Alvar the Wayfarer's page

"... strange." Alvar muses. "There's something magical about this dog, but I can't quite put my finger on what that is. Troubling. I would stand away, Enoch, were I you." There's a resigned note to their voice, however, knowing as they do that the other planestouched is unlikely to give heed to their caution.

Alvar examines the dog carefully, before summoning up their magic to examine it for any signs of illusion or transmutations. "Be careful, Enoch." They say. "There's always a chance it's a... trick."

Using detect magic here.

Alvar hisses an incantation, unleashing a disruptive burst of positive energy at the unengaged ghoul. Assuming it's still up after Iosif has shot at it. If not, target the one Enoch's attacking, who has cover from them.

Disrupt Undead, touch: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24
Confirm?: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20
Damage: 2d6 ⇒ (6, 2) = 8

Alvar follows their fellow planestouched with careful footsteps, readying themself for the oncoming battle.

Alas, the same here.

North is fine by me, too.

Alvar glances at their crossbow, considering it for a few moments, but doesn't yet draw it, preferring to keep their hands open for spellcasting - at least for now.

Alvar rubs their six-fingered hands together, grimacing. "Foul indeed. Well done, my friends." They wrinkle their nose at the stench, their brow furrowing tighter. "Moving forwards would be wise - up the stairs, do you think? Ethyl, that spell won't last more than a few minutes longer, so it would be wise to fight while it's still active - assuming that our foes will be attacking physically."

They consider that thought for a few moments. "If the oneirogen upstairs is anything like our previous encounter, it won't attack physically, but from what I understand of them, most of them aren't quite so... inanimate."

Alvar winces as the ghast erupts from the smoky doorway. "Begone, accursed thing." They hiss, gesturing quickly to summon the Third Ward Against Weapons Natural and Artificial. A protective wave of magic spreads out from them, whirling around Ethyl and Iosif to shield them against any oncoming attacks.

Protective Ward, as usual. +1 deflection to AC for every ally within 10 feet of them.

Probably less than you'd think, but still a significant proportion.

Blast, I would've hit one of the doors with hold portal from my Arcane Bond spontaneous spell, but too late for that now.

Alvar grimaces, turning to attempt to ward the door, but they aren't quick enough to do so before the ghouls erupt out of them. Uttering a curse in Infernal, they chant a quick spell and place a hand on Ethyl's shoulder, causing her outline to shudder and blur. With a few hasty steps, they pull back from the open door, already considering their next move.

Casting blur on Ethyl, then stepping back. Blur will last 3 minutes.

Looks like we're back! Good to see.

Pyrotechnics is pretty good as far as debuffing goes, I agree. Not sure this is the place for it, but it definitely is a choice we can go with. I don't have a strong preference, but depending on which sort of pyrotechnic display you go with, it could be hard for Alvar to cast or shoot the enemies.

I can't fail that religion check.

"Damn." Alvar hisses under their breath. "That will be inconvenient." They flex their fingers, considering for a few moments. "I have a number of spells that could work against them, but some of them require me to be able to see them - and if we conceal them with smoke, I won't be able to."

Alvar glances around, taking a deep breath. "The undead are a constant pestilence on this place. Hopefully we're close to dealing with the last of them, but I doubt it." They shake their head. No, focus.
Perception, Aid Another, Take 10: 10 + 3 = 13

They look at the door towards which their companions are headed. "That's... the baths, I think." They say aloud. Gods below, I hope we don't encounter nude ghouls. I do not need to see that ever.

Alvar hisses their satisfaction at the fact they landed their disruptive spell, before they swiftly repeat the chant and gestures, unleashing another blast at the remaining undead creature.
Disrupt Undead, touch: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12 If it's still prone, that misses. Otherwise, I think that hits thanks to touch.
Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 6

That noise - probably not cultists. Ghouls or doppelgängers, then. Most likely... Alvar sidesteps, allowing Enoch the chance to pass them by. As they do so, they ready their hands, taking a deep breath and preparing to hurl a ray of positive energy at the first enemy they see. My other cantrips wouldn't hurt a doppelgänger or a ghoul, but this at least will hurt the latter.

5-foot step, readying disrupt undead on the first ghoul they lay eyes on.
Readied Attack, touch: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13
Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4

Alvar nods silently, flexing their hands in preparation to launch a spell at whatever threat lingers there. Ghouls or doppelgängers? Cultists? Whatever they are, the wizard intends to be ready for them.

Ah, we can only dream.

Alvar follows Ethyl with a slight nod. "Before we enter, I want to recommend that you, Enoch, keep away from the oneirogen. You were lucky last time, but being that close to a creature that can force you to sleep is truly risky here. Ethyl, thanks to her heritage, need not worry about that."

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19 Wow, I didn't expect to get that.

As they emerge into the new area, they pluck the map out of their bag with their tail, examining it once again. When they lift up their eyes, however, they freeze. "That wall... It could be easily knocked over, and there's something behind it." They point at the southern wall, nearby to the half-elf doctor.

Wait, can you go into more detail there? I'm trying to find the blog, but the thing's being a bit stubborn.

"A voonith..." Alvar repeats, their heartbeat gradually slowing down. "Another denizen of the Dimension of Dreams." The wizard shakes themself and walks to retrieve their bolt. When they return their attention to the others, they smile wearily. "Unfortunately, I can now say that I have personal experience with their cry."

They glance at Iosif. "Well, I suspect that your weapon would've very well announced our presence even more than our combat already has." They pause, taking slow breaths, then point to the south with their tail. "Alright. I believe we should head southwards. That way we can probably get into the tower room. Assuming that's where we want to be - defeating the oneirogen may well help revert us back to the material... though I can't say for certain."

Alvar lets out an involuntary groan, their eyes widening. "Th-that's a voonith! Its howl can cause fear, and - and it can bite further out than you'd think.!"

They force themselves to walk forwards, lifting their hands hesitantly. What spells do I have? What can I do? Their mind is numbed with shuddering dread, but eventually they're able to summon up their clarity and pull out their crossbow, leveling it at the creature and firing. They utter a soft curse as it goes very wide.
Moving and readying weapon, firing at voonith.
Light Crossbow vs. Voonith, Precise Shot, shaken: 1d20 + 4 - 2 ⇒ (7) + 4 - 2 = 9
Bolt Recovery, 2 is recoverable: 1d2 ⇒ 2 Well, that's something, at least.

Will, Disillusioned: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 6 + 2 = 14 Dammit. Dazed for this round, shaken for the next.
Sanity: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20 Well, at least I don't lose sanity.
Knowledge (arcana): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (16) + 11 = 27 +2 if it's on the talisman of revealing list.

The mind-wracking shriek sends Alvar's mind stumbling, and they can't react swiftly - wound up in trying to identify what in all the gods' names this creature is. No answer immediately arises, but what information they recall can't escape their lips.

Alvar glances sympathetically at Ethyl, but sighs inwardly at Enoch's impulsivity again. "Please, be careful, man. You don't know what's out there." They look around the room, brows slowly furrowing. "Or in the room, for that matter."

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22

"I recommend being proactive - otherwise, I may not be able to cast all of the spells before she gets her hands on someone." Alvar says. "Of course, in practice, that means waiting some time as I cast, so it could be either."

[ooc}IC, I recommend going after Alvar buffs folks, but OOC I'm okay waiting, too.[/ooc]

"If we're drawing Loomis down, I have a few spells I would like to cast on our frontline fighters. It should help keep you from being hit too often, I hope." Alvar says slowly. "Beyond that, I can, as I said before, summon something from another plane to fight her."

Prepared to hand out blur to both Ethyl and Enoch, unless folks have other suggestions for whom to pass them out to.

"You're welcome, ma'am." The cambion replies courteously enough. It seems like the cultists aren't quite so unified as they seem. Good for us, I suppose.

Knowledge (nature): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23 I figure that's enough to know their weaknesses.

Alvar grimaces at Nyarai's question. "From what little I know - or at least, from what little I remember - doppelgängers are incredibly hard to identify. Not only do they possess nigh-perfect shapeshifting abilities, they are able to read the minds of those around them, allowing them to cater their behaviors to said individuals' expectations." They fold their arms. "Those with strong enough will can block such mental intrusions, of course, so it may be that they act out of character regardless..."

The wizard drums one hand's many fingers on their opposite arm. "From our experience here, most of the doppelgängers seem impatient and... erratic enough that they reveal themselves fairly quickly. Unfortunately, relying on that is significantly less than ideal."

Alvar snarls, baring their teeth at the ghouls, then hops forwards, their hooves clattering gently on the floor as they summon up the Third Protection Against Weapons Unnatural, drawing a star in the air surrounding a burning eye. Protective Ward activated. Everyone within 10' of Alvar including the cultists gets +1 AC for 5 rounds.

Alvar nods briefly. "Just so." They agree. "Not very good fighters, these..." A thought occurs to them. But the undead could defile what food is here. So it's for the best we get rid of them now.

They slip past Ethyl and clamber onto the sacks nearby. Uttering the words of disruption, they hurl another ray at the same blueish ghoul again. Not worth expending the spells on them yet.

Disrupt Undead, touch, precise shot, touch, soft cover?: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21
Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 5

Sorry for the delay. Posts shall resume as normal from me henceforth.

Alvar advances into the room alongside Ethyl, rubbing their six-fingered hands together as they conjure the same spell to blast the closest blueish ghoul with a ray of positive energy.
Disrupt Undead touch vs. blue ghoul, precise shot, soft cover?: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11 Ouch. I don't think that hits.

They utter a sharp curse in Infernal as the ray goes wide.

"Ethyl, you should be immune to their paralysis." They mutter to their half-elf companion. "But not their disease. Be careful." They glance apologetically at the sylph as her words hit them just too late to prevent their action.

Oops. That's on their player for not reading carefully enough.

Alvar grimaces as they see Ethyl open the door, their brow furrowing deeper as they hear the snarls of ghouls. "Splendid." They sigh. "More ghouls." They join the half-elf, examining the situation.

"Are we going to help them?" They ask the closest companions, preparing to hurl a bolt of positive energy at the closest ghoul if they are.

"I am able to," Alvar replies to Ethyl, "but the summon wouldn't even last half a minute. If I do, it might not be able to lure her down."

It is unfortunately impossible for me to post the next couple days. Busy busy and all that. I'll get back to you folks on Thursday.

Survival: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14

"Hm. They were intended for some sort of abjuration effect, but, as our comrades have demonstrated, they have no actual magic to them." Alvar notes with regard to the painted rocks. "To bring her down..." They consider for several moments. "I can summon a creature from Axis or another plane and send it up to attack any old women it sees, then retreat back down here..." They sigh inwardly. She is certainly aligned with the lower planes, which means I'd best call one from the celestial realms. It always leaves me feeling dirty...

They glance at Nyarai, suddenly concerned. "Are you well? Another memory?" The comment on their potentially criminal background makes Alvar wince. "Is... it's possible. I don't know what sort of laws we might break... but I certainly could see myself attempting a theft of scholarly books, under certain circumstances."

Sorry for the delay on my end. It's a very busy time of year for me, so I can't post as often as I'd like. I also got distracted and forgot a few days in a row.

It does feel like there's an alignment aspect to the smells we're getting. Maybe? Or at least whom one reveres, because our paladin and good aligned person smell something nice, our two more or less neutral characters smell something moderately bad, and our daemon-worshipper smells something truly foul.

"Definitely a haunt." Alvar considers for a few moments, sniffing the air. "That is an unpleasant smell... Anyways, as I see it, there's a few options we can take here. We can pass this clear demarcation and risk whatever is on the far side of it. We can lure Loomes here and try to trigger this haunt against her... or we can trigger the haunt ourselves, try to get rid of it. I can cast a spell that will disable it for a time, if we wish to do so."

Knowledge (arcana): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (11) + 11 = 22 Can I roll this to determine if there's any magical significance of the stones?

Alvar frowns at the doctor's answer, stroking their chin. "That means that the rest of the people here are at least publicly in support of Zandalus." They muse. "How loyal they are is likely irrelevant, if we get their attention. Peer pressure would bring the rest, no matter how loyal."

Perception, Take 10: 10 + 3 = 13

As they follow Ethyl, Alvar pauses, hearing something. "Shh. I hear something. Another haunt?" Their mind races to try to identify whether or not that's correct. [smaller]"We should deal with it first, if we're going to lure her in here."/smaller]

Knowledge (religion): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27 Is this a haunt?

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11

A strangler... Alvar glances as their companions, measuring Enoch and Ethyl. "There are doppelgängers, ghouls, and other things in the halls. I would be careful if you intend to leave... especially if you're at risk of falling asleep."

Wait... A thought strikes them. "Have any of these cultists transformed into ghouls or doppelgängers while asleep?" I rather doubt they have Desna's protection, but they may have the Tatterman's.. That would suggest that the Tatterman has more direct control over the mutation than I'd have imagined. Their tail twitches, anxious at the realization.

They glance at Nyarai, alarmed by her suggestion. "Let's not risk starting fires that could cause the building to burn down. I may be resistant to heat, but I doubt our fellows are... and even I'm hardly immune." The wizard shakes their head. "No, I'm in agreement with Iosif. We should lure her down... assuming there aren't any cultists who would take offense down here?" They glance at Wren. "I don't want to have to fight the whole group here."

Will: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10 Oof. I think that's the first or second one I've failed.

"Oneirogens?" Alvar muses in a quiet voice. "I can see why they might not come down, then. They'd no longer be exactly... mortal, even." They shake their head. "If they're as badly off as Losandro was, then they might not even be mobile."

They drum their fingers together, then grimace. "What can you tell us about Loomis? How she killed her victims, that sort of thing." My armor's gone. I'll need to deal with her more carefully...

Belatedly, should we have rolled for sanity damage earlier? With the crucified corpse?

Alvar runs a thumb over their chin. "Call me Alvar." They say by way of introduction. "It seems that things here are less unified than I'd feared. Good, but also difficult. Tell me, what is Loomis like? And moreover, why was she sent here if she is a serial killer? Powerful relatives?"

Alvar nods quietly at Nyarai's assessment, a gesture happily in line with the man's request. "Of course, of course." They say. "We've been searching for the orpiment for quite some time! Guide us, if you would."

Bluff: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23

They glance at their fellows, indicating that they think they should follow his request for now.

"I am less protected than I prefer to be." Alvar admits at Nyarai's comment. "However, even, if I remain further behind our frontline in combat, I will be able to contribute a bit more in battle than I have in the past." They tap the side of their head. "A few new spells have come up since we woke up in our cells."

The hellspawn looks to the others. "If you'd like to go, I am ready do so."

"It seems like this place was never a particularly... safe place." Alvar says after sharing their own findings with the others. "Always haunted in some way... but the Tatterman must be relatively recent, no? He would've left Sarkoris in the Age of Lost Omens. Thus, we have a longer history of darkness here than I'd expected..."

Knowledge (history): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24

Alvar spends the time in the library scanning the historical documents, delving into the history of the sanitarium - and the region itself, if they find any documents relevant to that subject - in the hopes of uncovering some signs of how this planar overlap might have occurred. Their magically summoned armor fizzles out of existence as they study, and they pause, frowning. "I'd rather not continue onwards into danger, now..." They muse aloud. "But we can continue our studies here and move on as the rest of you feel best."

I went with Knowledge (history), but if we want to focus down the religious knowledge, my bonus is the same.

When Nyarai's voice returns, they turn to offer her a wry smile. "I'm glad to hear your voice coming from your mouth again." The smile fades towards a more sympathetic expression. "I hope that none of us will need face such an experience, especially you." Still, the wizard muses, I wonder how it felt... and whether or not I can learn something from it...

"One needs all the entertainment one can get here." Alvar says dryly, then glances over the staff offices and the map they have. "Hm. I believe that the Mess Hall - and our cultist foes - are likely through the door back there." They jab a thumb over their shoulder to the door on the far side of Debis' lair. The one marked 1.

"That said, I recommend we perhaps wait until Nyarai's voice returns. Without her voice, she'll likely be unable to cast most of the spells she's prepared for today."

I believe that the darkness is gone alongside the attic whisperer. If so, Alvar will inform Ethyl.

"I believe the darkness was a haunt." Alvar muses. "I couldn't see into it, either." They look to Nyarai. "Were you able to see anything when you went rushing in? While inside or while you were outside?" Shaking their head, they look to Ethyl again. "It was an attic whisperer - Brenton's brother Debis, it seems."

Knowledge (religion): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17

"That explains why Nyarai's voice is coming out from inside, but she's with us." Alvar agrees quietly. I wonder whether her alignment with air left her especially vulnerable to the attic whisperer's abilities. They glance at Nyarai, then sigh. "Her casting ability is severely compromised while she doesn't have her voice, and it won't return to her for an hour or so, I think."

They hesitate, then lay a gentle hand on the sylph's shoulder. "If you need help, just signal me." The wizard gestures with their chin at their shoulder, indicating a touch would do. "For now, I agree with Enoch. We should go fetch our good Doctor."

Sorry, I was sick almost all last week. I'll get to posting today.

Alvar looks Nyarai over quickly, their expression slightly concerned, but when they turn to look at Ethyl, she's already gone. "Where did Ethyl go?" They ask sharply, looking around in the hopes of seeing her. When they find no sign of her, they hiss a curse in Infernal. "Our doctor's disappeared, and Nyarai is deeply distressed. That's just splendid."

Do we hear Nyarai's voice saying that?

Alvar can't actually beat that DC, even with a natural 20 and a circumstantial bonus.

"A boy?" Alvar thinks quickly. "Maybe Brenton's brother? Debis, was it?" They slip their tail into their backpack, grasping for the toy the child had given them. "Are you certain he's alive, Nyarai?" Not... dead. Or worse, undead.