MAL Ep. 31 Notes

CHAVALK NOTES:
With the caveat that you do not know how accurately this phantasm portrays the real Chavalk, you definitely noticed the following things in the fight with him. Feel free to add more, I am sure this was not all:

1) He can cast quickened fireballs in addition to his other attacks.

2) He has spell-like abilities you ID'd as Blasphemy and Implosion. Perhaps some of your mage scholar allies may know how to avoid these spells or their effects?

3) You can guess his caster level must be 20, since the level 15 PCs were paralyzed by his Blasphemy and the level 16 ones weren't.

4) Adriel ID'd his AC as 35.

5) His DR is not penetrated by silver.

6) He has a vorpal sword.

7) He slew Zadkiel first, in preference to killing the PCs who were still up and attacking him.

OPEN QUESTIONS:
As I compiled my session notes I came across four questions asked by the party which they have not found the answers to. Up to you to decide whether or how to push on them:

1) Why are some of the nonhuman NPCs coming with you to some locations but not others?

2) Where did the Chavalk illusion come from--did it manifest the real Chavalk's abilities and fighting tactics, or was it an imaginary Chavalk pulled from Adriel's mind, or just a bunch of demon lord stats that Acererak copied from the Monster Manual?

3) Why are some of the things in this area more "real" than others? The Chavalk you fought wasn't the real Chavalk and the Time Eater wasn't a real creature of Limbo, but the Time Eater's attacks really damaged you and Chavalk's didnt. Is there any way to tell if something can kill you dead in here or not?

4) What day is it now--did the fight with the Time Eater alter time?

BAY'S COMMENT:
Bay has been thinking about Anselm's realm, and after you resume your humanoid forms, she speaks. "I can't prove it," she says, "but I think this place is changing based on how we react to it. Not necessarily changing to give us what we want, and not necessarily changing to thwart our plans either, but changing... somehow. It feels like there's a rhyme and a reason, but I can't put my finger on it." . "Ralph said there were many paths to our goal, and that we shouldn't be afraid to back up and take a different tack if we need to. If we can't progress in the pagoda because we broke the mirror, I think we should see if we can find another route. If we can't progress in the dungeon or the garden because we don't have an Aquan item or a cross shaped key, maybe we should search for those things." . "Anselm didn't tell us we were going to find a chalice no matter where we look," she concludes. "He said that we would find WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR anywhere we go. When we went to the dungeon place, we got there by taking a gem out of an offering bowl, then the first thing we did was go over and loot a big pile of gold. We weren't really looking for a chalice there, at least not primarily--we were looking for treasure, and that's what we kept finding. Maybe there's also another chalice hidden behind that seal, or maybe there's more treasure. Or maybe there's the killer lich from Khirg's fairy tale. I just don't think it's smart to make assumptions in a place as weird as this." (edited)