At the top of the stairway the party sees a massive metallic tower gleaming in the pale sunlight, its peak leading ever higher into the darkened sky, pointed directly at the gibbous sun overhead. At the base of one of the support beams of the tower they find a pair of flashing lights flanking a metal door. To the right of the door is a glowing screen and an alphanumeric keypad. Roondar studies the machine and decides to try inputting his name. The door slides open, revealing a small room about twenty feet by twenty feet, and another screen and a row of five buttons on the interior wall next to the door. The screen reads, “Radial Hub Star Control Center P.A.S.001 Access Transport.” The buttons read “Close Door,” “Open Door,” “Activate,” “Pause,” and “Reset.”
Closing the door behind them and pressing "Activate," the party feels the floor shudder under their feet, and a low-pitched whine from below slowly raises in pitch as they feel a sense of vertical movement. After several minutes the high-pitched whine begins to lower in pitch again until the sense of movement stops. The doors open to reveal a large circular room filled with desks and tables, all lit up with screens like those they saw in the Whorl Engine, only this room is immaculately clean. The walls are covered in similar screens showing schematics, readouts, and system statuses. On each station monitor that includes a keyboard is a flashing red square on the screen that contains the word “LOCKED.”
Roondar is fascinated by the room and spends several minutes attempting to decode the method or methods for interacting with the high-tech machinery. Maul checks out the three-dimensional holographic orb floating above the circular table in the center of the room. The orb rotates slowly, but the solid and see-through portions of the orb don't appear to correspond to any landmasses or oceans the party is familiar with.
None of the schematics are identified with labels, but they seem to show values related to various pieces of complex machinery. Carric spots one readout beside the schematic of a glowing circle, which lists two values in red:
Power input 37 percent.
Power output 23 percent. Amplitude conservation in effect. Total blackout estimated in 27 days, 9 hours, 42 minutes.
In time, the impatience of the other party members forces Roondar to agree to leave the room. They follow a slightly curving corridor into an enormous, light-filled space. A large, jet-black slab floats in the center of the amphitheater-like room. On the far wall is a golden orb ringed by seven gold circles. On each of the circles is a smaller golden orb, each one slowly moving along the path of its circle in a clockwise direction. There is an exit to the right of this sculpture, as well as a figure dressed in robes.
The figure introduces herself as Sabeline Coatiel, "adjutant to Lord Pas, ruler of the Whorl, god of the sun and rain, father of all, long may he reign. Welcome, saviors of the realm. We have little time. Echidna, former consort of Pas and traitor to the Whorl, has wrested control of the clergy from our Lord, and uses her influence to lock the control systems of the Whorl and corrupt the Plan of Pas. You have been induced to correct this grave injustice, which imperils all inhabitants of the Whorl. Come, our Lord wishes to speak with you."
She ushers the party through an adjacent archway, which leads into a vast vertical space with no visible floor or ceiling. On the wall opposite the platform is a huge sculpture of the face of Pas. As the party steps onto the platform the sculpture’s eyes ignite in white fire and a complex chorus invades their heads.
In a flash of telepathic code from the Pas interface, they learn all. Eight days ago, Pas wiped their memories to remove the brainwashing instilled in them by his corrupt clergy. Each of them understands now that what the Defenders were put on this Whorl to do has been perverted by the Archbishop of Viron and his clerics, who have been subverting the true Plan of Pas for centuries in order to maintain absolute control over the Whorl, to the detriment of its denizens. And the Defenders of the Whorl have been the clergy’s greatest instrument of this subversion. Each member of the party has supported this lie, unknowingly.
The true Plan of Pas, which Pas himself now entreats the Order of the Crescent Sun to spearhead, is the evacuation of all sentient creatures from the Whorl to the Lands Below: "You must access the Vironian Catacombs from the crypt beneath the Cathedral of Pas in order to locate the entrance to the Subwhorl vault. You will know the entrance to the catacombs when you see it, for it is a large steel door identified by the graven symbol of a crescent sun bisected by two horizontal isosceles triangles--the insignia of your order. Your insignia will grant you access when you approach the door. Within, you will find transports programmed to make the journey. Do not delay. The situation is dire."
The party has questions. They ask whether the angels might help them. Pas responds that the angels are engaged in keeping Echidna's forces at bay, but that certain angels will intervene when the time is right to help spread the Word of Pas and reinforce the Plan of Pas. When the party suggests that they kill the Archbishop of Viron, Pas replies that the Archbishop is inconsequential to their mandate. Echidna, likewise, cannot be defeated by them. There is no time for politics or combat, Pas says, only salvation. When the party asks what they should do to begin, Pas suggests enlisting the help of Jude Blackstone, a faithful but inquisitive servant of Pas who is not prone to dogma.
As the party ponders this, Maul asks what P.A.S. stands for. Pas replies that He is Pas. Maul tries again but receives the same answer. Other questions along these lines result in somewhat circular answers that provide Maul with little additional information.
As the party returns to the sloop docked on the island, it becomes clear that they are split on the best path forward. Roondar and Maul question everything they have learned in the last day, and do not trust the word of Pas. Maul questions even the supposed need to leave the Whorl, wondering why the Lands Below are considered more viable than the Whorl. Owynka and Carric, on the other hand, are ready to believe in the Plan of Pas. Carric realizes that the church is flawed, and that they have botched the Plan of Pas, but the word of Pas--whether he be a true god or something else--should be trusted.
As they run their ship aground northwest of the City-State of Viron, it is clear that some very important decisions need to be made.
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