The Wayfare Gates
The Wayfare Gates are colossal magical portals that link the world of Dimitrius to it’s twin world of Escada. The gates are situated around the worlds in no discernable pattern, and each gate is named after one of the gods in the Balanced Pantheon. For 27 days and 16 hours each month, the area surrounding the gates are quiet and serene. But for 8 hours, the gates are a focal point of magical energy that rends the fabric of reality.
The gates only work when Lorinar passes directly between the Twin Worlds. This event occurs every 28 days, and lasts 8 hours. During those 8 hours, the locations where Gates exist spark and erupt in magic energy. A great circular portal appears in the sky, like a giant disk half-wedged into the ground. It appears as a great cloud of swirling smoke and energy, swirling on a central axis. Anyone entering the portal is pulled through to the other world. At most locations, this is a very convenient way of travel. A caravan of supplies and merchants can wait at one gate, then pass through to the other world once the portal appears. However, there is one gate that can be tricky to utilize; the Kahel Gate. On Escada, the gate rests on dry land, in the middle of the continent. On Dimitrius, the gate sits firmly in the Giir Ocean, hundreds of miles from any coastline. There are usually a few ships in the area of the Kahel gate in case anyone or anything tries to come through. However its not a certainty, and many treasures and lives have been lost when someone travelled through expecting a ship to be waiting for them on Dimitrus, and finding nothing but the open sea.
Some countries have attempted to tax travel through the gates. Anyone passing through or emerging may find themselves under guard by soldiers demanding a toll to travellers on their lands. However in at least one case, travellers through the Kavalon gate were surprised when they emerged to find the soldiers guarding the toll road slaughtered to the man, and the toll house ablaze. When the local baron rebuilt the toll house, both the toll house and his own residence were mysteriously destroyed by fire, the guards killed, and the baron no where to be found. To this day no one has claimed responsibility for the act, and the toll house has not been rebuilt by the new baron.
As an interesting side note, the Linked Portal ritual, one that allows travelers to create a magic circle and teleport to another circle, is greatly affected by the alignment of the Twin Worlds and Lorinar. When the moon is aligned, the ritual can work as normal to allow transport between the Twin Worlds. When not in alignment, the ritual only works when cast by a powerfully skilled ritualist, or by a great number of assistants, and even then only lasts for a scant moment. The Wayfarers Guild can usually perform the ritual for twice the usual fee, and needs 2 days to gather the number of ritualists needed. They charge ten times the usual fee if the customer needs it done sooner.