Portals: A Brief Introduction

How to spot a portal?

The most common portal appearance on Arelith is a circle of light, often yellow, on the ground. Other portals appear as free standing doorways or, others still, as doors against vertical surfaces. The rarest portal type appears as a mass of blood and gore which draws in and erupts outward the contents continuously.

Portal Types

The most prevalent portal type is often referred to as a 'Location Portal' which allows the user to reach said portal but not leave by it. These portals are always visible and require little magic to maintain function. Evidence of extinguished location portals may be found in areas such as Cordor's Park or the Lowland Swamps; the area is often marked off by constant plumes of smoke which likely occur from residual magical energies.

The strongest portal type is known as a 'Variable Portal' which allows the user to reach almost any location portal on Arelith, within reason. These portals are few and far between however a traveller may substitute a variable portal with a portal lens which behaves much in the same way. One such portal may be found within the Arcane Tower.

Most commonly, variable portals require a phrase or thought of a location portal before allowing a traveller to pass through. Travellers can only teleport to location portals which they have come into prior contact with. Scholars speculate that making contact with a location portal draws a minute amount of magic from the portal which later acts like a magical signature or a poor man's portal key.

Other variable portals require portal keys in order to activate a certain location. Portal keys can be as simple as a drop of water or as complicated as golem components.

It should be noted that, in spite of the strength of a variable portal, travellers often cannot access portals in the Underdark from variable portals on the surface. For further reading on this matter please look to Vanya Dea'ia's 'The Pinch'.

The weakest type of portal is known as a 'One-way Portal'. These portals are often located within caves or ancient structures and are not visible at the end location. Many of these portals have been created away from magical Nodes which make them difficult to sustain. The most well-known of these one-way portals are those created by mass sacrifice because the appearance is one of breathtaking horror.

Another distinct feature of the one-way portal, which may be further evidence to the weakness of the type, is that these portals require minimal sentience. A traveller could very easily walk through a one-way portal by accident.

Hidden Portals

These portals are often referred to as 'Shadow Doors' because of their appearance and link to the Shadow Plane. This portal type is only visible with a keen eye or during the correct time of night which makes the use difficult for a common traveller. For further reading please consult Johann Blackthorne's 'Guide to the Shadow Plane.'

-Master Elanor Shortwick *Signed with nine squiggly lines arranged in a fan