OK, in the interests of trying to gather the info in one place to make my life easier when writing fanfic, I'm trying to remember where the Transfer Portals in and around Rhemuth are. I don't have my books with me at the moment, but here's what I recall off the top of my head:
1. In the secret annex off the Royal Library. (Note: I'm currently most interested in the time period immediately after QFSC, so I don't know if this one is even available yet, or if it was completely walled off after Charissa accessed it in DR and the secret garderobe entrance wasn't built until some time afterwards...but when, exactly?)
2. In the Cathedral (iirc, in the sacristy?)
3. In Duncan's study at the Basilica
Am I missing any that were listed in the books? If not, where might other Transfer Portals be hidden around the city, assuming there are any others?
Also, I know from the Codex that there's a Transfer Portal in Tre-Arilan, which is somewhere not too far from Rhemuth. Any idea how far? And does anyone recall if there is a particular Transfer Portal in Rhemuth that Denis, Jamyl, or Seisyll Arilan tended to use?
There's a list of all known (and speculative) portals in Deryni Magic. Hang on a sec while I find it and type it up. :)
oh you are KIDDING me!!!! It's just lost the whole ****** lot!
(Sighs)
I'll do it in chunks, so I don't lose everything if the net glitches out on me again :(
ECCLESIASTICAL PORTAL NETWORK
Cathedral of St George, Rhemuth -
sacristy
priest's study, St Hilary's Basilica-within-the-Walls
Cathedral of All Saints, Valoret
sacristy
oratory, Archbishop's apartments
Cathedral of St Senan, Dhassa
sacristy (presumed)
North transept, private chapel of Bishop's residence
Grecotha Cathedral
sacristy (presumed)
several other portals in Bishop's residence
tower top at Bishop's residence (presumed closed with death of Camber)
in ruins beneath Bishop's palace
Nyford Cathedral
sacristy (presumed)
Cashien Cathedral
sacristy (presumed)
Cathedral of St Uriel and All Angels, Ratharkin
sacristy (presumed)
Plus Gabrilite and Michaeline portals, including St Neots, and a couple of Deryni schools at Nyford and Llenteith. Most of these are presumed rather than known, as being Deryni/religious institutions so likely to have a portal.
PRIVATE PORTALS
Valoret - beneath King's Tower, disguised as a garderobe
Caerrorie - in corner of Camber's study and another off underground passage leading away from castle
Cor Culdi - presumed, as also belonging to Camber
Sheele - in Rhys's study, later closed to all but those of Thuryn or MacRorie blood
Trevalga
Rhemuth - chamber adjacent to Brion's library. It says "by the time of Kelson's knighting, the room had been made an annex of the library" but I don't think that helps you much, does it?
Also, members of the Camberian Council have access to private portals in their residences or other personal retreats. Specifically mentioned are those of Thorne Hagen, Denis Arilan, and the Arilan family portal in the ritual chamber at Tre-Arilan.
Quote from: AnnieUK on June 30, 2010, 02:24:33 PM
PRIVATE PORTALS
Rhemuth - chamber adjacent to Brion's library. It says "by the time of Kelson's knighting, the room had been made an annex of the library" but I don't think that helps you much, does it?
*Squee!!!* Why actually, yes, yes it does! If it had been made an annex by the time of Kelson's knighting, which happened before he went on his Saint Camber relics quest, then that means it's there at the time of my stories, which are currently happening that following winter. Though it's still interesting to me that the Codex says Kelson doesn't tell Dhugal about it until KKB, which means it's been there at least 3 years, possibly more, before Kelson bothers to tell his blood brother about it. (Though presumably the Camberian Council already knows and has been accessing it this whole time?) Or maybe Kelson had it built, and then took his precious time stocking it before opening it up to other Deryni to use?
OK, I guess that means I need to listen to the early chapter(s) of KKB again, just to see if maybe Dhugal already knew about the annex previous to that book's beginning, or if he really was just introduced to it for the first time in 1128, years after it was built.
Glad to be of assistance! Deryni Magic does have some useful little snippets in it.
Yet there seems to be no mention of one in Corwyn. I have been skimming and re-reading ITKS and CM, and there are certainly some interesting aspects. Old Vivienne was extremely concerned about Kenneth Morgan marrying Alyce, because she sees this as 'diluting' one of the only full Deryni duchies. There are mentions of Stevana de Corwyn of course, and also Grania (much better name for the next Morgan daughter!) and of course Duke Stiofan was good friends with Lewys Ap Norfal. (Look up the Codex entry on the Green Tower too). So why wouldn't there be a portal in Coroth with that history? *sigh* Another question for KK in Chat? :)
Maybe there once was one, but old Lewys' experiment done blowed it up? ;D
LOL - but I got the impression old Lewys blew up the middle of the garden where he placed the big shiral crystal, not somewhere inside. The Duke Stiofan shut up the other towers - hmm, wonder if Alaric has replaced all the glass and done them up? Maybe he should be exploring those instead of the main castle ...
Re Coroth, Deryni Magic says :
"Locations that specifically do not have portals include Trurill (because Camber's sister did not marry a Deryni) and Coroth, at least by the summer of 1121. (There may be a portal or two at Coroth, for Deryni dukes have held the duchy for many years, but Morgan does not know of them and to date has not had time to assemble the necessary personnel to establish one of his own.)
Having a portal in Coroth would make Morgan's life just too easy though, don't you think? It would take away the dramatic impact of him being however many days away in times of crisis. "Send for General Morgan" "ah, hello, Morgan". Nah, not the same.
Hm, yes, in one of those other towers would be my best guess for an undiscovered Transfer Portal, if Coroth has one that is still operable. I imagine the middle of the garden would've been a bit too blatant a place to put one, even if the former Dukes of Coroth had been much more brazen about their Deryni heritage than Alaric Morgan. Though if that were the case, the location could've been improved upon by planting bright flowers all around it in a pattern reading "Deryni Transfer Portal HERE!!! ==> " ;D
What if there was once a portal in Coroth, but it was locked the way Camber locked that one portal he had? And then the ways to find a locked portal were lost or something? And wasn't there a portal in the basement of the castle in Rhemuth, in a garderobe or a wine cellar or something, that Joram's deryni-in-hiding use to contact Javan?
Hmmmm - that could be quite possible, you know. You'll have to ask KK in Chat!
But if this was the case with the Coroth one, and with Portals fading over time, it would explain perhaps why Alaric hasn't found it. HE is certainly of the right blood line to access such a portal, but the portal itself may have faded. And then even if Richenda with her powers and knowledge helped him search, it would only be Alaric who could find a portal linked to his own family.
Quote from: Gyrfalcon64207 on July 01, 2010, 05:11:28 PMAnd wasn't there a portal in the basement of the castle in Rhemuth, in a garderobe or a wine cellar or something, that Joram's deryni-in-hiding use to contact Javan?
*perks up* My memory of the Camber-era books is woefully lacking, but this sounds promising. Can anyone remember more details about this?
I'm not sure I remember correctly. In a quick glance-through, all I've found is the portal in what would eventually be Duncan's office and the library portal. I'll keep looking later.
Only one I remember in from the Camber era is one in a bedroom that I think eventually became the library annex. I have a vague recollection of it being the bedroom of one of the regents at some point, so requiring much cloak and daggery, but I haven't read the Camber era books for longer than I care to admit, so I could be wrong.
I checked. The portal I was originally thinking of, in a garderobe in a cellar, was in Valoret. There's a mention of it in King Javan's Year when they're talking about where to put their new portal, and they say that it was blocked (either way, it's in the wrong city). And that's when they put in the portal by the library and Javan assigns the chamber it's in to his secret Deryni advisers.
Quote from: Alkari on June 30, 2010, 03:41:30 PM
Yet there seems to be no mention of one in Corwyn. I have been skimming and re-reading ITKS and CM, and there are certainly some interesting aspects. Old Vivienne was extremely concerned about Kenneth Morgan marrying Alyce, because she sees this as 'diluting' one of the only full Deryni duchies. There are mentions of Stevana de Corwyn of course, and also Grania (much better name for the next Morgan daughter!) and of course Duke Stiofan was good friends with Lewys Ap Norfal. (Look up the Codex entry on the Green Tower too). So why wouldn't there be a portal in Coroth with that history? *sigh* Another question for KK in Chat? :)
If I could posit an answer, Alkari, it would be along these lines:
Lewys Ap Norfal performs his much-dreaded experiment and vanishes, triggering a major reaction from the Camberian Council. There is much effort toward concealing what he was trying to do, and even his daughter is forcibly married to Sief MacAthan, a member of the Council. Also during this period, Duke Stiofan dies without male issue, and punitive restraints are maintained on the Deryni titleholders (recall the increased age of majority was
25 for Ahern De Corwyn). The climate for Deryni was so bad that Stevana and Keryell arrange to secretly pass off one of their twin daughters (Vera) as the daughter of the human Laurela Howard. Since most people are familiar with the limitations of regular travel, use of a Transfer Portal would draw further scrutiny from hostile forces.
Legally, there is no new Duke of Corwyn until Alaric Morgan is born, and his parents aren't likely to use a Portal, even if they knew of it. His Deryni mother dies when he's still a child (in service to her king, effectively), and his human father lacks both the arcane ability and the free time to acquire such knowledge. Alaric Morgan's own training is mostly in secret from Vera in Cassan, and is much attenuated until after his marriage years later. Add the further not-uneventful passage of time, and Alaric Morgan is effectively without a Portal of his own.
Given the Lewys ap Norfal coverup, the paucity of male heirs, the increased scrutiny of the De Corwyns as known Deryni, and the alarums and excursions of Alaric's life, it is easy to see how a Portal in Coroth could've been destroyed or sealed off.
Deryni Magic notes that Portals can fade from lack of use, and a user must know each Portal's unique signature before using it. So either there is no Portal in Castle Coroth at all, or there is one that is physically inaccessible and faded from lack of use, the signature being long since forgotten.
Quote from: BalanceTheEnergies on July 19, 2010, 03:03:31 AM
Given the Lewys ap Norfal coverup, the paucity of male heirs, the increased scrutiny of the De Corwyns as known Deryni, and the alarums and excursions of Alaric's life, it is easy to see how a Portal in Coroth could've been destroyed or sealed off. Deryni Magic notes that Portals can fade from lack of use, and a user must know each Portal's unique signature before using it. So either there is no Portal in Castle Coroth at all, or there is one that is physically inaccessible and faded from lack of use, the signature being long since forgotten.
I agree with your points as reasons for why the knowledge of a portal could have been lost, especially the one about fading through lack of use. Ahern lived in Castle Coroth for a while, but we don't know how much he used his magic and whether he knew anything about any portals there. And if Alaric himself lacks all the formal training that might enable him to find a lost portal (investigating the castle inch by inch, LOL), then he is going to need assistance to find it. Denis Arilan seems to have considerable portal expertise, though I am not sure if Morgan would want
him crawling over his Castle!
I am wondering if / how much the other towers in Castle Coroth are used these days, after they had been sealed off by Duke Stiofan following Lewys ap Norfal's disastrous experiment. We are told in the Codex that only the Green Tower retains its coloured glass windows, and of course that is Alaric's own domain. I'd love to know about the other towers and whether they are used at all, and whether a portal is/was in one of them. Has Alaric ever gone and explored every inch of them, to see if there are even vague traces of a portal like the one we see at St Neot's in DC? Of course, with Stiofan himself being Deryni, any portal would likely be in the part of the castle he still used ... *sigh*.
One thing about those age limits: it seems that Brion managed to modify them and have Alaric assume his full role as Duke once he attained his majority, so he didn't have to wait until age 25. The age limit was set so that the Deryni had to "prove" their loyalty to the Crown, but it seems Brion decided that Morgan's actions in the war with the Marluk were more than sufficient to demonstrate this!
Quote from: Alkari on July 19, 2010, 03:46:18 AM
... Denis Arilan seems to have considerable portal expertise, though I am not sure if Morgan would want him crawling over his Castle!
Arilan is also a member of the Camberian Council, and that body seems to have regarded Alaric Morgan as either underpowered or dangerously renegade. The mistrust is a two-way street, so Arilan may not have been permitted to assist Morgan in the matter, even if they both had been so inclined—and that was not assured, at least in the early books. (Thinking of the reappearance of Colin of Fianna's flask, that mutual distrust lasted a long time.)
Quote from: Alkari on July 19, 2010, 03:46:18 AM
I am wondering if / how much the other towers in Castle Coroth are used these days, after they had been sealed off by Duke Stiofan following Lewys ap Norfal's disastrous experiment. We are told in the Codex that only the Green Tower retains its coloured glass windows, and of course that is Alaric's own domain. I'd love to know about the other towers and whether they are used at all, and whether a portal is/was in one of them. Has Alaric ever gone and explored every inch of them, to see if there are even vague traces of a portal like the one we see at St Neot's in DC? Of course, with Stiofan himself being Deryni, any portal would likely be in the part of the castle he still used ... *sigh*.
Again, I'll remind you that Alaric is less well-trained in arcana and otherwise occupied for much of the time. I'd have to reread the books, but I think one of the towers houses his council chamber. Also, one floor of each (the top one?) was likely set aside for troops at some point in its history.
Quote from: Alkari on July 19, 2010, 03:46:18 AM
One thing about those age limits: it seems that Brion managed to modify them and have Alaric assume his full role as Duke once he attained his majority, so he didn't have to wait until age 25. The age limit was set so that the Deryni had to "prove" their loyalty to the Crown, but it seems Brion decided that Morgan's actions in the war with the Marluk were more than sufficient to demonstrate this!
The original strictures denied Deryni the right to any property at all. Corwyn was not part of Gwynedd then, and its geographic position near Torenth (possibly in conjuction with its economic position regarding Southern Sea trade) ensured that it was annexed with somewhat more favourable terms. Donal speaks in ITKS as if he dared not ease the restriction in Ahern's case, despite Ahern's own service (and injury sustained therein). Recall that Donal was no absolute monarch and had to submit himself to punishment from the clergy.
I agree that Brion would feel able to change the law on Alaric's behalf in light of the campaign against the Marluk (no doubt KK will have Brion say as much in a future book). There seems to be a gradual easing of the strictures against Deryni as time goes on and the terrible events of the Interregnum recede into the past; Brion dares to do more than Donal did, and Kelson dares to do more than Brion did. It looks like another long arc of history bending toward justice, with Kelson reaching out and exerting himself to shorten the curve.
I want to bounce forward this thread for it has good information about known portal locations.
Thank you -very interesting.