|
Tales from the Infinite Staircase Stretching to every plane imaginable, the Infinite Staircase is one of the best-kept secrets of planar travel in the multiverse. Watched over by the mysterious Lillendi, the Staircase stretches in all directions, bending back upon itself to form the ultimate three dimensional maze -- and every landing where the staircase stops, a doorway to a new planar location awaits the traveler. A group of unsuspecting do-gooders is about to be pulled into an adventure that spans several planes and crosses many cultures, will they be able to save the staircase from destruction? Climbing the Infinite Staircase The bottom of the Infinite staircase is a large (200 foot diameter) circular chamber. The room rises up like a shaft as far as anyone can see with a singular spiral staircase made of white marble winding up the center, seemingly unsupported except at its base. Green tendrils of ivy hang from the marble stair at irregular intervals. The curious will find it impossible to determine where exactly these vines originate --They entwine this entire portion of the staircase needing neither rain nor sun. Many assume that they are somehow rooted on a plane that the staircase reaches at some point. The stairway is 20 feet wide and the rest of the chamber and subsequent shaft appears empty. Before any newcomer begins to ascend the Infinite Staircase, the guardian illend instructs them briefly on the ways and the dangers of the stair. Specifically, she tells them that the stair is a magical pathway that is drawn to great concentrations of creativity. Thus, the staircase mystically joins with any area on the plane where intelligent beings have expressed some sort of creative spirit. While some might simply say that the staircase goes where intelligent beings dwell -- and others just say it goes to cities-- the lillendi are very specific about the Staircase's link to creative enterprise, thoughts, and ideas. "rising out of the day-to-day, well- ordered sameness, a creative idea is something from nothing. It is new and different. It is the ultimate expression of the beauty of chaos." Or so the lillendi say, when they are feeling loquacious. As the stair winds and twists to reach each of these places, accessed through doorways found on numerous landings, a wise traveler can tumble to - figure out- a bit about where the doorways go. Stairway portions that lead to evil planes are thick with shadow and spine chilling cold. Those leading to one of the upper planes appear generally clean, bright, and warm. Connections to other planes are not so easily ascertained. When someone first begins an ascent, the infinite staircase appears as a spiraling marble stairway (as described above) entwined with ivy. The first landing waits over 1000 feet above the level of the base which is no longer visible at that point. The landing is a 200 foot disc, with numerous other staircases, all of different appearance and composition, extending off it like tentacles. Walls are no longer visible; instead each stair simply disappears into hazy darkness (visibility is about 250 ft). As
characters follow the lillend's directions and proceed up the staircase,
they traverse many different staircases and many different landings.
Often, they can see flights of stairs other than the one they tread.
Sometimes these stairs are oriented in different directions from the one
that the viewer stands upon - up, down, left, and right are not the same
for travelers on those stairs as for the characters. Nevertheless, a
traveler never notices a change in his own orientation (although it does
happen as the infinite staircase impossibly turns back upon itself like
some sort of optical illusion)
|
