The Twisted Ladder - Ascent

After about 50’ of climbing, without any warning your view changes. You are no longer climbing up through a stone chimney but have emerged into a featureless crystal plane, the ladder continues to ascend up into the bright sky, seemingly without end. The initial emergence into bright light dazzles you briefly, and you shake your head to try and make sense of what you are seeing. Briefly, you consider letting go of the ladder to step onto the crystal plane but dismiss this thought as quickly as it surfaces. The crystal plane is moving, undulating like the surface of a vast ocean, and even as you continue to climb you find yourself staring at its movement.
Suddenly in the distance out of the crystal ocean emerges what looks like a wall made of crystal. On top of the wall are a large number of slender humanoids. At the same time at the base of the wall emerge bulkier humanoids, who immediately begin trying to climb the wall or shooting at the wall defenders. The defenders repel them with missile fire and spears. Every humanoid that falls is replaced by another one emerging from the crystal surface but the ‘death’ briefly leaves a red scar in the crystal (almost like a splash of blood) that fades away quickly. Soon the entire area is a chaotic sight, light flashing off crystalline bodies and an ever changing pattern of red scars on the ‘ground’. It is difficult to drag your eyes away from the vision and to force yourself to keep climbing.
Another couple of hours climbing see you reach a large platform, made of the same metal as the ladder. Obviously this platform has been used in the past for resting as there are remnants of campfires and dessicated scraps of previous occupants meals. The ladder passes through a 10’ diameter hole in the platform and to step onto it is quite easy. Feeling the ache in your muscles, you decide that it would be too dangerous to simply keep climbing and so step on to the platform for a break (making sure that you retain a rope linkage to the ladder…….just in case).
Resting on the platform, as your heavy breathing subsides and you begin to relax a little, you now become aware of a faint sound of singing. It is impossible to make out any of the words, and the song is somehow discordand and unsettling. Looking around from the platform you see that the scene played out for you while climbing is being repeated in multiple places across the “plain” but even at this distance each of the scenes is slightly different.
With a mental effort, you focus on getting some food and loosening up your cramped muscles. Somehow you feel that perhaps staying here too long is not a good idea.
After some food and a break, you begin climbing again, making an effort to focus on the ladder and not look at the scenes being played out on the plain far far below.