Thursday 20 March 2014

Through the Portals



There are a small number of stable, and an indeterminate amount of unstable portals in the vicinity of the rock.

The original portal discovered by Thenim Baytree opens onto a seemingly endless plain of tuberous vegetables and lazy brown rivers. Strings of towns line the rivers leading to cities at the foot of a vast mountain chain that spans the continent.  Barges ply the sluggish rivers and quite a port has sprung up a day's wagon ride from the portal, transporting goods to the city. Shanty towns often spring up outside the portal but marshals of the duke regularly destroy these illegal settlements as they provide no tax income. Although deaths are rare, the marshals are ruthless in their destruction, burning the buildings to the ground. The region around the portal is known as Blonks, populated by small farming communities of Halflings

Far to the south of the Blonks portal, on a large island, lies the goblin portal. Buried underground, in close proximity to the large goblin city of Weinhold. The portal opens above a roaring torrent that forms one of the many underground rivers that power the goblins technology. This watercourse is also the source of the city's water. A stone aqueduct begins here, carrying water to the city and its inhabitants. Beyond the great cities and dams of the goblins, lies the human realm of Trinnidin, a stern folk in constant conflict with the goblins over their practices of damming the rivers the Trinnidin use to irrigate their lands.

Only three portals are in constant, public use on the rock, and the final one leads to the swamps of Kohlness. The Kobolds of Kohlness had a mixed reaction to contact through the portal as they had previously been isolated in the swamps. It didn't take long for many tribes to start trading fish and herbs to the newcomers. Nowadays trade has civilised many Kobold tribes and trade routes have been even been forged through the swamp to the elven nation of Faireshade.
  
There are other portals of course;

  •   The Day Palace lies on an ocean world, or at least a world in which no other land has been yet discovered. It’s portal is accessed from the Night Palace.
  •  Odeosa Fhrambrey has a portal to a micro world where he attempts experiments in cross breeding sentient species.
  •  The Siren’s portal is permenantly barred. Massive chains and bars prevent anyone from entering the portal. No amount of barriers can prevent the hauntingly beautful songs issuing from the portal, passers by have been known to stop and listen for hours.
  • The serene portal is seen only as bright green and blue disc, about 300 meters off the edge of the rock. A few mages and spelunkers have succeeded in reaching the portal, but none will report what they found.
  •  Occasionally small portals open on the rock, most seem to lead nowhere but rarely, other worlds can be glimpsed through the portals. It is rarer still that someone returns after entering such portals.

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