[Outpost VII]#3-99: Fate in the Future - GM Ilmakis

Game Master Ilmakis

You can take an overnight rest. Pathfinder Society medics heal everyone completely and remove any lingering conditions such as poisons or diseases.
While you rest, other agents keep watch in shifts. At dawn, while the Pathfinders eat breakfast, scouts are sent out to find the focus. Dozens of jagged tears in reality cut through the terrain, forming a glowing purple barrier that blocks further passage. Howls, snarls, and voices displaced through time issue from the rifts, and movement is visible within.
Ashasar and Venture- Captain Armeline Jirneau spread the Pathfinders out, then reach out with hands, magic, and mind. Now! Seal the rift!

It's time for the Pathfinders to work together to seal their assigned time rift!

Each one of you can attempt one DC 20 skill check. The options are as follows.
• An Arcana check to wield magical forces.
• A Diplomacy check to encourage fellow Pathfinders to greater heights.
• A Nature check to control primal magic.
• An Occultism check to understand the nature of the time rift and the Dimension of Time.
• A Performance check to emulate other skilled Pathfinders.
• A Religion check to call upon the blessing of a deity.
• A Survival check to find supplemental components to help close the rift.
• A Thievery check to detect weakness in the time rift’s defenses.
• An applicable Lore check to assist as well; the form this assistance takes depends upon the specific Lore skill. (I accept Esoteric Lore here)

ROUND "1" (bold can act)
Radim
Jaxon
Dennis
Princess Clover
Charlies
Zhamie

Zhamie attempts to understand the nature of the time rift.

Occultism(T): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (2) + 11 = 13

Sigh...

Dennis knows very little about magic, because he might have played hooky doing those particular Pathfinder classes. Instead, he does what he does best: running around, flitting this way and that, trying to focus on too many things at once, providing crucial words of encouragement.

"Keep focusing, Mister. If I had time, I'd help." But he's already on his way. "Good luck with that rune, Miss. My momma says I'm smart. If you need my help ..." But the lad runs off before she can respond.

Diplomacy, DC 20: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (20) + 11 = 31
I feel like Deception describes what he's doing a little better, but that wasn't an option. If it's allowed, it's +3 to the above roll.
Ahh...fortunately, it doesn't matter!

Survival: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24

Thievery: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28

"No need to be gentle with it, just get you hand in there and pull it apart."

Despite Zhamie failure, thanks to Dennis finding the right words for encouraging his comrades the small group of Pathfinders seems to keep the pace in sealing their assigned rift

ROUND "1" (bold can act)
Radim
Jaxon
Dennis
Princess Clover
Charlies
Zhamie

Charlies calls upon the different deities to help them seal the time rift.
DC 20 Religion: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (1) + 11 = 12 Oh, no...
Hero Point? DC 20 Religion: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (15) + 11 = 26

It might take time for them to listen to him and his angel.

Clover does know a bit about strange magic--but organizing and encouraging people is what she's best at, so that's what she focuses on and lets the real experts work on the rift more directly.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (15) + 13 = 28

You find a good rhythm to close the rift but has you seem to be halfway done, the rift begins to lash out at you!

The PCs can all continue to attempt checks to seal the rift. Each time beyond the first that a PC attempts a check to seal the rift, they take 3d8 cold damage (DC 20 basic Fortitude save).

ROUND "2" (bold can act)
Cold Damages, DC20 basic Fortitude Save: 3d8 ⇒ (7, 1, 7) = 15
Radim
Jaxon
Dennis
Princess Clover
Charlies
Zhamie

Dennis continues running around, telling other agents what they need to hear -- even if it's a slight fabrication of the truth. Seeing someone struggling with the runes, he encourages them, "You're really good at that!" They're clearly not. "I've never seen anyone do it better." He has.

Deception, DC 20: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (7) + 14 = 21

Fortitude, DC 20: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (14) + 12 = 26
Success => Dennis takes 7 cold damage.
Dennis shivers but shakes off the worst of it.

Zhamie makes another attempt.

Fort: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30

Zhamie doesn't notice the cold as she focuses on the task at hand. She attempts to manipulate the primal energies.

Nature DC 20: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14

Sacre bleu!!

"It's working! Just keep it up!"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (7) + 13 = 20
Fortitude: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24 15/2 = 7. 7 -1 (resist) = 6

Survival: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11 Hero Point!
Survival: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14
Fort: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (10) + 11 = 21

Radim's teeth are chattering but he continues to work. I have spent so many years in the north that I consider myself a Northerner. It's much colder there, believe me. He says it with exaggerated cheerfulness and it seems the bravado distracts him from the case.

Thievery: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (2) + 11 = 13
Fort Save: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12

Yeesh, let's use a Hero Point
Thievery reroll: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (20) + 11 = 31

Jaxon tries to take his own advice and yank the metaphorical guts out of the rift. At first it seems like he's going to get pulled in, but at the last second, he falls back, literally yanking temporal energy out of it.

Charlies tries once more, pleading to the gods who are still alive.
DC 20 Religion: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (16) + 11 = 27

DC 20 Fortitude save: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (16) + 11 = 27 Success, 7 cold damage

A shiver travels down his spine after that.

As the time rift lashes at you, you maintain a good rhythm in closing it. Unfortunately, your work is not enough to close it definitely.

ROUND "3" (bold can act)
Cold Damages, DC20 basic Fortitude Save: 3d8 ⇒ (3, 1, 1) = 5
Radim -7
Jaxon -15
Dennis -7
Princess Clover -6
Charlies -7
Zhamie

Fort, DC 20: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19

Zhamie shivers as the cold hits her. She closes her eyes to regain her focus before attempting to handle magical energy.

Arcana: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (20) + 11 = 31 BOO YAH!!

with her Pearly White Spindle Aeon stone, she should be fine in 5 minutes

Zhamie puts on a goofy grin and she slaps palms with Jaxon at her success.

Theivery: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (20) + 11 = 31
Fort Save: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11

Jaxon high fives Zhamie and continues to try and pull the guts of the temporal mechanism out from within. Unfortunately, he get a nasty spray in the face of the temporal cold.

If we have time...

Zhamie attempts to treat Jaxon's frostbitten face.

Medicine(E), Healer's Gloves, DC 20: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (5) + 14 = 19

Unfortunately, the cold makes her fingers stiff and less dexterous than normal...

Still running around, using his big-boy voice to offer encouragement, he sees a pair of newer agents fighting over the best way to seal the rift. "I think you're both right." This cannot possibly be true. Listening to them continue to argue, he says, "I've never seen better communication skills. You'll get it." Dennis doesn't believe that for a minute, but he's in a hurry.

Deception, DC 20: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (4) + 14 = 18
HERO POINT
Deception, DC 20: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (15) + 14 = 29
Fortitude, DC 20: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (1) + 12 = 13
Crit fail => 10 damage

The youngster cries, "Owww!!! That is really REALLY cold!"

"Sacre Bleu! Duh-nee!" Zhamie cries, rushing to the youngster's side. "You must be more careful vith vat vous are doing! 'Ere, let me 'elp vous"

Battle Medicine, Healer's Gloves: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (10) + 14 = 24
Healing, Forensic Medicine Methodology: 2d8 + 5 ⇒ (3, 7) + 5 = 15
Dennis is immune to Zhamie's Battle Med for 1 hour instead of 1 day

Despite the cold, Zhamie is able to close the Rift!

We are in exploration mode, Zhamie, you can decide to do a medicine check (to treat wounds instead of rolling for closing the Rift) you can use Battle Medicine if you want with the action closing the Rift. I let you decide.

You've sealed one rift, and I've reported one Rift Success. Optionally, you can work on another. If you'd like to, it works exactly the same: the first round is safe and everyone can make a check, but anyone who keeps trying after that risks taking cold damage.
I keep your previous rolls if you want to continue!
Rifts sealed: 1

ROUND "4" (bold can act)
No Cold Damages
Radim -7
Jaxon -15, Rolled 31
Dennis -7, Rolled 29
Princess Clover -6
Charlies -7
Zhamie -5

"There we are, steady progress. Keep moving forward!"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (12) + 13 = 25

Fort DC20: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24 for R3

Radim nods his head in agreement.

Survival: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19 for R4

Charlies moves to another time rift to close.
DC 20 Religion: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (5) + 11 = 16

Estes stands by just in case something comes out of the time rift that the group is trying to close.

ok. I'll take the first freebie and seal the rift (or try to)

Zhamie again attempts to focus magical energies to try to close the second rift.

Arcana: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24

So is each attempt to close the rift a 10-minute period? If it is, she should be at full health due to the Aeon Stone

@Zhamie duly noted :)

Despite Jaxon's best effort to find the weakest point, the team is unable to close the rift in one try.

ROUND "5" (bold can act)
Cold Damages, DC20 basic Fortitude Save: 3d8 ⇒ (8, 1, 2) = 11
Radim -7
Jaxon -15,
Dennis -7
Princess Clover -6
Charlies -7
Zhamie

Thievery: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14
Fort Save: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23

Jaxon continues to try and muck around with the inner workings of the rift, but is unable to really affect much.

**HOUSE GM ANNOUNCEMENT**

With a flash of light, the time rift vanishes, revealing a snowy expanse. Armeline orders, “You’ve done it! We’ve sealed the time rift. Close in on the focus!”

Table GMs, please begin Event #2

Dennis should only have -2 since Zhamie used a Battle Med on him. Bigrin allowed a 10-minute rest so Zhamie will take advantage of that.

Setting up an impromptu surgery, Zhamie gathers Jaxon and Charlies/Radim: 1d2 ⇒ 1 together to treat their wounds.

Medicine(E), Ward Medic, Healer's Gloves, DC 20: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (8) + 14 = 22
Healing, DC 20: 2d8 + 10 ⇒ (2, 3) + 10 = 15

Jaxon should be at full... ditto Charlies

Clover slips a small, pearly-white stone from a pouch and tosses it into the aye. It begins to revolve around her head. "I'm fine."

Cover has a different aeon stone in her wayfinder.

Charlies also has pearly white spindle aeon stone, he will be fully healed after 10 minutes. Radim can take the treatment from Zhamie in his stead.

Lets hand wave the healing part to jump into the next chapter :)

As the time rift shatters, reality rights itself, revealing the focus—a fully dressed, towering draconic being bent over a metal and glass sarcophagus. The dragon turns, brandishing a strange tool. Get back, you blasted dogs! Wait... You’re not the hounds! The dragon taps her snout, thinking hard, then shakes her head. You seem familiar. But if we’ve met, I can’t recall. The longer I’m away from home, the more jumbled my memories become. I can barely remember my name! It’s Heraxia, by the way. Who are you?

I let you present yourself to her.

After you present yourself to her, Heraxia shares what she remembers about herself and her dilemma.
• Heraxia comes from what she thinks is distant future. She was born on Triaxus (another planet) and bonded with an adventurous ryphorian named Felise.
• The duo went on many adventures, though Heraxia can’t recall pecifics. She does recall Felise was easily bored and insisted each adventure was bigger, bolder, and more dangerous than the last. They explored other worlds, planes, and eventually other times.
• Their travels through temporal byways attracted the attention of dangerous beasts, particularly strange bug-eyed hounds that hunted them. The pair fled but were separated. Felise was shunted back to their home time, while Heraxia was stranded in the distant past.
• Heraxia and Felise retained the ability to communicate empathically, but it happens rarely and for short periods.
• In the years since their separation, they’ve employed numerous artifacts, magical rituals, and experimental technology to try to bring Heraxia back to the future, all in vain.
• Fortuitously, they’ve both recently come across a magical artifact known as the Eternity Arch in their respective timelines and believe it could at last provide an answer to their long isolation. Though the arch was originally intended for psychic transference across time, Heraxia has found a damaged stasis pod transplanted here from another time. Once repaired, it should serve as the perfect vessel for Heraxia to travel through the Eternity Arch to her home time. Both Felise and Heraxia have been independently experimenting and modifying the Eternity Arch to accommodate Heraxia’s journey. This is why the arch is resonating with Heraxia (and why the Maze of the Open Road is malfunctioning)
• Heraxia suspects once she’s returned to her time, the Eternity Arch should return to dormancy, and the Pathfinder’s Maze of the Open Road will revert to its typical function.
• Heraxia can’t remember anything about the future beyond what she’s explained above. The transition through time (as well as something she calls "the Gap") has muddled her memories of the future.

After the sharing what she knows Heraxia says As I'm working to return home, I would like your help in different task that will help me return in my time..
Venture-Captain Armeline Jirneau encourages you to assist her, as returning Heraxia to her proper time should sever her connection to the Eternity Arch.

Heraxia explain that you can repair the stasis pod, transport the stasis pod to the vault near the Eternity Arch, or keep watch for danger.

Which Aid Mission first? Repairs, Transport, or Defense?

Vote for Defense!

Jaxon comes up and raises his fist for a bump with Heraxia. "I'm Jaxon. Let's get you home."

Sure. Let's go for Defense.

"Being trapped on a foreign planet is already concerning. Being trapped out of time must be terrifying. But we will help you--we are the Pathfinder Society, and that's what we do sometimes."

I vote Defense too.

When Zhamie sets up her makeshift medical ward, and instructs everyone to sit still, for ten whole minutes, Dennis whines, "Can I move yet?" When the healer isn't looking, Dennis inches over to a new position just to see if she noticed. When she's finally finished, he says (in a terrible French accent), "Mare-see, Zhamie!" He gives her a hug and runs off to find something to do.

When the draconic creature introduces herself, Dennis chimes in, in Draconic, "Hi Heraxia. I'm Dennis. I speak dragon! I like making new friends." Indicating Princess Clover, he adds in Common, "Like my new doll-friend said, we're Pathfinders. It's the best society ever. We can help you!" He seems very excited about something he knows nothing about.

Dennis is fine with the group's choice of Defend.

Venture-Captain Armeline Jirneau gestures at the surrounding landscape. This is a dangerous place, Pathfinders. Secure the perimeter. Let’s keep trouble away as long as we can.

Each one of you can attempt two skill checks to secure the perimeter. The most appropriate options are DC 20 Nature, Stealth, or Survival, or applicable Lore checks to assess nearby threats and DC 22 Athletics or Crafting checks to create protective barricades. Or other strategies you can propose me!

"If we shift some of this debris, anything attacking us will have to go around. That should give us some warning..."

Athletics: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (10) + 13 = 23
Athletics: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (9) + 13 = 22

Stealth: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (15) + 11 = 26
Stealth: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (8) + 11 = 19

Jaxon walks the perimeter and tries to eliminate places where anyone can hide or take cover as they approach.

Crafting: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (15) + 13 = 28
Crafting: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (6) + 13 = 19

Zhamie assists in putting up barricades, though her second barricade falls apart.

Dennis sees Jaxon starting to sneak around the perimeter. In full-plate, Dennis pretends to imitate the rogue. His first clunky step wakes the dead. He thinks he's very funny. "You got this, Mister Jaxon." He runs off the other way, "I'm gonna go play with that debris!"

Dennis helps his favorite poppet and his favorite healer set up barricades.

Athletics, DC 22: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (6) + 14 = 20
Athletics, DC 22: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (20) + 14 = 34

Athletics: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (2) + 14 = 16 Athletics: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (19) + 14 = 33

The Pathfinders seems to have secured the perimeter and Heraxia gestures at a metal and glass sarcophagus. This is a stasis pod—a box that keeps whoever’s inside alive despite the passage of time. It’s pretty damaged, and I could use a hand repairing it. she says.

Each one of you can attempt two skill checks to help repair the stasis pod. The most appropriate options are DC20 Crafting checks or applicable Lore checks to repair the mechanism directly and DC 22 Arcana, Medicine, or Thievery checks to decipher its mechanisms. Or you can propose other strategies

Charlies checks the mechanisms on life support of the statis pod and attempts to fix it.
Medicine: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (9) + 11 = 20

He also includes some supplies that might be useful for Heraxia as first aid.
Medicine: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17

When Heraxia indicates the damaged sarcophagus, Dennis runs up. "I'm good at fixing things!" The youngster excitedly retrieves his brand-new superb repair kit and starts banging away.

Crafting +Superb Kit, DC 20: 1d20 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 9 + 1 = 29
Crafting +Superb Kit, DC 20: 1d20 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 9 + 1 = 29

Clover was working as a toy maker even before she first woke up. But these strange materials and this cubist device are issue of her comfort zone.

Crafting: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
Crafting: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

Thievery: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28
Thievery: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (19) + 11 = 30

Jaxon peers inside and sticks those meaty hands in. Somehow, he manages to put things back into the right places.

Crafting: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (13) + 13 = 26
Crafting: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (3) + 13 = 16

Zhamie manages to repair part of the pod. Her second attempt is less than stellar.