Gate Pass

The Free City-state of Gate Pass lies in a rocky mountain pass that runs east to west between Ragesia and Shahalesti. Sheer cliffs mark its northern and southern borders, and fortifications built up over centuries have made the city highly defensible, allowing it to avoid being annexed by either of the nations that surround it. These same fortifications, unfortunately, make it difficult for anyone to sneak out of the city without going through any of the numerous gates that give the city its name.
Though the city’s borders to north and south are tightly limited—less than a mile wide at the widest point—the mountain pass is nearly twenty miles long, giving the city a lot of room to grow eastward and westward. The older districts of the city lie in the center of the pass, with different eras of development sprawling out gradually in both directions. Additionally, various small farms and ranches dot the mountains around the city proper, though these people are generally hostile to foreigners and relatively well-armed. Gate Pass has only been conquered once, and its citizens managed to drive out the invaders and regain their freedom, so many of the farmers and ranchers view themselves as the first line of defense for their city.

Traditions and Culture

The city’s architecture tends to multistory buildings with bridges between roofs, creating thousands of “gateways” along roads and alleys. Even in poorer districts, buildings are usually at least two stories tall. Many merchants, made wealthy from the traffic that passes through the city, own vast ranges of adjacent buildings, all of them connected with high bridges. An expression of the city—“a coin for every gate”—both refers to the wealth of the city, and serves as a warning to visitors to avoid poorer areas where buildings lie unconnected.
A broad, twenty-foot-wide thoroughfare called the Emelk Way runs the length of the city, interrupted only by the district walls every half mile or so. The city’s natural landscape rises in the center to a broad hill called Summer’s Bluff. In addition to being home to dozens of gated estates for the city’s politicians and rich merchants, Summer’s Bluff is the site of the city’s grand square, where various annual holidays are celebrated. The grand square can easily hold several thousand people, and it is dotted with dozens of small groves, statues, and ornamental gate arches, with staircases people can climb to get a better view. In the center of the grand square is a high stone dais, its surface carved in a massive relief that depicts several local legends.
The rest of the city consists of various districts of skilled workers, common housing, warehouses and businesses, and slums. Each district has representation in the city government. By city ordinance, every fourth district must contain a park at least a quarter mile to a side, though entrance to these typically requires payment of a few coppers.
The city grew outward from its central districts, with a new district and new outer wall springing up every few decades or so. Because of this, it is possible to see the changing styles of construction and defense over the centuries of the city’s existence, like reading the rings of a tree. In older districts, built before the development of the city’s underground sewer system, countless reservoirs and aqueducts rise above the rooftops, designed to catch rainwater and direct sewage to dumps outside the city. The current sewers flow into an underground river before being swept into endless, uncharted caves.
In the past century, clerics have blessed the gates of new districts in expensive rituals, and a tradition has developed for respected citizens to be buried in the sanctified ground near the gate of their district. Most graveyards, however, lie outside the city, either fenced in atop hills, or in gated crypts.

DISTRICTS, WALLS, AND GATES

The city is segmented into fourteen districts, each slightly more than a half-mile in length. They are separated by 30-foot-high, 6-foot-thick walls that stretch from north to south. The tops of the walls sport metal grates sticking out sideways 5 feet in each direction. City ordinance forbids any rooftop within 10 feet of a wall, though the city has a few stories about industrious thieves using massive ladders to traverse the city for twilight heists carried out in the wealthier districts.
Each district wall has a gate, a pair of reinforced wooden doors each 20 feet high and 8 feet wide, which remain open during the day but close at sunset. A small steel access door can be opened to allow individuals to pass through at night, but vehicles and beasts of burden are almost never allowed through between sunset and dawn. A small guardhouse, large enough to comfortably hold eight soldiers, overlooks the gate with arrow slits and murder holes. More guards typically watch the ground level by day.
Passing between districts is relatively easy if one takes the main thoroughfare during the day, though guards are known to perform random inspections. The High District, in the center of the city, is much more heavily guarded: typically twice the usual number of guards is on hand, and those guards have orders to randomly inspect someone every few minutes (especially those who look like outsiders).
The northern and southern borders of the city typically have walls built from the natural cliffs, averaging 40 feet tall. Each district on the edge of the city usually has a gate either to the north or south, and a wide swath of clear land on the outer side of the wall makes the approach easy to see. These walls are only a token defense, since a devoted military press could easily overwhelm them, but normally the city relies on the fact that approaching the city through the mountains is slow and treacherous.
Only a handful of districts have gates that lead to actual roads, and most of these are used for deliveries by farmers and miners. Each day groups of Gate Pass soldiers patrol the northern and southern borders, looking for signs of illegal passage and occasionally apprehending criminals who try to hide in the craggy hills.
Most traffic passes through the easternmost and westernmost districts, which have major gates that lead out of the city to Shahalesti and Ragesia respectively. These gates are much more heavily guarded: the exits have two sets of doors with a wide kill zone between them, and city taxes pay for a variety of magical defenses on the gates. In a few districts are found smaller walled areas populated predominantly by a single race. Most common of these ghettos are those of the elves, who tend to shun outsiders. Elvish ghettos are renowned for having no visible entrances through their walls— all the doors are secret, which elves can intuitively notice.

CITY HISTORY AND MYTHS

Gate Pass has the distinction of being the only city to successfully drive out occupation by the Ragesian Empire. Forty years ago, Emperor Coaltongue defeated the city’s army, set up a military government, and erected a 90-foot-tall statue of himself in the grand square on Summer’s Bluff before moving on to his next conquest. For two years, citizens waged an insurgency against the occupying army, until finally Coaltongue decided the city wasn’t worth the loss of men.
Shahalesti and Ragesia, once allies, were approaching open war, and Coaltongue declared that he would withdraw from Gate Pass if Shaaladel, Lord of the Shahalesti, agreed to leave the city as a neutral buffer between their two nations. The elves agreed, the city celebrated its victory, and trade between the two nations began to flow. The city still sports numerous indications of the occupation, and many citizens purchase busts or paintings of the aged emperor, as if both to mock the Ragesians for their failure and to respect Coaltongue’s wisdom in deciding to leave their city alone. Even the emperor’s statue remains; it is decorated and painted gaudily on various holidays.
Because of his name, Drakus Coaltongue is often associated with a myth that is native to Gate Pass and Ragesia, that of the Dragon and the Eagle. A series of myths tell of an ancient time when the lands that are now Ragesia and its neighbors were the domain of four elemental spirits—the Tidereaver Kraken, the Worldshaper Worm, the Flamebringer Dragon, and the Stormchaser Eagle, and these four beings are common motifs in the art and architecture of Gate Pass (as well as in Ragesia).
A few other major myths of the region include The Wavering Maiden, The Trilling Stone, and The Aquiline Heart.

ORCS AND HALF-ORCS

Gate Pass freely accepts orcs as citizens, in stark contrast to most other human settlements, and many have adapted well to the civilized life that is so different from their tribal culture.
Gate Pass is also widely known as a haven for half-orcs, and many come to the city to find their identity. In the formative years of the city, the half-orcs’ origins were hotly debated and both orcs and humans questioned their standing. For humans, half-orc signaled a lesser breed, and became a pejorative phrase. The orcs, however, saw an increase in their influence and power and elevated the odd race. The divisions between all three races were wide, but in the earlier battles for Gate Pass, the half-orcs fought and bled like the rest and the walls of prejudice fell quickly. Today, there is little prejudice and the half-orc population enjoys an equal stand amongst the humans and orcs.

POWER GROUPS

City Council
The government of Gate Pass is a council of representatives from each of the districts, with a city governor chosen every ten years. Many different groups hold sway with the government, ranging from citizen groups to wealthy merchants to religious and military groups.
One of the more colorful characters in the council is Erdan Menash, a former merchant and tailor who used to sell well-crafted but horribly unfashionable gear to adventurers, with the goal of making sure everyone knew he was the one sponsoring their heroism. His personal manor is painted vivid green, yellow, and purple.
The current governor is Merrick Hurt, a half-orc who has kept relationships with Ragesia warm in the past, though many worry he will be too agreeable to demands by the new ruler of Ragesia. Rumors say that he bitterly loathes elves and has a vast lexicon of insults for them, a vice that relatively few in the city worry about.
Gabal's School of War 
Eralore Hall of Illimitable Arcane 
The Military
While the Gate Pass military answers to the city council, their opinion carries great weight given how much attention the city pays to its defense. Unlike most militaries, they are not trained for large open field combat, but rather for the defense of the city, taking advantage of enclosed terrain. Commander Harmand Fletcher, a veteran of the rebellion against Ragesia, recently retired from leader of the armed forces, replaced by Brant Sawman, who if anything is almost more gruff and brooding than his predecessor.
A small unit of twenty griffon riders serve to patrol the far reaches of Gate Pass’s domain, but otherwise the city has little in the way of a cavalry tradition.
The Temples
The religious community of Gate Pass is diverse, owing to the interaction of cultures flowing through the city. Eight major temples represent the religious core of the community, and though each religion has its own interests, they share common ground through the annual Festival of Dreams, during which the temples all briefly work to provide for the greater good. Numerous temples of smaller religions dot the city, and though they lack the same sway as the major eight, they still put a lot of effort into New Year’s festivities.
Thieves' Guild
Everyone knows that thieves operate in the city, often with the aid of bribed councilmen who turn blind eyes. The thieves tend to prey on wealthy merchants, especially foreigners, and so many commoners view them favorably.
One particularly well-known rogue is a dashing scoundrel named Rantle. He came to fame because of an elaborate confidence game to steal from a female merchant. One night when his scam was near fruition, he was with the merchant when she was attacked by a trio of common thugs who intended to have their way with the woman. Rantle fought them off, then stayed around to protect her while the city guard arrived, even though he knew he would be recognized and arrested. Public support for his heroism got him pardoned, and many people have begun calling for him to join the city council.
Of course, the merchants of the city still don’t like being victimized. It is said the clientele of One-to-Go, a tavern in one of Gate Pass’s slums, is composed entirely of former thieves who have lost a hand as punishment for stealing.
The Resistance
Devoted to keeping the city of Gate Pass free from the rule of both Ragesia and Shahalesti, the resistance includes a huge variety of people from the many nations that have a vested interest in keeping the current balance of power. Mostly they work to bolster pride among the citizens of Gate Pass, though occasionally a spy is turned over to the authorities by unknown persons, and the resistance is credited with the capture. Many farmers and ranchers who live in the mountains surrounding the city claim to have spoken to members of the resistance, who encouraged them to be prepared to fight to defend their lands.

Other Locations

Haddin Ja-Laffa's Farm 
Erdan Menash's Manor 

THE FESTIVAL OF DREAMS

Gate Pass has its share of holidays; the most prominent is the Festival of Dreams, a holy day observed by all of the city’s major temples on New Year’s Day. Parades march from either end of the city, stopping at the grand square on Summer’s Bluff just before sunset for a ceremony in which the high priests of each of eight different temples “offer up the dreams of the people.”
Each citizen is encouraged to write a prayer or hope on a slip of paper and place it in a small clay urn, which the city produces by the thousands every year. People deliver their urns to Summer’s Bluff in the days leading up to the festival. During the festival, each high priest chooses one urn, breaks it open, and reads the prayer held within. If deemed a worthy wish, the priest pledges to fulfill that dream if possible during the next year. Selfish requests are frowned upon, and often the city takes great glee in perverting the words of selfish prayers, fulfilling the adage “be careful what you wish for.”
The rest of the urns are left in the center of the square, and citizens are encouraged to pick one up and try to fulfill someone else’s wish. The morning after the festival, those left unopened are carted en masse to the countless small caves that dot the cliffs around the city, where they are buried. Many folk tales involve stories of these buried dreams coming to life and bringing good fortune, though most adults of the city view these as merely superstition. However, because the festival takes place in winter, it is considered bad luck if none of the eight wishes read aloud wishes for spring to come.

Demographics

Mostly human. A sizeable orc and half-orc population represents about 20% of the city. A small elven refugee population is the only other significant group, with half-elves, dwarves, and gnomes filling out the rest.

Government

A half-orc named Merrick Hurt is the city’s governor. He presides over a city council represented by individuals from each ward and district in the city. The council is responsible for managing the military, commerce, and public projects. According to most of the populace, the council is largely ineffectual and is easily swayed by citizen groups, wealthy merchants, religious concerns, and military groups.

Defences

Numbering close to two thousand, the guards also act as constables. Most guards are responsible for watching the gates and kill zones around the city. A small unit of twenty griffon riders patrols the farms in the outlying area and represents the only cavalry.

Infrastructure

Inns are most often found at the outermost districts of the city with the exception of a few around the grand square. The quality of accommodations lessens the farther away the inn is from the Emelk Way. Famous locations: Dassen Arms (5 stars, the best) ; Griffon Suites (4 stars) ; Mannish Inn (2-star) ; Harrigan’s Inn (1 star) .
Some well-known taverns are Flaming Forest Alehouse (5 stars) ; Seaquen’s Spirits (3 stars) ; Poison Apple Pub (2-star) ; One-to-Go tavern (1 star) .
Supplies: Two-Winds Trading; Menash’s Provisions; Adventurer’s Trove.

Maps

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  Gate Pass

  City-state of Gate Pass

Founding Date

Reinstated as neutral territory between Ragesia and Shahalesti in 38 BtS

Type

City

Population

17,000 with another 2,000 or so living in the countryside and upper mountain slopes within a few miles of the main gates

Related Reports (Primary)

• E1 - A Very Warm Welcome
• E2 - Deception at the Depository
• E3 - Mercy and Fireballs
• E4 - Rats, Badgers, & Imps
• E5 - Leaving Town
• E6 - Magic, Money, & Mages

People of Interest:

• Merrick Hunt - Governor
• Erdan Menash - former merchant; now on city council
• Gabal - Leader of school of war
• Harmand Fletcher - former leader of armed forces
• Brant Sawman - current leader of armed forces
• Tench Marber - former head priest of the Mercineum
• Shakur Biggs - head priest of the Bacchanal
• Gratanus Helicomb - President of the Eralore Hall
• Rantle - well-known rogue of good rapport