Terhikai Gates

Tears in Space

The Terhikai Gates are ruptures in the fabric of reality—persistent, stable rifts that pulse with raw magical energy. Their origins are unknown, but most scholars attribute their creation to the Ynue Rebellion, an ancient event that itself still remains a mystery, having occurred long before the first corporeals walked the earth.

These tears are not inert. They leak mana—powerful, untamed streams of magical energy that saturate the land around them, turning each site into a hotspot for magical phenomena. Spellwork behaves strangely near them, sometimes wildly amplified, other times completely unstable. For some magical disciplines, especially those dealing with teleportation, summoning, and energy manipulation, proximity to a gate offers unique opportunities.

Portals

Beyond their volatile energy, the Terhikai Gates act as portals. They are capable of connecting distant parts of the world—or even other worlds entirely. A gate may open to another gate, or to a place that defies understanding. But the mechanism is not well understood, and attempts at deliberate travel are dangerous and unreliable.

Some who pass through never return. Others come back changed, raving about strange lands, unknown civilizations, or foreign gods. These accounts, inconsistent and often fragmented, only deepen the mystery and fear surrounding the gates.

As a result, most gate travel is limited to controlled experiments, undertaken by powerful or desperate mages willing to risk madness or annihilation for the promise of knowledge.

Locations

There are seven known Terhikai Gates in the world, each unique in behavior and influence:

1. Udamna Gate – Located on the Isle of Udamna, this gate has been heavily studied and is surrounded by an entire magical academy dedicated to its research.
2. Sea Gate – On a small island in the Sea of a Thousand Isles, also surrounded by a research enclave.
3. Dark Forest Gate – Hidden deep within the Enyanian Rainforest, this gate remains unclaimed and largely unexplored due to the dangers of the region.
4. Armir Gate – Revered by the Baskythenians as a sacred site, this gate is central to many of their religious rites.
5. Naenian Gate – Discovered on the southern archipelago, this gate remains mysterious with minimal exploration completed.
6. Mystic Island Gate – Found on a small central island within the Mystic Lands, its presence has attracted attention from various magical orders.
7. Titan Gate – Located on the southern continent of Titan, this is the most recently discovered and possibly the most active.

Many believe that more gates remain hidden in remote lands, sunken ruins, or beneath the sea. If so, their discovery may help shed further light on their mysterious purpose and origin.