Information on GATEs

[Alyssa Snow]

The Beinost GATE resides in Raiaera and is also called the Raiaeran GATE. It exists about a four hour ride from Beinost just outside the treeline in an open plain. A small village exists extended from the walls of the GATE and is comprised of farmers, merchants, and local Raiaerans who have some affiliation to the GATE or its members. It is the second largest GATE of the four.

Much like Beinost, it is constructed of both magic and mortar. Of the four GATEs it is the most architecturally advanced. The buildings have the same hues as the dark necromantic structures in Beinost and contrasting elements of lighter tones remnant of old Eluriand. This combination of light and dark is accented by gold and silver throughout. It combines the aesthetic of the pinnacle of Elven society and the harrowing beauty of necromancy left behind by Zem’Zund.

GATE Focus:

The Beinost GATE’s primary focus is researching the cause and source of Althanas’s past calamities. They focus their research on the Tap, its effect on the world, and its source. Given Raiaera’s history as the source of magic, they often seek out magical relics and knowledge from the past. Many of their efforts are focused in the Ruins of Eluriand and the recovering Red Forest.

The GATE also researches alternatives to magic and its potential usefulness or threat. Since their neighboring GATE in Alerar shares their similar zeal for science and information, they often check and balance one another. Much like the politics between the countries, the politics between the GATEs can become challenged at times.

Lastly, a significant amount of research is directed toward the Tular Plains. Much is still unknown about the portals that plague the land and much remains to be discovered about its role in the continent. Much speculation is placed on its potential involvement in several catastrophic events. Political assets are also dispatched to the plains to learn from, negotiate, and monitor the large number of demons which reside there both in crude settlements and refined cities.

The military branch of the Beinost GATE is comprised mostly of mages and those who remain of the old Raiaeran forces. Many of the latter serve as authorities or generals within the branch. They maintain a standard for swordsmanship and traditional weapon training. Both pre-shatter and post-shatter mages instruct the new cadets in order to prepare them for any circumstances. While trained to focus on their strengths, even mages are forced to learn traditional or alternative methods of engagement should there ever come a day where magic were to cease. Compared to the other GATEs, they have the second smallest military branch.

Their support branch is also comprised largely of mages and clerics. Traditional medicine, fabrication, and reconstruction is often supported by magic in one manner or another. While the second largest of all four GATEs, their effectiveness is unmatched. In circumstances where the Aleraran GATE and Raiaeran GATE combine their support efforts, such as the construction of the GATES, nothing can compare to their speed and production. They expedited the construction of the GATEs by up to a tenth of their projected times through traditional methods.

Many of the clerics stationed in the Beinost GATE have been compared to the enigmatic monks of the Citadel. Often able of performing miracles of resurrection without the negative stigma their namesake city carries. These clerics are still stationed at places most heavily impacted by the Great Calamity.

As for their reconstruction efforts, a large portion of manpower is directed toward rebuilding Eluriand and its neighboring Red Forest. Members of the GATE have also found a way to correct the blight left by Zem’Zund and while a slow and methodical process, have begun to reverse the scar left by the undead. Many botanists and zoologists monitor and assist the changes occurring within Red Forest. They strive to find a balance of both Lindequalmë and the Red Forest with hopes to bring such diversity and pride it could be renamed Lodequalmë or “The Grand Forest”.

GATE Administration:

The GateMaster of thes Gate is Baelor Vareski, a Salvic man in his late fifties. Not much is known about his past before the Great Calamity aside from his involvement with the Church of the Sway. As a ranking member, he was one of those permitted to use magic and likely operated as a Mage Hunter. During the Great Calamity, he utilized his prowess with frost magic to stave areas impacted by the super volcano. The magnitude of his skill also extends into wind magic similar to the spells used to prevent the Berevar winds from chilling Knife’s Edge.

He is a stoic man with a gentle expression that strongly contrasts his muscular and war torn features. His posture is reminiscent of a high ranking military man and exudes an aura of command. He keeps his full head of peppered black hair slicked back with one cowlick always defiant over his forehead. The color of his eyes resemble cold steel, but are not easily noticed through his thin gaze. He is not often seen with his Administrators as they are well aware of his capabilities.

As the GateMaster of Beinost, he delegates responsibilities from the secrecy of his office in the academy’s penthouse office. It is rare if at all to hear him issue command in public, but he makes a point to delegate commands personally as often as possible. As a result, his subordinates have a great respect for him and the GATE runs efficiently under his watch.

Of those immediate subordinates, he currently has three Administrators that directly oversee the separate branches of the GATE. Elythis Ieralithe, a Bladesinger that served directly with Lady Nalith Celiniel oversees affairs with the GATE’s military branch. He was born prior to the fall of Eluriand and witnessed the effects of the Eternal Tap. He also witnessed the devastation caused by the Forgotten Ones after emerging from hiding. Much of his memories during that time are still skewed by their old magics despite many of them being slain. His survival and service for hundreds of years earned him his position without refute. The Generals that now serve under him have all had some manner of swordsmanship lesson from him and use his teachings for the newer cadets.

Elythis is taller than most human men due to his High Elven lineage. His features are angular and slim, but not to be underestimated. In comparison to human counterparts he appears to be in his mid to late years of life. He maintains long silvered hair which is always braided or put up with elegance. One of his ocean blue eyes is grayed from a run in with an undead corpse eater decades ago. Much like his vision in that eye, his scars are faded but stand testament to his fortitude. He is often short and concise with his colleagues, but possesses vast knowledge of tactics and Raeairan geography. Debriefings directly from him are rarely incorrect.

Madeline Briarthorn oversees the research and development of the GATE. Madeline grew up as a daughter of an Istien Academy professor who survived the Corpse War and fled to Tor Elythis. Her father was a lesser Bard and still serves in the academy at Tor Elythis. Her mother was a human woman that helped her father when he fled and they grew intimate with one another. She was in the equivalent of her twenties when the Great Calamity struck and thanks to her father’s influence, had already become a renowned scientist. During the events, she used her knowledge of physics, the stars, and properties of molten rock to increase effectiveness of recovery efforts.

Since the end of the Great Calamity, she has been obsessed with determining the cause. Her research has consumed her to the point that some experiments have cause harm to the test subjects. Since she did serve as a member of the Core Collective, her knowledge and persistence gained her great reputation from her peers. Now, with the facilities of the GATE at her disposal, she is able to carry out her research without limitations.

Madeline stands at about the average size of a human woman. He silky black hair is cut high and short with her jawline and often pulled out of the way of her face. She does wear glasses, but only for reading. Her frame is average with less womanly assets than most. Her personality is short and pointed, always interested in the facts and useful information. She is known for her delicate tastes in tea and is often seen alone, rarely with company outside of her lab.

Maerci Van Tesafellene heads the support branch and originates from a small chapel on the border of Raiaera and the Tular Plains. Before the Great Calamity, she used to take in orphaned children made homeless by demon raids in the south. While not elven, she worships and teaches the Elven Pantheon who have blessed her with their gifts. She is able to work The Miracles of the Seven, a trait uncommon in the faithful. It was when her mentor, a high elf woman that survived the Corpse War wrote her of the events in Corone that Maerci decided to offer her services under the condition that the GATEs provide food and shelter for her children. Sadly, that letter was the last she ever heard of her mentor who would have likely served in her stead if she were still alive.

Maerci is in her early thirties but beautiful even by elven standards. Her voice is soft and gentle like sweet honey, but her ability to oversee even under stressful conditions has earned her the position she holds. She is stern and disciplined without being overbearing and her ability to perform The Miracles of the Seven makes her more than able to handle herself. She stands just shy of six feet, tall for her kind, and is as close to a goddess as a mortal could be. She is chaste, and despite several attempts of men to taint her faith, she remains pure.

She is often seen among the people and advises the GateMaster of their needs and opinions. Many respect her and seek her guidance especially in these dark times. Even the masons and smiths are familiar with her. It is a common, but shocking site to see her fair skin soiled when she helps construction efforts or even forging steel. She is truly a wonder.

Under these three, there are several other highly respected specialists in their individual fields. Those members are known as the LockSmiths by the cadets and perform other managements tasks of their peers and subordinates. There are many noteworthy individuals but as is common in the GATEs, their actions speak louder than words.