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Starlene watches in fascination as Lazrid demonstrates the phenomenon and shakes her head at his question.

"I have never seen anything like it before, and it certainly doesn't seem like any natural occurrence, but this is a strange place. We've been in this area many times to have our guild meetings before the High Sigil's Court was built.  Underneath the water there is an area in which you can breathe air and walk around unimpeded by water. It does not surprise me that something odd like this would happen here. I do have an idea."

Starlene takes out her worn and used holgresh beads, thick brown leather string with faded off-white beads. "With this I can summon an Eye of Zomm and send it through that portal. It might allow us a glimpse of the other side, though it won't last long. Do I have your approval to try it?"

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OOC: If you have Starlene send it through, go ahead and describe whatever it is you want them to see.

"Well, I'm afraid I'm at a lost for ideas then. If I do send the eye, another use it might have is to verify if this is a one way portal or not. If it is one way then that indicates that Sierraa is simply trapped, but if it's open both ways, and I can bring the eye back through when I send it, then that might give us a clue that there might be something dangerous on the other side, otherwise she could have just returned the way she came."

She looks at the erudite while fingering the beads in her hand.

"It's your call, Lazrid. You've had more experience and time studying these things than any of us have."

"Yes, I know you are just being cautious, Keats, and I understand that." She gives the bard a smile. "The eye of Zomm is visible though, so if there's a safer way to investigate, I'm all ears. I just don't have any other ideas as to how to do that unless we want to risk going in ourselves. I do feel as though the risk to me is minimal as I'll be staying here on this side. If I did observe something like a basilisk you could get me to Usires for help. I know there is some risk, but it's one I'm willing to take unless we want to go about this another way."

"That sounds like a plan then."

Starlene presses her hand around the beads and a large disembodied eye appears before them. The shift in perspective is always a bit awkward when using the Eye of Zomm, and her blue eyes take on a cloudy, distant appearance. She directs the Eye to the portal and after taking a deep breath, she pushes it through.

A cacophony of colors assails her vision as the Eye of Zomm vanishes from the sight of those on the river's shore.  She winces slightly in pain and surprise, but soon the intense swirl of colors starts to fade until only the red remains. For a second she wonders if this crimson fog is all that exists on the other side, but soon it melts into the scarlet sky of this strange, new land.

“It’s almost like the Theater of Blood,”  she tells them breathlessly. 

The ground around her Eye appears to be a reddish clay, and the land mostly flat except for some rolling hills she spies in the distance.

“This place feels so dead,” the druidess tells them sadly and despairs at the thought of one her own kind being trapped in such a dreary lifeless place.  “There’s no obvious signs of life. Not even plants seem to grow here though I don’t think it was always like this.” She notices what appears to be some brittle husks and withered stumps that probably belonged to bushes or trees.  Turning her Eye around she sees a small platform and behind it a glowing red swirling portal from which she came. There are no immediate signs of any other man made structures other than the dull gray stone platform.

“Let’s see if I can bring it back through.”

She braces herself for the assault of colors and finds it easier to endure the second time as she knows what to expect now. The Eye reappears on the surface of the water before it vanishes, the summoning spell having expired.

“Well, we know it’s two way. I want to try and send another one through to see if I can get any farther.”

Her Eye of Zomm spell does not last long, so she summons the spirit of the Eagle to her, enabling her to float over the water and stand as close to the portal as she dares. Clutching the beads tightly in her hand, she brings forth another Eye.  As fast as she can, Starlene thrusts it once more into the portal.

This time the strange explosion of bright colors doesn’t even make her flinch. At random she immediately chooses a direction and sends it off. Soon the druidess spots a dilapidated tower nearby with a large steel door.  The stone building looks battered and worn from eons of wind and dirt picking away at it. Starlene wonders how many centuries this old tower had stood there, and who might have originally built it?

“I see some ruins. I’m going to take a closer look.” Knowing she does not have much time before the Eye expires, the druidess hurries it over to the steel door. To her relief, it opens before her just enough to bring the Eye within.  Dust rises enveloping and obscuring her view of the huge room that stretches out before her. As it clears though, she sees in a darkened corner to her right a slight movement. A shadow like form descends upon her, engulfing the Eye and immediately severing her link.

Starlene lets out a startled cry, and the suddenness of the severed link causes her to stumble backwards. Her Eagle spirit is unable to save her from falling into water, but it keeps her buoyant as she reels from what she saw and flails in the water, her heart racing rapidly.

Whatever that thing is, she feels deep down into her bones that it is not good.

Starlene gives them a sheepish look as she steps back onto the ground and attempts to explain the situation to high elf. Water drips down from her clothes, and she still feels unnerved, but is quick to reassure everyone that she is all right.

"I wasn't in any actual danger, and I didn't mean to startle any of you." Years ago Starlene had mastered magic that allows her to always breathe underwater, and her Eagle spirit is still intact, so she couldn't have sunk underneath the water even if she wanted to. Yet the abrupt and frightening way in which her Eye was consumed was still enough to throw her off balance much to her chagrin.

"We're investigating a portal, Scarlota. I'm glad you're here. This may well be an Arcane construction, and I'm sure we could use your help. Please let me introduce you to Lazrid." Starlene nods her head to the erudite.  "Lazrid, this is Scarlota, Sigil of the Staid Inflamer." She turns back again to the high elf. "Lazrid's wife has disappeared in through portal, and we're trying to find out what happened to her. We have no idea where it goes to, so I used my Eye to explore. I don't know what this place is called; I don't recognize it at all.  The building I found looked like the ruins of an old tower. When I entered through the door with the Eye, this...thing jumped on it and severed my link. I didn't get a good look at it at all. It seemed like a shadow, and I have a terrible feeling about it."

She gives the necromancer an anxious look. "Lazrid, I don't want to upset you, but if your wife is trapped in that awful place, we need to find her and get her out of there soon as possible. I don't like this at all."