1. THE GREAT UNKNOWNS
A: The Lady of Pain is, simply put, an icon representing the tone of the Planescape campaign. Enigmatic and untouchable, she embodies the cruel mystery of the planes. Not even she knows her true history, and most PS DMs think that's exactly the way she should stay. That's not to say bashers never try to second-guess her origins, oh no! They say that for every berk who ever set foot in the Cage there's a new story purporting to tell of her past. It's best to take these with a pinch of salt. The best of the collected "truths" of the Lady of Pain that the mailing list has dreamed up can be found on the Mimir at: http://www.oocities.org/~mimir/chant/lady.html If you're curious about the poem which may have inspired the central, mysterious figure in Planescape you might like to read Swinburne's "Dolores" at LiPo's Hermitage. See also Sigil and Beyond p 62, On Hallowed Ground p 52, and the FAQ question Where can I find the Lady of Pain's Game Statistics?
A: The Lady of Pain is, simply put, an icon representing the tone of the Planescape campaign. Enigmatic and untouchable, she embodies the cruel mystery of the planes. Not even she knows her true history, and most PS DMs think that's exactly the way she should stay.
That's not to say bashers never try to second-guess her origins, oh no! They say that for every berk who ever set foot in the Cage there's a new story purporting to tell of her past. It's best to take these with a pinch of salt.
The best of the collected "truths" of the Lady of Pain that the mailing list has dreamed up can be found on the Mimir at:
If you're curious about the poem which may have inspired the central, mysterious figure in Planescape you might like to read Swinburne's "Dolores" at LiPo's Hermitage.
See also Sigil and Beyond p 62, On Hallowed Ground p 52, and the FAQ question Where can I find the Lady of Pain's Game Statistics?
A: Sigil is the hub of the planes, arguably at the very centre, but without doubt the most cosmopolitan city you'll find anywhere in the multiverse. It's ruled by the Lady of Pain, though her voice is never heard, and her laws are few. Sigil's name is officially pronounced with a "G" not a "J". Some bloods argue the former sounds rather silly (rhyming with giggle and squiggle), so the jury's out right now. The Mimir CD quite clearly uses the official version. As with the Lady, there are countless stories telling of Sigil's origin, history and future. A few of them can be found on the Mimir at: http://www.oocities.org/~mimir/chant/sigil.html See also: Sigil and Beyond, In the Cage (all pages!), On Hallowed Ground p 43.
A: Sigil is the hub of the planes, arguably at the very centre, but without doubt the most cosmopolitan city you'll find anywhere in the multiverse. It's ruled by the Lady of Pain, though her voice is never heard, and her laws are few.
Sigil's name is officially pronounced with a "G" not a "J". Some bloods argue the former sounds rather silly (rhyming with giggle and squiggle), so the jury's out right now. The Mimir CD quite clearly uses the official version.
As with the Lady, there are countless stories telling of Sigil's origin, history and future. A few of them can be found on the Mimir at:
See also: Sigil and Beyond, In the Cage (all pages!), On Hallowed Ground p 43.
A: The Spire is the infinitely tall pinnacle above which Sigil floats, though even that's a matter of contention. Some claim Sigil ain't really there, because the Spire's a dead magic zone and magic works in the Cage, sure as Sigil (as they say). Others deny that an infinite Spire can have a peak, and those berks should be pitied: They're missing out on one of the greatest mysteries of the planes. See, out there, where the powers live, the impossible and the infinite take on new meanings, which are interpreted differently, according to what you believe. Some points of view on the Spire can be found on the Mimir at: http://www.oocities.org/~mimir/chant/spire.html
A: The Spire is the infinitely tall pinnacle above which Sigil floats, though even that's a matter of contention. Some claim Sigil ain't really there, because the Spire's a dead magic zone and magic works in the Cage, sure as Sigil (as they say). Others deny that an infinite Spire can have a peak, and those berks should be pitied: They're missing out on one of the greatest mysteries of the planes.
See, out there, where the powers live, the impossible and the infinite take on new meanings, which are interpreted differently, according to what you believe. Some points of view on the Spire can be found on the Mimir at:
2. LIFE ON THE PLANES
A: Derinkuyu is the real name of Undersigil, the city of the Free League that exist partly beneath the streets of the Cage and partly all over the planes. It was created by Scott Kelley and David Goehrig of the Planescape mailing list, and is part of the Planescape net handbook. The main attraction of the city to traders is not the illicit nature of its goods (such things can freely be bought above the streets!) but the fact that everything here is tax free! The Indeps who run the city ensure that the ways in are kept secretive enough that the tax collectors of the Fated never find their way in. The most up-to-date incarnation of Derinkuyu/Ligis can be found on the Scripta Planorum, at: http://www.oocities.org/SouthBeach/1482/ligis.html
A: Derinkuyu is the real name of Undersigil, the city of the Free League that exist partly beneath the streets of the Cage and partly all over the planes. It was created by Scott Kelley and David Goehrig of the Planescape mailing list, and is part of the Planescape net handbook. The main attraction of the city to traders is not the illicit nature of its goods (such things can freely be bought above the streets!) but the fact that everything here is tax free! The Indeps who run the city ensure that the ways in are kept secretive enough that the tax collectors of the Fated never find their way in.
The most up-to-date incarnation of Derinkuyu/Ligis can be found on the Scripta Planorum, at:
A: The Soul Cage is a phenomenon that most bloods don't know about. While trans-planar travel in Sigil's out-of-bounds except through the Lady's portals, the Cage has a pseudo-ethereal sister, according to some (this ain't official though, berk!). Depending on who you ask, this is a place filled with lost spirits, the warrens of the dabus, or merely the ravings of a bubbed-up barmy. The details can be found in Magnum Opus' Musée Arcane: http://www.oocities.org/~mimir/musee/index.html
A: The Soul Cage is a phenomenon that most bloods don't know about. While trans-planar travel in Sigil's out-of-bounds except through the Lady's portals, the Cage has a pseudo-ethereal sister, according to some (this ain't official though, berk!). Depending on who you ask, this is a place filled with lost spirits, the warrens of the dabus, or merely the ravings of a bubbed-up barmy. The details can be found in Magnum Opus' Musée Arcane:
A: Sigil's portals reach wherever the Lady of Pain wishes them to reach. Portals to Athas (the world of the Dark Sun) are few and far between, but they do exist. Portals into Ravenloft (a mysterious demiplane of Dread in the Deep Ethereal) are likely to exist; it's just no-one who steps through them ever returns. Similarly, there are portals to all the AD&D campaign worlds. It's up to the DM which ones he uses and where he wants to place them. See The Planewalker's Handbook p 32 and 148.
A: Sigil's portals reach wherever the Lady of Pain wishes them to reach. Portals to Athas (the world of the Dark Sun) are few and far between, but they do exist. Portals into Ravenloft (a mysterious demiplane of Dread in the Deep Ethereal) are likely to exist; it's just no-one who steps through them ever returns. Similarly, there are portals to all the AD&D campaign worlds. It's up to the DM which ones he uses and where he wants to place them.
See The Planewalker's Handbook p 32 and 148.
A: Of course, though they're probably not what most people expect. Strangely enough, most primes new to the planes find they speak a language common to humankind, though the funny accents and slang of Cage-folk (the Cant) throws a few off the scent until they pick up its darks. Most of the planar races have their own languages, though most cutters who do any travelling also know the common tongue. Many races (baatezu, tanar'ri etc.) can also communicate telepathically, so they're able to talk to anyone. Planewalkers who've been to Mechanus report that there's no language barrier there at all; mysteriously every visitor there can understand everyone else, no matter what language they try to speak. There's also the Lower Planar Trade Tongue, that's widespread throughout the merchant community and with planewalkers. Still, in the more isolated backwater burgs of the planes, there might be only one or two cutters who can speak common, so peery bloods'd be best off taking magical help, just in case. An article on planar languages can be found at: http://www.oocities.org/SouthBeach/1482/flingo.html#plane_lingo See also The Planewalker's Handbook p 46 and 101.
A: Of course, though they're probably not what most people expect. Strangely enough, most primes new to the planes find they speak a language common to humankind, though the funny accents and slang of Cage-folk (the Cant) throws a few off the scent until they pick up its darks.
Most of the planar races have their own languages, though most cutters who do any travelling also know the common tongue. Many races (baatezu, tanar'ri etc.) can also communicate telepathically, so they're able to talk to anyone. Planewalkers who've been to Mechanus report that there's no language barrier there at all; mysteriously every visitor there can understand everyone else, no matter what language they try to speak.
There's also the Lower Planar Trade Tongue, that's widespread throughout the merchant community and with planewalkers. Still, in the more isolated backwater burgs of the planes, there might be only one or two cutters who can speak common, so peery bloods'd be best off taking magical help, just in case.
An article on planar languages can be found at:
See also The Planewalker's Handbook p 46 and 101.
A: There are many theories, but the best one is perhaps that the powers wanted it to be this way. Maybe all humans originally spoke the same language, only their isolation on different Prime worlds bred dialects and accents. Scholars point to an ancient tongue, Koine Sophias, which seems to be related to all prime tongues: Maybe this was the First Common? As for this being unrealistic: what's a common tongue compared with a city the shape of a doughnut that floats atop an infinite mountain? Get things in perspective, berk! See The Planewalker's Handbook p 101.
A: There are many theories, but the best one is perhaps that the powers wanted it to be this way. Maybe all humans originally spoke the same language, only their isolation on different Prime worlds bred dialects and accents. Scholars point to an ancient tongue, Koine Sophias, which seems to be related to all prime tongues: Maybe this was the First Common?
As for this being unrealistic: what's a common tongue compared with a city the shape of a doughnut that floats atop an infinite mountain? Get things in perspective, berk!
See The Planewalker's Handbook p 101.
A: Planar trade is very big business. Large merchant cartels exist which take care of many trans-planar trade routes: for one thing, practically all food and building materials have to be imported into Sigil (ever wondered why nobody has allotments in the Cage?). Lucky for them they've got the portals. It's a knack of finding portals that have convenient and cheap keys (the ones triggered by words are best) that open into civilised areas of the planes. Once you get control of one of those, the planes are your oyster. As for the coinage used on the planes, it doesn't much matter what shape your money is, so long as it's gold. Sure, some cross-trading merchants'll try to bob a gully Prime out of an extra coin ("Say, that jink's a tiny one. It'll cost extra!"), but they're only profiting from berks' naivete. Some places use far stranger things as money. Further information on this topic can be found on the Mimir at: http://www.oocities.org/~mimir/dark/coins.html See also Sigil and Beyond, p 69.
A: Planar trade is very big business. Large merchant cartels exist which take care of many trans-planar trade routes: for one thing, practically all food and building materials have to be imported into Sigil (ever wondered why nobody has allotments in the Cage?). Lucky for them they've got the portals. It's a knack of finding portals that have convenient and cheap keys (the ones triggered by words are best) that open into civilised areas of the planes. Once you get control of one of those, the planes are your oyster.
As for the coinage used on the planes, it doesn't much matter what shape your money is, so long as it's gold. Sure, some cross-trading merchants'll try to bob a gully Prime out of an extra coin ("Say, that jink's a tiny one. It'll cost extra!"), but they're only profiting from berks' naivete. Some places use far stranger things as money. Further information on this topic can be found on the Mimir at:
See also Sigil and Beyond, p 69.
A: The Visionaries are a diverse bunch of bloods who've got distinctive beliefs and a following of cutters who subscribe to 'em. They're a part of Sigil's factions, though they don't always toe the faction line. Basically, they try to show that there can be many points of view about the same beliefs: after all, most of the factions contain many cutters of all alignments. Rather than forming a sect for each belief, the Visionaries show how the larger faction banner can encompass all sorts of fractional groups. The Visionaries can be found on the Mimir at: http://www.oocities.org/~mimir/factions/index.html There are only 15 factions because the Lady of Pain decreed it should be that way several hundred years ago. Back then there were over 50 factions, and the kriegstanz (the undeclared war of belief in Sigil) was too chaotic for her liking. She cut out the dead wood and allowed only the strongest to survive. Such is her power that the factions obeyed her law, and still subscribe to it to this day, though things may change soon. See the Factol's Manifesto, all of it is useful but especially p 81.
A: The Visionaries are a diverse bunch of bloods who've got distinctive beliefs and a following of cutters who subscribe to 'em. They're a part of Sigil's factions, though they don't always toe the faction line. Basically, they try to show that there can be many points of view about the same beliefs: after all, most of the factions contain many cutters of all alignments. Rather than forming a sect for each belief, the Visionaries show how the larger faction banner can encompass all sorts of fractional groups. The Visionaries can be found on the Mimir at:
There are only 15 factions because the Lady of Pain decreed it should be that way several hundred years ago. Back then there were over 50 factions, and the kriegstanz (the undeclared war of belief in Sigil) was too chaotic for her liking. She cut out the dead wood and allowed only the strongest to survive. Such is her power that the factions obeyed her law, and still subscribe to it to this day, though things may change soon.
See the Factol's Manifesto, all of it is useful but especially p 81.
A: The main difference between a Faction and a Sect is that the Factions have official representation in Sigil: a Headquarters and a seat on the Council. Of course, there are exceptions: neither the Free League not the Revolutionary League have Council voting rights, but both are present in Sigil. Sects, on the other hand, are marginal groups of philosophers. Their beliefs usually arise on the Great Ring itself, and as such, are only locally appropriate. For example, the Mathematicians of Mechanus use algebra to calculate the correct position of cogs on Mechanus. Their philosophy just doesn't work on another plane. Similarly, the Anarchs of Limbo shape chaos: on any other plane, their most basic tenet falls down. Faction beliefs, though, remain roughly appropriate whatever plane they're transposed to: the Guvners can find rules even in the chaos of the Abyss (the First Law of the Abyss being "The Strongest will Survive".) The Doomguard see entropy everywhere, even in the Upper Planes. The versatility of the Factions' beliefs might be the reason they've gained a hold in the Cage, for there, anything can be true. A Sect's philosophy more than likely wouldn't stand up to the scrutiny of so many bloods from so many places. That don't mean they can't try, though. The Ring-Givers (whose ideas are closer to the Factional than the Sect-like) are certainly giving it their best shot. See The Planewalker's Handbook, p 54-56.
A: The main difference between a Faction and a Sect is that the Factions have official representation in Sigil: a Headquarters and a seat on the Council. Of course, there are exceptions: neither the Free League not the Revolutionary League have Council voting rights, but both are present in Sigil.
Sects, on the other hand, are marginal groups of philosophers. Their beliefs usually arise on the Great Ring itself, and as such, are only locally appropriate. For example, the Mathematicians of Mechanus use algebra to calculate the correct position of cogs on Mechanus. Their philosophy just doesn't work on another plane. Similarly, the Anarchs of Limbo shape chaos: on any other plane, their most basic tenet falls down.
Faction beliefs, though, remain roughly appropriate whatever plane they're transposed to: the Guvners can find rules even in the chaos of the Abyss (the First Law of the Abyss being "The Strongest will Survive".) The Doomguard see entropy everywhere, even in the Upper Planes.
The versatility of the Factions' beliefs might be the reason they've gained a hold in the Cage, for there, anything can be true. A Sect's philosophy more than likely wouldn't stand up to the scrutiny of so many bloods from so many places. That don't mean they can't try, though. The Ring-Givers (whose ideas are closer to the Factional than the Sect-like) are certainly giving it their best shot.
See The Planewalker's Handbook, p 54-56.
A: Heavenly bodies are a thing of the Prime, berk! They're there to give the Prime berks a sense of tiny insignificance; to remind them that beings greater than themselves created them and watch over them. Thing is, on the Planes, that's never cut it. Planars ain't likely to be bobbed into feeling small by the Powers (and many of the planar races'd see it as downright patronising). There's also no need for outside illuminations, as the planes themselves provide whatever light seems appropriate. There are a few exceptions, as with every rule. The only Outer Planes with heavenly bodies (barring the Realms of Powers) are:
A: Heavenly bodies are a thing of the Prime, berk! They're there to give the Prime berks a sense of tiny insignificance; to remind them that beings greater than themselves created them and watch over them.
Thing is, on the Planes, that's never cut it. Planars ain't likely to be bobbed into feeling small by the Powers (and many of the planar races'd see it as downright patronising). There's also no need for outside illuminations, as the planes themselves provide whatever light seems appropriate.
There are a few exceptions, as with every rule. The only Outer Planes with heavenly bodies (barring the Realms of Powers) are:
A: Simply put: You can't. The Great Bazaar is one of the largest marketplaces in the Multiverse. It's be physically impossible to list everything available. What can be bought there? Anything at all, provided a cutter's prepared to ask half a hundred merchants and shell out garnish left, right and centre. Magic, illegal services, assassins, poison, Spelljammer ships, "company", dark, impossible objects, hire swords: Anything. 'Course, asking too many times for things which ain't legal might well attract the attention of Hardhead or Mercykiller patrols. Consider yourself warned!
A: Simply put: You can't.
The Great Bazaar is one of the largest marketplaces in the Multiverse. It's be physically impossible to list everything available. What can be bought there? Anything at all, provided a cutter's prepared to ask half a hundred merchants and shell out garnish left, right and centre. Magic, illegal services, assassins, poison, Spelljammer ships, "company", dark, impossible objects, hire swords: Anything.
'Course, asking too many times for things which ain't legal might well attract the attention of Hardhead or Mercykiller patrols. Consider yourself warned!
Q: Can you walk from the Outlands to Baator without a gate?
A: No. At least, not according to the Planescape rules as they stand. This is an old topic from the Mailing List that's been much debated, and the conclusion was this: The only way to get from the Outlands to a plane of the Great Ring is through the permanent portals which are located in each of the Gate Towns, via colour pools on the Astral Plane or through one of the Lady of Pain's Portals. While the Outlands appears to take on the character of the plane it borders, the effect is most pronounced near the Gate Towns. A cutter continuing to walk away from the Spire, past the Gate Towns does not find the land becoming more and more like the bordering plane, he enters the Hinterlands instead. It's a difficult thing to visualise, this: The Outlands and the other Great Ring Planes do come close to touching, only it's not at the edge of the Outlands that this happens, it's at the Gate Towns. If you like, you could consider the Outer Planes to be curved (they're not, but it makes understanding this phenomenon a little easier). In this case:
A: No. At least, not according to the Planescape rules as they stand. This is an old topic from the Mailing List that's been much debated, and the conclusion was this: The only way to get from the Outlands to a plane of the Great Ring is through the permanent portals which are located in each of the Gate Towns, via colour pools on the Astral Plane or through one of the Lady of Pain's Portals.
While the Outlands appears to take on the character of the plane it borders, the effect is most pronounced near the Gate Towns. A cutter continuing to walk away from the Spire, past the Gate Towns does not find the land becoming more and more like the bordering plane, he enters the Hinterlands instead.
It's a difficult thing to visualise, this: The Outlands and the other Great Ring Planes do come close to touching, only it's not at the edge of the Outlands that this happens, it's at the Gate Towns. If you like, you could consider the Outer Planes to be curved (they're not, but it makes understanding this phenomenon a little easier). In this case:
Q: Why do fiends look so mundane if they're supposed to be the embodiment of evil?
A: As the native inhabitants of the Lower Planes, fiends are the embodiment of evil. Some berks have then wondered why the fiends of the PS Monstrous Compendia looked so mundane compared with what we, as real world humans, might think fiends should look like -- hideous distortions of our worst nightmares, gory masses of claws and fangs, or Cthulhuesque masses of oozing tentacles... In fact, the question contains its very answer. We are clueless humans from a prime world, hence we believe fiends are beyond-the-pale monstrosities. We believe they're utterly ugly and they act with utmost savagery. Remember: PS is about belief. As a consequence, this belief of ours rather of forces the finds to appear ugly and savage when addressing primes. True, a fox-headed 'loth may not be an average prime's embodiment of evil...you can bet a mere zombie will scare him a lot more! So fiends perhaps do appear as gory nightmares when summoned on the Prime; maybe they do rape children, kill women and maim innocent people when on the Prime... because they have to if they want to be recognised as fiends. A baatezu might prefer a clever bargain or an insidious contract...but he'll have to act savagely in order to be taken seriously. On the other hand, Planars are truly blasé. The average Cager may have already met fiends in a tavern or inn. The average Outlander may have fought a battle or two against an invading army from the Lower Planes. Fiends are also common sight in the evil gate towns. Faction members may have fiends amongst their fellows...They know fiends are evil, sure, but they also know they can outsmart them, or that their faction might help them if they have problems with fiends. A wise cutter may have fought as a mercenary in the Blood War and know a few things about fiendish powers and weaknesses too. For a Planar, killing and maiming ain't necessarily representative of the worst evil...after all, the Planes are where bacchae wreak havoc for fun, where Paladins kill innocent bystanders when fighting on behalf their high-ups, where the Hardheads torture people for Good's sake! Remember: Belief is the key to understanding Planescape. Belief -- and attitude. A fiend certainly prefers looking threatening than just evil. See also: http://www.oocities.org/SouthBeach/1482/evil.html
A: As the native inhabitants of the Lower Planes, fiends are the embodiment of evil. Some berks have then wondered why the fiends of the PS Monstrous Compendia looked so mundane compared with what we, as real world humans, might think fiends should look like -- hideous distortions of our worst nightmares, gory masses of claws and fangs, or Cthulhuesque masses of oozing tentacles...
In fact, the question contains its very answer. We are clueless humans from a prime world, hence we believe fiends are beyond-the-pale monstrosities. We believe they're utterly ugly and they act with utmost savagery.
Remember: PS is about belief. As a consequence, this belief of ours rather of forces the finds to appear ugly and savage when addressing primes. True, a fox-headed 'loth may not be an average prime's embodiment of evil...you can bet a mere zombie will scare him a lot more! So fiends perhaps do appear as gory nightmares when summoned on the Prime; maybe they do rape children, kill women and maim innocent people when on the Prime... because they have to if they want to be recognised as fiends. A baatezu might prefer a clever bargain or an insidious contract...but he'll have to act savagely in order to be taken seriously.
On the other hand, Planars are truly blasé. The average Cager may have already met fiends in a tavern or inn. The average Outlander may have fought a battle or two against an invading army from the Lower Planes. Fiends are also common sight in the evil gate towns. Faction members may have fiends amongst their fellows...They know fiends are evil, sure, but they also know they can outsmart them, or that their faction might help them if they have problems with fiends. A wise cutter may have fought as a mercenary in the Blood War and know a few things about fiendish powers and weaknesses too. For a Planar, killing and maiming ain't necessarily representative of the worst evil...after all, the Planes are where bacchae wreak havoc for fun, where Paladins kill innocent bystanders when fighting on behalf their high-ups, where the Hardheads torture people for Good's sake!
Remember: Belief is the key to understanding Planescape. Belief -- and attitude. A fiend certainly prefers looking threatening than just evil.
See also: http://www.oocities.org/SouthBeach/1482/evil.html
Q: How, where, and how much does it cost to find a portal key, or where a portal is located?
A: It all depends on what the key to that portal is. If it's an object, it can probably be found in any shop (if it's something like a green cloak), or at specialty shops. (There is at least one portal key shop listed in Uncaged, "Tivvum's Antiquities", run by the charming Alluvius Ruskin). As for price, well that can range from the cost of a green cloak all the way to a 10 pound block of platinum. Or, the cost could be free, if the key is something like an action (such as bowing three times). As for finding what the key is in the first place, it all depends on where the portal goes, and who you ask. If you ask a Cipher, they might tell you the answer for free, while a Fated would charge an arm or a leg (sometimes literally). Portals can be located inside any bounded space -- an archway, a doorway, a natural curve formed by two trees, etc. They can even be inside such small spaces as the top drawer of your dresser. (Of course, when the drawer is closed, the portal can't be opened, even if some one has the key.) On very rare occasions (and only outside of Sigil), a portal can exist in free space -- this variation requires that a frame build around the space before the portal can be used. There's a great article in the Dragon Magazine Annual #1 that's all about gate keys and the portals they might open.
A: It all depends on what the key to that portal is. If it's an object, it can probably be found in any shop (if it's something like a green cloak), or at specialty shops. (There is at least one portal key shop listed in Uncaged, "Tivvum's Antiquities", run by the charming Alluvius Ruskin). As for price, well that can range from the cost of a green cloak all the way to a 10 pound block of platinum. Or, the cost could be free, if the key is something like an action (such as bowing three times).
As for finding what the key is in the first place, it all depends on where the portal goes, and who you ask. If you ask a Cipher, they might tell you the answer for free, while a Fated would charge an arm or a leg (sometimes literally).
Portals can be located inside any bounded space -- an archway, a doorway, a natural curve formed by two trees, etc. They can even be inside such small spaces as the top drawer of your dresser. (Of course, when the drawer is closed, the portal can't be opened, even if some one has the key.) On very rare occasions (and only outside of Sigil), a portal can exist in free space -- this variation requires that a frame build around the space before the portal can be used.
There's a great article in the Dragon Magazine Annual #1 that's all about gate keys and the portals they might open.
Q: How common are portals in Sigil?
A: Pretty damn common. It's sometimes said that practically every single bounded space has been a portal at one time. Now, not all spaces are a portal at any given time. The Lady creates and closes portals at her own whim. Thus, the front door to your house could be a normal door for 30 years, and then it becomes a portal to the Prime activated by a scream of terror. The most common portals are always open -- such as the ones to the various gate-towns. I think that the Grand Bazaar has at least one permanent portal to every gate-town in it. There are numerous portals that see fairly constant use throughout the city. Some portals see heavy use, other may never be used before they disappear again -- it depends on the destination of the portal, the key (how rare or expensive it is), and the length of time the portal operates for before shutting down (if ever).
A: Pretty damn common. It's sometimes said that practically every single bounded space has been a portal at one time. Now, not all spaces are a portal at any given time. The Lady creates and closes portals at her own whim. Thus, the front door to your house could be a normal door for 30 years, and then it becomes a portal to the Prime activated by a scream of terror.
The most common portals are always open -- such as the ones to the various gate-towns. I think that the Grand Bazaar has at least one permanent portal to every gate-town in it. There are numerous portals that see fairly constant use throughout the city.
Some portals see heavy use, other may never be used before they disappear again -- it depends on the destination of the portal, the key (how rare or expensive it is), and the length of time the portal operates for before shutting down (if ever).
Q: Is it true that everything in Sigil comes from other places?
A: Yes. Sigil itself has no raw materials to speak of -- there are no farms, forests, quarries, mines or even sources of clean water naturally occurring. Name a place and Sigil probably gets something from there. Granted, there are more common places (such as Arborea or Arcadia for food), but if it's in Sigil, it's a safe bet that it's come from outside.
Q: How big is Sigil? Population? Length across?
A: That's a bit of a moot question. The Lady can change the size of the city at will. It's said the city's been measured by the harmonium and varies between five and twenty miles across. Nobody ever notices it getting larger or smaller, though -- this is probably one thing that should be chalked up as a "mystery of the planes". The population is also tricky, since probably only a third or so of the beings in the city are permanent residents, the rest are merely passing through.
Q: Can a cutter walk from one gate town to another?
A: Yes, but it's never the same trip twice. It will always take 3-18 days to walk from one major landmark on the Outlands to another. And the round-trip doesn't have to be the same length. That is to say, travelling from Rigus to Plague-Mort could take 10 days; but the return trip may only take 4. Note that this 3-18 days only deals with known landmarks and if the people travelling actually want to get to their destination. If you wander at random, you could actually travel forever and still not get anywhere. (Although, you may still run into a few interesting things.) The belief in the destination tends to speed up a journey, at least on the Outlands -- the same might not apply for other planes. A total disinterest in the trip (even if it is between known locations) could make the trip last up to ten times longer.
A: Yes, but it's never the same trip twice. It will always take 3-18 days to walk from one major landmark on the Outlands to another. And the round-trip doesn't have to be the same length. That is to say, travelling from Rigus to Plague-Mort could take 10 days; but the return trip may only take 4.
Note that this 3-18 days only deals with known landmarks and if the people travelling actually want to get to their destination. If you wander at random, you could actually travel forever and still not get anywhere. (Although, you may still run into a few interesting things.) The belief in the destination tends to speed up a journey, at least on the Outlands -- the same might not apply for other planes. A total disinterest in the trip (even if it is between known locations) could make the trip last up to ten times longer.
If the question you want answered ain't here (and you're tired of having to make up the answer :-), feel free to let me know about it. If it's one that I reckon should be here I'll add it, and if it's a bit more esoteric then I'll try to mail you personally with an answer of my own. For your convenience, there's a form below...
Your question: