Portals
Portals connect separate underworlds.
A portal is a fixed connection between two underworlds. It is neither an ordinary shaft nor an exit to the surface: anyone who reaches and crosses the opening enters another burrow or the forest underground. Some connections exist from the birth of the world; others appear later. Once formed, a connection leads to the same destination each time and remains open in both directions.
A known connection can become part of an existing travel order. Companions follow their leader through a wormhole and retain their escort. Without a concrete destination, slimes do not wander through openings out of curiosity. Reachable goals in the same passage network remain local; changing worlds adds travel cost. A short delay after arrival prevents an immediate return. To go back deliberately, click the exit again after that delay.
Another burrow
Unknown chambers, stores and inhabitants may lie on the other side. Crossing does not change a slime's species; the same underground rules still apply to it there. A portal provides a short passage between places, but neither protection nor ownership. What can be reached from the arrival point depends on the tunnels actually dug on either side.
Discovery by approach
A wormhole’s mere existence does not teach any species where it leads. When a colony member sees the entrance nearby, the opening is recorded in the Bestiarium. Its species first knows only this entrance. An actual crossing then reveals the connection and the exit to that species. A free camera does not replace this encounter; other connections in the destination underworld remain unknown.
Beyond the opening, the passage smelled different, and unfamiliar spoil lay against the walls. Nothing on the surface hinted at this neighbour.
