Planar Observatory

The Planar Observatory and Telescope were built thousands of years ago by Nera and her tribe, then sealed up with the Grazhir shard Teloish inside. She foresaw how the "Children of Grazhir" (modern Moon Mages) would require and use such a tool. Her foresight was such that she recorded an illusion of herself having a conversation with the entities Pelag ai Aldam and the Arbiter in Darkness within the Planar Observatory, in which she even bestows them with their names, centuries after her own death.

In modern times, Moon Mages must journey to the Planar Telescope to study a symbolic representation of the Astral Plane in order to learn how to Astral Travel. The area surrounding the Observatory overlaps with the Astral Plane, and the surroundings bend and warp depending on who is looking at them. Practically speaking, what a Moon Mage sees will depend on his or her sect. Without knowledge of Astral Travel, the area will appear as an archetypal paradise according to the ideals of their sect; after they earn knowledge of Astral Travel, the surroundings will warp into the antithesis of those ideals, akin to a living nightmare, and denizens of the Astral Plane will attempt to reach out and attack the mage, potentially killing them.

Areas by Sect

The area outside of the Planar Observatory where the Telescope itself is located changes, but the Observatory itself is static. Most of the environmental messaging is sect-based, but one is universal:

A crowd of amorphous figures, each one composed entirely of shadow or light, fades into sight. They float a few inches above the ground, strangely incongruent with the rest of the scene. A head-splitting pain erupts in the back of your eyes as they yell out, "Death to the Defiler!"

Unsected / Non-Moon Mage

Before

[Unknown, Sunlit Plains]
Gently rolling verdant hills stretch out underneath a warm summer sun as far as the eye can see. The sun shares its bright azure sky with all three moons and a few white, wispy clouds. Prismatic flowers provide the only contrast against the green hills and form a narrow beeline to the north. You also see the silvery-white shard Teloish.
Obvious paths: north.

[Unknown, Sunlit Plains]
A large stone cube sits in a shallow spot between two hills. The cube is twice the height of an average Gor'Tog and appears to be composed of a single, solid block of chalk-white granite. Except for the doorway, there are no windows or any other openings. The hills' lush grass grows undisturbed around the cube and patches of moss ascend the granite around its base. You also see a white door.
Obvious paths: south.

Grass around you is teased by the wind into forming perfect concentric circles.

The sky above you erupts with activity! In the span of moments stars streak across the void and the sun makes its appointed rounds. The heavens gently slow from the acceleration and once again grow static.

The sweet scent of honey floats on the breeze.

After

[Unknown, Broken Land]
A large, stone cube sits in the middle of a blasted field. Though the stone is chalk-white, its cracked surface has the consistency and texture of granite. The cube is twice the height of an average Gor'Tog and appears to be composed of a single block. Hot gases escape from jagged crevices in the dead, stale-brown earth. A torturous groan escapes from the ground with every blast of heat from the holes. You also see a white door.
Obvious paths: south.

[Unknown, Broken Land]
Abrupt rises and depressions in the dirt pock-mark a blasted field. All three moons loom high in the sky and cast an unnaturally bright and burning light down upon the landscape. The land quakes and tremors constantly, causing upheaval of the dirt and wide crevices to open. Baleful flames and hot gases escape from the crevices in waves of searing heat. You also see the silvery-white shard Teloish.
Obvious paths: north.

A blast of hot gas erupts from a hidden crevice in front of you!

The ground groan with hidden stresses. With no other warning, a jet of baleful fire erupts from underneath your legs and eats at your flesh!

Oddly, the experience leaves you unwounded, but feeling drained.

Nomads of the Arid Steppe

Before

[Unknown, Ancestral Plains]
A pale winter sun illuminates the vast steppe around you. Crisp, cold air flows through the region, causing the few clumps of tall grass that stick out of the frost to bend. Other than the low howl of the wind, the environment is completely silent. Though unseen and unheard, you can feel the spirits of the steppe gather here. Your magical senses pick out animistic power flowing through every blade of grass and the footsteps of the Ancestors in every direction you could walk. You also see the silvery-white shard Teloish.
Obvious paths: southwest.

[Unknown, Ancestral Plains]
A lone yurt of pale brown unadorned leather sits in the middle of nowhere. Even though a stiff wind blows across the steppe, the blades of grass under your feet are frozen into place by a hard frost. Under the dim light of the sun, the yurt seems to blend in with the steppe around it. You also see a white door.

A freezing blast of wind races across the steppe, causing even the frost-packed grass to shudder.

Far against the horizon you can barely make out the form of a horseman. The horseman continues on his path and disappears from view.

You can make out the faint, transparent outlines of men in traditional garb fade in and out of existence. They seem to be smiling at you.

After

[Unknown, Battlefield]
A lone yurt made from thick sheets of pale blood-splattered leather sits in the middle of nowhere. Under the dim light of the sun, the yurt seems to blend in with the carnage around it. The bodies of fallen men and women, each clutching a sword or bow, clutter the frozen ground and stain the frost red with their blood. You also see a white door. Obvious paths: northeast.

[Unknown, Battlefield]
The sounds of war echo around you men scream in anger and pain, steel clashes, and incantations are shouted across the steppe. Pillars of celestial fire descend from the pale sun to obliterate fighters, while pseudopods of living shadow shatter the bones and spill the blood of the fallen. As far as the eye can see, the steppe is littered with the corpses and gore of the victims of tribal war. You also see the silvery-white shard Teloish.
Obvious paths: southwest.

A small group of horse-back skirmishers ride past, trading arrows and violent spells between them. One of the horses collide with you, spinning you around.

An errant Burn spell misses widely and sends its pillar of celestial fire at you! You avoid the worst of the attack, but can still feel your flesh singe.

Oddly, the experience leaves you unwounded, but feeling drained.

Bardic Recalls

With the use of an Astral Guide acquired during the Astral Travel quest, a Bard can make their way to the Planar Telescope. When they perceive the history of the area, they are shown a series of three visions explaining the how and why of its construction.

[Unknown, Sunlit Plains]
Gently rolling verdant hills stretch out underneath a warm summer sun as far as the eye can see. The sun shares its bright azure sky with all three moons and a few white, wispy clouds. Prismatic flowers provide the only contrast against the green hills and form a narrow beeline to the north. You also see the silvery-white shard Teloish.
Obvious paths: north.

Your vision plunges into darkness. You see a large cavern, lit only by a white glow suffusing the silvery-white shard Teloish. The cavern is far from its natural state: the floor has been worked smooth and intricate carvings are visible at the edge of the dim light. The meaning of the half-seen dots and serpentine lines is obscure, but they bear a resemblance to constellations.

A high-pitched hum fills the dead air and with it the Grazhir shard brightens. Both the sound and light grow in intensity until the Grazhir shard discharges two arcing, incandescent bolts toward the ground. The streams of energy explode as they touch the floor!

Your supernatural sight takes only a moment to compensate for the flare, revealing two entities standing where the streams grounded. The first looks very much like a male Human, skinny and pale with short red hair. Despite the mundane appearance, you get the bizarre sense that the entity is disassociated from its environment: as though it is not standing there so much as a realistic image painted over the background. The second entity is shaped like a Human in the abstract, composed entirely of light. It is naked and androgynous, without even a face to blemish the smooth planes of its form. Its light is harsh and feels somehow cold, like staring into the stars of a clear winter's night.

The two entities regard each other and then walk wordlessly toward the opposite end of the cavern. The second entity's illumination reveals even more serpentine symbols, carved into the floor with greater frequency toward their destination. The first entity either cannot see or does not care about the carvings, but the second one pauses. It kneels down to examine one of the carvings for a long moment before catching up with its companion.

With a start, you find yourself drawn back to the reality of the here and now.
Roundtime: 9 sec.

[Unknown, Sunlit Plains]
A large stone cube sits in a shallow spot between two hills. The cube is twice the height of an average Gor'Tog and appears to be composed of a single, solid block of chalk-white granite. Except for the doorway, there are no windows or any other openings. The hills' lush grass grows undisturbed around the cube and patches of moss ascend the granite around its base. You also see a white door.
Obvious paths: south.

Your vision is plunged into darkness, though you can see a cold light steadily approach from the opposite end of a smooth stone cavern. When the light comes close enough to identify, it is not a torch or even some magic trick, but a glowing abstract Human shape, naked and androgynous. A skinny, red-haired male Human walks along side of it and slightly ahead, as though leading the way. The entity of light stops just short of your point of view and silently watches its companion advance.

A few feet away from the entity of light, the Human figure stops in mid-step and quickly backpedals. Ribbons of silvery-blue and fiery red light erupt into life around its feet, tracing out serpentine patterns across the floor that bear a resemblance to constellations. As the magical light show reaches its climax, a faintly transparent image of a Human woman appears. The illusory woman is old, perhaps seventy or eight years. Despite physical fraility, thinning hair and ruined skin, the woman maintains an imperial bearing. She wears a robe adorned with patterns of gold, white, blue and red.

She points an accusatory finger at the Human figure and barks out, "I name you Servant of Fate." In response, the strange symbols on the floor contort and dim, as though straining under some sort of weight. The Servant stumbles backward as though struck.

Turning toward the entity of light, the illusion takes on a softer countenance. She says, "I do not enjoy this morbid gift. How many people are forced to see how little their lives truly mean? I am not destined to live forever, nor does any god care about Grazhir-touched souls. I will experience a death so complete that no one will judge me. All my line will remember is the name of the one who damned them. I am left with one final avenue for vanity. Stand and bear witness, Arbiter in Darkness."

A painful swirl of wordless, violent thoughts emanate from the Servant like waves of heat as he steps toward the illusion. The Arbiter tilts its featureless head, taking in the entire cavern. The Arbiter projects a vivid imperative through the air: you will wait. The Servant hesitates, though the volume of its thoughts intensify.

The illusory woman says, "The spirits wish to wage war on the children of Grazhir. So be it, your course will not be changed today. But if you insist on blaming them, then remember the fallacy of the seer! Fate is meaningless without the living moment; the future is judged by the past." The woman's voice becomes more emphatic, "You of all spirits cannot afford to forget the past! Do not dare to forget the lesson that G'nar Peth carved into our bones! You see the emanations of the children of Grazhir, but think about the places you cannot see!"

The Servant's violent thoughts crescendo as it steps toward the illusion. The woman turns back toward the Arbiter and says, "It would never listen, but you still may give this moment meaning. By the stars above, I speak prophecy: just as you judge the children of Grazhir, so in turn shall your people be judged from afar. For each pint of blood that coats the mad one's hands, one of your own will know de-" The Servant strikes at the woman with its fist, disrupting the magic held the illusion together. The symbols go dim and the scene fades away.

With a start, you find yourself drawn back to the reality of the here and now.
Roundtime: 11 sec.

[Unknown, Planar Observatory]
Smooth stone walls encircle the room, rising straight up for two dozen feet before becoming lost in some sort of ink-black cloud. Four fluted pillars, set equidistantly around a pool in the center, also rise toward the black unknown. You also see a pentagon-shaped pool of black liquid, a white door, a long steel lever and a dial set into a stone pillar.
Obvious exits: none.

The ink-black cloud above you disappears, revealing warm shafts of sunlight. Voices rise up around you, speaking a guttural language which you intuitively understand. Turning around, you see five male Humans speaking to an old woman. All six Humans share dark hair and complexion, though the woman's dress marks her out of the crowd. While the men wear undyed wool, she is wearing a robe adorned with gold, white, blue and red patterns.

One of the men speaks out, "This cannot stand! if we seal the cavern, then what was the point of our labor?"

The woman says, "Your labor was spent for those who can open the doors you cannot."

Another man speaks up, saying, "What is this nonsense, Nera? The only other children of Grazhir are those ridiculous shamans on the steppe. What do you think those barbarians can do that we cannot?"

Nera says, "I suspect you will live to find humor in this memory, but the tribes are not who I am thinking of. Trust in what I am about to say: we exist on an island in the ocean of time, isolated from great continents behind us and in front of us. We are epilogue and prologue, but we are not the story."

Nera says, "Just as we are define ourselves by the past, we will be defined by what impact we have on the nexus that grows even now on the very horizon of possibility. It will be the salvation or destruction of the children of Grazhir. They must be shown the way of death and glory."

With a start, you find yourself drawn back to the reality of the here and now.
Roundtime: 9 sec.