The Bright Gate

Stub-class article · First seen: s18 (referenced) · Last seen: s19 (referenced)
The Bright Gate
Bright Gate
Portrait of The Bright Gate.
Location
StatusActive
First seens18 (referenced)
Last seens19 (referenced)
FactionAurelian forces

The Bright Gate is the gate into Aurelia that an Aurelian patrol recommended to the party in session 18, where outside travellers register and are given documents before going on into the Ashwards [4][2]. The party never reached it: after Mike was killed on the road, they chose in session 19 to abandon the Aurelian quest for now [5].

Overview

The Bright Gate is the gate into Aurelia that an Aurelian patrol recommended to the party in session 18, as the place to “just talk at the main gate” and be let through [2]. At the gate, the patrol leader said, outside travellers register and are given documents [4]. The party has never reached it. After Mike’s execution on the road they chose, in session 19, to abandon the Aurelian quest for now [5].

Geography and appearance

Not described. It lies on the way into Aurelia, which was visible in the distance from the farmland road where the party met the patrol [6]. No distance to it was given, and its position relative to the White Lantern Shrine is not stated.

Government / control

Held by the Aurelian forces. Travellers are to register at the gate and receive “the proper documentation if anyone was to stop you inside the city” [4].

Notable features

  • Registration and papers: the patrol leader said travellers usually need travelling documents and should register at the gate, and that telling the guards you are “outside travelers looking to bask in the glory” should be enough to get in as far as the Ashward [4]. What the papers look like, in what language and with what seals, is not known: Mike’s Message cantrip was asking exactly that when the patrol turned on him [7].
  • Reporting heretics: any arcane heretic is to be reported to the nearest outpost, which will send reinforcements [8].
  • Sanctioned magic: the DM said that most arcane enchanted items need a sanction, like paperwork, to be carried in Aurelian territory, “kind of like a gun permit in the US” [9].

History in the campaign

Session 18: The Wyrm Falls, the Catfish Escapes, and Mike Dies on the Road

Main article: Session 18

On the road inland from the coast the party was stopped by a patrol of three knights in full plate and a priestly confessor [10]. Asked what to watch for in the city, the leader told them to register at the gate for proper documents, “outside travelers looking to bask in the glory” being enough to get them in, and to report any arcane heretic at the nearest outpost [8]. Mike then cast Message through the Mizzium Apparatus to ask what the documents looked like [11], the confessor raised a finger [12], and the knight Glenn cut Mike down [13][14]. As the patrol left, its leader called back that the party should just talk at the main gate, and recommended the Bright Gate [2].

Session 19: A Penitent Priest, an Unmade Leash, and the Pixie in the Dark

Main article: Session 19

Camped on the outskirts of Aurelia, the party weighed whether to go in. Hugo pointed out that they were already at the gates and could probably get into the city with no problem [15]. Caelumn argued that a single patrol had brought the party helplessly to its knees, and that they should look to other tasks first [16]. The DM recorded that the party had decided to abandon the quest in Aurelia for now [5]. The Bright Gate was not named again.

Status

As of session 23. Unvisited. The party has been outside Aurelia since reaching Eldwythe in session 20 [17]. Whether a confessor stands at the gate itself is unknown.

See also

References

  1. ^ Session 18, line 1988-2022: The patrol on the road inland; the documentation and registration advice; reporting arcane heretics; Mike's Message cantrip.
  2. ^ Session 18, line 2304: The patrol leader's parting advice to talk at the main gate and his recommendation of the Bright Gate.
  3. ^ Session 19, line 146-229: The party weighs going in (Hugo: already at the gates) and decides to abandon the Aurelian quest for now.
  4. ^ Session 18, line 2012: Inline citation.
  5. ^ Session 19, line 229: Inline citation.
  6. ^ Session 18, line 2008: Inline citation.
  7. ^ Session 18, line 2020: Inline citation.
  8. ^ Session 18, line 2012-2018: Inline citation.
  9. ^ Session 18, line 2378-2380: Inline citation.
  10. ^ Session 18, line 1988: Inline citation.
  11. ^ Session 18, line 2020-2022: Inline citation.
  12. ^ Session 18, line 2044: Inline citation.
  13. ^ Session 18, line 2094: Inline citation.
  14. ^ Session 18, line 2272-2276: Inline citation.
  15. ^ Session 19, line 166-170: Inline citation.
  16. ^ Session 19, line 146-148: Inline citation.
  17. ^ Session 20, line 696: Inline citation.
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