Horizon's Gate

Horizon's Gate is the only gate from Vag Daroh that opens up in the peaks above it instead of at the base of the mountains, opening instead near High Perch. It serves as entrance to Undermount for most Aarakocras, including those trading from the city. The thick doors also prevent the cold of the peaks's winds to enter the tunnels leading to the heart of the underground city, while its construction as a whole is a work of genius formed from the collaborative work of many races.

Appearance

Incredibly tall, even by either neighbouring races' standards, the gate itself is carved from stone and bordered with intricately forged metal, some of it gilded. Adorned in simple abstract engravings, clearly dwarven in design, the doors themselves are not, however, the most impressive part of the artistry surrounding the landmark.
Indeed, the gates are framed by sculpture of lifelike beasts, such as griffins and dragons. The various materials used to carve the beasts in demonstrate the versatility of dwarven sculptors. Much more than mere bas relief, they jump out at the visitors coming from the outside. On the inside, it is the walls of the tunnel going down from the door that seem ready to pounce on the visitor.
Finally, the door is topped by a glowing sphere of magma, tamed by magic to safeguard the gate, faintly glowing even in the night to guide travellers. Some more flowing magma, similarly contained, flows between the areas between the creatures, further enhancing the visual effects of the light playing through the sculptures. Fascinating and magnificent are two words frequently used to describe it, impressive and terrifying are two others, particularly coming from people who saw the shadows cast by the statues into a raging storm, as are frequent up in the peaks.

Mechanism

Obviously, doors that are made of stone, partially covered in metal, about a foot thick and over 40 feet tall are impossible to simply open by hand. Thankfully, Gnomes have also taken part in the design of the whole thing, helped by Aarakocras to set up the mechanism higher up in the air. Through a complex system of weight, pulleys, gears and enchanting runes, provided by the knowledge of the Elves, the doors can easily be opened despite their weight. The doors can however be effectively locked against the elements or should anything warrant their closure by simply unhooking a metal rod from the door from inside the mechanism, away from prying eyes.

Why "Horizon Door"?

The name of the gate linking the mountains near High Perch to Val Daroh is inspired by the very comparison between these two cities. Same as the horizon is the line splitting land and sky appart, Horizon's Gate is the limit between the world of the claustrophobic Aarakocras, always flying up in the sky, and the underground realm of the Dwarves.