Subject Looking through the looking glass

The party stands for a few seconds in stunned silence. No one was quite sure what to expect. Most of them thought it would be either much simpler or much more elaborate, not just a plain blue shimmering wall of blue standing in the middle of a small clearing. Harp orders camp to be made and preparations for the party to enter the gateway at the next dawn. Harp ask both Allistair and Ragnar if they would take a closer look at the gateway and see if they can learn anything about it. They both nod and move towards the magical door.

The two approach the portal carefully, studying it and the surrounding area. Upon closer examination it looks like the portal is just barely floating off the ground, maybe with an 1/8" clearance. The other major feature of the door is that it only has two dimensions. As the two walk around the portal, it disappears to nothingness when they approach it's edges. Ragnar looks at Allistair with a questioning glance, his eye brows raised. Allistair chuckles underneath his breath, "This is so far from any experience I have had I don't know where to start. How about we try the obvious and see if the portal is magical?" The cleric nods, "Let me try first. It is unlikely that this is divine in nature, both from the stories we were told and from how we view power, but I might as well give it a try."

With that Ragnar chants the prayer used to detect magic. It is one of the first prayers a novitiate learns and he had used it many times over the years. However, he is not prepared for results of his chanting. The first few seconds and he can sense the magical aura of the portal. His senses start to dig a bit further and he is almost stunned, not only by the variation of spells and prayers he senses, but also by the shear power of them. Never before has he encountered this much combined magic in one place. After a few more seconds he staggers back, grateful to feel Allistair's grip on his shoulder, steadying him.

OODM: I will let these two RP some of this if they want. Others can join in. Any one with a detect magic will get the same result.

Subject Looking through the looking glass

After consulting first with Harp and then Allistair, Ragnar volunteers to be the first to examine the portal. He quietly recites one of the first prayers he learned, back before he had even left the Wildlands. Upon finishing, he is unsurprised to see the magical auras coming into focus, as he is accustomed to seeing. However, within seconds the auras take on an intensity that is beyond anything he has ever seen in his life. He attempts to identify the auras, but is defeated by magnitude of the experience and turns away, deliberately ending the effect ahead of time.

He turns to face the rest of the party, and realizes that he can still see the bright swirl of colors before his eyes. They are quickly fading, however, now that he has turned his back to the portal. He shakes his head a few times, and returning to his senses he begins to describe to Allistair what he saw.

"To say that the portal is magical would not do it justice. Never in my life have I encountered such powerful enchantments. Even the innermost levels of the Temple in Gorn... I doubt that they are exposed to such enchantments. I attempted to identify the type or number of enchantments, but could not. They were numerous to be sure, but the strength was the impressive part."

He turns slightly, speaking now to Harp as well as Allistair. "This gives me something to think about. I had believed that the portal was established by Valorshield and other spellcasters of his day in order to remove the testing grounds from casual discovery. The power of these enchantments, though... Heironeous himself might have placed them and I would discern no difference in their power. The testing grounds beyond may no longer be an environment in any way recognizable to us. It is entirely possible that everything beyond it, from the stones to the inhabitants to the air itself, will be there for the express purpose of protecting the artifact inside. While they must have intended for it to be found in time of need, there is no reason to believe that the environment inside will be in any way natural."