Xander Saren's page

My fellow gamers/adventurers: I hate to have to say this, but I think I’m gonna have to bow out of my PBP games. We all know how real life can rear its ugly head, and I’m just not finding the time to work on my online hobby these days. I can barely keep up with reading posts, let alone posting any actions on my own, and I’d rather not limp along in some half-ass fashion without being able to give the time and energy that these games and our characters deserve. I wish you all the best and thank you for including me in your stories. -Rob

Xander doesn't think he can get a sling shot off very accurately down this hallway, but he doesn't want the creep to smash John either. He waves one arm while pronouncing a silky smooth phrase.
casting grease on the crowbar, DC16 reflex to hang on to it

init: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9

hey guys, I'll be travelling for the next few days. Apologies. Please bot me as needed.

"Let's assume for the moment that these are the ravings of a mad man, at least until we have no other choice. If he's right, the evidence will assuredly reflect his hypothesis." Xander paces back and forth. "If he is correct, and we are, perhaps, in a dream realm, then perhaps there is a passage back. If the veil is thin on one side, it stands to reason it should be thin on the other, yes?" He really hopes the ratling is wrong... very wrong. As he paces, he starts thinking furiously, trying to recall anything he might have read about a king in yellow or dream hunter.
knowledge: 1d20 + 9 + 1d6 ⇒ (20) + 9 + (6) = 35 +1 more if arcana or planes, +2 more if religion
HOLY COW!!! If he doesn't know it, nobody does!

"Relax, John. I'll keep my eye on him."
spellcraft: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12 for all the good it does!

"Hang on there, John. We might get some good information." He turns to Broom. "Alas, that's not a language I speak, but please, let us know what he's saying."

"Why are you down in that hole? And how did you get there?" Xander demands. Then he takes a second to breathe so he doesn't sound quite so hostile. "Please understand, we are searching for answers in this place. Some terrible tragedy has happened that has monsters roaming the corridors of this, ummm, hospital. If you have any information at all, it could prove quite valuable to us."

Xander has decided that he really hates rats. He picks up a rock and fits it into his sling, moving to where he might be able to get a shot soon.

perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20
init: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10
"Oh gods!" he stammers as he tries to fall back away from the horde.

str check to aid: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13
"All of us, on the rope, pull as one. Ready?"

"I would like to suggest knocking away some of that furniture and closing the hole. Not only will it make it more difficult for anything ELSE to get in, but... it may be necessary to make sure nothing else gets out."

spellcraft on syringe: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23
Ooo, an interesting take on the old potion routine.
Xander takes a few moments to peruse some of the medical texts and poke around the desk.
"You may be correct," Xander says to John.
any identifying papers of the doctor at the desk?
perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

Xander drops down to help Miniel help pull out the body. Perhaps there's some information that can be gleaned from this person. He keeps a steady eye on it as they work to make sure it isn't another trick.
I'll also grab an alchemist's fire.
Quick note John: GM said 6, I olny see 3 on the list, am I missing something?

Ewww, Xander thinks as he whirls his sling around.
not sure if I can see the other one, but if I can, here's a shot
sling: 1d20 + 3 - 4 ⇒ (15) + 3 - 4 = 14 dam: 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

"Bludgeon it, John! Punks aren't hurt as much by slashing and piercing. Rostam, kick it!" he says with a small smile. "And try to keep the liquid off you." He takes a step back to try to keep out of the punks attacks. "I suppose we could damage them with positive energy, if we had to. They are technically undead."
He leans over and picks up a rock and drops it in his sling, just in case.

knowledge: just about anything: 1d20 + 9 + 1d6 ⇒ (16) + 9 + (6) = 31
some of my rolls are better than this, but if it's anything but a kn:nobility roll, it's at least +9
init: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9
"Ewww."

heal: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
Xander isn't really able to help much with the dead. He's a bit distracted by the books and paperwork. Although he isn't able to add much more to the cause of death, he takes a peek at the wand John found.
spellcraft: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22

I have to do one more bout of travelling. This will probably be it for a while though. Looks like Tues thru Sunday. Will do my best to check in as I can, but no guarantees. Apologies in advance

Xander watches as John opens the door, several steps back, just in case.
perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

Xander is truly perplexed by the remains of Debis. Is this an artifact of the child's mind, or of the lantern, or of this place? He really hates puzzles that have no clear answer.
As for the issue at hand: "I must concur with Reine. We need to make sure there is nothing behind us before we continue forward."

quick heads up: I will be travelling for the next few days (Thurs-Sun). I may or may not have internet access. Apologies in advance

cool! safe travels

Xander is happy to expound to Broom as they walk back. Although he doesn't remember much, he does seem to feel that he has a history of enjoying explaining things to people, though few ever listen. "Magic is a tool, like a hammer. A hammer can be very useful for constructing a house-frame, for example, or a ladder. But it isn't appropriate to make or fix a lantern, like the one the child has given us. The right tool for the right job. The magic of some can heal wounds, perhaps even resurrect the dead. The right magic, the right caster, even, for the right job." He performs a few minor tricks (via cantrip) making various coins appear and disappear as they walk. "I suspect that much of your magic is based on principles similar to my own. Yet there are spells that come to you that I may never master, and vice versa."

heads up: I'm travelling over the next few days. I SHOULD still have some access, but will have limited opportunities to post. Please BOT me if needed.

"Maybe we just need to bring in that lantern," Xander suggests. "We can come back."

Xander nodded to Desdemona's trepidation. "We all have our demons to deal with. Some are more physical than others." He looks around to the others. "So, a rope then? Is that the strategy?"

Xander does hope that with these meds he can help the child with seizures. In the meantime, "Without actually going back for the lantern, one of us could try to physically contact Debis. But I am not convinced of the safety of such an action. Still I'll be happy to hold a rope for you." Inwardly, he doubts that this child is even still alive. If it isn't another shapechanger, it most likely is a spirit. Still, some of us might feel bad to simply leave him there without checking.
He whispers to Desdemona, "Can your 'friend' reach the child? And would there be negative consequences were the child still alive?" He hopes he hasn't offended her, but it's obvious to him that her shadow is more than normal. He wonders if she's capable of actually controlling it, however.

Xander sighs as he listens to the voice. "Given what we've seen and experienced, and the darkness spell, we should expect this is another trap or haunt. And one that's particularly difficult to deal with given the spell."
do any of the files we've been looking through mention a Brenton?

Xander agrees with to Desdemona's suggestion to cover the body. "We could probably take her back to the morgue," he suggests to Broom. Internally, he would prefer to incinerate the corpse to make sure she's truly gone, but he doesn't think that would be a helpful suggestion at the moment.
Once the body is covered, he follows Miniel to the double doors. The darkness seems a curiosity here.
kn:arcana: 1d20 + 10 + 1d6 ⇒ (9) + 10 + (5) = 24
"A darkness spell most likely. A strong one. Even my eyes can't penetrate." He pulls out a small crystal and holds it to his eye (using detect magic).

Xander can't help but smile, though it sort of looks like a grimace on his face. "Excellent! Let's see of there's anything else useful in the medicine cabinet," he says as he adds whatever else they find to what they have already. Surely some of these will come in handy. He also grabs the other patient files (if possible).

Xander nods to Reine. "If you would be so good, John, please hold the other end of this rope," he says tying it about his waist. Moving into position, he readies his arm to pour the concoction down the woman's throat. "Ready."

Xander shakes his head wearily. "Sad. Apparently, insanity persists after death." He nods to Reine's question though. "I have some knowledge. We should be able to figure something out if we can grab the medicinals."
I have this picture in my head of them using things like laudanum, morphine, and cocaine

symbolically kill...lol
"Haunts are difficult to harm with physical weapons. We could use positive energy spells against it, though it would lessen our ability to heal ourselves."

Xander scratches his chin in thought. "We need more information. If only we were able to access the cabinet over there. Broom, you can manipulate objects at a distance, yes? Could you pull something from over there?"

"Don't cross the stream!" Xander yells out as he sees it lash out against Desdemona. Ghostbusters reference, had to be made
But it was too late and the river of blood had consumed the three of them. Seeing Reine use a sash, he realizes he has a scarf that might be used to the same advantage. "Here! Grab this!"

"I believe this is a haunt, a spiritual manifestation. Latent psychic energy links the spirits of those who died horrific or terrifying deaths to a particular spot. They are quite difficult to permanently get rid of, especially because each one is unique in its cause and effect."

Xander doesn't touch it. He's not even sure it's "real," (Ectoplasm, perhaps? ) though it may be real enough. He gets within a few feet. "Indeed, Broom. This might be one of those cases where a magical touch is far safer." He looks around the room to see if there's anything else that might help them figure out the nature of this haunt and how to remove it.
perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

Xander is really having trouble wrapping his mind around this scene. An inexhaustible blood flow? A reversal of gravity? Curiouser and curiouser. He moves forward just enough to see if the stream is actually blood.
kn:arcana: 1d20 + 10 + 1d6 ⇒ (8) + 10 + (4) = 22

Xander jumped back as the ghoul rose for him, very glad of the restraints, and his ally with the spear. "Ghoul fever? Hmm. I've never heard of any sort of yellow mist associated with it. But that does make me very wary of going outside. If that yellow mist is in ANY way similar to this... that's very bad." He scratches his chin as he looks at the body. assuming he doesn't see any ghoul bites, he adds "I suppose if he had been strapped down and forced to eat ghoul flesh, one might catch the disease as well. That seems like an awful lot of work for the standard ghoul to go through though."

Xander backs up surprised by the convulsing. "What the hell?" The smoke is also unexpected. "If I had to guess, perhaps a manifestation of some kind? This is completely new territory." He scratches his head. "Suppose for a moment there's something here that can animate the dead? That yellow smoke could be related. OR it could be what killed him." He covers his mouth with his sleeve, just in case. "May be best if we keep moving."

"Night terrors, perhaps. It is curious that he seems unmolested, so we should remain cautious." Xander approaches the other side of his bed opposite Rostam. Nodding to the man's spear, he lowers a gloved hand to the man's forehead and gently touches him.

How many creatures are in this damned place?!
Xander rushes behind John hoping they might be able to help another survivor before it's too late.

"We should probably head back north. I don't think there's anything else here."

"Hmm, I guess that's one way to conserve lamp oil." Xander examines the lamp via detect magic.
kn:arcana: 1d20 + 10 + 1d6 ⇒ (13) + 10 + (5) = 28

Xander thanks Broom for cleaning the boots. They ARE nice boots, after all.

percep: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16
As they head south, he takes a quick scan of the room to see if they missed anything. "John, what's behind the curtain there?"

Xander relates all he knows about Redleaf Lake and the nobility who reside there...though he's not sure anyone is listening. see spoiler
"Does anyone recognize any of those names?" he asks. (Adler, Boadely, Druanwiet, Millair, or Vanache)

Xander continues to keep his eyes open as they rifle through the rooms looking for anything useful.
kn:local: 1d20 + 9 + 1d6 ⇒ (11) + 9 + (2) = 22
"Nice boots. Angier's if I'm not mistaken. Apparently, this man was someone of some importance." He's not quite sure how he remembers this. Odd how that information is right at hand but that I have such a hard time remembering where I've been recently.
perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24
kn:local: 1d20 + 9 + 1d6 ⇒ (15) + 9 + (4) = 28
Looking closely at the ring, his eyebrows shoot up. "Oh my, an important person indeed. This crest is from the Millair family. Out of Redleaf lake." any info on the family or the settlement?

why can't those have been combat rolls?!

hey folks, having some computer issues, hope I can clear it up in the next few days. Hope it won't be too long. Bot as needed

"Nicely handled," Xander says.

I need to get a bow or something similar, Xander thinks to himself.