Gates of Origin
| Gates of Origin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Settlement | Kar-Thal |
| Location | Inner fold of the Citadel Mountains |
| Realm | Terasil |
| Constructed | Unknown (Pre-Isolation) |
| Cultural Origin | Orasian |
The Gates of Origin are a pair of immense stone structures embedded within the deepest reaches of the Citadel Mountains. They mark the entrance to the inner valley believed by Orasians and Duranthi to be the resting place of Oras. Long sealed and unmoving, the Gates have become a central point of reverence and ancestral speculation.
History
The Gates are referenced in pre-civic early histories depecting the exit of the Orasians into the Bastion of Oras upon conclusion of the Erosion Wars. Whether the gates were shaped by Oras or emerged naturally is disputed even among Lorewardens.
By the time of the cities founding, the site was already considered closed.
Architecture
The Gates are not symmetrical doors or hinges, but two massive slabs of interlocking striated stone rising from the mountains themselves. Their seam is narrow, nearly imperceptible, and lined with spiral resonance markings that do not match any known pattern.
Surrounding the Gates are hundreds of embedded chisel marks—believed to be oath-seals, each placed in silent acknowledgment that the way remains closed. The air around the site is reported to distort tone and breath slightly, causing many visitors to speak in whispers or fall silent altogether.
Function
No formal function remains, though the Gates are used in symbolic rites during city-wide transitions and ancestral invocations. Stonewardens sometimes post silent vigils near the outer passage.
Cultural Role
To Duranthi, the Gates represent the unknowable boundary between stone-as-memory and stone-as-origin. Pilgrimages to the outer threshold are common.
Interpretation
Scholars and mystics alike interpret the Gates differently:
- Lorewardens describe them as a harmonic balance of Terasil’s memory and mass.