Transfer portals on a glacier

[Evie]

My guess is that they're meant to tap into ley lines, so that might be why they require grounding. Or something.

[Bynw]

My guess is that they're meant to tap into ley lines, so that might be why they require grounding. Or something.

You are brilliant. That is my thought on the matter too.

[Evie]

My guess is that they're meant to tap into ley lines, so that might be why they require grounding. Or something.

You are brilliant. That is my thought on the matter too.

I think all of the upper-story Portals we have seen in canon manage to remain grounded because they are located in buildings that have stone foundations and walls (plus, as revanne mentioned earlier, sometimes additional packed earth added between upper level flooring and the vaulting below). So I would think that trying to put a Portal into a timber-framed building's upper level wouldn't work, no matter how much earth one might pack under the flooring, unless there was some stonework to ground that packed earth and serve as a conduit between the ground below and the packed earth above.  But that's my theory.  Our various canonical castle and cathedral Portals would not have this issue, since they are all in buildings made of stone (and with stone floors as well). But the Portal wouldn't have to be sitting directly on bedrock, otherwise most Portals wouldn't be able to exist at all.

So I guess that would mean a shipboard Portal on a stone-topped box filled with packed earth wouldn't work, sadly, unless maybe the energies could also be conducted by water and the ship happened to be traveling over an underwater ley line, but that seems like it would be dubious at best. I definitely wouldn't want to trust my life to that attempt. 

[revanne]

I thought about the stone of the building acting like a conductor too. Ley lines make sense, though I assume that somehow the energy is drawn from the nearest ley line rather than there having to be a specific location or alignment.
Another query.  What gives a portal its unique signature? Is it its relation to the energy source or does it have to do with whoever creates it?

[Evie]

I thought about the stone of the building acting like a conductor too. Ley lines make sense, though I assume that somehow the energy is drawn from the nearest ley line rather than there having to be a specific location or alignment.
Another query.  What gives a portal its unique signature? Is it its relation to the energy source or does it have to do with whoever creates it?

Just completely wild speculation here, but my guess is that it would be a combination of factors, such as the individual psychic resonances left by the builder(s), along with some sort of geographical marker inherent to that particular location. It would essentially be something like a unique psychic "fingerprint" that differentiates that particular location from any other Portal, even if it is relatively close by and made by the same Deryni. Maybe there would even be visual and/or tactile markers added in somehow, so that even if you've never been to a Portal location and are only getting the signature from another Deryni's mind, you'd get a different feel from a Portal in a cozy study niche than you would from one in the center of a wide open space. But short of finding two Portal locations and learning to balance the energies between them, it would be difficult for me to say with certainty. If you would just keep looking for a Portal on your end....    

[revanne]

I keep trying but they are very well hidden.

[MerchantDeryni]

So there has to a connection to the living rock below.I guess you could describe it as the packed earth making the connection to the ground below like an extension cord reaching over to the plug. The Matrix is based on the living rock, but can be extended out via a connector route of packed earth.

Well my polar route would need a big drill and a bunch of dirt to drop down the hole so no dice for that story idea. 

[whitelaughter]

Hmm. Presumably a core sampling machine could be used/modified to sink a hole that could be filled with earth; possibly a stone drill could be carved, and simply left there. Core samples can exceed a kilometer, so you could get some serious distance - but if the ice is moving, it's going to destroy the link.

Given modern aircraft etc, it's probably simpler to have transfer portals on the coast and fly stuff the rest of the way. 

Belay that, need to think laterally! The coast is easily accessible by portal - run a road southwards, with packed earth in it. Have a portal every kilometre or so for maintenance access - you just keep moving portal to portal until you can't, letting you know where the break is - and you've got a chain that will take you to the south pole.

Of course, you still need a reason to do this.....

[Bynw]

Of course, you still need a reason to do this.....

Why does a man climb a mountain?


Because it is there.



But you are very correct. That would be crazy work just to build a portal because you can. It would be more cost effective to get to that place the same way we do now. Fly in, fly out. But Deryni powers could keep one warmer there. Just couldn't blink out during an emergency.