A Key Has Been Acquired!

The Champions Portal

"Champions Portal" is the first stage of my megadungeon "Dark Atlantis". (More background information here). A party of mercenary adventurers from the Dark Company recovered a means to open a stable portal to Atlantis - actually a sort of 'gate' to Atlantis.

The first groups of explorers through the gate report a hexagonal chamber of black stone lit by a ring of glowing blue crystal around the upper walls. Entry triggers a magical vision to appear.

A woman's face, with similarities to Nefertiti and depictions of other aristocratic women, appears and explains in a multitude of ancient languages that entrants have entered the "Champions Portal". By overcoming they challenges of brawn, brain, and bravery contained entrants may reap rewards and ultimate open the portal to the city of Atlantis itself.

Behind her, an amazing city is shown. Concentric hexagonal islands with wide canals between hold an amazing assortment of buildings - temples, towers, bizarre constructions with no obvious purpose. Flying creature and perhaps craft flit through the air. Ships of various sizes in the canals and under magnificent bridges, all within an enormous caldera. In the center, a massive temple with a statue of what can only be Poseidon.

The illusion fades and adventurers are then left to their own devices.

Experimentation has shown that people can enter and exit this portal at any time, but only once per day.

6 Keys Are Required

The entry chamber is a hexagon that is about 60 feet across. In the floor in the center, about 20 feet across, is a crystal inlay hexagon that glows a diffuse white. At each vertex there is a diamond-shaped recess without crystal two inches in depth. Experimentation has discovered within each recess is a thin band of gold with geometric patterns cut into them. The recesses are supported mechanical somehow. - they appear to be some sort of buttons that push in. Significant direct force appears to be useless to force them down further. Liquid poured into them does slowly drain.

1 Key Has Been Acquired

The third exploratory group gained entry to the second level of the Champions Portal and there defeated a minotaur who carried a large crystal, diamond shaped, about 10 inches long, with a gold band that has geometric patterns cut out of it.

This crystal smoothly slotted into the center right recess in the hexagon in the entry room and was drawn down until it's top became flush with the floor. A warm glow emitted from the crystal as this was happening. After a few moments, the glow faded.

(Texoma Dungeon Con team: we were short on time to end this properly so if you don't mind, I'm hand waiving that forward).