Mashiqi Gates

The Mashiqi Gates is a large mountain pass in the Blinding Cliffs that connect the higher elevated Mashiq to the Marrow Desert and the greater Nakhae Basin. At its widest extent, the pass measures a little under two thousand feet across, making it easily the widest natural pass in the Blinding Cliffs. It is known for its dramatic vistas, breathtaking buttes, and large rock formations on either side, which make circumnavigation difficult in the immediate area. The Mashiqi Gates have been used as a corridor by beasts and mortals since The Mithril Era, and as such have been an important thoroughfare throughout history.
The Mashiqi Gates contains a number of imposing buttes; freestanding granite and sandstone rock formations that seem to watch over the landscape. Most of them have been given names by the locals such as the Old Man, the Widow, the Bull, and the Twin Arches. Two famous buttes, the Clubfoot and the Lovers, have fallen over the centuries and are the only major obstacles in the pass.
During Palladian Era, several rock outcroppings on either side of the Mashiqi Gates were carved into fortified citadels. These were used to regulate trade between the Mashiq and the Marrow and survived for some six centuries until they were destroyed in 14 SE by the Qartagonian as part of their revolt and conquest of the Mashiq. When the Qartagonians controlled the region, the pass remained largely unguarded. Following the First Pilgrim War and the ouster of the Qartagonians, the new Pilgrim rulers of Alameen constructed several fortifications in the vicinity, including a large castle that commanded the valley pass known as Vaux Mosiris.
In 361 SE, the Qartagonian Emirates again called forth the Grand Army of the Dragon to wage war against the Pilgrim States and attempt to retake the Mashiq. As part of this effort, Sultana Safaar Qosaariya eld-Sadek attacked the Mashiqi Gates and its primary fortification, Vaux Mosiris. The castle was taken by wyvernier in early 362 SE, allowing the Grand Army of the Dragon to march through the Gates shortly after. Since then, the Mashiqi Gates have remained firmly under Qartagonian control.

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A view of the Gates from the Marrow entrance.

Alternative Name(s)

The Desert's Door

Type

Mountain Pass

Location under

Blinding Cliffs

Owning Organization

Qartagonian Emirates

Contested By

• Principality of Alameen