Portals (Underdark)

Portals (Underdark) are features located on the Underdark area map that can be encountered by the party in Baldur's Gate II Chapter 5.
== Location on the map ==
* Air Portal - 
* Earth Portal - 
* Fire Portal - 
== Description ==
Each portal structure is similar in appearance. A vertical rectangular arched door/portal is positioned on a vertical stone cavern wall face. The portal is edged with carved blocks of stone with striping of some kind etched upon them. 
On the cavern floor in front of the portal is a circular bed of flagstone on which a thematic triangular rune is visible.
Instead of a door or gate, peering into the portal is seen a cascading and shimmering shifting energy of some kind, with shadow-like forms discerned beyond in a twisted landscape.
== Gameplay ==
The exploring party will come upon these three portals as they navigate the cavern. Each portal is placed in its own secluded alcove or off-tunnel. The portals have no Auto-map markers nor onscreen labels.
When a party member initially gets within normal visual distance of a portal, a hostile elemental creature will be seen in front of it.
The elemental will most likely will also be able to detect a party member who isn't hidden/invisible. The elemental may rush towards the party member and attack. This will be subject to the creature's script. A party member could immediately move out of range and the elemental may stop pursuing and return to its starting point.
Each portal has an elemental theme and a corresponding Air Elemental, Earth Elemental or Fire Elemental creature originating from it.
Should the party engage the elemental in combat and destroy it, another one will manifest adjacent to the portal. Each portal can produce up to eleven elementals, one at a time.
After the eleventh creature is destroyed, then no further creatures will be produced by the portal. A total of thirty-three elementals can be produced by all three portals.
If the party has undertaken the A Mage Imprisoned? quest and freed Vithal from his Imprisonment (and actually spoken with the mage) then this action will alter the portals and eliminate any spawning elemental in front of each portal. All of those repeating elemental creatures will be removed from the map and cease to exist.
From the perspective of experience point accumulation - it makes sense to battle all the elementals generated by each elemental portal before freeing Vithal.
A total of can be had by defeating all the elementals generated by the portals before Vithal's introduction.
If the party has returned the Book of Rituals to Vithal, then further gameplay will occur at each Portal as scripted by the pursuit of the A Mage's Proposal questline. After this quest is finished, the portals will be exhausted and have no more active participation available in the underdark.
== Gallery ==
UD Air Portal.png|PC engages Air Elemental (Underdark) in melee combat at the Air Portal.
UD Fire Portal.png|Party Fighter / Mage defeats all eleven Fire Elemental guardians generated from the Fire Portal. One by one.
== Mod content ==
The Sword Coast Stratagems mod changes the number and elemental creature variety generated when Vithal prepares to enter each elemental portal. Two ordinary elementals and two Greater elementals will defend each portal.
SCS also bestows special abilities to Greater Elementals, such as Stoneskin and Earthquake for earth - and Sunfire and Flame Strike for fire.
The Spell Revisions mod will also influence those spells/abilities if that mod is installed alongside SCS.
=== Mod gallery ===
UD Earth Portal 2.png|Greater Earth Elemental guardians employ Stoneskin and Earthquake abilities with SCS and SR mods. Imoen is knocked Unconscious.
UD Earth Portal 3.png|Vithal speaks about the Earth Portal. PPE mod shown.
UD Fire Portal 2.png|More modded mayhem with exploding "Fireburst" engulfing the party at the Fire Portal. Spell Revisions mod shown.