The Story So Far
A long dormant Gateway lays in the centre of what remains of the Minbari Empire. This Gateway once connected to great cities all over Tarsonis back before the Thousand Eye War when the Minbari Empire was at the peak of its power. One by one these Gateways were destroyed, deactivated or buried to stop the enemies of the empire, those who now reside within the Shadow Lands, from using the Gateways to attack the cities from their centres.
Seventy years ago, the Emperor reactivated the great Gateway in the hopes of rekindling the trade they once had but sadly no other Gateway was connected and it seemed unlikely that any of the other Gateways would ever be repaired or unburied.
That was until a group of young apprentices studying the Gateway as part of their education activated the Gateway, which had been done many times over the years to no effect, and found a connection had been made. Now before reporting this to their tutors a few braver or more foolhardy apprentices step through. Their basic command of magic was enough for them to send back messages through the Gateway describing the ruins along a beach they found themselves standing in and the surrounding jungle.
One of the apprentices started to panic at the strangeness of all this as the area matched no known Gateway within the Minbari Empire, past or present, and so he ran back through the Gateway. Or rather he tried and the others watched in horror as the flesh was stripped from his bones and his remains rebounded back onto the beach.
The apprentices who hadn’t travelled through the Gateway then finally called their teachers.
No further travel was permitted over the next few weeks though mages from all three great universities of Minbar had been working on a way to get the Gateway working as intended, it was discovered that someone had altered the Minbari Gateway but no level of divination could determine who had done such a thing or how to allow the apprentices to return. It was over a month after the apprentices stepped through when the first signs of the Rot appeared, a malady that resisted standard magical healing but an alchemist named Hohenheim was able to produce a potion that cured the surviving apprentices, though it’s effects sadly would wear off.
It was believed that there was a source of magical interference somewhere nearby and the Emperor ordered an expedition through the Gateway to find and neutralise this interference. The expedition did not go as expected but the information brought back convinced the Emperor that this new land was worth exploring and investing time into even if no subject sent through could currently return and would be depending on regular potions created by Hohenheim as his new apprentices constantly trying to make enough.
It was awhile before a second major expedition was attempted, the mages of the Minbari Empire shrank down an entire Frigate to see if the Gateway was indeed on an island part of a peninsular. The many dangers of sailing with traditional materials was painfully highlighted but the properties of native trees would prove to be an adequate solution but the time required to harvest then craft into suitable vessels would irk the Emperor.
Not wanting to risk too many of his limited army the Emperor opened the Gateway to private enterprise and trusting that the need for a treatment for the Rot would keep settlers in order without the need for a strong military presence.
Seventy years ago, the Emperor reactivated the great Gateway in the hopes of rekindling the trade they once had but sadly no other Gateway was connected and it seemed unlikely that any of the other Gateways would ever be repaired or unburied.
That was until a group of young apprentices studying the Gateway as part of their education activated the Gateway, which had been done many times over the years to no effect, and found a connection had been made. Now before reporting this to their tutors a few braver or more foolhardy apprentices step through. Their basic command of magic was enough for them to send back messages through the Gateway describing the ruins along a beach they found themselves standing in and the surrounding jungle.
One of the apprentices started to panic at the strangeness of all this as the area matched no known Gateway within the Minbari Empire, past or present, and so he ran back through the Gateway. Or rather he tried and the others watched in horror as the flesh was stripped from his bones and his remains rebounded back onto the beach.
The apprentices who hadn’t travelled through the Gateway then finally called their teachers.
No further travel was permitted over the next few weeks though mages from all three great universities of Minbar had been working on a way to get the Gateway working as intended, it was discovered that someone had altered the Minbari Gateway but no level of divination could determine who had done such a thing or how to allow the apprentices to return. It was over a month after the apprentices stepped through when the first signs of the Rot appeared, a malady that resisted standard magical healing but an alchemist named Hohenheim was able to produce a potion that cured the surviving apprentices, though it’s effects sadly would wear off.
It was believed that there was a source of magical interference somewhere nearby and the Emperor ordered an expedition through the Gateway to find and neutralise this interference. The expedition did not go as expected but the information brought back convinced the Emperor that this new land was worth exploring and investing time into even if no subject sent through could currently return and would be depending on regular potions created by Hohenheim as his new apprentices constantly trying to make enough.
It was awhile before a second major expedition was attempted, the mages of the Minbari Empire shrank down an entire Frigate to see if the Gateway was indeed on an island part of a peninsular. The many dangers of sailing with traditional materials was painfully highlighted but the properties of native trees would prove to be an adequate solution but the time required to harvest then craft into suitable vessels would irk the Emperor.
Not wanting to risk too many of his limited army the Emperor opened the Gateway to private enterprise and trusting that the need for a treatment for the Rot would keep settlers in order without the need for a strong military presence.