Gates are massive half-circle artifacts that provide passages between distant locations. Their stone and metal frames carry carved symbols. At Erenmyr, eleven symbols line the arch, including a spiral, lightning bolt, sun, moon, diamond and hourglass. The Aethrendar Gate, suspended high above the sea, has a similar form.
Operation
Opening a gate can require a mage to channel essence into its frame. The symbols light as the mechanism moves, then a blue vortex bursts out and collapses inward into blackness. Once the gate closes, only the empty frame remains.
The passage from Erenmyr allowed Eira, Lythariel and Cassian to escape Xalmyrra into Thalcoris. The golden mage opened it with Cassian's help and guided them through; Kaelion and Splin followed before the entrance closed.
Travel
Passing through leads into a dark space between gates, where time feels distorted and voices become muffled. A guide can lead travelers toward the light of another entrance. Magic can still work there, though Lythariel's shadows weakened after she entered.
Lythariel used a tendril to keep her entrance connected to the jungle outside. She later pulled herself away from another gate after realizing that Eira was healing on her own, sending the pursuers back through it and returning to the darkness with her.
Gates are large half-circle artifacts that connect distant locations through the void. Their stone and metal frames carry eleven symbols, which light as the mechanism activates. A blue vortex bursts out before settling into a black surface.
Activation
Mages can channel essence into a gate directly or through attached equipment and essence cores. Opening consumes substantial essence and can exhaust the caster. Raw strength alone does not guarantee success: Kaelion's essence produced no response from the Chronasis gate, while Cassian could activate its mechanisms.
Cassian finally opened the gate using a captured god's essence, supplemented by Thalena's power. In Irrathis, Renneth and Brynor opened a gate with orreries and Thalvian's equipment. These attempts used cables and devices connected to recesses in the frame, with protective shields around the other mages.
Deylin also recovered a small cylindrical device from one of Jorhan's disciples. It held an enormous amount of essence and a complex contained spell. He and Thalena investigated its possible use for activating gates.
Travel and limits
An open gate provides an entrance rather than a ready route to every destination. Travelers need a way to find another gate through the blackness. If the entrance closes, they can be stranded until a gate is opened again. Guides can lead people through, while mages can sometimes sense signatures across the void when gates are being powered.
The passage from Erenmyr allowed Eira and her companions to escape Xalmyrra into Thalcoris. The Aethrendar Gate hangs high above the sea, and other frames stand in concealed chambers or jungle clearings.
The atraxi also use the void to siphon essence from Valrindor. The Temple of no Return serves as a gate, straddling the physical world and the void.
Gates are large half-circle artifacts that connect distant locations through the void. Their frames carry complex spells, including a function that stabilizes a traveler's matter. Travel requires enough power to open a gate and a way to navigate the void beyond it.
Activation
The frames are made of metal, stone or a combination of the two, with symbols around the arch. Mages channel essence into their mechanisms directly or through attached equipment and essence cores. Symbols light as the mechanism activates; a blue vortex bursts out before settling into a black surface.
Opening consumes substantial essence and can exhaust the caster. Raw strength alone does not guarantee success: Kaelion's essence produced no response from the Chronasis gate, while Cassian could activate its mechanisms. Cassian finally opened it using a captured god's essence, supplemented by Thalena's power. In Irrathis, Renneth and Brynor opened a gate with orreries and Thalvian's equipment.
Portable activators
Gate activators are spell containers that release stored essence when broken or crushed, temporarily activating a gate. One design also teleports the user to the gate; another only opens it. Each device takes months to make and holds a tremendous reserve of essence, limiting how often they can be used. An activator cannot provide an escape through a destroyed gate.
Travel and limits
An open gate provides an entrance rather than a ready route to every destination. Travelers use guides, visible gate lights or sensed signatures to find their way. If the entrance closes, they can be stranded until a gate is opened again.
Passing through a gate can stabilize an overloaded mage's essence. Thalena used this property when her body was cracking and leaking essence, crossing into the void and out again until the damage subsided. Activating a gate does not itself require temporal magic, even though its construction resembles blinking.
History
The atraxi escape ship connected to the Aethrendar Gate and brought its survivors to Valrindor. Amos and Jareth later reverse-engineered the local gates over decades, using Belanor's temporal blinking to make portable spell containers. Hrzai learned the gate spell by watching their work.
The atraxi used the void to siphon essence from Valrindor, with the Temple of no Return serving as a gate. During the fight against Jorhan, Kaelion destroyed the Dravemir gate and Brynor shattered the Aethrendar Gate, cutting off those escape routes.
On Earth, a gate beneath a pyramid operated on electricity. Deylin built machinery to power it, enabling Thalena to reach him. After sending him back toward Irrathis, she collapsed the frame into a pebble, destroying that entrance.
Gates are large half-circle artifacts that connect distant locations through the void. Their frames carry complex spells, including a function that stabilizes a traveler's matter. Travel requires enough power to open a gate and a way to navigate the void beyond it.
Activation
The frames are made of metal, stone or a combination of the two, with symbols around the arch. Mages channel essence into their mechanisms directly or through attached equipment and essence cores. Symbols light as the mechanism activates; a blue vortex bursts out before settling into a black surface.
Opening consumes substantial essence and can exhaust the caster. Raw strength alone does not guarantee success: Kaelion's essence produced no response from the Chronasis gate, while Cassian could activate its mechanisms. Cassian finally opened it using a captured god's essence, supplemented by Thalena's power. In Irrathis, Renneth and Brynor opened a gate with orreries and Thalvian's equipment.
Portable activators
Gate activators are spell containers that release stored essence when broken or crushed, temporarily activating a gate. One design also teleports the user to the gate; another only opens it. Each device takes months to make and holds a tremendous reserve of essence, limiting how often they can be used. An activator cannot provide an escape through a destroyed gate.
Travel and limits
An open gate provides an entrance rather than a ready route to every destination. Travelers use guides, visible gate lights, sensed signatures or ropes to find their way. If the entrance closes, they can be stranded until a gate is opened again. Gate travel is mainly used by mages of higher levels able to navigate the void; even the existing frames are not all usable.
Passing through a gate can stabilize an overloaded mage's essence. Thalena used this property when her body was cracking and leaking essence, crossing into the void and out again until the damage subsided. A badly destabilized body can still risk dissolution during passage.
History
Arcanis designed gates for the ancient Malverand Empire. Barachiel disappeared after entering the Aethrendar Gate, leaving the empire without its emperor. The original plan to connect the lands through instantaneous travel fell into disuse, leaving many gates abandoned.
The atraxi escape ship connected to the Aethrendar Gate and brought its survivors to Valrindor. Amos and Jareth later reverse-engineered the local gates over decades, using Belanor's temporal blinking to make portable spell containers. Hrzai learned the gate spell by watching their work.
The atraxi used the void to siphon essence from Valrindor, with the Temple of no Return serving as a gate. During the fight against Jorhan, Kaelion destroyed the Dravemir gate and Brynor shattered the Aethrendar Gate, cutting off those escape routes.
On Earth, a gate beneath a pyramid operated on electricity. Deylin built machinery to power it, enabling Thalena to reach him. After sending him back toward Irrathis, she collapsed the frame into a pebble, destroying that entrance.
Jareth brought his gate research to Chronasis, working with the Nexus Research Center to support travel across Valrindor.
Gates are large half-circle artifacts that bend spacetime to connect distant locations through the void. They can form a direct passage between gates or open into the void for travelers to navigate. Their workings include spells that stabilize a traveler's matter, allowing passage back into the physical world.
Construction and activation
Gate frames are made of metal, stone or a combination of the two, with symbols around the arch and power carried through cables and embedded spells. Arcanis modeled Malverand's symbols after his god cores. The gates connect through precise frequencies; a successful direct connection forms a white surface like a mirror, while an entrance into the void appears black after the initial blue vortex subsides.
Opening demands enormous power. Mages can channel essence through attached equipment and essence cores, and Malverand's Vireen expedition also carried god cores for activation. Keeping the Vireen gate open required much less essence than starting it. Raw strength alone does not guarantee success: Kaelion's essence produced no response from the Chronasis gate, while Cassian could activate its mechanisms.
Portable activators
Gate activators are spell containers that release stored essence when broken or crushed, temporarily activating a gate. One design also teleports the user to the gate; another only opens it. Each device takes months to make and holds a tremendous reserve of essence, limiting how often they can be used. An activator cannot provide an escape through a destroyed gate.
Travel and limits
An open gate into the void provides an entrance rather than a ready route to every destination. Travelers use guides, visible gate lights, sensed signatures or ropes to find their way. If the entrance closes, they can be stranded until a gate is opened again.
Prolonged exposure can leave a mage hollow or unable to hold a coherent body together. The gate stabilizes travelers' matter and reconstructs their bodies on exit, but damage to it can make a crossing fatal. Arcanis's body broke apart after prolonged travel and passage through the damaged Vireen gate.
Passing through a gate can also stabilize an overloaded mage's essence. Thalena used this property when her body was cracking and leaking essence, crossing into the void and out again until the damage subsided.
History
Malverand and the atraxi
Arcanis designed gates for the ancient Malverand Empire, using the instructions he could see in Eira's unfamiliar magic. Early Malverand gates primarily carried messages because converting people and objects for travel consumed too much essence for frequent crossings. An expedition carried one to Vireen to connect the colony with Valrindor. The Aethrendar Gate floated above the sea using skyship technology, placing the entrance beyond accidental reach.
Michael and Eremion crossed successfully, but Barachiel was attacked in the void. He cut off the hand that held his shard because the shard prevented him from exiting without destabilizing the gate. The direct connection failed, leaving the gates opening into the void. Barachiel and later Arcanis died on Vireen, and Eira eventually returned its damaged gate to Valrindor and hid it beneath the future Arcanis Village.
The atraxi built their original gates from schematics received on Atraxis Prime Alpha. Their escape ship connected to the Aethrendar Gate and brought the survivors to Valrindor. Amos and Jareth later reverse-engineered the local gates over decades, using Belanor's temporal blinking to make portable spell containers. Hrzai learned the gate spell by watching their work.
The atraxi used the void to siphon essence from Valrindor, with the Temple of no Return serving as a gate. During the fight against Jorhan, Kaelion destroyed the Dravemir gate and Brynor shattered the Aethrendar Gate, cutting off those escape routes.
Earth
Ancient Ozaith built a gate beneath a pyramid on Earth, assisted by Thalion and enchanted local workers. With no ambient essence to supply it, the installation collected lightning through the pyramids. Ozaith also added a gravitational pull to ease entry.
Deylin later powered the gate with electrical machinery, enabling Thalena to reach him. After sending him back toward Irrathis, she collapsed the frame into a pebble, destroying that entrance.
Gates are large half-circle artifacts that bend spacetime to connect distant locations through the void. They can open into the void for travelers to navigate or form a direct passage between two gates. Their workings include spells that stabilize a traveler's matter, allowing passage back into the physical world.
Construction and power
Gate frames are made of metal, stone or a combination of the two. Cables run through their internal mechanisms, carrying power into embedded spells. Many have eleven symbols around the arch. Arcanis modeled Malverand's symbols after his god cores; the gates of Thiravos and Theryssa instead use waves, shells and other oceanic motifs.
Opening a gate demands enormous power because it bends spacetime. Essence cores, god cores and essence towers supply that power in different installations. Mages can channel essence into the frame directly or through attached equipment. A successful opening can exhaust the caster, and raw strength alone does not guarantee success: Kaelion's essence produced no response from the Chronasis gate, while Cassian could activate its mechanisms. Keeping the Vireen gate open required much less essence than starting it.
Activation and destinations
Activating the spells in a straight order opens into the void. A blue vortex bursts out from the frame before settling into a black surface. Gates built with a destination sequence can instead form a direct connection, marked by a liquid white surface. The sequence must be known and activated in the correct order.
At Pelagos, Renneth opened the route to Pelagia by channeling essence through a large core and cables into eleven separate spells. The room heated enough to need an ice mage's cooling, and he nearly collapsed when the final spell lit. The island nations sustain gate use with essence towers, but its cost and complexity restrict travel to elites.
Portable activators
Gate activators are spell containers that release stored essence when broken or crushed, temporarily activating a gate. One design also teleports the user to the gate; another only opens it. Each device takes months to make and holds a tremendous reserve of essence, limiting how often they can be used. An activator cannot provide an escape through a destroyed gate.
Travel and limits
An open gate into the void provides an entrance rather than a ready route to every destination. Travelers use guides, visible gate lights, sensed signatures, ropes or cables to find their way. If the entrance closes, they can be stranded until a gate is opened again. Direct connections avoid this need to navigate the open void.
Passage is dangerous even with a working frame. Most people from the Malverand Intergalactic Empire would die inside the void, which led the empire to shelve gate travel. Prolonged exposure fractures essence and can leave a mage hollow or unable to hold a coherent body together. The gate stabilizes travelers' matter and reconstructs their bodies on exit, but damage to it can make a crossing fatal. Arcanis's body broke apart after prolonged travel and passage through the damaged Vireen gate.
Passing through a gate can also stabilize an overloaded mage's essence. Thalena used this property when her body was cracking and leaking essence, crossing into the void and out again until the damage subsided.
History
Malverand and the atraxi
Arcanis designed gates for the ancient Malverand Empire, using the instructions he could see in Eira's unfamiliar magic. Early Malverand gates primarily carried messages because converting people and objects for travel consumed too much essence for frequent crossings. An expedition carried one to Vireen to connect the colony with Valrindor. The Aethrendar Gate floated above the sea using skyship technology, placing the entrance beyond accidental reach.
Michael and Eremion crossed successfully, but Barachiel was attacked in the void. He cut off the hand that held his shard because the shard prevented him from exiting without destabilizing the gate. The direct connection failed, leaving the gates opening into the void. Barachiel and later Arcanis died on Vireen, and Eira eventually returned its damaged gate to Valrindor and hid it beneath the future Arcanis Village.
The atraxi built their original gates from schematics received on Atraxis Prime Alpha. Their escape ship connected to the Aethrendar Gate and brought the survivors to Valrindor. Amos and Jareth later reverse-engineered the local gates over decades, using Belanor's temporal blinking to make portable spell containers. Hrzai learned the gate spell by watching their work.
The atraxi used the void to siphon essence from Valrindor, with the Temple of no Return serving as a gate. During the fight against Jorhan, Kaelion destroyed the Dravemir gate and Brynor shattered the Aethrendar Gate, cutting off those escape routes.
Earth
Ancient Ozaith built a gate beneath a pyramid on Earth, assisted by Thalion and enchanted local workers. With no ambient essence to supply it, the installation collected lightning through the pyramids. Ozaith also added a gravitational pull to ease entry.
Deylin later powered the gate with electrical machinery, enabling Thalena to reach him. After sending him back toward Irrathis, she collapsed the frame into a pebble, destroying that entrance.
Interworld connection
Amos dragged an electrical cable through the void between the empire's Maraveth and Chronasis. It guided travelers and detected an opening at the far end, but could not carry enough power to open the Chronasis gate itself. Jareth opened that gate with an activator. With Xarion's help, Ozaith reconstructed the capsule occupants inside the void before they returned through the gate.