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Story Hour
The Wind Riders: Tales from the Infinite Staircase (Updated September 13)
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<blockquote data-quote="RedShirtNo5" data-source="post: 4406714" data-attributes="member: 173"><p><strong>Onto the Infinite Staircase</strong></p><p></p><p>The next morning, Geldar recasts tongues. The Slaiyith leader explains, "Many buddings ago, biped creatures visited us from the obelisk. They taught us a ritual to open a portal to a place they called the Stairwell. Once you pass through the portal, you must choose right, left, up, right, left, down, left, right, up." Geldar repeats the directions. </p><p> </p><p>"Got it," says Thantar, "let's get moving!" </p><p> </p><p>The Slaiyiths begin a multitonal droning, which rises and falls in intensity. Soon, a bright crease appears on the obelisk, which widens into the shimmering curtain of light. The adventurers (and their mounts) step through.</p><p> </p><p>The Wind Riders find themselves standing on a stone platform about forty feet square. The platform is seemingly suspended in midair in a grayish haze. Behind them is a door formed of an unknown bone-white material inscribed with weird, disturbing runes in a plain bone-white frame. Directly ahead of them, a stone stair rises upward into the air, apparently unsupported. To their left, another stone stair heads downward. Far in the distance, partially obscured by haze, Ka'hari can see more walkways and stairs suspended in midair. </p><p> </p><p>After some debate, the party selects the stairwell heading up. They climb for about forty-five minutes, with the stairs turning first one direction, then another. The adventurers then reach a wooden platform about twenty feet square. Another wooden stairwell leads down to the right. At the left edge of the wood platform is an iron-bound wood door in a wooden doorframe. Ka'hari searches and listens at the door, but finds nothing. She tries to open the door, but it will not budge, so the adventurers continue down the stairs to the right. After about another hour, they reach a silvery metal platform. A metallic blue door is on the left side of the platform, whereas a metal walkway leads straight ahead. Looking out across empty space to the right, about three hundred feet away they see a vertical stone platform set with a stone door that appears to jut out horizontally. The party proceeds along the metal walkway for about twenty minutes, and reaches another metal platform. Here, one metal stair leads up to the right, a stone stair leads down straight ahead, and a copper door with black scorch marks at the corners stands to the left. After more debate the party climbs down the stairs to the left.</p><p> </p><p>The adventurers continue climbing, seeing stairs of every possible composition. There are stairs of metal, stone, wood, and bone. Some stairs are ornately carved, but others are plain. About every thirty to forty-five minutes they reach a platform. Most of the platforms have one door, but a few have two or more doors, and a few platforms have no doors. The doors are similarly varied, and none will open. About every three or four platforms, there is a choice between two or three different stairs. The party becomes argumentative, as there is no sign of whether or not they are following the directions correctly. After about another five hours, the party settles to rest.</p><p> </p><p>The Wind Riders spend the first half of the next day climbing stairs. They pass through an area where small blue mushrooms grow on the sides of the stairs, then through an area where the stairs wind around huge stone columns. Around mid-day, after passing about nine platforms, they reach ladder. The party sets camp.</p><p> </p><p>After resting, Geldar casts reduce on the horses, and the party carries their mounts up the ladder. They continue climbing up and down the stairs, entering a region where translucent bubbles float through the air, then a region where the haze is particularly dense, and then a region where lightning bugs crawl on the sides of the stairs. </p><p> </p><p>Near the end of the day, after passing another eighteen platforms, the adventurers see a bulky 7-foot tall creature with gray hide and bat-ears heading down the stairs toward them. The party backs up, retreating to a nearby platform. The creature passes them without speaking. Reynard concentrates on the creature, but his stomach jumps and bile rises to his throat. This creature is the strongest evil he has ever detected! The creature looks back at the adventurers and sneers, and then stomps down the next stairway. The adventurers climb for another half-hour, then camp on a wooden platform. </p><p> </p><p>Again, the Wind Riders spend most of the next day climbing stairs. They pass through a region with small waterfalls pouring past the platforms, then an area with an orange lichen growing on the stairs. Some time in mid-afternoon, the party reaches the point that think their directions are leading them. They climb to several platforms, but none of the doors will open, and there is no sign of anything "unusual" here (beyond the bizarre environment itself). Discouraged and angry, the adventurers set to arguing again.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="RedShirtNo5, post: 4406714, member: 173"] [b]Onto the Infinite Staircase[/b] The next morning, Geldar recasts tongues. The Slaiyith leader explains, "Many buddings ago, biped creatures visited us from the obelisk. They taught us a ritual to open a portal to a place they called the Stairwell. Once you pass through the portal, you must choose right, left, up, right, left, down, left, right, up." Geldar repeats the directions. "Got it," says Thantar, "let's get moving!" The Slaiyiths begin a multitonal droning, which rises and falls in intensity. Soon, a bright crease appears on the obelisk, which widens into the shimmering curtain of light. The adventurers (and their mounts) step through. The Wind Riders find themselves standing on a stone platform about forty feet square. The platform is seemingly suspended in midair in a grayish haze. Behind them is a door formed of an unknown bone-white material inscribed with weird, disturbing runes in a plain bone-white frame. Directly ahead of them, a stone stair rises upward into the air, apparently unsupported. To their left, another stone stair heads downward. Far in the distance, partially obscured by haze, Ka'hari can see more walkways and stairs suspended in midair. After some debate, the party selects the stairwell heading up. They climb for about forty-five minutes, with the stairs turning first one direction, then another. The adventurers then reach a wooden platform about twenty feet square. Another wooden stairwell leads down to the right. At the left edge of the wood platform is an iron-bound wood door in a wooden doorframe. Ka'hari searches and listens at the door, but finds nothing. She tries to open the door, but it will not budge, so the adventurers continue down the stairs to the right. After about another hour, they reach a silvery metal platform. A metallic blue door is on the left side of the platform, whereas a metal walkway leads straight ahead. Looking out across empty space to the right, about three hundred feet away they see a vertical stone platform set with a stone door that appears to jut out horizontally. The party proceeds along the metal walkway for about twenty minutes, and reaches another metal platform. Here, one metal stair leads up to the right, a stone stair leads down straight ahead, and a copper door with black scorch marks at the corners stands to the left. After more debate the party climbs down the stairs to the left. The adventurers continue climbing, seeing stairs of every possible composition. There are stairs of metal, stone, wood, and bone. Some stairs are ornately carved, but others are plain. About every thirty to forty-five minutes they reach a platform. Most of the platforms have one door, but a few have two or more doors, and a few platforms have no doors. The doors are similarly varied, and none will open. About every three or four platforms, there is a choice between two or three different stairs. The party becomes argumentative, as there is no sign of whether or not they are following the directions correctly. After about another five hours, the party settles to rest. The Wind Riders spend the first half of the next day climbing stairs. They pass through an area where small blue mushrooms grow on the sides of the stairs, then through an area where the stairs wind around huge stone columns. Around mid-day, after passing about nine platforms, they reach ladder. The party sets camp. After resting, Geldar casts reduce on the horses, and the party carries their mounts up the ladder. They continue climbing up and down the stairs, entering a region where translucent bubbles float through the air, then a region where the haze is particularly dense, and then a region where lightning bugs crawl on the sides of the stairs. Near the end of the day, after passing another eighteen platforms, the adventurers see a bulky 7-foot tall creature with gray hide and bat-ears heading down the stairs toward them. The party backs up, retreating to a nearby platform. The creature passes them without speaking. Reynard concentrates on the creature, but his stomach jumps and bile rises to his throat. This creature is the strongest evil he has ever detected! The creature looks back at the adventurers and sneers, and then stomps down the next stairway. The adventurers climb for another half-hour, then camp on a wooden platform. Again, the Wind Riders spend most of the next day climbing stairs. They pass through a region with small waterfalls pouring past the platforms, then an area with an orange lichen growing on the stairs. Some time in mid-afternoon, the party reaches the point that think their directions are leading them. They climb to several platforms, but none of the doors will open, and there is no sign of anything "unusual" here (beyond the bizarre environment itself). Discouraged and angry, the adventurers set to arguing again. [/QUOTE]
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