Watergate

The Watergate, also known as the Whirling Gate, was a two-way portal between the Outlands and Ysgard. It was one of two gates to Ysgard that stood near the gate-town of Glorium and was the better known of the two.
==Description==
This portal appeared as a big swirling maelstrom near the mouth of the great fjord that ran by the town, a little-known tributary of the River Oceanus, swirling down into a funnel. The maelstrom was large enough that ships could sail down into it, which was necessary for traveling through it. Twice a day, the Watergate reversed itself, allowing people to come through from the other side of Ysgard and into the Outlands.
The bottom of the portal's whirlpool was a dark abyss, which plunged all travelers into darkness as they reached the threshold. This was followed by a shift in gravity, which was likely to be imperceptible to travelers due to the shaking of their ships. When the came through to the light of Ysgard the momentum it carried would propel it along a whirlpool that flowed upwards.
In traveling through the Watergate it was common for ships with sails to dismantle their mast, lashing it to the deck. A captain would then command everyone on board to tie themselves to anything anchored to the ship, such as the railing or masthead. It was also quite common for various small debris to strike a ship during its journey through the Watergate.
==History==
In the late 14 Century DR, a mercantile caravan from the city of Ravens Bluff sponsored by local Ravenian noble Lauren DeVillars traveled to Glorium by means of a color pool. Accompanying the caravan was a group of Ravenian adventurers who were on a quest to find the legendary Well of Mimir, having been instructed by the city's Ministry of Art to do so in order to learn how a powerful githyanki artifact known only as the Great Machine could be destroyed.
At the dock of Glorium the adventurers hitched a ride on a ship, either the Fyrfload or the Laughing Gull, for the price of 5 gold pieces to Ysgard proper. According to most accounts, it was the former ship that they took, and its first mate Bolger demanded the foppish among the adventurers to prove themselves worthy of taking a trip only suitable for the bold.Fyrfload is the first ship presented by the text and is written with the assumption that it's the one the adventurers end up taking, with the Laughing Gull only presented as an alternative option in case the players miss out on boarding Fyrfload. As was common, the ship's Captain Thurvald commanded everyone to tie themselves to something, tying himself and Bolger to the rudder. As the ship was thoroughly entering the maelstrom of Watergate, Thurvald spotted two long trees that had been washed away by a great storm were flowing down into the whirlpool and heading towards his ship. He tried to issue a warning, but was drowned out by the sound of the whirlpool's rushing water. According to some accounts the adventurers managed to repel them, possibly with a wall of force or wall of iron, though whether or not the trees struck it Fyrfload made it through the Watergate intact. According to accounts where the ship was damaged, it managed to hold until landfall. Once landfall was made Captain Thurvald conducted an elaborate ceremony in which he placed a brass medallion upon the carved belt of the ship's figurehead to commemorate a successful and safe passage through the Watergate.
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Category:Portals
Category:Locations in the Outlands
Category:Locations in Ysgard