The Rift Gate

The only way in and out of The Scholar’s Rift, this swirling unstable portal only opens for those deemed “worthy.”

Most scholars assume the Rift Gate selects people based on magical aptitude...
...but then Barty Dunderfield—a man with zero magical talent—walked right through, so the theory is under review.
Some say the Rift itself decides who enters, though why it allows certain people in remains unknown.

The Rift Gate is the first and last test for all who seek knowledge, power, or just really bad life choices.

The Rift Gate Paradox

The paradox was born when Nokk embarked on one of his many reckless expeditions into The Dense, an act that only the most foolhardy scholars dared attempt. Unlike others, however, he was not lost within its folds. Instead, he moved through it as though it bent around him, his body flickering between locations that no two observers could agree upon.

At the peak of his exploration, something went wrong—or perhaps, went exactly as it was meant to.

Nokk attempted to harness the resonance of The Dense itself, but the reaction was far more violent than he anticipated. A massive arcane pulse rippled outward, merging two points of time into a single point. Reality itself seemed to buckle, and when the rift finally settled, scholars across Iridia realized that something had changed. The Rift Gate—long believed to be an ancient construct—had been stabilized at that exact moment.

Yet historical records made it clear: The Rift Gate had already existed before Nokk’s birth.

To complicate matters further, ancient texts discovered within The Scholar’s Rift describe a blue-skinned figure standing at the Gate’s creation—a figure resembling Nokk in every way. Whether this is proof of time-looped causality, an artifact of the Rift’s own nature, or something beyond mortal comprehension remains unknown.

Nokk himself has stopped trying to explain it. Instead, he accepts the paradox as an immutable truth—one of many mysteries he is determined to unravel.

What Happens if the Rift Gate Rejects You?

If the Rift Gate rejects someone, it does so in a manner that is deeply personal, highly inconvenient, and usually humiliating.

The Immediate U-Turn

The person walks directly into the Rift Gate…
…only to emerge right back where they started.
They try again. Same result.
It’s like a magical revolving door, except meaner.

The Dramatic Ejection

The Gate pulses once. Then twice.
A loud "NOPE!" resonates from seemingly nowhere.
The person is launched several feet into the air, landing face-first in the dirt.

The Polite Denial

The Gate almost lets them through. Almost.
A floating sign appears:

"We appreciate your enthusiasm, but unfortunately, your application has been denied at this time."
A small, passive-aggressive gust of wind nudges them back.

The Cosmic Delay

They step forward... but nothing happens.
They try again. Still nothing.
They stand there for hours. Days. Weeks.
Eventually, they leave out of sheer exhaustion.
(Some say they were never rejected, just never explicitly accepted either.)

The Bureaucratic Nightmare

A glowing form appears, demanding "Verification of Worthiness."
The form is 300 pages long and includes questions like:
- "Describe your magical philosophy in exactly 7 words."
- "If you were a potion, what would you taste like?"
- "Have you ever been a frog? If yes, explain."
No one has ever completed the form.

The Temporary Ban

The Gate accepts them… briefly.
They get one foot in, then get violently repelled back into reality.
A faint voice whispers:

"Try again next ARC."
They now have an arcane migraine and existential dread for a week.

The Barty Exception

If questioned about why someone was rejected, Barty Dunderfield (who somehow got in) will shrug and say:

"Hey, don’t look at me. It let me in, so clearly, standards are weird."

Mysterious Rumors About Rejection

Some believe the Gate judges personality rather than magical ability.
Others think the Rift simply enjoys screwing with people.
A few claim persistent rejections lead to something worse. No one knows what.

All in all, being rejected by the Rift Gate is either a mild inconvenience or a soul-crushing existential crisis, depending on how much you wanted in.