Vortex/Rift:
While it appears to be invisble from head on, seemingly two dimensional, from the sides the rift appears to be a flat slice of darkness perhaps 2-3 inches across. Vashik moves around to try and get a better look from behind the altar to tell if it would be safe to cross and is confronted by something even more bizarre. What had seemed to be a two dimensional rift hovering in the air looks more three dimensional from the back where the rift actually looks like a portal.
Through the portal around back he can see a wide viewing area about 3ft in diameter (though it that is not stable and often shifts). The landscape on the other side of the rift is one of twisting non-euclidean shapes reminiscent of tentacles, hard angles, and jelly. The baffling scents identified earlier are amplified from this perspective too and are joined by an odd keening sound that varies in pitch and volume.
The short answer would be, no it does not look safe to enter.
Riardon confirms Vashik's suspicions that the portal is tied to the rumors of a Far Realm beyond mortal comprehension.
Campsite:
The two barrels on the lower floor appear to have once contained fresh water. What is left in them smells strongly and is obviously spoiled given the presence of green algea floating along the top and an odd white powdery fungus growing up the insides of the barrels.
Upstairs the crates and barrels reveal much the same thing, spoiled food and drinking supplies. While the fire is cold as is the bedding, it does not appear to have been that long ago since someone used the site, contradicting the evidence that the food and water has long since spoiled.
The small chest turns out to be locked.
Altar:
Dane is unable to add much to Incarnation's knowledge of the mechanism beyond that it might rotate as the depression looks like a key hole.
Incarnation continues to examine the symbols making up the mechanism. Each of the five bowls holds a single symbol in a distinct color.
- Starting from the top the symbol vaguely looks like a 4 and is yellow in color.
- Clockwise around the altar then the second symbol looks somewhat like an accented cross in bright red.
- The next looks like two wavy lines forming a river and is brownish in color.
- The next looks like a ribbon folded into a b and is orange.
- The last is an accented upside down T and is greyish.
[sblock=ooc]Inspiration for symbols and overall look of the altar:
http://www.cthulhulives.org/store/images/eldersign-copperdetail.jpg
Note that it is different this is just inspiration.
Wish I could draw to show it to you. Hopefully that gives you a good idea what it looks like.[/sblock]