creature’s base instincts?”
This question causes the judges to argue with one another for some time.
Rising to the stage, Tchekua insists "The rise of civilization is a natural outgrowth of mortals’ ability to surpass their instinct-driven ancestors and attain limitless levels of higher reasoning."
Zahal instead takes the middle ground. "As has been confirmed many times, societies and people may evolve, but they do so only by overcoming the staggering inertia of their current philosophies."
Perceiving the standoff, Tenth-By-Third turns to you. "How does the defense answer?"
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Myth rises and bows. ”If it please the court…
“Yes, we mortals are fallible…but we learn from our mistakes. Was she reckless at the beginning? Perhaps, but clearly she learned from it and tried as best she could to correct things. Talking with Hao Jin has only confirmed my conclusions on this…
“And now, she only wishes to save those in the world she created that will surely perish if she is not allowed to do so. So even if you have no compassion for her, surely you can find some compassion in your heart for those doomed to die without her help…”
He bows again and sits down…
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Tchekua and Tenth-By-Third quickly stand and loudly protest the psychopomp’s obvious taunt before she laughingly apologizes and returns to the point at hand. In a more serious tone, she elaborates. "Hao Jin purposefully siphoned souls to fuel her project, and that makes me very unsympathetic to her ultimate cause."
Sir Ivan once again helps defend Hao Jin on the touchy subject of stealing souls from The River of Souls. He considers Awen's words and carefully reiterates for emphasis.
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Myth does an excellent job in swaying the judges.
Ivan adds what he can.
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It is becoming apparent that the case is reaching a conclusion and the judges seem to favor Hao Jin's explanations so far. As the trial runs its course, Tchekua summarizes the ongoing ramifications of Hao Jin’s pet project.
“It seems there is only one matter of import left then. Even in the event that Hao Jin performed the necessary steps to create her demiplane and fill it for the sake of historic preservation, there remains the fact that she left her charges untended. Thousands of creatures across more than a dozen generations suffered in her absence as she explored the Outer Planes. Were she truly responsible, would she not have guarded and guided these people until such a time as they could chart their own destinies?"
Before you can answer, he adds. "And yes, there is talk of the Tapestry's imminent demise and how your Society has rushed here to try and prevent the worst of that, but the damage is done. Hao Jin was more than capable of intervening before such heroic actions were called for. Certainly more capable than the inhabitants who lacked power or the wandering Pathfinders who lacked perspective."
Tenth-By-Third rustles at the thought of defaulting on ones' responsibility...
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Tchekua and Tenth-By-Third quickly stand and loudly protest the psychopomp’s obvious taunt before she laughingly apologizes and returns to the point at hand. In a more serious tone, she elaborates. "Hao Jin purposefully siphoned souls to fuel her project, and that makes me very unsympathetic to her ultimate cause."
Sir Ivan once again helps defend Hao Jin on the touchy subject of stealing souls from The River of Souls. He considers Awen's words and carefully reiterates for emphasis.
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Myth does an excellent job in swaying the judges.
Ivan directs his best defense of Hao Jin towards the judges. He reminds them of the memory engrams as evidence and the words of the witnesses.
Still nervous and sweating after several hours of acting as Hao Jin's counsel in the grand court room, Ivan sits and leans back in his chair and stretches his shoulders to relax.
Suddenly, a loud gurgling sound can be heard emanating from his belly.
He quickly puts a hand over his mouth.
"Oh... Dear gods."
The stress of the experience was just too much.
Ivan leans forward and projectile vomits onto the floor in front of him.
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Ahem. Indeed she did leave them alone, and to me that aligns with historical and cultural preservation. She gave those peoples and heritages a place to thrive and then did not intervene. For intervention would have meant that they were in fact not preserved, but made into something else entirely. Who better to determine the meaning of preservation than the people who live the culture and created the history?
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The judges listen to Arin's conclusion but somehow seem more confused after than before.
A pair of clockwork servants quickly move out from the darkness to clean up Sir Ivan's unfortunate "summation". The judges look at one another before confirming with each other that none of them have further questions, and they call a brief recess before reconvening to issue their verdicts.
Hao Jin sits in silence, awaiting her continued fate as she has done for countless years. There are a nervous few minutes as the crowd above begins to murmur, only silencing as the judges return to the platform.
Tenth-By-Third takes prominence and announces the verdict. "By unanimous verdict, Axis formally drops charges against the sorceress Hao Jin, Ruby Phoenix of Golarion, and recognizes her past several centuries of service as time served for miscellaneous trespass against order, and hereby encourages her to travel and create freely - albeit with a better understanding now of how to do so safely. The Tribunal has ended. Good day."
Eleven-Sun-Truth immediately turns and congratulates your group on their work with Hao Jin and assistance in the trial. "This one believes that this represents the best and most just decision. Once you are ready to depart Axis, this one will hail you a conveyance to take them back to the gatehouse for transport back to Absalom. I'm sure you want to get started on saving the Tapestry."
For her part, Hao Jin stands and nods to the judges. Stepping to your group, she expresses stoic gratitude at first before her relief cracks the façade and she smiles warmly. "My sincere thanks for your help but we have pressing concerns. I think I will be able to perform the transposition ritual on the Tapestry myself. But even with my magical mastery, performing the ritual will cause the demiplane to unravel dangerously within hours — there’s only one chance to get things right. But after the demiplane finishes tearing itself apart, its built-in processes should slowly begin stitching it back together, so there’s the possibility that the tapestry demiplane could restore itself within your lifetimes — and if and when it does, I hereby bequeath it to the Society for your actions here in my defense. When you are ready to go home, I can send you back to Absalom, though I prefer not making a reappearance on Golarion myself just yet."
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Awen also addresses Hao Jin.
Madam, you are a being of great power. I hope your future endeavors are successful and do not have the "strings" that your Tapestry has produced. I would also appreciate any opportunities to assist you or learn from you, especially if I can support your efforts with this ritual.
After the group has returned to the Grand Lodge.
She turns to her fellow Pathfinders.
You have been excellent companions in this odd adventure, and I hope we are assigned to work together again. Farewell.
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The little gnome rolls up his sleeves. And now, we have a Tapestry to stablize. Hao Jin, along the way I might ask your advice on exploring possible Planar origins of my powers. You've long traveled the planes and I sense that you might have some useful insight there...
For just once, you sense the slightest hint of hopefulness in his normally plain expression.
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The dwarf bows.
"We have being privileged to lend aid to someone of your stature. Perhaps in our lifetime we might be able to see the works that you have imbued or maybe even meet again."
To his fellow pathfinders.
"It has being a pleasure meeting and travelling with you on this mission. May we meet again someday."
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She smiles softly at Arin. "I will consider your past as soon as we have settled the Tapestry."
"For now, it will take some time for me to perfect the ritual, and I believe you would be of more use to the Society in Absalom. But I will let you know what I've figured out so far, perhaps your Society mages can assist my thinking."
Hao Jin will spend some time informing you of her ritual ideas then bids you adieu and shifts you back to the Grand Lodge.
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There is a bit of excited energy in Skyreach as news has spread of a recent incursion and possible theft...