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Pathfinder Horror: The Paladin Gone Dark

My Friday night Pathfinder horror game took a dark twist this last week.  It is interesting how sometimes even the smallest details can set up overpowering scenarios and the players just take the bait.  In this case, the party has become motivated to the get the location of a thief's stash out of a prisoner in the local Duegar prison.  Unfortunately they are unable to get inside to see him -- only magistrates and those representing the accused are allowed inside.

The party tracks down a local attorney -- a large man wearing no shirt, lots of tatooos, and axes on his sides (which should be a bit of a hint of their idea of justice).  He agrees to take the wife of the man to see him before he is scheduled to be executed the next day.  All the party has to do is supply the wife.

In this party, the only female is the paladin, a shiny armored young maiden who either seems at odds with the party or completely at odds with her own good sense.  She grudgingly agrees and the rest of the party serve as guards.

Now the Duegar justice system in this city is a little odd.  The attorney takes them to the gate where he riles the guards and starts mock-beating his way through them.  The party reads the hint and also engages them in nonlethal combat until they are given passage into the courtyard.  The guards bring out Tooms, the criminal in question, and strap him down to a large stone pad with one hand or foot tied to each corner.  The "wife" is provided a whip, while the attorney motions for the 3 party member guards to each take a side.  While the wife speaks to and beats the husband, the four guards must fend off nonlethal attacks by the guards.

So Tooms won't answer the paladin's customary straight forward questions like "Where's your stash?".  Without a lot of other options, the paladin, Lillian, starts whipping the prisoner.  These are kind taps either -- after a few swings blood is dripping from the wounds and the whip send blood mist flying into the air.  Tooms is quickly turning into a bloody mess.  Tooms holds his ground, finally only agreeing to tell the paladin if she makes sure to pay off his old debt (one the party was sent to collect) and if they promise to come back and help him to escape.  The prisoner, it seems, is unaware he is about to be executed by having his hands chopped off the next sunrise.

The paladin promises to come back as soon as they can and help the man.  Unfortunately, the paladin also knows he is scheduled to be executed before they can make it to the stash and back.  A last charge by the guards sends the party and attorney fleeing, and they are able to escape this bit of justice unscathed.

So there is our horror of the game this last week -- a half-truth promise and a brutal whipping of a defenseless man, both supplied by the paladin of the party,  I guess I better start getting to know the antipaladin class.  What does the next week hold?  I am betting the ranger barbeques up a talking bambi deer to make jerky and then uses thumper to make some new boots, or something equally as horrible.

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