Map of Gate

Here is a map and description of Gate for the Erimia Campaign. This small community of those soldiers (mostly Replicants) who guard and maintain the small gate of the city and those merchants that sell the soldiers their wares serves as the launching point for adventurers into the wilderness.

1. Gate to the City.
Made of solid iron, it is lifted using a winch operated from the towers on either side of the gate.
2. Towers.
These are manned 24 hours a day. There will always be a minimum of two soldiers in each tower. In times of high alert, this number will be increased to as many as five.
3. Century HQ.
The military of Ipolis is organized into units of 100 soldiers, each known as a Century. The unit stationed in Gate has the sole duty of guarding the gate to the city. Known by various names, such as the Flaming Swords, the Cherubic Century, and the 100 Angels, their unit symbol is a flaming sword (Genesis 4:24). Every soldier in the Century must be celibate. The priorities of the unit do not allow for a proper raising of a family. Thus, when a soldier wishes to marry, he must transfer to a different unit or retire. This gives Gate (especially under the spiritual leadership of Fr. Gerasimos) a very monastic feel. NPCs in Gate will have a love/hate attitude towards adventurers. They will greatly admire and respect anyone who goes out to fight Chaos on its own turf. However, they will be wary of them at the same time — adventurers are constantly scrutinized for when (not if) they fall under the influence of the Chaos they fight.
4. General Store/Supply Depot.
Burok, the Signifier of the Flaming Swords, comes from a merchant family led by his elder brother. They are going through a difficult time, economically, and is being pressured to use his position to bring some cash flow to the family. He's honest when he can, but is not above the occasional cheat.
Signifier Burok Thief Lvl 4 Lawful S10 I10 W6 D13 C11 Ch9 HP 17
5. Herbalist.
The one citizen of Gate that ventures outside the city walls on a semi-regular basis is the Herbalist Eamon. An elf and a former soldier, he is interested to see if he can use the strange plants in the wilderness to do good. He has a wide selection of potions and herbal treatments for all kinds of ailments.
Eamon Elf Lvl 7 Lawful S10 I17 W9 D13 C7 Ch9 HP 32
5a. Magic-User's Home.
6. Officer's Quarters.
The Flaming Swords are commanded by the Centurion Blaise. He is a confident man, obsessed with history and his place in it. His second in command, the Optio Zilas, is a staunch conservative who uses all the influence he can to maintain the status-quo.
Centurion Blaise Replicant Lvl 9 Lawful S15 I11 W13 D11 C11 Ch13 HP 46 Special: Epidermal Photosynthesis, Thermal Vision, Mind Thrust
Optio Zilas Fighter Lvl 5 Lawful S13 I10 W7 D11 C13 Ch9 HP 22
7. Smithy.
The blacksmith of Gate is a Dwarf named Columba. He is a former soldier whose unit went on regular patrols outside the city. He got caught in a river of chaos energy and no longer trusts himself go venture out of the city. He does what he can to fight Chaos by equipping soldiers and adventurers with the armor and weapons they need to carry on the fight. If a relationship is cultivated, adventurers will find a staunch ally in Columba.
Columba Dwarf Lvl 3 Lawful S16 I15 W11 D9 C15 Ch6 HP 25 Special: Pain Insensitivity
7a. Blacksmith's Home.
8. Chapel of the Taxiarchai.
Dedicated to the Archangels, this is where the people of Gate come to pray. Fr. Gerasimos maintains a monastic schedule, and there are services everyday throughout the day.
8a. Storage.
This is used to store the various items used in the chapel: books, chalices, utensils, vestments, wine, bread, etc. It is locked at all times. Fr. Gerasimos has the only key.
9. Priest's Home.
Fr. Gerasimos is a quiet and humble man who leads by example. He is more often than not in the Chapel praying than he is at home.
Fr. Gerasimos Cleric Lvl 4 Lawful S14 I10 W14 D11 C16 Ch10 HP 28
10. Flaming Sword.
The one place where Fr. Gerasimos has yet to have any influence. This serves both as a mess hall and as a tavern where soldiers let off steam.
10a. Kitchen.
The cook of the Flaming Sword, Wolfram aka "Cookie," is a veteran fighter who happens to be better in the kitchen than on the wall. Although he enjoys his work, Cookie prefers the life of a soldier and is the first to a fight, wielding whatever is at hand as a weapon.
Wolfram aka "Cookie" Fighter Lvl 4 Lawful S17 I11 W10 D14 C7 Ch9 HP 20 Special: Cookie is extremely skilled at using impromptu weapons, such as an iron skillet. He receives a +1 to hit whenever using such a weapon.
11. Statue of the Cherubic Guardian.
Here stands a 30 foot tall image of a Cherubim — a multi-eyed, awe-inspiring warrior angel wielding a flaming sword. It is carved granite and there is an extreme amount of wear on the right foot of the angel, where soldiers seeking blessings have worn down the detail on the foot by touching it for several hundred years. The statue radiates an aura of holiness. Any Lawful creature within a 20 foot radius receives a bonus of 1 on every die roll. Any Chaotic creature receives a penalty of 1 on every die roll. In addition, anyone who does a prayer asking for help or strength from the angels, Christ, or God and touches the statue receives the effects of a Bless spell for the next 24 hours.
12. Barracks.
The Tesserarius, Gabryl, has recently been promoted due to the death of a very popular officer. As a result, he has yet to earn the respect of his men, and is constantly trying to figure out ways to do so.
Tesserarius Gabryl Replicant Lvl 6 Lawful S16 I10 W10 D14 C13 Ch10 HP 40 Special: Spiny Growth, UV Vision, Increased Balance
13. The City Wall.
14. Outer Gate.
Since Ipolis has no trade with other cities, and a populace that has little or no reason to travel outside the walls of the city, the gate of the city (more of a door, really) serves only two purposes. Firstly, it gives minimal access to the outside world for those that do need to venture out (soldiers for routine patrols, mainly). Secondly, it serves as a trap for the invading forces of Chaos that periodically test the defenses of the city. The gate itself is iron and opens vertically using winches on the city wall. It is locked using two iron rods that mechanically slide into the gate from the city wall itself. The door is recessed into the city wall, allowing the defenders of the city to create a kill zone right in front of the gate. Indeed, the battlements above are equipped with hot oil, stones, crossbows and ballistas.
15. Trapped Stairs.
If invaders get through the gate, they must ascend a set of stairs made of slick, rounded stone. On either side of the stairs are 30 ft. deep, spiked pits. The stairs are also trapped — a lever on the city wall above triggers the upper section of the stairs to go flat and create a slide, dooming invaders to a ride into the spiked pits below. Invaders must endure all of this while defenders pelt them from above on the city walls.
16. Trapped Tunnel.
For those invaders that survive the gate and the stairs, this tunnel, coated with a thick layer of dark glass, awaits. In the ceiling there are hundreds of holes, and the floor slopes down from the edges to form an oblong bowl. On the city wall above the tunnel are three levers. Two control the locks on the iron doors at either end of the tunnel and the other releases acid through the holes in the ceiling of the tunnel. Not only will invaders be showered with acid, but the acid pools in the bowl-shaped floor, which becomes slick when wet. Thus, even when the defenders run out of acid to shower invaders from above, defenders must wade through an acid pool and risk losing their footing on the glass floor.
17. St. Aiden's Alley.
Named after a soldier who single-handedly held off a beast of Chaos in this very place until reinforcements could arrive to kill the creature. Mosaics depicting this epic battle line the walls. The alley is a final kill zone for any invaders that manage to get past the trapped stairs and tunnel. It also serves as a staging point for units who periodically patrol beyond the city walls.