Anthony looks as alert and ready for business as he usually does...

His head rests gently against the desk, and a melodic snoring can be heard.

Morgrim strides into the great hall , he bangs on the desk to wake up anthony " anthony ... .ANTHONY.... i need to speak to umbrial , it is a matter of great importance , my son has been found, allthough he has been taken again into a black twisting portal! please hurry!"

The mage wakens suddenly at the banging on the desk, his gaping eyes finally focus on Morgrims face.
"Oh, hello."
He scribbles a note which disappears in a small puff of blue hued smoke.
"She'll be down momentarily."

Umbrials door at the top of the stairs squeaks open, and she totters down them, stroking snakey who looks comfy on her shoulders.
"'Sup?"
She reaches the bottom of the stairs and stands before Morgrim.

Wandering into the order Trelaine walks up to the desk. 'Hello, I was wondering if you are able to send a message for me. The problem is I don't know if the person I want to send a message to is still alive.'

Morgrim lets out a sigh, "gorgut has been found but apparently has been taken into a portal by some black clad being, please help me Umbrial , he could be any where , its about time i started helping him,

Ky enters the Great Hall and walks over to where Morgrim and now Umbrial are standing.

"Hi Morgrim, Umbrial - I think we need to have a chat. Not sure whether you want to do it here or whether you would prefer to go somewhere more private and comfortable - it could take a while."

*To Ky*
If your discussions regard the portal that has remained open the message i am wishing to send relates also.

"Hi Trelaine. It does in part, but it also relates to a logistical problem and also the matter of gorgat."

then I should make you aware that it is my intention to try and contact my brother as ask for his assistance in shutting down the portal before hostile forces are able to find a way to use it to enter the protected zone.

"That would seem to be a good idea. It is strange that when I unsealed the circle and entered that cursed place that when we returned, they <<ooc: was the very last group we attacked elves>> were trying to close the portal."

The knowledge keepers for all their rash decisions and violent reactions are and have done what they have for what they believe is the greater good. Only history will decide which path was correct, the reaction between Quinn's ritual, my interferance and your undoing created the portal and only by knowing all three peices can we be sure not to make things worse. That is if he still lives, he would be my age and unlikely to of benefitted from what ever force has kept me alive for so long.

Besides I would like to look him in the eye one time more before i rest.

Trevellian walks into the Order looking thoughtful, as he approaches the desk he notices all the others and blinks.

"Oh... Is there a meeting or something? I took my time walking back, time to ponder..."

Umbrial goggles at the sudden influx of people.
"Eh... start from the beginning please."
She motions to an idle lizardkin, attempting to set fire to his robes, to bring over some chairs.
"May as well be comfy, at least for the time being." She states looking darkly at all the visitors.

"i am limited to what i know of the goings on , as i wasnt there.... ive seen the state of sir nial ans i cant imagine what even happened to gorgut.... did either of you see the figure that came from this portal?" Morgrim pulls up a chair

Trevellian frowns.

"Oh, that thing... Uh... did it come back, then?"

*taking a seat Trelaine summerises the tale*

Basically what has occured is that we discovered the dead ritual circle north of Dimlet was the site of the ritual long ago to banish the therians which at the time I interfered with causing them simply to rest rather than be destroyed. We were able to bring them back to our land through a portal which Ky opened unfortunately upon the completion of the mission we were unable to deactive the portal. Nothing has come through it as yet and may never do so but past experience says if we can close it we should do so.

At the moment the portal is the main issue to which I wish to try and contact my brother for aid, we also have several hundred Therians now homeless wandering neard Dimlet and need to get them somewhere safe, Sanctuary is likely paralysed decision making wise as they are in the long process of choosing a new leader, Staying in the protected zone would seem dangerous as the knowledgekeepers are likely to try something new to destroy them now they are free and I do not know how well these creatures of nature and freedom would appreciate being trapped in the city of galashnokev or however it is pronounced.

As for Gorgut I know he appeared from a seperate portal being chased by figures I did not see...Quite impressive array of soul talents the lad has, one day he could hold a great mastery of the dark arts. Last I saw he was with Sir Naill at Dimlet, I was one of the first to leave so I do not know where he went after for certainty.

Morgrim has a suprised look about him


soul talents you say? well thats a turn up for the books , as for sir nial , i have visisted him allready, he is quite shook up and has been terribly injured in the ordeal.

It is the portal and the creature which has me somewhat concerned. The creature seemed incessent in its pursuit of Gorgut. Indeed it kind of seems that he was ejected from the portal. I bound his wounds when he came through and while our friends were keeping him busy, I had a closer look at the portal and the creature. The magic emanating from the portal was completely alien. There was a presence, however, it is nothing that I have experienced thus far on this world. Umbriel, have you ever felt a magic source that just left a tingling feeling in your arm?

The creature which left the portal and seemed to pursue Gorgut was not undead and I do not think it was of the T'Cra either. Its tolerance to physical and magical attacks was immense. It also seemed to possess a similar ability to the T'Cra spelljammers. I wonder whether in the past the T'Cra had encountered this species of creature and somehow was able to use it in their experiments?

Interestingly, as it was being fought, the dark figure which was released when we went to visit the Kraan also appeared as if out of nowhere. Instintively, he fought the creature as though he knew it was his enemy and as if he knew that collectively we would be unable to vanquish it.

The creature was in the process of following me when it suddenly disappeared.

We spoke with the dark figure for some time who still has no idea who he is or details of his past. I did wonder whether it may be worth trying to find the ensephalum - not sure whether he is still wandering with the Lizardman lands - to see whether he would be able to assist.

I'm not sure whether the portal and creature which took Gorgut was the same, as I was still in the dead transport circle where the portal was waiting for the last of the Therians to emerge.

<<ooc - meant spellbreakers not spelljammers - always get the name wrong!! :D >>

The ensephalon is I believe on the elemental plane of earth or at least in their care, in exchange for him correcting a few problems with my memory I called in a few favours to ensure its safety.

"The dark portal didn't feel like soul, either... Could it be a form of Shadow Magic?"

possibly, or god magic...some powerful undead can survive the lifestone effect as we have seen.

Morgrim has a look of confusion about him " ok, i dont know what any of you are talking about.....im more confused now then when i started ."

Morgrim adresses the group once more " maybe if the portal leads to another plain, this may be why the scrying pools i have attempted have failed..... it seems odd that gorgut was coughed out of the portal , then sucked back.....i do hope he is ok."

*Looks at Morgrim* "Hmm... Who was he with when you first lost track of him? I'm just wondering how he came to end up in whatever plane he's in..."

morgrim ponders for a moment , " i left him in the care of Didier, and he says that he last saw him with chastity.... "

"Ok, in order, Trelaine, try sending the message, otherwise you'll never know. They may even try to contact you back. Secondly, all this talk about unspecified portals is a bit confusing, could you either talk about one portal at a time with a specific location, or even a feedback on the magic on it, or say which portal is which."

*To Anthony*

Ok the message is to a elf named Quinn, The message should read,

'Brother, While we differ in our methods our objective to act for the greater good is the same. The combination of your ritual long ago, my interferance and my associates undoing has created a portal to a place unknown. I ask for a period of truce so that we can bring your knowledge and ours together to plan how to close it before it can be used by those hostile to the free lands.'

Umbrial rolls her eyes.
"It's a crown per 12 words, and it will get sent in those chunks."
Addressing the others she states:
"Right tell me about Gorgut first, how he appeared, what was chasing him and the circumstances of his disappearance."
"Once you've told me that, tell me what you've done to release the Therians."

For Morgrim's sake, I think it best that we try and address one complete issue at a time. When we got to Dimlit, albeit later than expected due to some direction problems, the portal suddenly appeared. Even though it was dark out, the light from the inn illuminated the area where the portal appeared from which Gorgut was expelled. I say this because he was ejected from it with some force and careened into the wall of the inn.

The hue of the portal was black.

With regards to whether it could have been Shadow or God magic, I have had cause to sense both types of magic before, and it did not feel similar to either. I concur that it did not feel like soul magic. It did not feel like either elemental magic or mendac.

I was not there when Gorgut disappeared so don't know whether the portal was made up of the same energy.

I am not sure whether the dark figure came through the portal or whether he just appeared, as I was busy looking after Gorgut at the time.

Morgrim nods, " sir nial says that the figure that appeared from the portal at dimlit was the same creature that pulled him back into the portal... it must have been a creature of some power as it seems to have made quite a mess of sir niall

*handing over a few crown he says jokingly*
If this helps save the world do I get a rebate?

Since i dont know if i'll even get a response I wont bother waiting around.

*saying his goodbyes he leaves the wizardly ones to discuss other matters alone*

Morgrim gives a wave goodbye to Trelaine, " so thats about all i know Umbrial , its not much to go on im afraid but i thought you best to ask, " Morgrim turns to ky " this portals origin seems very strange indeed, i have never heard of any such power that would leave you tingling"

"So you have no other information regarding the portals involving Gorgut... I'll keep my eye out but I'm not sure there is much we can do. Who the beast or the dark stranger were, where the portals went.... nothing.
As for the therians portal.... and this is VERY important, did you make a portal or a gate?"
She watches Ky carefully.

"When performing the ritual, I definitely used the Old Elven for Portal. In the scrolls we found relating to the Therians <<hands over a translation of SA2>> it mentioned that defences were left in order to prevent anyone creating a portal at the ritual site thus permitting them to be set free."

"So you mean to tell me you opened a portal, just because it warned not to in the scroll? A portal, as in a conduit you can't close unlike a gate.... to a location that you had no information about?"
"Old Elven has specific words for gate and portal for a reason."

The fountain seems to have quietened it's sussuration, the display seem lopsided as several streams previously on the opposite side have leant towards the conversation.
Torches, having sputtered like old men now quieten, with pairs of brighter glows at the base of the flame.
Small piles of sand issue from the floor at the base of the table and chair legs, and are gently buffeted by tiny eddies which curl the edge of the scroll.

"The meaning of these words amongst my people differs. I did ask Sir Caelwyn to stop by the Order on their way back to Dimlit, however, I was informed that nobody was available.
If a portal is a permanent conduit between places, would it be possible to erect a seal around the portal itself to prevent entry or egress?
Alternatively, would there be a way to diffuse the energy within the portal?"

"Don't make excuses.

No, there is no energy within the portal itself to be dissipated, it is simply a hole between two planes.
A rend in the fabric of reality cannot simply be darned like a sock. You have destroyed a piece of the veil between planes and we do not have a replacement piece to patch it.
It Will have to be sealed but as yet we don't know how this could be done.

OK, lets say for example that you have punched a hole through reality, and that for semantic reasons you decided against being able to close it. Where does this aperture lead?"