Landmark
The Abyss Gate
At the northern edge of the Drakelands rises the Abyss Gate, a colossal seal shaped by Eldian scholars and Turoc artisans to hold Drako within the Abyss. The crater it guards is no ordinary wound in the land. Space twists upon itself there, and time stutters like a failing breath. The gate is wrapped in ancient sigils that pull and bind matter, bending it until a heavy mist bleeds into the air. Scholars call it an atomic regeneration field, though none agree on how it sustains itself. To most, the gate is an unbroken wall, yet rumors persist of Thurium shards from elder dragons that might disturb the seal long enough to rouse what sleeps below.
"It felt like the stone was breathing. Each step closer, a weight crawled down my spine. There was a presence here, older than anything I’d known, pulling at me, as if my very soul was about to be swallowed. This is no ordinary gate. Our ancestors sealed something here, and I fear it was never meant to be touched again."
The Identity
The Abyss Gate stands at the end of a scarred canyon, carved by Drako’s fury during the Great Catastrophe. It is more than stone or metal, built as both a seal and a warning. At its core, the gate is a prison door, holding back the abyss where Drako stirs. In the earliest explorations, we imagined it brighter and sunlit, a structure marked by yellow tones to contrast the desolation around it. But the concept soon shifted toward something far more oppressive: vast, immovable, and undeniably ancient.
The Mood
Finding the right presence was key. Early sketches explored a range of forms, from circular portals to fortress-like structures, but the gate needed to avoid feeling like a cliché monument. Instead, it had to suggest a collision between power and restraint. The final design leans on scale: towering slabs, cyan-lit channels, and tiny silhouettes at its base, forcing the viewer to feel small before its weight. Its presence carries both reverence and dread, as though approaching it is a choice you cannot step back from.
The Essence
Color and atmosphere anchored the piece. We abandoned the golden palette and leaned into a cyan-green glow, an eerie clash of Ether against the shadows pressing from within. This balance created an almost radioactive effect, hinting that the gate is not dormant but straining, always resisting what claws at it from the other side. The surrounding darkness deepens this feeling, making the structure glow like a wound in the world, both a beacon and a threat.
Final Design
Hope you enjoy this glimpse into the seal of the Abyss.
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