Portals

Portals were magical instruments widely used in the Old Empire.

Types

There were two main types of portals:
Major Portals were large arches, made from glassy black stone, with rise of 100-150ft and span of 30-40ft, the arms were up to 10ft thick at ground level and most often thinned to few inches at the crown. While operational inside the portal there was a seamless transition to a different location in space. The portal was possible to be accessed from both sides. All major portal connected to The Hub. Every major city in the empire and most smaller ones had a Major Portal, usually on a low, stone pyramid in the middle of the settlement. These pyramids were often made from beautiful, polished stone.
Minor Portal were small arches, which were build into a wall segment, both the arch and wall were made from the same black stone as Major Portals. Minor Portals were usually 15ft tall and 4ft wide. Minor Portals were sometimes present in important establishments like fortresses, wizard studies, estates of richest elves, and many others. It is unclear where these portals led, but it is expected that most of them also connected to the Hub.

History

Portals were the main mode of travel in the Old Empire, this is the reason why there was no major road system. They were easily and freely available to all citizens and slave labor force.
During the Reckoning nearly all portals in the world were simultaneously destroyed, scattering into small fragments, currently known as Shards.
Only portals that were turned off at the time of the reckoning managed to stay intact. Only Major Portal left is entombed within Riccus Spire in Tel' Astra. Arcanists and priesthood of Riccus are conducting research with goal to understand working of Portal, Portalstone and attempting to activating the Portal itself.

The Hub

The Hub is an enormous building located somewhere within the Astral Plane. Within it are vast halls and many Portals, these portals at some point were connected to their twins in material plane. From the hub one could freely travel to any Portal in material plane, and several locations within Feywilds.
Since the Reckoning this is one of only places outside the Feywilds that has High Elf outpost, especially that portals between Feywilds and the Hub are still operational.
Hub was rediscovered by an Arcanist Mogdi Sind in 870 AR, he traveled there as a mishap during magical teleportation. He documented the layout of this place, location of corresponding major and minor Portals. He did not spot High Elf outpost there.