Portal

Was it just a dream? The last thing you remember was clicking on a link, the latest in a droning haze of search. What were you searching for? The details are fading fast. As you grasp for context, you realize that your feet are off the ground. You have become lucid, and can fly in any direction.

You steal a glimpse of the landscape. There is a large circular portal, framed in stone. Many others have gathered near. Your vision is fading to white, a cold dread overcomes you. The glow of a computer screen, a scrolling list of elements is coming back, youre losing control.

You realize that the portal is drawing you in. Did you just emerge from it? Is that how you got here? Not again. You have been here before, you know this feeling.

“Focus!” you hear your own vocalizations over the drone and whirr of the portal. You have been training for this, you know what you are up against. “Oh, this thing is happening to me” you introspect.

The noise and commotion has faded; you are floating again. The landscape has come back into view. You must be at high elevation, in all directions spans a range of mountains. People are gathered in a few other places a short way off from the portal in other directions. From here you can see a strange looking spherical structure, a large campfire, a tall crystal pillar, and a tent attached to some machinery.

You make your way towards the others gathered around the portal. They seem panicked and confused. As fast as some are thrown forth, others are drawn back in. You can feel the constant draw of the portal. It wants you back. “This is stupid, this is too much, its just a dream” you reason. “I am very busy. That stuff isnt going to do itself. Why am I here again?”

The noise has increased. You find yourself back in the storm. The others all seem to be in a hurry, but for what, you wonder. They are unable or unwilling to even talk to each other. You approach one and try to look into their eyes. They are quickly shifting. It appears that they have not recognized you or any of the others.

Suddenly a fight breaks out. One of them is yelling at… an opponent not visible to you. They have become greatly offended, but by what you can only guess. Before you can make out what the argument is about, they have vanished into the portal.

Out of the confusion, you notice that two of the others have become still, and now appear to be holding hands. You approach the two. As you get closer, you are able to recognize them as a young man and woman. Their gazes are locked on each other, and they seem to be quite surprised by the experience.

The two of them both look at you as you approach. “Hello. We have not seen you here before, are you new?” The voice is clear to you but their mouths did not make a move. They seem ecstatic, and return to their giggling. “I have been training for this, I think. What is this place?”

“We dont really know, but sometimes we find ourselves here. We started reading books about life, and practicing meditation and… somehow this just started happening to us?” the voices continued “You look like the others who are free to wander, can you teach us?”

at The Portal

https://i.imgur.com/WVPNGrS.jpg

“I dont know where to begin, this is my first time here” you reply. “I have been trained by a master, but I am no master.”

“We have made it as far as the camp fire before, but its like, some kind of anxiety overcomes us.” one of the couple continues “This place is a miracle. I can hardly believe what I have witnessed. I have never felt this kind of connection. I am just so sick of the weight of responsibility, the bills, the demands. Its like they are all so full of themselves.”

A panic has overcome one of the two. They have almost started an argument like the one you witnessed earlier. The hands have let go, the eyes have gone wide and pupils black as night. “Get a grip!” You shout, but at who? They have gone, ripped through the portal. Are they reaching for the bottle? A smoke? You wonder.

These two were unlike any of the others who now remain, struggling in that state of confusion; guests and hostiles of the realm. Those still left by the portal are like newborn children, whose world extends not beyond a few feet in front of their own face. “How can they not be completely amazed in wonder by this place?” you think to yourself. The bodies churn through the portal like debris moved by waves against a rocky shore.

Something was different about those two. They could see the world around them, and they were looking for guidance. Whatever this realm is, they had a desire to participate. They were seeking a master.

And what is so different about you? You thought nothing of the ability to come and go until now. It has something to do with the draw of the portal. You recall the description given to you about the overwhelming anxiety which drew that couple back in. You can feel it too, but its not how you remember it from your past. Was it a life time ago? You seem to be free of its effects, yet its still there.

There is what appears to be an Information Kiosk nearby, with a sign that says "Lobby"
Map https://t.me/joinchat/Bos981HSU0p6unpfqjMGsg

You scan your surroundings.

The Portal - The structure through which you arrived. A shaft of light marks its place in the heavens.

The Mountain Range - You stand at the summit of a mountain, one of many in a range. You infer that there are other portals by the visibility of other light shafts scattered along the range.

People Watching - A narrative spanning 5 locations exploring the degrees of coherence which people may exhibit within this realm. The locations are The Portal, The Embassy, The Great Campfire, The Crystal Pillar, and The Field Research Lab.

Aggro/Hostile - The first degree of coherence on display near the Portal. They are unable to remain within the realm and are quickly ripped through the portal back to normal space.

Guest - The second degree of coherence. The guest has no strong conviction one way or another about what they are experiencing here. They do not normally make eye contact and seem completely oblivious to their surroundings.

Participant - The third degree of coherence. Participants often make eye contact. They normally seem interested in learning more about what they have witnessed of this realm. Often they unconsciously drawn back into the portal becoming trapped again in normal space.

The Embassy ( https://old.reddit.com/r/sorceryofthespectacle/comments/9pcm9o/the_embassy_at_portal_mountain/ )

A large structure composed of spheres stretching out in three directions, and a fourth going straight upwards. From within the structure, it appears to be some sort of integration between the other objects found near the Portal.

The Great Bonfire - To the East is a large fire being tended to and enjoyed by a small gathering of people. A few of them appear to be telling stories, captivating their participants.

The Crystal Obelisk - To the West is a tall crystal obelisk. Many have gathered around and appear to be contemplating in silence.

The Field Research Lab - To the North is a tent complex accompanying some sophisticated looking technological instrumentation. You cannot see whats going on inside, but there is a viewing window from which a few beings inside appear to be observing the area.
Direction

You contemplate your next action.

The Portal Entrance - You meditate on the nature of the portal and the difference between normal and subtle space. You notice that a portal can be opened anywhere depending on the skill and coherence of the creator.

The Mountain Range - You notice that there are other portals throughout the range, off in the distance. You meditate on the implications of this, how different communities might forge paths toward each other through the mythoscape by their common perception of the subtle space of the realm beyond the portal. You meditate on the potential for memetic singularity bound by the coherent and shared experience of this realm.

Degrees of Coherence - You meditate on the different types of people and their unique perspectives and experiences, their different places in their own story of life. You notice how your own realizations have been hard fought for, and forged out of suffering caused by your own incoherence with the natural and consistent order around you.

The Embassy ( https://old.reddit.com/r/sorceryofthespectacle/comments/9pcm9o/the_embassy_at_portal_mountain/ )

You head towards the Embassy, which seems very welcoming to you. It looks like a fine place to get some information and guidance.
A crowd has gathered near the Portal, and now seems to be making its way west, towards a tall pillar among a distant outcropping of crystalline formations

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