#the gate chronicles

Some 500 years ago, a human sorcerer, desperate to find a way to save his people from their dying world, found a way to build portals to other worlds, knows as Gates. What started as a noble endeavor eventually became an obsession. Despite the warnings given him against weakening the fabric dividing the worlds, he continued to open Gates. Ultimately, driven mad by the close contact with the twisting, winding fabric of the universe and the whispers of something deep within the folds, he delved too deeply. 

In the end, the fabric between the worlds weakened enough that seven Gates were ripped open to a dark, empty world. The inhabitants of this world know nothing but hunger, all-consuming, and vast, insatiable. When they spilled out of the gates, they began their conquest. 

Nothing was safe. 

The first wave was a plague, unlike any seen before. It would begin with small pockets of people infected with a rot that killed them quickly. They did not stay dead, however. Three days after death, they would reanimate, intent upon spreading the rot to as many others as they could before the body decomposed too much to be useful. 

The second wave hit when the population had been reduced to half or lower. A Shadow would seep over the land, killing anything it could touch, leaving behind a barren wasteland. 

When the last spark of life had been devoured, the last, most fatal blow was struck. The vast, all-consuming dark from within the heart of that dark shadow world reached through the Gate, drawing the entirety of the newly dead world into its emptiness. Leaving nothing behind to suggest there had ever been a world there. 

That Gate then moves on to another world, and the cycle begins again. 

Upon realizing what he had wrought, the sorcerer began to search for a way to undo the damage. He was, however, unwilling to teach the art of making Gates to another, fearing that it might lead them down the same path to madness he had followed. 

He enlisted the Dragons Prince’s help. The Gold Dragon could wield the light of the sun as both a weapon and a shield, and they discovered that the shadows withered away in the presence of this light. Together, they forced back the tide, succeeding in destroying one of the seven gates. The sorcerer was mortality wounded during the endeavor, though. As he died, he cast his essence into a stone, instructing that this stone be passed onto another so he could continue to work through them. 

The stone’s keeper eventually came to be known by the title “Gatekeeper.” It was a position both honored and feared, for the Gatekeeper often met a horrific death at the hands of agents of the Shadow. 

When a Gatekeeper takes the post, the stone fuses itself to their chest, just over the breastbone, and allows the sorcerer to communicate with the barer. The two cannot be separated except by the death of the Gatekeeper. When a Gatekeeper dies, the stone vanishes, reappearing in a special box the Dragons keep safe. Once it reappears, it is introduced to the next set of hopefuls until one is chosen, then the fight begins again. 

Over the first 400 years, four of the seven Gates have been found and destroyed, leaving only three still at large. However, the Dragons have been growing tired, discouraged by the Gates’ continued escape and the toll it has taken on their people and their allies. To make matters worse, upon the last Gatekeeper’s death twenty years ago, the stone has refused to take on a new barer. Sitting inert in its box, waiting.

On Dragons

The Dragons of the Gateworlds are shapeshifters who spend nearly as much time in their human forms as they do dragon. They are the frontline fighters against the armies of the Shadow, bringing with them the light of the suns and wielding it to force the all-consuming shadows back through the gates they come from. They are also the protectors of the Gatekeeper’s stone. They are charged with finding a new person to wield the stone when the Gatekeeper falls. 

Dragons live to be about 300 years of age, though life expectancy has been somewhat shorter over the last hundred years because of the war. Most dragons in their Dragon form weigh up to 500 lb, and are around 5 to 6 yards long from nose to tailtip. 

The architecture is built with huge winged creatures in mind. Buildings are lofty and open to the air, utilizing pillars rather than walls in many places. Magic is used in most places to keep the weather out rather than relying on glass or solid walls. 

There are several distinct colors for the dragons, indicating the kinds of power each will wield. The color of the parents does not affect the color of a child. Dragons are born iridescent and do not gain a distinct color until they are around 15. While coloration indicates the particular talent or affinity a dragon might possess, it does not stop them from learning another skill. 

Blue: These Dragons have an affinity for magic. Though all dragons are magical by nature, blues have particular ease wielding it. The type of magic varies by individual, with some focusing on weather, some on healing, some on manipulating the physical world, and some on illusions. Their element to command is Lightning.

Green: These Dragons excel at creation and diplomacy. Here are the artists, the musicians, the storytellers. Here also are the artist of a different kind, who can spin a tale so well that it is believed without question, the people who can shape themselves into any situation called for. Their element is water.

Red: These Dragons have great physical strength. They tend to be the largest of the Dragons, most averaging around six feet in height. Out of the Red’s come the greatest of warriors, the most acclaimed of blacksmiths and builders. Their element is fire.

Black: These Dragons are especially quick and nimble, possessing more than their share of cunning and quick wits. They are traditionally sought out as messengers and members of the royal guard. Their element is earth.