Chapter 14 - Way Gate - History, Lore and Rules


Waygate history, lore and rules
In the time of the ancients when Harksheide was at its peak of success and growth, a series of Way Gates were installed into the Labyrinth to help with the movement of people and goods between levels and locations. There were 14 gates installed, 2 on each level of the Labyrinth. The Seven Greater gates were set in Chambers, and they exit in specific locations which are fixed. They were designed to ease the movement of people, goods and troops where necessary. The seven Lesser Way Gates were set in corridors and were primarily defensive in nature as they exit in random locations in the labyrinth. They were designed to confuse invading forces by sending them randomly to other locations thus splitting their forces and weakening them.

1) Way Gates can only be activated by ancient priests, or a Wizard with Battle level 3 or above.

2) Once opened they remain so until the Wizard closes them. During the time they are open monsters can pass through them.

3) Way Gates are unidirectional, enter by climbing the steps and passing through and reappear at the top of the steps and descend.

4) When they are closed spaces on the board are used for movement as normal. When they are open passing up the stairs and through the gate, transports the character immediately to its new location.
5) Refer to the Labyrinth map and the house rulebook for the locations of each Way Gate.
6) Way Gates are protected by High Elf Spearmen of The Tharan’eth Enclave – “Tharan’eth” a lost elven term for “those who endured the first sundering”. They allow only worthy people to pass through the gateway. They are NPC’s and do not get involved in fighting unless the gate is open and monsters are in the chamber.

7) To determine the exit locations of the lesser gates, use a random selection process to determine which chamber on which labyrinth level is the exit room. Lesser Way Gate exit rooms do not need to have a Way Gate in them. 

8) Greater Way Gate chambers enter through the gate, but the exit, will be another Way Gate, and always the same Way Gate be it a Greater Gate or a Lesser Gate.

9) When a Greater Gate exits at a Lesser Gate, the return journey will be randomly selected and is not predetermined.

10) Each Way Gate is protected by a trap and may have a puzzle or challenge associated with it. These are drawn as events cards in a separate deck or by using a dice random chart. (see House Rule Book)

11) Way Gate locations are secret, and warriors who know their locations must not divulge this information to other warriors unless it is pertinent to the Quest in hand

The Greater Way Gates

1) The Gate of the Whispering Iron. (Location - Chamber 21) - Forged by the forgotten artificers of Karak Hemsil, this gate hums softly with the voices of ancient dwarf engineers. Those who pass through sometimes hear mechanical secrets whispered in their ears—whether they’re blessings or curses is another matter.

2) The Pale Moon Aperture. (Location Chamber xx) - Said to be touched by the ghostlight of Morrslieb itself, this gate emits a dim, greenish glow. Legends speak of lunatic cultists who used it to commune with unknowable entities in the darkest recesses of the labyrinth.

3) The Fangcoil Portal. (Location Chamber xx) - Long ago, this gate was consecrated by the Serpent Priests of Hexoatl. Its arch is carved with writhing serpents, and the smell of jungle air wafts from the passage. Reptilian creatures are often spotted near its threshold.

4) The Hollow Flame Threshold. (Location Chamber xx) - Once used by Bright Wizards during the Age of Three Fires, this gate now holds a flickering flame that emits no heat. The flame reacts violently to deception, revealing illusions and falsehoods when passed through.

5) The Prismstone Oculus. (Location Chamber xx) - Crafted by elven masons with shards from Ulthuan, its mirrored surface fractures light into haunting, kaleidoscopic displays. Some who use the gate report glimpses of alternate versions of themselves in the reflection.

6) The Gate of a Thousand Stings. (Location Chamber xx) - Encased in brittle amber and buzzing with trapped insects, this gate pulses with motion. It once served a Skaven alchemist experimenting with hive-mind control—most who enter feel a brief connection to a communal consciousness.

7) The Siren’s Hollow. (Location Chamber xx) - A shimmering shell motif marks this gate, once hidden beneath the Sea of Claws and guarded by druchii warlocks. It sings softly to adventurers, tempting them to chase distant echoes through the depths of the maze.

The Lesser Way Gates

1) The Obsidian Maw. (Location Chamber xx) - A jagged, black-toothed arch left behind by a rogue Chaos Sorcerer. Its throat-like tunnel yawns wide, and the air inside tastes of brimstone. Veterans say it transports you to places of danger... but perhaps also of treasure.

2) The Gate of Frozen Time. (Location Chamber xx) - Encased in rune-etched ice that never melts, it was built to imprison a time-warped daemon. Every hour, the portal freezes for sixty heartbeats, during which the world seems to pause. Travel through it is possible only in those brief interludes.

3) The Radiant Spiral. (Location Chamber xx) - This gate coils like a nautilus shell, humming with Aetheric energy. Created by an ambitious Amethyst Wizard who sought to merge death and rebirth into one eternal motion. Some say stepping through briefly rewinds a traveller’s life.

4) The Gate of Sundered Sight. (Location Chamber xx) - Once a portal to a seer’s chamber in Eltharion’s court, it now clouds the vision of those unworthy. Many who travel through it report blindness or unsettling revelations about their future selves.

5) The Shifting Shard Gate. (Location Chamber xx) - A gate formed entirely of broken mirror fragments. Each reflects the traveller's inner truth—or a lie they tell themselves. It pulses with energy from the Realm of Shadows.

6) The Copper Knell. (Location Chamber xx) - Covered in tarnished bells that ring without sound, this gate resonates with unspent time. Invented by a Clockwright of Nuln who vanished mid-battle, it sometimes drops adventurers into different eras briefly.

7) The Gate of Gnarlroot. (Location Chamber xx) - Twisting branches hold this wooden arch aloft, said to be fed by blood spilled in battle. Originally grown by Dryads to protect the forest paths now buried beneath the labyrinth

Way Gate Traps and Guardians

1) Way Gates are protected by Guardians, members of the ancient order of the Tharan’eth Enclave – “Tharan’eth” a lost elven term for “those who endured the first sundering”. They speak ancient elvish tongues which only Wizards can interpret.

2) Way Gates are also protected by challenges or traps so that Warriors can prove their worthiness to travel through. (Refer to House Rule book for relevant event cards for these chambers)


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