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Oathgate

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Oathgate
Oathgate Locations.jpg
by Isaac Stewart
World of Origin Roshar
Universe Cosmere

“ 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[1]

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,[2] or with an Honorblade.[3] 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.[4]

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.[5] Each of them is composed of a large, perfectly circular platform, with a round control building in its center.[6] The entire Oathgate is typically at a higher altitude than the rest of the city, with a wide ramp leading up to it.[7][8] In some places, the ramp is also accompanied by a staircase, although that could be a latter addition to the structure.[9]

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.[10] 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.[2][11]

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.[10] 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.[4] The control building can also be swapped by itself, without transporting the platform.[12]

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.[12]

Locking the Oathgate

Each Oathgate can be locked from either side.[13][14] Odium appears to have a way to break this lock, which could be tied to his corruption of Kholinar Oathgate spren.[15]

All but the Stormseat Oathgate have been locked up by the ancient Knights Radiant when they've abandoned the tower city.[16] 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.[17][16] Others, like the one in Thaylen City, have been transformed into gardens and other religious or ceremonial structures.[18]

The Oathgate spren

Shadesmar

For more information, see Oathgate spren.

In Shadesmar, an Oathgate is represented by a flat platform of a material akin to white marble, the size of the control building. When possible -- for example, if the Oathgate is close to the sea shore in the Physical Realm -- the Oathgate is connected with the land by a bridge of matching color.[19] The platform itself is watched over by a pair of enormous spren, both the size of buildings, each wearing a set of armor and holding a spear. One of the spren is white, while the other is shimmering black.[20]

Those two spren enable the Oathgate to function properly, and control who can travel, and where.[20] They can be corrupted by Sja-Anat, although so far, only the Kholinar spren have been compromised in this manner.[21] This does not impact their ability to work with spren of the uncorrupted Oathgates.[15]

In the past, the Oathgates have been capable of transporting people in and out of Shadesmar; however, at some point before his death, Honor forbade the Oathgate spren from performing this service. As such, this function of the Oathgate is currently inaccessible.[20] This being said, the spren corrupted by Sja-Anat are not bound by this, and can transport people into Shadesmar, though it's uncertain if they can bring them back into the Physical Realm.[21]

Oathgate Locations

Urithiru

There are ten Oathgate platforms on the edges of the grand plaza in front of Urithiru.[22] Each Oathgate is connected to a location in each of the ten ancient Silver Kingdoms.[5]

Shattered Plains

The Natanatan Oathgate is located in the city of Narak, or Stormseat, in the very center of the Shattered Plains. Back when the city was in its prime, the Oathgate was located on a round plaza in its south-western part.[23] In the present, the platform forms its own plateau adjacent to Narak.[24]

This Oathgate is the first to have been rediscovered and reactivated in the present day. It's found by Shallan during the Battle of Narak, and used to transport the Alethi troops away from the field of battle before they can be killed in the confrontation between the Everstorm and a highstorm.[4] Later, it becomes Urithiru's main connection to the outside world, with goods being brought through it from the Plains war camps into the tower-city.[11]

Alethkar

Plans of Kholinar Palace, with the Oathgate on the left

The Alethela Oathgate is located in the city of Kholinar, the capital of Alethkar. It's attached to the Kholinar Palace by a long covered bridge called the Sunwalk, and is technically part of the palatial complex.[7] The Oathgate platform serves as the home of the palace ardentia, and is thus covered by numerous buildings.[21] It's called the Monastery Dais, with the control chamber itself known as the Circle of Memories. The local ardents believe that the ten lamps in the Circle represent the Silver Kingdoms, while the keyhole represents the need for the priesthood to ignore borders and boundaries.[25]

During the Siege of Kholinar, the platform becomes home to Ashertmarn, and as such is the location of the endless Revel organized by the Cult of Moments.[26] At the same time, another Unmade, Sja-Anat, corrupts its spren. When Shallan, Adolin, Kaladin and Azure attempt to use the Oathgate, they are dumped into Shadesmar instead.[21] While the Oathgate is later locked from Urithiru side after the news of Kholinar's fall reaches the tower,[14] Malata eventually unlocks it, letting the Voidbringers attack Urithiru thorugh it.[15][27]

Thaylenah

The Thalath Oathgate is located in the Thaylen capital, Thaylen City. It sits at the city's highest and east-most point, near the cliffs falling down into the sea. Standing high above the other buildings, it provides an excellent view of the entire city.[12] A solitary path connects it to the Royal Ward. Notably, it's the only known Oathgate so far not to be located within the original borders of the ancient city it's connected to.[8] In Shadesmar, it's connected to land by a long bridge.[19]

The Oathgate's original purpose remained in the Thaylen cultural memory, with stories of a "portal of worlds" dazzling childen to this day.[28] However, the platform itself has been transformed into a sculpture garden. Kaladin and Shallan fly to Thaylen City to unlock it, while Malata does the same from Urithiru side, under Navani's supervision.[12] From then on out, it's frequently used to transport both people and cargo.[29] It's particularly crucial in the Battle of Thaylen Field, as Kaladin and his group fight there in an attempt to return from Shadesmar, and the gate itself is used to transport reinforcements to help repel the Fused.[20][30]

Azir

The Makabakam Oathgate is located in the city of Azimir in Azir. In the present day, it has been covered up by a bronze dome, with the interior serving as an indoor shopping district, known as the Grand Market. The control building itself is treated as a religious monument of some kind.[13]

Once the Azish learn that the structure is an Oathgate, they close down the grand market and build an extensive wooden structure within, indended to funnel anyone coming out of the control chamber down a single, highly defensible path.[13] Although they initially refuse to open the gate out of fear of the Blackthorn, they eventually allow Lift to do so to let Dalinar visit their city.[28][13] Dalinar intends to inform them that the entire platform can be swapped, rendering their defences meaningless, although it's unknown whether he ended up passing that information along.[13]

Jah Keved

The Valhav Oathgate is located in the city of Vedenar, the capital of Jah Keved. It stands on one of the highest of the grand terraces of the city. Alongside a ramp, a set of stais leads up to the platform.[9]

Like the other terraces in Vedenar, the Oathgate platform has been turned into a grand garden in the centuries since it's been locked.[9] After Taravangian decides to ally with Dalinar, Malata unlocks the Oathgate.[31] The garden is then cleaned up, clearing the platform for full use.[9]

Other Oathgates

There are five other Oathgates, which are yet to be reactivated in the present day.

  • Aimia: The Aimia Oathgate is located in the city of Akinah. It's current status is unknown, although it's believed to have been destroyed during the Scouring of Aimia.[32]
  • Iri: The Iri Oathgate is located in their capital, Rall Elorim.[5] As the Iri leadership allied with Odium, the Oathgate is currently under their control, although it remains locked.[3]
  • Rira: The Rishir Oathgate is located in the capital of Rira, Kurth.[5] It's likely come under the control of Odium as the Iriali moved to conquer Rira -- something they've intended to do for a long time.[33]
  • Babatharnam: The Sela Tales Oathgate sits in the city of Panatham in Babatharnam. It has most likely been captured by the Iriali forces.[32]
  • Shinovar: The Shin Kak Nish Oathgate lies somewhere in Shinovar.[5] It's exact location is unknown, as there are no cities in Shinovar marked on the world map.[34]

Notes

  1. ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 39 epigraph#
  2. ↑ a b Words of Radiance chapter 86#
  3. ↑ a b Oathbringer chapter 16#
  4. ↑ a b c Words of Radiance chapter 87#
  5. ↑ a b c d e Oathgate Locations Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Oathgate Locations.jpg" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Oathgate Locations.jpg" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Oathgate Locations.jpg" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Oathgate Locations.jpg" defined multiple times with different content
  6. ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 24#
  7. ↑ a b Map of Kholinar
  8. ↑ a b Map of Thaylen City
  9. ↑ a b c d Oathbringer chapter 100#
  10. ↑ a b Words of Radiance chapter 84#
  11. ↑ a b Oathbringer chapter 46#
  12. ↑ a b c d Oathbringer chapter 58#
  13. ↑ a b c d e Oathbringer chapter 65#
  14. ↑ a b Oathbringer chapter 96#
  15. ↑ a b c Oathbringer chapter 115#
  16. ↑ a b Words of Radiance chapter 89#
  17. ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 65#
  18. ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 58#
  19. ↑ a b Oathbringer chapter 112#
  20. ↑ a b c d Oathbringer chapter 116#
  21. ↑ a b c d Oathbringer chapter 87#
  22. ↑ Urithiru top-down view
  23. ↑ Stormseat Mosaic
  24. ↑ Battle of Narak map
  25. ↑ Words of Radiance interlude I-12#
  26. ↑ Oathbringer chapter 78#
  27. ↑ Oathbringer chapter 122#
  28. ↑ a b Oathbringer chapter 12#
  29. ↑ Oathbringer chapter 111#
  30. ↑ Oathbringer chapter 120#
  31. ↑ Oathbringer chapter 24#
  32. ↑ a b Oathbringer chapter 107#
  33. ↑ Oathbringer chapter 27#
  34. ↑ Map of Roshar
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