Cold Gates

*"How many do you think I see go into that city? How many do you think I've seen come back out?"* - Black Knight.

The Cold Gates is a place where snow reigns, it has long been abandonned but it was once a place that was important, where people would live and pray for the Angels that came from the sky. It is unclear when the snow started here, but the habitants used to pray to the Temple for it to be over, but it never stopped.

This area is the most complex and most dangerous so far as this city used to go far into the sky, the player will have to go through multiple layouts of the city and they might encouter potential threats during their journey.

# Broken Bridge

Bodies here can be searched for some Gold and a  Recovery Potion , with enough  Awareness a piece of  Amber can be found as well. Further inspection of the bodies will make the player lose  sanity each time.

# Shattered Edge

From the Shattered edge, a rappel can be placed to the Ruined City for easy access, two  Climbing ropes will be needed. They can be picked up at any moment from the Shattered Edge.

# Old Shack

With enough  Awareness, the player may find a puzzle hidden in the bookshelves :

Completing the puzzle will let the player slide the bookshelves to open a door where they will find 20 Gold and a  Soul Stone also rewarding the player 25  Experience.

# Hidden Nook

The Thin Man story is quite similar the Ederly Villager in Misted Harbor, his wife and two children went outside to the  **Final Place of Worship** in order to pray for missing people but the more people went to pray the more went missing. The man is waiting for their return with enough food if they are hungry. The man says that the doors of the Temple are closed and never open anymore, there is a possibility he went to find them and returned empty-handed but still hoping they could return one day.

Asking for some food will bring up multiple dialogues :

* First time asking for food will be free and will give 5  Experience and  Jerky Bit that can restore 3  Energy.
* The second time, the player will need to give 15 Gold, 5  Experience and  Jerky that can restore 5  Energy.
* The third time, the player will need to give a weapon, the inventory will open and the items that can be traded will be highlighted, 10  Experience and  Jerky that can restore 5  Energy.
* The fourth time, the player will need to give a jewelry for his wife, 20  Experience and  Jerky Slab that can restore 10  Energy.

The Thin Man can be attacked but during combat he won't move or attack and will always pass his turn, the player can retreat from the combat without any consequences. The man is the weakest 'enemy' in the game, only having 1 HP and dying in 1 hit from most weapons.
When defeated, 1  Experience will be granted to the player and the food will be available to the player recovering any items or gold given to him as well, the food count of the man will always be the same:

* 3  Jerky Bits
* 3  Jerky
* 1  Jerky Slab

If the player decides to return to the man after finding the bodies in the Final Place of Worship, the man will stop any movement, upon leaving the house and coming back, the man will be found dead, the player will then be able to take any food is currently left along with the gold and items they may have given to the man.

# **Ruined City**

## **Silent Witch**

* The First Encounter

Though she can't speak, the  Witch will try to direct you in a specific location, she indicates that the bridgeway is where the player should go. She will also indicate the Offering Table or the houses above the Ruined City, finishing all dialogues with the  Witch will give the player 15  Experience.

* Offering to the Table

After giving 80 Gold to the Offering Table, the  Witch will be able to talk and tell you a story about the **Ruined City**. The City used to be a prosperous city, where people worked hard to make it a place for everyone. The Sky Children then came to this city, asked people for *their time*, *their worship* and *belongings* in return of **fake promises and corruption**. The Witch hunted those beasts because only she could understand what they were doing.

She says that the  Sky Sire is not a real Sky Children, that he only **mimics them by using their magics as he wanted their glory**. He became a *God-King* and demanded more and more to the city. The  Witch stabbed him with a **rot** that turned the magic against him. The  Sky Sire managed to throw the Witch off the Bridge but she didn't die, he proceded to *torture her, freeze her, steal her voice and her magic*.

She then asks the player to slay the  Sky Sire for her and the people who once lived in the City.

* Attacking the Witch

If the player decides to kill the  Witch, they will enter battle, defeating the  Witch will grant the player 50  Experience, when going back to the  Sky Sire, they'll give the  Angel's Eye to the player making the path to the Great Temple accessible.

## **Offering Table**

The Offering Table is set on top of an altar made with elegant stone showing the importance for the people who built it. On the Offering Table lays the gold of past travelers as well as a ruby.
By offering Gold you will be rewarded :

* 20 Gold :  Recovery Potion + 10  Experience
* 50 Gold : The Elevator can now be used (giving 30  Experience when first going there) + 20  Experience
* 80 Gold : The Witch will come to you, able to speak from the Gold you offered, telling to come see her so she could tell a story + 30  Experience

Another way to complete the Offering Table is to put the  Stone Egg from the Monument of the Egg, giving all of the rewards listed before. This can be done after giving the gold to the Offering Table, any Gold offered to the table will then be retrieved after giving the  Stone Egg.

The Offering Table will then be unusable. Even if you don't satisfy the table's needs, after killing the Sky Sire, the table will be locked from further interactions.

The player can steal the gold from the Offering Table, gaining the  Red Ruby but the  Witch will come and attack them, this action cannot be undone and the  Witch will need to be killed. The  Stone Egg can't be used if the Gold was stolen.

## **Houses**

Houses in the Ruined City may be searched for potential loots, the player will find some useful items and weapons here :

* First search in a mansion
	+ Small Paiting
	+ Climbing Rope
		- With enough  Awareness, the player will also find a  Ruby Ring

* Second search in a blacksmith shop
	+ 6-8~ Gold
	+ A  Forest Axe
		- With enough  Awareness, the player will also find an  Old Longbow

## **Great Temple/Final Place of Worship**

50  Experience will be granted after unlocking the door with the  Angel's Eye (that will be destroyed upon use) or with the  Ghost Scythe obtained from the  Lady of the Well, which will drop on the ground after unlocking the door.

The player will also find the bodies of the wife and children of the  Thin Man in the Hidden Nook next to the Silent Market, going back to his house and telling him that the bodies are in the temple will make the man end his life. The player can then steal any food left if they really want to, getting back any items they may have given to the man.

# Rooftop Market

The Stands here can be searched for a  Glass Pot showing the figure of a Sky Children

# Intermediary

The Intermediary is a place that can help the player go from the Sky Terrace to the highest point of the Cold Gates, serving as a better way of going up there than the City Overpass. The path will be unlocked when the player visits the Intermediary from the Bridgeway Ruin.

# City Overpass

One of the many ways of entering the Bridgeway Ruin to visit the Wounded Sky Sire, though this path can be quite dangerous as the player may fall to the Ruined City if the  agility is not high enough, losing 4  health every time. The Skill  Cat Step will reduce this damage by 2.

# Wounded Sky Sire

Next to the Bridgeway Ruin, the player will find a wounded creature, the wound still bleeding and looking infected. The creature presents itself as a  Sky Child, more specifically as the  Sky Sire. He mentions that the wound was done by the Witch at the Ruined City and asks the player to kill her so he could rest. Upon finishing the dialogue with the Sky Sire, the player will gain 15  Experience

* Attacking the Sky Sire

The Sky Sire may be attacked, entering battle, if the player satisfied the offering table needs and listened to the Witch's story, they will gain a buff to resist attacks from the Sky Sire. Agreeing to kill the Witch but still attacking the Sky Sire will give the player a buff giving them an additional turn at the start of combat as they will be taken by surprise. Upon killing the Sky Sire, 50  Experience will be given to the player and the  Angel's Eye will be available, being the key for the door of the Great Temple in the Ruined City next to the Witch.

* Attacking the Witch

If the player decides to kill the Witch, they'll need to go the Ruined City and defeat her. Killing her Witch will grant the player 50  Experience and, when going back to the Sky Sire, they'll give the  Angel's Eye to the player making the path to the Great Temple accessible.

# White Walkway

Here the player will find a porcelain white staircase, this is presumably the highest point of the Cold Gates where even the fog cannot reach

* Going forwards 2-3 times and going back will make the player lose 1  sanity.
* Going forwards 4 times and going back will make the player lose 2  sanity.
* Going forwards 5 times and going back will make the player lose 3  sanity.

Any further attempt at going forward and never going back will just end the game, the destiny of the player is still unknown though it may seem they are going to a pseudo-heaven as a white gate is reffered when looking up.

# **Stone Watchers**

When giving the  Stone Egg from the Monument of the Egg to the Offering table, the statues will move and will now stare at a sigil on the ground which is a puzzle, the most complex so far :

60  Experience will be granted for completing the puzzle as well as clearing a way to a  Bag of 45 Gold. The Statues will disappear.

# Monument of the Egg

With enough  Intelligence, the player will see a puzzle :

Completing the puzzle will grant the player 25  Experience and a  Stone Egg that can be used for the Offering Table in many ways.

# The Well

Coming close to the Well, the player will hear a distant voice coming from the well telling them to approach, a body lies on the well with a letter with a message written with blood : *"DON'T OPe..."*.

To go down the well the player will need at least 1  Climbing Rope, climbing back up to the surface will make the player lose 1  energy each time.

Entering the Sanctuary will reward the player 15  Experience, here the player may search the old clothes, they will find Gold and  Warm Clothes.

When going to see the woman, the player may ask multiple questions about the place and herself, the more questions asked will make the woman go faster on the rocking chair. After choosing to open the curtain, the player may decide to leave, the woman will then grab the player's arm and the player will lose 3  health and 1  sanity. Fully opening the curtain will make the room pitch black and the  Lady of the Well will go out of the Well, the player will lose 1  sanity.