Astralgate AG-1 [IC]

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Prologue

"Welcome to the Astral Gate Complex, or AGC. This will be your home away from home for the next few years."

The speaker is an elderly balding human male, walking backwards down a hallway as he leads a gaggle of a dozen or so humanoids of various races on a tour of the installation in which you now find yourselves. A small dragonmark curls its way up from under the collar of a military jacket, behind his left ear, and up to the top of his head, where it forms a spiral design on his scalp. Though some of you might not recognize which dragonmark he bears, he was introduced to you as General Hammond d'Deneith, and in any case the fact that he wears a military uniform marks him as either a House Deneith or Karrnath representative.

"This is the moment you've all been training for. In just a few minutes, you will be sorted into excursion team and assigned your first mission. Good luck, everyone."

The man leads you to a door at the end of the hallway guarded by two Deneith soldiers. They open the door to reveal a large, well-appointed conference room, and seated around the central conference table are representatives of each of the sponsors of this venture. Seven Dragonmarked Houses--Cannith, Deneith, Tharashk, Orien, Kundarak, Medani, and Sivis--and three nations--Zilargo, Karrnath, and Aundair--have representatives here, with their different uniforms indicating their positions and interests. Deneith and Karrnath are handling the military arm of the operation; Cannith, Kundarak, Orien, and Zilargo are handling the research arm; Tharashk, Medani, Sivis, and Aundair are handling the exploration arm.

Each of the members around the table stand and give a short speech on their particular goals, how proud they are of your dedication, something about world-altering implications, blah blah blah. You've heard all of this stuff before, when you were first recruited, and if you hadn't already agreed with their goals and means you wouldn't have made it down here...or anywhere else, unless a one-way trip to Dolurrh counts. While you listen to the speeches, assistants pass out small insignia for you to attach to your clothes: a small white "A" in the Common alphabet with a ten-pointed star above it (representing the ten sponsors) on a dark blue background. General Hammond steps to the front of the room once the last speaker has finished, and he motions for you to gather around him with a clipboard someone has handed him.

"All right, everyone, team selection time. Will Lieutenants--oh, that reminds me, you've all been given the honorary rank of Lieutenant in the Aundairian and Karrnathi armies, as well as the rank of honorary heir in the Houses represented here, to give you a position in the command hierarchy. That means you can requisition gear, order around guards, and such. We'll get to that later. Anyway, will Lieutenants Garrow, Oreth, Smith, and Tarris please stand over here, you're Team Astral Gate Three, or AG3; Lieutenants Fairchild, Aqualis, d'Kundarak, and Rorik, please stand over there, you're AG2; Lieutenants Falir, Kaw, Saskilis, and Lonthra, over there, you're AG1. AG1, with me, you have the honor of the first mission, teams AG2 and AG3 can catch a few hours' rest, your assignment won't start for another 12 hours."

You four are led to the main portal room, a heavily-fortified chamber on the lowest floor of the AGC. The walls are solid adamantine for the most part, with a few magically-reinforced glass windows providing a good view from the command room next door. In the center of the portal room lies a disk three feet or so across, surrounded by busy Cannith and Orien artificers. The disk is ringed with 52 fist-sized sapphires, with one massive head-sized topaz in the center. The outer gems are each inscribed with an arcane rune, presumably in ancient Giantish or Archaic Draconic, though you weren't briefed on the exact details. The disk lies in the center of a large mithral-and-gold ring, seven feet in diameter with the ring itself being three inches thick. It appears to be a larger version of a ring gate and is covered with a series of runes complex enough to make a Siberys dragonmark look like a child's scribbles.

As you watch, all but one of the artificers stand back out of the way of the larger ring. The expression on their faces isn't very comforting, since they look like they're expecting a magical explosion or something, but the central artificer appears unafraid as she taps on a sequence of eight sapphires in the disk and places a hand on the central topaz. Then she, too, steps out of the way as the large ring levitates up and rotates so that the opening faces you. It spins, faster and faster, turning every which way as beams of light leap from the touched sapphires to strike certain rune clusters on the ring. Eventually the spinning comes to a sudden stop, and with a flash of light the space within the ring becomes a window to another world.

Once the gate is stabilized, the artificers send a few homonculi through, presumably for information gathering, at which point General Hammond turns to you with a fatherly smile. "Looks like your first mission is to Kythri. That should be exciting. You have half an hour to pack and get ready, then report back here for the briefing. Once again, welcome to the program."

This is the IC thread for the totally-not-a-Stargate-ripoff Eberron tristalt game; the OOC thread is here.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Present

Now rested and prepared, the four of you are back on the portal level, seated around a table in the command room. One of the Zil researchers is giving your pre-mission briefing. "And so, in summary," he concludes, "your goal is to make contact with the natives, initiate some diplomacy, find any magical items or other valuables that you think the Inter-House Oversight Council--those people you met upstairs--would be interested in, and bring back all the information and goods you can. If any of you have been on a Xen'drik adventuring party...well, it's kind of like that, but without the whole 'shoot first, speak with dead later' philosophy."

"Thank you, Professor," Hammond says, standing and dismissing the researcher. "I know this is very short notice, seeing as we recruited some of you as recently as a few days ago and you haven't really had a chance to familiarize yourselves with your teammates, but I have the highest confidence in your abilities. You four were assigned to AG1 because I and the rest of the command staff believe you to be the best and most-experienced of our recruits. I wouldn't have chosen this rapid timetable, myself, but what the IHOC wants, the IHOC gets, and I'm sure you'll quickly get to know each other on the mission. Now, does anyone have any questions before you head out?"

[Ahus]

Lot stands at attention, or at least what passes for attention for his diminutive gnomish form.
General, I do have a few questions before we set out.
What is the command hierarchy within this team?

How are we to report actions and return once we have gathered whatever intelligence, artifacts, etc. from the other side.

[DeusMortuusEst]

Shuffling behind the rest of the group during the presentation is a thin, brown haired man who apparently isn't listening to Hammond at all. Instead he is busy reading a paper a small, winged humonculi is holding up in front of his face while frantically scribbling notes on a different paper. Only at the mention of his name is his attention diverted from his work.

Rist hurries after the rest of the group, but again doesn't seem to be listening to Hammond at all, but rather spending all his attention on the portal and its activation, until he is dismissed once more.

As they all gather again the scholarly man is dressed more like an adventurer, in armor and with a crossbow in his hand, but he looks terribly uncomfortable wearing it. The winged homunculus sits on his shoulder, and next to him stands another one, shaped as a crossbow with limbs.

"I have one, eh, question, general." He adds, raising his hand. "Do we have any general guidelines regarding the protocol for contacting aliens?" He hesitates for a moment, before finishing, rather embarrased. "I forgot to attend the course."

[Theroc]

Prologue

Nashia's stance was relaxed though her eyes were alert, she was confident she could handle whatever rolled her way, just like she always did. However, when she was told this was going to be 'years' her eyes widened briefly.

"Years? That wasn't in the original deal I made. I may have to revise my rate... or something..." She murmured, being a mercenary, she'd signed on for pay rather than particular service or loyalty. Granted, she also never turned on a client, despite offers. She didn't say anything further than that, and merely followed the tour.


Present

After listening to the briefing, Nashia raised a brow. Make contact with unknowns peaceably and hope they didn't open fire themselves? Completely random. Hm... she wasn't fond of the idea, but she'd roll with it. After all, she's done fine under pressure before, she'll do it again. Pay is pay, the job is the job.

"Glad my skill was noticed, the compliment is appreciated. Any advice on what IHOC would be interested? I can only carry so much extra gear, after all."

[RecoveringGamer]

Damned underground facilites... Lonthra whines to herself, always so cramped.

The giantish warrior sits on the ground, hunched over. She paid attention to Hammond as much as her racing mind could allow. She'd done a lot of things in her life, but Lonthra had never travelled the planes. It was a destiny few are able to realize, and even fewer survive. She didn't have any questions that could be answered, by anyone save the gods. The irrational worries, anxieties, and fears built inside of her like a boiling pit of tar rising from the recesses of her mind.

She had steeled herself for hundreds of fights over her lifetime, mentally prepared herself and honed her mind until it was sharper than any blade wielded against her. This is a battle I can't prepare for. It's hard for her to admit, but she is vulnerable on this new path of hers. I have no idea what I'm doing...

"No questions," she says to Hammond, in a vigourless tone.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Hammond ticks off points on his fingers as he answers everyone's questions. "The command hierarchy is...fluid. As I mentioned, you all were assigned the same effective rank as far as the Houses and nations are concerned, so there's no official structure within the team as of yet. Based on your actions in the field, some of you may be promoted, but that will be addressed as it happens. Essentially, none of you can order the others around, yet, you just answer to me.

"As for getting back to Eberron, the device leaves a visible portal open at the destination site. As far as we know, travel is two-way between the portal and this facility for magic, light, and sound, but only one-way for physical objects and creatures. Once you get to your destination and the portal closes, we'll be sending you a portal every 12 hours until you complete your mission, so you can rendezvous with it for any communications or return when that happens."

The general hesitates before answering the question about first contact guidelines. "Well, that's a tricky thing. See, I'm not sure how much you all know about planar geometry--I'm not an expert myself, I just attended the intro course--but this device apparently has the ability to link with remote planes, which is why we're bothering to use it. Aside from the fact that it has pinpoint targeting and apparently unlimited magical charges, and is centuries ahead of what our best artficers can design, of course," he adds with a grin. "That means that when you step into Kythri, you're going to be making contact with creatures who haven't visited Eberron or had contact with anyone from our plane in nearly a century, so we really have no idea how they'll react. The natives used to be on fairly good terms with us, but...well, there's a reason we're sending a team with combat experience.

"As for what the IHOC wants, heh," Hammond laughs, "you mean, aside from 'anything and everything valuable'? These are the Dragonmarked Houses we're talking about, anything that could give them an economic advantage would be good. Rare metals, magically-infused gems, more ancient artifacts, whatever else you can find. Even a massive stash of platinum or adamantine would be appreciated. Aundair and Zilargo have more intellectual needs, they're part of the reason we're sending you to talk to people instead of just stealing everything valuable you can find; discovering what's been happening on the plane for the last century or so, picking up ancient tomes, and that sort of thing would satisfy them. Karrnath...hmm." The general ponders for a moment, then shrugs. "Probably nothing they'd want on this mission, but keep your options open. And remember, you don't have to get everything on this trip. If you find some sort of ancient airship or something else that you can't carry or get through the portal, just mark the location and we'll send another team after it."

He clasps his hands behind his back and looks around at you all. "Any more questions, or are you ready to get going?"

[RecoveringGamer]

Lonthra looks to the others to see if they have more questions for Hammond. She isn't sure whether delaying the inevitable journey is better or worse for her racing mind.

[DeusMortuusEst]

Rist

The young scholar shakes his head in response to Hammonds questions. He is eager to see what lies beyond the portal.

[Ahus]

Understood sir, in otherwords improvise. Discover and eliminate any hostiles. Support non hostiles in exchange for technology or valuables. We will have limited communications and are on our own to figure out how to get back. Just like during the war... With your permission sir.

Lot nods curtly and turns on his heals toward the gate room.

Lieutenants, shall we.

[Theroc]

"Let's just hope this sortie won't be as long as the war..." Nashia added, nodding to the others. "I don't think there's much else to be asked, we're heading into an almost complete unknown. Let's just hope there's more friendlies than hostiles."

[Ahus]

I wouldn't worry too much about that miss. I've seen how fast one can go from being one to the other if only temporarily, and personally been the cause of a great many of said conversions.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

General Hammond dismisses you all with a final "Good luck" and you all are escorted to the gate room. Once you are inside, the artificers on duty activate the portal, showing you precisely the same scene you saw before. The artificers' precise targeting seems to fill the guards and magewrights in the room with confidence--until one artificer says under his breath to another "That's a relief; after the homunculus didn't make it back, I thought..." and then breaks off when he notices people are listening in. "Well, I, um...never mind," he stammers with embarrassment. "Everything's fine. We have this under control. Off you go."

The team leader glares at him, then turns to you four with a conciliatory smile. "While it is true that we're still working out some kinks, and despite Artificer Lorrenth's appraisal of the situation, you're in no danger from the portal, don't worry. If you run into any trouble on the other side, just let us know and we'll bring you back." She motions for you to continue, and you all step through the softly-humming metal ring into what appears to be a perfectly normal cavern of some sort.

You all feel a sensation of intense pain for an instant as you step through, as if your body is trying to tear itself into a thousand pieces. The pain ends when your feet make contact with the ground on the other side of the portal, but confusion begins, as your feet suddenly lift off the ground and you feel yourselves falling up. One quick bump on the head later, you find yourselves lying tangled in a pile on the ceiling--in a clear space, fortunately, there are no stalactites around here. From your new vantage point you can see that the gate is flush with the wall of the cavern and there is a foot or so of stone between the top of the gate and the ceiling. A small homunculus is standing a few feet away from you near that gap, feebly jumping as high as it can every few seconds--which isn't really that high, only a few inches or so--in an attempt to get back through the portal.

Despite the dim light and near-silence, you can make out a few interesting details. First, the portal you came through isn't just a portal, it appears to have the same kind of ring around it that your home portal did. Second, the gap around the portal is perfectly spherical, as if it was carved out when the gate ring started gyrating upon activation; aside from that carved-out volume, the cavern ends right at the portal. Third, there is a small reddish-orange glimmer of something reflective below the portal, or rather above it from your new perspective. Fourth and finally, the area you are currently in narrows into a small, curvy tunnel a short distance from you on the opposite side from the portal, and through that tunnel you can hear the sound of very strong winds and small objects being pelted against stone. That tunnel is the only exit from this area.

"The portal will stay open for five minutes to allow for recon and communications," echoes a voice from the portal, but the sound is distorted enough that you can't tell whether the speaker is young or old, male or female, human or demihuman. "After that, you're on your own for twelve hours." There is a short pause, then, "We, uh, we can't see or hear you right now. If you're still there, could you give us some sort of signal?"

[DeusMortuusEst]

Rist

Head still spinning from the portal trip and the unexpected landing Rist scrambles to his feet.
"Interesting." He mumbles, staring at the roof. "I wonder if it's the portal that's upside down, or if we're standing in some kind of reverse-gravity field." As he notices the reddish light above the portal he start smiling. He searches with his thoughts for a moment until he finds his messenger, who is resting on a rock nearby.
"See that light there? Get closer, tell me what it is." He pauses for a moment, eyeing the tunnel opening for the first time.
"And you." This time he links up with his arbalester "Go guard the tunnel opening. Tell me if someone approaches, but don't attack unless I tell you so. Retreat if they seem hostile."

[RecoveringGamer]

Lonthra groaned, disoriented. What the... she thought to herself. Her anxiety was forgotten, replaced by shock.

The words coming from the portal brought her back for a moment, and in anger she grabbed the homunculus and threw it back in the portal. That should let them know what they want.

She then slumped back down, willing her head to stop spinning.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

The distorted echo of metal colliding with stone comes through the portal after Lonthra returns the homunculus, along with a long string of obscenities in Dwarvish and Common. "Message received, loud and clear," says the same voice, sounding annoyed. The portal dims and winks out of existence, leaving you in an even deeper darkness, with only the bits of light from the tunnel to illuminate the area. The gate ring does its usual gyrating dance and settles down flat on the "floor"--your ceiling--when the portal disappears.

Rist's messenger homunculus flits up to the ceiling and flutters around the shiny object, examining it from different angles, and his arbalester homunculus hops into the tunnel as ordered. Shortly thereafter, the messenger returns and perches on the artificer's shoulder. He receives the mental impression of a red-orange gem set in some sort of grayish metal...thing...buried in the rock above. The homunculus sends along a quick impression of the portal device back in the AGC with its large central topaz, with some questioning overtones.

[Ahus]

Lot

Seeing the initiative from the much larger Lonthra.

I was about to suggest that someone do that. Frankly I might need a bit of that when this is all over.
Lot says looking up at the gate.

Lot turns to the artificer Rist.
I'll scout ahead, why don't you try to figure outboard these gods forsaken things operate and how to get us home when the time comes. I do not want to be stuck here waiting for a ride home if we find that the inhabitants of this plane don't like us too much, and we need to make a run for it.

These homonuculi, will they only respond to you, or will you allow me to direct the actions of one whilst scouting?

Part of Lot's shadow bolts off after the arbalester. Lot disappears into the shadows in the cavern and sets off after the two in a ghostly silence.

[DeusMortuusEst]

Rist

Distracted by the mental images from his messenger Rist hardly hears the questions from Lot.
Hmm, yea... He stares up at the closing portal for a moment, before snapping back.
"Sorry! Yes, that sounds like a good idea, you go scout ahead. I'll tell my arbalester to listen to you as well, but please try not to break him, he's brand new." The artificer smiles and waves after the disappearing Lot.
"This man." He thinks sending the image of the scout to his homonculus. "Obey his commands until I tell you otherwise and keep me updated about what you see."
Turning back to the portal he studies it for a moment, but the faint light in the cave makes it hard to see any details.

Touching his headband Rist focuses for a short moment and mutters a few arcane words and the headband starts shining with a soft light.
"That should do it." He muses, as he walks over and stands directly under the portal.
"Now, how do you work...?" He wonders as he absent-mindedly pats his messenger on its tiny head.

Infusing the headband with light, shines like a torch for 1 hour.
Knowledge checks to see if he can figure out how the portal works.
Knowledge Arcana: [roll0]
Knowledge: The planes [roll1]

[Theroc]

Nashia cursed verbally as she fell to the ceiling. "Blood and Ashes, why is up... down?" She muttered in mild frustration, pausing to adjust her equilibrium to the new paradigm, not quite moving into action as quickly as the others as events slowly filtered into her perception. The shift obviously was one thing she was NOT prepared for.


OOC: Sorry for the delay, been sick and having family issues

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Lot

Rist's arbalester skitters along down the tunnel, pausing occasionally to make sure you're still following. You estimate that the tunnel is only about forty feet long, but the twists and awkward angles make it take longer than expected to reach the other end. When you do reach the exit, you discover the reason for the sounds you heard in the main chamber: the tunnel stops suddenly and opens into a great yawning void, and strong crosswinds ruffle your clothes and pelt it with pebbles as you approach the opening. The stone is flat for several dozen yards around the opening, at least, as if the opening is in the middle of a cliff face and you are looking down the side...except that you see no ground at all, the stone just ends.

Suddenly, a sheet of flame fills the air in front of you, stopping about a foot in front of your face but otherwise filling your vision. The heat is painful, but bearable, and moments later the flame dissipates. Once the afterimage is gone, you can make out several floating objects of various sizes in the distance, some large enough to be floating mountains or the like and some small enough to be flying creatures and everything in between. Small bursts of fire, waves of water, and chunks of stone pop in and out of existence as you watch. It seems the Churning Chaos lives up to its name.

Rist

Your examinations tell you that this gate ring is very similar to the one in the AGC back on Eberron. Of the few arcane runes you recognize, most relate to interplanar travel and the rest relate to wardings of various sorts; none give you any hint as to how to control the ring. All the other runes are beyond your comprehension; as one of the Zil elemental binders in the AGC put it, trying to figure out this device is like a Brelish schoolchild trying to work out a tensor calculus problem written in Aerenal, an analogy made even more appropriate by the fact that most of the artificers he was talking to had no idea what "tensor calculus" was.

One thing you do know, however, is that to everyone's knowledge the Eberron gate ring's gem-studded artifact from Xen'drik was unique; they didn't mention discovering any other such artifacts during their recon, and they seemed to believe that their artifact just opened gates willy-nilly. Given your new information that the gate ring is not, in fact, unique, the topaz embedded in the ceiling in the middle of the ring would seem to be another control artifact buried in the rock face. You would probably need to dig it out to work the portal device from this side.

[DeusMortuusEst]

Rist

The young scientist carefully notes the various runes and their positions before turning back to the rest of the group.
"It seems as if this ring is similar in construction to the one we just passed through. I'm not sure, but I suspect that there's a controlling device buried in the rock above us."
He points to the faint light shining in the roof.
"I can't promise that I can activate the portal even if we dig it out, but I suspect that the research team on the other side would be very interested in anything we can find out about the portal on this side."
Rist shrugs and looks back at the tunnel.
"On the other hand, we probably should scout ahead as well, and I don't have any useful digging equipment with me. I could probably improvise, but that would take a while."

[Ahus]

Lot
Stumbling back surprised by the shooting flame, Lot checks to see that his eyebrows are intact.
Lot then picks up a small stone from the floor-ceiling whatever near his feet and tosses it casually out of the cavern.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Lot

Your eyebrows are indeed intact and there isn't a single scorch mark on your clothes. For whatever reason, the flames didn't come close enough to burn you, though based on the shape of the opening you're sure it should have.

When you toss the rock outside, it sails gracefully through the air like any other rock...until its path starts curving slightly, and when the rock falls, its "down" is to your left.

[RecoveringGamer]

Lonthra was half-alert now after her small bout of anger, but now the disorienting location starts a churning motion in her stomach; she may get sick. "What is happening..."

[Theroc]

Nashia was really unsure how to proceed where down was up, and looked to the other two before attempting to follow without falling... up?

"This makes no sense. What in Xoriat is this place?" She grumbled, attempting to slowly follow Lot, not really sure how this sort of thing was even possible. Sure she could manipulate aspects of reality... but this place... just made no sense.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Lot

Your eyes follow the strange path of your thrown rock, and when it finally drifts/falls out of sight, you catch a glimpse of motion out of the corner of your eye. Three small streaks of elemental energy are quickly falling/flying your way, one ball of fire and two small whirlwinds. They are flying/falling as if their "down" is to your left, just like the rock did, but when they approach within about a dozen feet of you, your own gravity suddenly shifts and after a bit of a tumble you find yourself standing on what used to be a wall, now aligned with your visitors. They land on/fly up to the tunnel entrance and stop a foot or two in front of you. (Or perhaps they sidled up to the entrance, or matched altitudes, or something. The Common tongue was simply not built for describing variable-gravity situations.)

Suddenly, the fireball darkens and solidifies into what appears to be an eight-foot-tall, naked, genderless elf with flaming red eyes and hair; the whirlwinds speed up, gather plenty of sand and gravel from the rocky tunnel floor, and form it into what appear to be stocky, gray-skinned, solemn humans with glowing amber eyes. The elf tilts its head at you and smiles in what you assume was intended to be a friendly manner, and in an inquisitive tone it loudly asks, "¿φερτ qθοδ ηιc θτ θνθμ?"

Everyone Else

The sound of wind and fire coming from outside increases suddenly, then abates for a bit, and you notice a few flashes of light coming from where Lot went, though with all the twists and turns in the tunnel you can't make out any more than that. A strong voice, gentle yet hard-edged, echoes back to your chamber. Whatever language it's speaking doesn't sound familiar to Lonthra or Rist.

Nashia OnlyYou're not quite sure with all the echoes, but you think the voice is speaking Celestial.

[DeusMortuusEst]

Rist

While waiting for a decision on how to proceed from the more experienced adventurers of the group Rist spends some time knocking loose some small rocks from the cave wall, to study later.
"This looks almost like granite you know, but it's a lot softer. He says, looking over his shoulder at Nashia. I've never seen it before, I wonder what it might be."

But before he can continue his examination the lights and voices from the tunnel distracts him from the rocks, which he absent-mindedly puts in a pocked before heading towards the tunnel.
"Perhaps we should make sure that Lot is allright, don't you think?" He hangs his warhammer in his belt and draws his crossbow and loads it. "Hopefully it won't come to combat, but it just won't do to not come back with any research at all."

[Ahus]

Lot
Lot recovers his balance on the wall/floor, and winces, slightly due to discomfort though primarily out of indignity. As the ?elf? takes shape before him Lot slowly raises his hand in greeting.

Lot closes his eyes for a moment as he tips his head slightly in the direction of the creature. Their mental connection established, Lot reaches out with his thoughts to the creature.

Greetings, denizen. My companions and I have come from another world on a mission of exploration and peace in the spirit of commerce.

Lot, then moves his back to the wall/ceiling/floor/area-on-which-he-was-previously-standing, and taking his eyes off of the new arrival, for but a moment, and hollers down the tunnel.

Hey all. We are not alone. They seem friendly but... GET OUT HERE.

[RecoveringGamer]

Lonthra doesn't say anything but moves to where Lot is, recovered from her disorientation.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Rist

Right after you hear the voice echo down the tunnel, you receive a mental impression from a very disoriented arbalester summarizing the last few minutes, which essentially describes lots of heat, lots of falling, lots of flashes of light, lots of confusion, and tentative caution at the appearance of something unknown.

Lot

The elf-thing tilts its head at you when you call back down the tunnel, and a moment later its smile broadens. "I offer you greetings, explorer and merchant. We are indeed friendly to you," it says in flawless Common, mimicking your accent perfectly as far as you can tell. Its voice is indeed overlaid with tones of warmth and friendliness, and it's hard to imagine a being with a voice this beautiful having violent intentions of any sort.





Everyone

When the other three join Lot at the opening, the three newcomers spend a moment appraising them. The stony being to the elf-thing's right leans over and says "ηαβετ μαγνθμ ετ κθαε εστ γιγασεβερρον αλιqθιδ vοcατθσ με σιμιλισ σεμελ." The elf-thing nods to Nashia in a friendly manner, then frowns slightly and replies "κθομοδο ετ cοαεqθαλισ πλθρεσ νεcνοσ νον ¿ηιc κθομοδο μιλλεννιι περvενιθντ?"

The elf-thing smiles once again and, very apologetically, admits, "I am afraid I do not recognize this language with which we are speaking. My companion believes you are from the plane of Eberron. Tell us, is your plane still ruled by...what were they...." It makes vague gestures with its hands, describing something humanoid and about Lonthra's height. At a murmured comment from the stony one, the elf-thing nods. "Ah, yes, goblinoids," it says brightly, its eyes flaring orange. "Is your plane still ruled by the Dhakaan Empire?"

[I]NashiaThe beings are definitely speaking Celestial. The stony one said "That female" (meaning you) "appears to be of celestial descent, and that one" (meaning Lonthra) "is, I believe, descended from giants; I was summoned by one of those once. They must be Eberronians." The elf-thing responded "Perhaps, but that plane has not been reachable for millennia; how could they have possible gotten here?"

[DeusMortuusEst]

Rist

Hurrying through the tunnels Rist arrives at the exit to find his arbalester and Lot standing on the wall, together with a group of natives. Remembering the recent change in gravity the researcher carefully walks forward, staying close to the wall that seems to be 'down' for the others until he too feels it. The fall is short, only an inch or so, and Rist quickly stands up again, nodding to Lot before picking up his arbalester to see if it has been damaged.

Once done with a quick inspection he looks up, just in time to hear the firey elf-creature inquire about some of Eberron's more ancient history. He smiles and takes a step forward.
"We are indeed visitors from Eberron, but much has changed since the last time our planes were in contact. The Empire of Dhakaan ended almost six milennia ago and new nations have risen. But, to start off, I'd like to inform you that we come in peace, and with no intentions to bring harm."

[Ahus]

Lot

It is quite as my companion stated. Indeed new nations have risen and fallen and others risen in their place several times since then. The dominant species of the lands of Eberron is that of the Humanoids, much like ourselves. Whom have risen in the wake of the defeat of the Daelkyr, whom in turn had mostly displaced the Goblinoids.

Much conflict has marred the face of Eberron since the last contact between our planes. Our expedition is one of the few peaceful collaborations of the majority of the nations of Khorvaire since our people united to drive off the Daelkyr.

This language is the common tongue of the humanoids of Eberron

Ak by ste radšej som tiež plynne reči starci
If you would prefer I am also fluent in the speech of the ancients [draconic](Slovak)
Eller alvene ved min Hjem verden
Or the elves of my home world (Norwegian)
Ή το νάνους μου σπίτι του κόσμου
Or the Dwarfs of my home world (Greek)
The above spoken and shared telepathically with the firey elf.
I do apologize for being slightly xenocentric, in my speech, I had never imagined a need for other.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

"Six millennia," the elf-thing muses at Rist's pronouncement. "Yes, that seems about right. My sincerest apologies; one's sense of time tends to wander, you know, particularly in the Chaos." It waves off Lot's apology. "No need for concern; it is I who should have spoken more carefully, as I am blessed with the gift of tongues. I simply did not expect to encounter a being who did not speak cαελεστισ fluently. Thank you for the language identification, my friend...halfling, yes?"

The arbalester skittered back to Rist's side when Rist spoke, more comfortable next to its master. The elf-thing turns its attention from Lot and takes in the rest of you. "You, friend...human? Human, if you do not mind me asking," it continues, indicating the arbalester, "will have to explain that marvelous device of yours. And with you, my dear," this to Nashia, "we needs must discuss your family tree at some point." Folding its hand, the elf-thing nods once to signal a change of topic. "Now, you say you have come to trade and explore. How, pray tell, did you reach our plane, and what are your plans? If there is any way we could assist you, we would be glad to do so."

RistYou recognize these creatures as eladrin, outsiders with a strong connection to the elements and a tendency towards chaos, two traits that make them perfect Kythri natives. They can speak any tongue and possess strong magical abilities, like all celestials, and eladrin specifically can change into a pure elemental or energy form such as fire or wind or light, as Lot saw earlier, whichever substance is most aligned with the creature's essence.

[The elf-thing is a firre eladrin (MotP) and the rocky ones are bralani eladrin (MM1).]

[DeusMortuusEst]

Rist

At the mention of his construct companion, the artificer grins.
"And I'll happily discuss the subject. The skill of artificing, as we call it, has come a long way in the last millennia." He gives his arbalester a last pet on its head before calling out to his messenger, asking it to present itself as well to the eladrin.

"As for how we arrived here, and what our plans are, well. The first one I can't really explain, as we don't quite understand it ourselves. Back on Eberron explorers found a magical device of unknown origin and age that enables easy travel between our planes. We haven't quite figured out how to work it though, which is one of the reasons we're here. To figure out how to control it. He pauses, and looks at the rest of the group.
"Besides that, our mission is to bring back whatever we think that our employers consider valuable, which ranges from information and trade agreements to magical lore or precious stones."

[Theroc]

Nashia was unsure what was going on. Her head was muddled almost as if someone was pouring fog into her mind. She did her best to keep close and kept her mouth closed for the time being merely standing at the ready, hands relatively near her morningstar, but not nearly ready to begin drawing it. She smiled at the references to her, nodding politely as she tried to regain her bearings. Perhaps the portal muddled her mind? But why do the others seem so... clear then?


I apologize profusely for the delays, family matters and others things left me exhausted for quite sometime, and then I found it difficult to reinsert myself, so if we could play it as if Nashia is still somewhat thrown off by the entry so I don't hold things up... that'd likely be good.

[Ahus]

Lot
As Rist mentions the gate Lot's expression changes slightly to almost awe that his companion would be so free with information.

Actually, I am a Gnome.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Rist's messenger arrives shortly and proudly shows itself off to the elf-thing, who is suitably impressed in an I-don't-really-understand-artifice-but-that-looks-pretty-cool sort of way. Its companions show quite a bit more interest, seeing as they are calm, collected beings with an affinity for earth and metal, and look like they might want to discuss artificing later with Rist.

"Information and trade. I see," replies the elf-thing once it has finished with the homunculus. "Information is certainly something we would be glad to trade with you. As the last time any of our fellows visited your place was several millennia ago, knowledge of more current events could be quite valuable for us. And I hope you will forgive me, friend gnome, for mistaking your species; I must admit that I find the minute differences between the various positive-affinity races to be confusing. So much easier to differentiate earth-affinity beings from fire-affinity beings," it admits with a chuckle, waving an arm to encompass itself and its companions.

"As for physical trade goods, those will be more difficult. You could obviously establish a monopoly if you have the only portal to this plane, but having only a single portal limits your trading potential and makes you vulnerable to attack. Any faction in the Chaos, including eladrin like ourselves, would not hesitate to take it from you if they believed it would be advantageous and if they believed they could make it function." The elf-thing's (or rather, the eladrin's) perfect frankness in stating its desire to take the portal for itself is something your superiors would likely find disconcerting, but hey, at least it's being honest with you.

[Ahus]

Lot
Oh, I do quite forgive the mistake. I would further state that it would not be entirely accurate to refer to my Gnomishness as a species per say. Species implies such genetic diversity as to prohibit the production of offspring form, or potentially the complete inability to copulate. It would be more accurate to refer to it as a race or breed of humanoids, which while most of my race would find the very idea of mating with a human repugnant, Lot nods in the generaly direction of Rist, no offense, there is the possibility that doing so would create offspring even without magical intercession. Giving a slight nod in Nashia's direction.
As for the control of the portal, I would hardly say that it is ours, nor that we have any authority to control whom attempts to use it. Therefor it is not something that one could take from another for their own gain, however through cooperative use of it we might all benefit in equal parts.

[DeusMortuusEst]

Rist

Satisfied that his little demonstration of magical engineering has made an impression Rist has his messenger land on his shoulder again.
"This is all very exciting, but perhaps we could continue this discussion somewhere a bit more.. comfortable?" The artificer looks out into the crater.
"While the view is most spectacular, this is hardly the place for extended negotiations, nor is it a suitable location to exchange knowledge of ages past, or the new inventions that we bring."

[RecoveringGamer]

Lonthra nods a little too vigorously, adding "we should find shelter as soon as possible." After groaning, she adds "or make shelter here if there is nowhere more suitable." Hopefully there's a normal place nearby.

[Ahus]

Lot

Lot ponders Lonthra's statement regarding finding shelter for a moment.
Yes shelter, I suspect that this cave is about as good as we will find, so long as the gravitation field does not change so that out of the tunnel becomes down.

Lot turns to address the firey-elf-thing.
While I don't understand how it is possible, I noticed that as you approached the direction that I perceive as down changed to align its self with your vertical axis. I must say I find that to be terribly disorienting, and presume that my companions do as well. If we are to make shelter here we must find a location where "down" is not randomly subject to change or at the very least where there is not a significant fall into oblivion if it does.

I do not know how this works with your species on this plane etc. but on Eberron, each individual humanoid has a moniker or name given to it by its progenitor, most also assume a family name so as to reduce confusion in cases where two progeny are given the same name. These names allow us to differentiate individuals from the others of their species and refer to specific individuals in future discussions. My given name is Lot. Might you lot have similar monikers.

Lot likely has sufficient Knowledge(Planes) (+6 or +9 [1/day]) and Concentration (+9 or +12 [1/day]) to learn how to control the subjective gravity if the fire elf thing is willing to teach him.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

The fiery eladrin gives Lot a blank look at his explanation of "species." The importance of a fine distinction between race and species is mostly lost on creatures who look like part-humanoids, turn into balls of elements, and can breed with basically anything that moves and some things that don't. It continues to look blank at the suggestion that the four of you can't simply bend the environment to your whims and need to look for shelter. It looks at its companions, who give it similar uncertain looks in return.

"Shelter? You mean...like this?" Suddenly, with a great rumbling sound, an uneven hemisphere of earth condenses into existence around the opening to the cave. The loud rushing noise from the wind that you'd started to be able to ignore cuts off, leaving an unexpected silence, and the brightest light remaining is the glow from the eladrin's flaming body. "There have been mortals who have visited before, and I did not...but then, it has been, hmm, eight or so mortal generations, so...hmm." More nonplussed looks are exchanged, and one of the earthy eladrin shrugs as if to say Eh, mortals, who knows how they work?

"If you'd like I can attempt to teach you how to control the Chaos. I would have offered before, but I did not realize...Oh!" The eladrin glances over at Nashia, a look of concern on its face. "I was wondering why you weren't saying anything, aasimar, but now I realize--your celestial blood feels comfortable here, and your subconscious must have been trying to shape the Chaos since the gravity shift, but your conscious mind has been resisting. You must be feeling terrible, you poor thing." It nods confidently, and the stone barrier over the entrance fragments into sand and blows away into the once-again-howling wind. "Your artificer is right, this is no place for negotiations. We shall take you somewhere more comfortable, to give us someplace more private to speak and someplace for the aasimar to rest, and along the way I shall instruct you in the shaping of the Chaos."

The three eladrin begin "falling" out of the cave. You all feel a small tug in the direction of the opening as the eladrin change the direction of gravity, but they conscientiously limit their changes to avoid pulling you out unexpectedly. They stop quickly, though, and with a sheepish grin the fiery eladrin says, "Ah, yes, right, the matter of names. We do not have 'progenitors' as such, and our names are somewhat unwieldy when translated into mortal tongues, but we do have 'nicknames' we have used with mortals before. My companions are bralani, and their names in your tongue are K'vis and M'ver. I am a firre, and my name in your tongue is Jvalam." The eladrin continue floating away, and this time you feel a very gentle, very gradual shift in the gravity that slowly slides you out of the cave as if you were dismounting a horse or slipping out of a chair.

You start picking up speed as you accelerate out of the cave, past the windstorm, and into a pocket of calmer air. A few shards of ice and bursts of acid come close to the seven of you, but the eladrin keep them away or negate them into harmless air. "Now," Jvalam says with an encouraging smile, "let us begin..."

The rules for manipulating the environment are similar but not identical to the Limbo manipulation rules in MotP; I'll put up the particulars later today in the OOC thread when I have my notes with me.

[DeusMortuusEst]

Rist

Floating after the eladrin out of the mouth of the tunnel, the artificer smiles, one hand holding a steady grip on his arbalester, dragging it along, who somehow manages have a confused look on its wooden face.
"It is a pleasure to meet you all, K'vis, M'ver and Jvalam." He turns towards each of them and bows slightly.
"My name is Ristarchus, though you may call me Rist, as most people do." He pauses for a moment. "Names are a bit dunny, often we are given ones that are cumbersome to use, and instead adopt other, easier ones, saving our proper names for special occasions."

As the eladrin begins to teach the group on how to control the chaos surrounding them, Rist does his best to keep up, but the researcher has never had the intuitive understanding of his surroundings as those of a more spiritual connection, and he has a hard time forcing the environment to bend to his will. Finally, after a few minutes of trying he stops, and turns towards the firre.
"I find this a most interesting, though difficult exercise, and I'm impressed by the control you have over your surroundings. I look forward to the day that I perhaps can show some small degree of the same skill."

OOC: Rist isn't really trying to do anything 'serious' right now, just floating around and trying to change small amounts of matter and learn how gravity works. If there's any need to roll, please do, concentration +2, wisdom +0. :smallsmile:

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Once everyone has practiced manipulating the Chaos enough to satisfy Jvalam that they have some measure of skill (or lack thereof) with it, he guides everyone in shifting the gravity to point in a certain direction and increases the strength, sending everyone zooming off through the clouds.

You all fall for about fifteen minutes, chit-chatting idly all the way about nothing particularly important--names of Khorvarian countries, types of eladrin, some current events on Eberron, an amusing anecdote involving a Xen'drik giant, two dragons, and a lot of ooze paraelementals, things like that. Soon enough, Jvalam guides you in shifting the gravity once again to slow you down, and within minutes you all lightly touch down on what appears to be a cobblestone street...if cobblestone streets were made of sapphires embedded in marble, that is. The street leads up to a a marvelous structure--a castle formed purely of blue and violet ice, complete with surrounding grounds and gardens. Many different colors of clouds and air masses float around you at varying speeds as you land; they would seem to be at least minimally-intelligent organisms, as they move with a definite--if vague--purpose, but they are like no creatures you know.

Most of those creatures flit by you without a second glance, but one creature does take an interest in you. It's several creatures, actually, a half-dozen vaguely-lizard-shaped light grayish storm clouds no more than two feet in diameter, each one of them crackling with tiny sparks of blue and white lightning. They float around you darting from one to the other, sniffing curiously at you and your gear. When they seem satisfied, they gather into one group again. Sishswswsihsss swsshwiswhss? they all ask Jvalam together, sounding like a gentle breeze wafting slowly through the trees. The eladrin answers in the same language, and the creatures lead you happily to the front gates, and as you walk through them you feel the slightest shift in gravity; "down" in this area is apparently relative to the ice. Up close, you notice that all of the plants and animals in the garden are either sculpted of ice or formed of clouds like your escort here. You have little time to marvel at the garden before a tendril of violet smoke wafts from the front doors of the castle to a spot a few feet in front of you and solidifies into the form of a large, violet-skinned creature--a djinn.

The djinn is somewhat rotund and, were he a human, would appear to be in his mid-fifties or so. He is garbed in a blue turban, loose-fitting blue robes and pants, and his fingers, clothing, and long white beard are encrusted with sapphires and amethysts. With a dramatic gesture, he spreads his arms and walks towards you, bowing low. "Welcome and greetings, my friends! Welcome to my most humble dwelling! I am Taru ibn Jariz ibn Hasan ibn Warid, at your most humble service, and I see you have met my dearest friend Puka." His voice is a joyous, laughter-filled baritone, and his smile is radiant. Your escort--Puka--swarms over and around him playfully as he straightens from his bow. "Consider yourselves guests of my household, I really must insist. My dearest friend Jvalam has an excellent eye for good, upstanding, righteous, honorable beings, and any friend of Jvalam is a friend of mine. It is always a pleasure to meet such wonderful beings as yourselves! Please, come enjoy the hospitality of my roof and the food of my larder. Now, by the looks of it, you are all mortals, and therefore Eberron natives, come for a relaxing jaunt in this wonderful plane, yes? Excellent! You must tell me all about what brings you here over a glass of the finest wine and the most delectable cheeses." Without waiting for an answer, Taru turns back into purple smoke and floats back into the house.

As you all follow the djinn, the firre explains under his breath, "Taru and his wives originally created this palace of his as a safe zone for the weaker elemental creatures, as the area around it is stabilized and they are not in danger of being snuffed out by the sudden appearance of opposing elements. He welcomed in any mortals trapped in the Chaos when it separated from Eberron the last time. They are all long since dead, of course, but since then this has become a neutral meeting place for beings of all sorts, though most of his visitors in recent years have been creatures of air and water. We can negotiate in safety and comfort in this place, and if you wish to seek out other factions to do the same with them, Taru will be able to assist you--though of course I would appreciate it greatly if you were to conclude any deals with the eladrin before involving any other factions. Be wary, though--Taru is a peerless host and always helpful to a fault, but he has a terrible temper when provoked."

When you open the grand, jewel-encrusted double doors to the palace and walk down the main hall, you find yourselves in a cavernous banquet hall, all carved of ice and decorated in the same blue and violet motif. The smoke turns back into Taru, and with another elaborate bow and a wave of his hand over the large round table in the center of the room he conjures a plentiful feast. "Eat and drink and refresh yourselves, my friends, you must be positively famished, yes? Planar travel can be so wearying, don't you agree? Yes, yes, it is a very thirsty endeavor. Now, what brings you all to call upon your loyal servant Taru?"

[DeusMortuusEst]

Rist

Satisfied that he has at least understood the basics of manipulating the essence of the plane, Rist calmly falls along with the eladrin, trusting in their skill at avoiding the local hazards. Having half an ear on the various stories told in the group, the artificer spends most of the time demonstrating some of the theories behind his homunculi with practical examples to the earth genasi, something his arbalester finds disconcerting. The messenger on the other hand seems to enjoy the attention.

As they arrive at the magnificent castle his attention is instantly drawn to the strange creatures floating around in the courtyard. The many marvels of the plane is a source of great joy for the young scientist and he is so busy of taking mental notes of the beings that he hardly notices their surroundings.

As their new host arrives Rist is once again forced to shift focus, but the opportunity to interact with a djinn is something that he has previously only dreamed of and the other creature, 'Puka', is left to study for later.

Following Taru into his stronghold Rist listens closely to Jvalam explaining the origin of the place, and when the djinn addresses the group again he steps foward and bows deeply.

"Great and noble Taru." He begins, a smile on his lip.
"I am Ristarchus, a scholar and scientist of some small skill from Eberron. We are deeply honored of your welcome, and most thankful of your generosity. As I am sure that you are aware, planar travel between our respective homes has for a long time been difficult, and indeed tiring. However, we believe that we have found a way to ease this travel and are here to discuss the ramifications of this. As our friend Jvalam here has been very generous in his help we have agreed to negotiate with his people firstly, and if possible we would like to use your magnificent abode as the location of these negotiations."