Threshold
It is a city of monasteries and observatories on the mountain ridge. He manages Asteron's air passages, divination archives, and neutral diplomacy school.
City identity
It is a city of monasteries and observatories on the mountain ridge. He manages Asteron's air passages, divination archives, and impartial diplomacy school.
City information
The city's bells ring according to the wind. Even though there is no wind in recent months, the bells in the direction of Ordanor have been ringing.
Location in Avarra
| Field | Record |
|---|---|
| Continent | Asteron |
| Region | Asteron Northern Passes |
| Physical site | A stone threshold where two mountain ridges meet, above the cloud line for most of the year |
| Access | Mule road, wind bridge, and lift cages that run only in clear weather |
| Nearby ties | Astereth, the northern pass villages, and Lethar’s embassy route |
Sky Threshold does not rule Asteron; it decides whether Asteron can be crossed. During snow, storm, or a divinatory closure, the cities below can be isolated from one another for weeks. Its school of neutrality is therefore not only a lofty principle, but a condition for caravans, patients, and envoys to survive.
A city that works by altitude
The city has three narrow rings. Lower Step holds inns, mule yards, quarantine courts, and provisions from the mountain villages. Bell Terrace holds the diplomacy school, weather records, and the pass court, which posts the day each caravan may depart. Silent Ridge contains observatories, retreat cells, and wind bells; no unlicensed weapon may be drawn there.
Pass law is simple: no state may open a closed pass for its own military need. Its enforcement is not. Bells ringing toward Ordanor while the wind is still suggest either unseen movement on the road network or an omen the observatory has not disclosed.
Table tensions
- A refugee column from the north is stranded in Lower Step by an official weather ban; the party must learn which bell is lying before the route closes for good.
- The diplomacy school’s alumni list includes an envoy who never lived, and treaties bearing that name are still considered valid.
- The Silent Ridge observatory records a military signal arriving not from Ordanor but from the sky.