The Empty Gate
Look ye, upon the empty gate and know that it shall guide thee, to the gate that is not empty, but stands before thine destination.
Purpose / Function
This gate was originally a ceremonial gate, used in great rituals meant to connect far places. Over time this has been forgotten, and now the regular visitors to the gate believe that it will help guide them to the place that they need to go. Located in a convenient intersection of several roads, the empty gate has many visitors pass through it every day. The pillar has inspired many local legends, some about its purported power to guide people and others about how it will sometimes steal away the people that pass through it.
Alterations
No alterations have been made to the gate itself, but several buildings have been built on its wide bases to support a small number of priests who live in worship of the gate. Travelers can easily find lodgings within the small town that surrounds the gate instead.
Architecture
The gate stands at a height that dwarfs even dragons and is made out of solid, hewn stone. Through incredible architectural design and lingering magical enhancements, the gate remains in good condition and will continue to do so for the next several centuries, at least. The gate itself is simple in its design, with a wide base for each side that rises up to meet the crossbar that straddles the distance between each pillar. This crossbar is supported by nothing other than these pillars and counterbalanced only by its own size on the outside of these pillars. There are simple carvings which stretch over the entire gate, carved as deep as an arm to prevent them from fading.
History
The creation of the empty gate is from before living memory and it has not seen its true magical power used in just as long. As long as anyone living can remember, the gate has merely stood there, empty and with a subtle sense of conveyance. The current town and priesthood that surrounds the open gate slowly came into being around 804, as people fleeing conflict and looking for a new home hoped to find some guidance.
Alternative Names
The Guiding Gate
Type
Archway / Triumphal Arch
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The idea that this place once had a very different purpose which has since been forgotten, and yet people still flock to it with their own distorted understanding of what it is for is interesting. Are there any theories on where people who are 'snatched' by the gate go?