Theriath is a theoretical nation or empire from before recorded time, populated by an unknown people. The only evidence such a nation existed is the presence of ruins found throughout the continent, all with similar architecture, style and artwork. There is no record of the builders, and despite being so widespread, too little remains of the ruins to even guess at what their civilization must have been like. All that is known is that all the ruins, be it a collapsed building on a hill, or a group of standing stones in the middle of the wilderness, were present on the continent before the dwarves fell from the sky or the elves were brought to Riadus by Triceal.
Therean Gates
While there exist several significant Therean monuments, perhaps the most well known are the Gates. Each Gate is distinct, but all have the same general features: a semi-circle of stone which stands apart from other structures. Most have a prominent keystone which bears indecipherable runes. Most of these Gates lie in ruins, but a rare few appear completely intact and a handful are known to be operational, capable of opening portals to other Gates spread across Riadus.
Most Therean Gates operate by performing a short ritual using a special key, an object which must be present to open a portal. How these keys work is highly inconsistent, with some requiring those traveling through the gate to carry the key with them, while others simply need the key present. Some Gates seemingly need no key. Some keys allow portals to be opened anywhere the Gate has access to while some Gates require a different key for each destination. Returning is also inconsistent, as a traveler usually requires a key to once again open a portal back home, which may require the same or a different key than what was used before.
Notable Therean Gates
The Founders Arch in Seph is said to be built by the sorcerers who placed the magnificent city of the mages in the sky, but as the Gate itself so closely resembles other Therean Gates this is likely no more than propaganda to promote the power of the nation’s leaders. The Founders Arch is able to open portals to a similar Gate on the island below the city, Bridgegate in southeastern Eastland and Makai no Mon gate in Nysaido.
The Seventh Arch is part of a group of Therean Gates located in the eponymously named village of Sevenarches in southern Canthelon. No one but the Oakwarden druids who guard the Gate know where it leads or if it even functions.
Groapa Mortilor is an ancient grave site located within the Shudderwood of Versona. Now abandoned, these Therean ruins were used as a burial site hundreds of years ago until an unknown magic started raising the dead as zombies and ghouls. Deep in the ruins is a Gate that opens to the Frostgate in northern Lethler, though its key was lost generations ago during the Riss expansion.
Bridgegate is located in the southernmost reaches of the Broken Kingdoms, and like the fractured territory it resides in, the Gate is similarly erratic. It functions utilizing virtually any ancient artifact as a Key, though when (and if) it opens, the destination is always random, often appearing into an area without a corresponding gate.
Makai no Mon is a Gate that lies deep in the Majomori forest of Nysaido. The forest is said to be haunted and is known to be home to many monsters, most of them supernatural. The Gate is able to provide a portal to and from the Founders Arch in Seph, but the Nysaido side is perpetually blocked by a magical barrier placed by the elves to prevent it from being used as a potential point of entry during an invasion.
Frostgate is located near the northern most tip of Lether, providing a convenient marker indicating where the ice shelf of the Boreal Ice begins. It is rumored to be capable of opening a portal to Groapa Mortilor as well as a Gate located somewhere in southern Veslir on the Southern Continent. Its key is permanently frozen to its keystone, but the ritual to activate it died with a tribe of Nulak who were wiped out by orc raiders.
