The Lake of Fire

By the time you leave Rotting Blade, the sky is slightly darker, or at least so you imagine. Once you get past the first set of hills to the northeast, you find another small line of them approximately a mile to the east, running almost directly north across your path. As you approach, even with the lower visibility of the Wastes, its atmosphere polluted by smoke from the numerous fire pits and small volcanoes, you can make out the rough shape of a column of smoke and fire almost directly northeast.

As you approach these hills, the shape of the column grows clearer, even as the rise of the hills hides its source. Soon enough, you find your way over one of the lower slopes, emerging onto one end of a rolling plain. As is usual in this area, at points it rises into low hills, a couple of them glowing with volcanic activity. One, completely overshadowing each of the others, and for that matter every volcano you have seen here or elsewhere, stands just over two miles away.

This one is absolutely huge, not so much in height as in width. The crater at the top, the source of the smoke column, from the edges of which liquid flame trickles in slow red streams, must stretch a mile in diameter, and the volcano’s base is twice as wide. Perhaps only because you know what it supposedly contains, the volcano seems almost alive, a dark, malevolent beast crouching low over the landscape around it.

As you near the southwestern side of the volcano, following the directions provided by Vraria, it grows progressively darker, the pall of smoke cutting off the sunlight. While on the way, you catch sight of a silvery gleam near the base. As you approach, you see movement near it, and in the general area. Orienting yourself towards the gleam, with the low foothills and broken land around the base, you are able to approach all the way till nearly a quarter of a mile from the volcano.

Looking at the Lake of Fire from behind a low hillock, you can now see that the silvery light outlines a doorway, low on the volcano’s side. A tiger-headed humanoid sits beside the doorway on a rock. Moving restlessly around it are three more of the scaled, six-legged cats you had seen earlier in the day.

As you watch, you can see more movement in the area. Dozens of creatures are moving around the base of the volcano. There are a few more of the cats, as well as some of the large lizards you saw before, and more unusual beasts that you do not recognize. Off to the east, perhaps half a mile away from you, there are dozens of humanoid figures, perhaps members of the Carrion Tribes. Like the animals, they seem to be simply watching the volcano, not moving any closer to it.

Can Nameless cast this while we're moving?

Vigorous Motion: If you are riding on a moving mount, taking a bouncy ride in a wagon, on a small boat in rough water, below-decks in a storm-tossed ship, or simply being jostled in a similar fashion, you must make a Concentration check (DC 10 + the level of the spell you’re casting) or lose the spell.

Violent Motion: If you are on a galloping horse, taking a very rough ride in a wagon, on a small boat in rapids or in a storm, on deck in a storm-tossed ship, or being tossed roughly about in a similar fashion, you must make a Concentration check (DC 15 + the level of the spell you’re casting) or lose the spell.

Arcane Eye

Divination (Scrying)
Level: Sor/Wiz 4 Components: V, S, M Casting Time: 10 minutes Range: Unlimited Effect: Magical sensor Duration: 1 min./level (D) Saving Throw: None Spell Resistance: No

You create an invisible magical sensor that sends you visual information. You can create the arcane eye at any point you can see, but it can then travel outside your line of sight without hindrance. An arcane eye travels at 30 feet per round (300 feet per minute) if viewing an area ahead as a human would (primarily looking at the floor) or 10 feet per round (100 feet per minute) if examining the ceiling and walls as well as the floor ahead. It sees exactly as you would see if you were there.

The eye can travel in any direction as long as the spell lasts. Solid barriers block its passage, but it can pass through a hole or space as small as 1 inch in diameter. The eye can’t enter another plane of existence, even through a gate or similar magical portal.

You must concentrate to use an arcane eye. If you do not concentrate, the eye is inert until you again concentrate.

Material Component: A bit of bat fur.

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I'm pretty sure that Nameless can't miss the vigorous motion check (DC 14). I'd have to check, but I think if buffed with BE he can't miss the violent motion (DC 19).

Nameless wrote:

Can Nameless cast this while we're moving?

Yes, he'd be able to do so easily enough, even with the fact that it's a 10 minute casting time.

But what do you have in mind? Putting the Arcane Eye near the rakshasa and the doorway? If so, you wouldn't have a good enough view of them to put the spell there until you had stopped riding Luna and all moved up closer to the volcano behind the hillock, so motion wouldn't be an issue at that point.

Admin wrote:

Nameless wrote:

Can Nameless cast this while we're moving?

Yes, he'd be able to do so easily enough, even with the fact that it's a 10 minute casting time.

But what do you have in mind? Putting the Arcane Eye near the rakshasa and the doorway? If so, you wouldn't have a good enough view of them to put the spell there until you had stopped riding Luna and all moved up closer to the volcano behind the hillock, so motion wouldn't be an issue at that point.

I'm thinking in terms of having it going at the time when we pull up to the crater edge, so we don't have to wait for 10 min while he casts it.

Nameless wrote:

I'm thinking in terms of having it going at the time when we pull up to the crater edge, so we don't have to wait for 10 min while he casts it.

Sure. Where do you want the sensor to appear?

Also, you're not near the crater. You guys are currently about a quarter of a mile from the base of the volcano. The doorway that you can see is low down on the side of the volcano, near the base.

Admin wrote:

Nameless wrote:

I'm thinking in terms of having it going at the time when we pull up to the crater edge, so we don't have to wait for 10 min while he casts it.

Sure. Where do you want the sensor to appear?

Also, you're not near the crater. You guys are currently about a quarter of a mile from the base of the volcano. The doorway that you can see is low down on the side of the volcano, near the base.

I'll use it to quick check out the various groups surrounding the volcano. Then the door and if possible move it through the door.

Nameless wrote:

I'll use it to quick check out the various groups surrounding the volcano. Then the door and if possible move it through the door.

The arcane eye pops into existence about twenty feet from the creature sitting near the door. It shows no signs of noticing the invisible sensor, nor do the three creatures nearby.

Looking through the sensor, Nameless can see that it appears to be a rakshasa, of the yellow-and-black furred variety. It is dressed in fairly ornate robes and doesn't wear any armor or obvious weapons other than a curved dagger at its belt. It does have a lot of pouches at its belt, as a spellcaster might have, and a couple of wands hanging by its side. As far as you can make out an expression on the feline face, it seems bored, turning once in a while to look at the door as if expecting or hoping for something to occur.

The three creatures nearby are the large scaled, six-legged cats you had seen (on the way back from Burning Keep) feeding on the carcasses of the lizards you had killed. They move around aimlessly, but stay close to the rakshasa. At one point, it says something to one of the cats that is straying (you can't hear what, since the arcane eye only relays visual information) and the cat growls and returns, to plop down on a rock nearby.

As you move the sensor around, you see that the other creatures (some more cats, a few of the lizards, what look like a pair of large snakes with spines along their backs, a small group of dog-like creatures that you think have scales like the cats but only four legs) are all staying in groups fairly well separated from each other, though they do all move from place to place. They seem fixated on the mountain. The snakes and the dogs are close to the direct path between where you are and the doorway. You could find a path that gives all the creatures a wide berth, but would have to take a fairly winding approach to do so, which would take twice or thrice as long to cover the ground.

When you turn the sensor towards the doorway, you find the area beyond somewhat hazy, like looking through a thin mist, which makes visibility difficult. Beyond the doorway is what looks like a stone chamber, evidently carved, since the floor is smooth. The silvery light you can see from where you are emanates from what looks like silver fire (a lot like the kind you've seen involved with Gareth) that flows in streams up and down the walls of the chamber. There seem to be no such streams on the floor and the ceiling is too high (the doorway is only six feet high and about five feet wide) to see.

When you try to move the sensor through the door, it stops at the threshold (there is no actual door - just a doorway) as if encountering some barrier and checking around for chinks that it can squeeze through provides no success. When the sensor is right up against the doorway, however, you catch a glimpse of something you couldn't see through the haze from further away. At the limits of your vision, about fifty feet in, lies one end of what looks like a large snake. It must be at least ten feet long, since you can see a good seven-eight feet of it and can't see far enough to see the head. There's a pool of blood around it and something flat on the ground at the far end on either side of it, which is brightly colored, or at least you think so through the haze.

I'm guessing that Nameless can figure out that it's actually a gate of some sort since otherwise the arcane eye could pass through.

Can Nameless figure out what the dead creature is with a knowlege check of some sort? I'm guessing a couatl.

Can we get within about 800' of the gate without being seen?

Does anyone else have some wall spells? or something that could be used to gum up the portal?

Nameless wrote:

I'm guessing that Nameless can figure out that it's actually a gate of some sort since otherwise the arcane eye could pass through.

A gate or some very well-made obstruction. Could be a wall of force or something similar.

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Can Nameless figure out what the dead creature is with a knowlege check of some sort? I'm guessing a couatl.

Nameless can't actually see it well enough to make a judgement, but in view of what he knows about couatls and their connection with the binding of the rakshasa rajahs, that's a pretty reasonable assumption.

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Can we get within about 800' of the gate without being seen?

Not really. This (about 1200-1300 ft away) is as close as you can really get staying under cover. The area beyond is fairly flat and open, so there's about 400-500 ft you'd have to traverse quite openly.

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Does anyone else have some wall spells? or something that could be used to gum up the portal?

Not as far as I know. But I think the druids could do something with a Wall of Thorns if they were willing to use Gurr'khan's trinket and give up a couple of 5th lvl slots (I believe both Korm and Luna have 2 slots that they could give up).

Admin wrote:

A gate or some very well-made obstruction. Could be a wall of force or something similar.

If it's a wall of force we're basically screwed (unless Nameless will suddenly get to level and take Disintegrate), plus it's a min/lvl spell. So unless there's someone standing there and casting it repeatedly, it'd be gone. Given how the Arcane Eye spell works, the gate seems more likely.

Mechanics question. Assuming it's a gate, can I dim door through a gate like that? I'm guessing no, but...

Admin wrote:

Not as far as I know. But I think the druids could do something with a Wall of Thorns if they were willing to use Gurr'khan's trinket and give up a couple of 5th lvl slots (I believe both Korm and Luna have 2 slots that they could give up).

Wall of thorns would be useless and there aren't any other spells on their list that would be better.

Nameless wrote:

If it's a wall of force we're basically screwed (unless Nameless will suddenly get to level and take Disintegrate), plus it's a min/lvl spell.

Could be. Maybe walking over to the volcano nets you a few thousand XP

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So unless there's someone standing there and casting it repeatedly, it'd be gone.

Or is Permanencied. Of course, the Wall of Force thing is just one random possibility I picked.

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Given how the Arcane Eye spell works, the gate seems more likely.

Mechanics question. Assuming it's a gate, can I dim door through a gate like that? I'm guessing no, but...

Probably not, since Dim Door doesn't work across planar boundaries. Of course, you usually can't look across planar boundaries with Arcane Eye either, and extradimensional areas tend to have weird rules of their own.

BTW, Nameless remembers Uthcheq mentioned that when he saw Zathara, Nethatar and this third rakshasa appear here, he saw the first two walk through the doorway.

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Wall of thorns would be useless and there aren't any other spells on their list that would be better.

Quite possibly. I just mentioned it since you asked about other Wall spells.