The Origin

Special ConditionsThe closer one gets to the Origin, the stronger the wind gets, seemingly without an upper limit. Lots of leatherheads have tried all manner of spells to keep from being blown back, but no spells have been powerful enough to make it all the way to the centre, if there is one.

DescriptionA Guvner sage by the name of Pakamau once got it into her brain-box to map the directions of the winds in the second layer of Pandemonium. Her idea was that if the tunnels of the layer had been hand-chiseled, then the wind must have been specifically created as well. If that were true, she could find out what the order of the entire layer was and either gain power beyond her dreams or at least fame that would last forever. The inhabitants of Windglum in Phlegethon called her barmy for her ideas and insisted that no order could be enforced on Pandemonium, but she managed to convince a few hardy souls to help her.

It took years for her to map out even a small part of the winds of Cocytus, and she returned to the Fortress of Disciplined Enlightenment in Mechanus to analyze her results. What she eventually concluded was that the winds of the plane had a definite, single origin, and that the origin was just beyond her study area. Too old to return to Pandemonium and visit the origin herself, Pakamau died in Mechanus having gained all the fame she desired by proving the inevitable order in the plane of maddening winds.

The Guvners immediately sent expeditionary teams to Cocytus to explore what Pakamau had called The Origin. Word got out, and soon every faction and organization on the planes had teams trying to reach the centre of the plane. The area itself was easy to find, but actually getting there was much more difficult. As one approached The Origin, the winds became more and more intense until they would carry away anything, no matter what its size or how firmly it had been attached. Spells, magical items, natural abilities all failed eventually, before the centre had been reached. One thing that everyone who made the attempt observed was that the walls of the tunnels became increasingly ornate and organic towards The Origin. Studies of the nature of this difference have come up with as many contradictory theories as there have been studies.

Since that time attempts to reach the centre have continued, but to no avail. The stories of different expeditions and the backstabbing and doublecrossing that followed them have filled a dozen books, none of which can conclusively prove anything about the original goal of the missions. What the origin is and whether it is the only origin of winds on the plane or even the origin is still a mystery.

Current ChantA team of mages from Arcadia have come up with a spell on par with a wish spell, devoted entirely to keeping them safe from the wind. This Arcadian team will reach the Origin. Of course, that’s what the last team from Arborea claimed, and look at what happened to them.