The Gateway

On the far western coast of Bonoloku, hidden amidst a maze of dense woodlands and creeping marsh, stands the Gateway - a mysterious portal crafted by the Old Gods. This ancient arch, tucked away on a small island, is only reachable by a twisting network of half-submerged causeways over fetid swamp water. Thick canopies of trees blot out much of the sunlight, leaving the marshy ground perpetually cloaked in shadow.   This Gateway was an elaborate trap set by the Old Gods. Using six keystones - relics of prodigious power - the Old Gods activated the portal and cleverly lured the Titans to step inside. What lay beyond was a realm from which even those colossal beings could not escape. Once the Titans were safely through, the Old Gods removed each of the six Rune Stones and scattered them across Alana, ensuring no one could ever reopen the portal.   Even today, faint traces of arcane energy ripple around the Gateway’s stone pillars, suggestive of the unimaginable power once channelled here. Local lore speaks of eerie lights at dusk and distant echoes drifting from the portal site, as if ghosts of the past still linger. While the swampy terrain discourages most travellers, a few bold adventurers come in search of the Gateway’s secrets - ignorant or unconcerned that tampering with this portal might unleash an ancient threat that was once securely sealed away.   On the inner face of the Gateway, six stone sockets have been carved with exacting precision, each one designed to hold a runestone. When all six stones are returned to their rightful places, the archway comes alive with a translucent shimmer, as if a curtain of light has been drawn across the portal. At this point, any physical being - or object - may step through, crossing from Alana’s plane into another realm entirely. Likewise, beings from that other realm can step back into Alana, bridging two worlds in a way that was meant to be impossible once the Titans were imprisoned.   The order in which the runestones are placed determines the realm on the other side of the portal. The Old Gods, wary of further chaos, engineered this mechanism to ensure that only a specific configuration would reopen the path to the Titan prison. Close scrutiny of the socket rims reveals small, engraved symbols that match the arcane markings on each runestone. These markings are more than ornamental; they convey which runestone belongs in which slot, effectively making a “lock and key” puzzle out of the Gateway. Arranging the stones in the proper alignment triggers the shimmer that connects to the Titans’ prison realm. Conversely, any incorrect sequence might result in a non-functioning portal, or - according to certain dire legends - lead to a random or unstable dimension.