World of Darkness: Portland

74
existed where the city now stands, and these tunnels
and the Chamber of Amber are all that are left of it
(this has prompted Indiana and several other mages
to continuously scour the area, hoping to find some
hidden indication that this theory is correct). All of this
gives further fuel to Anshar’s prospect of New Atlantis—
and the parallel’s between Leandros (the old leader of
the mage community who discovered a possible link
to Atlantis) and Anshar (the new leader who proposes
to rebuild a form of Atlantis here) is hard to deny.
What is known for sure about these tunnels is
how they work. Any location is disguised as a janitor
closet or supply cabinet in a restroom, places that
are always overlooked by the Sleepers present. The
door opens up into massive vaulted corridors that
remind one of sewers—walkways on either side with
water running down the middle (the water is ice cold,
tasteless, flowing from an unknown source to an
unknown destination). There is a small station just
inside the doorway at waste-height. To activate it, the
mage places his hand on the flat surface, speaks the
name of his destination (it must be a currently active
portal) and begins to walk. In approximately fifty pages
(it always seems to be the same distance, regardless
of how far away the actual arrival point may be), the
tunnel ends at another doorway—no turns, though the
whole tunnel curves enough you cannot see the other
doorway until you’re upon it. A mage needs a source of
light, otherwise the tunnel is bitch black. Though the
magic could not invoke Paradox upon a mage (though
presumably it could upon itself), it is considered bad
form to use this form of travel for anything other than
dire need; plus, it requires placing three Mana into
the station (which does not require Prime—the station
takes the Mana itself), making certain mages are loath
to use the tunnels unless they absolutely have to.
There are currently eight known points in the
Leandros Tunnels. Others may exist—no one knows
for sure. At some point the tunnels went dormant—
presumably when Atlantis fell, though no one knows
for certain. As Leandros found each point and activated
them, they were added to the pool of possible locations.
Thus it is assumed that there may still be tunnel points
in torpor (it was Leandros that anchored the magic to
mundane doors; he claimed, however, that it instantly
felt like the correct thing to do, indicating they were
meant to be linked to actual doorways). Note that the
exit point at Sellwood Bridge opens directly over the
water, and anyone who walks through that door simply
falls into the Wilamette River (through a ‘door’ that
opens out of material directly of the bridge); many have
speculated that this proves that the points were made a
eons ago, before that particular river ran through that
particular point.
Chapter 4-Notable Sites
New Stonehenge
Recently, it has come to the attention of several
Awakened explorers that the Stonehenge monument
may be more than it seems. In 1910, when Sam Hill
began construction on a Stonehenge replica on the
coast of the Columbia River (around the center of
the state), mages and Sleepers alike assumed he was
a madman. As the site became a national monument
and tourism increased to the area, the Sleepers found
a respect for the replica, but mages continued to scoff.
It is well known that the actual Stonehenge is a site
of great power; to mages, this imitation is almost
insulting, like a cheap glossy print of a Monet.
The new Stonehenge is not a Loci, Verge or Hallow,
and has been ignored by the Awakened explorers since
its completion in 1930. Around a year ago, however,
a Mysterium investigator from Scotland visited the
monument, and reported to the Portland Consilium
that the wiccan Sleepers who visit the site might not be
as naiive as they appear. He had discovered a hidden
resonance at the monument; something magical
exists here, and it appears that Sam Hill was indeed
a mage who hid the magic at his New Stonehenge so
thoroughly that even now, with more than a year of
study, the Awakened still cannot discover what the
location’s purpose is.
Anshar insists this is one more reason to believe
in a rebirth of Atlantis in the area, but a few months
ago the New Stonehenge gave hint that it has a darker
source than originally thought: while investigating
the site, the original Scotish mage disappeared in the
middle of the night. He gave no indication of leaving,
his room in order, his correspondence giving indication
that he’d stay in the area for a year or more. The site
is only open in the day to the public, so even most of
the other mages don’t know exactly what happens at
night; Indiana and several other mages have begun
trying to discover where he might have gone, but the
Stonehenge is reluctant to divulge its secrets.