Session 10: Portal Shot

General Summary

The party meets with the Portal Council the next day, but finds it different than previous conversations. The entire council is present, for one, and they have a full spread of food. Here is a summary of the main points:

• The crystals are an incredible find. They will be used primarily in research and design, so there will not be a larger payday coming. However, the council is still deeply grateful and is reevaluating how they work with your team (less telling, more transparency).
• In that vein, they explain the world of Eberron and it's moons are encased in a kind of hard shell, keeping them separate from a much wider multiverse. They know very little about it, but the initial arrival of the demon and the damage he did ripping a new portal open (see first campaign) took a heavy toll. The portal they have now working is proof of that. Given they believe it's an if, not when, others arrive they are trying to learn as much as they can.
• The first teams that went through were basically suicide missions. You get the impression they didn't realize it at the time, but that's what it ended up being. So, they shut the project down. Now, with some advances in the research, they're trying again.
• The portal council being in conflict was absolutely on purpose. It keeps the corruption and stupidity to a minimum. It also lowers efficiency, which is also considered a positive.
• The portal works through a combination of magic and astrophysics. The more they understand/research, the more the magic replaces the astrophysical limitations.

The party has about a day until they leave again, so they do not have time for any proper research.

  The party goes through the portal, but comes into chaos. They are dropped into the middle of a port city being attacked by raiders from the sea. The portal is spinning out of control, launching the PCs in different directions. Everyone but Ulfgar Shadowhammer land somewhere nearby, and battle separately (and then together) to kill or chase off the attackers.

Ulfgar, though, is launched high into the air and directly onto a raider's ship. His fate is unknown.