Perilous Gateways
One-Way Portals in Amn
By Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel
Submerged Portal
Another little-known one-way portal is at the top of the Elethephryn Falls near Lake Esmel in Amn. The portal is submerged, though it's near the usual surface of the water. It's a one-way trip to the Western shore of Lake Esmel. What the spellcaster who placed the portal intended no one knows.
The portal was discovered recently when an unlucky trapper, Teri, capsized her canoe. She tried to swim to shore, but the current was too strong. As she approached the edge of the waterfall, she knew she couldn't survive the fall. To her delighted surprise, in the instant she was tipping over the edge, she found herself on the West Beach of Lake Esmel, suddenly appearing near the health resort amid the tourists and vacationers.
Teri: Female half-orc Exp3; CR 3; Medium-size humanoid (orc); HD 3d6+6; hp 16; Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; AC 12, touch 12, flat-footed 10; Atk +4 ranged (1d8/19-20, light crossbow); SQ Darkvision 60 ft.; AL N; SV Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +4; Str 12, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 6.
Skills and Feats: Appraise +4, Climb +5, Craft (trapmaking) +6, Handle Animal +2, Heal +5, Listen +3, Profession (trapper) +5, Spot +5, Swim +2, Use Rope +6, Survival +5; Alertness, Skill Focus (Craft [trapmaking]).
Possessions: Light crossbow, case with 10 bolts.
Local mages have undertaken the study of the oddly placed portal, but little has been learned. Some speculate that a ship that wrecked on the rocks at the top of the falls might have caused it.
The truth of the matter is that about 10 years ago, a wealthy young halfling aristocrat named Velth hired a mage to place the portal there so that he could fake his suicide. A bardic knowledge or Knowledge (local) check (DC 25) will recall that Velth owed a great deal of money to underworld loan sharks. In fact, he owed more money than the cost of creating a portal, and he never intended to repay the debt. He seemed to have committed suicide by jumping into the river near the falls. His body was never recovered.
Velth faked his death. He invested in an amulet of proof against detection and location to help avoid attempts to locate him. He now lives in Athkatla under the alias Souvrin with his ill-gotten gains. Due to a recent misfortune, however, he has lost his amulet but has gained a ring of mind shielding. If word of Velth's survival reaches the underworld, a bounty of 5,000 gp will be offered to capture him alive.
Souvrin/Velth: Male halfling Ari10; CR 10; Small humanoid; HD 10d8+13; hp 58; Init +1; Spd 30 ft.; AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 13; Atk +8/+3 melee (1d4/19-20, dagger); or +10/+5 ranged (1d4/19-20, dagger); SQ Halfling traits; AL CN; SV Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +7; Str 10, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 8, Cha 17.
Skills and Feats: Bluff +18, Climb +2, Diplomacy +14, Disguise +18, Forgery +15, Gather Information +16, Hide +5, Intimidate +5, Jump +2, Knowledge (local) +7, Listen +1, Move Silently +3, Ride (horse) +5, Sense Motive +4, Spot +4; Lightning Reflexes, Skill Focus (Bluff), Skill Focus (Disguise), Toughness.
Halfling Traits: Souvrin gains a +2 morale bonus on saving throws against fear, a +1 racial bonus on all saving throws, a +1 racial attack bonus with a thrown weapon, and a +2 racial bonus on Climb, Jump, Listen, and Move Silently checks (already figured into the statistics given above).
Possessions: Bracers of armor +2, dagger, ring of mind shielding.
How to Incorporate the Submerged Portal Into Your Campaign
- The PCs learn of the bounty on Velth's head and decide to pursue it.
- Souvrin holds the key to something that the PCs need in their current quest, whether it be an actual key or item or simply information. Will his alternate identity come to light? If so, will they stumble across the portal themselves?
- The PCs fall into the portal and discover themselves in the resort. Who built this portal, and why did this person build it?