Talking Gateway

A talking gateway is a special gateway Regidor and the sound wizard Namee worked together to make around the time of DragonLight. The gateway is small and typically carried on the wizard's person. Sound and image can be recorded and sent from one talking gateway to any other one, allowing one wizard to leave a message to another.

The range was impressive as it allowed two wizard to communicate with ease, even when they were on opposite sides of Amara. Wizards could send messages daily, hourly, if they wished.

Inactive
The gateway was a shimmering cord circlet and was quite fragile. Due to its fragility, its two foot wide diameter was folded and stored into a small cylinder when not in use. The cylinder was small enough to be comfortably held in one hand.

Usage
The gateway worked by depositing something inside it. Then it would travel to another gateway of the same design. Who it traveled to depended on how the threads were arranged. While it could be used for things like sending letters or ingredients and tools, its primary use was to deposit sound and (if constructed correctly) an image. The message would remain in the gateway it was directed to until the gateway was opened.

Manipulating the strands would open the gateway, allowing the wizard to access a message that had been left within. When opened, the air within the two-foot diameter cord would ripple. Rainbow colors shimmered across the surface from the center to the outside and would then disappear. The face of the message's sender would then be seen and the message would play. The message could be repeated as many times as the wizard wished.

Not only could the person be seen, but some of their background could also be observed. For example, a message from Kemry Allerion showed Lyll Allerion walking in the background. A message from Regidor showed not only him but Gilda and the view behind them - a massive lake.

Magical Theory
When used, the gateway did not open clear to the other side as would normally happen but merely inched the interior wall backward, creating a shallow space in front.

Creating the talking gateway was difficult. The first step involved drawing dimension threads from the air, much like what would happen in a conventional gateway. The portal's small size meant making it was difficult and they required additional layering from front to back that a normal gateway lacked.

Problems
The most noted problem, said by several wizards including Kale and Kemry Allerion, was that there was no way for a wizard to know if they had a message holding in the gateway. Mot Angra's presence caused the gateway to pop and sputter when it was attempted to be used before finally causing them to collapse limply. This effect ended when Mot Angra awoke from his slumber.

Naming
When the gateway was first created, no one was sure what they wanted to name it. "The new gateway invented by Namee and Regidor" was too long. Attempts to combine the names of the wizards (Nagidor, Regimee, Meedor) were deemed to silly. The term "message portal" was suggested as it was descriptive, but dull. It was suggested it could be shortened from message portal to MP but this was decided against as MP could stand for anything (Mounted Patrol, Male Parrots, Magnificent Pottery, or even Monkey Poop).

In the end, Cam Ayronn got tired of their bickering and decided to call it the talking gateway, which everyone could agree on.