Oathgate

Oathgate
by Isaac Stewart
World of Origin	Roshar
Universe	Cosmere

This page or section contains spoilers for Oathbringer!

This information has the ability to potentially ruin elements of the plot for the reader. Proceed with caution if you have not read this book.

“ Within a heartbeat, Alezarv was there, crossing a distance that would have taken more than four months to travel by foot. ”

— Among the Darkeyed, page 102

The Oathgates are structures on Roshar that allow people to instantaneously teleport from one location to another.

These fabrials manipulate the Surge of Transportation. Together, they form a network of gateways with Urithiru at its center, allowing for near-instantaneous travel between all corners of the Rosharan continent, including access to the tower-city itself. They can only be operated by someone wielding a living Shardblade, such as a Knight Radiant, or with an Honorblade. They require Stormlight to work, with transportation of more than one person demanding more Stormlight than what the Oathgate can normally hold in its ten gemstone lanterns.

Structure and Operation

Stormseat. The Oathgate platform (purple) can be seen in the bottom left of the city, with a control chamber (yellow) rising from its center.

Oathgates can be found in many of the oldest cities on Roshar, such as Kholinar and Stormseat. Each of them is composed of a large, perfectly circular platform, with a round control building in its center. The structure is typically at a higher altitude than the rest of the city, with a wide ramp leading up to it.

Control building

The inside of the control building is richly decorated in murals both on the walls and the floor. The latter is divided into eleven sections, with the ten major ones each dedicated to one of the Silver Kingdoms. Between the first and tenth segments is a smaller, narrow section representing Urithiru. The wall above has ten gemstone lamps hanging from it, with each lamp being enclosed in a metal lattice. Once they are infused, the floor begins to glow, and swirls of Stormlight start rising above the platform outside.

Along with the lamps, on the wall there is a plate of metal, shaped like a ten-pointed star, with a slot in its center. When a Shardblade is inserted, the slot reshapes to fit its particular form. This occurs regardless of whether the Blade is living or dead -- however, only the living blade will activate the keyhole, producing a low, vibrating sound. With a living Blade inside, the keyhole can be moved along with the entire inner wall to align it with one of the eleven floor sections. There, the Radiant removes the Shardblade from the keyhole. With this, the contents of the control chamber, as well as anything on top of the platform, is swapped with the control chamber and the platform of the Oathgate in the desired location. The control building can also be swapped by itself, without transporting the platform.

The existence of eleven lamps in each Oathgate control chamber indicates that it might be possible to transport people directly between any two platforms. However, at the present each Oathgate is tied only to one other, connecting each of the ten ancient cities to Urithiru.

Locking the Oathgate

Each Oathgate can be locked from either side. Odium appears to have a way to break this lock, which could be tied to his corruption of Kholinar Oathgate spren.

All but the Stormseat Oathgate have been locked up by the ancient Knights Radiant when they've abandoned the tower city. As such, over the millennia since the Recreance, their purpose has been forgotten. Many of the Oathgate platforms are covered in buildings, such as the Grand Market in Azimir, or the Kholinar Palace in Kholinar. Others, like the one in Thaylen City, have been transformed into gardens and other religious or ceremonial structures.

Location of Oathgates

There are ten Oathgate platforms outside the plain at Urithiru. Each Oathgate transports to a location in each of the ten ancient Silver Kingdoms.

Shattered Plains

The Oathgate in the Shattered Plains is the first Oathgate that was discovered and activated by the Alethi during the Battle of Narak. The Oathgate was originally in the ancient city of Stormseat.

Alethkar

The Alethkar Oathgate is located in the city of Kholinar and is attached to Kholinar Palace by a bridge. The Oathgate platform is covered in building structures. The spren in the Oathgate were corrupted and instead of transporting to Urithiru, it transported to Shadesmar.

Thaylenah

The Thaylenah Oathgate is located in Thaylen City. The Oathgate is located at the top of the hill city and connected by a path to the Royal Ward.

Azir

The Azir Oathgate is located in the city of Azimir. It is in the center of the Grand Market and housed under a bronze dome.

Jah Keved

The Jah Keved Oathgate is located in the city of Vedenar.

Aimia

The Oathgate in Aimia is believed to have been lost during the Scouring of Aimia.

Rall Elorim

The Iri Oathgate is located in the city of Rall Elorim.

Rira

The Oathgate in Rira is located in an unknown location. Jasnah Kholin believes the Oathgate was in the City of Kurth.

Babatharnam

The Oathgate in Babatharnam is located in its capital city of Panatham.

Shinovar

There is believed to be an Oathgate in an unknown location in Shinovar.

Shadesmar

For more information, see Oathgate spren.

In Shadesmar the Oathgates are represented by a flat white marble platform the size of the Oathgate control building. The platform is guarded by two enormous guardian spren, one black, one white.

During the Battle of Kholinar Shallan Davar attempted to activate the Kholinar Oathgate to transport survivors back to Urithiru. Prior to the activation she saw a reflection of the Unmade Sja-anat warning her that the Oathgate was corrupted. When Shallan activated the Oathgate she and her party were transported into Shadesmar and landed on the Oathgate platform.

After the party traveled through Shadesmar to the Oathgate at Thaylen City Shallan was unable to activate the Oathgate and the guardian spren could not be convinced to allow her to.

Notes

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