Travel platform
From The Heretic Knowledge Vault
Description
A means of instantaneous transportation unique to elves, dating back to their glory days and equivalent in function if not design to the modern, human Warp gate. We apparently see one here and here (maybe the same one, maybe not). It has a vaguely druidic/Stonehengeish look to it.
According to Sarine, the modern travel platform isn't as run down as the standing stones might suggest. The original platforms may not work any more, but when the elves started sending rangers out into the rest of the world, some of the platforms were refurbished to give the rangers a way to get around. She also says that there now exist "temporary" travel platforms that can be erected by a couple of rangers, allowing elves to pop into places that have human warp gates that they use for additional travel. Presumably this is the way Rarune and his party got to Tsuirakushiti, 18 years ago so that he could impregnate Miyo Hinadori, then more recently so he and his goons could grab the resulting Meji.
Interestingly, the Veracian Church doesn't seem aware of the temporary travel platforms, despite their long history of interacting with the elves. When Ian confronts Jeramel to find out where the elves are, Jeramel tells him that "no one ever manages to see where (the elves) came from or where they go." Probably they pop in via temporary platforms set up outside Emerylon.
Where Used
- Interestingly, when Sarine uses it to pop back into Praenubilus Astu to report on what's happened with Anilis, she says (in one of those little bits of internal dialogue that people have with themselves for purposes of plot advancement) that she arrives at a warp gate, not a travel platform. Needless to say, she has all sorts of negative comments about elven paranoia that causes such a thing to be stationed out in the boonies, but that's just Sarine being Sarine.
- Whether the weird construct that transports our heroes off to their encounter with Nookie, Kawaii and Anilis is a standard travel platform is unclear, but Sarine doesn't think so, and she should know. Instead she thinks it's some kind of "portal," whatever that is.
- According to the Elven Council, some of the platforms were on a "separate, private network that was made for travel between a few secure, hidden locations." It was the construction of one of these that tipped the elves off to the existence of the Giant Magic Potato, which they call the "bubble" for some inscrutable elvish reason. We don't know what any of the other platforms on the "private network" do, but hey, Senilis hasn't put in an appearance yet...
- It's likely that the gadget that Sarine uses to (unknowingly) summon Toren and his military unit is one of those "temporary platforms" that she talks about.
