Infinite worlds. Infinite possibilities.
Long ago, a race of beings created a system of Gates, or portals, that enabled them access to myriad worlds in different times and different dimensions. That race is lost to memory. Only their Gates remain.
Another ancient race, the Qual, stand as guardians of the Gates. For the system has grown unstable over the millennia, and now all of space and time is threatened by their very existence. Those who stumble unwittingly upon a Gate and who are drawn through it could find themselves anywhere, at any time. But the Qual have developed a means of limited control. They hope to close enough Gates to stabilise the system.
They have developed a means whereby “wild” Gate travellers are most likely to end up in a particular place at a particular time. Some of the Qual are there, ready to receive visitors and to impart to them the terrible news that once they’ve entered the system, there is no reliable way to return home.
Those who find themselves in the Qual receiving halls are given a choice. Stay there, safe but unable to ever return home. Or accept a Qual amulet and take on the task of closing Gates. The amulet acts as a universal translator and as a guide, pointing out the nearest Gate on any given world. The amulet is also a key, locking a Gate behind a traveller when he passes through. For each such traveller there exists the tiniest hope that one day they may come across their own home world again. Or at least upon one where they can retire from their mission.
Many beings from all times, places, and species have found themselves faced with this choice. Travellers may wind up with the same group of beings, or with completely different beings, or by themselves as they travel from world to world, closing Gates behind them.
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CREATING A CHARACTER:
Each Chapter in this game will be on a different world. Characters may come and go between Chapters, although it is preferred that once you start in a particular world you see it through to the end - or at least give a good in-game reason for stopping play (your character died, or decided to settle down, or whatever).
Characters can be anything at all: from any time, any world, any species. Do try to keep characters reasonable, however. I don’t want to see anyone with god-like abilities. Since character creation is so open-ended, players should create their own set of cards.
When submitting a character, be sure to describe where you’re from and how you came across the first Gate that took you to the Qual halls. And how many worlds, if any, that you’ve visited since then.
For those who are wondering, this is based very loosely on C J Cherryh’s Morgaine saga. Knowledge of the books is not required and probably not even very helpful, since the Gate mechanism is pretty much the only thing I’ve taken from them.
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A BRIEF HISTORY:
This game is a continuation of a game that I had been running on a regular forum but which had petered out after a year and a half of play. One of the players was keen to continue, so I created the Gate Game in Storium to play out the last part of the latest world they’d been on. When you’re reading through the game so far and you’re wondering why Chapter 1 looks like it just picks up in the middle - that’s because it does.
Chapter 2 has just finished, which is the first world I’ve run for players on Storium. They have just stepped through the exit Gate on the world they visited, and are about to embark on a whole new adventure.
When I start Chapter 3, the existing travellers may well find themselves being joined by others who have taken on the Qual’s mission. Those new travellers may be fresh from the Qual halls, or they may have been travelling for some time already. If you’re creating a character for the new world, it’s up to you how much Gate experience that character has.
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NOTES ON PLAY:
I personally prefer third person past tense, but I’m not going to demand that people adhere to a particular style. If you’re more comfortable with present tense, be my guest. I strongly discourage use of first or second person, however.
Too many games have people who are very lacklustre about making posts. If you can’t commit to posting regularly then this may not be the game for you. I will be pretty ruthless about culling those who slack off. If you’re going to be away and can’t post, please make a comment so we know. If a player hasn’t posted for a while and I see no activity in the comments to explain it, they might find themselves written out.
Hosted and narrated by:
Heather Ackroyd (Heather)
Started 06/04/14.
Scenes played: 35
License: Community License
