Everyone prepares as best as possible and line up to enter the classroom, expecting the worst. 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.
"Wow, this place brings back memories." Both J. and Grishan say almost in unison. Though of course none of you can hear them. It is possible to read J. lips.
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Everyone prepares as best as possible and line up to enter the classroom, expecting the worst. 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.
"Wow, this place brings back memories." Both J. and Grishan say almost in unison. Though of course none of you can hear them. It is possible to read J. lips.
You look around the room while J. explains that they used to attend school here until the big earthquake. Most of the students were trapped in it and never escaped. She points at some small memorials with their portraits. The names include Badru Ahnkamen, Grishan Maldris, Cassiel Marlinchen, Stilonius Morilla, Anaretta Nimz, and Jaran Shamyyid.
After she was rescued the classroom was partially rebuilt as a memorial for the dead. At the same time, Deris Marlinchen, the father of one of the students, finally left the Drownyard after a decade of speaking to spirits no one else could see.
As she speaks those of you that make a DC 15 perception roll notice that the ground starts shaking. If you follow that with a DC 8 knowledge religion roll you determine that a haunt is activating and may react before it strikes.
One player must make the perception roll and warn the others, and another player may make the religion roll to recognize it as a haunt. Kihel did both though so you may all act in the surprise round but to react before the haunt fully manifests you must beat a 10 init.
So everyone but Tempestas may react before the manifestation.
Vangral reacts quickly enough to twist off the cap to the siphon before it manifests, but unfortunately the rumbling continues.
Even without the extra burst from Rosla, you are all on top of your game and send out enough positive energy to neutralize the haunt. Those with a rudimentary knowledge of religious things know that the haunt is likely not destroyed, but will return after a while. But for now you are all safe. AND the mist inside the Ekadan's haunt siphon glows green signifying that it captured some of the negative energy.
J. thanks them for their guidance and protection, but her voice grows distant as if listening for a barely audible whisper. After a moment’s pause, she tells them she is certain another restless force still calls to her from below. Grishan agrees with her and senses a vengeful supernatural presence emanating from inside the entrance to the necropolis.
May I assume you head on down into the necropolis now?
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"Someone simply MUST come here and lay this haunt to rest fully," Vangral says with a sigh. "Perhaps I shall do so when our current mission is fulfilled."
He eyes Ekadan warily as both J. and Grishan mention being "called" by a mysterious voice. Before the other man can speak, Vangral tries to move them along.
"Yes, yes, probably just your connection to this place. You were both here for quite some time, after all. Let us move on to investigate. That IS why we're here, isn't it?"
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Ekadan studies the green glow in the haunt siphon but is still paying enough attention to what J and Grishan say. Flexing another 'I told you so!' smirk, he keeps quiet on the topic.
"A 'a vengeful supernatural presence' you say? Time for more spells!"
Ekadan borrows Rosla's wand of Longstrider to use on himself and, just as the party is about to proceed, casts Shield on himself.
J. remarks "It must have been terrible to be trapped in here when the place fell apart, perhaps for days before dying. Cassiel's father must have been quieting the haunt before he left, because I did not hear of this being a problem before. Though since there were haunt siphons in that shed, someone must have known or suspected."
You advance into the necropolis, making your way down a stone corridor accompanied by the reek of death. Oh, and a trio of corpses that are slowly rotting into the stone.
The do not start moving. In addition to their own gear, the treasure hunters carried what is apparently the rest of the missing Pathfinder cache. In total, you find the following treasure on the bodies:
You know this is pathfinder gear since the magic items are each marked with a small Glyph of the Open Road, which you all know as the symbol of the Pathfinder Society. They are also clearly identified, though you need to make the given spellcraft rolls to determine the charges.
"They are about two months dead. Strange, these two show no signs of physical injury..."
You do notice that two of them have no signs of physical injury.
That one does look to have some form of injury. The third has a a cut in his leg.
Just beyond where the treasure hunters met their end lies a wide chamber .
The spirit of a young girl with blond hair sits in the center of the room. As the group approaches, the spirit gets up, turns around, and addresses J. “I’ve been waiting for you a long time, Junia. Waiting for you to come back. Why did you leave me? Won’t you come back to me? Then we can all be friends again.”
J. is positively stunned. She mutters, almost inaudibly, “Cassiel, Cassiel, I’m so sorry, please forgive me” over and over again.
Grishan explains that this is the spirit of their friend Cassiel Marlinchen who died with him in the necropolis.
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"Lady Cassiel," Kihel says to the spirit, "you must know in your heart that Junia does not belong in this place, but in the world of the living. She has returned not to stay, but to seek closure, to face the pain she left behind, and to make peace with her past. I ask you, let her move forward, so that both of you may find the rest and resolution you deserve."
She then speaks softly to comfort J: "Say not in grief 'she is no more', but in thankfulness that she was."
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Vangral has been largely silent during this stage of the exploration, examining the dead bodies with no comment though picking up the wand of lesser restoration.
Nor does he speak up now. Rather, he listens in quietly as Kihel makes a reasonable, yet heartfelt appeal.
He hopes it is enough to soothe the spirit but is ready to act if it is not.
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Ekadan adds to what Kihel said, "Cassiel, what happened to not just you and the other students was a tragedy. Don't compound that tragedy by taking J's life away from her. Instead you should take solace that J can live on for the rest of you. As long as J is alive part of you will be too. I hope you can find peace in this and move forward to find rest in the afterlife."
The spirit calms down and looks at J. intently.
"I forgive you friend. Thank you for caring." A peaceful look transforms her face and the spirit dissipates slowly.
J. cries a little, then wipes her eyes and takes a tough looking stance.
"Thanks for this. It is time I moved on and left this place behind. It seems like everyone else has, at least now. Well, except for Grishan and I hope he can stick around."
Realizing that is not quite true, she adds, "Can we help the haunted children in the school room before we go?"
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The spirit calms down and looks at J. intently.
"I forgive you friend. Thank you for caring." A peaceful look transforms her face and the spirit dissipates slowly.
J. cries a little, then wipes her eyes and takes a tough looking stance.
"Thanks for this. It is time I moved on and left this place behind. It seems like everyone else has, at least now. Well, except for Grishan and I hope he can stick around."
Realizing that is not quite true, she adds, "Can we help the haunted children in the school room before we go?"
"Do you know what we need to do? I don't want to leave the children here a second longer; they should be with their ancestors in the afterlife."
Sure. Return to the room and give me a knowledge religion roll
Kihel discovers some good news to relate to J., With the passing of Cassiel, the haunt has also found peace and the children have moved on.
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"Well...that was...surprisingly easy," Vangral says as the haunt is dissipated. "I guess I won't have to come back to help lay those souls to rest. I'm glad that lingering tragedy has been dealt with and I think we can take pride in helping those restless spirits move on."
He looks to J. "And how are you feeling? Any further unresolved issues you feel you need to deal with?"