Planescape - Sigil, City of Doors

depili

Useammasta lähteestä kokoon parsittu johdanto maailmankaikkeuden (väitettyyn) keskukseen, Sigilin kaupunkiin

Planescape - Sigil

Sigil is located inside of the Outlands, a plane at equal distance from each of the Outer Planes, hovering above an immensely tall landmark known as the Spire that sits at the plane's center.

Sigil has the shape of a torus and the city is located along the inner surface of the ring. It is generally agreed by knowledgeable people that this should be impossible, since the center of the Outlands is void of any and all magic, and yet it apparently is. Theories to explain Sigil's location and existence vary wildly, though one of the more popular is that the Lady of Pain either created it or keeps it intact — or both.

There is no sky, simply an all-pervasive light that waxes and wanes to create day and night. The city cannot be entered or exited save via portals; although this makes it quite safe from any would-be invader, it also makes it a prison of sorts for those not possessing a portal key, giving Sigil its nickname "the Bird Cage" (or simply "the Cage").

Sigil contains innumerable portals: any bounded opening (a doorway, an arch, a barrel hoop, a picture frame) could possibly be a portal to another plane, or to another point in Sigil itself. Thus, the city is a paradox: it touches all planes at once, yet ultimately belongs to none; from these characteristics it draws its other name: "the City of Doors." This feature make Sigil a prime destination for travelers as well as a center of trade throughout the multiverse.

Wards of Sigil

Sigil is divided into six districts, called wards, listed below:

• The Clerk's Ward, an affluent district, home to most of the city's lower-rung bureaucrats and middlemen.
• The Hive Ward, the slum and the ghetto, home to the poor, the rogues, and the unwanted dregs of the city.
• The Lady's Ward, the richest and most exclusive section of the city, is home to the elites of society and of its government.
• The Lower Ward, an industrial district, clogged up with the smoke from the foundries and from the portals to the Lower Planes.
• The Market and Guildhall Wards are the home to the traders, craftsmen, artisans, guild members and other members of the middle class.

Lady of Pain

The high-up man in Sigil, the one who ultimately watches over the Cage, is the Lady of Pain. She's not a woman and she's not human – nobody's quite sure what she is. The best guess is she's a power, probably a great power, but there's also a theory that she's a reformed tanar'ri lorf, if such a thing's possible. Whatever else she is, she's the Lady of Pain, and given that, most other facts are extraneous.

For the most part the Lady (as she's called) keeps distant from the squalid hurly-burly of the Cage. She doesn't have a house, a palace, or a temple. Nobody worships her, and with good reason: Those that say prayers to her name get found with their skins flayed off – a big discouragement to others.

Sometimes she's seen drifting through the streets, the edge of her gown just brushing over the cobblestones. She never speaks. Those who try interfering with her erupt in horrid gashes at the touch of her gaze. Wise bloods find business elsewhere on those rare times she passes down the way. Eventually her image fades and she vanishes into nothingness. Natives of Sigil view her with fearful awe, as she's the uncaring protector of their home.

Although the Lady of Pain rarely takes action directly, she does act through a number of servants known as dabus, who simultaneously serve as the Lady's eyes and ears as well as maintaining the structure of Sigil. Like the Lady, the dabus do not interact with Sigil's inhabitants or travelers much and it is best to leave them be, since antagonizing them can bring down the infrequent but harsh wrath of their mistress.

The Lady's Laws

• Worship of the Lady is prohibited.
• No harm may come to any dabus.
• There are to be no challenges to the Lady's ultimate rule or authority within Sigil.
• Any action which harms the city of Sigil either directly or indirectly will be considered as a direct attack against the Lady herself, and punished appropriately.
• No divine entity may enter Sigil.

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Factions of Sigil

Athar

Also known as "the Defiers" or "the Lost", they deny not only the gods' right to pass judgment over mortals, but their very divinity. They claim that the gods (whom they call "powers") are powerful but have limits and do not deserve worship. Instead, Athar priests channel divine power from what they call the "Great Unknown", or what they believe to be the true divine force behind everything. Their headquarters in Sigil is the Shattered Temple, the former temple of the dead god Aoskar. The Athar are broadly derived from real-world atheists, agnostics, and Deists.

Believers of the Source

Known as "Godsmen" they believe that each life is a test, and that every person has the potential to become a god. Their headquarters is the Great Foundry, symbolizing their belief that the multiverse constantly forges and refines all beings. Shares many parallels with Hindu, Buddhism, and most sects of Mormonism. However, the ultimate goal is not Nirvana but apotheosis.

Bleak Cabal

"Bleakers" or "Madmen" deny that any belief system has any merit; as they see it, the universe has physical rules, but no metaphysical or philosophical ones, therefore any meaning in life must come from within. Their headquarters is the insane asylum of Sigil, called the Gatehouse. They are derived from real-life existentialists and the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche.

Doomguard

The "Sinkers" believe in the sanctity and inevitability of entropy, particularly the inevitable destruction of all things. The core of their belief is that everything ends. Their headquarters is Sigil's Armory, where they forge weapons as tools of destruction.

Dustmen

Also known as "the Dead", they believe that both life and death are false states of existence, that there is a state of True Death which can only be accomplished by denying one's emotions and physical wants and needs (a conception similar to eternal oblivion, but also conceivably to Nirvana). Their headquarters is the Mortuary, where Sigil's dead are interred or cremated. Their philosophy is closely related to that of Arthur Schopenhauer, along with some shared similarities with Buddhism, Stoicism and acosmism.

Fated

"Takers" or "The Heartless" believe that those with power and ability have the right to own what they control and to take what they can from those who are unable to keep it, and that it is their right to exploit any situation to their advantage, regardless of how it affects anyone else (a position akin to "might makes right"). Their headquarters is the Hall of Records, where they serve as the tax collectors of Sigil. They are derived from real-life Social Darwinists and the philosophies of Max Stirner and Ayn Rand.

Fraternity of Order

These "Guvners" believe that knowledge is power; they learn and exploit both the natural laws of the universe and the laws of society. Their headquarters is the City Court, where they serve as judges and legal advocates. They recall the Sophists of Classical Athens.

Free League

As "Indeps", they reject the other factions and their bureaucratic, hierarchical dogmatism and do not consider themselves a faction at all. For this reason, they don't have a factol or an official headquarters, though Sigil's Great Bazaar serves as an unofficial one. They believe in individual freedom as the highest good and are analogous to libertarians.

Harmonium

"Hardheads" believe that peace and stability can only be established under one rule — theirs. The planar faction known as the Harmonium is actually just a small part of a much larger political entity which rules over the entirety of the Prime Material world of Ortho. In Sigil, they serve as the city's police force, and their headquarters is the City Barracks. They are related to present day authoritarianism, particularly religious evangelicalism and fundamentalism. They take offense to the term "Hardhead".

Mercykillers

"The Red Death" believe in justice and retribution at the expense of all else. Their name does not come from "killing out of mercy," but rather "killing mercy." Their credo that mercy is for the weak, and the merciful should be punished. Their headquarters is Sigil's Prison, where they carry out the sentences of convicted criminals.

Revolutionary League

"Anarchists" who believe that social order and man-made laws are inherently corrupt and must be destroyed—though none of their members can agree on what, if anything, should replace them. Like the Indeps, they have no headquarters and gather in many safe houses and secret meeting places.

Sign of One

"Signers" believe that everyone is the center of their own reality and that reality can be reshaped by the power of imagination. Their headquarters is the Hall of Speakers, which houses Sigil's legislature. Some of them are solipsists, though most are not so extreme.

Society of Sensation

Sensates believe that accumulating experiential knowledge through the senses is the only way to achieve enlightenment. Their headquarters is the Civic Festhall, which features an endless series of entertainments and a library of magically stored experiences. They are reminiscent of ancient Epicurianism (if not hedonism more generally), as well as the more modern empiricism.

Transcendent Order

The Cipher believe that by tapping into the 'cadence' of the planes and acting through pure instinct they can achieve a higher state of being. Their headquarters is the Great Gymnasium, where members can train to improve their bodies and minds. Their philosophy could be considered similar to Taoism and Zen Buddhism.

Xaositects

"Chaosmen" who believe that the only truth is revealed in chaos. The Xaositects have been quite accurately described as being "totally off their rockers, every one of 'em." Their headquarters is the Hive, the most disorganized part of the Sigil ward of the same name. Compare with real life discordianism.

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Dabus

The dabus are servant of our Dread Lady, Her Serenity the Lady of Pain. Her will is their will. There are no records, no tales, not even rumors of a time in Sigil when the dabus were not present, silently watching over the City. Dabus seem to consider Sigil their master as much as the Lady, for they are forever patching and fixing it, laying cobbles, digging for pipes, trimming back razorvine, roofing city buildings and sweeping the streets.

Though possessing the ability of speech, dabus almost always communicate only through visual rebuses they create, filling the air near them with golden shining lines (from which the name Dabus originates). Physically, a Dabus resembles a humanoid with yellow-tan skin, goatlike horns, and a shock of white hair. Dabus float off the ground, their feet never touching the earth.

Certain sources suggest that Dabus can in fact speak, but fear that if they were to do so "their thoughts would be overheard." Another, more cynical source suggests that they simply enjoy frustrating others with their puzzles, though communication with a Dabus proves them to be extremely patient, if rather aloof and alien.

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Magic on the Planes

"Only a clueless prime or a leatherheaded wizard would ever believe his magic is always going to work the same on every plane. It just ain't so, berk — not when the multiverse has got planes whose very essences are living fire, absolute perfection, howling despair, complete decay, or things even worse. Some of it should be obvious — using a holy word against a pit fiend on its home plane just won't work, as many a sodding basher has learned too late. Some of it ain't so clear, either, like can a cutter summon a djinni to Ysgard?"

Most abjurations protect against creatures from another plane, and a few (like holy word) can drive a creature back to its home plane. In either case, an abjuration can't affect a creature on its home plane. For example, some primes might try to use protection from evil to protect themselves from efreet while they're in the City of Brass. They figure the spell works at home, so it should work on the plane of Fire, too, but it doesn't. The City of Brass is on the efreet's home plane, so the genies aren't an extraplanar there and the protection spell won't work. If anybody was summoned, it was the fool prime .

The home plane has the reverse effect on summoning spells. Specifically, unless it's a spell that summons creatures from another plane (such as conjure elemental or gate), a summoning's got to draw on something close at hand. A monster summoning I can only summon up monsters from the same plane. For instance, casting a monster summoning won't cause a succubus to appear on Ysgard; it's not the fiend's home plane, and not even a plane where it can normally be found.

Spell keys

With all these alterations and restrictions, a spellcaster's life on the planes could be nigh impossible. Imagine
some poor sod of an elementalist wizard out there on Gehenna, cut off from the Ethereal and unable to cast
the most powerful of his spells. Kind of makes a wizard just want to stay home, eh?

Good thing, then, that there's a way around it: For each plane, there are secret spell keys that attune a wizard to the magical vibrations of that plane. Once the spellcaster's in harmony with the plane's essence, some or all of his spells may behave normally again. It's really not much of a dark, since most planar mages know the keys exist, even if they don't know the keys for every plane. It's the spellcasters from the Prime Material who tend to be most clueless about such things, much to the general amusement of their planar counterparts.

Kenkkis

Rumpalin päiväkirja on päivitetty vikin puolella.

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Wikiin https://www.kurry.fi/viki/index.php/Planescape_(Dungeons_%26_Dragons_5th_edition) on lisätty kuvaukset Ever-changing order -kirjasta, Sum of All -kaupungista, pelikirjastosta ja uusien tavattujen NPC:den nimet

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Kampanja jatkuu seuraavan kerran syyskuun leirillä kun seikkailijaryhmämme jatkaa Baatorin välttelyä

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Nyt kun elämysmatka Baatoriin häämöttää päättivät osa sankareistamme lähteä etsimään oppaita tai tarkempaa tietoa matkakohteesta.

Tätä varten tahtoisin kuulla hieman kriteereitä tälle "luotettavalle oppaalle" sekä mitkä seuraavista tietolähteistä tuntuvat kiinnostavilta:

Tietolähteistä:

Haetaanko tietoa Rule-Of-Three "Githserailta" (huhujen mukaan pikemminkin piru Abyssistä)? Sana kadulla kertoo, että viemällä maksuksi kolme toisiinsa liittyvää esinettä tai asiaa saa palkkiokseen kolme vastausta kysymykseensä...

Lähdetäänkö Hiven slummeista etsimään Unity-Of-Rings -nimistä enkeliä ja tämän neuvoja?

Lower Wardillä on kuulemma A'kin nimisen arcanalothin (NE piru) pyörittämä kauppa nimeltä Friendly Fiend...

Mercykillereiden pyöveleistä yksi yleisön suosikki on Kunk, ketjupiru joka teloittaa asiakkaansa ketjuillaan mitä mielikuvituksellisimmilla tavoilla.

Willum General Assurance Companystä etsii työntekijöitä hakemaan Ketjujen kaupungista jotain, jos sekaantuminen tasojenvälisen vakuutus- ja lainamaailman byrokratiaan ei syö hermoja

Pitäisikö "luotettavan oppaan" olla täysjärkinen? Tässä törmätään hyvin pian catch 22 -tyyliseen ongelmaan...

Kelpaako piru oppaaksi?

lenardg

Hjalmar (druidi) on sitä mieltä, että näistä vaihtoehdoista enkeli, Friendly Fiend sekä Willum General Assurance Company kuulostaa teiltä mitä voisi tutkia tarkemmin. 

Friendly Fiend kauppa voi olla kiinnostava, koska kauppiaan intressit on todennäköisesti että tavaraa kulkee, joka taas tukee sitä että onnistuneesti there and back again voisi toimia. 

Vakuutusyhtiö pikkasen epäilyttää, mutta niidenkin intressit on kuitenkin että ne ketkä lähettävät sinne, palaisivat myös sieltä. 

Jos se opas on vaan joku random piru, sen omat agendat voivat olla hyvin vaaralliset seikkailijoille

ppp

Kultahampaan mielestä enkelit ovat dead boring porukkaa, Rule-of-Three jäppisessä taas se ongelma, että eipä tule mieleen oikein kysymyksiä joita kysellä, mieluummin joku Baatorissa paikalla ollut joka itse osaa ehkä kertoa mikä siellä on oleellista ja mikä ei.

Eli Kultahammas taitaisi nyt taipua joko ketjupirupyövelin tai Friendly Fiend kaupan puolelle. Luulisi ainakin että kauppias ymmärtää että kauppa kannattaa ja voisi olla valmis myymään tietojaan, sen sijaan ketjupyöveli saattaisi muuten vaan olla mielenkiintoinen ja tutustumisen arvoinen kaveri, vaikkei sentään mikään kultahaltia olekaan.

Kenkkis

Rumpali ei luottaisi oppaaseen tai tietolähteeseen joka on paha. Vaihtoehdoiksi jäävät siis enkeli Rule-of-Three Unity-of-Rings ja vakuutusfirma. Tämä siis olettaen ettei se firmakaan ole pahiksia täynnä.

depili

Rule-of-Three on siis "githserai", Unity-of-Rings on enkeli.

Ja tosiaan Jostain Syystä vapaaehtoiset helvettiin lähtijät tällä budjetilla tuntuvat olevan hieman Omalaatuisia, eli jos laskuista tiputetaan epäilyttävät, hullut ja pirut pois niin matkaopaita ei jää käteen yhtään.

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Baatorin kolmannesta kerroksesta, Minauroksesta, jossa ketjupirujen Ketjujen kaupunki väitetysti sijaitsee:

Minauros is best described as a stinking bog. The polluted rain washes down from a leaden sky like the burning tears of lesser power. The rain is usually followed by sleet, which strikes travelers crossing the layer and sticks to them. The icy coating slowly melts to leave behind an oily residue. After the sleet comes the hail, jagged and razor sharp, flaying the skin from the bones of those unfortunate enough to be trapped outside without shelter.

Think how vast a desert can be. Then think of it encompassing an entire country, an entire continent, an entire world. Picture it as spreading past the stars, blanketing the view for as far as a berk could conceivably ever see. Turn that desert into a fetid mire of muck and misery; dim the sky to an eternally overcast gray; slap a city the size of a world in the middle of it; and call the whole thing Minauros.

firios

Vakuutusfirma voisi olla kiinnostava sivujuonne.

Top 3 ilman järjestystä Orsik:lta olisi:
Willum General Assurance Company
Unity-Of-Rings

Friendly Fiend

Rule-Of-Three kanssa tulisi ongelmaksi että jonkun pitää keksiä jotkut hyvät kysymykset