by Center of All
The Spireland Icons
I was wandering through the Outlands, a bit lost, I admit, when I came upon some poor sod in a field. He was bleeding from numerous wounds, and obviously dying. When he saw me, he started babbling, begging me to take him away before 'they' found him. I figured he was barmy, but he'd caught my curiosity, so I asked him who 'they' were. He glanced around, as if expecting one of 'them' to jump out at him at any second, then whispered "The Icons". I decided, since it was getting late, to spend the night in the field. In the morning, when I woke up, the sod was gone, with a trail of blood leading off Spireward. It was far too interesting a mystery for me not to follow. After a while, I came to a huge clearing, filled with statues that were so large that they seemed, from my view point, to rise higher than anything in the Land but the Spire. It was amazing that I hadn't seen them before. The trail of blood led straight to the one nearest me. As I got closer, I could make out runes at the base of the statue, though they weren't in any language I recognised. As I was examining it, I happened to glance up. The face of the statue was that of the poor sod I'd found. Needless to say, I made my exit as quickly as possible, before the 'icons' caught me too. Who knows what was going on there? Another mystery of the planes that will remain unanswered...For now.
I was wandering through the Outlands, a bit lost, I admit, when I came upon some poor sod in a field. He was bleeding from numerous wounds, and obviously dying. When he saw me, he started babbling, begging me to take him away before 'they' found him. I figured he was barmy, but he'd caught my curiosity, so I asked him who 'they' were. He glanced around, as if expecting one of 'them' to jump out at him at any second, then whispered "The Icons".
I decided, since it was getting late, to spend the night in the field. In the morning, when I woke up, the sod was gone, with a trail of blood leading off Spireward. It was far too interesting a mystery for me not to follow.
After a while, I came to a huge clearing, filled with statues that were so large that they seemed, from my view point, to rise higher than anything in the Land but the Spire. It was amazing that I hadn't seen them before. The trail of blood led straight to the one nearest me. As I got closer, I could make out runes at the base of the statue, though they weren't in any language I recognised. As I was examining it, I happened to glance up.
The face of the statue was that of the poor sod I'd found.
Needless to say, I made my exit as quickly as possible, before the 'icons' caught me too. Who knows what was going on there? Another mystery of the planes that will remain unanswered...For now.
Modrons Akimbo, in Limbo!
Recently I was in Limbo, having taken a job from some Ursinal to get some chaos stuff in a jar. I was trying to figure out how I was supposed to do this when I saw something coming towards me. It appeared to be a perfectly round mettalic sphere, with little metallic things swarming all over it. As it got closer and I was able to get a good impression of it's size, I realized the 'things' were modrons. I probably should've left it alone, but curiosity at what Modrons (on something large enough to be a prime moon) got ahold of me and I snuck in closer. No sooner had I come within ten feet than I was surrounded by Monodrones, who marched me onto the sphere, which I could now see was also covered with buildings -- all perfectly regulated, of course. They took me to a building with a female dwarf inside, who I assume was a Guvner. She told me I had broken the law specified on page 682, paragraph 3, subsection xvi, (though she refused pijt blank to tell me what the rule actually was!) and had the barmy cubes throw me into the Belly of the Brick Beast. When I'd regained consciousness, I realised my cell had a window, exactly 1 foot in diameter. I had no idea how I was to fit through it, but it was the best chance I had to avoid being a lawn ornament courtesy of a basilisk, or whatever clockwork punishment they fancied throwing me to. I took my chamber pot and attempted to smash the window. Chamber pot, hand and half my forearm dissapeared as soon as they touched the glass. What exactly are the chances of the window of your modron cell being a portal, and the thing you use to try and break it being the key? But then what are the chances of finding modrons in Limbo anyway? I didn't much care. I pulled my hand out and put the pot in my mouth (desperate times call for desperate measures) and stuck my head through, having a vague idea of asking for help. I found myself looking into a cutter's home, and while he seemd a bit surprised to see a head sticking out of his cupboard, chamber put in mouth, but my frantic waving must've given him a clue that I needed help. He pulled me though, I garnished him with everything I had. Funnily enough, I ended up back in the Cage, not twenty paces from my kip! But what were those modrons doing in Limbo? Perhaps one day I'll find out...
Recently I was in Limbo, having taken a job from some Ursinal to get some chaos stuff in a jar. I was trying to figure out how I was supposed to do this when I saw something coming towards me. It appeared to be a perfectly round mettalic sphere, with little metallic things swarming all over it. As it got closer and I was able to get a good impression of it's size, I realized the 'things' were modrons.
I probably should've left it alone, but curiosity at what Modrons (on something large enough to be a prime moon) got ahold of me and I snuck in closer. No sooner had I come within ten feet than I was surrounded by Monodrones, who marched me onto the sphere, which I could now see was also covered with buildings -- all perfectly regulated, of course. They took me to a building with a female dwarf inside, who I assume was a Guvner. She told me I had broken the law specified on page 682, paragraph 3, subsection xvi, (though she refused pijt blank to tell me what the rule actually was!) and had the barmy cubes throw me into the Belly of the Brick Beast.
When I'd regained consciousness, I realised my cell had a window, exactly 1 foot in diameter. I had no idea how I was to fit through it, but it was the best chance I had to avoid being a lawn ornament courtesy of a basilisk, or whatever clockwork punishment they fancied throwing me to. I took my chamber pot and attempted to smash the window.
Chamber pot, hand and half my forearm dissapeared as soon as they touched the glass.
What exactly are the chances of the window of your modron cell being a portal, and the thing you use to try and break it being the key? But then what are the chances of finding modrons in Limbo anyway? I didn't much care. I pulled my hand out and put the pot in my mouth (desperate times call for desperate measures) and stuck my head through, having a vague idea of asking for help. I found myself looking into a cutter's home, and while he seemd a bit surprised to see a head sticking out of his cupboard, chamber put in mouth, but my frantic waving must've given him a clue that I needed help. He pulled me though, I garnished him with everything I had. Funnily enough, I ended up back in the Cage, not twenty paces from my kip!
But what were those modrons doing in Limbo? Perhaps one day I'll find out...
The Plane of Magic
Have you ever thought about magic? Oh sure, wizards invoke it, priests pray for it, and most planar races are born able to use it, but have you ever considered exactly what it is or where it comes from? No? I'll tell you, it comes from the Vortex. The Vortex is the plane of magic. Anything magical originally came from here. It looks somewhat like the plane of radiance, swirling with every colour imaginable. Here, rivers of magic run through the Limbo-like soup, every spell a tributary, flowing into the vast oceans of magic known as wizardly schools and priest spheres. And above them, the High Magic, the world spanning magic of the Powers. Many would brand me as a member of the lost for saying this, but have you wondered why the all powerful powers cannot grant wizard spells to their followers? It's because they only have access to certain parts of the Vortex as well, and most of the energy is used for their own well-being. But why, you might ask me now, has no one ever visited the Vortex? It's quite simple really, its too dangerous. Back when the planes were crated, (a story for another time) the vortex was easily accessible, indeed, it merged with the outer planes, crating the 16 Vortex planes, where the philosophical outlook of the plane was emphasised more strongly than the actual alignment. But the energies were too dangerous, mages were too powerful and began creating crystal weapons made out of pure magic which no enemy could withstand. Eventually, an eccentric wizard known only as 'the Riddlemaster' discovered a way to seal off the Vortex and the Vortex planes in much the same way the mages were forming their weapons. With one spell he sealed up all the portals to the Vortex, destroyed the mages weapons, and banished magic from the multiverse. Sadly, he was destroyed in the blast, or so we think, but he was such a powerful mage that who knows? After a few millennia magic returned when parts of the crystal sealing the vortex away began to crumble away, but it was much less powerful than it was before. There broken pieces of the crystal turned into spell crystals, and everyone forgot about the Vortex. Until now, for an unknown reason the crystal seals have shattered, and the Vortex has returned. It is not flowing as strongly as it did before, but if you immerse yourself in one of its rivers you are still effected by the appropriate spell at double the normal strength. This is fine if you are in an air spell, but deadly if it is a fireball spell. However, if you can overcome these problems and let a river of the Vortex flow through you then you can gain the status of a Vortex Wizard, who draws his power directly from the Vortex. Limited only by the magic his river carried (such as travelling or life, my own two rivers) he can cast wizard and priest spells alike. I am a Vortex Wizard, and soon there will be more than just myself and my two companions. Until then, only the listeners to this Mimir will know. Guard the secrets I give you carefully...
Have you ever thought about magic? Oh sure, wizards invoke it, priests pray for it, and most planar races are born able to use it, but have you ever considered exactly what it is or where it comes from? No? I'll tell you, it comes from the Vortex. The Vortex is the plane of magic. Anything magical originally came from here. It looks somewhat like the plane of radiance, swirling with every colour imaginable. Here, rivers of magic run through the Limbo-like soup, every spell a tributary, flowing into the vast oceans of magic known as wizardly schools and priest spheres. And above them, the High Magic, the world spanning magic of the Powers. Many would brand me as a member of the lost for saying this, but have you wondered why the all powerful powers cannot grant wizard spells to their followers? It's because they only have access to certain parts of the Vortex as well, and most of the energy is used for their own well-being.
But why, you might ask me now, has no one ever visited the Vortex? It's quite simple really, its too dangerous. Back when the planes were crated, (a story for another time) the vortex was easily accessible, indeed, it merged with the outer planes, crating the 16 Vortex planes, where the philosophical outlook of the plane was emphasised more strongly than the actual alignment. But the energies were too dangerous, mages were too powerful and began creating crystal weapons made out of pure magic which no enemy could withstand. Eventually, an eccentric wizard known only as 'the Riddlemaster' discovered a way to seal off the Vortex and the Vortex planes in much the same way the mages were forming their weapons. With one spell he sealed up all the portals to the Vortex, destroyed the mages weapons, and banished magic from the multiverse. Sadly, he was destroyed in the blast, or so we think, but he was such a powerful mage that who knows? After a few millennia magic returned when parts of the crystal sealing the vortex away began to crumble away, but it was much less powerful than it was before. There broken pieces of the crystal turned into spell crystals, and everyone forgot about the Vortex.
Until now, for an unknown reason the crystal seals have shattered, and the Vortex has returned. It is not flowing as strongly as it did before, but if you immerse yourself in one of its rivers you are still effected by the appropriate spell at double the normal strength. This is fine if you are in an air spell, but deadly if it is a fireball spell. However, if you can overcome these problems and let a river of the Vortex flow through you then you can gain the status of a Vortex Wizard, who draws his power directly from the Vortex. Limited only by the magic his river carried (such as travelling or life, my own two rivers) he can cast wizard and priest spells alike. I am a Vortex Wizard, and soon there will be more than just myself and my two companions. Until then, only the listeners to this Mimir will know. Guard the secrets I give you carefully...
Cities at the Edge of the Multiverse
A basher I met in the woods around Sylvania (what he was doing there, and what I was, are matters for another time) told me --in the strictest of confidence, you understand -- that there exist three prime planes and three great cities to rule them. Sigil is the first, he said, which is the City of Doors and contains the House of Pain (though I must say I've never seen this House myself). The second city is known as Rune, and is built inside a toroidal (Sigil-shaped) cavern. The Master of Fear rules Rune, known as the Land of Paths. Rune is connected to the second prime, which has no phlogiston and no crystal spheres, but only space. Here, bashers wield terrible technology and have strange and unheard-of magics. The third city is called Slate. It is an empty place, ruled over by the Creature of Loathing. It is an empty city, inhabited only by those sods from that last, loneliest prime that has no magic of its own. Slate is called the City of No Doors, and escape from it is tougher than getting out of Carceri. But the time is coming when three shall be one, for these cities are moving ever-closer together. When they meet, all the planes will be united.
A basher I met in the woods around Sylvania (what he was doing there, and what I was, are matters for another time) told me --in the strictest of confidence, you understand -- that there exist three prime planes and three great cities to rule them. Sigil is the first, he said, which is the City of Doors and contains the House of Pain (though I must say I've never seen this House myself).
The second city is known as Rune, and is built inside a toroidal (Sigil-shaped) cavern. The Master of Fear rules Rune, known as the Land of Paths. Rune is connected to the second prime, which has no phlogiston and no crystal spheres, but only space. Here, bashers wield terrible technology and have strange and unheard-of magics.
The third city is called Slate. It is an empty place, ruled over by the Creature of Loathing. It is an empty city, inhabited only by those sods from that last, loneliest prime that has no magic of its own. Slate is called the City of No Doors, and escape from it is tougher than getting out of Carceri. But the time is coming when three shall be one, for these cities are moving ever-closer together. When they meet, all the planes will be united.
The Memory Takers
What's the most terrible thing I ever seen? Well, let me tell you firstly, it weren't my face when I looked in the mirror after escaping Khin-Oin, where I got these scars. No...one of the nastiest things I've seen was in Ilsensine's Realm. I was down there getting some stuff for a friend...my business, y'understand...and I was captured by a bunch of illithids. Each one wore a mauve hood, conical like, with cutouts for eyes and tentacles. Their robes were mauve too, with copper-coloured embroidery of mystical symbols. They probed my mind quickly, and when they saw that I was an explorer, they clapped me in chains afore I could move and dragged me into a deep cavern. They spent about a week, dunno exactly, just probing my mind. No tortures, no pain, just reading my every thought...eventually they thought they'd got everything I knew, they let me go...right in the deepest part of the realm. And then the pain began. My head felt like it had been stamped on by a yagnoloth. And I roamed the tunnels in blind panic and agony for gods only know how long. Eventually, I lost all sense of direction and identity, and collapsed on the ground. In fact, I had reached Dumathoin's realm, and the dwarves found me, and their priests healed me. I never remembered some of the things the illithids took, but bit by bit most of it returned. I never have returned there, nor ever shall I. What I really want to know is what they wanted with my personal memories. But ever since then, I've hated illithids.
What's the most terrible thing I ever seen? Well, let me tell you firstly, it weren't my face when I looked in the mirror after escaping Khin-Oin, where I got these scars. No...one of the nastiest things I've seen was in Ilsensine's Realm. I was down there getting some stuff for a friend...my business, y'understand...and I was captured by a bunch of illithids. Each one wore a mauve hood, conical like, with cutouts for eyes and tentacles. Their robes were mauve too, with copper-coloured embroidery of mystical symbols. They probed my mind quickly, and when they saw that I was an explorer, they clapped me in chains afore I could move and dragged me into a deep cavern.
They spent about a week, dunno exactly, just probing my mind. No tortures, no pain, just reading my every thought...eventually they thought they'd got everything I knew, they let me go...right in the deepest part of the realm. And then the pain began. My head felt like it had been stamped on by a yagnoloth. And I roamed the tunnels in blind panic and agony for gods only know how long. Eventually, I lost all sense of direction and identity, and collapsed on the ground. In fact, I had reached Dumathoin's realm, and the dwarves found me, and their priests healed me. I never remembered some of the things the illithids took, but bit by bit most of it returned. I never have returned there, nor ever shall I. What I really want to know is what they wanted with my personal memories. But ever since then, I've hated illithids.