Chapter 1

You were dumped unceremoniously upon the well trampled earth as your momentum finished carrying you through the door way. While it took a moment for you to gather your senses together, as you looked about you instantly knew where you were- and dread set in. High arching glorious buildings sat alongside spiraling Elven architecture, which sat alongside squat rocky dwarven adobes- which sat away from but next to goblinoid hovels.

Sigil.

Gods be damned. You were in the Cage- and you were already gathering attention as you dusted yourself down. Until you turned and realized you were accompanied by three others.

Your attention swung back to the street itself as a skippy young female tiefling bounded her way up to you- a smile planted upon her face.

"Welcome to Sigil, berks! The city of doors greets you!"

Charm lay on the cobblestones, gasping for air, remembering how to breathe. The portal from Carceri had been grueling; it felt like he'd had to crawl every inch of the way from the greatest prison in the multiverse to the Cage.

Show some dignity, soul mate, a voice urged him. Embracing the cobblestones hardly becomes you.

Forgive me, oh Mighty Star Emperor. Nobody taught me how to get shat out of a sphincter of the multiverse with dignity. Nonetheless, Charm rose to his knees, then his feet with as much dignity as he could muster. He glanced over at his fellow travellers with a startled expression. Where did they come from? A tiefling and a githerzerai. A Beastlands petitioner? Unlikely. Probably from a Prime. He bowed to the other three from the waist, with a courtly gesture.

"Greetings, fellow travelers. I am known as Charm, late of Carceri. I must confess, I am new to Sigil, although I have heard tales of it. Are you new here as well?" He glanced at the young tiefling, pondering her words. "Hello, youngster. I am Charm. You are seeking employment as our 'tout', I take it? Well, you're in luck. I have need for one such as you. What would you ask for a day's service?"

A wiry Githzerai, with the charteristic pale yellow complexion, high nose, and angular features of his people, sits back, wiping dirty water out of his face where it hit a puddle after he came flying through the gate. His head is bald, except for a short mushroom of black hair in a topknot from the back-center of his head. He's dressed in explorer's clothes, dark brown in color including a cloak, and there is a rapier at his side.

He sighs, heavily.

Still sitting on the ground, he listens to Charm speak. When Charm mentions being from Carceri, the Githzerai raises one eyebrow in classic Leonard Nimoy fashion. He looks behind him at the Sigil side of the portal he just emerged through, then back at the grey elf. He shrugs, heaving another sigh.

Charm shrugs back at the githyanki. "Long story. I find it hard to be depressed about being here, though." He smiles and offers a hand up. "Look on the bright side. Where I came from, an acidic snowstorm was starting to fall."

The Gitzerai sticks out his hand for Charm to shake. "Pleased to make your acquiatance, Charm," he says. "I'm Kerizatham. And, yes, as unpleasant as the Cage may be, acidic snowstorms sound worse."

Throwing another look behind him, he adds, "What has me scratching my brain-box is that you and I seem to have emerged from this portal at the same time, and yet we didn't come from the same place. At least, I sure didn't see you on Baator before I got tossed through the portal!"

Kerizatham looks around; is there anybody else present?

(Also, is the tiefling in fact Kylie, or is it somebody Keri doesn't know?)

Killian propelled forward like a loosed arrow, skipping on the gravel. It looked as if he was forever doomed to be in flight but a tavern pillar made his journey come to an abrupt end.

Getting up on all fours, Killian grasped gravel so tightly in his hands, blood began to pour from them. A lone tear no one else was aware of splashed on the ground. Oblivious for the moment of his surroundings he suddenly looked up and shook his fists towards what appeared to be the heavens, letting out a mighty cry. "NNNRrrraaaggghhh! SO CLOSE!"

After a full minute of rage, Killian's shoulders visibly slump and his arms fall limply to his sides; he looked every part the rag doll on the verge of falling apart. Head resting on chest, he says one final thing before collapsing in the middle of the street...
"Why?