Sigil

Skufruss continued to urge Surya to make an alliance, and suggested the companions might like to see his military might to help make up their minds.

When they acceded, he led them out of the tower and took them on a tour. Over the next couple of hours, they saw regiments of soldiery, both human and lizardman; mighty siege engines and the ogres trained to carry their dismantled components across the landscape; terrible and eldritch monsters, both enslaved and savage and sentients allied to the Lord of Dragons' cause; and dragons. Dozens of dragons.

Two impressions drove in on them as they viewed this assemblage of might; the lizardman troops in particular showed a fanatic loyalty that was not entirely natural, and must have been the work of the Sceptre; and Skufruss was right to feel confident in opposing the Elves.

Vorsand, Tarlanor, 29^th September 1601

With no great urge to rush off, they stayed the next three days at the Dark Tower, during which Sack made some attempts to scout the parts of the tower they had not been allowed in. At the end of those three days, Skufruss' apprentice delivered the promised Detect Magic item, and the group were ready for their next step - the Library in Sigil.

Reital, Tellare, 29^th September 1601

First of all, they Teleported back to Reital Castle in Tellare, feeling they'd rather have their return point in a cast-iron safe place than the home of a slightly dangerous ally like Skufruss.

Once back, they took some time to check how things were going in the Tellaran capital. The mageguild, chastened, were now thoroughly cooperative, though clearly terrified at the prospect of possible war with Skufruss. Surya and Hildraft took some time describing to both them and General Harker what they knew of Skufruss, and the Elven way of making war - as there was still no definitive answer as to who - if anyone - New Tellare was going to be at war with. Surya discussed the idea of an undead army with Harker, who agreed that they would make very effective troops, but also that they would probably trigger mass desertions in the living soldiery.

Surya now noticed that the New Tellaran military, large as it was, had a serious morale problem. They had never actually fought a serious battle, and faced with the likelihood of fighting the Elvenhost or the Dragonarmy, had little faith in their own abilities. Surya was taken aback at this; the Tellarans he had grown up among were proud warriors, confident in their skill and courage. The reason for that pride was rooted in the historic Battle of Thallan, at which Surya's grandfather had fought. Now faded to legend or forgotten, the battle had once formed the keystone of the whole nation's fighting spirit. Surya realized he needed to revive that spirit if his land was to survive these troubled times.

Collecting Hansen, he deposited the bard in Reital Castle's library, where he began to unearth books describing the events of that day nine hundred years before and combine those with Suyra's recounting of his grandfather's tales to compose an epic ballad. He then organized the commanders of the military, along with a fairly large body of line troops, to march out to the ancient stone marking the location of the battle. There, he stood before the men and told them in no uncertain terms what honour and glory they were heirs to. With his words ringing in their ears, they then heard Hansen weave the sirring themes of steadfast courage and victorious striving into a song that clung to the memory. As they turned to march back to the capital, he could hear snatches of the song drifting back from different places in the ranks. A good sign. Now they knew who they'd been, they would strive to become who they should be.

Reital, Tellare, 7th October 1601

Then, having found an archway that took their fancy, they unpacked the apple Xerxes had sold them and walked up to it.

As they approached, a shimmering curtain of purple light filled the aperture. The first to walk through - Hildraft - pushed through without resistance, and immediately found himself on the other side, quickly followed by the others.

On the other side things were very, very different.

Sigil, The Outlands, 7^th October 1601

In the centre of the Great Wheel of the Outer Planes lies the Outlands, the grey realities of neutrality. In the centre of the Outlands stands the Spire, an impossible pinnacle thousands of miles high, which suppresses all magic as one ascends. Orbiting the tip of the Spire is Sigil; a doughnut-shaped reality with a fantastical city built along its' inner surface.

While magic exists in Sigil, none of the Powers - Gods, Archdevils, Demon Princes - can touch it, and no mechanic of planar transportation save the portal operates. Absolute ruler is the Lady of Pain; a mystery of noncommunication, she seldom interacts, and tolerates most things in her peculiar realm except Gods and Tyrants. She creates and destroys the myriad portals that dot the city. From Sigil it is possible to go anywhere - if you have the correct portal key.

The companions looked around at this strange place, and gradually became used to its' strange physics. The horizon which rose instead of dipping was hard to cope with, but not as bad as the distant sky-city formed by the far side of the ring far overhead. The variable buildings - built of anything and everything as Sigil has no native materials - were rather easier.

Thornal in the Empire had been a cosmopolitan city; this made it look like a collection of stamped replicas. People of types both familar and strange mingled with the strangest creatures imaginable; all seemed welcome, and a general truce seemed to be observed here among the most implacable of enemies - though Sack's sharp eyes caught thieves at work more than once.

Fixing the location of the unobtrusive archway they'd arrived at in their minds, they set off into the city. After asking a few times, they made their way to the Lower Ward and found the premises of Nilton Hann.

Hann was a tout, a professional guide to the bewilderment that was Sigil. He listened to what they had to say, and was pleased to hear that Xerxes was alive still - though his reaction on hearing the Gatecrasher had retired to the Prime Material plane was a good indication of the way inhabitants of Sigil regarded the material planes. He referred to the inhabitants of such planes as Primes, and the Clueless, which nearly caused a fight then and there.

His rate for guiding them to the Hive to find Jarvis the Dustman was very high - a thousand gold - but Hildraft handed him a single gem which more than covered it. He chuckled. "I know where I can sell this," he said, "a man with a pretty girl to impress." Gathering his equipment - including an inoffensive-looking ash staff - he led the way out of his office and into the streets.

About an hour later, having passed through progressively dingier sections of the city, they reached the Hive, an incredibly seedy district, and halted before a tumbledown hovel which would at first glance have been taken for a compost heap. Ducking inside with held breath, they discovered a tatty-looking man, slumped asleep with his head on an empty alepot.

Hann nudged him, and Jarvis' eyes popped open. Unfolding like a multiblade pocketknife, he stood up and looked around at them, showing no signs of a hangover. Then he looked at Hann, who he seemed to know. "Interesting!" he said; "what have you brought me here?"

His voice was peculiar; its' harmonics ranged up and down in ways different from that of a normal speaker. As they spoke with him, it became clear that his mind was similarly disjointed from reality.

When asked what price he'd ask for guiding them to the Dustmen's library, he blandly asked for women; pretty women. He was unwelcome at the slave markets, he explained, and cared nothing for money, or gems, or magic.... He would not be swayed.

Leaving him there, the group conferred with Hann outside. The tout was unsurprised; "so, it's women now, is it?" he said. "He goes through phases like this. One day it's gems he craves; the next it's boats, then something else. You will have to deal with this as seems right to you; I must be off." They thanked him, and he left.

The idea of buying enslaved women, and worse handing them to the lunatic in his hovel, was uncomfortable to all the companions - Moonflame, of course, wouldn't hear of it. Finally, in desperation, they entered the bazaar and purchased... a sheep. Chosen with care, it was a particularly nice sheep, with a bright coat and friendly eyes.

When Jarvis set eyes on the sheep, there was a long moment of stillness. All animation died out of his face and eyes, and he could have been as dead as the bodies he handled. Then all at once his expression kindled into a secretive smile, and that strange, disquieting voice filled the hovel again; "Yes! Sheep.... I will collect sheep. And I shall call this one Jemima." He seemed geniunely pleased.

They had to tell him their wishes all over again; the exchange of his obsessions had driven them from his mind. Once he knew again, he reached down a pile of grubby grey robes from a shelf. Shrugging into one, he handed the rest around to the party, explaining that this was he outfit of the Dustmen.

The idea of going unarmoured was a wrench for Surya and Hildraft, but finally they exchanged their plate for the adamantine mail shirts made by Grispere Crusher in Kobur, and shrugged the robes over the top. Jarvis guided them through the strange streets to the vast gothic pile of the Mortuary of Sigil.

Here, the Dustmen handled the dead of the Cage. As there was no ground here, and little fuel, burying or cremation were impractical. In typical fashion, the problem was solved with portals. The Dustmen maintained portals within the Mortuary leading to all sorts of strange environments, all suitable for quick disposal of the dead. Persisitent rumour held that they kept back a percentage of the corpses for their own ends; as the Dustment regarded everyone as already dead, this was difficult to prove.

Guiding them through the Mortuary, Jarvis passed unconcerned the gruesome sights of slabs and bodies and entrails, along curved, dark corridors, and through rooms of ill omen. Finally, he opened a mighty door, loaded with locks and mechanisms, a crack and ushered the party in.

Inside, there was nothing but a short column three feet or so high, bearing a human skull. The skull was apparently made of some sort of metal, but impossibly reflective, more highly polished than anything anyone - even Hildraft the Dwarf - had ever seen before. Sack and Hildraft exchanged grins - this looked valuable after all.

Jarvis closed the massive door and folded his arms, looking at the group expectantly. Surya glanced around; the room was clearly otherwise empty; and said, "Where's the library?" Jarvis gestured at the skull with an air of explaining the obvious.

Not quite understanding, Surya stepped closer, and suddenly the skull lifted from the top of the column, rising into the air to hover at eye height, glowing slightly and bobbing in the movements of the air.

Not quite believing, they spoke with the skull, and it confirmed the fact that it was a Mimir; a repository of information.

Rapidly, they fired questions at it. No, it did not know where Bramandin was now. Yes, he had been here. Yes, he had asked for information on the persons they mentioned (the names on the death list). Yes, it had information on all those. (It recited a good description and summary of the doings of each of them to order). No, Bramandin had no allies, friends, or relatives. Yes, he had a premises in Sigil (address). Yes, he had a blood enemy; the White Rat.

It emerged the White Rat was a warrior of reknown, living in Sigil, who had sworn to slay Bramandin for killing one of his relatives. Cursed with lycanthropy, he had overcome this doom to become a paladin and planewalker.

A guide to the slang of Sigil can be found here!