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Scattered across the world are twenty portals – each one connected to three “adjacent” portals. Logically, these portals are arranged as the vertices of a dodecahedron. However, physically, they appear at “random” locations on the map – oftentimes skipping nearer portals to connect to ones far away.

Throughout history, arcane scholars have drawn correlaries between the twenty portals and the twenty worlds, and some have claimed that each of the twenty worlds has its own set of twenty portals. Oftentimes, the three inter-world portals¹⁾ are lumped into the same category and referred to as the “Ninety-nine portals”. Where this term comes from is unknown and was most likely coined for poetic reasons.

These portals are strongly tied to the Great Map and become disconnected if the map is dispersed – which has happened at least twice (most recently in the year 1105).

Currently, the wizard Kevin Arcana has obtained total control over the twenty portals, but is allowing their use by anyone who can pay 150 gold pieces to purchase a one-use key gem. These gems are pre-programmed with a particular path – taking the travelers (at least briefly) to each of the intermediate destinations.

One unexplained²⁾ side effect of travel through the portals is a significant (though fleeting) experience of pain. Many have speculated as to the cause or reason for this side effect, but nobody has satisfactorily explained it – and Kevin Arcana is suspiciously quiet on the subject.

There are three spells affected by Kevin Arcana's control of the Twenty Portals: Teleportation Circle (5th level conjuration), Teleport (7th level conjuration), and Word of Recall (6th level conjuration).

Each spell is limited in the same way: Any attempt to use the spell over a long range will be “short-circuited” by the portal network. Instead of arriving at the intended destination, the caster will instead arrive at the nearest portal. Note that the pain effect appears to be more significant when this “short-circuit” occurs.

• The city of Rota
• Neroth, Kevin Arcana's home
• The Spindrift Isles (Eastern Lendore)
• Midway between The city-state of Edric and Hookridge
• Lowland
• Larinday
• Blanan
• Mosaî, “The Hidden Empire”
• Arela
• The "Wall Islands"