Nexus Keys

While Realm-gates allow for the mass-transit of goods and personell from one mortal realm to another, they are highly difficult to create and maintain.
However if one only needs to open a nexus point temporarily, such as to transport at most a few people, that is much easier. It can be done either by means of a magical spell, or by a specially designed magic item; a Nexus Key.

Description

A Nexus Key is a magical item that allows travel for an individual or small group between mortal realms.
When used on a Nexus point it opens a temporary portal between that point and one in an adjacent mortal realm, allowing passage between the two.

The process of opening a passage usually takes a few minutes and requires the close attention and supervision of an experienced user to ensure the portal is stable and leads to the correct destination. Some keys allow for this process to be done hours ahead of time, allowing to be used at a moment's notice with the correct preparations.

Once the portal is open it will not last very long, remaining safely traversible for only a few seconds at most. If anything is caught in the portal at time of its closing it may lead to a variety of unpredictable result, from the object being severed cleanly in half to a sucking rift into the Astral Sea being ceated.

Finally the Nexus Key usually creates this portal by drawing on the energies of the Nexus point itself. This means for a few hours after a passage is opened, no further travel from that nexus point is possible, yet this method also leaves a clear trail as to where a traveler went.

Appearance:

A Nexus key is a magical item that can take a variety of forms, such as a gauntlet, a staff, a crystal ball or a literal key. Due to the effort and cost involved in the creation of a Nexus key, they will usually be richly adorned with precious metals and Magical Runes.

Item type

Magical