The Discovery of the Swords

The Portable Door

This thread traces the mysterious swords from their arrival at the clerks’ homes to their unexpected role in opening a path to the past.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Stone in Paul’s Room A Stone in Paul’s Room from "The Portable Door". A Stone in Paul’s Room An Impossible Delivery Paul Carpenter returns to his home in Kentish Town and finds a sword embedded in a heavy stone.

A Stone in Paul’s Room from "The Portable Door". A Stone in Paul’s Room An Impossible Delivery Paul Carpenter returns to his home in Kentish Town and finds a sword embedded in a heavy stone.

A Stone in Paul’s Room An Impossible Delivery Paul Carpenter returns to his home in Kentish Town and finds a sword embedded in a heavy stone. Nothing else explains the intrusion. A Royal Inscription The stone claims that its sword belongs to England’s rightful king. Paul treats the claim as absurd, yet cannot move the blade.

A Failed Attempt A Failed Attempt from "The Portable Door". A Failed Attempt Testing the Claim Paul Carpenter tries to pull the sword free, partly from curiosity and partly because kingship sounds preferable to his…

A Failed Attempt from "The Portable Door". A Failed Attempt Testing the Claim Paul Carpenter tries to pull the sword free, partly from curiosity and partly because kingship sounds preferable to his…

A Failed Attempt Testing the Claim Paul Carpenter tries to pull the sword free, partly from curiosity and partly because kingship sounds preferable to his uncertain prospects. The Stone Holds The blade remains fixed. Its physical impossibility joins the other unexplained events gathering around Paul.

A Matching Relic A Matching Relic from "The Portable Door". A Matching Relic The Strongroom Discovery Paul Carpenter and Sophie Pettingell find an old sword in the strongroom, matching the one at Paul’s home except for…

A Matching Relic from "The Portable Door". A Matching Relic The Strongroom Discovery Paul Carpenter and Sophie Pettingell find an old sword in the strongroom, matching the one at Paul’s home except for…

A Matching Relic The Strongroom Discovery Paul Carpenter and Sophie Pettingell find an old sword in the strongroom, matching the one at Paul’s home except for its missing stone. A Clue Without Context The inventory ledger identifies its storage history only vaguely. The discovery links the swords to the firm’s concealed past.

The Second Sword The Second Sword from "The Portable Door". The Second Sword Another Household Relic Sophie Pettingell’s parents have a second sword in their garden, delivered as an apparent birthday present.

The Second Sword from "The Portable Door". The Second Sword Another Household Relic Sophie Pettingell’s parents have a second sword in their garden, delivered as an apparent birthday present.

The Second Sword Another Household Relic Sophie Pettingell’s parents have a second sword in their garden, delivered as an apparent birthday present. Sophie has also failed to move it. A Paired Mystery Paul recognizes that the two swords may be part of the same mechanism. The objects become clues rather than isolated magical curiosities.

Keys in the Blades Keys in the Blades from "The Portable Door". Keys in the Blades A Shared Pull Paul Carpenter and Sophie Pettingell pull together on a sword and reveal a key hidden within its blade.

Keys in the Blades from "The Portable Door". Keys in the Blades A Shared Pull Paul Carpenter and Sophie Pettingell pull together on a sword and reveal a key hidden within its blade.

Keys in the Blades A Shared Pull Paul Carpenter and Sophie Pettingell pull together on a sword and reveal a key hidden within its blade. The other sword yields its matching key. A Door Reopened The paired keys unlock the portable door’s magical obstruction. A puzzle planted in the swords becomes the means of rescuing the trapped pair.

The night Paul Carpenter meets Sophie in Highgate

Sunday morning after the sword arrives

During the first strongroom inventory

After Paul and Sophie return from the doorless room

Near the final confrontation