The Guided Tour

Welcome to Saif's Night Below webpage

Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Pallistren, your most humble servant. I shall be your guide through this small outpost in the vast emptiness of... how do you call it... cyberspace? Yes, that is it. What a strange name for a strange concept. Naming it the Cyber Plane would have made relating it to the known planes so much easier.

Ah, but excuse me, I have gotten off the topic already. I shall try to keep myself focused on the subject at hand, this "web" page. (Don't you think "webmaster" sounds like some kind of horrible spider?) Yes, well, as I was saying, I will be your guide through this web page.

What was that? My qualifications? Well, I do not mean to brag, but as long as you ask, I would be honored to tell you.

Ah, but where to begin? Perhaps some light metaphysics first? I must admit that I am not a sage, although I am familiar with basic metaphysical concepts, particularly planar travel. So most of these concepts are not my own. They were explained to me by Saif. Saif? He is the master of these pages, the creator of what you see before you now. But allow me to explain a little more before we get into too much detail. Now while I do not doubt Saif's power and influence - at least in my world - his explanation to me of how this cyberspace works, and of the relationship between your world and mine was... well, difficult to believe.

First, the basics. You are, no doubt, familiar with the different planes of reality. Saif has told me that while most of your population is ignorant of their existence, those visiting this page will probably be familiar with at least the general concept. He has told me that an author in your world called Heinlein explained it quite well in a book entitled "Number of the Beast". According to Saif, you, the reader, live on a plane of existence different from my own. I must say the world you live on sounds exceedingly strange and unusual. It is unlike any I have heard of before. What a great pity my kind cannot visit your world. So much ... potential!

While the laws of your plane are understood through "science", in my world the driving forces are magic and faith. Not that physics - particularly the force of a sharp blade moving at high speed - doesn't apply in my world. It is just that the rules governing our reality are somewhat different from those in your own. And, as is the wont for your peoples, since you don't understand our rules you refer to them as "magic". To you, I live in a world of "fantasy". Well, I assure you, in my world I am just as real as you are in yours. In fact, to me you are the fantasy and I the reality.

But, to the topic at hand. While physical travel between our planes is forbidden (unless of course your name is either Ed or Elminster) our planes do have effects upon each other. It is these effects that I do not understand completely. In fact, in all respect to Saif, I find parts of his explanation downright... insulting.

The effect of my plane upon yours is understandable. We inspire dreams and ignite the imagination. The effects are subtle, to be sure. An idea here, a flash if inspiration there, easily written off as the product of an over active imagination. The strange thing is that these effects have somehow become centered around a game. "Dungeons and Dragons" is what Saif calls it. According to him, this game reflects the reality of my plane of existence. He claims there are many different "campaign settings" and "modules" which represent worlds and areas of my plane. The one he is particularly fond of is the world I know of as Toril, which he refers to as the Forgotten Realms. A game! My reality, reduced to a simple game. I'm not sure if I should be insulted or not. I believe that I am.

Oh, but that is not the worst of it, not by any means! No, what is worse is Saif's explanation of the effect your world has upon mine. As unbelievable and demeaning as it sounds, Saif insists that when the denizens of your world "play" this Dungeons and Dragons game, it has real effects on my world. Your fantasy becomes our reality. Again, I must express my skepticism of this theory, but having no other explanation to provide, I will pass on to you what has been told to me.

Apparently people on your world come together to play this Game, and in doing so create and breath life into avatars here on this world. Saif refers to these avatars as "player characters". Decisions that the players in your world make determine the actions of these player characters on mine. I know, it sounds absurd. But if you can set aside the logical side of your brain for a moment and accept it at face value it will make the remainder of our tour more palatable.

I hesitate to even bring this up, but it is necessary to round out the picture. Saif claims further that he, not Ao or any of the other great deities, is the supreme power in my universe. He calls himself the "Dungeon Master" (ooh, scary title, no?). What, does he really believe my plane consists of nothing but dungeons? According to him, every creature, every world, every thing on my plane is under his control. I believe he is on some kind of power trip. (You don't need to mention to him that I said that.) When I pressed him about what happened when other dungeon masters played in the same world, he waffled. This convinced me that, while he is powerful, he is not omnipotent as he claims.

So, do you follow me so far? Good. Now, from the general to the specific. From talk of planes of existence and avatars to... well, to dungeons and dragons.
 

There is a particular playing of this Game which occurs in your cyberspace. Quite confusing, actually, how your reality, my reality, and this pseudo-real cyberspace interact. Saif has told me that twice a fortnight - or once a week as he says, a group of the inhabitants of your world meet together in cyberspace, in a world called Internet Relay Chat or IRC. There they perform the rituals which allegedly effect my reality so deeply. When these individual players are not together in the world of IRC they can still use mystical e-mail messengers to communicate with each other. These communications also effect the reality of my world.

In the time scale of your world, these individuals, or as Saif calls them "players", have been meeting for over four years. Time does not run quite the same on my world as it does in yours, so by my time these players/avatars have been together for almost two years. During that time they have journeyed far and wide over the eastern reaches of the human kingdom of Cormyr, following up this clue or solving that problem, doing good deeds all over. What fools. Little do they know what they have gotten themselves involved in.

I dwell in... huh?...... Oh. ... Yes, I understand. ... Ah, I'm afraid I can't tell you where I live just yet, nor even much about myself. Saif has forbidden it. He says it will take the "surprise" out of the "game". Whatever. What I can tell you is that I live in what we and those of you familiar with my word call the Underdark. It is a temporary arrangement, to be sure, but it pleases me for the moment.

Saif has told me about a group of these avatars - these player characters, that are working their way towards where I dwell, through the tunnels and caverns of the Underdark. This web page in your plane of cyberspace has been created by Saif to follow the activities of these characters, who have organized into an adventuring party called the Truth Seekers. Apparently they seek the "truth" (such an interesting word) about some strange events on the surface of this world - Toril. Ha! If they only knew! They should fall to their knees now in fear and horror!! Puny Mortals, DO THEY NOT KNOW THAT THEY CANNOT HOPE TO STAND BEFORE THE TERRIBLE MIGHT OF T...
 
 
 

Ahem.

Excuse me. I got carried away there for a moment. Now, where were we? Oh yes, this web page. Saif created this web page for three main purposes. First, it is to archive the history of this party as they delve into the Underdark. Second, it will serve as a resource to the players on your plane, allowing them to better control their avatars. Finally, according to Saif there are other Dungeon Masters out there running the same "module" as Saif. Yes, this is where it gets confusing. Saif wants other DMs to be able to look through this web page to compare what has happened in his version of my reality to their versions. Strange, no? What's more, there is another class of persons on your world, people called "lurkers". Now we have lurkers here as well, but Saif insists his lurkers look and act nothing like our lurkers. This is probably a good thing. These lurkers, of all things, wish to observe our reality through this Game, yet they do not seek avatars of their own - or at least Saif does not permit them to have avatars in my world. Strange, no?

Saif has tried to explain to me how you "navigate" in this cyberspace of yours. It sounds suspiciously like Saif's explanation of how your world effects mine. You have this avatar which you call a "cursor" which is controlled by a "mouse". (A mouse? Can't you people find something better to use as a conduit to your avatars?) With this cursor/mouse you interface with the reality you call cyberspace. By manipulating certain glyphs of power or objects within cyberspace (Saif uses the phrase "clicking on a link") you can be teleported to a separate location within this strange realm. To make the journey easier for you, Saif has positioned several such objects within this web page with which you can interface.

If you will direct your attention to the left hand side of your screen you will notice a vertical row of "buttons". Saif has provided you with several "links" or glyphs of teleportation which take you to the other locations within this web page once your mouse clicks on them. Even as you journey from place to place within this realm those buttons will remain in place, helpful sign-posts on your cyber journey.