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The Twelfth Facet
The efforts which we make to escape from
our destiny only serve to lead us into it.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Twelfth Facet is similar in appearance to the first and seventh. It is a great expanse of ruby crystal with a lightning-torn black sky draped above it. At the center of the facet (if an apparently borderless plane can be said to have a center), is a large assemblage of monoliths similar to those found on the Seventh Facet. This is the only place in all of Aggarath where a captive of the domain can escape. If an adventurer (or group of heroes) reaches this place with the proper tools, he can open a portal to the outside world and leave behind the gemstone universe. The following text can be read aloud to the players at the start of this scene:
This place is simular to the one that first greeted you in this strange land. Above you hangs a pitch black sky, laced with an endless web of blood-rde lightning and reverbating continuously with booming thunder. The ground that rolls out around you is slick crystal that reminds you of nothing so much as a vast ruby. The area has no apparent horizon or boundary. The only feature apparent in this world besides endless sky and ruby earth is a silver dias or table that rests some thirty yards away.
Mood and Atmosphere Like the First and Seventh Facets, this is a world of strange, alien appearance. It should be portrayed as unusual and different from any place else that the heroes have ever traveled (except those other facets). The heroes might attempt a number of actions here. The following sites of investigation seem most likely. The only thing of interest in this facet is the large silver dais described above. Through it, the heroes can open an exit from Aggarath. When the party opts to examine the dais, the Dungeon Master should read the following text:
A triangular silver platform some six feet per side and one yard high rises out of the gemstone ground bfore you. It is smooth and utterly featureless except for three depressions set into its top, positioned at the points of the gleaming equilateral triangle.
To operate this gate, the adventurers need three of the enchanted rubies scattered throughout Aggarath. These must be placed, one each, in the depressions at the points of the triangle. As soon as all three are in position, the stones glow. At the same time, a fourth depression opens in the center of the triangle. It appears as if by magic and takes the shape of a keyhole. Only the silver key that Chardath wears around his neck (see the Eleventh Facet) can fit this keyhole. When a character inserts the silver key into the hole and turns it, the whole triangle glows brightly. At that point, anyone who steps onto the top of the triangle is instantly transported out of Aggarath. In all likelihood, the hero who inserted and turned the key instantly blinks out of sight (as he probably had to climb onto the platform to reach the keyhole). Other characters may follow him out of the domain by stepping onto the platform. Exactly where the characters arrive when they depart this place depends upon the enchanted rubies that they used to open the gate (and the plans of the Dungeon Master). To determine where the portal out of Aggarath leads, the Dungeon Master should add up the number of sides on the gems (each stone has a number of faces equal to the facet number from which it was recovered), then consult the following chart. If the Dungeon Master wishes to conclude the adventure with a return to the Forgotten Realms, he should refer to the right column; if he prefers to keep the adventurers in the Demiplane of Dread, he should use the center column. If the Dungeon Master wishes to transport the characters to another campaign world, he can create a similar chart. Of course, should the Dungeon Master have a specific location in mind for the party's next adventure, he can deposit the heroes wherever he chooses. For example, consider the case of a party escap- ing from Aggarath using the rubies from the Fifth, Eighth, and Tenth Facets. The number of sides on these stones adds up to 23 (5+8+10). According to the chart, the group is transported from Aggarath to Nova Vaasa (if remaining in Ravenloft), or Spulzeer Vale (in the Forgotten Realms).
* This is the grassy dell in Tethyr where Castle Spulzeer used to stand. None have disturbed the site to see if the castle's dungeons yet remain. Once the characters leave Aggarath, their bodies are magically reconstituted no matter where they end up. All levels lost through conduit travel are restored. If the gate is not used within an hour of its opening, it automatically closes. At that time. the rubies on the dais and the silver key are all transported back to their points of origin. A careful examination of the triangular dais (as well as a successful attempt to find secret doors) reveals a small panel on one side. Opening this door is safe and easy, as there are no traps or locks. Within is a twelve-sided ruby. This is the magical gem of the Twelfth Facet. If the magical battle axe is with the party, he helps them determine how to operate the portal. He does not, however, know where any of the gates lead. Indeed, Maleffluent does not even understand that the various combinations of gems change the functioning of the gate. If Maleffluent is not with the heroes, they most likely cannot operate the gate because they have not yet obtained the silver key from Chardath in the Eleventh Facet. Knowing this, Maleffluent plays the role of the martyr, telling the heroes to leave him behind and save themselves. He explains how to open the gate; if they have three enchanted rubies, he even helps them make the keyhole appear. As soon as it does, however, he feigns surprise at the sudden setback. Of course, he is well aware that they can't escape without the silver key, but he can put on a good front when circumstances require it. Should the heroes get to this place with both the key and the rubies but without the axe, Maleffluent says nothing about how to operate the gate. Instead, he tries to persuade them to return and rescue him. He makes promises, offers bribes, and even threatens if all else fails. If the heroes do not leave the domain of Aggarath (either because they cannot or because they will not), an hour after they enter the facet, swirling patterns of light appear in the ruby floor. These are the exits from the Twelfth Facet. If they are not used within an hour, they fade away. The conduits open again every twenty-four hours for sixty minutes. The following table indicates the facets to which these conduits lead:
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