The Selgaunt Campaign

[haiiro]

OOC: Xen, without spells or special abilities that allow you to do so, there is never a way to know if stepping through an opaque portal is a safe thing to do -- Marduke certainly knows this. He also knows that most portals "pull" you through the moment you touch them, although there are exceptions (like the one to the valley on the other side of the cylnder room). That said, there's nothing to indicate that stepping into this one is inherently unsafe, so I'm going to run with that.

"Rumble up that bit o' stone again," Marduke says to Artemis, pointing at the panel that conceals the oil slick portal, "and I'll go have a look."

Artemis activates the runes again, and the portal shimmers back into being. Marduke strides forward confidently, his urgrosh swinging free at his side. When his leading foot hits the surface of the slick, he disappears.

OOC: Marduke only:

Spoiler

As soon as he touches the portal, Marduke is sucked through to its destination: a large room shaped somewhat like an upside-down wine glass.

He immediately feels a soothing tingle throughout his body -- very similar to the sensation of being healed by clerical magic. There is also something calming about the room itself; the place feels very peaceful.

The chamber is widest at the point of entry, and the portal opens out onto a walkway that encircles the whole room. The floor is only a few feet below the walkway, and the room bells out from there -- and then tapers up from the walkway to the ceiling (where the wine glass comparison comes from).

The walls are made of a pale blue stone, somewhat like marble, while the floor and walkway are made of the now-familiar pinkish stone used throughout the tower. Glowing purple motes can be seen on (or in) the floor -- along with small protrusions of metal -- but from this vantage point it's hard to guess at their nature.

Right next to the entry is a slender stairway that ascends steeply up and around the wall to the top of the room, and then descends again to the room's central feature: a tapered pillar the hangs from the ceiling, supporting a flat circular platform with a railing. This platform would give you an excellent view of the entrie floor of the room, which is perhaps fifty feet in diameter.

Across from the entryway, runes four feet high run in a wide band around the wall; the whole sequence is about twenty feet long.

OOC: What would everyone like to do?

I'm back in the mode of checking the thread every day, and I'd love to get everyone fired up into that same rhythm. We're coming up on the Selgaunt campaign's two year anniversary (this August), and there's so much more to see -- and do! -- that I very much want to keep it going.

Edit: I hit "submit post" and realized that didn't really cover all the things I was thinking about, so I posted in more detail over in the OOC thread.

 

[Xen]

Marduke

Marduke moves to a reasonable vatage point (not off the walk-way), pulls out his journal and pen, and takes down the runes (or as amny of them as he can jot down in 5 minutes time).

"Hrmph, s'pose I can have a bit of a look," he says to himself, and after spending a few minutes writing, he climbs the stairs. When he's had his fill of the view (doesn't take long), he returns to the entrance, and strides back through the portal.

 

[haiiro]

For everyone except Marduke:

Marduke is gone for several minutes. What do you do while he's gone, and do you go after him at some point?

For Marduke only:

Spoiler

Five minutes is more than enough time to copy the entire sequence of runes down very carefully.

The stairs follow the curve of the wall as they spiral up towards the ceiling (and the room's narrowest point), taking you about 90 degrees counter-clockwise from the entryway. Then they spiral down around the hanging pillar, ending up at the level of the second walkway -- suspended about thirty feet off the floor.

On the wide circular floor is a map of Sembia, showing only it's geographical boundaries and features. The lines of the map are made of the same incredibly bright metal you saw in the room full of rotting spears -- it looks new-forged, despite the carpet of dust covering it. Glowing motes of purple are scattered across the map, and these twinkle softly in a random fashion, much like stars. There are perhaps two hundred of them altogether.

One of these spots is much larger and brighter than the rest, and it does not twinkle. Having been filled in by the Follies not long ago, Marduke recognizes that this is the spot where the tower should be.

Also present are tiny, exquisitely detailed models of cities -- little collections of buildings and towers that look somewhat archaic in style, but are clearly much too modern to be Netherese. It looks as though they were added long after the tower was built -- and perhaps long after the map was created, as well. The models, too, are covered in dust.

 

[Artemis Blade]

After a few uncomfortable minutes (4-5) without Marduke, Artemis asks the rest of the group, "Well, should we follow him? Even though it is pretty quiet in here now, he could be in trouble. We've had plenty of ugly surprises here."

Artemis carefully enters the portal after another 2 minutes or so.





"Don't split the party!"

 

[thedangerranger]

"That sounds like a good plan Artemis."
Cupric will follow Artemis through if/when he goes.

 

[Xen]

Tal

"Why not..." says Tal, and follows the others.


OOC: I'm not posting for Marduke, as it is pretty clear what his actions are from the last post (i.e. take a look and then head back through the portal).

 

[haiiro]

After a few minutes with Marduke absent, the rest of the Follies head through the portal as well, weapons at the ready.

As soon as you touch the portal, you're sucked through to its destination: a large room shaped somewhat like an upside-down wine glass.

You immediately feel a soothing tingle throughout your body -- very similar to the sensation of being healed by clerical magic. There is also something calming about the room itself; the place feels very peaceful.

The chamber is widest at the point of entry, and the portal opens out onto a walkway that encircles the whole room. The floor is only a few feet below the walkway, and the room bells out from there -- and then tapers up from the walkway to the ceiling (where the wine glass comparison comes from).

The walls are made of a pale blue stone, somewhat like marble, while the floor and walkway are made of the now-familiar pinkish stone used throughout the tower. Glowing purple motes can be seen on (or in) the floor -- along with small protrusions of metal -- but from this vantage point it's hard to guess at their nature.

Right next to the entry is a slender stairway that ascends steeply up and around the wall to the top of the room, and then descends again to the room's central feature: a tapered pillar the hangs from the ceiling, supporting a flat circular platform with a railing. This platform would give you an excellent view of the entrie floor of the room, which is perhaps fifty feet in diameter.

Across from the entryway, runes four feet high run in a wide band around the wall; the whole sequence is about twenty feet long.

Marduke is standing on the small platform that is suspended from the ceiling. Seeing no obvious threats, some of the Follies join him.

The stairs follow the curve of the wall as they spiral up towards the ceiling (and the room's narrowest point), taking you about 90 degrees counter-clockwise from the entryway. Then they spiral down around the hanging pillar, ending up at the level of the second walkway -- suspended about thirty feet off the floor.

On the wide circular floor is a map of Sembia, showing only it's geographical boundaries and features. The lines of the map are made of the same incredibly bright metal you saw in the room full of rotting spears -- it looks new-forged, despite the carpet of dust covering it. Glowing motes of purple are scattered across the map, and these twinkle softly in a random fashion, much like stars. There are perhaps two hundred of them altogether.

One of these spots is much larger and brighter than the rest, and it does not twinkle. This larger mote is exactly where the tower should be.

Also present are tiny, exquisitely detailed models of cities -- little collections of buildings and towers that look somewhat archaic in style, but are clearly much too modern to be Netherese. It looks as though they were added long after the tower was built -- and perhaps long after the map was created, as well. The models, too, are covered in dust.

 

[dharmabum]

Tuggle, excited as a school gnome, rushes to the map and gets down on his hands and knees to take a closer look. Is Pub represented among the buildings? How about Drakon Row? Is there any indication of other portal locations? "Gentlemen...this may be the key to using the portal system...and, by the way, does anyone else feel that tingling sensation?"

Tuggle will examine the map in detail, focusing on the questions above. After that, he will explore the room, searching for hidden doors or additional information.

 

[Artemis Blade]

Artemis looks closely at the map, seeing if he can locate the cave with the exit portal that we've been through. "I wonder if this is a map of the portals of Sembia, or if it has some other significance."

Does the examined area have its own light? Artemis also attempts to determine how many lights are near Selgaunt.

After looking at the map, Artemis thoroughly explores the room, looking for any "map controls" or hidden passages.

 

[Xen]

Tal/Marduke

"Could be for the portals, I guess," says Tal. "Could also be something to do with places of power, or significance to those that built this place. What I'd like to know is, when and why did someone take the time to set up this model over here - it doesn't really seem to fit this place."

Tal walks over to the modeled buildings, and blows dust from the gables and rooftops. He peers for a while then, at the model, trying to understand why it might have been important to someone, and when it may have been built.

After some time, he looks up. "Has anyone tried the portal in the other direction yet?" he asks, looking at Marduke. "Or taken a look for any other portals or doors out of this place?"

Receiving only a shake of the head from Marduke, both men turn away from map and model to more thoroughly explore the rest of the room.