Navigating the Outlands

First Mate Flass grabbed the wheel of the ship in one hand while his other fumbled in his pocket for his compass. Risking a glance behind him at the storm-racked seas, he saw the corsair's vessel was fast catching up. Maybe they could've outrun the pirates, but with the ship battered as it was--and with half of their crew, including the captain, dead--the situation was almost hopeless. All he could try for was head towards port, and hope they ran into a Navy ship on patrol before the corsairs caught up with them.

Hope was important, and in short supply. A second glance revealed the pirate ship gaining on them at an ever-increasing rate... there had to be magic involed; perhaps a priestess of the Bitch Queen of the Deep was on board?

Flass looked down at his compass, the one thing he could rely on in the world. Steady as a rock. He adjusted the course of the ship slightly, and muttered a prayer to Tymora that somehow they'd escape the outlaws of the high seas. Capture was sure to lead to a painful death, something he'd really rather avoid.

It was no use, they were alongside him now and preparing to board. He left the wheel and ran into the captain's cabin (his now, he reflected bitterly), trying to find one of the wands his old superior always kept around the place. Perhaps if he could find a wand of Fireball, he could scare them off? His hands closed around the first he found. Perhaps...

And then First Mate Flass' world went black.

He came to in a world of pain, but alive. What had happened? Was he captured, awaiting execution? Hearing returned first, and with the return of sound--or rather, the absence of the sounds of the ocean--he realised he wasn't on the water any more. His vision, too, slowly faded back into focus and he saw the compass lying still in his outstetched hand. The needle was swaying uselessly, though the casing itself seemed undamaged. Funny, he thought. Must've happened when I fell over... wherever I fell too.

Flass stood and wiped dust off his torn unofirm, his ragged body. He saw a great expanse of barren plains, like a sea but of land. Turning, something in the distance caught his eye, and the sheer oddness made him drop the useless compass from his hand in surprise. A tall, thin spire, extending upward as far as the eye could see. And further, probably, even.

The useless compass hit the floor and shattered.

Flass sighed. He had no idea where he was, but suspected it was going to be a long journey home...

So it turns out berks on some of the Prime Worlds use these things called "compasses" to navigate, tell 'em where's where on their poxy little orbs. Somethin' to do with rotation and magnetic fields. Why you lookin' at me all peery like that, berk? Want to know more, go find a Guvner! Unnatural it is, an orb for a world, sounds like one o' the layers o' Carceri and nuthin' comes from there 'cept the 'leths, right?

Anyhow, these Clueless berks come to the Outlands and are all surprised when these toys don't work no more... No wonder they get scragged so easy. Hey, ye're distractin' me, takin' me away from the point.

So ye're wonderin' how we don't get lost in the Outlands, berk? Simple, like the "compasses" of these Clueless, but a whole lot better. Now let me show you...

Outlands compass

Large tracts of the Outlands are barren and featureless locations, and it's difficult for a traveller to know which way is which. These small objects are similar in form to the compasses used by navigators on Prime worlds, although as there is no magnetic pole for them to point to they must use other means. The device consists of a freely spinning four-pointed cross attached to a base with the names of the Gate Towns written on it at regular intervals. Subtle enchantments of Detect Law/Chaos/Good/Evil are placed upon the points of the cross so that the points orient themselves in the directions of the appropriate Gate-Towns to the Outer planes. So, you want to know the direction towards (or, more likely, away from) the town of Hopeless? Easy.

(I created this item because I was wondering about how you'd find your way around on the Outlands; I don't know if there's any canon way, actually. Not sure about pricing or whatnot but thought some might find it a neat idea. )