The Nexus Arch

This ancient arch of crumbling stone is the sole remaining artifact of a lost city, its simple form rising over a dessicated wasteland of sand and dust with only an occasional block of carved stone breaking up the monotonous landscape. The Arch could pass as an architectural oddity were it not for the sonorous, insect-like buzzing noise that surrounds it. Should the site be examined for magical properties, Legendary extra-dimensional magic will be discovered. The aura of a living extra-dimensional being may also be detected, buried beneath the Arch. A secondary source of Epic divination magic lies buried in the sand and stone near one side of the Arch.

The Arch is a portal through time, space and dimension. The secondary source of magical energy is a controlling device which allows communication with the time elemental snared within the Arch's matrix. Any living creature passing through its aperture is instantly whisked away to a new locale. Passing through the opening without first attuning it sends the individual to a random destination, with multiple individuals passing through the arch at the same time reaching the same destination. Operating the tuning device is a significant challenge, requiring sufficient knowledge of the desired destination and a potent will to focus this knowledge into a coherent mental image the empowering elemental can use to stabilize the portal's destination. It is at least a Great test of locale lore to form the appropriate mental image, and a Superb test of will to maintain this image for the three rounds required to establish a more stable connection. Once a connection has formed it will remain attuned so long as the user maintains concentration, and for three rounds after they cease. This allows any number of living beings, including the user, to pass through the Arch to a single destination.

With a nod to The City on the Edge of Forever.

Photo: Jackie Skeate via Stockvault