View source for Portal

{{Item
| image         = portal 4e.jpg
| caption       = ''A portal to someplace else.''
| name          = ''Portal''
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'''Portals''' were permanent teleportation effects that linked many places in and outside [[Abeir-Toril|Toril]], including other planes and planets.<ref name="FRCS-p59">{{Cite book/Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition|59}}</ref>
{{Quote
|Ah, yes, spellspun gates. Portals, some call them. "Death-doors" is the term I prefer. The reason? Well, each step through one is a step closer to the time when your death is standing waiting for you on the other side&mdash;with a big cold grin on its face and a sword in its hand you'll have no time nor chance to avoid.
|[[Bharajak Steelshar]]<ref name="Spf">{{Cite book/Hand of Fire/TPB 2002|69||5}}</ref>
}}
==Description==
[[File:Portal.JPG|250px|thumb|''A transparent portal gave off information about its destination.'']]
A ''portal'' was a two-dimensional area&mdash;often a circle with a radius of up to {{SI|15|ft|long=yes}} but not limited to it in size or shape&mdash;that was both intangible and invisible. Because of this, a freestanding archway of some kind usually was built to identify the location of a ''portal'', so those who could not [[detect magic|detect magical auras]] did not stumble into them accidentally. It was impossible to visually find out a ''portal's'' destination. For example, sticking one's head into that field to find out the destination was impossible, for touching a ''portal'' activated it.<ref name="FRCS-p59" />

One way to find out the location of a ''portal'' was to cast ''detect magic''. The magical aura of a functional ''portal'' was much stronger than that whose uses were completely exhausted. Finding out more about a ''portal'' required an ''[[analyze portal]]'' [[spell]].<ref name="FRCS-p59" />

The portal itself was completely intangible.<ref name="FRCS-p59" /> ''[[Portal finder]]s'' were tools to find ''portals''.<ref name="U-72">{{Cite book/Underdark|72}}</ref> A ''[[greater Underdark map]]'' also had the location of every ''portal'' within the mapped area.<ref name="U-77">{{Cite book/Underdark|77}}</ref>

Passing through a portal was described as an unsettling experience: space between the "fabric of the planes" was entirely dark, devoid of air and offering no sensation of temperature. Oddly enough, it seemed to elicit phantom scents, like the smell of wintergreen or stale [[wine]].<ref name="Adversary-p172">{{Cite book/The Adversary/Hardcover|172}}</ref>

==Powers==
''Portals'' were magical transportation devices. When somebody touched the two-dimensional field, that person was affected by a ''[[greater teleport]]'' effect towards a pre-set destination. This was the reason why the "sticking the head through"-method to find out the destination failed. Creatures could enter and be transported by a ''portal'', as long as they could pass through them, and objects could not. For example, one could not shoot arrows through a ''portal'', they would not just not pass through, but bounce off. An exception to this no-object-rule were those objects carried by creatures passing through a ''portal''. However, even this had a limit of 850 pounds (386 kilograms) and the definition of "carried" was anything touched. This weight limit had the peculiarity that an object that was touched by several creatures dropped the amount of objects the creatures could carry by its weight for all and not just for one. The limit on how many creatures could pass through a ''portal'' was the one that the builder set and the usual limit was as many creatures as wanted to pass through.<ref name="FRCS-p59" />

A ''portal'' could only send a person to its destination, but not back. Quite often, people built directly at the destination a second ''portal'' to effectively create a two-way-''portal''.<ref name="FRCS-p59" />

Destroying a ''portal'' was very difficult. ''[[Disintegrate]]'' or other physical means were not means by which a ''portal'' could be destroyed. Successfully using ''dispel magic'' could stop the working of a ''portal'' for up to twenty four seconds. It required a ''[[Mordenkainen's disjunction]]'' spell to turn a ''portal'' permanently non-functional. Another means was the ''[[gate seal]]'' spell.<ref name="FRCS-60" /> A tool to manipulate and glean information from ''portals'' was a ''[[staff of portals]]''.<ref name="U-72">{{Cite book/Underdark|72}}</ref> A tool to destroy a ''portal'' was a ''[[portal demolisher]]''.<ref name="U-75">{{Cite book/Underdark|75}}</ref>

===Special Portals===
[[File:Demon Stone concept Jungles of Chult portal.png|thumb|''A [[yuan-ti]] portal from [[Vaasa]] to [[Chult]].'']]
There were some special types of ''portals'':
;Creature-Only ''Portals'':Creature-only ''portals'' were what they sounded like. Only creatures could pass through them, their clothes or other equipment could not,<ref name="FRCS-60" /> those simply stayed behind while the body moved on.<ref name="DRP">{{Cite web/Perilous Gateways/One-Way Portals in Amn:The Dusty Rat}}</ref> A variety that was hard to create allowed both creatures and equipment to pass through the same ''portal'', but the body and equipment reached different destinations.<ref name="FRCS-60" />
;Keyed ''Portals'':It happened quite often that ''portals'' were keyed. This meant that the created ''portal'' could only be used if a special condition was met. Such conditions could be ones that needed to be met by the user, like being a member of a specific race, or ones that needed to be met otherwise like specific time. Keyed ''portals'' needed to be activated and remained so for six seconds. Once activated, anybody could use it during its activation by touching the ''portal'', even without fulfilling the criteria.<ref name="FRCS-60">{{Cite book/Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition|60}}</ref> For example, the [[Ched Nasad portal]] could only be activated by [[drow]] who were male and not divine spellcasters. When it came to the surface end, it was only possible to activate it while [[the sun]] was set.<ref name="CNP">{{Cite web/Perilous Gateways/Dark Elf Portals: The Ched Nasad Portal}}</ref> A tool that allowed a person to activate any keyed ''portal'', even without knowledge of its key, was a ''[[universal key]]''.<ref name="U-76">{{Cite book/Underdark|76}}</ref>
;Impassable ''Portals'':Impassable ''portals'' were not passable for anything. An impassable ''portal'' differentiated from most ''portals'' in that it could be used like a window to the destination nobody could reach,<ref name="U-52" /> while normal ''portals'' gave off no information about its destination.<ref name="FRCS-p59" />
;Nonliving-Only ''Portals'':A nonliving-only ''portal'' was one that allowed only nonliving material through. It was the only type of ''portals'' that allowed nonliving things to pass through without a living creature carrying it.<ref name="U-52">{{Cite book/Underdark|52}}</ref>
;Random ''Portals'':A random ''portal's'' randomness lay in its activation time. It was random and even when a person hit upon a random ''portal'' that was in its activation time, it could be impossible to use, because one lacked the proper key. There was one pattern for a random ''portal'' that was quite common. It was one that worked for a random number of creatures between seven and twelve and once the random number went through the ''portal'' stopped working for a random time up to six days.<ref name="FRCS-60" />
;Transparent ''Portals'':Transparent ''portals'' were ''portals'' whose destination could be seen.<ref name="U-52-53">{{Cite book/Underdark|52-53}}</ref>
;Variable ''Portals'':Variable  ''portals'' were ''portals'' with more than one set destination. These ''portals'' were considered dangerous to those who were not familiar with them. The reason was that the multiple destinations could change according to a pattern or at random depending on how they were created. A possible danger, which aforementioned people with no familiarity could encounter was that the ''portal'' was set to transport a person with the proper key to the actually intended destination while sending people without the proper key to a dangerous location like the inside of a volcano.<ref name="FRCS-60" />

===Malfunction===
[[File:Bar the Gate.jpg|thumb|right|300px|''An adventurer closing a ''portal'' opened by the [[Cult of the Dragon]].'']]
A ''portal's'' magic was very durable, but it was subject to wear. ''Portals'' could also be influenced by global magical catastrophes. Such ''portals'' started to malfunction. Malfunctioning ''portals'' were generally a century or older. When such a malfunctioning continuous ''portal'' was activated, the ''portal'' could start to show its malfunctions and applied such effects for up to a minute. Possible malfunctions were that the ''portal'' did not apply a ''greater teleport'' but a ''[[greater dispel magic]]'' effect to either the user or the user's [[magic item]]s. When the former happened, the target was the user and could lose magical effects he or she was benefiting from. When the latter happened, what the ''portal'' did was draining the magic items of magic to power itself, the magic items stopped working for a short time, when it came to charge-based magic items, they lost charges. Another effect that could happen was that the user was shoved off as though he or she suffered a ''[[telekinesis]]'' effect. Another possible effect was that the ''portal'' spilled either and ''[[inflict serious wounds]]'' or ''[[cure serious wounds]]'' out against the user.<ref name="FRCS-61">{{Cite book/Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition|61}}</ref>

Even when the ''portal'' sent somebody off, it could send somebody to a wrong place. However, about half the time, a ''portal'' worked properly<ref name="FRCS-61" /> and one could further stabilize it with a ''[[portal stabilization]]'' spell<ref name="U-60">{{Cite book/Underdark|60}}</ref> or by applying special ''portal''-related stabilization skills.<ref name="PG-42" />

;''Portal'' Seepage:''Portal'' seepage was an occurrence that accompanied malfunctioning ''portals''. It happened when ''portals'' grew old and their magic started to deteriorate. ''Portal'' seepage happened often to malfunctioning ''portals'' that were more than a millennium old and was an often encountered problem in the [[Lowerdark]]. When this occurred, qualities of the ''portal's'' destination such as planar qualities affected the origin point as well.<ref name="U-53, 120">{{Cite book/Underdark|53, 120}}</ref>

==Creation==
[[File:Portal and a scroll.png|thumb|''A portal being worked from a magic scroll.''|425x425px]]
The creation of a ''portal'' was formerly believed to require specific ''portal''-knowledge,<ref name="FRCS-61" /> but it turned out that they could be created by anybody who could create [[:Category:Wondrous items|wondrous items]]. However, having specific knowledge still helped to cut the costs of creation by half.<ref name="PG-42">{{Cite book/Player's Guide to Faerûn|42}}</ref> The creation required one of the following spells: ''[[teleport]]'', ''greater teleport'', ''[[teleportation circle]]'', or ''[[gate]]''. It was also a very costly process. A default ''portal'', meaning one-way, always active, and of 10 feet (3 meters) radius, cost 50,000 [[gp]], a large part of the creator's personal essence, and one hundred days. When creating a ''portal'', the creator needed to set a destination. Any place could be this destination, as long as it fulfilled two criteria. First, it needed to be a place where the creator had been at least once. Second, it needed to be a place where travel via the [[Astral Plane]] was possible, this was due to the nature of teleportation spells in general.<ref name="FRCS-61" />

As mentioned above, a so called two-way ''portal'' was actually not one ''portal'' but two ''portals'', one being built on the other's destination point. Creating a second ''portal'' on the destination point cost half the amount of money to create the first one, more personal essence, and fifty days or more in time.<ref name="FRCS-61" />

As mentioned above, a standard ''portal'' was created with a 10 feet (3 meters) radius, but could be as small as 6 inches (15 centimeters) in radius. As a rule of thumb, ''portals'' that were bigger than the aforementioned 10 feet in radius cost more for every 300 square feet fraction by another 100% in monetary cost.<ref name="FRCS-61" />

Turning a ''portal'' into an impassable one<ref name="U-52" /> or keying and randomizing a ''portal'' incurred no additional costs, but adding more destinations than one increased the cost by a fourth for every additional destination, when it came to creature-only ''portals'', the cost was actually doubled. Those creature-only ''portals'' that sent equipment and body to different destinations incurred costs like a creature-only ''portal'' with one additional destination and were very costly.<ref name="FRCS-61" /> When it came to nonliving-only ''portals'', the cost was four times as high as a normal one. Turning a ''portal'' transparent cost a flat 50,000 gp.<ref name="U-52-53" />

The creation of a ''portal'' with limited number of usages was a cost-saving measure. A continuously active portal and one that could be used five times per day cost the same. It cost less as less frequently the ''portal'' could be used. A portal could be created to work even less frequently than once per day dropping the cost even further, but this had a limit. A portal that allowed travel once a tenday was the limit, ''portals'' that worked even less frequently could be still created, there was simply no saving regarding the costs.<ref name="FRCS-61" />

==Reputation==
A lot of people created ''portals'' in Toril's history. Due to the durable nature of this [[magic]], Toril had ''portals'' in the hundreds by [[1372 DR]]. However, quite often, the purpose and usage instructions went lost over time alongside their creators. Therefore, ''portals'' were considered both mysterious and unpredictable.<ref name="FRCS-p59" />
{{fq
| float  = right
| width  = 255px
| source = Graffiti on a ''portal'' to the [[Elemental Plane of Fire]]
| text   = Don’t forget the marshmallows!
}}
''Portals'' existed throughout the [[Underdark]]. Entire networks were the primary means people moved around in the Realms Below. Such a ''portal's'' location was often made clear by means of archways, columns, or simple stone piles, if it was part of a trade route. A site with a ''portal'' often had graffiti carved or written. Graffiti provided from time to time information about the ''portal's'' nature or its destination, albeit not always in a clear manner.<ref name="U-52" />

One group of people who sought the destruction of interplanar ''portals'' were the [[incantatrix|incantatar]]s. They did not want creatures from foreign planes to enter their own and as such viewed it as their duty to destroy as many interplanar connections as possible. That said, they were a font of knowledge for ''portals'' in general.<ref name="PG-61">{{Cite book/Player's Guide to Faerûn|61}}</ref> The existence of spells developed by mages from other planes like ''[[Otto's irresistible dance]]'' or ''[[Tenser's transformation]]'' was accredited to interplanar ''portals''.<ref name="PG-140">{{Cite book/Player's Guide to Faerûn|140}}</ref>

== Notable Portals==
{{Quote|''It's amazing that Faerûn holds together, considering how it's been riddled with gates and conduits, portals and doorways from a dozen lost peoples. If I had anything like a sense of wonder I might be impressed.''|[[Eidola]] of [[Neverwinter]]<ref name="easy41">{{Cite book/Easy Betrayals|41}}</ref>}}<br />
===Elfgates===
The elfgates were portals that could teleport things to and from [[Evermeet]].
; [[Elion]] to [[Evereska]]:One side of this gate was on a hill about a mile above the palace of [[Seiveril Miritar]] near Elion in northern Evermeet. It was in a broad glade and consisted of three old stone markers.<ref name="FH-p197">{{Cite book/Forsaken House|197}}</ref> The other side was a plaza in Evereska.<ref name="FH-p199">{{Cite book/Forsaken House|199}}</ref>
;[[Moonwood]] to [[Evereska]]:The Evereskan side of this gate lay high in the northern [[Shaeradim]] surrounding Evereska, and consisted of a stone marker covered in [[Espruar]] runes beside a waterfall beneath a stone cliff. The other side of the gate linked to a northerly outpost of [[Sharrven]] before it became a ruin.<ref name="FH-p232-233">{{Cite book/Forsaken House|232-233}}</ref>

===Bukhara Spires===
{{Main|Bukhara Spires}}
These were teleportation spires created by the [[Imaskari]].<ref name="TGHotR-18">{{Cite book/The Grand History of the Realms|18}}</ref>

===Elemental Vortices===
[[Elemental vortices]] were pathways connecting [[elemental planes]] with one another<ref name="SotL.GL-p10">{{Cite book/Secrets of the Lamp/Genie Lore|10}}</ref> or the [[Prime Material Plane]].<ref name="PSCS.DM-p20">{{Cite book/Planescape Campaign Setting/A DM Guide to the Planes|20-21}}</ref>

===Shadow Portals===
A shadow ''portal'' was a naturally occurring ''portal'' like one of the vortices. The difference was that it did not connect to one of the [[Inner Planes]] but to the [[Shadowfell]]. Technically, these were simple planar holes towards the Shadowfell and not ''portals'', but they worked like ''portals''. About four-fifths of them were two-way ''portals'' and the other one-fifth were one-way ''portals'' They were always active and did not need to be specifically activated. They were a specific feature of the Lowerdark and were more common the deeper one went.<ref name="U-120">{{Cite book/Underdark|120}}</ref>

=== Time Gates ===
Much rarer than normal portals, a few [[time gate]]s existed throughout Faerûn. They were physically similar to other portals, but transported an individual not through space, but into a different time.<ref name="C.EoE-p6">{{Cite book/Cormanthyr: Empire of the Elves|6}}</ref>

===Weavegates===
A weavegate looked and behaved similarly to a regular portal, unless the user knew how to navigate the [[Weave]]. For such users, the weavegate could be used to reach any other portal reached by the Weave, instead of the pre-set destination. Traveling in this way gave the sensation of gently falling through a glowing blue void.<ref name="Twitter-2022-06-30">{{Cite web/theedverse/2022-06-30 - Weavegate to RenFaire}}</ref>

==Appendix==
===See Also===
* [[Perilous Gateways]]: A webseries that featured portals found across [[Faerûn]].
*[[Elemental vortex]]
===Appearances=== 
{{Appearances
| adventures = ''[[Halls of the High King]]'';''[[Cormyr: The Tearing of the Weave]]'';''[[Anauroch: The Empire of Shade]]''
| novels = ''[[Daughter of the Drow]]'';''[[The Glass Prison]]'';''[[The Black Bouquet]]'';''[[The Sapphire Crescent]]'';''[[Elminster's Daughter]]'';''[[The Gossamer Plain]]'';''[[Stardeep (novel)|Stardeep]]'';''[[Sentinelspire (novel)|Sentinelspire]]'';''[[The Fanged Crown]]'';''[[The Adversary]]''
| video games = ''[[Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance]]'';''[[Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone]]'';''[[Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale]]''
| card games = ''[[Blood Wars]]''
| miniatures = ''[[Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures]]''
}}

===References===
{{Refs}}
[[Category:Magic items]]
[[Category:Wondrous items]]
[[Category:Items from the Underdark]]
[[Category:Items]]
[[Category:Items from Toril]]
[[Category:Items from Faerûn]]
[[Category:Planar pathways]]