Gate Control 1A
Gate Control 1A is a secured, multi-story Cothellon control building located on Earth (Mar). It serves as one of the primary operational outbuildings within the heavily cloaked Fennas Elenathon receiver site hidden in the Muir Woods. Functioning as a secure transit hub, it houses a massive dimensional gate used by Cothellon personnel to travel instantly between the planet's surface and the floating sky city of New San Francisco (City Three).
Geography and Environment
Constructed from corrugated metal that gleams dull silver in the moonlight, Gate Control 1A is an imposing, highly advanced structure. A sign on its exterior designates it as a "Clearance Level 5" area belonging to the Department of Planning, explicitly warning that automatic weapons are prohibited beyond its doors due to high-intensity darkprime emissions.
Inside, the primary gate chamber is a vast, dark room with a high, flat ceiling. The floor and walls are covered in a labyrinth of wires, metal pipes, and racks of flashing electronic equipment. At the center of the room sits a metal dais supporting a large, swirling gate—a vertical oval of light that acts as a doorway to the sky cities.
Key Events
Discovery
While recklessly utilizing her leafrunning magic, Elanil accidentally breaches the invisible forcefield hiding Fennas Elenathon. While sneaking through the complex, she encounters Gate Control 1A and climbs the ladder to its dark, deserted roof. From this high vantage point, she gets her first clear look at the terrifying, claw-like device at the center of the receiver site before being forced to flee from armed elven guards.
The Tornado
Later, Elanil and the young underkid Rylan are captured by the Cothellon gate officer Marissa and brought into the gate chamber inside Gate Control 1A for interrogation. When heavily armed guards attempt to execute them, Elanil and Rylan accidentally discover that by holding hands, they can combine their magic into a massive, cooperative force.
Together, they create a devastating tornado of leafrunning and fallfoiling magic. The vortex spins faster and faster until it violently shreds the ceiling of Gate Control 1A, blasting the concrete, steel, and the captured Cothellon soldiers hundreds of feet into the sky.
The Fight with Elion
Immediately following the destruction of the building's roof, the formidable Cothellon forcefinder Elion arrives in the ruined chamber. He effortlessly traps Elanil, Rylan, and the arriving members of Shock Crew—Shot, Dill, and Small—in inescapable, individual forcefields that shock them whenever touched.
However, Shot uses his rare mergemelding magic to turn his body semi-transparent, passing directly through the forcefields to free Dill and Rylan before collapsing from magical exhaustion. Enraged, Elion grabs Rylan by the throat and begins choking him to death. Just as Elanil's magical defenses are crushed by Elion's shrinking forcefield, Dill sneaks up behind the distracted mage and plunges a knife directly into his back, killing Elion instantly and freeing the crew.