As you walk down the street with intent, you come across a familiar shopfront. The same bay windows on the lower floor giving off with weathered white frames, only this time the window were boarded up with haphazardly placed wooden planks where glass panes use to be. The hanging sign with the name of the old scholar was gripping on with a single chain instead of two and the once well maintained flower beds were now barren and empty. Your last visit left things in quite a state. Nevertheless you march upto the front door and knock firmly to see the sight to see the same wise old man from before.
Ah its you. It is quite a surprise, did you manage to continue in your adventure after the whole sudden assassination thing? Hmmm, oh me? Yes, well is not uncommon to encounter those types of things in my line of work. Perfectly fine though I have an emergency escape hatch in the floor for those sorts of things, of course I'll have to move it now that I've told you. No matter its quite simple really, I just need to remember where I put the lead. Was there something I could help you with? Another lesson on obvious objects perhaps?
Did you... did you say a port key? Well, I am quite impressed. I didnt think you had the education for that sort of thing. Now that's the sort of question one should be asking, very good young one, very good indeed. Of course I know what one is, you can't be an teacher without knowing a thing or two on port keys now can you. Please sit down, get comfortable. I'll put on the kettle and get some of those... mmm, whats that? You can't stay long? Well, I won't bother with the biscuits then.
The What
What you're asking about is not a common item I must say. Their origins date back to the late age of Exploration, being related to the
Realm Rangers as most things were at the time. Wait do you know who they are? I was hoping you'd say that, explaining would be a rather enduring task. Anyway portal Keys were an invention of the Rangers, a way for one to teleport from one location to another via the use of an object. Yes, when activated the object would send the user to a predetermined destination. One way I'm afraid but it did allow for teleportation for non magical beings for the key never required an incantation or ritual preparation. Now I keep calling them Keys but they could be any sort of object really. A rubbery old shoe or a brick in a wall or the wedding ring of your ex wife who you happened to find cheating on you with your brother, for example. Yes, a rather wonderful piece of technology but sadly never built.
The Past
Well after portal magic was outlawed at the beginning of the dark ages a lot of
Realm Rangers journals and books and blueprints and research was destroyed. A lot was left in ruins but there has been many corners of maps and pages of information that have survived, including the blueprints for a port key. At least for a short while afterwords, by a member of the Rangers who hid in plainsight for years. Her name eludes me now but historians say she kept the blueprints and built some form of early model of the port key. Never getting to make use of it as she ended up on the wrong side of a squadron guards with large pointy sticks and roaring torches. The surviving ranger was burnt to a crisp along with the port key in question.
The Questions
Yes that's exactly what happened, every detail perfectly told. Hmm, what you mean how do I know? Mmm... ooh. Oh you really are more educated than I first thought. Are you a spy? Haha I'm only joking of course, unless you really are a spy. Then that would be an issue. Okay, yes the question of how that story has came to be is an interesting one. Surely a witness must have been there to see this all happen and recall it. And if that is the case, then the port key must have survived somehow. And if the port key key survived then there must be multiple port keys, one doesn't make such a creation and not replicate it. What a rather peculiar concept of possibilities. All speculation of course, there is no possible way to prove such a thing without... Why have you put a shoe on my table? I cleaned that this morning.
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