The Great Vortex
Few phenomena are as awe-inspiring and perilous as the Great Vortex, a gateway to the enigmatic Plane of Vacuum. This colossal vortex is part marvel and part menace, a swirling maelstrom of cosmic forces.
At the heart of the Great Vortex is a spiralling dance of dust, as it is inexorably drawn into the void. This swirling curtain shrouds the passage to nothingness, and be warned, it can be mesmerising. Planewalkers in Core Dust would do well to understand the hazard here, for its gravitational pull is relentless, and more than capable of ensnaring the unwary and dragging them into the depths of Vacuum. This makes it a notorious spot for planar navigators, and a place to be approached with caution because the Plane of Vacuum is the very embodiment of absence—a realm devoid of matter, energy, and even sound. It’s a place of unfathomable emptiness, contrasting starkly with the materiality of other planes, even fragmenting ones like Dust. Without air, pressure, or substance, only the most powerful magics and preparations can sustain life there, making it a domain reserved for the bravest or most foolhardy of explorers.
The Great Vortex is a focal point for philosophical and mystical studies. Mages and scholars are occasionally drawn here, seeking to unravel the secrets it might hold, for this is a place of entropy writ large. Philosophers, on the other hand, ponder the vortex’s deeper meaning. It is often seen as a metaphor for the void within or the inevitable end of all existence, a symbol of all things ceasing to be.
Calistra
Calistra (human sorcerer [she/her] / Fraternity of Order / N), is known as “The Seeker of the Void”. She’s a sorcerer of considerable prowess, and a planewalker with an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Her fascination with the Great Vortex is a visceral desire to comprehend what lies at the intersection of existence and non-existence. She’s braved the perilous conditions of the Quasi-Elemental Plane of Dust for years now, establishing her research station at the very edge of conceivable reality. Here, amidst the swirling sands and ominous silence, Calistra delves into her studies with an obsessive fervour.
Calistra’s days are spent in meticulous observation of the unpredictable patterns of the vortex, and her nights in contemplation of the philosophical implications of this gateway to the void. She ponders the mathematics of entropy, the essence of nothingness, and the limits of planar existence. Her findings are as much meditations on the very nature of reality as they are scientific.
Despite her solitary pursuit, Calistra is not quite a recluse. Her interactions with various factions, especially the Doomguard, have been mutually beneficial; in fact shes’s one of the few Guvners who the Sinkers actually respect. Her generosity with sharing her findings has made her a beacon for those who seek to understand the vortex’s mysteries, much to the annoyance of her superiors back in Sigil. However, the constant exposure to the negatove energies here is starting to take a toll on Calistra’s health. Her obsession has begun to manifest as a gradual erosion of her sanity, mirroring the entropic forces she studies. Her fascination now teeters on the edge of a dangerous desire to become one with the nothingness she studies, risking her very existence in the process.
Source: Rip van Wormer, Jon Winter-Holt, mimir.net
