Far Side of the Portal

As Mark steps into the portal, he immediately feels a sensation of electric static tingling and stinging at his flesh, especially pointed areas like the tip of the nose, ear lobes and others. Where ever metal touches skin, it almost bites with static spark.  The land behind him vanishes from view as before him, his eyes behold a dark, torch lit stone walled area. It is as if he has stepped into a sea of bodies that he can not yet see clearly.
  From Mark's perspective, time is normal.






From Zsalat's perspective, Every one and everything becomes frozen in space and time, as the spell Time Stop completes. Only Zsalat himself is unaffected. His keen blue eyes in the dark skinned face with white hair squints a moment, inspecting the human who has boldly entered the room by way of the portal. Zsalat holds in one hand, the green stone that summons portals, previously thrown through by the mage who opened it on the Cormanthor side.  This action was a clear warning and protocol that the portal was compromised and the mission was in retreat.  The drow had been prepared before Mark even had the chance to enter.

"This hardly looks like a Paladin of some sort.", Zsalat mused to himself, inspecting Mark, frozen in space and time.  He then speaks out to the room of drow warriors, mages and minions of other planes who are also frozen in time and space. His voice was as if amused.
  " What ya think? Should we send him to the abyss? or fire plane?  How about the water plane?. or shadow maybe?  OR, maybe he needs to visit the Negative plane? OOOHh. i bet THAT would be amusing! If this zealot is foolish enough to leap blindly here, just to kill us, i am sure he will just LOVE the Negative plane! "  His self amused laughter echoes off the walls, yet to the elven ears of those under the spell, it was a high pitched screech that passed in an instant, beyond human hearing.
    Zsalat raises his hand to create a new portal, in direct line of Mark's momentum and motion. Then he noticed the drow with that burnt bag also set to move the same path.
   "Ahhh !" , spoken with mild frustration , "Not wise to do the Negative. Hmmm . Abyss, then."
   He gestures, and a portal opens directly in front of Mark and the drow with the bag.

From Mark's perspective, it was two portals that he hit, zap -zap !  Just as fast as he saw the stone room, he now sees a dark landscape that his eyes will take a a few moments to adjust to see.
   His body lands on the ground, and next to him, tumbles the scout with the bag.

Mark grunts as he hits the ground, "I knew there was a catch" he thinks to himself while swinging his sword to cut the scout's achiles heel or the whole feet for all he cares.

Lightning breaks the twilight, starkly revealing a heavy cloudy sky, and desolate lands. There are a chorus of voices that are just noticeable, female, screaming as if in agony.  To the far right, Mark can see what may be trees, but it is too far away to be certain.

    His blade cuts the foot off of one leg of the scout and slicing into the ankle of the other, causing a scream of terror and pain from the scout.

"Punishment for failure?", a deep and low voice speaks from behind Mark.  If Mark turns to see, his eyes meet a very tall and massive beast, half obscured by the twilight since the flash of lightning causes Marks eyes to need to adjust again.
    It was not obvious to the beast, that Mark was a potential enemy, having come through a portal with a drow. Seeing the violence, and the burned bag, it was reasonable to assume Mark was an ally, and that the drow was being punished.

Inmediatly after maiming the scout Mark turns around still on the ground and since it doesn't look like the beast is attacking he stands up still on guard and taking a few steps backs facing the beast, towards the drow to try and stop the bleeding with a simple patch.
"Well, I am sure he thinks of it like that. Who might you be? And where did I end up this time?"

 The beast looks at Mark a long moment before responding.
"The level of the Twelve Trees. You can still hear them bitching and moaning endlessly. To some in the Abyss is sweet music, but to me, I grow tired of it. This must be your sacrifice, then?" , nodding to the drow who is now in blood loss shock and unable to speak.
  "The Altar is in the center of the grove, but seriously,  i suggest plugging your ears long before you get there. I must say, the sacrifice of a drow would be far more impressive if it lives long enough for you to do it alive. Not every denzien appreciates the Prime plane drow opening the rift. Yes, domination of that plane is always desired, but the Abyss is exposed as the rift is a two way canyon.
   You appear to be from the prime. . . what is your opinion?"

When he's sure the bleeding from the drow has stopped if the scout is still conscious he punches his face hard enough to knock him out and carries him over his left shoulder, standing up again to face the creature.
"My opinion? Well, I'd like to know more about this portals opening you mentioned" Mark takes a subtle look around in case there are creepy crawlers around.

Looking around, Mark would see other shapes moving on the barren lands in the shadows, they seem to be moving towards the grove of trees, if that is what it really is.

The beast again takes a long look at Mark and the drow and the brutality. It's canine eyes squint a bit as it speaks.
"Strange that you don't know what you are asking.  The entire Abyss knows about the rift to the Prime plane. As a Yugoloth, I am looking forward to the opportunities that it will bring, as well as not looking forward to being on the front lines. Something tells me that you are in need of something . . . "
The beast's face grins darkly.
" Tell me what that is, and perhaps we can find a 'solution'."  (the last word almost sounded sarcastic )

"Yugoloth, I remember that name, a friend of mine said you are mercenaries by nature" He steps close enough to whisper to the beast "You point me to the portal to the prime material and you can have this one all for yourself" says shaking the unconscious drow

“This drow is worthless as a sacrifice if it dies. You accompany me to the altar and IF it lives until I finish it, then it will be a fair enough trade. If not ... ‘other’ arrangements will have to be made.”
As the yogoloth speaks, its eyes look Mark over as if checking out a turkey at the store.

"Too bad" says before unleashing a barrage of swings towards the creature trying to cut it into tiny pieces.

Mark takes surprise swings on the unsuspecting Yugoloth, scoring several hits !
The beast, how ever has been battle trained as the main stay of fiendish armies, and readily assumes the fight on its terms. One on one, it has greater power and strength than the human and can withstand considerable damage before losing combat capability.
    At first, it toys with Mark, allowing him to make some scores on the tough flesh, perceiving the human's ability and possible limits. This human is starting to look like a very good sacrifice on the altar!
   The beast leaps forward with its weight to knock Mark down if it makes hard contact . . .

Mark throws the drow at the lunging beast feeling a bit sorry for the poor bastard but taking the chance to aim for the head now that its hands are full "Slimy piece of... you better tell me or I am going to make sausages out of your fingers and shove them up your ffffffffff" and swings, taking into account his own stamina to make sure he doesn't tire himself stupidly

The flung drow hits the beast as it's weight and momentum are barely phased, Mark's blade attack scores on the shoulder of the monster as it closes hard.

Mark is hit and knocked to the ground violently, and taking harm.  The beast was well trained in front line contact and how to break the enemy ranks, disabling and crushing by the use of its size and weight. One man was no match against this force.
"Surrender, i will be merciful.", it says looking down at Mark. "You either leave this plane by the rift, or the Fugue."

"If you were a devil and you could make a contract maybe" Mark uses the chance of parley to crack one of the vials of Holy Water spreading it everywhere and push back against the beast "Vermin, I have literally scraped bigger things than you off my boot" says quite angry at the trouble this little thing is posing.

A flash and whizzing sound zips through the air, and the yugoloth is silenced !


As the body of the headless beast teeters and then collapses, it reveals the new arrival upon the scene.


The balor swings its vorpal blade through the air in a show of triumph, as other dark shapes seem to be approaching.

If someone in the area is able to read minds he would get a headache at the ammount of cursing going on through Mark's head right now, he takes a quick look towards the drow and then raises his sword before swinging it back down to clean the blood and see what the new arrival is up to.

"You are NOT one of us!" , it bellows out.
"Sacrifice ! " shouts another not far behind it.

   The balar raises its vorpal sword in prep to strike at Mark, as another approaches.

"Listen, before you do anything you might regret, down here I am nobody but up there I am known for being a bit off in the head and I happen to know someone that owns a lot of souls that you could snatch if you take me to the portal that a bunch of drow has opened recently here. His name is Zaburra and he kind of collects them, such easy prey, don't you think?" Mark says, preparing meanwhile his own strike should things go wrong and taking the chance to look around for a portal to somewhere else.

The balor continues its strike at Mark!
Another comes. Other voices can be heard approaching.

Mark tries to keep his distance while grabbing another one the small flasks on his belt, throwing another one of the tanglefoot bombs before running away towards anything resembling a portal and not a sacrificial pit.

Too late for an escape, the balors close in.

Suddenly Mark finds himself in a calm and strange place. There is an ancient being, a man perhaps, standing at a huge book and writing on the pages with a quill pen.

This being puts up a finger, as if to silence Mark a moment while the pen scribbles on the page.



The being clears the throat and begins to ask something.
"Ah, yes, before i can complete this entry, i need to ask a question of you. . .  When you found yourself in the Abyss and chose to attack the mercenary yugoloth, instead of dealing your way home,  . . .  i need to know . . . was that a conscious act of suicide? or . . . something else? "
   The being watches for Mark's response.

Mark looks at the being, behind him, then at his hands to see if the sword is still there and just bull rushes forward still looking for a portal reminding himself to trust nothing.

All of Mark's efforts accomplish nothing, as he finds himself in the same place with no weapons nor armor.

The being looks down at him and speaks again.
"one of those . . . well, we have all the time in the fugue to get this right. Even though with wars as they are, we have been somewhat crowded lately, which is why i am here assisting Jergal with all the overflow. I am begining to think that they intentionally send all the trouble ones to me. Now, if you don't mind, i need to complete this entry. Again, please answer the question. Was that a conscious act of suicide? or . . . something else? "

"If I am truly dead, there is no point answering any of this, only fighting for my soul before I end up in the wall" Mark cracks his knuckles "Now point me a way out of here or come finish the job, I have no time for slaves of the Gods that only want to talk"