Quote Originally Posted by Silverionmox View Post
I think it's much simpler. The floor color is the key. That means:

- Team Xykon is actually just walking into yet another monster tunnel.

- The Order is being teleported to Somewhere Else, likely a tunnel leading to the portal.

- The teleportation activates conditionally, likely at least the condition of alignment, which explains why Blackwing, being an unaligned animal doesn't trigger the condition but the Order does. Probably with a timer to accomodate company with an alternative alignment.

This means that the gate tunnel isn't accidentally accessible to any random adventurer with Detect Magic and Dispel Magic. If the effects are dispelled, the tunnel remains where it is, and the gate too, likely hidden somewhere underground. The teleportation effect is just a convenient service access.

The illusion is just an unconditional one that crosswires the sensory data when observing through the portal.

It also only requires a *single* teleport/illusion combo, instead of one for every tunnel, hundreds or thousands.


The rat head is effectively part of Haley's equipment, which is why it triggers the condition, and why the scorch mark is on departure and destination sides of the teleportation.

The only thing unexplained is why the convenient maintenance entrance doesn't work both ways, but we'll see that later I suppose.
I still don't understand the case that an active trap doesn't teleport people but a disabled one does.