The Ways

Created by those who created the White Cities, the Waygates provided access to a world outside of reality, The Ways, which linked all Waygates together in an intricate logistical system that did not share rules of space and time with the world outside. They were rediscovered during The Destruction by a group of elves who had taken refuge in one of the cities. These elves figured out enough of out the Ways work to use them to travel between the White Cities. After weathering the worst of The Destruction, these elves journeyed out from the cities and came upon the Alantin in their Steddings. The Alantin had sheltered as many as they could from The Destruction, including many elves. Most of the elven refugees who had sheltered in Steddings joined those from the White Cities. The elves and Alantin would remain friendly until the elves' invention of the "Talismans of Growing," with which they could extend The Ways be creating new Waygates. In a gesture of thanks and recognition of their altruism the elves created Waygates linking each of the Steddings to The Ways, and gave the Alantin a Talisman of Growing to create more if needed. The Alantin were instructed to place a Talisman in locations outside a stedding where they would wish to grow Waygates, and activate the talismans via treesinging. Alantin began to grow Waygates outside all stedding, thus providing safe methods to travel unaffected by the destruction of the land. As new stedding were rediscovered after The Destruction, new Waygates were grown outside these stedding and connected to the existing network. The Ways, as they currently exist, represent a complex logistical network outside reality that link Alantin Steddings, the White Cities, and other unknown locations the elves may have chosen.
The Ways are actually alive, although no one understands or remembers how this was originally achieved. The pathways of the Ways exist as suspended platforms, bridges, and stairs. Often routes span in ways that defy logic with no visible supports. Travelers may walk for a day in the Ways and emerge hundreds of miles from their starting location in the outside world. Paths link areas known as Islands. Each island contains a navigational marker; a large obelisk covered in Druidic script called a Guiding. The Ways used to be well lit by a 'sun' set in cloudless skies, with food-bearing trees on the islands. There was grass on every pathway and all the traveled routes were beautiful in the manner that elves and Alantin loved. No evidence of these comforts now remain. The Ways also have had traps laid in them for intruders, although their effectiveness is questionable.
During the "return" of the Aomori Strix, the winged raiders stole the Talisman of Growing from the Alantin. Unable to make sense of it as the Aomori Strix were largely devoid of magical knowledge, they placed the Talisman among a veritable hoard of other magical artifacts they had acquired through similar means, and with a similar understanding of their abilities. After this the Ways began to change. Initially Alantin noticed that the light within the Ways was growing dim. Then travelers began to disappear. Eventually the light in the Ways grew so faint that the fruit-bearing trees on the islands began to die soon to be followed by all other growing things. Ogier began to fear traveling the Ways when some emerged crazed, raving about Machin Shin, the Black Wind. Eventually the Ways became utterly dark and the stone of the pathways began to pit and rot. In some places bridges and islands have collapsed completely.
Each Waygate grown by a Talisman of Growing possesses two Avendesora leaves; one on the outside matched by a second on the inside. To activate a gate, one need only move a leaf on one side of a gate to a nearby access point. Doing so will cause the Waygate to react like a living plant and the gate will open to reveal a shimmering mirror-like portal which will provide access into or out of the the Ways. It is possible to lock Waygates by removing an Avendesora leaf from one side and pairing it with its companion on the opposite side of the gate. The last Waygate known to have been grown was the gate in Stedding Tsofu, approximately 600 years before the present day. All Alantin now shun the use of Waygates and Alantin Elders have forbidden their use. In many Steddings treesingers have encouraged the growth of thickets and thorny plants in front of gates to inhibit efforts of the unwary. Those that summon the courage to enter the Ways risk death or insanity at a possible encounter with the Black Wind. Travelers must bring lamps with them and even with such devices the darkness of the Ways seems to suppress illumination. The stonework of the Ways is crumbling and some Guidings are so severely scarred as to be illegible even to those that can read Druidic script. It is possible for a traveler to become stranded if a required bridge has failed structurally. It is also feared that an unfortunate traveler might be present on a bridge during a failure. It is unknown what would happen to someone who is cast down in such a manner.

Alternative Names

The Garden of Dreams

Type

Transportation hub