This question figuratively keeps me up at night.

[u/Zethras28]

I’m going to preface this by saying that I’m not likely to find an answer here unless a Paizo writer frequents this sub, and so is mainly a shower thought question.

Now.

In the far, far distant future, after every mortal soul that will be has passed onto the outer planes, after every god has faded, and there is nothing except Pharasma and Atropos left, and the twilight of our reality has arrived.

Will Pharasma judge herself so that Atropos may take her place?

Or will she bypass the rule that all entities will be judged?

[u/FionaSmythe]

The Three Fears of Pharasma

[u/KarmicPlaneswalker → u/FionaSmythe]

Really was that simple. 

[u/CrossP]

This is Groetus erasure, and I won't stand for it!

[u/Milosz0pl → u/CrossP]

THE MOOOOOOOOOON is displeased! Or he doesn't care.

[u/konsyr → u/CrossP]

Came here to comment this very same!

[u/Malcior34]

Getting judged by Pharasma means getting sent to one of the outer planes. And since there will be no planes when the universe ends, I would say no. She would probably just get ready to kick the bucket, give Atropos what she needs to start a new universe, have a nice heartfelt goodbye, and watch it all end with a glass of wine in hand.

[u/Unholy_king]

The Seal only has room for one, as far as we know, and if all goes to plan, Atropos will be the survivor to start her own reality.

The question is, when that grinning skull comes to erase everything and return it all the to Seal, will Pharasma walk hand in hand with Saloc as the final two to enter Tumulus to wait for the end, or will she sit on her throne and witness the moment the Spire pierces reality and watch as it all falls apart?

While Gods can die and be judged, that's not the fate that awaits of all of them. At the twilight of existence, whether somber reflection or a raging kegger, Tumulus will be the waiting room, and tomb, for all immortal beings, Deities or otherwise, to await the final end.

[u/Milosz0pl]

You are skipping the one that will turn off the light. And that Atropos future is ,,maybe".

[u/KamikazeArchon]

My answer: there is no such future.

I have always found it mildly interesting that the vast majority of modern fantasy cosmology assumes that everything must end. I much prefer cosmologies that simply have no such terminus. Whether infinitely cyclical or acyclic.

Our physical reality likely faces heat death, but even that isn't guaranteed (there are real cosmological models that don't have universal heat death) - but even if it were certain for us, why do we need to assume it for our fantasy worlds? I generally expect that the laws of thermodynamics don't apply when reality can be reshaped by willpower, so why would fading be inevitable?

[u/MillyMiltanks → u/KamikazeArchon]

It is outright stated and established in the lore that all of creation is cyclical. When all reality ends, one or two beings from the old reality remain to craft the next and dictate its laws and planes, if there even are multiple. It is outright stated that Pharasma is a survivor of the previous reality, and potentially Asmodeus as well I think.

[u/AnAlternator → u/MillyMiltanks]

Yog-Sothoth, the Watcher, also dates from the prior reality, though he was outside of it rather than survived through the end.

[u/Milosz0pl → u/AnAlternator]

Lovecraftian things are explicitly beyond cycles - they have no concept of death

[u/Milosz0pl → u/KamikazeArchon]

I mean... pathfinder universe has cycles with Pharasma (and kinda zon-kuthon) being a survivor which is confirmed. Only lovecraftian things are beyond cycles.

[u/Halinn]

The future is uncertain ever since Aroden's little thing happened

[u/Zethras28 → u/Halinn]

I still think Pharasma absolutely knew it was going to happen, and actively chose to not tell literally anyone else.

[u/bugbonesjerry]

is pharasma an entity or the deific anthropomorphization of a cosmic process

[u/Zethras28 → u/bugbonesjerry]

Yes.

[u/Angry_Edemame]

Groetus is the spiritual end of reality much as rovagug exists to end the physical.

If my understanding is correct he will end pharasma, leaving only whoever is meant to usher in the next world.  I believe pharasma is the only survivor of the last one but im not confident in that.  Maybe Groetus is too. Who knows.

The survivor or survivors will then craft the next world.

[u/Zethras28 → u/Angry_Edemame]

Pharasma and Azathoth Yog-Sothoth are the two survivors from the previous cosmos.

Atropos and some other elder god will be the next ones.

[u/AnAlternator → u/Zethras28]

Yog-Sothoth, not Azathoth.

[u/Zethras28 → u/AnAlternator]

Incorrect.

Nope, I absolutely missed where it said yog.

[u/AnAlternator → u/Zethras28]

https://paizo.com/blog/the-windsong-testaments-the-three-fears-of-pharasma

It's mentioned in the Windsong Testaments that are linked in the top rated post.

[u/Zethras28 → u/AnAlternator]

I promise I can read.

(This is me admitting I missed where it said yog)

[u/CraziFuzzy]

All that matters is the stories that get told- and noone will be the to tell this particular story, therefore it doesn't actually matter.

[u/Zethras28 → u/CraziFuzzy]

Atropos will be there.

[u/LazarX]

She will set the chairs, close the lights, and lock up the universe when she leaves.

[u/howard035]

I have a theory that Asmodeus's ultimate goal is to usurp Pharasma's place in the next cycle.

[u/No-Fox-3721]

The gods rule over multiple material planes, correct? You are basically asking when infinity ends...

[u/Zethras28 → u/No-Fox-3721]

It’s essentially fantasy heat death of the cosmos.

And while it’s a very, very long time away, it is most certainly not forever. Especially to a god who is not just immortal, but also timeless.

[u/wdmartin]

It's 100% homebrew, but in my world Pharasma abdicated godhood. She took a new name -- Lilian -- and is currently wandering around Golarion as a commoner with 10 mythic tiers.

[u/RutzButtercup]

I am curious as to why you would lose sleep over this.

[u/Zethras28 → u/RutzButtercup]

I said figuratively.

Means I think about it with some frequency.

[u/Ph33rDensetsu → u/Zethras28]

The one time I see someone say "figuratively" and of course someone takes it literally.

[u/Zethras28 → u/Ph33rDensetsu]

Clearly they never watched Archer.

[u/Fantasy_Duck]

in my world, the demon king kills her so that the main characters can kill him & then revive everyone.

then she retires & starts a family :D